Chapter 238: The Stormy Transfer Student
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 238: The Stormy Transfer Student
Has there ever been a student called to the faculty office for causing trouble the second they transferred?
"In all my years of teaching, I’ve never seen a fellow like you."
an elderly teacher looked at me with utter disdain.
Yeah, yeah. I guess I’ve successfully earned my first title in this world, too.
Why are kids these days so pathetic?
I gave her a good thrashing, and that bitch Go Eun-chae went running straight to the office to tattle.
And she calls herself an iljin. Doesn't she have any shame?
Thanks to her, I was missing class to sit here and endure a lecture.
"What’s going on?"
"Ah, Principal. Well... it’s just... on campus... he..."
The kind-looking elderly woman addressed as the Principal watched the teacher hesitate, then looked at me and let out a small sigh.
"You’re the student who transferred today, right?"
"Yes. I’m Jeong Woo-sung."
"I’ve already heard the story. You committed an act of violence on school grounds?"
"Yes, I did."
Since I answered immediately without making excuses, the Principal rubbed her forehead and bowed her head as if a headache were coming on.
"Follow me to the Principal's office."
"Wait, Principal, you don't need to step in personally..."
"No, I’ll give him a stern talking-to, so everyone else get back to work. Ms. Yoon Da-jeong."
"Yes!"
When I was first brought to the office, the other teachers looked ready to gang up on me, and Yoon Da-jeong had been sweating bullets trying to hold them back alone.
Now that the Principal had appeared, she clasped her hands together, her face tight with tension.
"Please look after the injured child. I will interview student Jeong Woo-sung and send him back to class myself."
"A-ah, understood..."
Yoon Da-jeong gave me an awkward glance and nodded.
Leaving the chaotic faculty office behind, I followed the Principal into her office.
As soon as the door opened, the detectives who had been huddled around the tea table in front of the desk stood up abruptly.
Is it the detectives' turn to gang up on me now?
"Please, sit."
The Principal guided me to an empty seat and went to prepare tea.
"What on earth do you think you're doing?"
"You're supposed to be making friends! How are you going to do that if you beat up the iljin?"
Before the tea was even served, the detectives were in an uproar, questioning me.
Only Oh Eun-yul watched me silently, while the others looked genuinely pissed off.
The Principal handed me a teacup, sat in the center seat, and took a sip while observing me.
"I didn't agree to cooperate with the police so you could cause trouble like this."
The Principal, who was assisting with the operation, gave a bitter smile.
"I acknowledge that the girl has been bullying others and ostracizing them. I was shocked when I saw the records the police provided. Thank you for helping us where we fell short."
Is she praising me?
"However, Hero Jeong Yeon-woo and the police are here to solve a drug problem, not school violence. If such issues arise, please tell me or the other staff. Don't try to handle it alone. As an educator, I cannot condone using violence as a 'solution.'"
Perhaps because she’s a career educator, she spoke in a very persuasive, admonishing tone.
She acknowledged the bullies' faults but remained firm that violence was prohibited, leaving me with nothing to say.
"Yes, I’m reflecting on it. I’ll handle it more quietly next time..."
"I told you not to 'handle' it at all."
With a wry smile, the Principal set down her teacup.
Heh. At least she isn't exploding with rage.
As I shared a small, knowing smile with the Principal, the other detectives scowled.
"How can you cause trouble on the very first day? Do you know how many personnel are deployed here?"
"Why? Is this not allowed?"
"Is beating up the person you're supposed to get close to something to be proud of?"
"Then should I have joined them in bullying that girl?"
"No... that’s not what I meant. There are ways to let things slide smoothly, and you don't have to bully her to get close to them. There are plenty of other ways."
"Yeah, well, I'm planning to get close to them now."
The detectives' faces crumpled, clearly thinking I was joking.
Just as they were about to open their mouths again, Oh Eun-yul, who had been silent, spoke up quietly.
"He's going for the top."
"... ..."
The detectives fell silent and looked at her. Oh Eun-yul continued calmly.
"He's trying to become the leader of the group. Once he's asserted dominance, it'll be easier to gather information. And as rumors spread through the school, more groups will approach him."
"Ah... so that's what he meant..."
The detectives looked at me with admiration.
Uhh... actually, I just punched her because I wanted to punch her...
I was just planning to buy them burgers or pizza later to "reconcile" and get close, regardless of who was the boss.
Kids usually fight and then make up easily once they hang out, so I said it casually, but Oh Eun-yul took it a step further and suggested I was conquering the school.
Everyone was looking at me with respect now, but I really hadn't thought that far ahead.
Feeling awkward, I turned my gaze back to the Principal.
"Violence is prohibited on school grounds."
So, off-campus is fine then?
After a few more words, I left the Principal's office.
