“What the hell were you hoping for, coming to school looking like that?”
Ma Chayun spotted Jaewon standing in the doorway as he entered the classroom and scrunched up his face in disgust. Jaewon stared back at him with empty eyes and offered a simple greeting.
“Long time no see.”
“Yeah. Thanks to that, I’ve been living peacefully.”
“Your absence left quite a void. It was a time that made me realize how precious you are.”
“If I’m really that precious, don’t you think you should let me go?”
Chayun pleaded with a look of utter revulsion. But Jaewon let it go in one ear and out the other, skipping through the conversation like it was nothing. Faced with his pine tree-like unchanging attitude, Chayun sighed with a resigned expression.
“I’ve never met anyone like you in my entire life.”
“I know. It’s not easy to meet someone as captivating as me.”
“I thought humans couldn’t get more disgusting than this, but you keep upgrading every time I see you.”
“……”
“Amazing, really.”
Jaewon’s reflection appeared in Chayun’s eyes, which were squinting as if he’d seen something unbearable. Bright red lips swollen and scabbed from being mercilessly bitten, hickeys scattered across his collarbone and chest, an oversized boyfriend-fit shirt. His hair, washed with unfamiliar shampoo and left unstyled, gave off a strangely suggestive atmosphere. Chayun clicked his tongue, saying it was a look that would make fanfiction protagonists weep.
“I heard the news. You received the royal favor last night?”
“Cough.”
He followed up with verbal assault. Choking on the spot, Jaewon coughed like he was about to spit blood. After hacking away until his insides nearly came out, he eventually became as frail and precarious as someone with a terminal illness.
“What kind of shit are kids with milk still wet behind their ears spreading around? Even if it’s just rumors, shouldn’t there be some standards? Don’t you follow age ratings?”
“You’re saying something awfully old-fashioned. Young people have consistently had no manners since the Sumerian era.”
“Old people should just die…”
“Looking at you, it seems there’s no smoke without fire.”
Chayun looked Jaewon up and down as he spoke indifferently. He lifted his head to glare suspiciously at the upper corner of the door, then grabbed Jaewon’s arm and pulled him away from the doorway. When he flung the classroom door wide open, something fell with a thud. Jaewon frowned at the unfamiliar object rolling at his feet.
“What’s this?”
“A blackboard eraser… Such an old-fashioned trick.”
“Is today April Fool’s?”
When he asked in bewilderment, Chayun looked at him with pitying eyes. Jaewon’s expression became even more confused. As far as he knew, the only day of the year when high school students, who were like human succulents, showed any enthusiasm was April Fool’s Day. But Chayun shook his head as if to say forget it, then ignored the bewildered Jaewon and kicked the eraser aside. He then muttered quite seriously.
“It’s begun.”
“What, what has?”
“What else? The tribulations of the chosen one.”
When Jaewon anxiously questioned the meaningful words, Chayun gave him a curt rebuke. Unable to understand what he meant, Jaewon stared blankly at him, and Chayun rolled his eyes in annoyance.
“Oh, don’t make that face. You came to school looking like that because you had an ulterior motive, didn’t you? That innocent expression is disgusting, so drop it.”
“Ulterior motive? Like I’d have something like that? I ran away. To survive. Do you know how much I suffered all night…!”
“Shh. I didn’t ask and I’m not curious.”
Jaewon was too choked up to finish his sentence. How much had he suffered and struggled all night? The memories of last night, when he’d been subjected to near-sexual torture and thoroughly devoured in every position, unfurled before his eyes, making him feel even more miserable. Regardless, Chayun coldly drew the line, saying it wasn’t his business. Like a secret agent on a mission, he entered the classroom with cautious steps, revealing his wariness.
“Anyway, be careful. This is just the beginning.”
“What the hell are you…”
Jaewon’s frustrated questioning was cut short. His steps, which had been following Ma Chayun like a shadow, stopped, and his pupils dilated greatly. His gaze, shaking in disbelief, was directed at his desk. Jaewon’s desk, always kept neat and tidy, was covered in writing done with thick markers.
Jaewon approached with staggering steps to check the messages left in various handwriting. They were all vicious. Things like ‘Stay away from Dojun’, ‘Arrogant bastard’, ‘Disgusting’ and various other curses ran rampant. Not only that, but knife marks were savagely carved all over the desk. It was a repertoire he’d seen many times before. Only then could Jaewon guess how things were unfolding. His vision blurred and his lips began to tremble. A shock like a boulder dropping on his head crashed down on him.
“Hmm… Pretty intense for the first day.”
“W-what is this?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know? Did you think you’d be safe after declaring war with your whole body that ‘Dojun is mine’?”
Chayun openly looked over Jaewon’s trembling body and shrugged his shoulders. At his words, Jaewon’s face turned as red as an old man causing a scene at the district office. And the moment his pitifully wandering eyes found the three characters for ‘vixen’ on the desk, the thread of reason that had been barely holding on in his mind snapped completely.
“Aaaaaahhh!”
Jaewon screamed and lifted up the desk. Everyone watching him was shocked, but no one could stop a stock trader going berserk after his investment plans went bust. He ran out of the classroom, wildly swinging the desk as he ran down the hallway, while students screamed and dodged out of his way.
“Kyaah! W-what is that?”
“Whoa!”
Jaewon charged straight into Ga-ryeong’s class. He’d been in and out so often that he could find it with his eyes closed. Roaring, he hit the door with the desk to open it. The eyes of students who had been chatting in small groups before class grew as wide as saucers. Ignoring the stares pouring down on him, Jaewon breathed roughly as he searched for his target. Lee Ga-ryeong was sitting properly at her desk solving workbooks as usual. Jaewon approached her without hesitation and slammed the desk down right beside her.
“Huff, huff… Lee Ga-ryeong.”
“Good morning. You didn’t die and came back again.”
Ga-ryeong glanced at Jaewon and greeted him as if it were routine. Just as she was about to turn back to her workbook and flip the page, Jaewon snatched the book like a hunting hawk. Suddenly robbed of her writing materials and workbook, Ga-ryeong blew her bangs up with an expression of suppressed anger. She glared at Jaewon with fierce eyes, looking utterly fed up.
“What? Why are you… Kyah!”
But she didn’t have time to properly protest. Jaewon commandeered Ga-ryeong’s entire desk and roughly set down the desk he’d brought in front of her. Then he stuffed her belongings and books from her desk drawers into his own desk compartments. The replacement was completed in an instant with movements as swift as a moving company employee. Ga-ryeong, who had been staring blankly at the desk covered in threats and warnings, asked in a trembling voice.
“What is this?”
“The one who should be the protagonist of bullying isn’t me, it’s you.”
“What?”
A heroine must be hated to be complete. Someone everyone likes just becomes a common popular person, not a heroine. One and only, a superstar—that’s what it means. The jealousy and bullying from those around her was a gateway that the female protagonist who monopolized the male protagonists’ love had to pass through. Desperately denying reality while faithfully following the typical flags, Jaewon tried to pass the weight of the crown to Lee Ga-ryeong.
“You’re the one who should suffer this humiliation.”
Jaewon hammered his words into Ga-ryeong’s ears with very clear and precise pronunciation, as if afraid she might miss a single syllable. His face, showing not a hint of expression change, was utterly composed. Ga-ryeong’s mouth fell open.
“Look at that personality.”
“He’s insane.”
