Episode 2.
Tricker Warning: Blood.
My body was hot, yet my insides were cold. My hand was being chilled by someone else's hand, and I clung to that coldness. The coldness was gradually being cooled by my own heat, and as I reached out to the air to take hold of it, another coldness grabbed my hand.
“You still like cold things, whether you were young or now.”
“.....”
“Oh, do you like cold things now because you have a fever?”
Even his voice seemed cold. I opened my eyes and tried to move them, but a very large shadow blocked my view.
“If I open my eyes now, I’ll feel dizzy.”
"....hand…."
“Oh, your hand? It feels cool, doesn’t it?”
As I nodded, a cold hand reached out to my right, accompanied by his laughter. The hand chilling my entire body made me raise the corners of my mouth, and I rolled onto my side, placing my left hand on the hand radiating cold. The heat was gradually cooling me down, but I still shivered from the pleasant coolness and pressed my cheek against his hand.
“Do you like it that much?”
"yes…."
“Ha...what should I do with this…”
“It’s cool….”
With his sigh, something very cold rose above my head again.
“The health teacher told me to upload this.”
“.....”
“You have a fever of 39 degrees, why are you coming to school?”
“Today….performance evaluation….”
“Even though it’s a performance evaluation, I’m still excited, so I need to rest.”
It was strange how I could relax so much even though I knew it was him, but my eyes were blurry so I could only see shapes and I could only blurt out the words that came to mind.
"still…."
“If things get really tough, I’ll call my kids and we’ll go in their car.”
At the word "kids," I opened my eyes and looked at him. His vision became clearer, and I could see his entire expression. His eyes were squinted, but his mouth was straight, a strange expression. Only then did I come to my senses, looking straight at him and continuing.
"no, I do not want…"
“Why? You’re in a lot of pain right now.”
“I don’t even like being with you.”
“......”
“But you want me to take your organization members’ car and go?”
“.....”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why should I ride in your car?”
“Even though it hurts, your mouth looks fine.”
“And I didn’t even accept your deal.”
“You will eventually accept it, so why do you refuse?”
“My father dedicated his life to this organization.”
“.....”
“But…you want me to hand over that organization to you?”
“......”
“Then what about my father’s life?”
“....This lady.”
“You don’t know anything, you’re just blinded by power, trying to climb the tower my father worked so hard to build.”
“.....”
“So please go.”
“......”
“You’re not even close to me in the first place, so don’t act like you’re close to me and get lost.”
“....Okay, take a rest.”
He left with a smile, and I turned around, frowning even more at his fake smile. As if on cue, the air conditioner came straight into the room, and just as I was about to turn around, the door to the infirmary opened.
“Huh? You’re awake?”"teacher…."
“Uh, why?”
“Air conditioner…can you please turn it off?”
“Oh, air conditioning? Okay.”
The health teacher pressed the power button on the air conditioner next to me, sat on the chair next to my bed, and placed her hand on my forehead.
“Hmm... my forehead feels really hot….”
“Teacher…”
"huh?"
“Who…who brought me here?”
I had a suspicion that maybe that person had brought it to me, but seeing that person sitting in front of me earlier made my suspicions grow more certain.
“Oh, that transfer student brought it to me.”
“.....”
“But, heroine.”
"yes?"
“That older brother of yours from earlier?”
".....yes?"
“I called your father a little while ago, and he said a man named Park Jimin was coming to pick you up.”
"yes!?"
“Why are you so surprised?”
"under….."
Park Jimin. I could clearly see him coming into the infirmary, clearly pissed. I picked up the thermometer next to the teacher, put it to my ear, and pressed the button. A few seconds later, I heard a beep and removed the thermometer from my ear. The thermometer read 38.9 degrees Celsius, and with that thought, I was dead. The infirmary door swung open.
"miss."
My white T-shirt was soaking wet from sweat, and my hair was damp, as if I'd just finished training. Park Jimin's angry expression sent shivers down my spine. He didn't even glance at the health teacher, but came over to me and glared at me.
“What did I say?”
“.....”
“Didn’t I tell you to stay home and rest?”
"sorry…."
“Well… I came back after quitting work early, so let’s go home.”
