Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Retribution
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Does this even make any sense?
Of course it doesn't, but the fact that I'm alive proves it does.
What the hell does that mean?
In my bewildered state, I was desperately trying to piece together the situation when Teacher Jeon Sang-geun finally spoke up.
"Phew! At least you don't seem too badly hurt. You little punk, you nearly scared the teacher half to death! What on earth happened to your head?"
"..."
How the hell should I know?
"You didn't get into it with that Chang-gil punk again, did you...?"
"??"
Huh? Who? Chang-gil?
Kang Chang-gil, you mean?
That same Kang Chang-gil bastard who tormented me endlessly back in high school?
Ah!
Now it was all coming back to me.
The reason I was lying unconscious in the nurse's office.
Ha ha!
So that's what this was all about?
"Right? That Chang-gil jerk was picking on you again...?"
He must have really given me hell.
Even the teacher was talking about it like that.
But I didn't tell the teacher here.
Just like before, and just like now.
"No, Teacher. I just tripped and fell down the stairs."
"What? For real?"
"Yes, for real."
"Hmm, sounds suspicious."
"..."
It was suspicious.
But I never told the truth, right to the end.
Even if I had, the teacher couldn't do much about it anyway, and I didn't want to rely on his help.
A grown man past sixty still had his pride, after all.
"Tch! Anyway, I've got class to teach, so we'll talk later. You rest up a bit longer, then head back when you're ready. Or I can process an early dismissal for you."
"No, Teacher. I'll head back after resting a little more."
"Don't push yourself too hard."
"Yes, Teacher."
"Let's go, Dae-cheol."
"Yes."
As the teacher started to leave, dragging along Dae-cheol who wore a puzzled expression, I hurriedly spoke up again.
I couldn't let Dae-cheol spill everything.
"Teacher!"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Could Dae-cheol wait five minutes before going back? I need him to grab something for me."
"Fine, go ahead."
Once the teacher left and only Dae-cheol remained, he glanced warily at the nurse before whispering first.
"Hey! Why'd you lie? I was about to rat you out, but you looked so weird I kept my mouth shut... for now."
This guy had always been on my side.
He was the only one who steadfastly stood by me.
"Good call."
"What?"
"You did good."
"Why? Scared that Chang-gil bastard will throw a fit later?"
"Ha ha!"
"Ha ha? Did getting beat turn you nuts? What's with the laugh?"
"Ha ha ha..."
"You crazy bastard..."
"..."
I guess I needed to fix this laugh first.
"So why'd you want to talk to me?"
"Oh, to tell you not to mention to the teacher how I got hurt."
"What are you planning to do? That Chang-gil punk's just gonna keep bullying you."
"Ha ha, I'll handle it."
Jo Min-cheol was one thing, but a Kang Chang-gil? I could deal with him easily with these hands now.
Of course, back then it had been agonizing enough to make me want to die, but at my age now, past sixty, he was just gum on my shoe.
"Bullshit. So you've just been putting up with his crap all this time?"
"Hey! I said I'll handle it cleanly."
"Did that blow to the head mess you up or something?"
"Ahem! You'll see soon enough. Just don't tell the teacher. That's why I called you."
"Ugh, fine. But if this happens one more time, I'm stabbing the bastard for real."
"Got it."
Not gonna happen.
I planned to deal with him right away.
"I'm heading out first, punk."
"Dae-cheol."
"What now?"
"Thanks. I've always been grateful."
"Y-you... seriously..."
"And I've missed you."
"Argh! You idiot! Why are you being so gross?"
"Uh ha ha!"
I really was grateful, and I really had missed you, Dae-cheol.
My one and only friend.
After Dae-cheol left, I spent a long time reflecting on my current situation.
I'm alive.
Hard to believe, but not only alive—I'd gone back to my high school days.
Just to be sure, I asked the nurse for a small mirror and checked my face.
Ha ha!
It was definitely my high school face, with the sporty buzz cut.
I'd regressed.
I had no idea how or why this happened to me.
But now I had a chance.
A chance for proper revenge, and to break free from this house servant's yoke and live right.
Yeah, this time I'll live properly.
Not just me—my whole family.
I clenched my fist with resolve and got out of bed.
First things first: deal with that Chang-gil bastard.
"Oh my! Already getting up?"
"Yes, ma'am. I'm fine now."
"Still, I'd like you to rest a bit longer. Or at least go to a proper hospital and get your head scanned."
"Ha ha, no need. I'm really okay. If anything feels off, I'll go straight to the hospital."
"Alright, but head there immediately if anything seems wrong."
