Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Two Suckers (2)
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***
Jin-hyuk's parents burst into the principal's office and immediately checked his condition from head to toe.
Jin-hyuk, weighed down by guilt, hung his head low.
"I'm sorry."
Han Yu-young, still reeling from the shock, gently touched his face but surprisingly stayed composed. Son Gwang-yeon meticulously inspected him from fingers to toes with the skill of a seasoned newborn nurse.
"Open your mouth. Say ahh."
Ahh.
"Your mouth looks fine too."
Your mouth looks fine too.
His dad's voice echoed from inside Jin-hyuk's mouth.
"No hair pulled out?"
His hair was so short it couldn't even be grabbed, so what hair? Jin-hyuk couldn't lift his face and just rubbed the back of his head.
"Dad, I'm fine. The seniors in the hospital—"
"Seniors? What the hell do those bastards think they're doing?!"
"Hey! Son Gwang-yeon! Calm down, man!"
Hong Gi-jun barely held back Son Gwang-yeon, who was about to charge out demanding what those so-called seniors were up to, by grabbing him around the waist. Even with years of farming toughening his body, Hong Gi-jun felt like his arms might snap.
Just then, the detectives, principal, and vice-principal entered.
'Am I getting handcuffed?'
As Jin-hyuk nervously touched his wrists, Kang Jun-seong scanned the room with his eyes until he spotted Hong Gi-jun.
He was obviously from Seoul, so it wasn't hard to pick him out.
After exchanging nods with Hong Gi-jun, Kang Jun-seong turned to Jin-hyuk.
"Student, could you step out for a bit?"
"Yeah, sure. The adults need to talk, so Jin-hyuk, go wait outside."
At Kang Jun-seong's and Hong Gi-jun's request, Jin-hyuk was the only one sent out to the hallway.
Crouching in the corridor, a whirlwind of emotions washed over him.
'Falling to rock bottom in life happens in an instant.'
Did he regret it?
Not one bit.
Violence couldn't be justified, but Jin-hyuk's rage toward those who touched his parents and family was immense. It was the kind of act that ignited a fury as fierce as touching a dragon's reverse scale.
Even in children's games, stepping on the king meant death. These guys had crossed the line Jin-hyuk had drawn.
And he was prepared to face the punishment for that violence head-on.
Heh heh hek.
Having General by his side was somewhat comforting.
When he'd first seen a stray dog wandering into the school, it had just been curious. But now that it was his General, the feeling was different.
'Our General.'
Jin-hyuk plopped down completely and hugged General.
Unaware or perhaps sensing his turmoil, General kept licking Jin-hyuk's chin.
While Jin-hyuk sat tormented in the hallway, a meeting was underway in the principal's office. Hong Gi-jun, the detectives, and the vice-principal led the negotiations. Son Gwang-yeon sat with his chin raised and eyes closed, his emotions complex.
Kang Jun-seong briefed them on the situation.
And it contained some unexpected details.
"We have fellow detectives staked out at the hospital too. That Yoon Gil-jung guy's the one who killed the owner of Songtan Gukbin Hall and is on the run. We were watching near his house, but he hasn't shown his face. Even with his kid hurt, we'll see if he shows. Just in case, contact the students' homes and have the parents come to the school. The hospital's small, so he might not go there."
"You think he'll come to the school?"
Hong Gi-jun's question carried a hint of relief at this unexpected ally stepping in to sort things out. He'd been exhausted from dealing with his friend's ordeals. He hadn't expected a detective from the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency's mobile unit. He'd called his big brother-in-law hoping for some help.
"We don't know how it'll play out, so we're hanging a sliver of hope on it."
"But is it okay to tell us all this?"
The vice-principal cautiously interjected.
"Sure, well. Teacher Hong here reached out..."
Kang Jun-seong vaguely gestured toward Hong Gi-jun, who nodded lightly.
The principal and vice-principal figured Hong Gi-jun must be someone important and didn't pry further.
His suit looked expensive, and his appearance screamed high-status city dweller.
"So what happens to student Son Jin-hyuk?"
Hong Gi-jun's gaze sharpened on Kang Jun-seong.
"To be clear, that's not for me to decide. Even if there's a complaint, the local station handles it."
"But if you had an opinion..."
"Leave it to the school's discretion, but I think settling with the victims is necessary. Legally, and even by common sense..."
The word "victims" made Son Gwang-yeon and Han Yu-young's faces fall.
They were kids, after all.
Thinking of the injured students and their parents filled them with guilt.
"That said..."
Kang Jun-seong glanced at Hong Gi-jun before continuing, sneaking a peek at Han Yu-young too.
"The school should handle it carefully. I only got a quick word from that Park Yong-seok kid since time's short, but it's a violence circle, drinking, smoking, extortion, habitual assault... and with the mom here, I won't say it, but even unspeakable crimes. Teacher Hong asked me not to escalate, but the severity is bad. If it reaches the wrong high-up ears, it won't look good for the school either, right?"
The principal blinked in confusion, but the quick-witted vice-principal reacted fast. That "high-up" was surely connected to Hong Gi-jun. He wasn't a parent but came along, and he had influence over a detective—no denying it.
"We'll transfer them all out. Notify their parents too."
"Not my place, but that'd be best for the school. All boys stray at some point, but these aren't strays—they're straight-up criminals."
"Yes. We'll report to the education office and transfer them to different schools. If not, expulsion."
The vice-principal spoke confidently toward Son Gwang-yeon and Hong Gi-jun, as if to let them hear.
The principal flinched at "education office," but with the vice-principal gunning for his job next, he couldn't stop him.
