secret tape - penthouse

vi

warning: this chapter has kidnapping + bullying + a fire. feel free to skip it if it's too much

"stay still if you don't want to get yourself in a mess." seokyung said, shining her phone flashlight in min seola's eyes.

min seola.

yebin couldn't believe that their past tutor could lie about so much so easily. the fact that they found out after parting ways had to be some sort of karma. yebin was sure that min seola was some sort of narcissist or adrenaline junkie. no normal person would not only lie about their identity, but steal from the person they lied to, and then try to attend the same school as the kids they were previously tutoring. it was either that or min seola took the group as a bunch of morons. either way, it would be wrong to go against the universe when it had provided yebin with everything she needed to get some payback.

so here she stood with her friends, surrounded by broken cars and getting her shoes ruined by the gross mud of the junkyard.

"are you really the same age as us? you took the GED and you live in bosok village?" eunbyul asked, repeating the information that seokyung had given them on the way to the junkyard.

"i'm really sorry. i'd like to apologize from the bottom of my heart." min seola apologized as the three girls surrounding her turned off their flashlights.

"you're sorry? you totally had us fooled. do you really think a simple 'i'm sorry' will cut it?" seokyung was obviously annoyed, stepping closer to the girl with glaring eyes.

"i'll return the tutor fee. i'll return every penny. just give me some time."

"of course you think we're this upset over some pocket change," yebin couldn't help but chuckle a little in disbelief, "seriously the more you open your mouth the more annoyed i get."

"you're unbelievably brazen. you give me the creeps.the fact that you tried to teach us is already against the law." minhyuck looks at her with disgust.

"you even tried to steal seokyung's key ring. you're a thief and a con artist," jeni adds, stepping up to push her head back. "i can't believe she got accepted at cheong ah arts high school as the top student. she's such a low class. you darn brat."

"here's what you need to know: you don't deserve to go to school with us. and of course, your admission as the top student at cheong ah arts high school will get cancelled," seokyung had her fist full of min seola's hair, tugging it back so the shorter girl would look her in the eyes as she spoke. she suddenly let go, pushing her back harshly "you committed fraud to make money do you really think the school will accept someone like you? you really need to get to your senses!"

"you're right. i took the GED. i'm poor and i live in bosok village. i never got a chance to go to school properly, and i couldn't even dream of receiving any singing lessons. i was always busy working part time jobs. but what about that? you guys lost to someone so insignificant.
be honest with me. are you upset that i taught you, or are you upset that i beat you guys?" min seola got braver as she spoke, her voice raising and her eyes glaring at everyone who crowded around her. a slap echoed through the junkyard, seokyung's hand coming down on min seola's face the second she stopped speaking. min seola fell back with the impact and into the open door of the van behind her.

"you didn't beat us." seokyung said through clenched teeth.

"you guys have it all. you live in fancy houses and you have rich parents who provide you with full support. you have everything you could ever ask for so why are you obsessed with bullying me?" min seola didn't back down despite the break in her voice at the end of her sentence. she looked at everyone dead in the eyes, drinking in their shocked expressions. "i pity you guys. you're pitiful and sad."