Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Trivial Misunderstanding (2)
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One week ago.
Park Jin-woo finally confirmed the truth.
Even though he hadn't done anything yet, he now understood why Shin Young-min had suddenly taken such a liking to him.
'Huh. What the hell happened to Kim Hyun-seong's face?'
He stealthily peeked into Classroom 1-1.
Kim Hyun-seong was sitting at his desk, studying alone, but his face was a total mess—truly pitiful was the only way to describe it. Bruises bloomed dark and blue all over. These weren't injuries from a simple fall; they were clear marks of ruthless violence.
'He was acting all tough, but he got beat up outside school. Shin Young-min saw him like that, and since I'd just gotten his orders around then, he must've assumed it was my doing. So, should I be happy about this or not?'
He returned to his seat for now.
He figured there was no need to stir things up with Kim Hyun-seong when everything was already working in his favor.
Of course.
It wasn't without issues.
'If Kim Hyun-seong hears the rumors that I beat him up and comes looking for me, I'll have no choice but to fight him then. Yeah, come at me if you dare. No matter who you are, I'll crush you so bad you'll never crawl back up. And judging by how beat up he looks, he doesn't seem that tough anyway.'
He waited.
For Kim Hyun-seong to come find him.
He was always ready for a fight, keeping a sharp eye on Kim Hyun-seong's every move.
But a day passed.
Then two days.
Kim Hyun-seong didn't budge.
It was weird.
If he had the temper to wipe out Park Min-cheol's gang, there was no reason he'd stomach the rumors that I'd thrashed him. So what the hell was he thinking? Kim Hyun-seong came to school every day, just repeating his studies, and Park Jin-woo couldn't figure out his intentions at all.
That day at lunch.
He ran into Kim Hyun-seong in the cafeteria.
He'd expected Kim Hyun-seong to start shit the moment they crossed paths, but Kim Hyun-seong walked right past him like Park Jin-woo didn't even exist. Then he ate alone. Park Jin-woo watched him the whole time he ate. He'd warned the entire first-year class—guys and girls alike—not to hang around Kim Hyun-seong, per Shin Young-min's orders, but even in that situation, Kim Hyun-seong never once came looking for him.
That's when it hit him.
He'd been suspicious at first, but after seeing no reaction even up close, he was certain.
'This punk's scared.'
No doubt about it.
There was no other explanation for the situation.
* * *
Scared.
That one assumption cleared up all the questions.
Kim Hyun-seong must've heard the rumors.
And he had to know from everyone shunning him that there was a power behind it, just like with him.
So why put up with it?
He was afraid.
Park Min-cheol's gang were just street punks; they weren't as strong as Park Jin-woo, who could swallow the whole first-year class whole. Early in the semester, he'd sorted out the first-years' pecking order. Park Min-cheol himself, and even Kang Chang-seok, the strongest in his crew. Both had been grabbed by Park Jin-woo and slammed into the ground. Seeing them bleeding out and barely conscious, the first-years acknowledged Park Jin-woo as the grade's top fist.
Against someone like that.
Kim Hyun-seong had no confidence he'd win.
That's why he ignored the rumors and calmly took the isolation.
"What a pussy. Smaller balls than I thought."
He smirked.
The weight on his chest lifted.
He'd figured the Mad Dog would snap and pull a weapon if pushed, but if he was this lame, tucking tail already, there was no need to watch his back. He'd been confident he'd win a straight fight from the start anyway. Since Shin Young-min had ordered him to keep crushing Kim Hyun-seong, Park Jin-woo ramped up the harassment big time.
"Pass this to every first-year. Guys, girls, doesn't matter—if anyone chats with Kim Hyun-seong or even exchanges a word, assume they'll die by my hand. Got it? I've got Shin Young-min senior behind me. Before Kim Hyun-seong can call in Myeongjin Construction or whatever backup, he won't survive Cheonil High."
The game had changed.
He went after Kim Hyun-seong openly now.
The plan was, if he snapped and exploded, they'd set a date and smash him proper.
Like that, a week passed.
Park Jin-woo's friends snickered as they spoke up.
"Kim Hyun-seong's just another strong vs weak, weak vs strong type. He acted like hot shit against Park Min-cheol, but now that you're stepping up, Jin-woo, he can't say a word."
"Of course. Who the hell is Kim Hyun-seong to mess with Jin-woo?"
"Boo-hoo. His school life's over."
Everyone cracked up.
With Shin Young-min in their corner.
They knew the road ahead was paved in gold.
For three years at Cheonil, they'd rule like kings with Park Jin-woo at the helm.
That's when it happened.
One friend approached Park Jin-woo.
"Hey, Jin-woo. I saw Kim Si-woo talking to Kim Hyun-seong. Overheard him sneaking—said no matter what you say, he's sticking with Kim Hyun-seong, that bullshit."
"What?"
Park Jin-woo eyed his friend.
His face hardened cold.
Kim Si-woo.
He knew him well.
Handsome face, decent fighter too—he'd even tried chatting him up a few times to get on his good side. But that was beside the point now. He'd warned everyone using his name, clear as day, and defying that to talk to Kim Hyun-seong was straight-up rebellion against him.
In that case.
"This fucker's got no clue. Drag his ass here right after class. I'll show him exactly what my warning means—with an example he won't forget."
He'd prove it to his friends.
That his warnings weren't a joke.
* * *
Normally, after class, Kim Si-woo would've gone looking for Kim Hyun-seong.
But he couldn't.
Park Jin-woo's crew dragged him off, landing him face-to-face with Park Jin-woo in the cramped bathroom.
Park Jin-woo spoke.