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you."
I left the nurse's office and headed straight to our classroom.
Time to give that Chang-gil punk what he deserved.
Kang Chang-gil.
Not on Jo Min-cheol's level, but a guy with whom I had a deep, exhausting grudge.
His family wasn't full chaebol, but semi-chaebol, let's say.
Anyway, back then, his father's company ranked between 150th and 200th among Korean corporations—a proper big enterprise in its own right.
They were especially tied to the Jo family's company in a supplier-client relationship, so Chang-gil groveled pathetically in front of Jo Min-cheol.
The problem was that, by coincidence or bad fate, all three of us ended up in the same high school, same grade.
I lived in the same house as Jo Min-cheol, but we didn't attend the same school until middle school.
He went to an elite private elementary school, of course, while I went to a regular public one.
Then in middle school, we ended up at the same school, and that's when I started being his lackey.
What else? The son of the house servant.
My dad was like a live-in serf in the same household?
Not quite serf, but a servant—unavoidable reality.
When school assignments came out, I'd prayed to every god not to end up together, but same address meant no chance.
That's when my young heart started dying.
Middle school wasn't too bad, though.
It was an era with huge class sizes and lots of sections, so by luck I avoided his class.
And Jo Min-cheol, being young, didn't bully me too badly in front of others.
The real hell started in high school.
Damn it all, same school again—and worst of all, same class.
No escaping it; the house servant life was in full swing.
And to top it off, Kang Chang-gil landed in our class too.
He and Jo Min-cheol knew each other from the same private elementary school, and now as high schoolers—practically adults—the pecking order solidified.
In short, Kang Chang-gil appointed himself Jo Min-cheol's top lackey, kissing up shamelessly.
His family might be rich, but compared to Jo Min-cheol's? Like catching flies in front of a toad.
The gap between a top-10 conglomerate (7th to 10th) and a 200-something ranker was huge.
Plus, supplier-client ties? No need to say more.
Chang-gil sucked up so hard you'd worry his lips would wear out Jo Min-cheol's ass.
That's when I started getting on Chang-gil's nerves.
At first, since I hung around Jo Min-cheol, he'd act friendly, but once he learned I was the house servant's son, he treated me like a dog.
Then he subtly wanted me as his servant too.
Was I crazy?
Even serving Jo Min-cheol was maddening enough.
So I'd just ignore whatever Chang-gil said.
The one way I could resist him came from Jo Min-cheol's quirky personality: he hated anyone touching his stuff.
I was the house servant's son—his property.
Chang-gil didn't get it and tried anyway, so I'd snap at him outright.
One of the rare times I felt grateful to Jo Min-cheol.
That made me even more of a thorn in Chang-gil's side.
Couldn't bully openly, so he'd spread rumors I was the servant's son, and when Jo Min-cheol wasn't looking, he'd torment me every way possible.
Things got worse from second year.
By rotten luck, Jo Min-cheol switched classes, but Chang-gil and I stayed together from first year.
The heavens are merciless.
Couldn't complain to Jo Min-cheol either.
And today, the big incident exploded.
He kept chanting "servant punk, servant punk" obsessively, I finally glared and told him to cut it out, and the psycho grabbed a baseball bat someone brought as a joke and smashed my head.
I'd hoped it was a bluff, but no.
Jo Min-cheol had been absent for days due to appendicitis surgery, probably why Chang-gil's ego ballooned and he snapped.
Whatever.
In my original life, I'd just despaired and let it slide.
Not this second round.
Time for proper retribution.
Slide!
I flung open the classroom door energetically.
Lunchtime was just minutes away.
Ah, that sour kimchi smell.
Back then, kimchi was the staple side in most kids' lunchboxes.
Baby food jars from the market were the norm.
Anyway, at the back of the room, Kang Chang-gil spotted me and crooked his finger.
"What?"
"Hey, servant. I went a bit hard today— you didn't snitch to the homeroom teacher, right?"
"Nah, said I fell down the stairs."
"Kekeke! Good, that's right. Should've done that from the start, punk."
Kang Chang-gil grinned, gums flashing at my words.
Yeah, laugh it up.
It'd be the last time in front of me.
"Oh, and don't tell Min-cheol either. Got it?"
"Of course! No way I'd tell."
"Oho! Finally coming to your senses, huh? Kekeke! Old folks are never wrong—beat a guy enough, and he shapes up."
"Ha ha! Totally agree. Non-humans need a good beating."
"Huh? What?"
"Like this."
I smiled brightly and swung my right hand.
Smack!
Ah, what a crisp slap sound.