Chapter 241: Look at These Guys?-6
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 241: Look at These Guys?-6
How many times in her life had she faced a crisis like this?
A terror she had never experienced before slowly began to consume Yun Si-a’s body.
Though the unknown fear crept in slowly, it was steady, opening its maw wide to swallow her whole.
Si-a felt her blood run cold, and a faint dizziness washed over her.
She staggered from the sudden vertigo, and to make matters worse, her trembling legs could no longer support her weight.
Thud.
Collapsing onto her backside, Si-a could neither scream nor retreat. She could only watch as the boys closed in on her.
"T-this is a crime...!"
The words she managed to squeeze out through her shivering frame seemed to have no effect on them.
If anything, they only sneered at her, their lips curling into crooked smirks.
As six boys, all significantly taller than her, approached, Si-a’s breathing grew ragged.
She tried to scuttle backward, propping herself up with her hands, but it only served to highlight her desperation; she couldn't put any distance between herself and them.
Before she knew it, the boys had closed the gap and blocked her from behind.
A wall made of two pairs of legs cut off her retreat.
The remaining four stood beside her, looking down.
"Wh-what are you..."
The sound of Shin Jeong-ah’s footsteps answered Si-a’s strained voice.
Jeong-ah approached her again with light, airy steps.
"I was originally just going to give you a warning," Jeong-ah said in a refreshing tone, crouching down to meet her eyes.
A brief silence followed.
Jeong-ah scratched the side of her head.
"But the way you're acting is so fucking pathetic... I don't think I can just let it slide."
Si-a’s body froze as she caught a glimpse of raw emotion in Jeong-ah’s narrowing eyes.
"So... what should I do with you...?"
At a distance where they could feel each other's breath, Jeong-ah admired Si-a’s terrified face.
Seeing that shitty face—the one that had looked at her so condescendingly in front of the school gates—now smeared with terror gave Jeong-ah a thrill.
Should I slash her face? No, that would be too obvious.
Then should I just slap her? That feels too weak.
Maybe I should break her leg?
Ah... that sounds good. If her leg is broken, she won't be able to come for the tutoring sessions, right?
"Listen, I don't know what the reason is, but..."
Si-a tried to beg for mercy from the contemplating Jeong-ah.
"Shut your mouth, you stupid bitch. Do you think you're in a position to speak?"
Jeong-ah retaliated by slapping her across the face.
The sound of the slap echoed through the deserted park, followed immediately by a dull thump.
"What was that?"
Just as someone turned their head to find the source of the sound, the two boys blocking Si-a’s path collapsed like an earthen wall crumbling in the rain.
"Huh?"
The confused sound they made suggested even they didn't know why they had suddenly slumped down.
Someone grabbed the back of Si-a’s neck and hoisted her up.
Startled by the sudden ascent, Si-a could only let out a series of "Uh?" and "Ah?"
Then came the sensation of being moved backward rapidly; Si-a was dragged away, fluttering like a paper doll.
"The food is getting cold. What are you doing here?"
Just as she was reeling from the forceful yet strangely gentle handling, a familiar voice scolded her from behind.
It was a voice she knew well. It was Kang In-ho.
*
Kang In-ho’s appearance was unexpected, but it wasn't enough to significantly shift the atmosphere of the park.
Shin Jeong-ah was quite flustered by his arrival, but Kim Jin-tae, who had gathered the group specifically to target In-ho, thought this was perfect.
Originally, the plan was to give Yun Si-a a small warning, send Shin Jeong-ah away, and then call Kang In-ho out to deal with him.
Since he had shown up on his own, Kim Jin-tae figured it saved him the trouble.
"Six faces I don't know, and two I do."
Perhaps his eyes had already adjusted to the dark, as Kang In-ho spoke in a nonchalant voice.
Sure, go ahead and act tough.
Kim Jin-tae knew In-ho’s fighting ability well. Objectively, the Kang In-ho he remembered was someone who could hold his own.
But there was no way he could handle seven people at once.
"So, what's the situation here? Is it exactly what I think it is?"
In-ho asked as he looked around, but no one answered him.
Having moved Si-a a safe distance away, In-ho hid her behind his back and began walking slowly toward the group.
He clearly had every intention of fighting.
"Ah, Teacher. Hold this for a second."
In-ho tossed something to Si-a, who still looked dazed.
She barely managed to catch what he threw.
"Record this for me."
In-ho shrugged at Si-a, whose expression clearly asked, 'What am I supposed to do with this?'
"I asked for an explanation. I hate repeating myself."
In-ho’s gaze turned back to the group.
"Cut the bullshit."
Someone interrupted him.
Kim Jin-tae and the male students began to slowly close in on In-ho.
"Hey, Kim Jin-tae. What are you doing?"
Shin Jeong-ah asked from behind, her tone accusatory.
Jin-tae looked back at her.
"What?"
"Why In-ho?"
"Then what? You want to just leave him be? You were the one who asked me to take care of things first."
As Jin-tae smirked, Jeong-ah spoke urgently.
"When did I ever ask you to touch In-ho! I only wanted that bitch...! In-ho! This is a mistake! I really, really didn't mean for this..."
Jeong-ah pleaded with In-ho, her face practically begging, which only irritated Kim Jin-tae further.
"Ah... this is some bullshit. It's always Kang In-ho, Kang In-ho."
Muttering under his breath, he picked up an aluminum bat lying on the ground.
"What, is this a rematch for the cafeteria?"
When In-ho asked with a smirk, Kim Jin-tae’s face contorted in rage.
He absolutely loathed that relaxed attitude.
"If you apologize now, I might just let you go. Seriously."
"Fuck off."
Jin-tae lunged forward, swinging the bat downward.
It was an attack meant to intimidate as much as to harm.
The swinging bat slammed into In-ho’s shoulder.
A heavy, solid sound rang out.
"In-ho!"
"No! In-ho!!"
The screams of Yun Si-a and Shin Jeong-ah echoed through the park.
"Still acting tough?"
Feeling even more spiteful at those worried voices, Jin-tae sneered at In-ho.
He leaned in, wanting to see In-ho’s face twisted in pain.
"Hey, Kim Jin-tae."
In-ho’s low, grounded voice resonated through the space.
As Jin-tae faltered at the paradoxical strength of that quiet voice, In-ho lifted his head.
His eyes, cold and sunken, shone as if piercing through him.
"This counts as self-defense now, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, In-ho grabbed the end of the bat with his left hand.
Jin-tae tried to pull the bat away, but it wouldn't budge, as if it were anchored to something immovable.
In-ho raised his right hand. His palm fell toward Jin-tae like a descending knife-hand strike.
Startled by the unexpected speed, Jin-tae closed his eyes, bracing for the impact.
But the pain never came.
Instead, his right hand suddenly felt light.
Jin-tae slowly opened his eyes.
"...F-fuck..."
He struggled to process the scene before him.
The aluminum bat had been snapped in two, with a piece held in each of their hands.
In-ho tossed the top half of the bat onto the ground like a piece of trash.
Then, he turned back and spoke to Yun Si-a.
"Make sure you record this well. This is self-defense."
Then came a powerful front kick.
Struck in the stomach, Kim Jin-tae was sent flying backward.
"Alright, hurry up and come at me."
A fight without any stance or preparation.
The remaining six, excluding Kim Jin-tae, rushed at In-ho simultaneously.
"Fire Pun... ch is a no-go. I don't have any internal energy."
In-ho muttered regretfully as he tripped one of the charging boys.