Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: 5. A Trivial Misunderstanding (1)
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The day Kim Hyun-seong first visited the gym.
Park Jin-woo, recognized as the top dog of Cheonil High School's first-years, found himself in quite a bind.
Shin Young-min.
The infamous Devil Senior of Cheonil had summoned him.
"Jin-woo, right? From now on, I'll have your back. So make sure you crush that Kim Hyun-seong who did that to Min-cheol's crew. Turn him into someone who can't even function as a person among the first-years. Got it?"
He nodded vigorously.
It wasn't so much agreement with Shin Young-min's will as it was the overwhelming pressure from the senior tapping his cheek, making it feel like he had no choice.
And now.
Park Jin-woo's head throbbed.
If it had been just a little while ago, he would've crushed Kim Hyun-seong without a second thought. But after the Park Min-cheol gang incident, Kim Hyun-seong had become someone the first-years at Cheonil High treated with caution. It wasn't that they acknowledged Park Jin-woo as their boss—no, but the solid backing of being Myeongjin Construction's eldest son, combined with how he'd single-handedly wiped out Park Min-cheol's gang, made people think twice: mess with him, and you might end up on the receiving end.
'The kids are saying Kim Hyun-seong is a total psycho. Win or lose a fight aside, messing with someone like him is bound to cause problems. The guy's smashing heads with a padlock to take on multiple opponents—he's not gonna just roll over and take it.'
He was confident in a fight.
Park Jin-woo had specialized in ssireum back in elementary school.
He quit when he entered middle school, but his massive frame, built of flesh and muscle, overwhelmed opponents.
High school brawls were all about physicality.
Unless it was someone like Shin Young-min, who'd trained professionally, he was certain he could flatten scrappers like Kim Hyun-seong in under a minute. What worried Park Jin-woo was the aftermath. Kim Hyun-seong might come at him with a weapon for revenge, or drag in his Myeongjin Construction connections to wreak havoc.
Irritation boiled up.
Deep down, he wanted to refuse.
But he knew getting on Shin Young-min's bad side meant he wouldn't survive unscathed at Cheonil.
'The Devil Senior nickname isn't for nothing. The guy's breaking noses just for eye contact. Defy his orders, and I won't get out in one piece. Plus, everyone at Cheonil follows Shin Young-min. The second-years alone would be on me daily, ready to stomp me out.'
School ended.
Even heading home, the worries persisted.
He had to do it.
Even if he couldn't handle the fallout, he didn't want to make an evil bastard like Shin Young-min his enemy.
Dawn broke.
Park Jin-woo, resolved to crush Kim Hyun-seong, hadn't even made a move when an unexpected situation arose.
* * *
"Good job."
"...Pardon?"
Shin Young-min beamed.
Park Jin-woo's original plan had been to take down Kim Hyun-seong at lunch.
But right after first period, Shin Young-min called him over and gave him a warm look.
"Jin-woo, you bastard. You're the real deal. I told you to handle Kim Hyun-seong, and you went straight there and smashed him that same day?"
"What are you talking ab—"
"I heard it from the first-years. Kim Hyun-seong showed up to school today looking like absolute hell. I figured it'd be tough since he caused that whole mess, but you must've crushed him so bad he couldn't even fight back. I really like you, man. From now on, go around saying you're Shin Young-min's little bro. If anyone messes with you, tell me. Though I doubt anyone your age would dare."
Shin Young-min chattered excitedly.
Kim Hyun-seong.
He was a headache for Shin Young-min.
He'd been agonizing over a request he couldn't fulfill, but that morning, the client thanked him. From the state of Kim Hyun-seong, it looked like he'd been properly dealt with. Shin Young-min naturally assumed it was Park Jin-woo's doing given the timing, but the truth was entirely different.
The day before.
Kim Hyun-seong had met Jeong Du-cheol.
He'd stepped into the octagon to receive his teachings and pushed through to the end, nose bleeding, to prove his resolve. The result was his battered appearance. Having achieved his goal, he'd come to school as usual, but to others, that state screamed something special had happened.
And naturally.
Park Jin-woo was pegged as the culprit.
He was the only one who could do that to the Kim Hyun-seong who'd swept Park Min-cheol's gang.
Plus, he had the perfect excuse.
Shin Young-min said.
"Come out after school. Let's grab a drink or something."
"...Th-thank you."
Park Jin-woo forced a smile for now.
He had no idea what was going on.
Not knowing about Kim Hyun-seong's situation, he simply concluded that good was good.
The problem had resolved itself.
From then on, he grinned genuinely.
"Hyung-nim. If any more issues like this come up, just let me know anytime. I'm Park Jin-woo. The guy who's got all of Cheonil High School's first-years under his thumb—I'll handle any of your worries for sure."
"You bastard, that's cool."
"You think so? Hahaha."
On the rooftop of Cheonil High School.
And so, they bloomed with laughter over a trivial misunderstanding(?).
* * *
That trivial misunderstanding was actually a boon for Kim Hyun-seong.
He'd expected Shin Young-min to move immediately after the Park Min-cheol gang incident, but no matter how long he waited, nothing happened. They believed Park Jin-woo had thoroughly crushed him. If anyone had approached him, they might've spread the word, but after that, the other kids steered clear of Kim Hyun-seong.
A week passed.
The swelling on his face had mostly gone down.
Kim Hyun-seong, who commuted daily between school and the gym, suddenly noticed a friend plop down in the seat in front of him.
Thud.
