Back to December (WINRINA/JIMINJEONG)

: about the golden student

Now's 8am, so this morning Karina decided to go to her old school... since Pierre told her to do some research about 'her victim in the past', perhaps let's just start it in obvious way? Karina thought.

It's pretty cold out there, so she choose to wearing a brown leather wool jacket, with a black turtle neck shirt, a beige trousers, and 'one of her favorite' black leather boots. She looks at the mirror, feeling cute to her self, and ready to go. She doesn't feel hungry at all after her late dinner, plus the 'unwanted' message that she got from last night, enough to make her lost her appetite pretty badly. She took a bus, relieved that nobody in Busan seems to know her existence.
She could deny it to her self but she secretly miss to live in here. To think about it, she thought that Busan was a huge place, but actually not as crowded as Seoul... or even New York. She still couldn't understand how the heck she ended up with moved to US after she graduated. Of course, thanks to Tiffany who finally got her scholarship to NYU, continued her master degree in law. It safe to say that Tiffany's luck and hard work saved them from a long poor life, let alone after they tried to runaway so much from their troubled parents back then. Their father (well, more a like her father tho) caused too much problems because he was a gambling maniac who somehow managed to fraud several people included their mother, causing her to left them both by drug addiction and depression. When their mom died from overdosed, Tiffany was 26yo while Karina was only 15 at that time. It wasn't that pleasing to remember that, but it is what it is. Both of Tiffany and Karina did everything to burry those facts, and it went well so far.
Until the 'bullying rumor' got spilled to the table. Oh boy, how could she missed that one? she still wondering it tho.

After some time, the bus finally arrive near the school. She tap her card, and got off from the bus soon after.

"Brrr it's so cold" she talks in mind. She run to the gate, some teachers are new to her, but the others not really change. She finally meet Mr. Park, Mr. Lee, and Mrs. Kwon, her former teacher who's now becoming the head master (also, Aeri's sister in law). They welcomed her with smiles, asked her how she's been doing, she answer them politely. Then she tells Mrs. Kwon to talk with her in private.

"Uhm... Mrs. Kwon, can I ask you something ? But not in here"

"Ouh, perhaps... We could talk inside the my office, if you don't mind?"

"Sure thing" Karina said.

They come to the office, Mrs. Kwon told her to take a sit and now Karina gesture becomes more serious.

"Mrs. Kwon, you obviously know that I come to here from far away with an intention... right?"

"Of course, I can see that. Okay, tell me about it... What do you want to know?"

Karina took a deep breath before she finally can throw it out.

"Without being rude, perhaps that... Do you remember Kim Minjeong? I mean, the best student in my year? Do you know, where she lives in now?"

Mrs. Kwon frowned, not sure if she could tell Karina what was going on. Like of course who wouldn't remember Kim Minjeong? The only student who was capable to skip grade since her first day arrival at their class, the one who won national mathematic competition quiz for their school, don't forget to mention with the fact that she was also became the head of student council. Kim Minjeong was an impressive student, a pure genius... A youngster with the brain but got wasted, she thought. All of the old teachers had been keeping the secret for so long about her, but maybe... This is the right moment to just, throw it all the way.

"About that, I do remember her. But about where she lives in now... I obviously have no idea up until now"

Karina got confused, she was sure that Kim Minjeong graduated in the same year as her.

"And why is that?"

"Because technically, she didn't finish her school here"

Now it's time for Karina who frowned.

"Wait, what do you mean by that? I literally heard her name got mentioned as the honoured student at our graduation ceremony because she got the highest score in our school. She even made her speech, what exactly are you talking about Mrs. Kwon?"

Mrs. Kwon can't believe that she must saying the truth now.

"it was all just to cover up her disgrace, because the principal at that time didn't want the public to know that their best model student was apparently 2 months pregnant out of wedlock. It was also a shameful for her family too, so we tried our best to kept it that way. Right after she warped up the speech, her family came to take her out from our school. Ever since that time we never heard anything about her at all."

Shooketh? That was understatement even. what in the name of Jesus was going on?

-tbc-