Doesn't It Smell Like a Slut Around Here? (2)
Sometimes situations arise that are so awkward they're almost impossible to put into words.
And this was one of those moments.
All sorts of things can happen in life. But having people talk shit about me behind my back—especially sexual jokes—was something I'd never experienced in my entire life.
A situation I had to break through.
This was the central staircase. The other stairs were under construction, so there was no way up that way. I had to push through.
I wasn't particularly scared. The voice I was hearing belonged to a woman I'd never met before. In other words, she knew of me, but the odds were good she wasn't someone I had any real connection with.
I took another step forward and started climbing the stairs.
At worst, they were just freshmen, right? I might not have the years of a middle-aged adult, but I'd already lived through my mid-twenties. They were just school thugs at best. Nothing to be afraid of. Han Seyeon, the former boxer currently working construction, was way scarier than these girls.
"If that Han Sein was right in front of me, I'd treat him like a fucking dog…"
"Hey, hey…"
"I'd fuck him… What? Why? Shit."
I climbed the stairs slowly. The landing came into view—a flat stretch of space. And there they were: two female students trading dirty talk.
They were pretty enough, I supposed. But compared to Kang Hyeona, Han Seyeon, or Jeong Ayeong, they were bottom-tier. In technical terms: trash.
I opened my mouth and stated my opinion with complete confidence.
"Go ahead."
"…What?"
"I said do it."
I took a step closer to her. Was this just how the reversed world worked? She was taller than me, so I had to tilt my head up just to meet her eyes. Compared to her, my frame was thin and frail. Obviously, if it came to a real fight, I'd lose.
But I'd been a man living in South Korea, and I knew how their minds worked. In this reversed world, men were supposed to be passive. So what if I pushed back a little harder?
Tap. Tap.
"What, you talk big behind my back, but you can't do shit to my face?"
I tapped her on the shoulder. The thug's face gradually flushed red. Given that she was here, she was clearly one of Kim Hyeongmin's lackeys. Through her contorted expression, rage she couldn't contain erupted into action.
"……!"
It happened in an instant. Before the other student beside her could even try to stop it, the girl I'd provoked shoved me hard with both hands. I staggered back fast. My back slammed into the wall, and the impact hit so hard it knocked the breath out of me for a second.
"Ugh! Hah, hahk, ha, haah…"
It hurt. A rough moan slipped from my lips. Unable to control her emotions with reason, the girl who'd shoved me came closer. My body trembled. I slowly raised a hand to try to stop her, but it was useless.
"Fine, yeah, you fucking slut. I'll fuck you."
"Ugh…"
Her hand grabbed the front of my collar. Just as she was about to roughly tear at my clothes, Kang Hyeona's voice rang out from the top of the stairs.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Ugh… Hyorin, your punches hurt the worst…"
"Obviously, you idiot."
Well, she'd only been hitting Park Hyorin, so that tracked.
Anyway. Kang Hyeona was staring at her smartphone with a bored expression. She'd already heard that Kim Hyeongmin had summoned Han Sein. Jeong Ayeong, who'd been hit in the stomach and collapsed, was no different from usual either—reading a novel with a half-resigned look on her face.
But there was conversation that grated on her ears.
"Ha, fuck. I wanna rail Han Sein so bad."
"Idiot. You're not even in the same class."
"You never know. Maybe he'll put out for me too."
Kang Hyeona's eyebrow twitched. And Kim Hyeongmin was watching that subtle change in her expression. She was already used to his gaze, so Kang Hyeona simply pricked up her ears at the sounds coming her way.
Then, along with the sound of someone climbing the stairs, a male voice drifted up as well. Clear and pure. Kang Hyeona's gaze turned toward the stairs. It wasn't just her attention being drawn—the situation had become something that made her move her body.
"Go ahead."
"…What?"
"I said do it."
Kang Hyeona's head slowly lifted. Her eyes, which had been on her phone, shifted right—toward the stairs. Normally, she should have been reading Kim Hyeongmin's mood. After all, he was the one who'd called Han Sein here in the first place. She should have been watching him, of course. But Kang Hyeona's heart rearranged its priorities. Not the master she'd served for over ten years—but the man she'd only just met.
Thud!
A dull noise reached her ears. Kang Hyeona's body flinched. She was reading the situation with her ears, not her eyes. Through the sound alone, she painted the scene in her mind. That crazy bitch had shoved Han Sein. The proof was the moan that followed.
