Nickson B. Park.
......
"You can go now, Nickson. And thank you for helping me out," Roxanne utters and gives back the remaining documents to me. The papers contain the timetable for all first-year students about the field trip, directed by Benjamin Tsai.
It is also the first time that I have seen Roxanne work eagerly for her job. I was expecting her to laze around and neglect her duty, but what I have seen right now, her effort proves me wrong.
I cannot hold my excitement upon hearing about the school trip that we will have next month. The tour only means that I can gather any references for my upcoming romance novel and use the setting of the cherry blossoms. I wonder what is the best time and setting to confess to a girl, so this is the ideal time to study that.
"I have to help you, president Roxanne. We need to help each other as student council members, remember?" I formally give her my answer while putting on my glasses.
I only use my lenses during work times and take them off throughout my daily activities. It is my mask that conceals my personality inside of me.
Roxanne flashes me a tired smile and carries on towards the hall, heading to our office. Before tailing her behind, my body stops and stares at classroom 1-A.
The buzzing of the students ring my ear, but I need to endure it if I want to stay outside their doors. Next to this room is my class, where my classmates are presently eating their meals.
"Brother, I don't know what to do with my life without you," I murmur to myself and recall the bittersweet memories of my older brother still stuck inside my head. I can even feel his hands still engraved on mine, despite his frenzied state of a lunatic.
"I see you're alone, Nickson," A familiar voice echoes inside my ears, almost teasing me with its feminine voice.
I turn around and see the former vice-president, Byakko, standing tall with her knee-length shorts and purple-sleeved dress. She is wearing a violet ribbon glued on her hair, with her matching necklace dangled on her nape. Her clothes fit her style into perfection, but I find her annoying in every way.
"Sorry to bother you, but what do you want?" I have my glasses on, so I need to be polite in front of her. Byakko may test my patience right now despite giving me this position as the vice-president, the same ranking as her before.
"Nothing. I just came here to see you." Byakko gradually walks closer to me and attempts to hold my hand. Fortunately, I am quick enough to evade my elbow as I revolve through the back.
"I am sorry, but I need to go." I turn my body and stride towards the corridor, excusing myself and performing my "officer jobs".
"I know why you're looking at Class 1-A, Nickson," Byakko calls for my attention, and she is successful in doing that to me.
I stop in my tracks, steal a glance, and listen to what she has to say.
"You don't know me," I murmur to myself as I slowly slide the temples of my glasses, enough to activate my hidden personality. It also serves as my defence mechanism whenever I am in a pinch to a situation.
"Your brother was a student here, Nickson. He worked for us and spread his name. Thus, became famous throughout the school." Byakko averts her gaze and examines the room filled with students inside. After some time, the professor enters the class and orders every pupil to prepare for their exam. It is like any other classrooms you can see in schools.
"Knowing my brother is one thing. But controlling me like what you did to him is a different matter, Byakko." I finally face and meet her eyes, still peering through the window of the classroom.
She was the ex-girlfriend of my older brother, who influenced and changed him into an arrogant teen seven years ago. The two of them lasted for three years until my brother confessed to her being useless in the business industry. Hence, he broke her heart and left her for good. In return, Byakko went berserk and spammed him with emails, leading to a terrible conflict between her company and my brother's business platform. In the end, the two never spoke to each other.
So it feels like a surprise meeting Byakko in person for the first time, now that I can interact with her more. I couldn't disclose to her about our complicated relationship from before. But now, we can place everything aside and challenge her once more.
Byakko aims to win my side. And to do so, she needs a considerable amount of effort to do things and please me.
I could turn her offer into the dustbin and walk it off as nothing has ever happened. But I cannot dispose of such a beneficial pawn that I can use by gathering information from her on finding my lost brother.
"Be useful for once and tell me what you know about my brother's whereabouts." I give her my icy, piercing stare, intimidating her with the difference of our powers. It doesn't look like it, but I still am the CEO of my famous company.
As I have expected, Byakko steps back and feels threatened by the words I speak. I can even discern her legs violently shaking upon leering at my eyes.
It is like the snake attacking the mighty tiger of the jungle. No matter how agile the creature, one bite from the poisonous snake can instil damage over time and eventually kill the cat.
"I don't know," Byakko answers my question in a croaking manner.
Luckily for her, a student gets out of the room and heads towards the restroom. From the looks of his face, the student yearns to empty his bladder.
The three of us awkwardly stare at each other, uncertain what to do in this situation. Our gaze lasts for about a minute before the boy walks away, whistling to the offbeat tune.
"If you have nothing to say to me, then I bid you farewell, Byakko."
...….
I send a message to the student council members via smartphone, telling them about an urgent family meeting that I have to attend without delay. They swiftly reply and give me the "okay".
"Meet me behind your school, near the mart, sir Seo-Jun." My butler mails me a notification, telling me it is a pressing matter, requiring me to show up at the scene.
I already ask him about the details of the sudden summons, but the old man refuses to budge, telling me I should see the situation myself since it is easier.
I discreetly stride over to the other side of the school, hoping that nobody sees me lurking around the vicinity. It is a good thing that the area at the back ends of the schoolyard is not a place that students would pay a visit considering the distance from the ingress. There are also no exits or emergency doors that my classmates and other student council members can enter to check on me.
Upon arriving at the scene, I discern my butler waiving in the distance, with his casual wear to blend in the crowd. Chung-hee expresses a gleam as soon as he witnesses my appearance and gestures for his hand, telling me to come to his side.
"Master Nickson, thank you for your time," Wilson speaks gently and offers me a bottle of juice, Sikye, as a gift for me.
Sikye is a traditional Korean rice drink that tastes sweet and often served as a dessert. It contains cooked rice that shows an interesting texture at the bottom part of the bottle. According to history, they have served this drink in Korea for centuries as a traditional end to a meal.
"You know how to bribe your boss, Wilson." I take the can away from his hand and immediately gulp down the content inside my throat.
The sugary sensation enlightens me as if increasing my dopamine. But I know too well that this does not give such ingredients, and it is just a play created by my mind.
"Of course, sir Seo-jun. I know you since you were a boy, and you still are one." Chung-hee chuckles to himself as he expresses his comment to me. My face shifts into beating light red in anger and embarrassment after getting fun at the old guy.
"Say whatever you want, grandfather." I could only heave out a sigh at his comments while resuming our topic.
"Why did you call me here, Chung-hee?"
The butler's mood changes almost in an instant as he hears the meaning behind my sentence. He raises his hands and marks the empty street, gesturing for me to look in that direction.
"Can you see that?" Wilson gives me a hint, with his hands still stationary in front of me.
"See what?"
As soon as I glance back to the area, I see a familiar figure walking down the road with him is a sac made of rugged leather and patched materials to hold its content.