Bully Games # 3
“If you stay like this, you’re in deep trouble with Kwon Su-ho’s crew. Your friend begged me nonstop to help you, so I’m doing this for you. Be grateful to your friend Jeong Seok.”
I gave a somewhat dazed-looking Bong Ji-yeon a quick rundown of the situation. If she came to eat with us, she could slip out of the bullies’ encirclement. I didn’t forget to give Jeong Seok the credit either. This ought to earn him some points with her. If things went well, my relationship with Jeong Seok would grow a little more solid. A leader had to look after the love lives of the people he led, after all.
“What’s a loser like you babbling about?”
The problem was that Bong Ji-yeon wasn’t the type to go along quietly. She probably didn’t like being ordered around by Ha Yeong-won, Yang Ju-hui’s lackey, and it wounded her pride. She looked ready to just ditch us. If Jeong Seok didn’t like her, I wouldn’t have gone through this hassle. Maybe I should introduce him to some other girl? Of course, I didn’t know enough girls to set him up with anyone decent. Still, Yang Ju-hui might know some delinquent girls Jeong Seok would like.
Whoosh—
Just then, Yang Ju-hui burst into Class C.
“Shit, this is such a pain. Hey, Bong Ji-yeon, you bitch. Ha Yeong-won’s being nice about it, so why can’t you get the hint? You’re eating lunch with us today. If you don’t like it, go run to Kwon Su-ho!”
Carrot and stick, huh. If I was the carrot, Yang Ju-hui was definitely the stick.
“You got marked by Kwon Su-ho or something, right? Even if you’re a total idiot who doesn’t study, you should at least have enough sense to survive.”
“What the hell are you saying, you crazy bitch? I’ll handle my own problems. I’ve been feeling a bit off these past few days, but I’m fine now. I can talk it out with Su-ho oppa and fix everything.”
Bong Ji-yeon crossed her arms like she refused to lose to Yang Ju-hui. Her chest was pretty big, too. If that baby ghost showed up again, I could probably ask her for favors instead of Yang Ju-hui. Anyway, the two delinquent girls were on the verge of a fight. Just as I wondered how this would play out, Yang Ju-hui curled one corner of her mouth and let out a short laugh.
“Yeah, I’m sure it’ll go great. You know better than anyone how much of a psycho Kwon Su-ho is. Word is, even while you two were dating, he was calling other girls over to his apartment.”
What? I froze at the shocking revelation. What kind of high schooler even had an apartment? And he was inviting girls over behind his girlfriend’s back? Meanwhile, I didn’t even have a girlfriend and was living with cockroaches in a haunted villa. Life really wasn’t fair. Was it okay for someone’s entire existence to change just because of who their parents were?
“Whatever. People like you can just live however you want and die. Ha Yeong-won, let’s go.”
Whoosh—
Yang Ju-hui grabbed my hand and pulled me out of Class C. Her grip was stronger than I expected, and I had no choice but to be dragged along. I’d always known it, but Yang Ju-hui’s strength far surpassed mine.
“Ju-hui, are we really leaving her like that?”
“Leave her. If she doesn’t want help, what can we do? It’s better this way—we won’t have to deal with Kwon Su-ho’s crew. Why should we care about that stuff anyway?”
She had a point, but… I glanced at Jeong Seok. He was clearly restless. Yang Ju-hui spoke to him.
“Hey, Jeong Seok. If you like Bong Ji-yeon that much, go convince her yourself. Stop making other people do it. You keep acting like a loser, so of course she’s getting cocky.”
“I… I didn’t…”
This was a total mess. While I was thinking that, several girls with bleached hair entered the first-year hallway. They were strangers—probably second- or third-years. They walked past us without a glance and headed straight into Class C. Then they spoke to Bong Ji-yeon.
“Bong Ji, you didn’t run away after all.”
“Come with us. If you get beaten here, you’ll be too embarrassed to show your face at school again.”
As expected, they were upperclassman delinquents. They looked like they were about to drag her off.
“Let me talk to Su-ho oppa. It’s all a misunderstanding.”
“Is Su-ho oppa your friend? What’s there to talk about? You’ve been ignoring his calls.”
