Even bullies are just students. 2

Dongsu was rolling on the floor, his wrists and ankles tied behind his back.

His eyes glared as if he would tear me to death, but that intensity had clearly diminished.

Leaving Dongsu be, I opened his phone and was searching through the photo album.

Where's my photo?

In the photo album were records of all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sorts of evil deeds that Dongsu and Banya's crew had done.

A hollow laugh escaped me.

"Are you guys perverts? Why are there so many dick pics? This is a violation of the child sexual abuse law. Ah! The law doesn't exist yet?"

As I flipped through photos, this time pictures of girls came up.

They were covering their naked bodies with their hands, trembling pitifully.

Did these bastards even commit sexual assault?

Wow, they're really fucking dogs.

After seeing that, something in my heart felt lighter.

What is it?

Aha. It's guilt!

The refreshing feeling after taking a constipated dump.

The heavy burden that had settled in one corner of my heart—

The guilt of having beaten someone with a club felt light as a feather.

Ah, refreshing.

The bastard who was cursing saw my face and flinched, stopping.

Huh? Did I look like a pervert?

Well, whatever.

In my refreshed mood, I flipped through photos again and finally found it.

My photo.

In the photo, I was standing at ease, my dick fully exposed, sobbing.

That sight was pitiful and pathetic.

I'm sorry.

For not protecting you all this time.

Let's delete this first. No reason to keep it.

The rest of the evidence might be useful, so I'll keep it.

I put the phone in my pocket and looked down at the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bastard again.

Dongsu growled lowly.

"Fuck. You're really dead. Untie me now. Before I bring my guys tomorrow and kill you and your whole family. Hurry up."

I cut him off.

"Tomorrow?"

The bastard stared blankly at my face.

A bright smile spread across my face.

"Do you think I'm going to let you go alive today?"

Even under the faint moonlight, I could see his trembling pupils clearly.

"Trembling eyes, you fucking retard. lololol. Earthquake? hehehehe."

The guy shouted as if in a last desperate struggle.

But his voice was infinitely fading.

"This is a crime, you know? Doing this means going to prison. If I die, you'll go to prison, and your life will be fucked."

Did I hear that right?

"Send me to prison? Why would I?"

"Because it's murder. If I end up hurt, my mom will report to the police. So if you don't untie me now, you'll really go to prison, and your life will be fucked..."

"Oh, really? Now I see you've got a hell of a law-abiding spirit."

To be honest, I don't know if I'll go to jail or not.

Maybe without backing, I could go. But then what?

But anyway, a fight with these bastards isn't possible while staying within the line.

Guys like me always stubbornly stick to the line.

As if crossing that line even for a moment would make us fall off a cliff.

So we struggle desperately not to step out of line.

On the other hand, these iljin bastards always trampled from outside the line, as if mocking me.

Standing inside the line, I can't deal with the bastards who attack from outside.

To deal with these guys, I have to step outside the line too.

This fight is about who goes farther from the line. It's a game where the one who crosses a farther line has the advantage.

I crouched down and met the bastard's eyes.

Dongsu, lying sideways on the floor looking up at me, watched my expression, afraid of something.

Looking at Dongsu's terrified face, I said.

"But I'm not going to prison. You should know that better, right?"

"What?"

"Hey, I'm a minor too. You said it yourself. When you hit me, stripped me, and took pictures. You said even if I report it, it's fine because I'm a minor. I realized then. Even if I turn you into a cripple, I won't go to prison. Right? Hehehehe."

A smile rose on my face.

The color drained from the bastard's face.

Leaving him behind, I brought over a pile of floor mats stacked in one corner of the rooftop.

"What! What are you doing!"

Instead of answering, I took two work gloves out of my bag.

I put one on my hand, and shoved the other into Dongsu's mouth.

"Um um um um."

"Yeah yeah yeah. I know. Just bear with it for a bit. It's all for your own good."

After putting the glove in his mouth, I spread the thin floor mat I brought and covered Dongsu's body.

"Actually, I don't really want to kill you. I'll just make you half-crippled. Cover yourself well so you don't die if you get hit wrong. If you squirm around and get hit on bare skin by mistake, you might die. Got it?"

After covering him with the mat, I picked up the iron pipe I had set aside.

"Now, let's start with you getting hit."

And I swung the raised iron pipe down hard.

Peok! Peok! Peok! Peok! Peok! Peok!

Eum! Eum! Eum! Eum! Eum! Eum!

