Dismantling Banya
Dismantling Banya
The school was quieter than I thought.
The incident yesterday was concluded as a mutual brawl between gangs of punks, resulting in mutual destruction.
Although it was an open secret that there was a specific guy who did the beating, the principal and vice-principal spit and begged, claiming our students only got hit and never hit anyone, so it ended quietly.
The guys also found it troublesome if things escalated to the Gyeonggi Alliance, so the incident was buried quietly.
What changed was the look in the kids' eyes when they looked at me.
If it used to be fear, curiosity, and jealousy, now it's admiration.
Mixed with awe.
I, who used to be just a loser who could fight a bit, was now the actual protagonist of the 17-to-1 fight people only joked about, and they were the actual witnesses.
Leaving behind the students who parted like the Red Sea as soon as I arrived at school, I headed to the Banya club room.
The club members who were gathered and chatting in the club room looked at me with terrified expressions as I walked in.
It's even worse than last time.
Fucking hell. Cowardly little shits. And they call themselves Iljin.
Then again, since it's an academic high school, even these so-called Iljin show up to school early every morning.
They're all just tyrants in their own rooms.
Retards.
I ignored them and walked up to Choi Min-su, who was sitting in the middle.
The bastard. Knowing he's in the wrong, the guy who was looking at me lowers his gaze.
I said simply.
"Let's fight."
The guys listening nearby murmur.
Choi Min-su says in a shrinking voice.
"M-me. Why?"
"The fuck you mean 'why'. If I win, Banya is dissolved."
They don't even consider the possibility of Choi Min-su winning. The others have no objections either. From the moment I stepped into the club room, it was a fight I had already won.
"Don't want to?"
Choi Min-su doesn't answer. He faces me, but keeps avoiding my gaze.
Little shit. Then I should treat you accordingly.
"If you don't want to, kneel."
"What?"
The bastard glares at me. So he still has some pride, huh.
I raise my hand and press on Choi Min-su's collarbone. Then I squeeze and press down.
"Ugh. Ughhh-ahhh."
Choi Min-su's handsome face contorts, and a groan escapes. And the guy, unable to withstand the force, gets off the chair and kneels on one knee on the floor.
Fucking poser.
My foot kicks his shin.
Ttak.
"Ah!"
With a short scream, he knelt on both knees.
He tries to grab my hand that's holding his collarbone with both of his, but he can't shake off my grip.
"Shut your mouth. Before I tear everything out."
He bites his lip and holds back a groan with a contorted face.
I let go.
He rubs his collarbone, soothing the pain.
I grabbed his hair with my right hand and pulled him up.
"Ugh!"
And slapped him with my other hand.
Chwak!
The sound of the spike-slap echoed through the club room.
Chwak! Chwak! Chwak! Chwak!
His body went limp from the accumulated impact.
"Stand up."
At my words, he stumbles to his feet.
I turn to the remaining guys.
They all avoid my eyes, afraid to make contact.
"From now on, Banya no longer exists. If any bastard acts up, you're dead."
Leaving those words behind, I left the room.
Banya disappeared.
Rumors swirled like a storm among the students.
But I just put my head down and slept as if nothing happened.
I'm not really interested in college anyway, so it's better to replenish my stamina at school.
Once the CSAT is over, I'll steal the tuition money if I have to and buy some stocks.
No one bothers me, and the school, which used to be hell, was now the best place to rest.
I was snoring while sleeping, but someone pulled my ear.
"Ahhh. Aish, who is it."
It's Lee So-ryeong.
She's pulling my ear and looking at me.
"What is it?"
"Are you a senior in high school just sleeping all day?"
"What's it to you?"
"It matters. The vibe is that my boyfriend won't be able to get into college."
"Bullshit."
Everyone feared me, but only Lee So-ryeong remained the same.
"I'm at least going to a SKY medical school, so if my boyfriend can't even get into college, how could I date you for long because I'd be embarrassed?"
What? Aren't we going to break up by next spring anyway?
But I couldn't bring myself to ask. Instead.
"Are you saying I should study because I'm worried about what you think?"
"You should at least make an effort. Being good at fighting is only useful in high school. What can you do with your fists once you're in college? In the end, what else would you do besides riding a motorcycle and making deliveries?"
Why is her sense of reality so good?
She's not just good at studying.
But even so, the worlds we live in are different. They will continue to be different.
I have no intention of going inside the line and living there.
"Forget it. I'll take care of my own future, so mind your own business."
"I'm thirsty."
"What are you talking about? What do you want me to do?"
"Go to the snack bar."
In the end.
I get dragged to the snack bar.
On the way to the snack bar, and even in front of the snack bar, no one stands in front of me.