Let him screw his own future.
"Um, but..."
Han Yu-young, who had been listening, cautiously drew their attention.
"How did the fight even start?"
As a mom, she wondered why her gentle, lamb-like son had suddenly gotten into a violent brawl. Blood is thicker than water, after all. Hearing it from Jin-hyuk would just bias her toward him. She wanted an objective account from someone uninvolved. If he was at fault, she'd have to scold him properly.
As the principal and vice-principal hesitated, Kang Jun-seong carefully spoke up.
"Those punks insulted the mom—"
"Those damn bastards! How dare they touch our kid?!"
"Aigoo, sir!"
"Aigoo, teachers!"
"Hey, man!"
Everyone—Hong Gi-jun, Kang Jun-seong, the principal, and vice-principal—had to jump in to stop Son Gwang-yeon, who grabbed an ashtray from the table and bolted. Han Yu-young, holding Yu-jin, averted her eyes from her husband's antics.
Even hiring laborers for most farm work, farmer Son Gwang-yeon's strength was formidable. The four men were dragged along until they finally halted him at the door.
Kang Jun-seong shook his head and wiped sweat from his brow.
No wonder the kid took down several without a scratch—son of a bull like this.
Before heading back to Seoul, Hong Gi-jun called Jin-hyuk aside.
Sitting on a bench under the planetree, Jin-hyuk felt strangely nostalgic.
'Feels familiar somehow.'
Occasionally on golf outings, Chairman Hong Gi-jun would sip canned beer in the shade, smiling kindly. In meetings or the car, he always showed Jin-hyuk extra warmth. Maybe that's why it felt awkward—he singled him out.
'Only my friends treated me like that.'
Looking back, it was like how his dad looked at him. Jin-hyuk had always smiled awkwardly and looked away.
'He was trying to make me comfortable.'
Too late to realize, but nothing would change.
He still felt uncomfortable. The boss of bosses, called "owner." Unless work-related, he rarely spoke, which only tightened the knot.
Jin-hyuk glanced at Hong Gi-jun. A younger version of him smiled faintly, gazing at the field. Middle schoolers playing soccer, high school girls on swings, wrestlers tugging tubes on ropes—all in his view.
"Nice. Overflowing with energy."
Hong Gi-jun breathed deeply.
The air smelled good, but the overcast sky hinted at rain. Looking up, his face darkened.
"Hmmm."
Hong Gi-jun just hummed at the sky.
"Hmmm."
Jin-hyuk held his breath each time.
'Someone save me.'
This was more nerve-wracking than waiting in the principal's office after the incident.
His parents were meeting other students' parents. He'd seen official cars pull up with suits and uniforms entering.
'Who are they?'
To distract from sitting with Hong Gi-jun, Jin-hyuk speculated on them. His own little brain workout.
Hmmmmm—the hum stretched. Finally, Hong Gi-jun spoke, eyes still on the sky.
"Jin-hyuk."
"Yes."
"I've heard the details on why this happened, and I don't intend to dictate your life."
As Jin-hyuk listened quietly, Hong Gi-jun placed his hand over Jin-hyuk's.
The warmth he'd felt before.
"Come to think of it, I've never properly heard it, huh? Let's hear it without that troublemaker Son Gwang-yeon. What do you say?"
"Ordi—"
"Don't give me that ordinary crap."
"Yes, sir."
Jin-hyuk clamped his mouth shut, and Hong Gi-jun chuckled.
"Do they still teach that in hanmun class? 'The tree desires stillness, but the wind won't stop.' Talented people can't live quietly—the world won't let them."
Hong Gi-jun gripped Jin-hyuk's hand tighter.
"Cherishing daily life isn't the same as living ordinarily. This uncle treasures time with family. Bonds with friends and their families too. But that doesn't mean ignoring expectations from my social position."
You said you wouldn't dictate. But you are. People sharing their stories usually aim to change others. Still, Jin-hyuk didn't show it. Too intimidating.
"Beating someone for insulting your mom to protect a friend? That's not ordinary."
Same words, different tones. He took them down, sure, but didn't "beat" them. Anyone hearing would misunderstand. Jin-hyuk felt wrongly accused and awkward, scratching his cheek with his free hand.
"Not blaming you. Life throws these things. Loving family is sweet, trying not to stand out is admirable, but I don't see you as ordinary."
"I—"
"Mm, yeah?"
Hong Gi-jun brightened as Jin-hyuk interrupted for once. Years together, but Son Jin-hyuk never spoke first.
"I'm not ordinary."
From existence to mindset, nothing like his peers.
Strength, speed—far beyond his past life. Even calling himself slow, he'd notice superhuman feats. "Slow" just meant numb to pain and quick to adapt.
'Got a bit dumber though.'
Brain speed and smarts might've dipped. Memorizing textbooks took longer now. Reasoning felt noisy like static radio, past life memories fuzzy.
Anyway.
"My dream is to live ordinarily. Won't change no matter how many times you ask—even at death's door. But my ordinary isn't hiding my abilities."
His steady breathing faltered from rushing words.
Jin-hyuk caught his breath and continued.
"Not doing nothing, not living carelessly. Just wanting the daily life most people have. Family's most precious to me. Friends too. I can't forgive those who harm or take that away."
Many unhappy in the world. Jin-hyuk was one once. Happy now, but he vowed no mercy to those shattering this peace.
That night in the car, Chairman Hong Gi-jun had asked.
—"Do you have a dream?"
Jin-hyuk finally answered.
Gathering courage, he met Hong Gi-jun's eyes.