“What? No. I have a performance evaluation today…!”
"miss."
“.....”
“The boss is waiting for you at home right now.”
“....Dad?”
"yes."
"....let's go."
"yes."
So I quickly got up from my seat, and as I stumbled, Park Jimin walked toward the infirmary door, supporting my shoulder. The door was shattered, as if Park Jimin had kicked it open. He tossed two checks to the nurse and said, "Use this to pay for the door repair," and left the infirmary.
*****
Meanwhile, after leaving the infirmary, Jeongguk headed straight for the second-year teachers' office. Yeoju's homeroom teacher, seemingly surprised by Jeongguk's sudden appearance, turned around and looked at him.
“Huh? Jungkook, isn’t it class time now?”
“Oh, I took her to the Yeoju health center.”
".....okay?"
"yes."
“....How is Yeoju?”
“What is it?”
“Aren’t you unlucky? You act like you’re heaven.”
“Why do you ask that?”
"No, that's unlucky. Ah! Jungkook, you need to be careful too."
“What?”
“You said she was flirting with guys? Oh my, I really hate her because of that... A student who sells her body recklessly... You called her a slut?”
“.....”
“So, Jeongguk, watch out for that girl, she’s such a vixen. Ugh, she’s so gross.”
"teacher."
"huh?"
“Is that what you teach your students?”
".....what?"
“How can you belittle your own students like that and then curse at them in front of them?”
"What?? You're like this too? And you came today. You didn't listen to what I said... Oh! So that's what she said? That the teacher beat her up?"
“You know you’ve been a jerk.”
"what?"
“I heard the teacher talking nonsense before I entered the classroom.”
“Huh! So what did that girl say?”
“Teacher. No.”
"hey."
What...what?”
“Who are you to be nagging at this woman?”
“You now…!”
“Shut up. Before I rip your mouth off.”
Jungkook grabbed the female teacher by the neck and tossed her off the chair, causing her to fall over with a "Ah!" Jungkook then pressed his slippers against her stomach, leaving her in agony, unable to even utter a word due to the unimaginable pain.
“The name Lee Yeo-ju is not something you can just casually say.”
"this….!"
“Shut up.”
"evil!"
“And what? Gross? You’re worse than a bug… Where did you get the swear word that you’re gross?”
"flaw…."
“I originally came here just to warn you.”
“Ugh!”
“I can’t just warn you because of what you said.”
So, Jeong-guk started to mercilessly hit the female teacher's cheek, and the female teacher, who had resisted at first, fell to her knees as the punches became increasingly stronger and stronger.
“Ugh...I was wrong...I won’t touch you again.”
“How can I believe that?”
“I...I...I'll do whatever you say, so please...don't hit me...”
“Oh, I’ll do as you say?”
“Yeah…so please…”
“Then get out of this school.”
"what…?"
“Wouldn’t people like you be crazy about money?”
“.....”
“How much do you need?”
“.....”
"100 million? Oh, no. 1 billion? Yeah, that would be about right."
“.....”
“Take it.”
Jeongguk threw ten checks at the female teacher, and she quickly took them.
"you…!"
“Why? Are you angry or something?”
“You...I’m going to report you to the police!”
“What? Police? Haha!”
Jungkook burst out laughing and held his stomach, and the female teacher backed away at the creepiness that came from it.
“I can kill you whenever I want.”
“.....”
“I could kill you right now.”
“.....”
“I could make it disappear from this world.”
“.....”
“Can you do that for me?”
“.....”
As the female teacher quickly turned her head, Jeongguk continued speaking with a cold, hard expression, grabbing her hair.
"So. Get out."At Jeongguk's words, the female teacher quickly began to pack her things. Jeongguk ignored her and quickly left the teacher's office. In the quiet school hallway, where classes hadn't yet ended, Jeongguk took out his phone and called someone.
[Hey, you punk, I told you not to call me during the day.]
“It’s morning.”
[....So what? Kill another person or something...]
“As expected of you, hyung.”
[Hey you little shit, I need to get some sleep.]
“Don’t worry, this time I’m asking you to do it at night.”
[Huh… What is it?]
“Please kill that female teacher named Kim Na-hyun.”