Ma Chayun, who had followed, and the other students whispered, but Jaewon didn’t care one bit.
“How long are you going to live like that?”
“Ha, I’ve been living quietly lately and now all sorts of…”
When Jaewon confronted her unreasonably, Ga-ryeong coldly shot back. Flames ignited in her neat and righteous eyes, and veins bulged in her tightly clenched fists. She roughly took off her glasses and threw them down on the desk before standing up.
“Oh, this isn’t good.”
Sensing the dangerous atmosphere, Chayun quickly stepped in. He hugged Jaewon’s torso as if restraining a drunk troublemaker. But as always, Jaewon didn’t stop at just verse one.
“Living so righteously like that, are you going to end your life as a supporting character with no presence? Don’t you think you’re wasting yourself?”
“Do you think I’m a pushover?”
“I’m sorry. Our eldest has been under a lot of stress lately…”
Ma Chayun hurriedly intervened in the explosive situation. Looking apologetic, he bowed repeatedly toward Ga-ryeong while dragging Jaewon away.
“You’ve always been an embarrassment to me, but today is unprecedented.”
“Don’t grab me! I’m really pissed off! I said don’t grab me!”
“Why is someone who should be in the National Assembly even at school…”
Chayun sighed with a face full of exhaustion. He patiently dragged along the flopping body like a mudfish. Finally reaching the front of Class 3, Chayun shoved Jaewon through the door as if throwing him away and shouted irritably.
“Ah, just stay still! Would you grow mold if you stayed quiet for just one day?”
“Do I look like I can stay still right now? They’re calling me a vixen… saying I’m hitting on Kim Dojun! Why should I have to hear that!”
“They say people go crazy when they hear the truth…”
Jaewon began to tear up, overwhelmed with emotion, but Chayun was merciless. He coldly wielded facts, making Jaewon feel even more miserable and wronged, creating walnut wrinkles on his chin. But Chayun dismissed Jaewon’s emotions, saying that wasn’t what was important.
“No, seriously. You’re a target for the entire school, you should be protecting yourself, but are you in your right mind? Ah, since Kim Dojun chose you, you think you have nothing to fear?”
“What bullshit is that?”
As Chayun raised his voice in gradual anger while speaking, Jaewon shouted in disbelief. But Chayun didn’t falter, pushing up his glasses with his middle finger as he sneered.
“You’re doing this because you have something to rely on, aren’t you? I had my suspicions about you, but somehow you never fail to meet expectations.”
“What exactly did I do…”
“Don’t abuse innocent students while riding on Kim Dojun’s coattails. How are you any different from Jang Hui-bin[1]?”
“What?”
Jaewon was stunned for a moment. He looked deeply shocked by Chayun’s words. His bloodless lips twitched before trembling violently. The countless words that had been waiting on his tongue instantly evaporated. It was because uncontrollable anger and sorrow surged from deep within. He glared at Ma Chayun with eyes full of sadness and venom.
“How can you say that to me?”
“I was going to say Jang Noksu[2] but held back.”
Chayun ignored Jaewon’s plea and shot back harshly. He raised his hand and beckoned to a student standing beside him. The student from Ga-ryeong’s class who had been waiting blankly while holding the vandalized desk finally came to his senses and handed the desk to Chayun. Chayun slammed the desk down in front of Jaewon and kicked the back of his knees to force him to sit. Jaewon, who fell on his bottom from the impact, trembled with eyes wide open from the pain that felt like his spine had been displaced by one segment.
“I’m a patient, you bastard… You should be treating me like fine china…”
“A human like bindweed[3] has big dreams.”
“Heuk…”
“Just sit quietly and write this until Dojun comes.”
He slapped the desk with his palm, making a loud sound. Then without hesitation, he turned and went to his seat. Where Chayun had left, a piece of paper and a pen remained. Jaewon, who had been languishing from shock, examined them through narrowed eyes. Something was written on the top line of the crisp paper.
I will live thoughtfully
The paper was a punishment assignment. Jaewon blinked blankly, then weakly picked up the pen and began copying Chayun’s writing. He didn’t want to think about anything, and physical labor was effective for emptying his mind. Jaewon focused on writing lines for a while.
“Is Dojun not coming to school today?”
A male student sitting in front who had been glancing back at Jaewon asked another student. Jaewon, who was getting tired of repeatedly writing sentences, perked up his ears. Come to think of it, it was time for first period to start, but Dojun’s seat was empty.
“I don’t know. If you’re curious, why don’t you contact him?”
Said the student absorbed in his phone game. The male student, seemingly dissatisfied with the indifferent answer, made a sour face and leaned back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head.
“Would he take calls from commoners? We’d be lucky not to get blocked.”
“Why not? He might. Like when you sometimes crave junk food…”
“Bullshit. He wouldn’t eat you even if offered.”
“Really? I’d eat if you offered.”
A green sprout had burst forth from the potted plant by the window. Jaewon, who had lost all color, regretted his premature eavesdropping and closed his eyes and ears. The male student, seeming accustomed to such conversations, kicked the chair where he sat and continued talking.
“Get lost. This bastard spouts nonsense every chance he gets.”
“Stop being nosy and mind your own business. Does attendance matter to Kim Dojun? He’s the chairman’s son.”
“That’s true. Ah, I’m so jealous.”
The hand writing lines became busier. As unwanted information kept flowing in, he needed somewhere to focus his attention. The more Jaewon confirmed Dojun’s objective specs and legitimacy, the more he suffered.
“It’s so fucking unfair. Looking at him makes me feel like I’ve been scammed since birth.”
“We’re a nation that’s been scammed on real estate since Dangun’s time, what do you expect?”
“Can’t there be a balance patch? I wonder how it would feel to live a cheat code life like Kim Dojun.”
“It’d be boring.”
“Boring my ass. I’d be so excited I’d get mania. Ah, I want to live in his body for just one day… No wait, why is his body so good? Is he really Korean?”
The male student who had been speaking stream-of-consciousness suddenly raised a question. Jaewon, who almost unconsciously answered ‘That size can’t be Korean,’ froze completely. As his mind collapsed, the image of a bronzed, firm body appeared in his head, and a heated scene unfolded before his eyes. He swore it had nothing to do with his own will. As his hair stood on end and his back grew hot, Jaewon had to swallow his curses and bend over.
“He used to swim. National team level…”
“Whoa, really?”
“His nickname was the Emperor of the Lane.”
The moment he heard the student casually talking, Jaewon’s eyes snapped open.
“Emperor… Hwangje[4] High!”
Word association worked in a strange direction. Jaewon shot up from his seat like a mathematician shouting Eureka in the middle of a bath.
“W-what, suddenly?”
“Did he get possessed?”
Jaewon, who had gained enlightenment, clenched both fists full of hope. Right, who said he had to search within the same school? Rather, statistically, there were more cases where the female and male protagonists’ schools were different. The market, which had been limited to within Jonse High, expanded, the number of properties increased, and investment possibilities became infinite.
‘Why didn’t I think of this until now?’
Jaewon realized he had been trapped in narrow thinking due to his attachment to sunk costs. And no wonder—how much time and effort had he invested in Kim Dojun until now?
The sunk cost fallacy[5], used from a behavioral economics perspective, refers to human behavioral patterns (written as such but called foolishness) that ultimately lead to greater losses. This includes the phenomenon of continuing businesses or investments despite expected losses because of the effort, time, and costs already invested. Cases of being held back by sunk costs are most commonly found in the stock market.