Kang Hyeona moved. Slow but fast steps. She hadn't been far to begin with, so observing the situation wasn't difficult. Kim Hyeongmin's gaze settled coldly downward, but Kang Hyeona was walking forward, so she couldn't have seen it. Not that it mattered.
Kang Hyeona's emotions began to eat away at her reason, just like any other woman. Her breathing came out uncomfortable, and her voice rang out sharp.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"……."
Kang Hyeona was confused. Why was she angry? Deep down, she already knew the answer. But it was a feeling she couldn't affirm just yet. Her body was hot, her heart was burning—but her cold eyes took in the situation.
Two girls and one boy on the landing. The boy was obviously Han Sein. The others weren't people whose names she cared to remember. But one thing was certain: they were trash not even worth her attention. And that trash was gripping the collar of a boy who had shone so brilliantly.
Irritation surged up. Her body moved, and she slowly descended the stairs. She was moving from high to low—but Kang Hyeona was still looking down on them. Taller, more physically superior than any of them. A woman who'd inherited her mother's brain and her father's body.
Kang Hyeona opened her mouth. What floated up in her mind was a line from a novel. But she didn't speak it aloud.
That man is not someone the likes of you can lay hands on.
"He's the kid Kim Hyeongmin told us to bring. You don't know that?"
"Ah, I know…"
The girl's voice, which had been full of excitement, went cold. She'd accepted reality. If she lied here, she'd only be heading further off a cliff. In the end, the dog that had been baring its teeth in heat lowered its tail before the wolf.
You're harassing him? How dare you? You'll pay for it with your life.
"Hey."
When Kang Hyeona crooked a finger, the hand gripping Sein's collar came down. An overwhelming presence. Before her body could even freeze, the girl who'd been talking dirty stepped forward in front of Kang Hyeona. Only then did the approaching woman's body lock up—more precisely, it was a reaction to stimulation.
Kang Hyeona grabbed her hand and lifted it. She placed the palm against the girl's own cheek.
"Hit."
"…Huh?"
"I said hit it."
Did you not hear me? When Kang Hyeona growled, the girl finally answered.
"Ah, okay."
She understood what it meant, of course. But it wasn't something she could easily do. Hit her own cheek? Who could do that easily? She was twenty. Obviously still immature and short on experience—even if she was an adult.
Slap.
A weak, empty sound rang out. Self-harm by another's hand. But it was hard to even call it harm. Kang Hyeona opened her mouth.
"Again."
Slap…!
"Ugh, uh. I-I'm sorry."
"Again."
Once. And then again. An endless labyrinth was terror. Her body and legs trembled more and more. The self-harm with no end in sight only grew harsher. Kang Hyeona muttered with indifferent eyes. Again, and again.
It was truly ironic. There was hesitation in the hand, but the force grew stronger. She'd learned. The dog that had lowered its tail to the wolf chose submission so it wouldn't be bitten to death. And submission meant reading its master's will. Twenty-first century South Korea—in the middle of a highly advanced civilization, a situation that was pure instinct.
"Again."
"Ugh, kkh. Hic…"
A burst jaw. Only when one cheek had swollen so badly her lip split and bled did it stop. A trickle of water ran down the stinging, flushed cheek.
"Stop."
"Hic… kkh…"
"Shut up. And you."
"…Huh?"
Me? The student who'd been quiet until now realized she was being pointed out. Yeah, you. Kang Hyeona nodded and opened her mouth.
"What did you just see."
"……."
A brief silence. If this had been a martial arts world from a wuxia novel, the best play would have been I saw nothing!! and I was never here!!—but unfortunately, she was just a common thug.
Maybe instinct helped her, though. Her brain, which had never studied a day in its life, spun rapidly and steered her toward the second-best option, if not the best.
"S-self-harm…"
"……."
"Th-that crazy bitch. She hit her own face."
No beginning or end—just the result. That was enough. Choosing the second-best option got her banished.
"Get lost."
"Yes!"
The two scrambled out of there. Originally they were supposed to be standing watch—but didn't they have to survive first? The other party was Kang Hyeona.
And on the landing where silence had settled, Han Sein opened his mouth.
"Thanks."
The boy who'd been suffering from violence, moaning in pain, met Kang Hyeona's eyes. Confident, and resolute. And so, a man who could leave an even deeper mark on her heart made himself known to her once more.
Kang Hyeona said nothing. Or rather, she couldn't. She turned her body quickly. Putting her back to Han Sein, she took a step—afraid her expression would give her away. Kang Hyeona refused to meet his gaze.
The corner of her mouth twitched. She did her absolute best to hold back a goofy smile. That was the best she could do.