Chapter 31: A Delayed Reform
Morning – Daehan International School Auditorium
A tense silence hung over the school. In front of hundreds of students and teachers, Gevran stood at the student council podium—not for a routine speech, but for a major announcement.
> "Today, we submit 7 reform proposals to the board of trustees. Including financial transparency, protection for bullying victims, and freedom of expression within our school."
Cheers erupted from the student body, though some teachers looked visibly uneasy.
Han Jimin whispered, "We're really making history, Gevran."
---
Afternoon – Board of Trustees Office
Gevran, accompanied by student representatives and two Daehan alumni, attended a closed-door meeting. Shareholders and education figures sat in a circle, their expressions cold and sharp.
One board member, Mr. Jang, spoke first. "We respect your passion, but school is not a place for naive idealism."
An alumnus shot back, "Then what is it for? A place for manipulation and shady business?"
Tension rose. But then a senior board member spoke calmly, "Give them one month. If the reforms fail, everything returns to how it was."
Gevran met his gaze with steel in his eyes. "One month is enough. We'll prove it."
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Evening – School Grounds
Posters promoting change were put up. A trial run of an online grievance system was launched. Student forums were once again allowed.
But not long after…
Shocking news spread.
One of the teachers supporting the reforms was found unconscious in the staff room—his personal locker broken into and important documents missing.
Rhea: "This isn't an accident. Someone's trying to sabotage us from the inside."
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Midnight – Gevran's Room
Gevran sat, staring at the files secretly copied from the teacher's locker. Inside were school financial records… and the name of a suspicious foreign company: "JEDU Corporation."
> "So this is the root of it all… an international education corporation funding the system to gain control."
Gevran clenched his fist.
> "You want to turn us into products.
But we will become people who think."
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End of Chapter 31
> The reform has begun,
but the true enemy has just revealed its face.
One month is all they have.
One month to fight a system that runs deeper than anyone imagined—across borders and beneath institutions.