There’s an unwritten rule in the stock world: stocks begin by buying at the peak. To cut losses on stocks bought at peaks requires firm decisiveness and great courage, but as is widely known, brave DNA has been hard to find on the Korean peninsula since the independence movement era. Retail investors, fearing losses, often averaged down (an investment method of continuously buying the same stock at intervals to purchase below the initial buying price), only to increase their losses instead. It’s no different from blocking with a shovel what could have been blocked with a hoe, or cutting flowers while watering weeds. Thus, when caught in the sunk cost fallacy at the crossroads of loss-cutting and additional buying, investment principles are needed more than anything.
‘How beautiful are those who know when to cut losses.’
What Jaewon chose was to cut his losses. He had locked eyes with Kim Dojun, touched lips, and even spent the night together. Being this terribly entangled, there was no hope left for him, and giving up was the right choice. What he had overlooked while calculating every possibility and establishing meticulous, flawless investment plans that he ultimately succeeded with was his own charm.
‘A sinful human.’
Jaewon stopped thinking for a moment and touched his forehead. Intoxicated with himself, he shook his head back and forth.
‘No matter how perfect a blue-chip stock he appears on the outside, he’s someone who shattered the content rating. I can’t give such a promiscuous guy to Lee Ga-ryeong.’
While he could have just said he didn’t want to give him to someone else, Jaewon diligently searched for grounds to rationalize his feelings. Having perfectly brainwashed himself with logic as flimsy as the straw house built by the first of the three little pigs, he left the classroom refreshed. Then with steps as light as feathers, he invaded Lee Ga-ryeong’s class.
“What? Did I regress?”
“Déjà vu?”
The students were confused by the situation repeating exactly like before. Ga-ryeong, who had been focused on studying, grimaced viciously when she spotted Jaewon. Unconcerned, Jaewon knelt like Romeo courting Juliet, extended his hand, and spoke in a sweet voice.
“Let’s leave, Lee Ga-ryeong. This school is too small for you.”
“Do you really want to die today?”
“You need love. And love has its timing. Love, it’s everywhere but not everyone can have it. You’re a chosen person. You were born to be loved.”
He earnestly preached the concepts of ‘love is an open door, love is timing’ to Ga-ryeong, who was radiating killing intent with eyes shining blue. However, Ga-ryeong, already devoted to studying, didn’t respond to his persuasion. Jaewon, who barely dodged a left hook aimed precisely at his temple, briefly crossed the boundary between life and death. Eventually standing up from the floor, he dusted off his knees and straightened his back.
“Fine. Let’s make a deal.”
Jaewon switched to his prepared Plan B. When emotional appeals didn’t work, it was time to throw out bait. Changing his concept and stance, he looked down at Ga-ryeong arrogantly like a capable businessman. She snorted as if she’d heard something ridiculous.
“Deals are made when mutual needs align.”
“Exactly.”
“What can you do for me?”
“You said your dream was to become a judge.”
When he brought up her future aspirations, Ga-ryeong’s mocking expression turned serious. Jaewon didn’t miss the moment her eyes wavered and presented his trump card.
“I’ll let you judge my life.”
“…!”
It was an irresistibly tempting offer. A life with so much to judge was rare. Ga-ryeong’s face turned bright red as if she’d received a proposal. Seeing her glow like peach blossoms, Jaewon smiled brilliantly, confident of victory.
“Deal?”
Feeling somehow defeated, Ga-ryeong nodded with a complicated expression. Having succeeded in his conquest, Jaewon quickly helped her up from her seat and escorted her politely.
“Only step on the red floor. Because you’re precious.”
“Stop being so extra.”
Ga-ryeong rejected his self-serving touch with disgust. Regardless, Jaewon giggled like a Venetian mask, watching her fall into his trap. Whistling as he led Ga-ryeong out of school, he also picked up Ma Chayun along the way. He needed a guide to enter the new market.
“Get lost.”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You know better than anyone it’s not worth listening to, right?”
“Just take me to Hwangje High. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Why should I go to such trouble?”
But the recruitment process wasn’t easy. Chayun showed violent rejection, and after brief consideration, Jaewon steeled himself and offered deal terms.
“If you help, I’ll leave you alone during lunch for the next month.”
“A… a month?”
Chayun’s voice trembled. He seemed greatly shaken by the exceptional offer. After what seemed like deep contemplation, he finally accepted the quest.
“Keep your promise.”
“Of course.”
To Chayun’s distrustful gaze, Jaewon boasted with a trustworthy expression. Promises were made to be broken, and words could always be changed later depending on the situation.
An Hwangje High expedition party was formed with only a sage and a con artist, plus an NPC. The model students committing truancy for the first time had determined expressions. They moved along the wall behind the flower beds, avoiding the disciplinary committee and student supervisor. Thanks to their diligent movement, they safely arrived at the dog hole.
“Our school had something like this?”
When Ga-ryeong asked in wonder, Jaewon puffed out his chest proudly with a pleased expression.
“Remember it well. It’ll help in important moments. Especially when you’re late and meet the love of your destiny…”
“I don’t do things like being late.”
“Me neither.”
When it seemed like a meaningless speech was about to begin, Ga-ryeong coldly cut him off, and Chayun quickly chimed in from the side. Jaewon’s expression, lost in his theory of destined love, naturally soured.
“That’s why your lives are like that.”
“Lives without being late?”
“Lives without knowing the dog hole?”
Jaewon glared at them with contemptuous eyes and spoke coldly. While Ga-ryeong and Chayun were stunned by the contextless harsh words, he brought his legs together and struck both their knee joints in succession, knocking them down. Then without giving them time to come to their senses, he pushed them into the dog hole.
“Move faster. Move, move.”
He urged them harshly like a supervisor whipping slaves building pyramids. The model students crawled through the hole diligently despite their confusion. Once both had safely emerged from the hole, Jaewon immediately followed. Just as he energetically crawled through the tunnel and saw the light…
“Well, who do we have here?”
A typical villain line came from somewhere. Looking up, Kang Yuchan was standing there casually, looking down at them with interest. Beside him, Park Gyujin was sucking on candy while watching. They seemed about to use the dog hole themselves. Displeased by the increasing number of users, Jaewon scowled.
“We meet often, sister-in-law.”
“Class is starting soon, skipping from first period? That’s bold.”
Jaewon ignored the pouring mockery and pulled his lower body out of the hole to stand up. As his appearance was fully revealed under the sun, Yuchan and Gyujin squeezed their eyes shut.
“Oh, shit.”
“My eyes.”
They turned their heads as if they’d seen something terrible.
“Kim Dojun is crazy… This is really unprecedented.”
“Wow… I feel like I opened the bedroom door at night and got traumatized.”
The two who had unintentionally witnessed their close friend’s sex life looked devastated. Whether they did or not, Jaewon looked around and asked.
“Where did you leave Kim Seungbin? Are you two dating now?”
“How can a person be so crude?”
Gyujin was shocked like a noble witnessing a commoner. Yuchan, with a face like he’d eaten shit, sincerely advised, “Sister-in-law, you’ll get sued if you keep that up.”
“Kim Seungbin is on the disciplinary committee, so he doesn’t go to places like this.”
“He’s someone who catches people who go to places like this.”
“What a boring life.”
To them showing pride in their friend, Jaewon responded indifferently. Then suddenly recalling his first encounter with Kim Seungbin, he raised a question.
