Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Because Something Too Boring Would Be No Fun for Me Either
Second year of high school.
It was the first day back after summer vacation ended.
Jihun had managed to save a bit of money by working brutal water-delivery part-time jobs throughout the entire break.
Because of that, his steps toward school felt light.
It wasn’t because he enjoyed studying.
Nor because he had many friends waiting for him there.
But during summer vacation, while hauling heavy water bottles around all day, Jihun had realized something.
Being a student.
Going to school without having to work.
That itself was a blessing.
There was still some money left from converting part of the family’s jeonse deposit into monthly rent.
But after calculating rent and living expenses each month, Jihun had no choice but to work during vacations to keep increasing his remaining balance.
Still, during the school semester, if he lived carefully and saved wherever possible, he could focus entirely on school life without taking part-time jobs.
Of course, it wasn’t because he wanted to study.
Nor because he dreamed of going to university.
He simply wanted one thing—
A high school diploma.
At least that much, he wanted to achieve just like everyone else.
There were other options.
He could quit school, start working immediately, and later take the GED exam.
But Jihun stubbornly wanted to follow the same path most people did, at least through high school.
He already knew countless things in life would eventually be taken away from him.
But just this once.
Only until high school graduation.
He wanted to live normally like everyone else.
Being able to sit comfortably in class.
Chat with classmates.
Those ordinary moments would only last until graduation anyway.
Once school ended, Jihun would immediately be thrown into the struggle of survival.
For him, those two remaining years of high school might have been the final peaceful period of his life.
But even that ordinary school life never unfolded the way Jihun wanted.
Bang!
Jihun suddenly crashed forward while walking.
“Ugh… ngh…”
Groaning in pain, Jihun didn’t even need to look back to know what happened.
“Kang Jihun~ Did you miss your hyung during vacation, you filthy peasant bastard? Hahaha!”
It was Sung Changhoon.
The moment he spotted Jihun’s back from afar, he had sprinted over and launched a flying kick.
“Ah! My bag! Ugh, what the hell? So annoying.”
Jinhee’s bag, which had been hanging across Jihun’s stomach, now lay dirty on the ground covered in dust.
Jihun had been walking to school carrying his own backpack while also carrying Jinhee’s bag in front.
“Ah… J-Jinhee, sorry…”
Even though Changhoon was the one who kicked him down, Jihun only panicked over Jinhee’s irritated expression like a fool.
“What, that your bag? It got super dirty. How tragic.”
“N-No, Changhoon, it’s okay hehe… You use this route too?”
Despite the obvious non-apology, Jinhee kept smiling brightly like she was simply happy Changhoon talked to her.
Meanwhile, Jihun still hadn’t even managed to stand up.
After casually answering Jinhee, Changhoon walked over toward Jihun again.
“Hey, I heard (smack) you worked your ass off all vacation doing part-time jobs? (smack) If you earned some money, (smack) you should’ve at least bought your hyung cigarettes, you piece of shit— (smack)”
Changhoon repeatedly smacked the back of Jihun’s head while he still groaned on the ground.
“I-It’s for living expenses… I can’t… sorry…”
Jihun curled up and covered his head with both arms, apologizing foolishly while trying to protect himself from Changhoon’s strikes.
“Seriously (smack) this beggar bastard only ever says pathetic sob stories. (smack) If you buy cigarettes and skip one meal, (smack) everyone’s happy, you idiot. (smack)”
Changhoon actually came from a wealthy family.
It wasn’t like he lacked cigarette money.
He simply enjoyed relieving stress by tormenting Jihun again after not seeing him for two months.
Changhoon’s group first started bullying Jihun during the first semester.
Right around the time Jinhee spread rumors everywhere that Jihun liked Seol Yujeong.
For some reason, from then onward Changhoon constantly found excuses to harass him.
And after realizing Jihun had no parents left to protect him, the bullying became even more blatant.
Eventually, Changhoon stopped bothering to invent reasons altogether.
The same routine repeated endlessly.
Changhoon demanded money.
Jihun refused.
Then Changhoon used the refusal as justification to beat him.
“God, you’re pathetic. If you’re that broke, why are you so desperate to stay in school? Why don’t you just quit and go work already?”
