"It was me..." The boy whispered, lowering his head. "I'm truly sorry..."

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This revelation left everyone, students and teachers, completely stunned and speechless. No one at SKZ High School had expected such a confession from him. The principal, with flushed face and sweaty hands, was at a loss for words, while the Inspector had become as pale as a sheet.

"It's not possible... Not... Not you..."

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But why would the best student in the highschool lie?

Why would such an innocent, kind, serious and admired boy do such a thing? Was he really a drug dealer? Had he been hiding his game from everyone for so long? Was he a wolf in sheep's clothes? Was the whole highschool wrong about him?

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To find out the answer, it was necessary to go back in time...

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Six days earlier...

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Thursday 26th November

❴12:45 a.m❵

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~POV Jeongin~

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"Well, what exactly do you want from me?"

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Stuck in that locker with Hwang Hyunjin, I had the unnerving impression of being in front of a living... totally insurmountable level puzzle. Yes... the pink-haired boy puzzled me and at the same time, he had that unsettling thing in his eyes that made me curious.

In the darkness, he gave me an indecipherable look.

"Um..." With a theatrical gesture, he placed his index finger in his cheek's hollow, increasing the suspense. "Tell you I've never seen anyone so cute with braces on?"

Immediately, he laughed before looking more serious.

"Well... I wanted a chance to apologize... for having broken your picture's frame."

"Oh, and to tell me that, you had to lock us there?"

Seeing him squint, I swallowed sharply.

"Seriously? Haven't you noticed how your fan club has treated me since that day? They won't even let me near you!"

He pouted like a child, which made me smile.

The Charming Prince blacklisted by my fans... of course I had noticed.

I just didn't think... that it would affect him.

I mean...

"You have a lot of fans too..."

"Not so numerous and dangerous as yours... But above all, I couldn't stand having hurt the highschool icon... I'm really sorry."

At these words, meeting his suddenly so deep and empty gaze, seeing his hand approaching my hair, strangely, I felt cramped in that locker, suffocating as if I were becoming claustrophobic.

In a flash, I pushed him away and hurriedly opened the door.

"Sorry... I-I have to go now..."

"You forgive me?"

"Y-yes... Don't mind it..."

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After this unsettling conversation, Hyunjin began a strange routine that surprised everyone at highschool, me the first.

Every morning, as soon as he arrived, he came to greet me and offered me a flower. At every day its flower... and at every flower its headache as much my fan club dreamed of killing him for his audacity. But after six days of this surprising ritual, he had managed to blend in, so much my fans could kill him now on if he forgot to pay me this daily "tribute".

I really couldn't understand him... so much I preferred not to think about it.

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Thursday 3rd December

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❴09:20 a.m❵

That morning, "the flower of the day" was a pansy, symbol of nostalgia.

I was expecting to have a normal day when, looking out of the window, I'd seen a police car enter the highschool yard. The policeman who got out of it looked instantly familiar to me. I had seen him several times before... always when Lee Minho got into trouble.

Was that the case again?

Immediately, without knowing why, I wondered if Hyunjin was involved.

❴09:50 a.m❵

At interclass, I had quickly found out what Lee Minho was accused of and it had immediately seemed inconceivable to me. I had never thought ill of the student, whom I found taciturn, solitary and above all terribly unlucky.

While the gossip was already flying in the corridors, I had given my fan club the slip and was looking for Hyunjin. Why? I didn't really know. Maybe because he was close to Minho and I was worried about them... him... I didn't really know.

I wanted to question the teachers, using my student representative status and above all, my "little favorite" position, when I had caught Hyunjin with a girl on the courtyard, heading to the gymnasium quickly.

Anyone would have thought it was a secret date... but I couldn't believe it. The mood between them seemed quite strange, like tense. Plus, even though I didn't know Hyunjin well, I couldn't imagine him flirting while his friend was about to be arrested

❴09:53 a.m❵

Following them to the gymnasium, I tried to be as discreet as possible. Walking slowly into the empty building, on the lookout, I heard conversation snatches coming from the equipment's room.

