Training Camp # 11
Training Camp # 11
Let me walk you through how it started, calmly.
At first I just had a weird feeling. All he did was stare at me, that was it. But pretty soon I could feel the malice, and the moment I set foot in the field, I was proven right.
"Mun Min suddenly laughed in my face. Sneered at me. Called me a worthless piece of shit who latches onto stronger people to coast through evaluations."
And that's where I completely lost my shit.
He dragged my friends into a takedown of me.
Can't stand that.
"I'd never even had a conversation with the guy. And I definitely don't think I earned good evaluations just because I spend time with Lee Si-hoo, Leona, and Woo Yu-ri."
Instructor Lee So-ra nodded.
"But the way he said it... the rage just boiled over. How could anybody listen to that and keep their cool? You insult me, then why the hell do you bring my friends into it? Anyway, I decided I had to beat the crap out of that slimy bastard and fix his attitude."
"And that's why you beat Mun Min?"
The instructor asked, pressing her lip.
"Yes."
I answered without blinking, and she spoke.
"Hmm... well, getting angry is understandable. Anyone would be angry hearing that. The insult to yourself, yes. Dragging your friends into it, also yes."
She nodded as if she sympathized.
"Nevertheless, Kim Geun-cheol, I understand that Mun Min's provocation was underhanded. But does that justify beating a classmate like that?"
"I'm sorry for that."
"You don't sound like you think you were wrong."
"I'm absolutely not trying to talk back to you, Instructor... but yes. I believe that violence was justified."
I've been this way forever.
Looking back, I got into a ton of fights during my school years.
People picked fights with me an unusual amount. And every time, I leaned hard on the fact that I was a minor and swung freely.
Like, was I really going to do prison time just because I got a little rough with my classmates?
I always felt bad for my mom and dad, who had to pay the damages. But still—I was born a man. You want me to just roll over and take it?
You start something, you pay the price. You roll up with your crew to gang up on me, you'd better be ready for a chair to the back of your head.
I've chucked bricks through windows at dawn. I've waited in front of those bastards' houses and laid into them with a club. Looking back, they're funny memories. At the time, I was absolutely furious.
Maybe it's because my body got younger.
Facing Mun Min, I felt that old feeling for the first time in a while. I mean, I didn't get my ass kicked or anything... but I can admit I popped off way too hard.
"Righteous violence absolutely exists. The world we superhumans live in is clearly different from civilian society, which is subordinate to the law. Heroes, as Awakened who make violence their very profession, inherently have access to righteous violence."
Instructor Lee So-ra spoke quietly.
"But here is the thing, Kim Geun-cheol. This time, you went too far. Ten-odd punches, maybe I could overlook. But you kept using force after Mun Min was already incapacitated. I would like you to understand that you crossed the line of righteous violence."
"Well, see, the thing is..."
Getting chewed out by Instructor Lee So-ra made me genuinely feel like a piece of shit, and my back started burning up. Even if I get past the Mun Min stuff, Instructor Lee So-ra is the person responsible for us.
Since I caused a violent incident, she's going to take a hit for it. I genuinely can't stand how sorry I feel about that part.
"Uh... Instructor? Don't slimy guys like that end up becoming, like, villains later? So isn't it better to discipline them early and prevent that kind of future..."
"That is a leap, Kim Geun-cheol. By that logic, you who caused this violent incident could also become a villain."
Couldn't argue with that one.
"I accept that. I'm truly sorry for causing a violent incident or whatever."
"You seem far sorrier toward me than toward Mun Min."
"Yes. You're the one responsible for the students, aren't you, Instructor? If something like this happens, doesn't it damage you...? I'm honestly sorry for that."
"Goodness."
Instructor Lee So-ra set down her pen, crossed her arms and legs, and leaned back in her chair with a laugh.
"Kim Geun-cheol seems like an exceptionally polite kid, yet he has this wayward streak. Is this what they call a problem child? Heh."
"Well, about that."
"It's fine. Kids fighting among themselves is nothing new. Use the time you would spend feeling sorry for me and think about apologizing to Mun Min instead. If you care about this instructor, that is."
"Yes..."
Guess I do have to apologize.
"Still, 'discipline them before they become villains.' That line is a little funny. Heh. Hehehe."