[Why teacher?]
“There’s this crazy female teacher who messed with my stuff.”
[I don't know what yours is, but you're definitely crazy... Why bother with you?]
“So please, hyung.”
[how much.]
“300 million.”
[okay.]
“This time, bury her without anyone knowing. Kill that girl’s family too.”
[Do you become more picky every time you make a request?]
“Please, bro. I’m a little pissed.”
[Okay. Let's hang up, I'll tell you the results later.]
“Oh. Thanks, hyung.”
[Fuck you, kid.]
With the call disconnected, Jungkook put his phone in his pocket and slowly headed to his classroom, where a class was in full swing.
“Huh? What? Why are you home so late?”
“Oh, the female lead was sick, so I took her to the infirmary.”
“Huh, Yeoju? Why is she there?”
“I think I have a cold or body aches.”
“Um...but who are you?”
“Me? I am….”
"I'm Jeon Jeong-guk, who transferred schools this time."It was a moment when the smile became even more frightening.
*****
Yeoju City Point
The lights were all off in the house, and it was quiet. Feeling a strange chill, I quickly walked through the chilly living room and into my father's study. As I reached the door, I heard a cough.
“Cluck, cluck!”
I heard a loud cough, so I quickly knocked on the door. When it opened, I saw my father's smiling face.
“Are you here, Yeoju?”
"....dad."
"huh?"
“A cough...did you hear it?”
“What’s that coughing sound?”
“No… I heard a cough from Dad’s room….”
“What are you talking about? I was just working.”
“Oh... really?”
"huh."
My father, clutching his backpack, called me into his room. The desk was neatly stacked with papers, as if he'd just finished work. I guess I was worrying for nothing.
"dad."
"huh?"
“When will I be able to step in as successor?”
“......”
“Of course I know what Dad meant yesterday.”
“.....”
“But, I want to follow in my father’s footsteps.”
“....Can you tell me why?”
“I have never once regretted or disliked my father’s job.”
“.....”
“Because he was a loving father to me.”
“....Think about it.”
“Okay. Good night, Dad.”
My forehead, which had grown cold in the car, rose when I saw my father's expression. When his cold expression hit me, a strange sense of guilt and regret washed over me. I didn't know why. But as I slowly remembered, I began to understand. My mother. My beloved mother, when she died because of her involvement in this line of work. When she was beaten to death by a member of the opposing organization in front of me. My father said that was the most painful moment.
"ha…"
Of course, if I had a family, I might change like this and feel overwhelmed by guilt. But I want this job. I want to atone for my sins through this job. I want to see my father through his old age. I want to free him from the guilt of not being able to save my mother.
"mom."
For some reason, I miss my mother today. That beautiful night sky she always spoke of is unfolding right now. My mother, who once said that if there are stars in the night, there is light in the day, I longed to see her in this night sky of mine.
Because the night sky is a night within a galaxy that spans the Milky Way.
*****
I opened my eyes. A familiar ceiling caught my eye, and I quickly lifted my upper body off the bed. Park Jimin entered the room, and I opened my mouth, looking at the white porridge in his hand.
“....Why white porridge?”
“The young lady is sick, so I boiled some porridge for her.”
“Soy sauce.”
“Of course I brought it.”
“Yay!”
I held the white porridge and sprinkled the soy sauce that Park Jimin handed me on it. The soy sauce quickly soaked into the white porridge and turned it brown.
“Aren’t you spraying too much?”
“No, this is just right.”
“It seems like too many…”
“If I’m okay, then it’s okay.”
As I took a big bite, Park Jimin looked at me quietly and then took something out.
“What is that?”
“Chocobiyo.”
“Why are you eating Chocobee?”
“Well, I need to recharge my batteries.”
“....Do you hold out when you train with that?”
“Don’t look at me like that. If you look at me like that, I’ll look like I’m just training hard without eating anything.”
“No... Chocobi is pitiful... I’d rather eat rice than our precious Chocobi at this time.”
“.....”
“If you’re done eating, go quickly. I have to go to school.”
“.....”
“Why are you worried about getting sick again? I have a strong immune system.”
"....All right."
