Chapter 237: Look at These Guys?-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 237: Look at These Guys?-2
Morning assembly was nothing special. A neatly dressed teacher walked in and droned on with the usual pointless talk.
I had been briefly excited about starting school life in another world, but it quickly became tedious, like watching a boring documentary on rewind.
I hoped the next dimension I moved to after dying would be a fantasy world with an academy.
I wanted to learn magic and maybe even build a harem.
What was the point of being loved to death by the opposite sex if it never lasted?
"......."
Feeling a gaze on me, I turned my head slightly to find Shin Jeong-ah staring at me quietly.
Stop it. You’re going to burn a hole in my face.
Perhaps there was a gentler way to have sent her back to her seat.
I felt like I might have pushed her away a bit too harshly in my attempt to distance myself from the original owner's crowd.
But then again, hadn't I already experienced the reaction to a strong push?
A chill ran down my spine as I remembered the crazed look in Garam’s eyes when she tried to rip the front door off its hinges.
Even when pushing someone away, I shouldn't be too forceful.
The problem was, this was the only way I knew.
I had never tried to slowly drift away from someone, nor had I ever been on the receiving end of it.
Severance and goodbyes had always come for me abruptly.
[You have nothing left to say, right?]
The voice of my girlfriend—whom I thought I’d forgotten after several dimensional travels—played in my head.
Actually, let me correct that. My ex-girlfriend.
There was no need to dwell on memories of the woman who had heartlessly left me, so I shook my head.
Jung Sang-hoon watched me with a bizarre expression.
"Alright, that’s it for assembly... In-ho? Come see me for a moment."
Before I knew it, assembly was over, and the homeroom teacher called my name.
I stood up without a word and followed him.
I could feel the students' gazes piercing my back like countless daggers.
Since other classes were finishing their assemblies around the same time, students were out in the hallways in groups.
I saw some poking their heads into other classrooms to borrow gym clothes, while others were stomping their feet in frustration because they couldn't find a textbook.
It was a familiar sight, though slightly different, and I took it all in as I followed the teacher.
After passing through the warm-toned hallway and heading down a few flights of stairs, we reached the teachers' office.
"Come in."
Following him inside, I saw teachers of various ages sitting at their respective desks.
When I was young, the teachers' office felt like a place that was difficult to enter, but now it just looked like any other office full of salarymen.
Come to think of it, about half the teachers in this room were probably younger than me.
With that thought, they looked less like sacred educators and more like exhausted office workers waiting for their next paycheck.
It seems the true nature of the world only reveals itself with time.
"Sit here."
The teacher unfolded a folding chair for me.
I sat down without a word, and the teacher took a sip of water from a mug on his desk.
"So, nothing happened during your suspension?"
I was a bit surprised by his tone; it was more favorable than I expected for a troublemaker.
"No. Nothing happened."
"Right, that’s good."
Then, a tedious silence followed.
It felt like a blind date between two people who didn't like each other.
After a few minutes of testing the waters, the bell signaling the start of the first period rang through the office.
I watched as several teachers, who had been staring at their monitors, gathered their lesson materials and headed out.
"So... did your father say anything?" the teacher asked after a long pause.
"No. He just told me not to cause any more trouble."
"I-I see. Well, he didn't mention... me, did he?"
The teacher shifted his posture several times, looking like a restless puppy that needed to go outside.
"Pardon...? He didn't say anything in particular."
"Right, I see. If he ever asks, make sure to speak well of me. Class has started. Go on."
The teacher let out a sigh of relief and patted my shoulder twice.
I stood up and looked down at him.
"What exactly should I say to 'speak well' of you?"
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
"Huh?"
"I'm not sure what I should tell my father if he asks."
"Just... that I'm taking good care of you... and things like that?"
The teacher looked away, seemingly embarrassed to say it himself.
Ah... so that’s how it is.
I finally understood why I had been feeling so uneasy.
"Teacher. Kim Su-ho transferred schools, right? I guess his father didn't contact you?"
Kim Su-ho.
That was the name of the student the original owner of this body had bullied.
"......."
"Ah... I spoke out of turn. My apologies."
I bowed and walked out of the office.
A world where the perpetrator stands tall and the victim has to hide in the shadows.
Experiencing this dark reality firsthand—something I’d only seen in news reports or dramas—made my stomach churn and left a bitter taste in my mouth.
*
As if testing my resolve to change my reputation by being a diligent student, a crisis arrived sooner than expected.
Lunchtime.
I couldn't shake off Shin Jeong-ah’s persistent insistence that we eat together.
In the hallway leading to the cafeteria, I ran into the original gang I had only seen through the messenger app.
"Oh, you're here?"
Kim Jin-tae. That was the name on his uniform.
He had a rather fierce look, but he greeted me warmly.
I gave an awkward smile and walked ahead, while Shin Jeong-ah chattered away beside me, her grudge from the morning assembly seemingly forgotten.
Along with Kim Jin-tae, the group consisted of Sung Yoon-ho, Jeong A-ra, and Lee Mi-jung.
As we walked down the hall as a group, other students pressed themselves against the walls to clear a path.
