School Cleanup - 2

Even before I stepped into the classroom, the murmuring voices carried all the way out into the hallway.

I had a pretty good idea of what had gone down.

And sure enough.

"Wow... it's so exactly what I expected that I don't even know what to say. This is way too cliché."

"Sunwoo..."

"S-Sunwoo... your desk... sob...!"

"Why are you crying? Don't cry. It's no big deal."

"But..."

I stroked the sniffling Eunsol's hair as I walked into the classroom.

"The smell's something else."

I stepped into a classroom reeking of a foul mix of spoiled kimchi, fish sauce, and urine. Naturally, the bag I hadn't managed to grab while being chased yesterday—and every book inside it—lay shredded and scattered across the floor. Kimchi juice was seeping out of my locker, which also held two whole mackerel.

"Maybe we should have braised mackerel for dinner tonight?"

"How can you even say that right now?!"

"Who the hell did this?! I'm telling the teacher everything!"

"I told you I'm fine. Please just calm down."

I soothed Lee Naye and Eunsol, who were far more worked up than I was. There was no need to report it separately.

"Ugh...! What is that smell?!"

"Teacher, someone did this to Sunwoo's seat."

"They're bad kids!! Please punish them!"

"What on earth is all this... Sunwoo, who did this to you??"

Our homeroom teacher walked in and asked in shock. I had a solid hunch, but no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hard proof. Most kids would've left it at that.

"Would you like to come check with me?"

"Huh??"

I brushed past the teacher and walked to the front of the classroom. Then I reached up onto the air conditioner unit tucked in the corner by the window. It was a camera I'd bought just in case—over twenty megapixels. Yesterday, when Choi Yeongbeom and the delinquents called me out behind the school, I'd installed it on a hunch. Leaving my bag behind had been deliberate, of course. I'd expected them to just shred the bag, but the filth terrorism had handed me even more solid evidence.

"Head of Academic Affairs!"

"Come now~ Kids fight among themselves all the time. Are we really convening a school violence committee over something like this?"

We'd come to the teachers' office and watched the footage together with the staff. And that was the garbage coming out of that mouth.

"You saw the video! This is a serious problem!"

"Yes. That is a problem too. Why did you install a camera in the classroom? And secretly? Were you trying to secretly film the girls changing?"

"Our school has a changing room. Nobody changes clothes in the classroom."

"Ahem...! Then why install it?"

"Because I thought something like this might happen. And I only put the camera up yesterday. The kids called me out behind the school, so I had a bad feeling. Is that a sufficient answer?"

"Sufficient? Ha! Look at this little punk's attitude. Hey, you talking back right now?"

"I was just asking? Feeling a little insecure?"

"You little—!"

His hand shot up. Please hit me. I'll make sure you never teach again. Unfortunately, my wish went unfulfilled.

"Hey!! What era do you think this is, raising a hand against a student?!"

"V-Vice Principal...!"

"Head of Academic Affairs, a word with me for a moment. Cha Sunwoo, was it?"

"Yes."

"You can head back up. The teachers will hold a meeting and decide how to handle this matter."

"Please convene a school violence committee. That's my condition. If not, I'll have no choice but to take other steps to protect myself. Just so you know."

"......"

"This punk talking to the vice principal like—!!"

"Enough."

"But...!"

"I said enough! Head of Academic Affairs!"

"S-Sorry..."

"If you've said everything, Cha Sunwoo, head back up."

"Yes. I'm done, so I'll be going."

Violence, extortion, and group bullying happening at school. From what I'd looked into, incidents like this were fairly common, and there were quite a few victims.

"Sorry. Asking you for something like this."

—If you're sorry, then at least use formal speech with your hyung.

"No. You're a thug."

—I'm not a thug anymore! Getting my ass kicked by you woke me up! I'm ranked sixty-seventh in the whole school!

"Oh~~ Still no formal speech. Just because you're trying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠doesn't erase your thug past."

—Fine... whatever... Anyway, you're going to those bastards' hideout yourselves? If you want, I can handle it for you. I'm more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of an expert on that side than you. Though you'd have to clean up after me.