Even the long line at the snack bar.
Even the guys who were chatting loudly all kept their heads down and stayed quiet in front of me.
Only Lee So-ryeong is cheerfully and leisurely picking out the bread she wants.
Did this bitch bring me here just for this?
Is this girl really on her second life or something?
After school, I dropped Lee So-ryeong off at the academy and went to the gym.
As I opened the door and walked in, the gym director's voice was full of welcome today.
"Oh. Our Young-jin is here. Hahahaha."
The director, his face flushed, approaches me.
What is it? Why is his face so bright?
It's not just the director.
The inside of the gym, which is usually quiet and even dreary, was full of heat and the noise of hitting mitts.
Inside the gym now, there are kids my age.
A bunch of guys I've never seen before have come in, wearing sweat suits and sweating continuously.
"Wh-what is this? And who are they?"
"What do you mean, what? Why are you asking me what I should be asking you? You rascal. I thought you were a loner without a single friend, but you've been fooling me perfectly this whole time? Huh? Ahahahaha."
He says I fooled him, but he doesn't look offended; rather, he's extremely excited.
"Since last night, the phone has been ringing off the hook. Asking if this is the gym that Seo Young-jin from Yeongheung High School attends. So I said yes, and since this morning, all these friends and juniors of yours have been flooding in. Hahahaha."
Hearing that, I looked around again and saw familiar faces.
Same school. Faces I might have seen while passing by.
Ah. I got a sense of what was going on.
They came to the gym I attend, now that I've become a living legend.
Whether to get stronger, or to get close to me.
Huh. This isn't it.
Of course, I learned a lot at the gym, but doing exactly what I do doesn't mean you'll become exactly like me.
The new guys hit the mitts and jump rope, stealing glances at me.
I started working out while receiving their burdensome gazes.
The annoying gazes have increased.
I don't like the gazes of guys.
The next day.
Now, vacation is not far off.
What's left for a student if you take away vacation?
Even in hellish school days, vacation is something to look forward to.
I went to school, and while I was sitting for a moment, my homeroom teacher Han Ye-seul called me.
But it's not the teacher's office, it's the counseling room.
I went to the counseling room without knowing why.
As I opened the door and walked in, the atmosphere was unusual.
The principal, vice-principal, student dean, etc.—all the big shots in the school are sitting there.
And in front of them sits a middle-aged man I've faced once before. I remember exactly who he is.
The school's sponsor association president and a friend of the chairman.
And above all, Choi Min-su's father.
It's Choi Man-ho.
At the instruction to sit, I sat in an empty seat.
The seating arrangement looks like an interrogation. They're acting all serious just because they're adults.
Fucking hell. Even if I look like this on the outside, I'm 40 on the inside.
The vice-principal speaks first.
"That student is Seo Young-jin. He's a senior, in Class 3. There have been several incidents in the past, but since he's a senior and for the sake of his future, we've let it slide with the intention of guidance. But since it keeps repeating, it seems this situation has occurred. This time, we will not let it slide anymore and will discipline him sternly. You punk! Hurry up and apologize to Director Choi!"
They're full of shit.
I almost said it out loud.
Since I didn't say anything, the vice-principal raised his voice.
"You bastard. Are you not going to answer when an adult is talking to you!"
I opened my mouth.
"Just. Let's do it by the book."
The eyes of the adults sitting there widened.
It's not like I don't know how to do it by the book.
You didn't want things to escalate, so you've been trying your best to bury it until now, right?
It's not just me who gets into trouble if things escalate.
Let's see where this goes.
The flustered vice-principal stepped in.
"Th-th-this bastard! Do you really want to get expelled!"
I looked at the people quietly without answering.
Everyone's different motives are showing on their faces.
Retards.
The principal and vice-principal who don't know what to do.
Han Ye-seul, who is calculating the pros and cons.
And Choi Man-ho.
He is in a state where his pride is hurt.
It's all showing on his face.
Yesterday, his precious son came home with his face swollen red.
Without even asking what happened, Choi Man-ho, who realized it was a fight, came straight to the school.
He wanted to find out who did it and teach them a lesson, but the brat who is supposedly the perpetrator is staring straight at him and standing up to him. Saying let's do it by the book.
He himself knew that if they went by the book, his son wouldn't be clean either.
But now it's not a problem about his son.
It's a problem involving his own pride.
He stepped forward.
"Then there's no other choice. Principal."
"Yes? Yes, Director."
"Let's open the School Violence Committee."
Boom.
The principal and vice-principal had the illusion that a rock had fallen into their eyes.
The School Violence Committee they wanted to block so badly.
Just like that, my life's second School Violence Committee was decided.
The first time as a victim. And this time as a perpetrator.