“He jumped over walls though.”
“Kim Seungbin jumping walls?”
“As expected, he’s got class. The coolness of not using dog holes even when late.”
Yuchan and Gyujin burst into praise as if they’d downed a bottle of soju. The two began chattering, intoxicated by their friend’s charm.
“But when was that?”
“Ah, there was just once. You were late because of that time.”
“What? When?”
“The day Kim Seungbin’s head got cracked.”
“How was that because of me?”
“You whined about wanting to try that seven-something bread or death bread, so Kim Seungbin was late getting it for you.”
“Oh right. We never caught that head-cracking bastard, did we?”
“Can’t help it. Kim Seungbin couldn’t recognize the face.”
“Damn. What’s that bastard doing now?”
That bastard was staring blankly right in front of them. Not knowing this fact, the two grumbled and vowed revenge. Losing interest in them, Jaewon turned away without regret. Seeing him wave for a taxi, Chayun asked with a displeased expression.
“If you were going to take a taxi anyway, why did you drag me out?”
“Peter Pan doesn’t keep Tinkerbell around because she’s useful either.”
“At least show some sincerity in making excuses, you crazy bastard.”
Just then a taxi stopped in front of them, and as Jaewon reached for the car door handle, Gyujin suddenly cut in.
“Where are you going?”
“I have business at Hwangje High.”
“What business? How long has it been since you transferred that you already have business at another school?”
“Great men don’t run their mouths before great deeds.”
“You’re going to meet a girl!”
When Jaewon spoke solemnly, Gyujin’s eyes lit up. He stuck to Jaewon’s side like iron filings to a magnet. Yuchan, who had been watching the situation, looked displeased and grabbed Chayun’s arm.
“Where are you going? It’s almost lunchtime.”
“First period just started though?”
Chayun protested in disbelief, but Yuchan didn’t even pretend to listen. He pulled Chayun’s shoulder and wrapped his arm around his neck from behind.
“No way. He’s my lunch box. Leave him.”
“What?”
When Yuchan spoke with a wary expression, Jaewon raised both eyebrows high. He looked back and forth between Yuchan and Chayun with a surprised face and asked.
“When did you make that kind of progress?”
“It’s always the quiet-looking ones who make the first move.”
As Gyujin gossiped from the side like a scheming minister, Jaewon nodded with an “Mmm.” Chayun, looking disgusted, grimaced and delivered a sharp retort.
“Why do you always spout nonsense whenever you put your heads together? You’re already blank slates as it is.”
“This bastard? I told you not to carelessly speak the truth.”
“We don’t have time, so just get in already.”
Pushed by Chayun’s urgency, Jaewon got into the back seat alongside Ga-ryeong. When Gyujin tried to follow, he coldly pushed him away.
“Hyung?”
“You can’t come with us.”
“Why? Take me too!”
“No. You’re not as good-looking as Kim Dojun, but you’re still handsome. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
“Hyung!”
Leaving behind the desperate cry, Jaewon coldly closed the door and locked it. Behind Gyujin, who was pitifully knocking on the window, Chayun could be seen struggling with Yuchan. Eventually shaking off Yuchan’s arm mercilessly, he got into the passenger seat.
“To Hwangje High School, please. As fast as possible.”
“Huh? Aren’t you Jonse High students? Where are you going instead of class at this hour? Playing hooky?”
“If you pretend not to see, I’ll only take this taxi from now on.”
When Ma Chayun spoke anxiously, the driver snorted in disbelief.
“Come on. There are so many taxis around here, how would you only take mine?”
“I memorized your license plate. 69-8282. Unless I’m in prison, mourning, or sick, I’ll only take your taxi. I swear.”
He looked ready to write it in blood. The atmosphere became solemn at his desperate plea, and the driver, saying young people these days were different, enthusiastically started the car, claiming he’d even drive them to the Blue House. The taxi shot off like a bullet and raced down the road, allowing them to reach their destination quickly.
“Are you really going to only take this taxi?”
When Jaewon got out and asked curiously, Chayun replied while closing the door.
“I don’t usually take public transportation. I have a dedicated driver.”
“You manage to annoy people with just one sentence.”
“Now you know how I feel?”
Their relationship, as tumultuous as today’s biorhythm, turned sour once again. Ga-ryeong, who had been clicking her tongue saying bad habits are quickly learned, led the two foolish males to the school gate while smacking their backs.
“…So this is Hwangje High.”
Jaewon stood in the middle of the dusty playground like an outlaw in the wilderness, his eyes gleaming solemnly. It seemed to be break time as there were quite a few people scattered around the campus. He looked around with cold eyes before approaching some students lounging on one side of the playground.
“Hey kids, hello?”
“Yeah, hello.”
“I have something to ask.”
“Ask instead of wasting time saying that.”
“Who’s the top dog at this school?”
A sharp cry of ‘It’s the Hwangje High top dog mark!’ echoed in Jaewon’s subconscious, but the memories, stained with alcohol and scattered in chaos, never fully formed. Though he felt something was off, he soon ignored it and focused on the situation at hand.
“I came to meet Hwangje High’s top dog.”
When Jaewon lifted his chin and declared arrogantly, the students looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions. Then a discussion ensued.
“He seems a bit slow.”
“And he’s not even from our school.”
“Maybe he lost his mom. Should we help find her?”
“Yeah.”
The kind-hearted students got up one by one and surrounded Jaewon. They bent their knees and matched his eye level as if they’d found a lost child.
“Did you lose your mommy?”
“We’ll help you find her.”
“Let’s go to the police station.”
The students extended helping hands with gentle voices. Jaewon, finding it not entirely unpleasant to be pitied, hesitated uncharacteristically. Watching from the side, Ga-ryeong’s expression twisted beautifully.
“What the hell are you doing properly? Move aside.”
She roughly pushed Jaewon away in frustration. Already weakened in his lower body from last night’s intense exercise, he flopped onto the ground, and Ga-ryeong asked the wide-eyed students directly.
“We’re looking for someone, so if you guys invest just one minute, I can get a trial sample and he can escape from misery during lunch. Can you cooperate?”
Chayun, rolling his eyes from the side, passionately chimed in with “Dobby wants to be free.” Enchanted by Ga-ryeong’s articulate speech, the students nodded as if hypnotized, and she quickly moved to the next step.
“Who’s ranked number one at this school?”
“Number one? That would be… Kim Jonghak, right?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s been a while since someone looked for Kim Jonghak.”
“Right?”
The male student scratched his head with a puzzled expression. He looked at them strangely, like seeing customers looking for old antiques. Jaewon, who had been sluggishly getting up from the ground, perked up his ears.
‘Bingo.’
He couldn’t remember, but it was a familiar name anyway. Jaewon recalled that he had often been mentioned along with Kim Dojun and confirmed his target. Haste makes waste, but in his urgency, Jaewon overlooked why he couldn’t properly remember that name. Pushing aside the cautious Ga-ryeong, he asked eagerly.
“So where is that bastard now?”
“Now? Right about now… he’s probably eating snacks in the gym storage.”
The male student pointed behind himself and then brought his finger to his mouth, mimicking smoking. The image of a decadent pretty boy sitting coolly behind the shaded storage, blowing smoke, bubbled up in his mind. Jaewon nodded with a satisfied smile on his lips.
“Good. Take us to him.”
“Huh?”
“Why should we?”
