Gojin's Gambit (1)

Kim Gojin arrived at the school, along with his mother and stepfather. Since money was tight for them, his stepfather, Han Jinho, had left to talk business with a distant relative.

Having returned a day before the meeting in school, he decided to help Gojin mediate things with the school board. As happy as it made Kim Gojin to have both his parents by his side, he knew the support was unnecessary.

It's not like that principal would even let us enter the room to hear my side.

As Gojin expected, they weren't invited for a hearing, but to be given the final verdict regarding the case.

When they arrived at the school, Nurse Lee was suspiciously absent. Furthermore, they only permitted Taejun's parents to attend the meeting, while Gojin and his family were instructed to stay outside.

Yeji and Jinho complained about the blatant favoritism, but the money Taejun's father had given them blocked the staff's ears and they didn't engage with them.

In the week, while the school should have been investigating the case, they were busy making deals with Taejun's parents.

Once Taejun's family had bought more than half of the school board, they weren't worried about the outcome of the meeting anymore. No matter what anyone did, the decision would come in their favor.

That's how things went the last time, and I don't expect them to be any different now.

Sure enough, after an hour of heated discussions, most of the staff left the room and Gojin was invited inside, along with his parents. The smug look on the face of Taejun's mother told Gojin everything he had to know.

"I am sorry to say this, but after thorough investigation and considering the events that took place," Principal Lee began, "the school has decided that expelling Gojin is the best course of action."

Gojin's parents were stunned. They were hit with a bombshell before they even got to sit. Jinho immediately raised an objection as the council decided without hearing their input.

Yeji also joined in, yelling at Principal Lee for making such a hasty decision and that neither Taejun nor his lackeys were being punished for what they did.

Things were getting intense, and Gojin knew that if things didn't settle down, Principal Lee would call security to kick them out. That was the last thing he wanted.

"Mom, Dad, please, let me handle this." Gojin placed a hand on his mother's shoulder.

Turning to Principal Lee, Gojin asked calmly, "How can you decide on the punishment without hearing my side of the story?"

"The school doesn't need to involve the student or their parents in the final hearing," Principal Lee tried to dismiss the question with a wave of his hand. "It is standard school policy."

"But Taejun's parents were allowed in the meeting," Gojin smiled, knowing Principal Lee had taken his bait. "What's your excuse for that?"

Principal Lee fidgeted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the accusations that's when Vice Principal Han interjected.

"Gojin, you have no right to question the school's decisions."

"That's where you're wrong," Gojin said, pulling out his phone. "I have a recording that shows Taejun's parents were allowed into the meeting, while my parents and I were kept outside. It also shows you contradicting yourself about the presence of parents in the meeting and the so-called policy."

He played the recording for everyone to hear. The room fell silent as the video played out. The recording revealed the bias and unfair treatment Gojin and his parents got from the moment they entered the school premises.

"I'm sure the media would love to hear about the discrimination this school practices between high and low-income families," he said. "They'd have a field day with a story like this. While everything would be fine for my family, the school's reputation would be in ruins."

He continued, "Unfortunately, I'm no longer a student here, so what happens to the school is none of my concern now."

Forget about Taejun's parents and the staff — even Gojin's parents were shocked by what he did. None of them had any idea he had been recording everything from the moment they entered the school.

On the other hand, both the principal and the vice principal looked worried. They had barely managed to get a rich sponsor on board to help with the school's development. If the story got out, they would lose the sponsor and more.

Even if the school somehow survived the media backlash, the public sentiment would be against them. It could lead to several existing investors pulling out from the school's development projects, as they loved nothing more than their image.

In other words, if the video got out, it would be disastrous for the school. However, it was just the first phase of the plan. Gojin had more surprises left to reveal.

Unfortunately for the Principal, it seemed he thought threatening Gojin would be the best way to deal with the mess.

"You dare threaten me?" Principal Lee slammed his fist on the table, his face red with anger.

"It's your turn to listen to me. Either you hear me out, or this recording goes to the media." Gojin shrugged and stepped towards the gate to show he wasn't bluffing.

The principal knew Taejun's parents were wealthy, but not wealthy enough to suppress a media storm of this magnitude. He glared at Gojin, but the student didn't flinch. After a long, tense moment, Principal Lee spoke.

"Fine, what do you want?" he asked, sitting back in his chair.

"I want a one-on-one meeting with you, Principal Lee. After our meeting, if you still want to expel me, I'll leave the school with no objections," Gojin replied.

Principal Lee thought it over, considering an opportunity to intimidate Gojin further in private. He smiled, thinking it was a foolish move on Gojin's part.

"Fine, but you will delete the recording."

Gojin shrugged. "I'll delete it after our meeting. You have my word."

Principal Lee agreed and asked both sets of parents to leave the room. Gojin's parents hesitated, but Gojin gave them a reassuring nod. Reluctantly, they left, along with Taejun's parents, who cast suspicious glances at Gojin as they exited.

Once the door closed behind them, Principal Lee leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on Gojin.

"Alright, what's this about?" he asked, feeling confident.

Unfortunately for him, the confidence was short-lived when Gojin showed Principal Lee a pic that drained all the colors from his face. It was a photo of Principal Lee and Vice Principal Han doing not-so-decent things inside one classroom.

"I think this would be the perfect starting point for our conversation," Gojin replied, his smirk widening, just like Principal Lee's eyes.