Model Student's Life 3
"At the very least, I can't just stand by while a kid from the same class and same school gets beaten up. And if the justification is being the top dog? Screw that top dog position—I'll take it myself."
I shoved Moon Jae-ha aside, his face twisted in disbelief, and flung Jae-min behind me like tossing a sack—he'd been cowering from having his collar grabbed. Jae-min stammered in confusion, but I turned to him and said, "We'll talk later, just you and me."
Ignoring Jae-min's flinch, I faced Moon Jae-ha again. He looked shocked by my unexpected strength, his face flushing with rage as he yelled at his crew, "You messing with me? Get him—all of you!"
That was the spark. The guys lounging against the bridge piers below surged up at the commotion, swarming around me.
"Hey, kids, I get you're hyped, but if anyone gets hurt and starts whining to their parents about who beat them up, that'll kill our cred, right? And no demanding medical bills either!"
Damn. They charged like they meant to kill, surrounding me. I shouted, "Implied consent—you know what that means, right?"
Fear didn't hit me as they closed in; instead, adrenaline surged from the thrill, tightening my fists.
Man... is it okay to go this hard on kids?
Even as that thought flickered, my heart pounded fiercely in my ears. I knew I should control my strength with body strengthening, but in the brutal kid world—different from adults—being seen as weak meant giving up on school life entirely. So I planted my foot like stomping a stake and lunged forward, driving a hard punch straight into the gut of the guy coming at me head-on.
Before regression, tough family circumstances had me volunteering for the army and enduring special training. I'd wanted to make it a career, but gave up long-term service because my dad was a refugee from the North. Still, that grueling training hadn't vanished. It let me thrash around even in my harsh pre-regression life.
I sucked at sports, but I faithfully did whatever was ordered.
Ironically, that let me cling to a cliffside even in my forties. That old training foundation, after regression, bloomed fully under Dae-baek-gong's body strengthening spell.
Behind me came the retching from the kid whose stomach I'd nailed dead-center. Urgh... bleeech...
I secured his spot as he crumpled, then ducked under a punch from my left, using my shoulder to flip the attacker gently onto the retching kid like a mat.
Thud.
The cushion softened it, so the guy caught in my judo throw rolled on the ground but seemed fine—no major injuries at a glance. I swept the leg of the one sneaking up behind me.
The guy shifting forward for a kick naturally lost balance, crashing onto the rolling kid below with the full force of gravity.
"Aaaagh!"
Hey, he's got a cushion. Should be okay, right?
Leaving the sandwiched punks behind, I slowly approached the last one—or rather, the yellow-haired Moon Jae-ha, staring in absurd disbelief.
He pulled a well-worn pocketknife from his pocket, brandishing it threateningly as he backed away. I recalled my instructor's words from training.
The training ground was empty except for the instructor and me. Unlike the others, I'd been given special time because my size didn't match my skills.
My protests of "I don't need that" went ignored.
The burly instructor's first words caught me off guard.
"If you face a guy with a knife, turn and run."
"Huh?"
He warned that a sloppy knife wound could tear muscles or ligaments, messing up daily life—don't take it lightly. Even a small blade leaves lasting damage; know that before engaging.
"Or shoot him. If that's not an option, wear protective gear to block the blade, subdue him like this..."
"Aaaagh... forward."
"The key is finishing it so he never pulls a knife sloppily again."
Guys who've handled knives clumsily form the habit and keep doing it, he said. Instill mental trauma so deep they never dare again—and he made me experience it firsthand.
"×× bastard." My slip of true frustration got me extra one-on-one sessions.
Knowing he was the sloppy knife type, I wrapped the muffler Kyung-soo gave me around my arm like a padded glove.
Back then, I failed nine out of ten times even with training...
I dodged his thrust, blocked his knife hand with the muffler-wrapped arm, and twisted it hard.
Now...
As he buckled from the arm twist, I pressed his yellow head down, stomped the back of his knee with my sneaker, and dropped him. Mounting his back, I wrenched his arm viciously.
"Aaaagh... let go..."
I ignored his screams and kept cranking the pressure.
This needs finesse.
Crack.
It wasn't loud, but the whole group in the clearing felt it—the violence they'd wielded so easily against others could be turned on them just as effortlessly.
Maybe that's why, amid the yellow-haired one's panicked screams, no one noticed me bolting toward the pier at top speed.