The students questioned his command in confusion. It wasn’t resistance or refusal, but genuinely curious expressions. After all, Jaewon had no good reason to compel them. Stunned by their deer-like eyes, Jaewon turned to look at Ma Chayun. When Jaewon sent a pleading look, Chayun looked at him as if he were uncivilized.
“When you come to someone else’s country, you need to use connections. Don’t tell me you didn’t prepare anything?”
At the provided solution, Jaewon felt his throat tighten and his vision blur. He laboriously swallowed and pulled out his wallet, handing over ten thousand won per person. The students naturally accepted the bills and readily led the way.
“Follow us.”
“This way.”
While following their kind guidance, Jaewon’s mouth gradually puffed up until it stuck out like a duck’s bill. Ga-ryeong slapped his mouth with a firm hand, telling him to put it away because it was disgusting, and Chayun chanted the slogan “Lee Ga-ryeong even if my head splits.”
Going around to the back of the campus, a wide clearing spread out. As they approached the storage building located on one side of the clearing, two students who had been squatting in front of the door stood up. Their buzz cuts, surprisingly aged faces, and old-school tattoos on both forearms created a strong dissonance with their school uniforms. Jaewon felt his chest, swollen with anticipation, beating rapidly.
“Is Jonghak here?”
When the male student asked, those who appeared to be gatekeepers nodded.
“Tell him someone’s looking for him.”
At the added words, the gatekeeper student nodded once more, then opened the door and went inside. Watching the bulky figure disappear into the darkness, Ma Chayun asked anxiously.
“Shouldn’t we state our business first? It’ll be troublesome if they misunderstand and pick a fight.”
“No. Jonghak’s an attention seeker, so he’ll like it.”
“You’re the first ones to look for Jonghak this year. Usually people look for the rank 0, that Banhae…”
While the guide students were calmly answering, the gatekeeper who came back out gestured for them to come in. The students then waved goodbye, saying they didn’t know why they were looking for Jonghak but to have a good time. Their eyes and expressions were mixed with affection, pity, familiarity, and wistfulness toward the person named Kim Jonghak. The authority or respect typical of top-ranking individuals was nowhere to be found. Jaewon felt an inexplicable anxiety while waving back at them, but the situation had already progressed too far to turn back. He entered the gym storage with an uneasy feeling.
“I heard there are people looking for me.”
A low voice echoed through the dark interior. It wasn’t a natural bass but felt like he was forcing his voice low to sound imposing, but Jaewon crushed his instincts in his impatience. He clenched his fists and shouted like a Pokémon trainer challenging a new gym.
“Are you Hwangje High’s rank one?”
“That’s right.”
A low laugh responded along with approaching footsteps. Jaewon’s tense Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and he swallowed hard. A rough, bulky shadow slowly emerged from the darkness.
When he finally revealed himself, his appearance was quite contrary to Jaewon’s imagination. He was tall with a large frame, but his proportions were quite approachable. His broad, bumpy facial contours reminded one of root vegetables. His lips, twitching as if holding back laughter, were thick but frivolous. His cheeks, puffed up deliciously like bread dough, radiated pride, and his small, round eyes like black sesame seeds stuck in steamed buns sparkled with anticipation.
The moment Jaewon faced this overall hearty-looking person, his dreams and hopes shattered into pieces, and a sharp cracking sound rang in his head.
“What brings you to me…”
“No! He can’t look like a potato!”
“What the fuck is this guy?”
Jaewon shouted hysterically. The new property he wanted wasn’t someone with features mashed up like that. How could the leader of a school look like that? It was a result of voter negligence, something to lament. Overwhelmed with frustration, he sat down on the spot, clutching his head and groaning.
“This crazy lunatic…”
Ma Chayun, his eyes bulging to the point of popping out, trembled. The welcoming atmosphere froze solid due to Jaewon’s wail. The gentle warmth disappeared without a trace, and the eyes of the guards standing behind Kim Jonghak gleamed menacingly.
“Are you insane? If you want to die, die alone…!”
Chayun was horrified as the mountain-sized group approached with murderous intent. True to rumors of his considerable narcissism, Kim Jonghak had formed his guard unit with students who looked similar to him. As the huge men with faces as rough as knuckle potatoes approached, Chayun broke into a cold sweat and backed away. He urged Jaewon to do something about it.
“My world has collapsed. I shouldn’t have picked up that book. The lottery flew away in an instant. I’m so, so miserable. You can take my life. Please just send me back to reality…”
But Jaewon was out of his mind. With a dazed expression, he was buried in his emotions, busy reciting his feelings of despair. Meanwhile, Kim Jonghak approached right up to him, cracking his neck left and right with threatening sounds.
“Ha… How dare you spout that shit when you know how much I hate potatoes?”
“Eh? That was the problem?”
“Throw them all in.”
“W-wait a moment!”
When Kim Jonghak’s eyes flashed as he gave the order, Chayun shouted urgently. He picked up Jaewon, who was sprawled on the floor like a cigarette butt, and presented him to Kim Jonghak.
“First, please calm down and take this guy.”
“What are you doing? You’re handing me over to those half-formed things? Did you feed your loyalty to the dogs?”
“You’re a high school student now, so you should know how to take responsibility for your words.”
“Swallow when it’s sweet and spit when it’s bitter?”
“When was it ever sweet!”
Chayun shouted in anger, but Jaewon didn’t stop his sarcasm.
“If I got cancer, you’d cut ties instead of taking care of me?”
“No. I’d visit with chrysanthemums.”
He spoke coldly and mercilessly pushed Jaewon forward.
“Please do whatever you want with this person to appease your anger.”
“I really hate potatoes.”
It was a strategy to minimize casualties by handing over the culprit early, but unfortunately, it didn’t work. Kim Jonghak didn’t even glance at Jaewon sprawled at his feet and signaled his guards with a chin gesture, showing no mercy. They slowly began closing the distance.
“Ah…”
In this critical situation, Ga-ryeong, who had been silent until then, stepped forward decisively.
“Wait. I don’t share the same opinion as them, so separate me.”
At her bold appearance, Kim Jonghak raised one eyebrow with interest.
“How cute.”
He threw out a comment with an interested expression. When the nauseated Jaewon dry heaved, Chayun growled through gritted teeth to stay still and kicked his leg.
“Alright. Let’s hear it. What’s your opinion, kitten?”
“The standards for distinguishing beauty change with each era. You’re not my type, but I think you’re attractive enough.”
“What?”
Ga-ryeong revealed her characteristic moral values without hiding them. At that moment, Kim Jonghak’s puffy cheeks turned pink. Embarrassment crept into his sly expression, and having become quite modest, he cleared his throat loudly.
“This girl knows a thing or two. At least she has eyes…”
Kim Jonghak, his shoulders soaring sky-high, seemed to have self-censored the part about not being her type. Unable to meet Ga-ryeong’s eyes, he rolled his eyeballs around before casually throwing a comment at Chayun.
“You there with glasses.”
“I will forever share the same will as this person.”
Chayun immediately stuck close to Ga-ryeong’s side as if he’d been waiting. He added, “Do whatever our Ryeong wants to do.” Kim Jonghak glared at him suspiciously, but when his eyes met Ga-ryeong’s beside him, his complexion turned the color of a sweet potato.
“Huu, I’ll let it go because you’re cute.”
“T-then…”
“Consider yourselves lucky.”