"Hey, Kim Si-woo. Heard you ignored my warning and said you'd keep hanging with Kim Hyun-seong. How am I supposed to take that?"
Intimidating setup.
Park Jin-woo's massive build.
And his friends crowding around.
Even handling Park Jin-woo alone was impossible; the friends' sharp glares added insane pressure. Kim Si-woo felt it too. Fear crept in. But after watching Kim Hyun-seong the past week, he couldn't just back down.
'That's not the Hyun-seong I know.'
Ten whole years.
A boy of just seventeen, but they'd spent over half his life together.
Kim Hyun-seong had always been bright despite his rough home life, full of energy and hanging with friends. But after the Park Min-cheol incident, he'd changed completely. Dark shadows on his face, no more smiles, didn't even acknowledge him in the halls. It pissed him off. Kim Hyun-seong hadn't done shit wrong, and Kim Si-woo couldn't accept him being ostracized by the whole grade.
Kim Si-woo didn't know it was due to his past life regression.
One thing was clear.
His friend was in danger.
He swallowed his fear at the blatant truth.
Whatever happened next didn't matter.
He knew Park Jin-woo was strong, but if he planned to back off, he wouldn't have talked to Kim Hyun-seong in the first place.
Kim Si-woo sneered.
"Take it however you want. Just take it as it is."
"Say that again."
"Park Jin-woo. I don't know why you're messing with Hyun-seong, but no matter what bullshit you spew, I'm not ditching him. So cut the crap and get to the point, you fuck."
"Ha-."
Park Jin-woo laughed in disbelief.
This situation.
No one could avoid being scared.
But Kim Si-woo's defiance ignited massive rage in Park Jin-woo.
Separate from Shin Young-min.
He'd thought the hierarchy was set, and he couldn't tolerate Kim Si-woo's rebellion.
Park Jin-woo said with a murderous glare.
"Good. Lock the door. I'm killing this punk today."
* * *
Click.
The door locked.
That was the signal.
Park Jin-woo closed in on Kim Si-woo and swung a fist.
But.
Thwack-!
A kick slammed into Park Jin-woo's gut first.
Park Jin-woo's eyes bulged as he staggered back, and his friends charged at Kim Si-woo with furious faces.
"You crazy fuck!"
"Bring it."
One against many.
Kim Si-woo assumed a stance.
The reason no one at Cheonil messed with him wasn't just his looks—he'd been a taekwondo athlete through middle school. He stepped lightly. In a flash, he saw the friends rushing; he blasted the face of the one in front.
Crack!
Stagger.
One hit.
The leader dropped.
But the others swarmed in the meantime, and Kim Si-woo couldn't unleash his kicking specialty anymore. Cramped space. No room to step back, no way to block all the fists flying at once. From then on, it was pure brawl. He took hits to the face, nose gushing blood, but with a rage-twisted expression, he grabbed a guy's collar and smashed his face.
Thud!
When he threw a punch.
He ate one too.
Another full-force swing, and the impacts from all sides made Kim Si-woo groan.
"Urk."
Even then.
He kept his eyes on them.
Athletes get used to pain.
Taekwondo was a combat sport, but training meant getting hit for every mistake. Kim Si-woo was no different. Ass beaten raw, face flushed red—it happened all the time. That's why he'd quit taekwondo; he wouldn't yield to physical pain.
Instead.
"Hit me more, you fucks!"
Splat!
Thud thud thud!
He hammered them relentlessly.
Fists flying in the tangle, occasional flashing kicks dropping foes one by one.
That's when it happened.
"Move."
Whoosh.
His friends were shoved aside.
Suddenly his view cleared, revealing Park Jin-woo's enraged face.
"You don't know when to quit, huh."
Crunch.
Crack!
"Guh."
Grabbed and slammed into the wall.
He'd eaten a kick, but flesh and muscle absorbed it fine. It just pissed Park Jin-woo off more. Gripping Kim Si-woo's clothes tight, he ignored his struggles and repeatedly smashed his face into the wall.
Thwack!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Overwhelming.
Brute strength Kim Si-woo's physique couldn't handle.
His flailing slowed, face soon slick with blood.
Unfair fight from the start.
Even in open space, he couldn't beat a wrestling specialist like Park Jin-woo; no chance in a spot where taekwondo's range meant nothing. Yet Kim Si-woo had followed him in. He'd foreseen this, but didn't want to look like he was running from Kim Hyun-seong's plight.
Drag drag drag.
Park Jin-woo hauled Kim Si-woo over.
Limply dangling, no resistance left. Park Jin-woo looked down with a savage expression.
"There's always punks like you. Think a little training makes you hot shit. You're fucked from today. I'll pair you with Kim Hyun-seong and make school a living hell."
Slap!
He backhanded him.
Blood spraying, but he kept slapping Kim Si-woo's cheeks over and over.
He was the example.
Once Kim Si-woo's fate spread through the first-years, no one would approach Kim Hyun-seong to avoid the same. No one would challenge him again. Park Jin-woo vented his fury, pounding the helpless Kim Si-woo.
That's when it happened.
Boom!
"...What the?"
A huge noise from outside.
Park Jin-woo turned, still gripping Kim Si-woo's collar; the locked bathroom door shuddered from impacts.
Boom!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Something was pounding the door.
Each hit cracked it more, until the handle area burst, a chair leg poking through.
Swish.
The chair leg vanished into the hole.
Then.
Out popped.
A hand.
An unknown hand grabbed the handle and twisted it open.
Creak.
The door slowly swung wide.
The hand's owner appeared.
"What're you doing?"
Kim Hyun-seong.
He glared down at Park Jin-woo with icy eyes.