How long did I beat him like that?

The May night was still cold, but dewdrop-like sweat beads formed on my forehead.

And water flowed out from under the mat. At the same time, a smell of urine spread.

"Wow. Fuck. Did you piss yourself? If you're desperate, say so. You shy bastard."

At that moment, a cheerful alarm sound rang in my ear.

Ddiring ddiring.

And at the same time, letters appeared in the air.

[Achievement Unlocked: Complete ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Submission (1/5)]

You have completely subdued your opponent.

During the apprenticeship period, upon achieving an achievement, points are evenly distributed by 1 to all stats.

And as this is the first achievement since becoming a player, an additional 2 points are granted as a congratulatory gift.

[Status Window: Apprentice]

I reached out and pulled away the covering mat.

The bastard, curled up like a shrimp, buried his face in the floor as if afraid to even meet my eyes.

For a moment, I saw his face with drool dripping from his mouth, and his pants were wet from urinating.

His eyes, exhausted from violence, were dull as if dead.

Thankfully, he was still breathing.

I look into the status window and carefully recall my memories.

A memory I had forgotten for a moment surfaced.

'Really?'

'Do you have the confidence to live without regrets if you live again?'

'Of course. Show me once.'

'Since you're breaking the rules anyway, I'll throw in a gift. Do well.'

Ah. So this is that gift? This is totally like a novel.

But who is it? God? Demon?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

No answer.

Well, what does it matter who it is.

Since I came back in time, there's no rule saying this shouldn't appear.

I'll just gratefully accept it and use it for good.

Focusing on the status window again, I don't know what level this is.

Well, judging by my body, it's probably not a high level.

But it went up by 1 each, so that's fine. And the +2 points...

Can I put the additional 2 points elsewhere?

If I invest, Strength and Agility seem good.

As soon as I thought that, a phrase appeared.

[ Would you like to invest remaining points into Strength and Agility? Yes/No ]

I selected Yes internally.

With a ddiring ddiring sound, +2 was added to each.

And I look at the notification again.

"Ah. I'm getting the hang of this."

This 'Achievement Unlocked' thing.

Complete Submission. And points.

I look at the text, then look at the bastard again.

He's trembling with his head buried, afraid to even meet my eyes.

I look up at that sight.

From deep inside my body, a proud sense of elation rises, as if solid muscles are filling in.

Hoo.

It feels like I've been reborn.

No, I have been reborn.

As Seo Young-jin, second playthrough.

Above all,

It's a relief. Because I don't have to kill.

The corners of my mouth lifted involuntarily.

"Things are turning out interesting."

I walk alone on the night road.

In the past, I would have walked hunched over, looking around nervously in case I met a gangster, but not now.

It feels like a weight that was coiled in my heart has fallen away.

I am no longer prey. I have become a predator.

How long did I walk?

Across the street, I see the familiar sign of a snack bar.

"Already here."

I couldn't go back home with the surging elation.

The place I ended up after aimlessly walking the night streets is the snack bar where eomma works.

It's been nearly ten years since she passed away.

I ran and arrived in front of the snack bar. Now that I'm here, I can't think of what to say when I go in.

I stood by the window and looked for eomma through the film.

"Ah."

She's cleaning up the tables that customers left.

On a large tray are plates, bowls, and heavy stone pot bulgogi.

Fuck. Stone pot bulgogi is a menu that should disappear from the world. It's too heavy compared to its taste.

On eomma's thin forearm holding the heavily loaded tray, veins and tendons bulge out.

The sight of blood vessels and tendons mingling as they pitifully support the tray is precarious and pathetic.

Suddenly, something welled up in my heart.

Covering my mouth, I turned and ran into the night streets.

I covered it, but there was no way to stop the sobs from bursting out.

"Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm."

Tears poured from my eyes like tap water.

I always thought my life was like a beggar's.

But even that was maintained by tearing off and boiling and eating someone else's flesh—

The shameful reality struck my heart.

I hadn't run far, but my shitty stamina quickly ran out.

I'm out of breath, feels like I'm dying.

Huk huk huk huk huk.

Hard to even stand, I just lay down on the bare ground.

The cold energy rising from the ground seeps into every corner of my body, feeling like it's washing me coolly.

The crying stopped, my breathing calmed, and my head cooled down.

I remembered the paper I had placed on my desk.

The next phrase on the paper, which I had written up to number 3, came to mind.

Number 4. Protect myself and my family.