It wasn't some 80s delinquent manga, yet the scene was so contrived I was briefly lost for words.
A long line of students had already formed in front of the cafeteria.
"Wow, the line is freaking long," Sung Yoon-ho remarked.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
I quietly stood at the end of the line, and Kim Jin-tae laughed as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Waiting in line."
When I gestured toward the queue, Kim Jin-tae’s eyes widened in culture shock.
Beside me, Shin Jeong-ah was also looking at me with a horrified expression.
"Did something happen to you during suspension?"
Kim Jin-tae looked at me with a serious face.
I simply shrugged in response.
"I guess suspension really is scary. This guy’s turned into a total pussy. Hey, did your dad hit you or something?"
Kim Jin-tae gave a sneering laugh as he looked around at the gang.
His dismissive tone was annoying, but really, these were the words of a kid ten years younger than me.
In times like this, it was best to handle it like an adult.
"Whoops! Sorry. My mistake."
Just as I was thinking that, a male student walking and talking with his friends bumped into Shin Jeong-ah.
Caught off guard, Shin Jeong-ah stumbled forward, then brushed back her long hair and glared fiercely at the student.
"Ah, fuck."
Wow, Jeong-ah. Your diction is insane. Want to go on Show Me the Money?
As if her curse was a starting bell, Kim Jin-tae strode over and shoved the boy’s shoulder.
The boy looked at Kim Jin-tae with a bewildered expression.
"Well, my mistake too."
Kim Jin-tae puffed out his chest and grinned, causing the boy’s pupils to tremble.
Was he calculating his chances in a fight?
After a moment of deliberation, the boy apologized to Shin Jeong-ah again.
Despite that, Shin Jeong-ah didn't seem satisfied and continued to mutter curses under her breath.
That’s when Kim Jin-tae started acting suspicious.
He subtly moved toward the student, pretending to talk to us, then took a deep stretch.
His fist, extended backward, struck the boy in the side of the head.
Hit out of nowhere, the boy staggered without even being able to let out a groan.
"Oh, sorry. Were you standing there?"
Kim Jin-tae snickered, mocking the boy.
Though the boy trembled with humiliation, he couldn't bring himself to look directly at us.
His friends showed a small sign of resistance by pulling their injured friend toward them.
Shin Jeong-ah’s cursing continued, and Kim Jin-tae didn't stop.
He began poking the boy’s forehead with his finger.
"What?"
Poke. Poke.
The boy’s head snapped back with every flick of the finger.
"Hey, stop it."
I spoke up quietly, unable to ignore it any longer, but Kim Jin-tae didn't stop, as if he hadn't heard me.
The force behind his finger grew stronger, and the boy’s neck jerked back piteously.
"I said, stop."
I stepped up behind Kim Jin-tae and placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him more firmly.
"Ah~ let go."
Whatever was making him so angry, Kim Jin-tae violently shook his shoulder to throw off my hand.
...Look at this little shit.
"You got a problem? Huh? You got a problem?"
Poke. Poke.
Now he was kicking the boy’s shins.
The boy’s eyes were gradually filling with humiliation as he was kicked.
"You scared?"
Liking the look of that, Kim Jin-tae smirked and raised his palm.
Was he going to slap him?
The whole process looked like slow motion to me.
Ah... I can't do this.
You need a lesson.
I grabbed Kim Jin-tae’s shoulder and spun him around.
While a startled Kim Jin-tae was still trying to process what was happening, I delivered a low kick to his knee.
"Agh!"
His body buckled as he let out a sharp cry.
Just as he had done, I raised my hand high and swung it down with all my might.
Slap!
Kim Jin-tae’s head snapped to the side.
A slap is an attack focused more on humiliation than pain.
As Kim Jin-tae looked up at me with a bewildered face, I swung my hand again.
Slap!
"I told you to stop."
Slap!
"In-ho!" Shin Jeong-ah clung to me.
I twisted my body slightly to shake her off.
Slap!
Slap!
Slap!
After several consecutive slaps, Kim Jin-tae’s cheek turned bright red.
It would probably be swollen soon.
"Hey... you... motherfuck..."
Kim Jin-tae stammered, clearly not expecting me to hit him like this.
His eyes were a mix of bewilderment and rage.
But so what if you look at me like that?
I forced him up, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him so he was barely standing on his tiptoes.
"Hey... Kim Jin-tae."
"......."
"Jin-tae."
"......."
"I'm calling you. Your name. Jin-tae."
"...Yeah."
The defiant look in his eyes was annoying, but I decided to let it slide.
Because I’m an adult.
"Let's just wait in line quietly and eat. Okay?"
I looked up at him with a bright smile.
Kim Jin-tae engaged in a long staring contest with me.
I didn't know exactly what kind of struggle was going on inside him.
I could only vaguely guess that he was torn between resistance and submission.
"...Okay."
And when that conflict finally ended, Kim Jin-tae lowered his gaze.
I let go of his collar and patted his shoulder.
"Hey, what's on the menu today, anyway?"
When I spoke to him in a friendly tone as if nothing had happened, Kim Jin-tae looked at me like I was a madman.
That’s a bit hurtful.
Friends can have a little scuffle now and then.