Chapter 11 — Truth in the Light
1015 Words
The computer lab fell silent when the security guard stepped inside.
“What exactly are you students doing here?” he asked sternly.
Min-ji froze.
Alicia felt her stomach twist.
Jae-hyun, however, leaned back in his chair as if nothing unusual was happening.
“Studying?” he said casually.
The guard narrowed his eyes.
“At ten at night?”
Alicia quickly stood up.
“Sir, we’re trying to check something important,” she said honestly.
“Important enough to be accessing system records?” the guard replied.
Min-ji whispered, “We’re definitely getting expelled.”
Before Alicia could explain further, another voice came from behind them.
“They’re with me.”
Everyone turned.
Park Min-ho stood in the doorway.
The guard immediately straightened.
“Oh… Min-ho.”
Min-ho walked inside calmly.
“They’re helping me verify something regarding a false post on the student forum.”
The guard frowned.
“You should report that to administration.”
“We will,” Min-ho said. “But first we needed confirmation.”
The guard studied them for a moment.
Finally he sighed.
“Finish quickly. Then leave.”
He turned and walked out of the lab.
Min-ji collapsed into a chair.
“I almost died.”
Jae-hyun laughed quietly.
“Relax. That went well.”
Alicia turned to Min-ho.
"How did you know we were here?,you saved us"
“You looked like you might get into trouble.”
For a moment Alicia smiled.
Then Jae-hyun clapped his hands once.
“Alright, enough emotional moments. Let’s expose a villain.”
He returned to the computer.
“Now,” he said, pulling up the data again. “Login location: Humanities Building, Terminal 12, 11:36 PM.”
Min-ho leaned closer to the screen.
“And the hallway cameras?”
Jae-hyun opened another window.
“That’s what we check next.”
Minutes passed as he navigated the university’s internal system.
Then finally a video file appeared.
“Got it,” he said.
The three students gathered around the screen.
The security footage began playing.
The hallway outside the computer terminal appeared.
For several seconds nothing happened.
Then a student entered the frame.
Min-ji gasped.
“That’s…”
Alicia recognized her immediately.
One of Han So-yeon’s closest friends.
Choi Yura.
The video clearly showed her sitting at the computer.
Typing.
Then quickly leaving.
Jae-hyun leaned back with a satisfied smile.
“Well. That’s our culprit.”
Min-ji’s eyes widened.
“So-yeon made her do it.”
Min-ho nodded.
“This is enough evidence.”
Alicia felt relief rush through her chest.
“So we can prove the rumor is fake.”
Min-ho looked at the screen again.
“Yes.”
The next morning, the campus buzzed with tension.
Students gathered near the administration building where an emergency announcement had been scheduled.
Alicia stood beside Min-ji nervously.
“What if they ignore the evidence?” Min-ji whispered.
“They won’t,” Alicia said firmly.
Across the courtyard, So-yeon stood with her usual calm expression.
But when the large screen turned on and the video began playing, her confidence cracked for the first time.
Students gasped as the footage showed Choi Yura posting the rumor from the computer terminal.
The whispers spread instantly.
“So-yeon’s friend did it.”
“That means the rumor was fake.”
“Poor Min-ji.”
The dean stepped forward with a microphone.
“After reviewing the evidence,” he announced, “the university confirms that the rumor about Kim Min-ji was false and malicious.”
Min-ji’s eyes filled with tears.
“Student Choi Yura will face disciplinary action,” the dean continued.
“And we remind everyone that spreading harmful rumors will not be tolerated.”
The crowd erupted with conversation.
Across the courtyard, So-yeon’s face was pale.
Her perfect reputation had just taken a serious hit.
She turned sharply and walked away without saying a word.
Alicia exhaled deeply.
“It’s over.”
Min-ji hugged her tightly.
“Thank you.”
Jae-hyun leaned against a nearby railing.
“Well,” he said, “that was satisfying.”
Min-ho stood quietly beside them.
His gaze briefly rested on Alicia.
But he looked away quickly.
One Month Later
Life at Seoul International University slowly returned to normal.
The scandal faded from campus gossip.
Classes resumed.
Assignments piled up.
And for the first time since arriving in Korea, Alicia finally felt like she could breathe.
Most afternoons, she and Min-ji spent time studying in the campus café.
Often, Jae-hyun joined them, bringing his usual playful energy.
Sometimes Min-ho came too.
Though he rarely stayed long.
Still, Alicia noticed something.
Whenever she laughed with Jae-hyun, Min-ho’s attention drifted toward them.
He never stared for long.
But his eyes always returned.
Jae-hyun noticed too.
One afternoon in the library, Alicia sat between them while they worked on a project.
Jae-hyun leaned over her shoulder to explain something on the laptop.
“You’re doing it wrong,” he said with a grin.
Alicia nudged him.
“Then show me the right way.”
Across the table, Min-ho watched silently.
His expression remained calm.
But his pen had stopped moving.
Jae-hyun noticed immediately.
A slow smile spread across his face.
Interesting.
Later that day, as Alicia and Min-ji packed their bags, Jae-hyun walked beside Min-ho in the hallway.
“You’ve been looking at her a lot lately,” he said casually.
Min-ho didn’t respond.
Jae-hyun chuckled.
“Relax. I’m not judging.”
Still silence.
Then Jae-hyun added quietly,
“I didn’t know you had a type.”
Min-ho stopped walking.
His voice was calm.
“Don’t start imagining things.”
Jae-hyun only smiled wider.
“Oh, I’m not imagining anything.”
He glanced toward Alicia down the hallway.
“I’m observing.”
Min-ho’s jaw tightened slightly.
Jae-hyun noticed that too.
And in that moment, an idea began forming in his mind.
If Min-ho really liked Alicia…
Then making him jealous might be very entertaining.
Jae-hyun walked ahead with a satisfied smile.
Behind him, Min-ho watched Alicia laughing with Min-ji.
And once again, that strange feeling returned.
The one he still refused to admit.
- Writer
