PARADOX - SEULRENE

date

the news about a group of students being summoned to the principal's office echoed in the entire campus the next day.

it didn't surprise you when you found out it was irene and her gang.

well not all of them.

sooyoung and yerim are the studious ones in their group and aren't getting themselves involved in any trouble.

you grunted at the news, secretly hoping irene would just stick with yerim and sooyoung instead of her boyfriend and the others. you think it's another serious case as irene, yongsun, and jimin were absent in all your classes today.

"i heard they were caught taking illegal drugs and drinking alcohol in school premises," said hyojung when she saw you staring blankly at the direction of irene's empty seat. "i hope they'd all get expelled soon so all the students here will have a peaceful life."

you don't mind getting all the others kicked out. but irene, you think she deserves a chance. it's not because you have feelings for her (duh). it's just that you've felt there is still something good in her. she was even concerned about your scholarship when you talked about her friends drink spiking her.

you don't know why but whatever others say about her you still don't see her as worse as yongsun and jimin. maybe you're just being dense for thinking that. but you don't care.

---

'make friends, not war.'

you stared at the note posted on the principal's office door, still amazed how the school lives up to it.

every student in your university is compelled to follow the school's motto. they don't tolerate fighting. any student who starts a brawl or trouble will either get long hours of counselling or get kicked out of the school. that's the reason the school strictly prohibits aikido members like you in using your skills against any other students of the school. it doesn't matter if you started the fight or not, but once you fight back, then it's over for you.

you knocked three times before opening the door a little and sticking your head in. the secretary is already looking at you with a smile on her face.

"hi, is she here?" you asked, pertaining to the principal.

the secretary nodded and gave a wide smile. "you're here to have your scholarships paper signed? yes, she's just on the phone with someone. you can wait here inside."

"thanks." you opened the door further to let yourself in. the figure of another student waiting on the couch made you jump in surprise. "whoa!"

irene, who's sitting on the couch with her hand fiddling on her yang necklace, also flinched in surprise when she saw you.

you're not sure if you should smile or not. but since irene immediately took her eyes off you, you made your way to sit at the other end of the couch. irene shifted her position from slumping to sitting up straight, straightening her blouse with both hands.

could she be feeling awkward like you do?

"you two know each other, right?" the secretary asked, pointing at you and irene.

irene is still spacing out so you answered, "yes, we are classmates in some of our subjects."

"then how come you both are acting like you don't know each other?"

you turned to irene but who was still emotionless. "we're not that... close... yet," you said.

the secretary fixed her glasses and rested her chin on one hand. "don't tell me you two are fighting? i can feel the tension here, you know..."