I Returned as a High School Girl

Han-Gyo was lost for words by Ra-Eun’s appearance. On the other hand, the reporters pressed their camera shutters due to the sudden situation; they couldn’t afford to miss such a valuable moment like the confrontation between a famous actress and a once-famous influential politician.

Ra-Eun said to Han-Gyo while completely unfazed, “I would like to hear what you have to say. Please continue.”

It was as if she was taunting him to do as he liked. Han-Gyo’s mind went blank. He had never expected for the person who he was sure was the culprit to come here herself. Even as the person who had set up this event, he was completely taken aback.

He was having trouble talking, but he managed to come back to his senses and continued his claims. He considered this as an opportunity rather than danger; now that he had changed his thoughts, he felt like it was instilling him with courage.

“Are you afraid that your actions will be revealed to the world? You must’ve come all the way here because you couldn’t stand for it.”

Ra-Eun did not fall for Han-Gyo’s obvious taunts.

“I’m simply here to refute your allegations directly, so you don’t have to think about it too deeply, Congressman.”

She was not an easy opponent; Han-Gyo gulped and changed the display on the projector. It showed the scene where he first met the masked woman. A blurry CCTV footage of Ra-Eun having visited Han-Gyo’s residence personally had been recorded. However, because it had been nighttime and the footage itself was of low resolution, it was almost impossible for anyone to tell if the person in the footage was a man or a woman, or even if they were wearing a mask or not.

The reporters mumbled to each other.

“That’s supposed to be Kang Ra-Eun?”

“I can’t really tell...”

Han-Gyo needed more surefire evidence. He angrily turned the slide to the next piece of evidence. It was the scene back when Ra-Eun had gone to rescue Reporter Ahn Su-Jin. However, Ma Yeong-Jun had taken measures to delete the majority of the footage, so there were barely any left that clearly showed Ra-Eun. These two materials had already been revealed to the public before.

Ra-Eun feigned laughter. “Do you only have reused materials?”

“Of course not.”

Han-Gyo changed the slide. The photos provided by Reporter Jung Seong-Hyun filled the screen. Han-Gyo had built up his case all this time just to reveal these.

“Please take a good look, reporters! Kang Ra-Eun in a mask perfectly matches the silhouette of the masked woman that I’ve shown!”

Han-Gyo claimed that the appearance of the masked woman was very similar to the masked woman, and that only their masks were different.

Just then, Su-Jin spoke, “Isn’t it unreasonable to claim that Miss Kang is the masked woman just because they share the traits of wearing a mask and that they’re both women? In that case, I could also be the masked woman.”

The reporters seemed to agree more with Su-Jin than Han-Gyo. Firstly, the resolution was far too low, and they couldn’t see anything that could be a distinct characteristic of Ra-Eun. All that was similar was long hair and a voluptuous figure. Comparing those two points to every single woman in the entire world, there would be hundreds... no, thousands of women that matched such traits.

Han-Gyo moved on from physical characteristics and claimed other points.

“Everyone who had framed me and drove me down to this point all have a relationship with Kang Ra-Eun. How do you explain that?”

Ra-Eun spoke to refute that point herself, “That’s just because I have such a wide net of connections. Wouldn’t you agree?”

A man appeared as Ra-Eun asked the question. It was Chairman Ji of Do-Dam Group. The reporters once again murmured from his appearance. Chairman Ji was glaring at Han-Gyo in rage.

“N-Not even you...!” Han-Gyo stared at Chairman Ji in shock.

Chairman Ji spoke in a sharp tone, “If you’re going to say something like that just because she has a relationship with me, then how do you explain my family members and all of my company employees? I believe I’d told you many times that you have a bad habit of doubting people just simply on a hunch.”

That was not the end of it. Ra-Eun decided to activate the trap that she had set for Han-Gyo.

“Also, those photos that were provided to you by a reporter were made on purpose to make it look like me as much as possible, aren\'t they?”

“O-On purpose? Me?”

“Yes. I even have a witness.”

Yet another person appeared in the press conference venue after she finished her sentence. It was Reporter Jung Seong-Hyun. Park Eun-Soo suppressed his sigh as if he had known this would happen.

Ra-Eun asked Reporter Jung while looking at him, “Reporter Jung. You said that the congressman had made you take those fake pictures to frame me. Is that correct?”

“Yes. I even have proof.”

Reporter Jung revealed a video footage. In it was Reporter Jung taking photos of a man and woman that had similar builds as Je-Woon and Ra-Eun. Reporter Jung said while dropping the camera.

- How about you two scoot a little bit to the side? The photo isn’t really coming out well. Congressman Kim Han-Gyo said that it needed to look as much as the masked woman as possible, so let’s put more focus on the angle.

- Understood.

- Like this, Reporter Jung?

- Oh, that’s perfect.

The process of making the fake photos with the man and woman wearing the exact clothes and mask that Ra-Eun and Je-Woon had worn during their date had been filmed on video.

Han-Gyo’s voice began to tremble greatly.