Finally growing tired of hitting him, Changhoon left Jihun behind and started walking toward school again.
“Uh… uh… Changhoon! Wait for me~”
Jinhee hurriedly chased after him.
“Hey, give me my bag now. Seriously, what am I supposed to do now that it’s dirty? So annoying.”
Jinhee snatched the bag away from Jihun just as he struggled back onto his feet and brushed dust off it.
Then she hurried after Changhoon.
“Changhoon… right. I guess life really exhausted me if I forgot about you.”
“What kind of bullshit are you saying, idiot? Did you go insane? Forget? The guy who got beaten all last year suddenly forgot everything?”
Changhoon had already finished eating Jihun’s hot dog and now looked extremely irritated.
Not only had that loser Kang Jihun dodged his attack—
The bastard was actually staring him straight in the eyes.
“Wow~ you seriously got bold. Looking me directly in the eyes now?”
Last year, Jihun had been beaten so badly that he avoided Changhoon whenever possible.
Since entering the academy, the huge difference between their classes meant they rarely crossed paths anymore.
Still, seeing Jihun stand confidently before him now less than a year later was unbearable.
“What, you think you’re a real hunter now just because you joined the academy? A Class 11 loser acting this confident is hilarious.”
Despite Changhoon’s constant mockery, Jihun simply smiled brightly while speaking to Jinhee beside him.
It sounded like a continuation of the weird nonsense he’d been saying earlier.
What was that stuff about staying beside someone when they’re hurt? Nursing them back to health?
“So after you cut off his leg, you carry it in one hand while supporting him to a healer-type hunter. Then while he’s groaning in pain during treatment, you grab his hand once. Boom. Instant lovers.”
Neither Changhoon nor Jinhee understood a single word coming out of his mouth.
Their eyes met.
And both realized they were thinking the exact same thing.
“What the hell is this guy talking about?”
“What the hell is this guy talking about?”
And right then—
Pshhk!
Changhoon’s head lowered slightly as his gaze dropped toward the hole suddenly opened through his stomach.
Blood began pouring out a moment later.
“Ugh… ngh… what the fuck is this… Ice Gun?”
Despite the horrific pain, Changhoon’s confusion outweighed everything else.
“Ice Gun? Mine’s just Finger Bullet. I tried controlling the strength too, but I didn’t think your stomach would actually get pierced.”
Changhoon immediately gathered mana into his right hand and pressed it against the bleeding wound.
Crack crack—
The injured area rapidly froze solid, stopping the bleeding.
C-rank hunter Sung Changhoon.
An ice-element magic hunter who had already undergone practical combat training serious enough for real battle at the academy.
The attack he fired earlier toward Jihun while eating the hot dog had been his signature ice magic skill—
Ice Gun.
A skill that condensed mana into a frozen projectile before firing it.
But now Changhoon genuinely felt as though his own Ice Gun had pierced straight through his stomach.
“Huff… huff… what the hell are you, you crazy bastard…”
After stopping the bleeding and barely regaining composure, Changhoon glared viciously at Jihun.
As a C-rank hunter trained through academy missions and gate subjugations, he somehow managed to remain calm despite the unbearable pain tearing through his stomach.
“How the fuck did you use Ice Gun?”
“What even is Ice Gun? I told you mine’s Finger Bullet. Anyway, it’s really good seeing you again. Guess we’ve exchanged greetings properly now?”
Changhoon suppressed the agony and lowered himself into a combat stance suitable for casting magic.
“You fucking psycho… what the hell did you do?”
“The one with a hole in his stomach is you. Why would I be the one dying?”
Jihun’s face remained full of playful amusement.
But Changhoon now felt rage intense enough to erase even the pain.
“You… did you reawaken, you bastard?”
“Boss! One more hot dog please!”
Ignoring Changhoon entirely, Jihun called toward the food truck before checking whether the owner heard him.
Only then did he face Changhoon again.
“You little shit! Are you deaf? I asked if you reawakened!!”
“No.”
“Th-Then what the fuck is this—”
“Your right leg. I’m cutting it off next. Try stopping me. Because something too boring would be no fun for me either.”
Jihun’s expression had turned serious before anyone realized it.
And the instant those words reached Changhoon’s ears—
Jihun vanished completely from sight.