Kim Jonghak gestured for them to leave as if being magnanimous. Chayun, overjoyed, ceremoniously led Ga-ryeong to the exit. Jaewon, who naturally followed behind, was immediately grabbed by the scruff of his neck.
“What? Let go. I have no more business with you.”
“Really? What a shame. We have a lot of business with you.”
“If I have any sin, it’s only telling the truth. I understand your feelings, but take out your anger on a mirror.”
“Deal with him.”
Kim Jonghak’s sesame seed eyes gleamed coldly as he issued the disposal order. The guards picked up various balls—soccer balls, volleyballs, basketballs—and aimed them at Jaewon.
“W-wait! I’ll come quietly, so don’t hit me.”
Finally grasping his situation, he lowered himself and entered negotiations.
“If you absolutely must hit me for the plot, at least avoid my head. If this brain gets damaged, it’s a national loss. Patriotism isn’t that complicated.”
“Hey. Hit him.”
“Aaack!”
Thud! Thunk! With the savage sound of bouncing balls, the beating began, and terrible screams echoed. Ga-ryeong and Chayun, who were leaving the storage, flinched at the sound of a pig being slaughtered. They glanced back with uneasy expressions and looked at each other.
“It doesn’t feel right to just leave him, does it?”
“Yeah… But he’s someone even Jesus would hit.”
They nodded at each other without needing to say who would go first, and soon turned back.
***
“Don’t you have shrimp crackers?”
Jaewon looked at the disposable plate in front of him and asked grumpily. The plate was filled with trendy snacks that were currently popular, portions that Kim Jonghak’s group, who had been having a snack party in the storage, had shared. This was like detectives sharing rice soup with a drunk who had been detained for causing trouble while intoxicated, but Jaewon was picky even in situations where he normally shouldn’t be. When no one answered and looked away, he pecked away like a woodpecker.
“What about ginger cookies? Oranda?”
“Look at this list. This guy deserves respect.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t even have kimchi-flavored crackers?”
“Go to the senior center. There’ll be people there who’ll listen to you.”
A guard who had become somewhat haggard answered weakly. Jaewon shook his tied-up body in protest.
“What exactly do you have? Is this how you treat guests?”
“Please just stop talking…”
“Can’t we just let him go? I feel like my mind is splitting listening to him talk.”
“I’m starting to see hallucinations.”
The guard students cried out in agony. Ma Chayun, pretending not to know him, stayed far away and carefully selected snacks that Ga-ryeong liked, presenting them devotedly like a palace servant.
Kim Jonghak just silently glared at Jaewon. Lost in thought, he sucked on a lollipop before suddenly asking.
“Do you have a religion?”
It was an abrupt question, but Jaewon was quite diligent about answering. He recalled his past days of converting based on the menus provided by churches, cathedrals, and temples, and answered honestly.
“It changes from time to time, why?”
“No religion? Ah, then what the hell is this bastard believing in to act like this?”
Kim Jonghak clutched his head in agony. He seemed confused after meeting a new type of human he’d never seen or heard of before. After staring at Jaewon so intently his eyes might fall out, he suddenly had an exclamation mark appear above his head.
“Oho.”
An exclamation burst from Kim Jonghak’s mouth. His gaze was fixed on Jaewon’s chest, where his name tag was attached. Jaewon hurriedly raised his knees to cover his chest, but it was already too late.
“So it was Kim Dojun.”
Kim Jonghak giggled as if he finally understood, wiggling his pinky finger. The moment Jaewon saw that despicable smile, goosebumps rose all over his body.
“N-no…”
“I should have known. You need something to rely on to act this crazy without worry.”
“No! I said no!”
“Looking at your reaction, I’m certain. This is like a pumpkin rolling right in.”
Jaewon, instinctively sensing doom, desperately denied it, but the quick-witted Kim Jonghak didn’t even pretend to listen. Looking at Jaewon greedily like a poacher who had captured an endangered animal, he slowly pulled up the corners of his mouth.
“I just had a good idea.”
“D-don’t. Don’t do it…”
Jaewon, who had turned pale in an instant, shook his head back and forth with trembling lips. He pleaded in a rarely weakened state, but he had accumulated too much karma to expect his words to be heeded nicely. Kim Jonghak immediately took Jaewon’s phone from his pants pocket and turned it on. The phone, which had been off since last night, vibrated non-stop after seeing light for the first time in a while, and Kim Jonghak, looking at the screen, clicked his tongue.
“Wow, look at the number of missed calls. Is this real?”
He whistled and manipulated the phone to switch to speakerphone before pressing the call button. The call connected before even a few rings.
- Where are you right now.
The moment a rough breathing sound accompanied by a low voice that made the back of one’s head tingle echoed out, Jaewon stiffened like a wooden board.
“Wow… Why does he pick up calls in 3 seconds?”
Kim Jonghak checked the phone screen again and let out an exclamation with a scoff. At the same time, the call abruptly ended, and an awkward silence descended. Just as the guards were comforting the deflated Kim Jonghak, another call came. He immediately perked up and answered triumphantly.
“That’s why you should listen to Korean until the end. Dojun-ah, it’s been a while?”
- …Kim Jonghak?
A suspicious voice came from the other end. It sounded like he doubted what he was hearing. Imagining the face that would be sexily furrowing its brows, Jaewon buried his head between his knees.
- Why are you answering this phone.
“Good question, why indeed? I…”
- However you want to play is your freedom.
The tone of voice changed. Dojun, cutting off the teasing Kim Jonghak, overturned the atmosphere in an instant. The cold energy in his voice made one’s hair stand on end.
- But I thought I told you not to cross the line.
“Ah~ Is this crossing the line?”
Kim Jonghak cheekily countered Dojun’s warning, provoking him. He looked like he might go crazy with joy, like a preschooler on Children’s Day morning.
“You should have managed your property better. How lonely must you have made him for him to come all the way to me wagging his tail?”
- That can’t be. His standards are so high.
“Hm? What? I couldn’t hear you well.”
- Just tell me where. I’ll come.
“Wow, how touching. So touching.”
At the concise answer, Kim Jonghak slapped his forehead and shook his head back and forth. He gleefully mocked whether the great Kim Dojun knew how to be this compliant. The bodyguard, who had been watching benevolently, discovered Jaewon in a nearly dead state while refilling the snack plate.
“Look here. This guy’s condition has gotten a bit strange.”
“He’s not breathing?”
“He’s foaming at the mouth.”
The guards threw comments while observing the half-dead Jaewon. Chayun quickly approached to check his condition, then sighed deeply and began CPR.
“Well, I’m always where I always am. I’ll be waiting?”
“Don’t come… Don’t come, Kim Dojun! Don’t come because of me!”
“Can you hear? Your baby bird’s desperate cry?”
The successfully resuscitated Jaewon belatedly struggled and shouted, but it only elevated Kim Jonghak’s mood further. Dojun, silently enduring his mockery, hung up with just a word to wait.
“Kim Dojun’s coming?”
“You heard. He’s gracing us with his presence here.”
“Then we should prepare.”
“Here we go.”
The students got up one by one and began cleaning up the snack bags. While everyone was busy, Jaewon, who had been in disbelief, began trembling all over.
“I swear I’ll purge you and raise a bloody flag in the square, you bastard…”
He cursed Kim Jonghak with bloodshot eyes. But with his upper body bound, he wasn’t very threatening, and Kim Jonghak snorted.
“Oh, scary… Hm? Wait, who’s this now?”