"Forget it. Stay out of it. And don't go using me as an excuse to start thug stuff again. Get caught and I'll make sure you never throw another punch."

—This bastard, to someone who took time to help...! Hang up! Don't ever call me again! You bastard!!

Old middle-school grudges came in handy at times like this.

"Alright, time to summon the main characters."

In my previous life I'd been tiny and scrawny. Even as an adult I only grew to a measly 172 cm. Probably because I never got proper nutrition from a young age. Now I was already 181 cm. Proper food and the right exercise had turned me into someone unrecognizable.

"Face is decent enough too."

"This bastard's starting the self-praise again."

"Keep it moderate. Don't make people nauseous after calling them out."

"Hey, you keep that guy from showing up, so why call us? We're busy studying too."

Three guys who looked every bit the delinquents. But they were a different breed from the thugs I'd just been on the phone with. They'd been framed in an assault case and lost the chance to keep competing, yet they'd used their strength to protect people, not to bully them. Back in middle school, when we cleaned up the neighborhood thugs, these guys had always been with me.

"This is the last one. Finish this and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we live ordinary lives."

"We could live ordinary lives just fine if you weren't around."

"Yeah, you were the one who talked us into going around beating kids back then."

"That was me?"

"It was you?!"

"I knew it...!"

"Shut up. Let's get this done fast. I've got braised mackerel waiting."

"Sounds delicious."

"Is there any for us?"

"I like mackerel."

Being athletes, they really loved blue-backed fish. And so we stormed the delinquents' hideout for the sake of braised mackerel.

"Seriously, how do thugs always find construction sites like this? Weird."

"Want me to handle it?"

"Nah, I'll do it. Might as well blow off some academic stress while we're at it."

The guy wandering around the abandoned construction site with curious eyes was Mun Seong-hyeon. The one who'd talked us into cleaning up thugs in the first place, and the middle-school division champion of the national student kendo tournament.

"Hey, you wha—"

Thwack thwack!! Crack!!!

Three swings of the wooden sword and three guys dropped. I didn't want to fight him either.

"Let's get along."

"What are you even saying."

"My turn next."

Park Daeseok, with a build hard to believe for a high-school freshman. Former judo athlete, and of course a national tournament champion.

"Uwaaaaaah!!!!"

"Brutal..."

"Let's not bring that bastard next time. He'll eat all the mackerel by himself."

"Agreed."

I didn't want to fight him either. I had no desire to go flying through the air like that.

"Then I should warm up a bit too."

Third up, Shin Jinwoo's entrance. The self-proclaimed taekwondo genius. Not a single news article to back it up, so the claim lacked credibility, but watching him fight you had no choice but to accept the "genius" label.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh! This is the sound from my feet... not!!!"

"Guhk!!!!"

A dazzling step followed by a rising high kick. I didn't want to fight him either. I had no desire to get hit by those stinking feet. Maybe his greatest weapon wasn't the kicks but the foot odor. He was genuinely handsome, but the smell from his feet was truly lethal.

"Which bastard is it!!!"

"Finally, the main character appears."

I'd already confirmed the face at school. Son of district assemblyman Kim Yongbeom—Kim Gyuyeon. He was the top dog at our school. And the two stuck to his side were his closest lieutenants, Lee Daejin and Park Gongmyeong. Sons of a chief prosecutor and a mid-sized company owner, respectively.

"It's me, you fucking bastard."

"Ha... so it was you? You, right? The balls-less little shit who handed our names over to the cops."

"That's right, you thug who only acts up because of Daddy's connections."

"Look at this bastard. Did some digging on us, huh?"

"Was there even anything to dig? You bragged about it yourself, all excited. Without that you're a nobody."

"You son of a bitch...! Hey, grab that bastard! Right now!!!"

"Got it."

That one was the real problem. Oh Junseok, the fist that had even overpowered the third-year thugs for Kim Gyuyeon. Nearly eighty kilos, a light-heavyweight boxing background. Not a promising amateur like my friends—an actual pro who'd fought real matches.

