As I was drowning in all the memories I noticed he replied soon after, ‘of course! How can I forget you? What's up?’
A sigh of relief blows out of my mouth and I begin to type my next text without giving him a chance to go offline. 
‘I wanted to know about rumors going around the school.’ 
It worries me that being direct on the point might cause him offense. 
Han Suho : ‘oh, I see that you've gotten the air of it. Just ignore it, it's every year's thing.’ 
So he is aware of what I'm talking about.  
‘Did something happen the previous year? I heard it had to do something with the vice president.’ 
Han Suho : ‘Oh, yes. She had quite a mental stress, but I suppose it's the conflict of being at responsibility.’ 
‘You know about the rumors right? Do you know anything in general?’ 
Han Suho : ‘When I was in that school I was really invested in it, but the year ended and now that I'm in college there's no importance in it you see.’ 
That's what I've been trying to say. It's just a rumor, isn't it? Then why, why iseul's words sounded so sure? 
‘I see, Can you give me a way to contact her?’ 
With every message I type I try not to sound too direct, or too rude. But formalities would get me nowhere, I have to make this quick. 
Han Suho : ‘I’m not sure if she'd like that, she doesn't like talking about those rumors.’ 
‘I won't pester her, it's just I want closure so I won't focus on these things, it's stressing me.’ 
I say honestly. If she confirmed that she wasn't involved in anything, it would be clear. 
Han Suho : ‘I second on that, she probably won't entertain such questions but you can try.’ he sent, followed by a phone number. 
I jump out of my bed, dashing towards my bag which is carelessly resting near the window. I frantically search through between the books, finding my notepad and a pen. My fingers that shake due to an unknown reason soon get clutched around the pen as I crawl back up to the bed and copy down the number on the screen in a messy handwriting. 
Once my phone is charged, I'll make sure to save it.
At the end, I type ‘thank you.’ to him, and close the chat not waiting for the reply. 
Once I'm out of the chat I search for my school’s name on the web, when the results only glorify the photos of events, and smiling faces of students ; I go back and add the word ‘Cases.’ in the end. 
The screen once again filled, but this time with blurred images of students, statements and the title that nabs my attention : 
“truth behind jang-byeol highschool—by an ex-student.” 
I blink several times to make sure I wasn't wrong to read, The title makes it sound like our school is some kind of corrupt place. For a moment or two I sit trying to comprehend what I was witnessing. truth? What possible secretive truths a school could have? With much complementing I continue to reveal the following prose posted by anonymous. 
__________________________________________________
“As an ex-student, I'd like to reveal that as glorious and achieving this school appears to be, the more ruined it is. Jang-byeol school claims to have a zero tolerance policy for bullying but in reality they do not prioritize the safety or mental well-being of students.
It is not only the lack of their actions, but the unfairness. My friend was a victim of bullying, when he decided to do the right thing and report it. Not only were the bullies left untouched, my friend got expelled for speaking up Against the hierarchical system.  
I'd had to change schools due to the impact the expulsion of my friend had on me. I'm not sure if this would reach people, but I had to point this out. 
Next is the teachers—”
I lift my gaze from the article to glance out of the window again, the night is darker, the street lamp quivering but there's no sign of my mother.
I avoid the distraction and look at the laptop again. Bullying? In our school? 
I glance at the mirror across the room to find a reflection of my skeptical expression. I've been in this school since I was a kid, not once have I witnessed such a thing. When a part of me feels pity for the one who got expelled, another part remains stubbornly unconvinced. Unable to shake off my own dismissive attitude, I continue to read further.  
“The teachers of the school are bound by the narrow curriculum. Their teachings have been limited to scoring in tests and exams only. 
This not only declines the supportive education but also leaves many students behind, struggling with certain subjects to dust—”
The clock Hand goes from twelve to three am. My mother is still out of the house and I slide myself deeper into the rabbit hole of ‘Truths’ of jang-byeol school. 





[Author's note]
Phew! Finally updating the 10th chapter after a really long time, forgive me for I've sinned. 
I've been contemplating the plot and all over flow of the book, and somehow managed to finish the so called ‘touch ups’. 
I've decided that I'd upload weekly chapters for oes, as I've written way more than twenty chapters or so, until i get stuck somewhere again during the editing process! 
See you again, next weekend <3