Just then, Jaewon’s phone rang. Kim Jonghak, who had been moving his mouth disgustingly while showing the whites of his eyes, panicked when another call came. He looked down at the phone in his hand with a flustered expression before answering.
- Why was your phone off?
As soon as the call connected, a chilly voice pressed coldly. The aggressive tone, skipping greetings and immediately interrogating, was extraordinary. Kim Jonghak looked on in bewilderment, but Jaewon, who had no idea what was going on, could only stare blankly at him.
- Yesterday.
It was just a single word, but the pressure was considerable. The density of the air changed, and tension flowed like a taut string being pulled tight.
- Where were you and what were you doing?
Meanwhile…
Ban Haeyul? Kim Jonghak muttered quietly to himself and checked the incoming number with a doubtful expression. His mouth fell open, apparently confirming his suspicion.
“What day is it today?”
- Why does your voice sound like that? Are you sick?
“Did you seduce that Ban guy too?”
“@($*&%)(#!”
Kim Jonghak turned to look at Jaewon and let out a disbelieving laugh. Jaewon thrashed around spouting unspeakable words, then used his relatively free legs to form the character for mountain.
- What? Who are you?
“Who do you think? It’s me, Ban. Try to guess.”
- Attention-seeker Hak?
“It’s Kim Jonghak, how many times do I have to tell you, you crazy bastard!”
- Why are you with hyung? Who do you think you are?
“Ah, this is getting interesting.”
- Where’s hyung?
“None of your business. I’ve got nothing to do with you, kid.”
- Where’s hyung.
The voice repeating the same words had no change in speed or pitch. The broken recorder-like speech was eerie. Kim Jonghak’s expression, which had been merely annoyed, hardened, and his cheek twisted.
- I’m hurting right now.
“You’ve always been a sick bastard.”
- So I’m in a really bad mood.
A voice far too threatening for simple emotional expression flowed ominously through the speakerphone. Kim Jonghak, who had been circling his finger near his temple, paused.
- If you tell me first, nothing will happen between us, but if I find out first…
The clearly pronounced message slowly echoed through the now quiet storage room. It was an unsettling ripple, like water dripping from stalactites in a cave.
- I won’t be able to play with you anymore.
“Fuck, when did I ever play with you…”
- I don’t play with disabled people.
The voice speaking as if troubled had no deliberate intent. It simply implied cruel acts matter-of-factly. The bright and innocent voice, like a child directly expressing thoughts, created a bizarre disconnect.
“You’re talking crazy, you fucking lunatic.”
- But I’m going to find you anyway, so just tell me now.
“You know being crazy is also an illness, right?”
- Wherever you are, I’ll find you somehow.
“Fuck off. Do you think I’m the Big Dipper? A friendless bastard acting all tough. Try calling your mom to come find you.”
Kim Jonghak harshly snapped into the phone and cut it off like a knife. Not satisfied with that, he pulled out the battery and threw it far away. He shuddered with disgust as if he’d touched a bug, an attitude quite different from when dealing with Dojun. He turned around after seething in anger for a while.
“This was a complete femme fatale.”
“What?”
Kim Jonghak threw a comment at Jaewon while holding his sides with both hands. His tone suggested he’d seen a thousand-year-old nine-tailed fox at its most bewitching. Jaewon’s pupils dilated, and he looked dazed as if slapped.
“Not even Blue Dragon on the left and White Tiger on the right, but Dojun on the left and Haeyul on the right… This is history-making level. How the hell did you seduce both of them?”
“……”
“Jonghak. I think you should stop.”
“Hm? Stop what?”
“The kid’s crying.”
“Crying?”
At the restraining student’s words, Kim Jonghak’s eyes widened. Jaewon was crying. Tears welled up and formed large drops that fell from his chin. Even rage had its breaking point, and Kim Jonghak’s comment had pierced through Jaewon’s boiling point in one go, finally making him explode.
“Sob…”
Unable to overcome his anger, he cried pitifully. The sight of tears constantly welling up in his large eyes, his pale cheeks soaking wet, and his red lips being chewed by his teeth was pitiful. Everyone watching him, including Kim Jonghak, was swept with shock.
“Is this a trap?”
“Don’t be fooled. Those are crocodile tears.”
Unlike the suspicious and wary Hwangje High students, Lee Ga-ryeong and Ma Chayun looked quite surprised.
“So he does cry.”
“To make that person cry… Regular trash wouldn’t even dare show their face.”
A stick snack dropped from Ga-ryeong’s hand, and Chayun stuck out his tongue with an appalled expression. Even so, they glared at Kim Jonghak disapprovingly and threw comments.
“Why are you making him cry?”
“Do you know how tough our kid is? What on earth did you do…!”
Flustered by the criticism and complaints, Kim Jonghak pouted and poked Jaewon repeatedly.
“Hey, why are you crying? I was complimenting you.”
“Hmph… Hic! Hng, sob.”
“Honestly, it’s not like I completely don’t understand. With a face like that, right? Snatching both Kim Dojun and Ban Haeyul at once, huh? This is what you call a beauty that could topple kingdoms.”
Like an elementary student randomly mashing game controller buttons without knowing anything, Kim Jonghak kept pressing Jaewon’s trigger buttons. He only stopped when Jaewon was about to foam at the mouth.
“Wait, you…”
Squatting on the floor and peering at Jaewon, he frowned. With an expression like he was pondering something, he pushed the inside of his cheek with his tongue before opening his mouth uneasily.
“Are you by any chance Jeong Yeseong’s younger sibling?”
As he asked, his face showed he didn’t think it could be true while still unable to let go of a sliver of possibility. Jaewon, who had been sobbing and sniffling with tears pouring like chicken droppings, faithfully answered even in that state.
“Sob, hng, sob… Who’s that?”
“No? But how do you look so similar?”
Kim Jonghak looked troubled, putting his hand on the back of his head as if it was an unexpected answer. He seemed dazed as if hit on the head. His bold reaction made the others curious instead.
“Aha.”
After carefully examining Jaewon’s face and being lost in thought, he finally let out a small exclamation.
“I get it now. Those creepy bastards.”
Kim Jonghak stood up refreshed as if a riddle had been solved. Jaewon’s suspiciously furrowed eyes followed him up. His words left an uncomfortable aftertaste, making him feel dirty.
‘But who don’t I look like?’
‘No matter how I look at it, there’s a resemblance.’
Memory fragments sporadically surfaced from his unconscious, and déjà vu wrapped around his body. His tears had stopped and his sniffling ceased.
“Don’t just… sniff, keep it to yourself, tell me too. Sniffle, what is it? Who is that person and what does it have to do with me?”
“If you’re curious, ask your husbands.”
“…!”
There are two ways to anger Koreans: stopping mid-sentence and doing what you’re told not to do, and Kim Jonghak did both. He had a groundbreaking ability to piss people off. The moment Jaewon’s head was about to explode, it became noisy outside the door.
“Oh, that was fast.”
Kim Jonghak whistled looking toward the noisy exit. The gathered hulks were falling over like bowling pins hit by a bowling ball.
“Hey, hey. Take the hits moderately and back off. We should at least greet them.”
Unable to watch his subordinates getting knocked out, Kim Jonghak grimaced and shouted. Following his command as he waved his arm forward, the guards began hesitantly backing away. Between the students who had been bunched up like a levee and were now dispersing, Kang Yuchan walked out dusting off his hands.