I'd never formally trained parkour, but with my enhanced body, I scaled the iron rungs and grooves in the pier's gaps in seconds, reaching the An-nam Bridge deck.
Behind me, as if on cue, police sirens wailed and patrol cars raced toward the clearing.
I didn't glance back, sprinting off the bridge fast.
Pushing open the door to the police station in front of the library, a familiar face greeted me.
"Hey, Sergeant Heo."
"Wha... how'd you get here?"
"Felt bad always mooching, so I got you a drink."
"A student's money? Take it and share with your brother."
"Still..."
"I'll take the thought—that's enough."
Ring ring.
"An-nam City Jungjang-dong Station. Yes? Yes? What the..."
Meeting Heo Soon-kyung was part of my plan, but the phone interrupting and him staring at me in bewilderment? Not so much.
"You... what trouble did you stir up today?"
I played dumb. "Beats me. I took the exam, but no clue about any trouble."
"Sigh... this is serious. We need parents here for a statement."
Anything but dragging Mom to the station.
"What's it about? Mom's working right now, and I brought my brother."
"Huh?"
"We meet here often before the library. I drop by with my brother before heading home. Great facilities—warm in winter, cool in summer."
"So you and your brother were at the library the whole time?"
"Yeah. What's going on?"
"Got a report of delinquent kids brawling. Went out, and one claims he got hit... name's Joo-in Nam from Baek-sin Middle School—you."
"No way. I was here. Ask my friends—we study together all the time."
Heo Soon-kyung, still skeptical, donned his cap and followed me to the library. Seeing Kyung-soo and Jong-hyuk studying quietly, he discreetly slipped them notes to come out—his kindness shining through.
"Hey, uh, Officer?"
"Not officer—call me bro?"
"Why the library suddenly?"
"Were you with Joo-in?"
"Yeah, he brought Joo-shin and we've been quizzing answers till now."
"Joo-in said he'd be here till exam day, got frustrated and said he'd greet his cop friend—er, bro."
"That seat next to you...?"
"Joo-shin's."
"You all sat together?"
"Yeah. I grabbed seats for Jong-hyuk, Joo-shin, and him."
"Why...?"
"They don't know how. I always do it for them. No big deal—just picking up forms."
"I see."
His doubtful face brightened. He handed us the drinks I'd given him plus snacks, urged us to study hard, and left.
"Phew... dodged that bullet."
"Dude, what the hell? I was sweating bullets—couldn't say a word."
"What happened to you? You okay?"
"I'm fine."
"What about Jae-ha? Jae-min?"
"No idea. Let's grab Joo-shin and head home. Library till exam day? Come on."
"Wasn't planning to come today either. Joo-in suddenly asked me to hold seats—shocked me. What happened?"
"Thanks. Without you guys, Mom would've come to the station."
"So it went down after all?"
"Can't always dodge what I want."
"What with Jae-min?"
"That day, he called me alone to the incinerator."
"What?"
"We... talked it out nicely."
"Nicely?"
"Used my body to communicate. Thought it was settled..."
"Then Jae-ha showed?"
"Yeah. Who's he, though?"
"You know our middle school focuses more on academics than others?"
"Yeah, Mom pushed for transfer here."
"Our biggest problem kid is Moon Jae-ha. Lives up to the name—dad's a high official. They hushed it up till it blew big, then transfer talk."
"Dropped out instead."
"Didn't expect him still hanging with Jae-min."
"Don't they stick to their own?"
"Jae-min got bullied hard by Jae-ha. Without that incident, Jae-min would've been the outcast."
"Outcast? Like that?"
"You transferred in—you wouldn't know. Teachers hush it, but every school's got it."
"Jae-ha got his kicks from bullying outcasts till he went too far."
"What happened?"
"Not details—school covered it. Jae-min might know more."
"Since he hung with Jae-ha."
"Hung? Jae-ha ××× him."
"Why'd Jae-min pick a fight with you?"
"That day we decided to get close with Jong-hyuk."
"Seriously? Over that?"
"His pride couldn't take it. Anyway, hate drama, so I said forget it—no names anywhere, I'll forget you were with me. Was forgetting... till today, smack in the back of the head."
"What now?"
"Straight to high school anyway—what more can happen?"
"Optimistic, but..."
"No way it's that bad."
"Never say never"—it kills people, past and present.
Damn.