Morning Rumors and Gym Betrayal
The next morning at school, the place was buzzing. It was all because of the Go Jun-min incident.
"I heard he took like 2,400 photos."
"2,400? That's insane. What a total creep."
Go Jun-min turning into a demon species. Kim Jin-seo using a miracle to take him down. And the fact that he'd been stalking and photographing her—all of it had come to light.
The kids couldn't stop chattering about it.
"But Kim Jin-seo is seriously impressive."
"Right? Isn't she the only one in our year who can even use miracles?"
Thanks to that, Kim Jin-seo had become a celebrity. For a single student to defeat a demon species was already a big deal. But she'd done it with a miracle, no less. It would've been weirder if she hadn't blown up.
Everyone was praising her talent, envying it, jealous of it.
"Lately, all sorts of weird stuff's been happening. That magic beast incident, and now this exposé post."
"Hey, hey. People can hear you."
"So what? Why should we tiptoe around the perp's buddies?"
Even after the incident, the rumors about me hadn't changed. It was all because of that fake exposé post from before. No one had pinned it on Go Jun-min, so I was still stuck with the unfair label of "school violence perpetrator."
There was no way to clear my name, and even if I tried, no one would believe me anyway.
I just sank into a gloom, listening to their chatter.
"Don't listen to them."
Jeong In-ah, sitting in the desk in front of me, shot a venomous glare at the group gossiping about me. Her eyes were sharp with poison.
The group that had been talking about me clicked their tongues in annoyance and left the classroom.
"Who do they think they are, tsking like that. Unbelievable."
Jeong In-ah muttered under her breath. She always had my back. She didn't get swept up in that bogus post and actually believed in me. I was grateful.
"But were you really the perp? You don't look the type at all."
Gu Jun-hyeok poked my back from the seat behind me. He wasn't asking out of genuine curiosity—it was just to mess with me.
"Of course not. You call that a question?"
I snapped back curtly, and he pointed at my face with his finger.
"Yeah, figured. No matter how I look at it, you don't have perp vibes."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Like, you don't look like someone who'd hit people. More like the type who'd get beat up."
I wasn't sure exactly what "get beat up" looked like, but it sure didn't sound like a compliment. It irked me a bit.
Still, Gu Jun-hyeok was one of the few who believed me, just like Jeong In-ah. Annoying as he was, the guy had a sense of loyalty. Deep down, I appreciated it.
"Good morning, everyone."
Ha Ye-jin walked in while we were chatting away. Homeroom time already.
Today, like always, I barely studied because I was too busy gossiping with Gu Jun-hyeok and Jeong In-ah.
"You all probably know this already, but things have been getting dangerous lately. Always be careful. If anything happens, call me or another teacher right away, okay?"
"Yes~!"
The class answered in unison. Ha Ye-jin followed up with some minor announcements. There'd been a kidnapping nearby, the perp still at large. Might not be just one person—could be an organized cult, and so on.
"Everyone, really, really be careful. Don't brush this off!"
Ha Ye-jin raised her voice earnestly. She cared deeply for her students.
Homeroom ended, and she left the room. The class got noisy again right away, and Gu Jun-hyeok crossed over to me.
"Our homeroom drags on forever. Other classes wrap up in like 10 seconds."
He stuck out his tongue in exasperation.
"She's just worried about us."
"Worried is fine, but it's overkill. We're not kids."
"From a teacher's perspective, we probably look like kids. We are pretty young."
It felt weird saying it myself, but we really were kids. Seventeen was ridiculously young.
Gu Jun-hyeok frowned at my words.
"You talk like an old man sometimes. Oh, wait—you're a regressor, aren't you? A returner."
"Cut the nonsense. And what's a regressor? You mean salmon?"
Salmon swim upstream to spawn in their hometown. That was the only "return" I knew.
"Going back to the past. Stop just studying all the time and read some novels or manhwa. And why salmon out of nowhere? What's that got to do with regression?"
"You read some books, for once."
Gu Jun-hyeok blinked at me. Somehow, we just weren't on the same wavelength. Our interests were worlds apart to begin with. Thinking about it, it was a miracle we were even this close.
"Why you guys excluding me?"
Just as our pointless chat was getting stale, Jeong In-ah sidled over, looking a bit sulky.
"Oh, Jeong In-ah! Perfect timing. If you could regress, what would you do?"
"Regress? Like salmon? Or going back to the past?"
"The past. But why do you keep bringing up salmon?"
Gu Jun-hyeok asked innocently. Jeong In-ah gave him a pitiful look.
"You need to read more books. Anyway, what would you do if you went back to the past?"
"Yeah."
Jeong In-ah tilted her head thoughtfully. Even for Gu Jun-hyeok's offhand question, she pondered seriously.
"Hmm... I'd probably just hang out with my little sister."
"Ah, yeah, makes sense."
Gu Jun-hyeok nodded like he got it. He knew about Jeong In-ah's missing sister, too.
The mood sank heavy. Regret flickered vaguely in Jeong In-ah's eyes.
"Hey, why'd everyone go quiet all of a sudden? It's awkward. Anyway, let's head out. We're gonna be late."
Jeong In-ah forced a smile to lighten things up. Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes stayed sad.
