Gojin's Gambit (2)

Principal Lee's eyes widened as he looked at the photograph in his hands. It was a clear picture of him and Vice Principal Han, in a compromising position in one of the classrooms. His face turned pale, and he looked up at Gojin with shock and anger in his eyes.

"How did you get this?" Principal Lee demanded, his voice trembling with fear.

Gojin smiled, but there was a coldness to it. "That doesn't matter, Principal Lee."

"Y-You think these fake photographs can do anything?" Principal Lee yelled, tearing the photograph to pieces. "You have threatened the wrong guy, Kim Gojin-"

"Fake? Who said anything about them being fake?" Gojin retorted, placing another photo on the table. This one was even more revealing than the last. "Besides, I wonder how your wife would react if she ever found these pictures. Accidentally, of course."

The principal's hands shook as he placed the photograph on his desk. He looked at Gojin as if he wanted nothing more than to rip his head off.

For a moment, Principal Lee considered calling security to rough up the kid and take the evidence of his affair by force.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do that. Gojin had proved himself to be quite a cunning bastard. He probably had copies of the photos hidden somewhere for reassurance. But that didn't mean the principal couldn't try to threaten him.

"You wouldn't dare-"

"You wanna bet?" Gojin smirked, kicking his legs on the table. "I guess that will depend on your response."

When Gojin pointed at the photograph, all the bravado from Principal Lee's eyes disappeared. He buried his face in his hands, wondering how to get out of the mess.

He thought he was dealing with an average high school student, but Kim Gojin turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Principal Lee had planned to intimidate Gojin when he agreed to the meeting, but things took a turn for the worse, and now Gojin was the one in control of the situation.

While Principal Lee was lost in his thoughts, Gojin smiled, feeling grateful for the memories of his past life that had once again saved him.

In his original life, four years after graduating, a scandal erupted when the affair between the principal and Vice Principal Han became public knowledge because of a series of events that Gojin couldn't recall.

To protect her reputation, Vice Principal Han claimed she was innocent, asserting that Principal Lee had coerced her into the affair, using his authority and the threat of firing her. Principal Lee tried to defend himself, but no one believed him.

Adding to his woes, Mrs. Lee owned everything in their marriage, and he was left penniless after their divorce. But she didn't stop there. Soon, the community turned their backs on Principal Lee completely as rumors spread, marking him as a philanderer who preyed on underage girls.

Fired from his job, betrayed by his lover, and abandoned by his family, Principal Lee's life became unbearably miserable, eventually leading him to take his own life.

Gojin didn't know if the allegation of Principal Lee preying over school girls was true or not. However, in his new life, that didn't matter.

Even though I knew about their affair, getting the photographs wasn't easy.

Despite being banned from the campus, Gojin decided to take the risk and sneak in to do the job. Thankfully, Minho stepped up to help him before he did something stupid. Minho, being his friend, felt guilty for not standing up for Gojin before, so he agreed to help when Gojin asked him.

It was Minho who had taken the photographs, providing Gojin with some much-needed leverage to turn the Principal into his puppet.

"Why are you doing this...?" Principal Lee spoke after what felt like an eternity.

"This wouldn't have happened if you did the right thing," Gojin shrugged, enjoying the control he had over the Principal. "You know very well I didn't start that fight. Yet you wanted to punish me."

He continued, "Taejun and his friends have been bullying countless students for a long time, and I finally stood up for myself. But instead of investigating properly, you took the side of the wealthy parents."

"You have no proof of that." Principal Lee frowned.

In response, Gojin smiled, and Principal Lee figured he must have some proof. After seeing the photographs, there was little Principal Lee wouldn't believe Gojin could do.

Obviously, Gojin did not have proof of their bribery, but there was no harm in pretending that he did. Besides, the more cards he had, the better the chances of his victory.

"...what do you want me to do for those photographs?"

Gajin leaned forward, his smile widening. "Nothing much. I want you to do the right thing. Acknowledge what happened and announce that it was Taejun and his gang attacked me, not the other way around. Oh, and I also want them to be punished for it."

Principal Lee clenched his fists tightly. He had hoped he could avoid punishing either of them. He could have persuaded Taejun's parents that it was the right decision given the circumstances.

But Gojin's demands were clear. He wanted Taejun and his lackeys punished, and Principal Lee didn't want to oppose him. Not when Gojin literally had control over his life.

"Alright," he whispered. "I'll do it. But you need to give me all the photos you have."

"That won't happen," Gojin shook his head, getting up to leave. "I'll keep it for now, as insurance. Once I see justice being served, you'll get them."

"And the recording?" Principal Lee asked through gritted teeth.

"Do I need to spell everything out for you?" Gojin replied with a cold expression. "See you around, Principal Lee. I hope you do the right thing. For your sake, of course."

"Fine. Just... keep this between us." Principal Lee sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping.

"Of course," Gojin nodded. "I'm not one to sacrifice a precious pawn."

With that, Gojin turned and walked out of the office, leaving Principal Lee staring at the photograph.