The Greatest Crisis of My Life
One of the delinquents in the gang of four or five barked at me. "You. What's your relationship with Yehyeon? Huh?"
Hearing her name, I immediately pieced together what was happening, and my panic began to subside. Kim Yehyeon, that absolute bitch, was still finding ways to torment me even when she wasn't here.
"Ugh... so annoying. I played around with him a bit because I was bored, and now he won't stop clinging to me like gum." The "him" she had complained about was almost certainly the guy standing in front of me.
"Haun-ah~ ♡ Can't you go meet him instead of me? You're way prettier than I am, so I'm sure he'd love it!"
I wanted to scream at her to stop talking nonsense while rubbing her tits against my back!
—Or at least, that was what I wanted to say. Unfortunately, I was far too timid. Besides, with her cheap, half-exposed breasts pressed against me, all the blood had rushed straight to my lower half, making it impossible to form a coherent sentence.
"Don't do that..." I had mumbled weakly.
"Ahaha~ ♡ You're so cute when you're embarrassed! ♡"
Fucking slutty bitch. She told me a while later that she had "taken care of" her clinger. So, the guy in front of me had probably been dumped by Yehyeon, and then either saw or heard about how she was always rubbing herself all over me.
"We're just classmates. There's nothing going on between us."
Now that I understood the situation, the guy's furious, red face just looked pathetic. I had to actively suppress a smirk. If he saw me laughing, it would only make things more annoying.
"You lying piece of shit. I saw you two. You were practically glued together."
This guy... He was wearing street clothes, so I hadn't realized it, but was he from our school?
"No, well... girls just tend to be really comfortable around me."
Though Yehyeon was definitely an extreme case when it came to physical contact.
"Pfft, see? What did I tell you? This kid looks like a total girl. It's not like that. If you mess with him, she'll just hate you more."
It was pretty insulting to hear them talk about me like that right to my face, but I was grateful to the guy for speaking up. He'd probably listen to his friend more than he'd listen to me.
"Hmm... Seriously. He really is just a girl, isn't he?"
This time, another guy standing in the back stared intensely at me. His ugly, orc-like face twisted into an ominous grin as he stepped forward.
"Hold this bastard tight. I've got something I want him to do."
I could easily guess what this guy wanted from the crude banter of the others.
"Whoa, whoa, is he hard?!"
"Holy shit, he actually is! Ahahaha, what a crazy homo."
"Shut up! Even a guy becomes a woman if you treat him like one. That's just how it works. Hehehehe."
W-What? Am I screwed? No... not screwed, am I about to get violated? Just because I wished for sex, is this crazy pervert going to be my first? I should have been more careful from the very first reply! Pure terror seized my entire body.
"D-Don't..."
"Now, now, stay still. Oppa's going to make you feel real good."
*Zzzzip!*
You crazy, perverted freak, don't unzip your pants!
Fear paralyzed my vocal cords, leaving me screaming only in my head. But just then—
*CRACK!*
The guy who had been leaning against the wall in the back, trying to look cool, suddenly lunged forward and struck the pervert.
"Gwah!"
The pervert collapsed to the ground, and the cool-acting guy immediately began stomping on him without mercy.
"You crazy piece of shit! My fucking eyes! Goddammit!"
A flurry of furious kicks followed. Since none of the others tried to stop him, he was clearly the leader of this gang.
"Cough... ugh..."
The pervert groaned, spitting up blood. Watching him get thrashed was incredibly satisfying.
"Well then... I'll be going..."
The guy who wanted to "try something" with me was now a bloody pulp, unable to even speak. There was no reason for me to stick around.
"Who said you could leave?"
Did the leader have business with me too...?
"You really have an incredibly annoying face."
The leader grabbed my cheek, glaring at me with pure disgust. "Maybe a few scars on that face will make you look a bit more like a man."
He raised his fist.
"Keep your mouth shut."
Well... I guess getting punched is better than being sexually assaulted by a guy. I couldn't understand his logic for hitting me, but I was still grateful he saved me, you bastard. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the pain while wondering if I could sue him for medical expenses.
*Thud!*
But the blow never landed. What? Was he just trying to scare me?
"What do you think you're doing?"
Instead of a fist, a girl's voice cut through the air. I didn't think there were any girls in their gang. Sparing a glance, I slowly opened my eyes to see a girl standing behind the leader, holding his wrist.
Kwon Juran. She was in my class. She was rarely seen in the classroom, and even when she was, she did nothing but sleep. Yet, she possessed an overwhelming presence. It was so immense that her mere existence in the room made everyone walk on eggshells. Even the teachers.
