Welcome to Your Last Race (Street Racers #3)

epilogue 08

Jungkook

*for context: Soojin is 16. JK, TH, YN - 46*

Thirty years later, and I'm back on my way to the principal's office. The last time I was here, in this exact school, I got in a fight with the basketball team. Good old times. The principal changed a couple times ever since, but the feeling stays.

Especially since I'm, once again, going there because of a fight. Just not mine.

I walk in with a knock on the door. On the left, two girls, my child included. In front of me, a young woman, the principal. On the right, another girl, head down, and the last person I expected or wanted to see here. Song Lee. While I frown at him, he widens his eyes.

"Oh, Mr Jeon." The principal forces a smile. "I'm glad you made it." She jumps straight to the point. "Mr Jeon, as I mentioned over the phone, we faced an issue today. Your daughter got into a... fairly one-sided fight with one of her classmates." She points to the I assume Lee's child. "Minji, please, look up."

She does, and I clear my throat to hold back a surprised curse. Swollen eye – gonna be black, no longer bleeding nose and, as the principal points out, a crooked tooth.

I look at Soojin. She looks down, but she's not looking a tiny bit remorseful about it. She's looking pissed, and we all know I'm not the one to advocate against violence.

"So... what happened?" I ask.

"What happened is I should have known it was your child," Lee says.

"Watch your mouth," I say, out of habit, then quickly regain my composure. "Excuse me. We happen to know each other."

"Oh?" The principal stands. "Alright. Soojin didn't want to tell us what exactly happened. Neither did Minji. I don't condone violence, especially in my school, which is why Minji is going to spend some time in detention, and Soojin is suspended for a week. But even though the incident happened on the school's territory, I can read the room and tell this is a personal issue. Especially since you happen to know each other. Which is why I'm asking you, Mr Jeon, Minji's father, and the girls to solve the issue. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, sure," I say. A week of suspension, huh? I got two for my first fight. "Soojin. You okay with that?"

She looks at me with the same anger and nods. She's not angry at me, but I know what she wants me to know – the fight was justified.

"What about..." I awkwardly point at the last girl.

"She's not tangled in this," Soojin says. "I was in the fight. She just stopped me."

The principal nods. "I'm going to give you a few minutes to talk among yourselves," she says and heads outside. If the children were not here, my fist would be on Lee's face already. Habits.

I turn his way. "I assume you'll leave this room and act like nothing ever happened, yeah?"

He scoffs. "Do you see what your child has even done?"

Soojin crosses her arms on her chest, and I hold back a smile. She may not be my biological daughter, but she is my daughter. A hundred percent. "Maybe Minji will share why the fight happened in the first place."

Probably something really shitty, considering the father. Poor child.

"My daughter was the victim," Lee says.

Soojin's in the fight before I can think about it. "Bullshit! Your daughter is a homophobic bitch!"

Soojin's friend holds her arm, pulling her back. I need to remind myself I'm the father here, not watching a fight.