But where the hell am I?
She told me to go back to class, but I wasn't familiar with the layout yet.
Since I'm a second-year, the classroom should be on the second floor, right?
As I wandered down the hallway, I spotted a group of students in a corner.
Wow—skipping class already? Yoon Da-jeong’s talk about the "great academic atmosphere" was a total lie.
The students, who had snuck out of class, checked their surroundings before heading outside.
I watched from a distance as they hopped over the wall near the trash collection area and disappeared. I decided not to interfere for now and backed away.
I should tell the police to install a surveillance camera over there.
They might just be innocent students cutting class, but I need to check everything suspicious.
"Sorry I'm late."
As soon as I entered the classroom, I bowed to the teacher mid-lecture and went to my seat.
As the students started whispering, the teacher tapped the blackboard, telling them to focus and restoring order.
When the tedious class ended and the teacher left, the room became deathly silent.
The iljin group huddled together, but they stayed quiet without making a scene. Go Eun-chae was nowhere to be seen; maybe she went home early.
She had been surrounded by people just a while ago, but now, not a single person approached me.
As I was enjoying my solitude in the crowd, Seo Hye-ri approached from behind.
"Um..."
"Yeah? What is it?"
"... ... Thank you..."
Seo Hye-ri, whose presence was incredibly faint, bowed her head and thanked me.
When I turned my head, the group of bullies who had been glaring at her locked eyes with me and quickly looked away.
"Forget it. What are friends for?"
"Friends..."
I had Seo Hye-ri sit next to me and treated her naturally.
Talking to people seemed awkward for her, and she was very shy at first, but as we kept talking, she started to relax.
"Go Eun-chae? Did she go home?"
"No... they said she’s in the infirmary. I don't know if she left from there or not."
"Hmm. Where’s the infirmary?"
"Huh?! Why?"
I'm not going to eat her, don't look so terrified.
When I asked for the location, Seo Hye-ri’s eyes widened as she scanned the room nervously.
Noticing one of the bullies who had been eavesdropping quickly tapping away on her smartphone, I asked again.
"I got scolded by the Principal, so I need to apologize and make up with her."
"Ah... the infirmary is on the first floor, near the main entrance."
Aw, what a good girl.
Hearing that I was going to apologize, Seo Hye-ri gave me the location and added, "Eun-chae isn't actually that bad of a person... please don't bully her too much."
I tilted my head, watching her hesitate and mumble.
Why? Why was she taking the side of the person who bullied her?
At my look, Seo Hye-ri lowered her head and stammered.
"Uh... well... I'm not very good at getting along with people... and Eun-chae was helping me... I mean, her pranks are a bit much, but she looks out for me..."
... ...?
Has she been gaslit?
That wasn't at a level that could be dismissed as a "prank."
And she had swung a fist the moment a confrontation started.
"Right. I'm just going to apologize. I have to do it before she runs away."
Leaving the incomprehensible Seo Hye-ri behind, I stood up.
"Should... should I go with you?"
"Sure—if you want, but I'm going to run."
"I-I'm not good at running, but I'll come."
As I dashed toward the infirmary, Seo Hye-ri chased after me.
I cleared the stairs in a few bounds. By the time Seo Hye-ri caught up to me waiting in front of the infirmary door, she was panting heavily.
"Haa... haa... You... you're really fast..."
"I've been exercising since I was a kid."
"I'm jealous... my body is so weak."
"You can start exercising now. It's no big deal."
Dismissing her comment, I opened the infirmary door.
The school nurse wasn't there.
Whether they were away or just out, there was no sign of life in the infirmary.
The brat fled.
Whether she got a text from her lackey or not, Go Eun-chae was already gone, leaving only an unmade, empty bed.
"Oh? I guess Eun-chae went home."
"Yeah, looks like it. I'll have to apologize later."
Seo Hye-ri apologized to me, even though she had done nothing wrong.
I chatted with her as we walked back.
I couldn't ask about "Smile" right away, so I asked about the teachers and school life.
Once she started talking, Seo Hye-ri didn't stop, and I ended up sticking by her side during every break.
"Where do you live, Woo-sung?"
"I'm at... Cheongho Apartments? I just moved in, so I keep forgetting the name."
"Cheongho Apartments! I know that place. It's right near the school."
"Yeah, thanks to that, I don't think I'll be late even if I sleep in."
"Haha, Woo-sung, you're a lot like a girl."
I wasn't sure which part of me was "like a girl," but Seo Hye-ri laughed brightly.
She looked like a normal girl when she smiled.
When she was shriveled up among the bullies, her presence was faint and gloomy, but that was just the situation. Seeing her smile normally was nice.
From the next day, classes would be shortened, but since it was the first day, I had to sit through the full schedule. It was agonizingly boring.