Weirdly, she found that hilarious.
—Chk.
No, wait, hold on.
"..."
At the time, I had been dead certain that Mun Min was going to become a villain. Absolutely, one hundred percent convinced that bastard was villain-bound.
What was that?
What the hell was that?
That bizarrely intense certainty... at moments it almost felt like a clear prophecy. Why had I felt that unshakably certain? I don't get it.
Did I get so mad in the moment that I completely lost the ability to think straight?
The question lingers.
Just like that question I felt last time.
"Kim Geun-cheol?"
"Ah, yes?"
"Let us go apologize first. Any objections?"
"None."
"I will say this up front: Kim Geun-cheol, you were in the wrong. That said, it does not mean Mun Min was in the right. Mun Min also dealt you a grave insult. Provoking assault... that is simply a fact. In any case, you both bear guilt. In superhuman society, if you insult someone without proper cause, you should expect to get beaten."
Seeing her sympathize like this, you can tell she's a real educator.
"Yes."
"So the two of you work it out."
Guess we have to.
—Slide.
The instructor stood first. I followed immediately. Her back looked so dependable. How can a woman talk with her back like that?
"If you use violence, use it in moderation. The fact that he deserved a beating, put another way, means you must not kill him."
"Yes."
"We are here. Treatment will be finished. Go apologize."
—Click.
The instructor and I opened the infirmary door and walked right in.
"H-Huhk?!"
Mun Min, in a patient gown, recoiled in horror when he saw me.
"Yo. Don't be scared, man. Whatever was up with you, I already finished it."
And that's the truth. Looking at Mun Min now, I honestly don't feel anything. I poured out all my rage, so I've got no feelings left.
"R-Really...?"
"Yeah. So I came to hear an apology."
"Kim Geun-cheol?"
"Since you started it, Mun Min, I'll accept your apology first. After that, I'll sincerely apologize too."
"You're really assertive... well, fine. Do it that way. It is fair."
Good.
"Mun Min? Got anything to say sorry to me for?"
"That's... yeah. S-Sorry. About earlier."
Mun Min dipped his head slightly and apologized.
"Is that it?"
"No!"
A hurried answer.
"I... I think I looked down on you. A little—no, a lot. So I just... said out loud the stuff I'd only been thinking in my head."
"Yeah?"
"I was planning to shoot you down and then knock you down... I figured that would feel good, so I just..."
So he wanted to beat me and feel superior. Fine. Typical juvenile arrogance. Kids this age have that tendency.
"Hoo. I'll apologize."
"So, Mun Min, have you been living your life thinking stuff like that about me on a regular basis?"
"Y-Yeah..."
Honest admission.
"I didn't like you asking questions to the instructors during class, either. And the way you only seemed to hang out with the strong kids looked sneaky... I just. Kind of didn't like any of it. So I did what I did... ugh."
This is the most bullshit, twisted interpretation ever.
"Alright. Good confession."
Whatever the case, Mun Min apologized.
So now it's my turn.
"Sorry I beat the hell out of you. I felt insulted, lost my reason, and just laid into you. I'm sorry. I wasn't mature. Even if I was going to hit you, I should've done it less."
"M-Mature?"
"I've got my reasons. Anyway. I should've stopped after a few hits, but I beat you like a dog. I'm sorry. Will you accept my apology?"
"Y-Yeah, sure. 'Cause I messed up too."
"Let's shake on it."
"Uh..."
—Squeeze.
I grabbed Mun Min's hand hard, looked him in the eye, and shook.
—Ding.
[Quest Complete]
And the quest was completed. You successfully repelled the hostile cadet. That went smoothly.
"Yo. Mun Min."
"Uh, yeah?"
"If you've got a problem with someone, don't just keep it in your head. Go tell them to their face. But if even you think the problem is kind of bullshit, then just don't let it show. Got it? Jesus. This is basic common sense. Why are you like this, seriously."
"Y-Yeah, you're right..."
He answered with his head bowed. Still, seeing that he was actually remorseful, he didn't seem like that bad of a guy.
Once we get past today, we might even be able to be friends... ah, shit. Thinking that makes me feel a little sorry for beating the hell out of him. Usually, when someone's rotten to the core, you feel totally fulfilled after wailing on them. But the fact that it feels messy right now means he probably isn't that bad.
