Fallen Crown

Chapter 4

Bo Na pulled Eun Sang into the broadcasting room. Hyo Shin raised a brow at them as Bo Na muttered an apology. She took a seat beside Ye Sol who, as usual, glared pointedly at Eun Sang. She wondered why the girl seemed so viciously determined to be mean or uncooperative. Eun Sang had never done anything to her. She took a seat by Hyo Shin, hanging her book bag on the back of the chair. The broadcasting room was one of the few places that Eun Sang cherished at Jeguk High.

"You two don't even give me an excuse as to why we've been waiting for fifteen minutes." Hyo Shin never sounded as upset as his words suggested.

"What is the world coming to when people can't even respect their seniors?"

"Sorry!" Bo Na licked her lips. "We're still recovering from shock."

Ye Sol turned to her friend. "Did something happen?"

Bo Na was still visibly upset. "Choi Young Do, that brat, he got first place on the finals."

Instead of looking as surprised as most of them had been, Hyo Shin's expression was that of curiousity.

He always seemed to observe the world like a spectator rather than an active participant of it. Eun Sang found him to be a very strange person.

"Why are you surprised?" Ye Sol smiled triumphantly. "He's always been smart."

Bo Na tilted her head to the side. "But he's never cared about showing it." Her friend glanced at her.

Eun Sang still remembered the way Young Do had looked at her — how he had asked her if she was impressed. She had been impressed. Eun Sang hadn't expected that he was purposefully failing tests when he knew the right answers. She merely thought him a rebel who didn't want to study; an irresponsible fool.

Their senior cleared his throat and pinned a glare on Bo Na, then at Eun Sang. "Daydreaming about boys is not the reason we're gathered here. I have some upsetting news."

Ye Sol sighed. "They want to eliminate the broadcasting club."

"What?" Bo Na gasped, indignant. "What do you mean eliminate us?" "Merge us actually," Hyo Shin said. "With the film club."

Bo Na exhaled in relief. "That would be better for us. We'd have more opportunities to produce exciting content for school. Can you imagine all the things we could do?"

Ye Sol nodded in agreement.

Hyo Shin smiled, but his annoyance bled through. It was the first time Eun Sang had seen him personally affected by something going on around him.

"Spoken like the heiress of Mega Entertainment. My problem is their assumption we are useless. I don't want to graduate with such a failure on my conscience."

"If it was already decided—-"

"We have a shot," Hyo Shin said. "They want us to produce something to prove the worth of our club. And they will grade us for it. It will affect our average."

"What?" Bo Na was outraged. "Does that even make sense? At this point? Why are they being so petty? It's not like Jeguk would miss the money put into our club."

Hyo Shin glanced at Eun Sang, as if he knew something that she didn't. Was this all happening because of her? Could the Chairman have targeted the club because she was in it? Was he trying to show his power? Eun Sang didn't need examples; she knew his reach quite well. Was he retaliating for something she had done?

Because Tan texted me?

"This happens in the real world," Hyo Shin said with a shrug. "They're trying to teach us something."