We followed her out of the classroom and down the hall. Next period was training in the gymnasium.
"What kind of training was it again?"
"Self-defense, I think. They added it suddenly today."
Jeong In-ah answered. The random self-defense session seemed like the school's response to the Go Jun-min thing. Especially since the victim was none other than Kim Jin-seo, the chairman's daughter—they'd probably shoved it into the schedule to appease her dad.
"Hey, but if you regressed, what would you do? Y'know, go back to the past."
Gu Jun-hyeok asked as we crossed the field toward the gym. I glanced up at the clear blue sky without a cloud in sight and thought for a moment.
If I could go back, I'd do everything to save my mom and dad. But Dad was already dead, and Mom was imprisoned. There was no way back anyway. Pointless what-if.
"Dunno. Stocks or crypto?"
I gave the most predictable, boring answer.
"Realistic."
"You?"
He stared at the ground endlessly, unusually serious. His eyes were complicated—sad? Angry? Hard to read.
"Me too, stocks or crypto. Oh, gotta do lotto too."
His answer was disappointingly ordinary. He said it with a smile, but the corner of his mouth twitched faintly. His downcast gaze was empty.
"Yeah."
It struck me as odd, but I didn't pry. The vibe wasn't right, and he probably wouldn't answer anyway.
*
Thud!
A heavy sound echoed through the gymnasium. The demo partner in front of Kim Bok-dong tumbled back, sprawling across the mat.
"The move I just showed is low difficulty and, above all, practical in real fights."
Kim Bok-dong, our self-defense instructor, demonstrated throws and pins on his partner. Seeing was faster than explaining.
Most techniques were from judo or jiu-jitsu—or variations thereof.
"Alright, that's five techniques total. Pair up, practice as teams, then demo in front of me. I'll score based on proficiency and execution."
Kim Bok-dong finished explaining and started assigning pairs.
"Pair 2: Jeong In-ah, Seo Ha-rin."
"Pair 12: Bae Seong-hyeon, Gu Jun-hyeok."
"Pair 35: Do Seon-woo, Oh Byeong-min."
Those were the familiar names. I got stuck with some kid named Oh Byeong-min. Sharp, slanted eyes, buckteeth, half-shaved head—memorable look. One of the group badmouthing me that morning.
We had 15 minutes total. Master five moves perfectly and sync with your partner? Tight.
"Same pair, huh. Let's do well."
Before starting, Oh Byeong-min offered a handshake, super friendly. Was this the same guy who trashed me earlier? Total personality switch.
"Yeah, let's."
I shook. His grip crushed—trying to pulverize my hand. His face had a calm smile, but his jaw clenched tight.
"Can you let go now?"
"Oh, sorry. Got tense. Haha."
He finally released after I'd made my annoyance obvious. My hand throbbed, red mark on the back. Overkill for a mind game. Worried how practice would go.
"The one taking the technique relaxes. The one applying supports the head. Sound good?"
"Yeah, perfect."
"It's about demoing, not fighting each other."
But contrary to my fears, practice went smoothly. Oh Byeong-min was nicer than expected; we synced well. Finished early with 6 minutes to spare.
Not so for Pair 12—Bae Seong-hyeon and Gu Jun-hyeok were still clashing awkwardly.
Time up. Demos started on Kim Bok-dong's call.
"Pair 2: Jeong In-ah, Seo Ha-rin."
Jeong In-ah's pair nailed it without issue. Textbook—solid, if unflashy. She got high marks.
"Pair 12: Bae Seong-hyeon, Gu Jun-hyeok."
Theirs looked like a real brawl. Both dead set on slamming the other. Thump, crash, crunch. Sounds filled the gym.
When it ended, both clutched their waists, groaning in pain.
"Excellent."
Kim Bok-dong applauded the intensity. They scored high too.
"Pair 35: Do Seon-woo, Oh Byeong-min."
Our turn. We stepped up confidently. As planned, Oh Byeong-min would throw me first.
Bam!
But he slammed me for real. Skull throbbed, back stung. He looked down, face scrunched in fake apology.
"Whoa, dude, sorry. Got carried away."
"...It's fine."
Lucky it wasn't intentional. Head fuzzy, but I shook it off.
Now my turn to throw him.
"Hey, what's up?"
But he wouldn't go down. He was supposed to relax, but he stiffened up, trembling with effort to resist.
He planned to screw you over from the start.
Legba was right. Oh Byeong-min had intended sabotage all along. Proof: he grinned at me smugly.
"Problem? Do Seon-woo, resume the demo."
Kim Bok-dong prodded us, arms crossed. Worst-case. He wanted us to continue, but Oh Byeong-min wouldn't cooperate. Hopeless.
Only one way out. Hated to use it, but no choice.
Bosu.
I whispered it tiny, inaudible.
Bosu says no altar means 10-second limit. You good?
I nodded faintly. Then, burning pain ignited my muscles—like fire. Blood boiled, body scorching hot. Power surged, ready to burst.
Bosu's authority, Mighty Strength, activated.
I approached Oh Byeong-min in that state. I'd force him down with this power. Didn't need full 10 seconds. Two would do.
(To be continued in the next chapter)