Seoyang kept her expression neutral, but before she could answer, Ethan also spoke up.
"How does Korea have sothing like this? Do you know anything about it, Lauren?"
For a split second, John glanced at Seoyang, but he remained silent, letting her handle it.
Seoyang shook her head with a small, polite smile. "No, I don't. I've never seen anything like this before or him"
Her voice was steady, but inside, she knew she was lying. She knew exactly what this snake was and where it ca from. But now wasn't the ti to talk about it.
Shaun raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but he didn't push further.
Ethan, however, seed to believe her. "I see. Well, either way, it's a huge help. If not for this, we'd have no way of tracking the victims before they go completely out of control."
John decided to shift the focus.
"More importantly," he said, leaning forward, "we need to co up with a plan to protect the unawakened."
John turned to Ethan. "What happened to the victims? Were you able to calm them down?"
Ethan let out a small sigh before answering. "Yes, we managed to bring them back to normal."
"That's good news at least," Shaun comnted.
But Ethan shook his head. "Not really. There's a problem… None of them rember anything."
Seoyang frowned.
"Nothing at all?"
Ethan nodded grimly. "Not a single thing. They saw the face that gave them the liquid but can't rember. It's like soone erased their mories. So, we still have no real clues about the culprit."
The room fell into silence for a mont as everyone processed this information.
"That just makes things harder," John muttered. "If we can't find the source, we can't stop it."
Isabella's device suddenly buzzed. A notification flashed across her screen, and she quickly tapped it open.
Her eyes scanned the ssage before she spoke. "It looks like Korea has co up with a plan."
The others turned their attention to her.
"What kind of plan?" John asked.
Isabella leaned back in her chair. "Since unawakened students have always been in separate schools from awakened ones, they've decided to change that. They're going to start mixing unawakened students into awakened schools."
Seoyang's eyes widened. "They're rging the schools?"
Isabella nodded. "That way, unawakened students will be surrounded by awakened ones, giving them better protection in case anything happens."
Ethan rubbed his chin. "That's… not a bad idea. But won't it cause problems? The difference in strength between awakened and unawakened students is huge."
Shaun whistled. "Well, if Korea's implenting it, I bet they've already thought about that part."
John crossed his arms. "This plan will definitely help, but it also puts unawakened students in more danger. If the culprit is targeting them, mixing them in with awakened ones might make them easier to find."
Seoyang bit her lip. She knew this ant Nathan and Elshienne would be affected too. "When is this starting?"
Isabella looked at her screen again. "Very soon. Korea is acting fast."
"It's not a perfect solution, but it's the most direct one we have." John said
Ethan gave a short nod. "Then it's decided. We'll send the proposal to the governnt imdiately."
anwhile...
Inside the Korean Governnt Building, the President's office received the proposal.
"A full school rger…?" one of the advisors read aloud. "The Awakeners Association thinks this is the best way to protect unawakened students?"
The President placed the docunt on the desk and looked at the ministers gathered.
"We'll need a formal eting to discuss this. This affects national education and safety. Arrange a debate."
One official nodded. "We'll gather the Education Ministry, National Defense, and Health. We'll need everyone's thoughts."
"Very well," the President said. "Schedule it soon. We can't waste ti."
—
Few days later....
Inside a large, quiet eting room, tension filled the air. Leaders from both the Korean governnt and the Awakeners Association sat around a long table.
At the front sat Chairman Alexander, respected and calm, and beside him was Vice President Alex.
The President of Korea opened the eting."We are here to discuss the proposal from the Awakeners Association—to rge awakened and unawakened school buildings. Let us begin."
The Minister of Education quickly raised a hand."I do not support this plan. Putting awakened and unawakened students in the sa place? That's asking for disaster!"
Alex answered clearly,"The classes will not mix. Awakened students will still train separately. This is just about sharing buildings. The goal is better protection."
Another governnt mber, the Minister of Public Safety, leaned forward."Even so, isn't it risky? What if an unawakened student suddenly berserks in the middle of the building? You said this berserk problem is growing."
Chairman Alexander nodded."That is true. But right now, unawakened schools have no one to protect them. We believe it's safer to place them where awakened staff and guards are nearby."
The Minister of Health frowned."And what about ntal stress? Won't unawakened students feel pressure seeing awakened ones every day? Won't it make them feel even weaker?"
Alex sighed, then spoke slowly."We will handle that. They will have support, and they won't be treated differently. But if we do nothing, more will be hurt. The attacks won't stop just because we are scared of change."
The Minister of Defense asked,"How can we be sure the attackers won't just follow them to the rged schools? What if it becos more dangerous?"
Alexander replied,"That's why the Association will send guards and detectors. We also now use a special silver snake—sent from Korea—that can help us detect affected students before they go berserk."
The room fell silent for a second.
The Minister of Education still looked unhappy."I understand your points... but still, I don't agree. I think it's better to improve unawakened schools separately, not rge them. We should build more walls, not break them down."
Minister Han, a calm woman from the Departnt of Youth and Welfare, stood up.
She looked at everyone seriously."I support the rging proposal," she said clearly. "Because this isn't just about safety. It's about dignity."
The Minister of Education frowned."You an to say walls don't matter? That keeping them apart is wrong?"
Minister Han nodded."Exactly. You said to build more walls around unawakened schools. But what are we doing? Protecting them? Or locking them up like they're sothing fragile or dangerous?"
So governnt mbers looked uncomfortable.
She continued, "They are not animals to keep in cages. They are students. Teenagers. Humans. We must protect them, yes—but not by treating them like outsiders or second-class people."
The Minister of Defense looked thoughtful."But will they be safe if we remove those walls?"
Minister Han answered,"That's why we work with the Awakeners Association. Put awakened guards in rged schools. Use the silver snake detectors. We give them freedom with safety, not fear with bars."
A few other ministers started to nod.
Then, a young councilman stood up nervously.
"And... maybe the unawakened students will feel more hopeful too. Being near awakened people, seeing what's possible. Maybe they won't feel so left behind."
The Minister of Education still looked unsure but crossed his arms."I still think it's risky. But... I see your points."
The President leaned forward."All opinions are welco. This is not easy. But we need action."
He looked at Chairman Alexander and Alex. "Give us the updated plans. Security, school layout, schedules—everything. If we can agree, we'll begin testing the rge in a few schools first."
Chairman Alexander nodded. "We will. Our team is already preparing it."
As the eting ended, so officials stayed behind, still whispering and talking.
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