"Your turn now, right?"

"Go."

"We believe in you."

"...Can't you guys just do it?"

"No. Scary."

"He's a real pro, right? Can't win."

"I can't take hits to the face either. I've got to become an actor."

The same guys who'd been gleefully knocking thugs down all retreated behind me. And that scary-looking hyung kept coming closer.

"Just take a few hits first."

"Do we have to fight?"

"Yes. You started it."

"Then can I leave a will?"

"Be my guest. But put the phone down?"

"Not the police. Want to check the number?"

I flipped the phone and showed him the number on the screen. An earthquake hit Oh Junseok's pupils.

"You son of a bitch!!!!"

"Whoa!!"

I nearly died for real. If that punch had landed, I might actually have been dead. After all the trouble of regressing, was I going to die this stupidly?!

"Time out!!!"

"You're dead."

"I pressed it! I dialed! Don't come any closer!!"

"......"

The ringing tone froze the rampaging Oh Junseok in place. Because the number I was calling was his mother's.

"Just checking in. Don't worry about the hospital bills anymore and focus on getting better."

"......"

His mother's voice flowing through the speakerphone made Oh Junseok's fists go slack. Eyes full of bewilderment. I just smiled and wrapped up the call.

"It's nothing. Get well soon so you can travel with your son and all."

"You'll definitely get that wish. I'll call again next time."

I hung up. Then Oh Junseok asked,

"How... did this...?"

"How what? I paid three years of your mom's hospital bills. In three years a donor organ should turn up."

"Why would you..."

"So you wouldn't have to scrape together hospital money taking pocket change from those bastards. You planning to cover your mom's surgery with money you shook people down for? You unfilial bastard."

"......"

"Serve your time, live diligently with whatever's left, and at least cover your mother's surgery costs with your own ability."

"......"

"Don't want to? Want me to go get a refund? Don't hope for special treatment just in case. Beg the judge for that, not me. Even if you had no choice, too many people got hurt and scarred because of you."

"Cha Sunwoo... thank you. I'll repay this debt for sure."

"Yeah. If you're grateful, go turn yourself in already. You're fucking terrifying."

"Hey... hey!! Oh Junseok!!!"

"You not coming over here?! Don't you need money?!!"

"That beggar bastard..."

Oh Junseok left without looking back. Probably headed straight for the police station. Now it was time for payback.

"You guys take a few hits."

"Th-This bastard...! Hey! Choi Yeongbeom! You stop that bastard at least!!"

"Yes! Hey, Cha Sunwoo. I don't know where you dragged those monster bastards from...! Even if I go down, I'm taking you with me!! Last time I just let my guard down— Guhk!!!!!"

"Idiot. Let your guard down again?"

I lightly hopped over the foaming, collapsed Choi Yeongbeom and strolled over to where Kim Gyuyeon and his lackeys stood.

"One of our upperclassmen committed suicide, right? Because of you."

"Th-That bastard died on his own! How is that our fault!!"

"Yeah. Keep saying that. When you die I'll say the same thing."

"What...?"

"A-Are you saying you're going to kill us...? My dad's a chief prosecutor!! You think you'll walk away from this?!!"

"Fuck! I'll give you money, money!! How much do you want! How much?!!!"

"I'm rich. And I'll probably be fine. Now, last up, assemblyman's son. You try threatening me too."

"You son of a bitch...! From now on I'll make your life a living hell— Guhk!!!!!"

I kicked him square in the face. It was so cliché it was boring.

"But are you actually going to kill them?"

"Then I'm out. I don't want to become a murderer."

"I'm bailing too. And I'm calling the cops. So they haul you in. That way it doesn't hurt my future as a great actor."

Bailing now? Not a chance.

I grinned.

"Why... why are you smiling...?"

"This bastard's face looks weird..."

"Hey! Run for now! If we stay here—"

"Since we came here together, we're all accomplices."

"S-Save me!!!"

"No!!!!!"

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!"