The position of Lead Committee Member is originally not supposed to be that significant.
In this school, your rank is determined by how much money you or your parents have, rather than the title itself.
In that sense, Sara was quite a unique case. Usually, wealthy families spoil their kids. It’s truly unprecedented for a parent to isolate their child like that.
…But, such rules have nearly been shattered these days.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the school is normal. Grades based on wealth still exist, and the teachers couldn’t exactly be called “normal” individuals either.
Moreover, the position of Lead Committee Member was still mostly useless, though it didn’t mean Son Ah-reum’s life was completely unchanged.
She had attended the party that day in a red dress.
There is now no one blocking Sara’s path. With her immense personal wealth, there was hardly anyone in this country with more money than her.
Furthermore, it wasn’t just about “having a lot of money.” She was set to inherit Yujin Group, a company capable of shaking the economy of this nation.
In a school where “having money is power,” no student or teacher would foolishly try to oppose Sara.
Those with a lot of baggage have either already left this school or transferred. What’s left are scholarship students and those who can’t give up their title as graduates due to their mediocre wealth. They simply refuse to abandon the relationships they’ve built.
So, yes, the position of “Lead Committee Member” remains completely useless.
The “status” has no use at all.
However, having “Son Ah-reum” in that position is incredibly important.
“…Um, so…”
In an absurd situation she was experiencing for the first time since attending this school, Son Ah-reum momentarily lost her words.
“Right, all the kids here have applied to become ‘Lead Committee Members.’”
“…What?”
At the student council president’s words, Son Ah-reum turned her head to look back at the door of the student council room.
Five kids stood stiffly next to the door with slightly nervous expressions, all holding rigid postures.
“But, I don’t get to choose the Lead Committee Members, right? That should be the student council’s exclusive right…”
“In the student council, can you name even one person who’s doing their job properly?”
At the council president’s rhetorical question, Son Ah-reum fell silent.
That’s right. She could undoubtedly say “none.” Most students who made up the student council were just there to pad their resumes for later. Because of the hierarchy created by wealth, not just the Lead Committee Member position, most student council positions had no real power.
That said, there’s still a requirement for some semblance of meetings and reports, even if only for show.
Naturally, those who were just names on the student council roster wouldn’t have any motivation.
“And the Lead Committee Member has already transferred. All they left was a note saying, ‘My parents had to move suddenly, so I had no choice.’”
“What?”
Son Ah-reum’s mouth fell open again.
“But the Lead Committee Member is the same grade as you, right? Is there a direct connection to Sara’s incident?”
“Her sibling was involved.”
“Ah…”
“So, basically…”
The student council president sighed exaggeratedly.
“Therefore, you’re the most senior member among the Lead Committee Members. There weren’t any other members from the start.”
It wasn’t just the Lead Committee Member role that lacked people; other parts under the student council were in the same boat. There were hardly any applicants. And it wasn’t like they could just pick anyone randomly.
“Um…”
“To put it another way, you are the only person who can take over as Lead Committee Member.”
“Uh…”
That realization didn’t hit her hard. Rather, it only made her think that this school truly had fallen to such a state.
Son Ah-reum turned back to look at the students standing next to the door.
Some of them she somewhat recognized, while others were complete strangers. At least it was fortunate there were no different grade levels among them.
What was more, none of these kids had been invited to the party that day.
So she had some idea about what these kids’ true intentions were.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ve already filtered through them to a degree.”
“Then there were others besides these five?”
Son Ah-reum asked, genuinely surprised.
“Yeah. I think there were more than ten… Want me to show you the applications?”
“…No.”
They were likely kids she wouldn’t know well anyway. If they had previously clashed with Son Ah-reum, they certainly wouldn’t want to join under her.
Even if Son Ah-reum didn’t want to be a bully to those kids, they would think differently. If they had clashed with her before, it meant they had a history of poor behavior.
The president must have appropriately filtered them out. He probably picked students who wouldn’t cause a confrontation with Son Ah-reum. After all, he was one of the few people who was actually doing his job in the student council.
…That being said, he had shown a tendency to sway with the school’s public opinion last time.
“Oh, and while we’re at it. The student council has a lot of vacancies. If you have any recommended candidates, it would be great if you could let me know. It would be less burdensome to work with someone you know compared to total newcomers.”
Most of the student council composition is decided via student council meetings. Only the president is elected, while the rest of the positions such as vice president and committee members are all determined through council meetings… which Son Ah-reum had never seen executed properly.
“Yeeessss…”
As Son Ah-reum answered absently, feeling a bit detached, the council president shrugged and wiped his glasses.
“And… those kids over there aren’t Lead Committee Members yet. Since you’re the chairperson, you get to pick.”
“…What?”
To reiterate, the student council had never properly convened at least during Son Ah-reum’s time as Lead Committee Member.
In fact, she was merely seated there because the president had arranged it.
She had expected that being a Lead Committee Member at this prestigious school would involve competition, yet she was shocked to find herself appointed at the same time as applying.
Of course, the disappointment came swiftly.
“But I… I’ve never properly engaged in student council activities.”
“Neither have the remaining members of the student council. From what I can count, it’s just you and me. At least you’ve seen the Disciplinary Committee in action. The former Lead Committee Member was probably less experienced than you, even if they had stayed.”
“R-Really?”
No matter how she thought about it, this felt wrong, but Son Ah-reum couldn’t help but agree somewhat with the council president’s words.
“Maybe it would be good to get the student council functioning properly this time around? Who knows how long it’ll last, but at least while Ye Sara is attending this school, it should run smoothly.”
“…”
Hearing the council president say this openly while clearly aware of Ye Sara’s situation felt strange.
Like… oddly irritating.
Of course, it wasn’t something Son Ah-reum should be angry about. She had acted the same way initially.
No, one could argue she had acted even worse. Unlike the president, who simply ignored Sara, Son Ah-reum had openly said many bad things to her without considering that it could all just be a misunderstanding.
The only reason Son Ah-reum had been able to become friends with Sara was due to Sara’s kindness. If Sara had refused to sit at the same table with Son Ah-reum during lunch, Son Ah-reum would probably still be someone ignored by the entire school.
But still, now that they were friends, Son Ah-reum couldn’t help but feel irritated watching a student council president who only wanted to use Sara’s power.
Of course, she didn’t plan to vent any complaints right here—
Ah.
Wait a minute.
“Uh, president.”
“Yeah?”
Looking up from polishing his glasses, the president glanced at Son Ah-reum.
“By any chance, what happened to the vice president’s position?”
“…The vice president also stepped down. They were actually a first-year.”
Moreover, the vice president was a kid from a family with as much money as the student council president’s family. That’s why they had taken the vice president role. Rumor was that there were indeed connections between them… but in reality, the vice president was among the “passive student council members,” and they hardly exchanged words.
“Why? Do you want to?”
“No.”
At the president’s words, Son Ah-reum shook her head.
“Rather, I have someone I’d like to recommend.”
“…Someone you want to recommend?”
The president’s brow furrowed.
It was not so much a face of anger or irritation, but more one deep in thought. He’s probably recalling any worthy candidates Son Ah-reum might be mentioning.
But the number of such candidates was quite small.
“…Wait a second. You’re not suggesting…”
The student council president looked at Son Ah-reum in shock.
With a hint of a smile on her face, Son Ah-reum spoke.
“Yes, that very suggestion.”
At those words, the president covered his forehead with his hand—
Meanwhile, the five remaining Lead Committee Members awkwardly stood by the door to the student council room.