“Let’s just take her to the apartment. The other girls will be there. Su-ho oppa told us to handle it.”
Whoosh—
The two older girls linked arms with Bong Ji-yeon on either side and started dragging her away like a prisoner. Bong Ji-yeon thrashed like a struggling loach.
“Let go! Let me meet oppa! It’s a misunderstanding! I can fix everything! Aaaah!”
It was complete chaos. It was strange that no teachers had come out yet, but our school’s faculty basically let students run wild. Not that the kids would listen anyway. So what now? If they took her to that “apartment,” I couldn’t even imagine what would happen to Bong Ji-yeon. Then Jeong Seok clenched his fists and spoke to the older girls.
“Um…”
“……”
“……”
The delinquent girls turned to stare at him at the same time. Their gazes were so cold and menacing that I felt myself shrinking back. But Jeong Seok spoke like someone who had made a huge decision.
“We’re supposed to eat with her. The school chairman… invited us to lunch. If we don’t go, something really bad will happen. So could you please let her go…?”
Jeong Seok was a coward. He collapsed every time he saw a ghost. Speaking to these terrifying upperclassmen must have taken every ounce of courage he had. I would’ve been shaking just as badly. Of course, the girls weren’t about to back down.
“What the fuck did you just say?”
“You’re going to eat together? Bong Ji-yeon, it’s only been a little while since you broke up with Su-ho oppa and you’re already dating someone else? This is hilarious. Did you really agree to eat with this guy?”
“……”
Bong Ji-yeon’s large eyes wavered anxiously. I suddenly wondered what she would choose—preserve her pride and die, or swallow her pride and take Jeong Seok’s hand to survive. Jeong Seok drove the point home like a nail.
“Bong Ji-yeon. Your sister, Se-yeon noona. You might be able to see her again. We’re looking for her from multiple angles right now. We need your cooperation.”
“My sister?”
Bong Ji-yeon’s expression changed completely. The fear from moments ago vanished, replaced by something burning like fire.
“Ah, whatever. She can’t eat with you today, so get lost.”
“What’s with this chairman nonsense?”
The older girls didn’t seem intimidated by the chairman at all. They probably didn’t even know who he was. Their appearances matched their lack of interest in studying. Just then, their phones rang.
“Hello, oppa. We’re on our way. Should we take her to the apartment?”
Was that the third-generation chaebol Kwon Su-ho? His timing was impeccable.
“I don’t know. Some first-years are saying they have to eat with the chairman and trying to take Bong Ji-yeon. Huh? I don’t know. Should I hand the phone over? Hey, you guys—take the call.”
Whoosh—
One of the girls held out her phone toward us—specifically toward Jeong Seok. He trembled violently, then passed the phone to me. No choice, then.
“Hello.”
━Who the hell are you?
━Cut the bullshit.
━Your voice is kinda cute.
The voice on the other end was dripping with confidence. Even without trying, I could hear the noisy chatter of a mixed group of guys and girls in the background. I knew this kind of atmosphere well—delinquent packs and their cocky leader.
“I’m… Ha Yeong-won.”
━Ha Yeong-won? Anyone here heard of a Ha Yeong-won?
━Nope.
━Never heard of him!
I felt a small sense of relief that none of them recognized my name. Then the voice I assumed belonged to Kwon Su-ho spoke again.
━You’re taking Bong Ji-yeon to eat with the school chairman?
“Yes.”
━You’re not lying, right?
“I’m not lying.”
━I hate liars more than anything. And I’m damn good at spotting them. If you’re lying, you’re dead. Dead—
There was real weight behind those words. If I had been lying to get out of this, I might have confessed right there. Fortunately, the truth was on my side.
“It’s really not a lie.”
━……
A brief silence followed. Maybe five seconds passed.
━Eun-jeong, take the phone back.
“Who’s Eun-jeong?”
━The ugliest one there.
I handed the phone back to the girl who had originally held it. They exchanged a few words, then hung up.
# # #
“That was terrifying.”
The hallway was empty now that the older girls had left. My legs were shaking so badly I could barely stand. Yang Ju-hui frowned at me.