"Is that finished? Good. Return to the dormitory."
"Yes."
I said goodbye to the instructor and Mun Min and headed back to the dorm. She said a committee will be convened after training camp to decide how this gets handled.
"Hoo."
So I walked into my dorm room.
"Geun-cheol!"
"Kim Geun-cheol!"
"Hey!"
All three of them were there waiting for me.
"What the—? You were all here? Leona, Yu-ri, do you two not know this is the boys' dorm?"
"Who cares! We came to hear what happened! Fighting with a classmate, what on earth! Explain yourself this instant!"
"Yeah, Geun-cheol!"
Everyone was talking frantically.
Guess I'd better give them a proper explanation, then.
"It's nothing major. I fought a guy named Mun Min. He suddenly started mouthing off, so I beat the crap out of him."
"And so you beat a kid during a spar?! Is that how I taught you, Kim Geun-cheol?! Where did your spirit of service go?!"
Leona looked furious. As expected of the class president. I would've reacted the same way. Honestly, seeing Leona angry really stings... but it couldn't be helped.
"Leona. I don't regret fighting Mun Min one bit."
Even if I feel a little sorry, I still think the beatdown itself was the right call.
"Excuse me?"
"Because when Mun Min mouthed off and insulted me, he dragged you guys into it."
"What?"
"If he'd only insulted me, fine, whatever. He dragged Si-hoo, Leona, and even Yu-ri into it and called me a loser. How am I supposed to take that? If you're gonna talk shit, do it to me alone. Why drag my friends in?"
"Ah."
As I explained, Leona's expression softened and she nodded. Then she spoke in a tone that sounded like she was worried about me.
"I see... then, Kim Geun-cheol? Shall I hear the full story?"
"Fine. I'll tell you."
* * *
Once she returned to her room, Lee So-ra turned on her laptop right away.
"Hmm."
Kim Geun-cheol.
He was cheerful, bright, and good-natured. A very upbeat personality with some oddly peculiar sides, and because he always tried so hard, he was satisfying to teach. The type who was a pleasure to watch.
As an instructor, you'd never dislike a lively cadet.
"However."
Beneath that exterior, she surmised, there lay intense, sticky emotions like rage and hatred.
Kim Geun-cheol may seem bright, but at the very bottom of his heart, that kind of anger was coiled.
"This makes three times, then."
The first was the incident with the second-year seniors. It never became public, but she knows all the details. Word was, it nearly turned into a major confrontation at the training ground.
Then the incident where he insulted Ryu Cheon-hwi's parents... well, it didn't escalate into outright violence, but in hindsight, it was a dangerous situation.
And on top of that, the violent incident with Mun Min.
"A problem child is a problem child."
—Fsssh.
She put a cigarette in her mouth and lit it.
"Hoo."
She had long since memorized all the student profiles.
Kim Geun-cheol's profile was no exception.
His history was quite unusual. A child who spent his childhood bouncing around—what they call being shuffled—through orphanages.
The reason for the shuffling was simple.
Before he entered the academy, Kim Geun-cheol caused countless violent incidents while living in orphanages. That's why he kept getting transferred.
"..."
Apparently, Kim Geun-cheol was bullied at the orphanages. In poorly managed facilities, kids form delinquent cliques and factions, and Kim Geun-cheol refused to join. For that, he became a target.
Once targeted, Kim Geun-cheol was bullied—but every single time, he retaliated thoroughly. His retaliation was so extreme that the orphanages could no longer keep him, which led to his transfer to another orphanage.
But there, the same incident occurred.
And it repeated.
"A child who lost his parents, holding a great rage inside."
That was Lee So-ra's conclusion.
A conclusion that was nothing short of heartbreaking.
"..."
She felt pity.
"A kid who was extremely sensitive to provocation."
Truthfully, that wasn't much of a problem.
Everyone was sensitive to provocation. You just had to not provoke him. It wasn't like Kim Geun-cheol went around doing bad things, so there was no reason for anyone to provoke him.
But school was a place where kids gathered. Kids who didn't know how to be considerate were a dime a dozen. There were always kids who, out of juvenile arrogance, deliberately went around picking fights.