"This just doesn't feel right."
He had the face of a pretty boy leech.
Unlike his delicate features, his build was sturdy, and Kim Hyun-seong immediately recalled his name upon seeing him.
Kim Si-woo.
A good-looking guy who'd always been popular.
He looked at Kim Hyun-seong and said.
"It's kinda messed up, right? You didn't do anything wrong, but they're openly shunning you. I held back from talking to you because you seemed different from the Kim Hyun-seong I remembered, but that's no reason for me to join in like the others. So from now on, hang out with me."
"Shunning me?"
"...Huh?"
Kim Si-woo's eyes went wide.
It was an unexpected reaction.
He'd assumed Kim Hyun-seong was suffering from the isolation, but he acted like he had no clue.
"You didn't know you were being shunned?"
"Nope."
"This is insane."
It was absurd.
This shunning spree.
It wasn't just a couple of kids conspiring.
The entire first-year class was in on it, so it was baffling that Kim Hyun-seong was oblivious.
"After the Park Min-cheol gang thing, Park Jin-woo went around every class threatening the kids. Said anyone caught even talking to you would get hell all through high school. Didn't you notice anything weird at school? No one approaches you. You used to hang out fine with everyone—why go all distant like this?"
As he said.
In his previous life, Kim Hyun-seong would've noticed right away.
But things were different now.
The warm friend Kim Si-woo remembered was long gone, and after years as a vegetable, Kim Hyun-seong was more comfortable alone. Shunning by friends? He couldn't care less. Whether shunned or not, he had urgent matters to handle.
Kim Si-woo said.
"Fine, pretend you didn't know. Point is, no matter what Park Jin-woo says, I'm not listening to that punk. Got it? You and I go back ten years to elementary school. Even if it means getting beat to death by his crew, I can't watch my friend get ostracized by the whole grade."
His mind cleared.
He'd forgotten for a moment.
What kind of friend Kim Si-woo was.
He was the one who'd stood up for him, the only one, and even visited him in his vegetative state.
* * *
Previous life.
When Park Min-cheol's crew had been tormenting him relentlessly.
A friend couldn't stand their atrocities and stepped in.
"You fucking bastards, cut it out already."
It was Kim Si-woo.
Kim Si-woo intervened seeing Kim Hyun-seong get beaten, and for a brief time, Kim Hyun-seong escaped the bullying.
The problem came after.
Kim Si-woo became the target too.
Just like they'd broken Kim Hyun-seong, Park Min-cheol's gang systematically hounded Kim Si-woo. He held out as long as he could, trying to stick by Kim Hyun-seong's side, but after taking a beating that snapped his right leg, he stopped acknowledging Kim Hyun-seong. Their goal was Kim Hyun-seong from the start. Distance himself, and Kim Si-woo could survive on his own.
And so Kim Si-woo faded from his mind.
Amid hellish days, past memories didn't stick, and Kim Hyun-seong ended up a vegetable.
One day.
Kim Si-woo visited.
Staring endlessly at Kim Hyun-seong, he said in a choking voice.
"...I'm so sorry. If I'd stuck by you to the end back then, you wouldn't be like this. But man, I was terrified. Couldn't handle getting jumped every break. I thought I was brave, but I couldn't even fight back. Sigh, life really sucks. You... you weren't meant to live like this."
Kim Si-woo wept for a long time.
Kim Hyun-seong had been a shining star.
Everyone who knew him—friends, adults who remembered him—swore he'd make it big; he was special from the start. Now that friend was a vegetable. Kim Si-woo poured out his pent-up rage, and never returned after that day.
Probably guilt.
The vivid name Kim Si-woo got buried in the recesses of memory over a decade of despair.
It had to be that way.
Happy memories?
Precious past?
Clinging to that crap would've broken him.
He thought only of revenge.
Only facing Kim Si-woo did he recall he had such a friend.
"...Don't."
"What?"
"Don't act all friendly. Park Jin-woo said it—he'll target anyone connected to me. Don't get yourself in a mess for no reason. Just act like the others. I can handle my own stuff."
"You really..."
Kim Si-woo scowled.
About to say something, the bell rang, cutting him off.
"Sigh, damn it. We'll talk about this later. But I got no reason to listen to you. I see you as a friend, so I'll handle my own problems. Don't make plans after class."
* * *
Kim Si-woo left.
The next class began.
Throughout the lesson, Kim Hyun-seong couldn't shake thoughts of Kim Si-woo.
'This life will be a chain of brutality. Facing the Golden Circle, I can't solve everything without spilling blood. Accept Kim Si-woo, and his future's obvious. Just for being my friend, he'll suffer like before—endless pain ahead.'
He faced reality.
All ties except family.
He'd sever the good ones.
Family was inherently linked, but others could live separate lives.
Kim Si-woo.
The loyal friend.
He hoped he wouldn't wade into the same mud.
Because he truly saw him as a friend, in this life, no bond with Kim Si-woo.
"Class dismissed. Don't forget your homework."
"Yes!"
The period flew by.
Kim Si-woo would come soon.
Kim Hyun-seong was organizing what to say, but as time passed, no sign of him.
Had he given up?
Better that way.
No need to persuade.
Calmly preparing for the next class, he heard kids chattering as they entered.
"Si-woo's fucked."
"Yeah. Just for talking to Kim Hyun-seong a bit, they dragged him off right away."
In that instant.
Kim Hyun-seong's expression hardened.
Those words.
They shredded the scenario in his head to pieces.