So, I approached without making a sound and listened carefully. Hyunjin had just raised his voice while the girl seemed to be sniffling and crying. Thinking he might want to hurt her, I bit my lips while his words, more audible due to his anger, echoed through the room like thunderclap.

"Talk! Tell me what you know, or it will end badly!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about... Hyunjin, let me go..."

"You don't know?! You think I'm stupid?!"

Hyunjin's voice was so enraged it sent shivers down my spine. The girl, distraught, kept begging him to let her go while he ordered her to tell the truth.

I didn't know what to do. I was sure it had something to do with Minho when the girl began to scream, her words interspersed with sobs.

"Let me go, please... I'm s-sorry... I... I didn't..." She stammered in despair. "I... I didn't think... the police would come..."

"It's fucking drugs! You thought what?!"

That time, the girl let out a shrill scream as I heard a thud, as if something had just been thrown to the ground... probably her smartphone.

"Who do you want to call?! Kitae?! You think this jerk is going to save you?!" Hyunjin roared before talking to himself so harshly I was confused. "Damn it!!! I had seen the way you were looking at each other!!! You fucking..."

"Ki... N-no... he doesn't..."

"Stop lying!!!"

Again, the girl screamed.

Hearing her beg, realizing in this state, Hyunjin was willing to do anything, including using force to made her confess, I wasn't able to stay silent any longer.

"Stop!!"

Suddenly, I had entered the room holding my breath, instantly meeting Hyunjin's dark gaze and the frightened gaze of that girl I had been seeing constantly with him and Minho for the past few days... Choi Minee.

❴09:56 a.m❵

"Listen, you traitor girl... if you not tell the whole truth, you'll regret it!"

Hyunjin was a ball of nerves and my unexpected presence hadn't changed anything. On the contrary, it had annoyed him even more because the girl was now pleading me to help her.

"Jeongin... please explain to him... I can't say... that I put this drug in his bag... what will my parents think? My dad will kill me..."

"You idiot! You should have thought about that before participating to this disgusting game!" He shouted. "Say the truth! That you agreed to do what they asked of you! That all along you've been getting close to us only so you could set this trap to him!"

The more I heard this story's details, the more I found it hard to believe. It sounded like a drama's plot, but we were in real life and this wasn't a joke... Slowly, I leaned towards Minee.

"If what Hyunjin says is true..."

"Of course it's true!!! I knew it the second she avoided my gaze! She was all sweaty and panicked! And she was the only person who went near Minho's bag this morning besides me! She did it because Kitae asked her I'm sure! But your stupid boyfriend follows orders too, right?! From who?!! Speak!!!"

"Hyunjin..." I murmured, forcing him to stay away from her. "You're not going to convince her like that!"

Immediately, the girl squeaked.

"Jeongin please, help me... don't make me do this... I didn't want to hurt Minho... I... when they told me what to do this morning, I got scared... I panicked thinking someone might find that drug in my bag... I wanted to leave it somewhere but I was afraid... I'm sorry..."

Seeing her shaking, hearing Hyunjin grumbling, realizing for Minho time was running out, I had an absence. What to do? Seugmin had always taught me to do what was right for everyone, but was it possible in this case?

I sighed.

"If you're sorry, don't let Minho be accused like that." I whispered to her as Hyunjin texted someone, giving me the opportunity to talk to her privately. "Let's make a deal."

❴09:58 a.m❵

"Who will believe us?!" Minee complained as we ran as fast as possible despite the snow and cold.

"Mr. Han would have been the perfect choice..." Hyunjin muttered as we approached the main building, discerning the crowd gathered in the courtyard.

"Professor Bang!" I shouted then, looking at them hopefully. "He's here! If we tell him we found out the truth, he's bound to help us!"

❴10:00 a.m❵

"You three... are you sure of what you're saying?!"

"Mr. Bang... We wouldn't lie about something like that..."