I'd rather go to a dungeon, bash some monsters, and fight villains.
Is this why heroes avoided this mission?
It was torture sitting through classes I had no interest in and couldn't understand.
At least English was fine since I was better at it than the teacher, but I couldn't understand a word of the rest.
"Woo-sung, want to walk out together?"
"I have plans today. Let's go together next time."
As school ended, I caught a glimpse of the bully group frantically texting on their phones and spoke.
Seeing the disappointment on Seo Hye-ri’s face made me feel a bit guilty, but if she stayed stuck to my side, I wouldn't be able to do my job.
I had to draw a line to avoid interference and to keep her out of danger.
After Seo Hye-ri left, I intentionally dawdled to kill time before following the bullies out.
Since there were only the front and back gates, our paths were bound to cross.
As I headed toward the back gate, I flashed a smile at the bullies who kept glancing back at me.
They looked annoyed but couldn't express it openly, so they just ignored me and kept walking.
"Hey! You dickhead!"
The moment we cleared the back gate, the group suddenly turned around, flipped me off, and bolted.
Ooh~ nice.
The Principal gave me permission to use violence off-campus, after all.
I chased after the fleeing girls with a bright smile.
It was actually hard to run without making it obvious that I was an Awakened.
Pretending to be a civilian, I kept just enough distance to make them think they could get away, but never quite letting them.
Well, they'll get tired soon enough anyway.
Taking my time, I followed the bullies as they ducked into a secluded alleyway.
"... ..."
Wow—you brought a lot of friends.
Inside, there were numerous students, including Go Eun-chae.
"Is that him? Did you really get beaten up by a guy like a total loser?"
"Ah, shut up—I only lost because I let my guard down."
When another girl mocked her, Go Eun-chae snapped back irritably.
I watched as a few of them blocked the entrance I had come through, then said with a smile, "Eun-chae, want me to make a suggestion?"
"You son of a bitch, are we friends? Stop acting like we're close."
"We're going to be close from now on."
Forcibly, that is.
While I was talking to Go Eun-chae, a brawny girl stepped forward.
Man, what did you eat as a girl to get that big?
"Is this funny? Lower your eyes, you bastard."
"You should tuck in that belly. You're nothing but pure flab."
Enraged, the brawny girl immediately swung a slap at me.
I lightly dodged it, stepped back, and took a stance.
Is this the right stance?
I served in the South Korean military, but my combat base is Muay Thai, so I don't actually know how to do Taekwondo.
Spreading my legs and bouncing lightly should look right, though, right?
"I'm a former Taekwondo athlete... no, a Taekwondo special admission student."
"Ha, shit, that's fucking hilarious."
Whether my stance was awkward or not, the brawny girl and the others burst out laughing.
Can't be helped. I'll have to show them the power of Taekwondo.
"Taekwondo Uppercut!"
I drove my fist straight into the brawny girl's defenseless chin.
The uppercut landed cleanly, snapping her head back as she slowly collapsed to the ground.
"Whoops, heavy."
If a civilian loses consciousness and falls, they could get a concussion or be seriously injured, so I caught her and lowered her gently to the pavement.
The ground was filthy with spit, but she'd have to deal with it.
I stood up, dusting off my hands, and looked at the kids who were staring blankly.
"If you come at me now, I'll let you off with one Taekwondo low kick each. Otherwise, it's a soccer kick."
They weren't gangsters; if you take down a few easily, the rest usually get too scared to jump in.
"And you lot smoking—if you don't put those out right now, that's one extra hit for each of you."
As a few of them reacted and tried to hide their cigarettes, one girl stood up abruptly in anger.
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
The girl, who had just smacked the back of the heads of the kids hiding their cigarettes, strode toward me.
"Take your hands out of your pockets. Don't go carrying knives around."
When I spoke coldly, the girl flinched for a moment, then curled her lip and pulled a knife from her pocket.
"Kids these days are scary. Carrying knives and everything."
"You scared? You're dead, you piece of shit."
"I guess you need a beating to come to your senses."
As I stepped forward first, the girl panicked and started swinging the knife wildly.
Dodging the blade as it sliced through the air, I lightly poked her in the eyes with my fingers.
"Aaargh! Fuck!"
As she clutched her face and rolled on the ground, I stepped on her hand to take the knife and delivered a soccer kick.
Leaving the girl crawling on the ground full of spit and cigarette butts, I picked up the knife and tossed it in front of the other kids.
"Who's next? And I told you—put out the cigarettes."
The cigarettes were gone now.
I scanned the kids who had reflexively dropped their smokes and bowed their heads, then looked at Go Eun-chae.
I flashed a smile at her, whose face had turned ashen.
Now you're all alone, right? Let's become friends.