“Hey, Ha Yeong-won. You’ve been through way worse, and you’re scared of some high school kids? You’re such a coward.”
They weren’t just any high school kids—they were insane chaebol third-generation high school kids. Just in case, I opened my status window. A new name had appeared on the player list: 「Park Eun-jeong」. Kwon Su-ho, the one I’d spoken to, still wasn’t listed. Maybe you had to meet someone in person and interact with them before they registered as a player.
“Hey. Were you serious about looking for my sister?”
Bong Ji-yeon asked Jeong Seok. When he hesitated, Yang Ju-hui answered for him.
“If you survived thanks to us, act cooperative.”
“What are you talking about? Even without your help, I would’ve talked to Su-ho oppa and fixed everything myself.”
“Yeah, sure you would’ve.”
Bong Ji-yeon and Yang Ju-hui growled at each other. Their relationship seemed terrible, yet somehow oddly friendly at the same time. Bong Ji-yeon snorted.
“Yang Ju-hui, you’re finished too. Now you’re hanging out with these losers playing bully games. I heard rumors your reputation in the city has tanked lately. Guess they were true.”
Did she feel insulted? Yang Ju-hui’s face twisted.
“We’re not playing bully games—we’re a pirate crew. And he’s our captain.”
“……”
Bong Ji-yeon looked completely baffled. It was the exact expression a girl might make if a guy asked her on a blind date what anime she enjoyed most this season. As captain, I had to step in.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ha Yeong-won, captain of the Ha Yeong-won Pirate Crew. You’re not an official member yet, but since you’ll be tagging along with us for now, you’d better cooperate. Especially when it comes to following my orders.”
“Whoa, what kind of concept is this? Yang Ju-hui, is this for real? You turned down confessions from idol trainees, and now you’re with these guys… Did they get some dirt on you?”
The wariness in Bong Ji-yeon’s eyes toward me deepened. There was even a hint of fear mixed in. Maybe the effects of Male Phobia were still lingering. So when exactly did Class A end? Class A was a special class for top students. Unlike other classes that finished at 3 p.m., they sometimes had lessons until 5 p.m.
Ding-dong-dang-dong—
Finally, it was 5 p.m., and Yu Da-hee burst out of the classroom.
“Did you all wait long? I had to finish class, but someone kept asking the teacher questions! Anyway, let’s all go to my house together! The driver’s waiting! This is my first time inviting friends over!”
Yu Da-hee seemed genuinely cheerful about inviting friends to her house for the first time. But when she spotted Bong Ji-yeon, she tilted her head.
“…And this is?”
“Uh… um… I’m…”
It was quite the sight. The wildcat who hissed at everyone had turned shy and hesitant in front of Yu Da-hee. Bong Ji-yeon really was the type to bully the weak and submit to the strong. Maybe she’d instinctively recognized Yu Da-hee as someone on a completely different level. I spoke up.
“This is Bong Ji-yeon. She’s Jeong Seok’s friend. Mind if she joins us for dinner?”
“Hmm, sure. The car’s big enough for everyone. I’ll just drop this microscope off at the staff room first! You guys can head to the school gate and wait in the car!”
Whoosh—
Yu Da-hee hurried off toward the staff room. Then Bong Ji-yeon turned to Yang Ju-hui.
“So eating together means eating at Yu Da-hee’s house? Isn’t she super rich? She comes to school in a limousine every day!”
“Yeah, the chairman’s granddaughter. She’s annoying as hell, but she’s loaded.”
“……”
The look in Bong Ji-yeon’s eyes, which had been full of suspicion and distrust just moments ago, shifted noticeably. It was a bit rude to say, but kids like her were pretty good at reading power dynamics. Her mind was clearly recalculating the “combat power” of our pirate crew that included the extremely wealthy Yu Da-hee. While Yang Ju-hui and Bong Ji-yeon whispered to each other, I asked Jeong Seok.
“Hey, Jeong Seok. Is she really the best choice?”
“She might not look it, but… she’s actually kind and gentle on the inside.”
I was going to lose my mind. In a way, this was a quirk of its own.