"Good thing you're here Jeongin, because these two are far too close to Minho to be taken seriously, especially under these circumstances..."

"Please, help us to tell the whole truth..."

"What if the culprit doesn't want to admit it?"

We hadn't had time to explain everything to him. But Hyunjin gave Minee a cold look.

"Don't worry, Mr. He will."

❴10:03 a.m❵

"Wait! Minho didn't do anything!"

Professor Bang's words echoed as we moved behind him among the students crowded around the policeman, the principal, Mr. Han and Minho. Professor Han was holding his student's hand as if his own life depended on it. Despite the cold, it warmed my heart.

We couldn't let him be accused like that...

❴10:05 a.m❵

Doing what was right...

Lowering my head, I didn't dare to meet my brother's gaze.

Was I doing it only for that or because I was tired of being that too perfect boy to who nothing bad never happened? I didn't know.

I didn't want to make Seugmin sad or disappoint my teachers... but it was the one to blame here wasn't Choi Minee. It was that trap instigator. If we had forced her to denounce herself, the rest of her schooling would have been wasted.

Of course, I could feel Hyunjin's angry look on me. He didn't know I was going to do this, but it was the only solution, the best choice to prevent him from doing something stupid, to get Minho out of trouble, to protect Minee from retaliation and maybe, to lessen teachers' wrath. I hoped being the highschool's darling would allow me to be easily forgiven but even if I didn't, I was prepared to face consequences. 

I wanted to act, to prevent this injustice. That was all that mattered.

"It was me..." I whispered. "I'm truly sorry..."

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POV Jisung

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As Jeongin apologized to Minho and the whole highschool, I felt hope again even if I found it hard to believe that such an exemplary boy could be the cause of this horrible story.

"I'm sorry..." He explained without daring to look his brother in the eye. "I left my bag unattended in the toilets... I don't know who put that drug in but when I saw it I panicked and... I put it in Lee Minho's bag..."

He threw a distraught look at my student who seemed lost, as if he had landed on another planet.

"Since he has such a bad reputation... I thought it wouldn't affect him as much as the others... but I realize how stupid that was... I could have ruined his life due to these gossips..." He sighed. "I have no excuse. Forgive me Minho... please."

While everyone was breathless, Minho didn't seem to know what to say. I noticed Hyunjin's strange, very dark look towards Jeongin.

Everything seemed strange, abnormal, as if I were facing a puzzle whose pieces had been scattered for some reason. But for sure, Jeongin's confession was exonerating my student. So, seeing Mr. Park's face contort in anger, I thought genuinely this nightmare was over.

Slowly, despite the cold numbeding our fingers, Minho's hand tightened on mine and I felt my heart race as the policeman spoke, suddenly breaking that relief bubble and my hope to see him finally go.

"And what?! Nothing changed! This brat will follow me to the police station, NOW!" For a second, I thought he was talking to Jeongin when I realized his vicious, evil gaze was landed on Minho.

Immediately I stepped back, refusing to let him touch my student again.

"Minho didn't do anything!" I shouted as the cold and nervousness began to make me dizzy. "You're nuts!"

"Nothing?! This little shit may not be a dealer, but he raised his hand at a police officer! Did you forget it?! He dared to hit me and he's going to pay for it!"

"I hit you because..."

Minho couldn't finish his sentence.

In an instant, everything happened at a frightening speed.

Captain Park lunged at him and tried to grab his hair but I pushed him away as hard as I could when the ground suddenly began to rock.

I felt my legs wobble... arms supporting me... a delicate floral and masculine scent surrounded me as something began to rain over us. 

For a moment I thought I could make out some papers falling from the sky or the highschool's roof, then Minho's worried face as shouts rang out all around us... In this tumult, the last thing I heard was scared exclamations and whispers then the broken voice of my student, my precious little kitten...

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Had he called me Hanni... just before everything went black?

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Hello sweeties! I hope you're well! I apologize for the delay! I was very busy with work... I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Give me your opinion! Thanks again for your support! Thank you! Love you!!! <3