“I-I’ve never ordered a-anything like that!”

“Then how about we bring one more witness?”

Yet another witness showed himself in the press conference venue. Han-Gyo’s face turned purple as soon as he saw who it was.

“S-Secretary Kim! Why are you...!”

“...”

Secretary Kim did not answer Han-Gyo.

Ra-Eun asked him about the footage while staring at him, “Secretary Kim. Did Congressman Kim Han-Gyo order people to create fake evidence to frame me and deceive everyone here?”

“Yes, that is correct. That is why I contacted Reporter Jung Seong-Hyun and had him take those photos as if Reporter Ahn Su-Jin had taken them.”

“And why are you revealing this truth now?”

“I couldn’t stand to see Congressman Kim continuing to doubt and frame you any longer when you’ve done nothing wrong. Doing something like this is only bound to ruin him... I decided to confess to the reporters so that the congressman wouldn’t ruin himself any more than he had already.”

Ra-Eun suppressed her smile as she watched Secretary Kim talking smoothly. He actually was not doing this for Han-Gyo’s sake; it was because he had already been bought off by Ra-Eun. Having no idea of that, Han-Gyo slammed down his fists on the desk multiple times.

“Secretary Kim! H-How dare you betray me?!”

Han-Gyo looked as if he would stand up and charge at Secretary Kim right this second. Eun-Soo and Congresspersons Jo Su-Hwang and Jin Pil-Oh, who had been on standby, held him back.

“Please endure it, Congressman!”

“You have to calm down first! It’s too dangerous!”

Han-Gyo’s health had already deteriorated significantly. He was panting heavily as if he was about to collapse at any moment. Ra-Eun was not done yet. She had one more card, which had been Han-Gyo’s greatest mistake.

Ra-Eun glanced at Yeong-Jun, who then gestured to someone. And then, Yeong-Jun’s men dragged several men with swollen faces into the press conference venue. They happened to be people that Han-Gyo and Eun-Soo knew very well. They were the men that had tried to kidnap Ra-Eun.

Ra-Eun said to the reporters, “I’m sure you all are curious about who these people are. They are men whom Congressman Kim had hired to kidnap me.”

The reporters’ murmurs grew even louder. Ra-Eun approached the tall man.

“The congressman said that he would pay you handsomely if you managed to kidnap me, is that right?”

“...”

The man slowly nodded with his swollen head. Ra-Eun never forgot a grudge; there was no way that she would leave alone the people that tried to kidnap her. She had ordered Yeong-Jun to find them, and had forced them to be witnesses.

“Congressman. If you were suspicious of me, you could’ve just talked to me. Did you really have to go this far for a feeble woman like me?”

“Th-This is...”

“Are you trying to deny it? It’s pointless. I have already secured proof that they had received orders from you to do so.”

This was not Han-Gyo’s first kidnapping attempt either.

“You’ve also kidnapped Reporter Ahn Su-Jin over there because you were suspicious of her, haven’t you? That isn’t okay, Congressman.”

“...”

It was all true, so Han-Gyo could not even deny them. The reporters’ cameras pointed at Han-Gyo.

“Is everything that Miss Kang Ra-Eun said true?”

“Does that mean the masked woman had been nothing but your own fabrication?”

“Please answer us, Congressman Kim!”

“I-I...”

Han-Gyo couldn’t breathe. Unable to handle the pressure from the reporters, he ended up passing out.

“Congressman!”

Eun-Soo picked up Han-Gyo and left the press conference venue as if running away. Ra-Eun had many thoughts as she stared at Han-Gyo being carried away while passed out. Han-Gyo used to feel untouchable to her in the past, but all she could see now was just a powerless and weak old man. Ra-Eun secretly sighed.

“Let’s go,” she said while the reporters were completely focused on Han-Gyo.

Yeong-Jun and So Ha-Jin nodded. There was no more reason to stay here.

***

It was late evening. Han-Gyo was lying down in a hospital bed with a respirator on his face past visiting hours. He suddenly felt a presence, so he opened his eyes. He thought at first that it was a nurse who had come to check his condition, but he couldn’t help but doubt his eyes the moment that the door opened.

It was the masked woman. She entered the room with Ha-Jin disguised as a nurse. As she stared at Han-Gyo, who was lost for words, she slowly took off her mask.

“I knew... it was you!”

Like Han-Gyo had expected, it was Kang Ra-Eun. She smiled.

“Correct.”

It no longer mattered even if she revealed her identity to Han-Gyo.

“I guess I’ve won.”

Han-Gyo was stupefied by Ra-Eun’s declaration of victory. Today’s press conference had put the nail in the coffin that the masked woman had been nothing but a fabrication in Han-Gyo’s mind. Han-Gyo had been reduced to the boy who cried wolf, so there was no one who would ever believe him now. He had lost completely.

“Have you come to make fun of me?”

“No.”

Ra-Eun mentioned the reason why she was here while looking down at the terrified Han-Gyo.

“I’m here to bring this to a complete end.”