Some called her a "mad dog" with contempt, while others admired her, calling her the "Lion Queen." Her long, unkempt hair looked wild rather than messy, and her fierce eyes, combined with a languid expression, gave her a decadent, sultry charm. On top of that, she had a stunning, athletic body with toned, feminine muscles and a pair of remarkably large breasts.
While the girls' nickname for her, "mad dog," was mostly ignored, the boys had given her the much cooler title of "Lion Queen." There was a reason they whispered about how insanely gorgeous she was from a safe distance, even if none of them dared to actually approach her.
"You're in my class, right?"
"Uh... yeah..."
I thought she didn't care about anyone in class, but I guess she at least recognized my face.
"Did you do that to him?"
Her gaze shifted to the pervert groaning on the ground.
"No..."
I tried to tell the truth, but the leader cut in. "Uh, yeah. This kid did that to Byeongtae, so I had to step in."
What kind of bullshit was that? And the sudden shift in his tone was hilarious. He sounded so sweet. I guess even this thug had a crush on the Lion Queen.
"I thought you were just a pretty face, but you've got some bite, huh?"
A strange gleam flickered in Juran's lazy eyes. This felt like it was going to get troublesome, and I wanted to correct her, but the leader was glaring at me, silently warning me to play along.
"I like you."
The Lion Queen draped her arm over my shoulder. Hey, leader. She's showing interest in me. You clearly like her, so wouldn't it be better to tell the truth right now?
"Hey, Kwon Juran. You told me not to throw my fists around so easily."
"Ugh, you dumbass. Are you really comparing yourself to him? You're on the verge of getting expelled, and he's..." She paused, then looked at me. "What's your name?"
"Seong Haun..."
I guess she recognized my face but didn't know my name.
"Haun is a good kid. Even if it's not strictly self-defense, they'll go easy on him. A single incident like this won't cause him any real trouble."
Actually, it is a very big deal. I guess troublemakers are so used to trouble that they don't understand the gravity of these things. I had a lot to say, but I kept my mouth shut.
"You were on your way to school, right? Want to walk together?"
Though she sounded a bit blunt, Juran was talking to me casually, unlike her silent self in the classroom. Unlike the gang of guys, she was actually wearing her school uniform. Well, no. She was barely wearing the top; it was more like she had just thrown it over her shoulders. Not a single button on her shirt was done up, leaving her breasts covered by nothing but a scrap of fabric that looked like a sports bra or a crop top.
Dressed like that, she casually kept her arm slung over my shoulder. She had to be a non-virgin. No, she had to be. The leader was glaring at me like he wanted to murder me, and it was terrifying. If, by some horrible stroke of luck, she was actually a virgin and fell for me because of my wish, that guy would beat me to death.
"Haha... your arm... it's a bit heavy..."
Look, leader. See how I'm pushing the Lion Queen away?
"Let's have a smoke before we go," the leader suggested.
Juran turned to me. "Haun, do you smoke?"
"No."
"Do you dislike girls who smoke, then?"
Don't ask me that! Don't ask about my preferences in women right in front of him! Can't you see the burning jealousy in his eyes?
"Wow... I've never seen you act so playful before. I guess you're different when you're around friends."
I quickly changed the subject, emphasizing the word "playful." Yes, this was just a joke. Just like the teasing I got from other girls. I desperately hoped the leader would realize that.
"Hmm..."
Before Juran could say anything unnecessary, I took the initiative and naturally started walking out of the alley. "But, you know, I don't know if you've noticed in class, but I'm pretty used to girls teasing me. Anyway, go ahead and have your smoke. I'll head out first."
Yes. Just act natural...
Juran followed right behind me. "I'm not smoking. Let's go together."
Please don't. I can feel his glare burning a hole in the back of my head.
"Hmm... I can't believe you trashed Byeongtae with arms as thin as these."
Squeeze, squeeze...
Stop squeezing my arm like we're close. Can't we just ignore each other like we usually do in class?
"How did you do it? Is it self-defense? I heard there are techniques to fight back even if you're physically disadvantaged."
This was getting annoying. I wanted to tell her the truth. I hoped that gang wasn't following us. I was too scared to look back, but I also didn't want to give off the impression that I was uncomfortable being close to Juran. So, I decided to postpone that conversation until we were definitely alone.
"That guy..."
Since he went to our school and spoke casually with Juran, they had to be in the same grade. "Gyuhwan?"
First, I needed to figure out their relationship. If I wanted to escape Gyuhwan's jealousy, maybe I should try to play matchmaker and help them get closer.
"Don't worry about him."
"But I'm curious..."
"Just someone I know through mutual acquaintances. Nothing more."
"Hmm... So there's no chance of you two dating or anything?"
"None."
She was completely firm. Well, there went that plan. While seeing this side of the Lion Queen was interesting, I definitely needed to keep my distance from her.