“Did you guys lose weight? The hitting doesn’t feel as good as before.”
“Ugh…”
“You should eat well. We’re all doing this to make a living.”
Yuchan grinned, kicking hard at a hulk groaning on the floor. With his flushed expression, he looked quite pleased. Then he noticed Jaewon, who was only bound at the hands, and opened his eyes wide in surprise.
“You didn’t gag him? You guys are really humanitarian? I didn’t see you that way.”
“There was such a method.”
The students looked shocked as if gaining enlightenment. Yuchan didn’t spare them a pitying look.
“Are you deaf?”
“It was hard.”
“I see.”
The male student expressed his suffering with a pained expression. Behind Yuchan, who was patting his drooping shoulders, a huge silhouette appeared, and finally Kim Dojun revealed himself. Kim Jonghak, delighted, cleared his throat repeatedly before putting on airs and solemnly opening.
“Hey, Kim Do…”
Thwack! But a savage hitting sound cut off his words. Kim Jonghak’s happily opening mouth went in like an old man who’d lost his dentures. Each time the solid fist drove into bone and flesh, the muscles in his forearm stood out, and tendons writhed like mountain ranges. Emitting sharp killing intent, he was like a monster of the snowfield.
The Hwangje High students, overwhelmed by his momentum, hesitated. Meanwhile, Kim Seungbin, who had been diligently clearing the human barrier, snatched a wooden stick from a student rushing at Dojun and struck his legs.
“Ga-ryeong, I came to save you!”
“Gyujin?”
Park Gyujin, who had been hiding more safely than anyone behind Kim Seungbin, suddenly popped out. Ga-ryeong, who had been getting fanned by Chayun, stood up bewildered at his shout. Gyujin embraced her stylishly, and they enjoyed their dramatic reunion. Jaewon’s eyes grew desolate watching this beautiful picture.
It was a somehow familiar scene. The protagonist (who should be female) held hostage by a rival gang leader, the fresh love blooming between supporting characters, and the powerful male protagonist easily disposing of the rabble like a villain who could snap his fingers and wipe out half the world.
An ominous premonition incomparable to anything he’d experienced before struck him. Cold sweat pooled in the hollow of his back, and his heart began pounding as if he had arrhythmia.
“Aaah!”
“Aack! Ah! N-not there…! Ack!”
“Ah… No! I don’t want to plan a family before getting married!”
Screams echoed each time fists diligently pounded people like tenderizing pork for cutlets. Kim Jonghak watched his guards getting one-sidedly trampled with a grimace before sighing.
“Ah, I forgot to threaten him to come alone. This damned forgetfulness.”
The outlook darkened due to this fatal mistake. Since not just Kim Dojun alone but the complete BDSM had arrived, the chances of turning the tide seemed remote. A subordinate who limped up to his side asked carefully.
“Boss, what should we do?”
“Man… Why is he going off like that today? I’m getting scared.”
“We can’t get an angle. The ones hit in the head have concussions and the ones hit in the waist have blown discs.”
“Wow, look at that hitting angle. It’s art. His fists are on fire. I was in a bad mood, so I guess I made a good target.”
“This isn’t the time to admire, boss! The casualties are severe!”
“Sigh… Mobilize all the tools we’ve gathered. Let’s try something.”
“Yes sir.”
The student who received orders quickly withdrew. Left alone, Kim Jonghak couldn’t hide his anxiety while observing the disadvantageous situation.
“Ugh, that monster bastard.”
He grumbled as if sick of looking at Dojun, who was like a field boss mob. Washing his face dry saying this round was ruined, he discovered Jaewon crawling enthusiastically toward a corner. Kim Jonghak approached him with an “well well” as if seeing something ridiculous and kicked him lightly with his toe.
“What are you doing when your husband’s here? He came to save you, so go greet him.”
Kim Jonghak pierced the breaking point of blood pressure once again, and thick veins popped out on Jaewon’s forehead, who was already in panic.
“You bastard, will you stop spouting bullshit? I keep saying I have nothing to do with Kim Dojun, so why do you keep…!”
“Nothing to do with him?”
Just then, an ominous voice cut in. Jaewon, who had been burning like an active volcano, froze solid at that moment, and it became quiet as if the surroundings had become a vacuum. In the space that had turned cold as if doused with cold water, frost-like chill hung in the air.
Dojun finished beating the guy he was holding, slammed him to the floor, and mercilessly stepped over him. A murderously icy light formed in his savagely torn eyes, and blood splatter on his hardened cheek created a terrifying atmosphere. He looked ready to catch and kill someone. Jaewon, who had been staring at Dojun with a soul-shocked face, began crawling backward to escape as he approached.
“After rolling around with me until dawn, why are we nothing to each other?”
The heavy voice firmly pressed down on fleeing Jaewon’s ankle. At that moment, everyone gasped. They looked at Jaewon with wide eyes like villagers who had learned about two bachelors’ watermill affair. Under the pouring gazes, his paralyzed complexion died to black.
“You…”
“This… the person who was talking about kitchen stoves…”
“N-no. I’m just his meat slave.”
He tried to say ‘physical slave’ instead of bread shuttle but mispronounced it. The more he tried to fix the situation, the more chaotic it became, and the students had expressions like they were facing the universe. Chayun, who had closed his eyes, covered Ga-ryeong’s ears.
“Jaewon.”
A deliberately gentle calling voice followed. But Jaewon knew well that it was no different from a heat mass condensing energy just before explosion. His sweat-soaked clothes were already sticking wetly to his back.
“Are you crazy?”
It was a question laden with countless words. The face emitting black energy clearly showed the hardship of discovering the empty spot since morning and searching until now.
‘I can’t look.’
Jaewon stubbornly turned away from the cruelly handsome face. He gritted his teeth and turned his head like a fighter enduring torture.
He had been suffering from inexplicable anxiety and impulses for some time. If he let his guard down even slightly, the sensation of skin that had touched his came alive all over his body. That wasn’t all. The sweat-slicked, gleaming body as if cast from brass, the face that grinned making viewers’ hearts flutter, the eyes stained with passion filled his head fit to burst. That distinctive voice bit at his ears like auditory hallucinations when he let his guard down. His chest, which had begun racing again since crawling out of Dojun’s bed, hadn’t calmed down.
Fuck, why is he so cool?
“D-don’t come…”
To Dojun approaching with large strides, Jaewon pleaded in a voice that crawled inside itself. His white skin was gradually turning red below his neck. He couldn’t face him. It wasn’t that he’d never see him again, but anyway, not now.
If he faced him now, if he saw that face that smiled worn out then fell asleep like a boy, if he was held again in that ferociously warm chest.
It was more earnest and desperate than ever, but as always, a feeble resistance.
“Don’t come…”
“I thought you’d disappeared.”
Embracing him crushingly enough to bury his voice, he let out a big breath over his shoulder. It was a relieved breath, as if he’d been holding it for a very long time. At that moment, a tingling thrill ran through his body.
It was a historic moment. The moment the entire universe except Jaewon had expected. The moment he faced the reality he’d been violently denying, the moment he discovered himself feeling relief when held in his arms even while thinking Kim Dojun should rightfully go to the female protagonist.
Green lights turned on for all stocks, and the endlessly rising graph began its vertical descent. The plummeting stock price dug into the floor, and all predictions and forecasts collapsed.
It was the moment of the great crash.
System: Circuit Breaker[6] activated.