So, Park Jimin left with a sullen expression. I smiled at his expression, took off my uniform, and straightened it. I fixed my hair in front of the mirror, and when the clock struck 7:40, I quickly left the room. The first-floor living room was very quiet. After I left, I opened the front door.
“Did you sleep well, girlfriend-to-be?”
“....Fuck.”
A black limousine pulled up in front of the gate, and I squinted. The window rolled down, revealing a dark-haired man's head. It took me less than three seconds to recognize his face.
“Why are you swearing as soon as you see me?”
“Your face looks weird.”
“Wow, you know that hurts?”
“I told you not to act friendly.”
“I need to become close with you, that’s why.”
“Why? Because of that contract?”
"huh."
“Stop being a jerk and get out.”
“My girlfriend is very talkative.”
“Don’t call me girlfriend. Do you like it when someone you hate calls you boyfriend?”
“I don’t like that.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“But I will definitely make the contract come to fruition.”
“Yes, I heard you talking.”
So I ignored his words and walked down the sidewalk I always walked on. Suddenly, a large shadow appeared beside me.
“Let’s go together.”
“Get out.”
“Why are you so firm?”
“Because I hate you.”
"her…."
“Oh, but honestly, how old are you?”
“Same age as you.”
"We're the same age, and you're the boss of a gang? Don't lie."
"It's true"
“I won’t believe it.”
As I quickly crossed the crosswalk, he smiled and handed me something.
“What is this?”
"cola."
“Why are you giving me this?”
“It’s what you like.”
“.....Did you hack my information?”
“Your favorite drink doesn’t appear in the information.”
“So you’re saying it was hacked?”
“......”
“Anyway, I’ll eat it well and be grateful.”
So I opened the can of Coke. The fizzing sound was so pleasant that I sipped it. But then I had to stop because he was staring at me.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because it’s just cute to eat.”
“It’s burdensome, so stop looking at me.”
So I walked ahead of him, drinking my Coke. He followed me quietly. By the time I'd finished my Coke, which was almost the time we arrived at school, I was done.
“Hey! Short girl and tall guy, come here!”
“.....?”
As I was crumpling up the Coke can, suddenly, in the dark alley next to me and him, there was a guy with a piercing and a cigarette in his mouth, and another guy holding a stick.
“Oh? It’s quite pretty.”
“Yeah, that’s my style.”
“Hey, short girl. Is that guy next to you your boyfriend?”
Suddenly he came in front of me, observed my face, then pointed at the man standing next to me with his finger and smiled.
“Boyfriend? Don’t say such horrible things.”
“Oh? Then we can choose one of the two of us?”
"What the hell are you talking about?" I squinted at them. They were already judging my body, and I exploded at that, starting to speak.
“Oh, but this guy has a nice body… but he’s so rough that it’s hard to tame….”
"hey."
".....hey?"
"Where the hell do these kids get their body measurements and shit? And what? Tamed? Where the hell do these perverts get their asses kicked? And what? Short? I'm the tallest girl in my class."
“Huh! She’s a girl who would have been rolling around with guys anyway… Where did she come from…!”
So I interrupted him, throwing the can of Coke at his face and crushing it. Another person, startled, quickly picked up a stick. I kicked the stick, breaking it in two, and then, with a toss, lifted the person who'd been hit by the Coke can and threw the stick at the person holding it. The person who tried to pick it up was hit by the other person and fell.
“You perverts, come to your senses.”
As I turned down the alley, the man standing next to me suddenly disappeared.
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
As we quickly entered the school gate, the clock read 8:08.
*****
Jimin frowned at the V Organization boss in front of him. He was nervous about a very important drug deal, and yet he was leisurely sipping coffee and looking at his phone during this crucial deal… Jimin wanted to immediately throw this deal out the window, but he knew his organization would suffer if he didn't, so he bit his lip and opened his mouth.
“So, are you going to deal drugs?”
“Oh, wait. Let’s finish the game and then start.”
“Do you know that you’ve said that a total of 23 times so far?”
“Hey, why are you doing that?”
“Because I think this deal is very important.”
“I’m not important, so I’m playing like this?”
“....Are you kidding me?”
“Isn’t this a joke?”
It didn't make sense. Jimin held his forehead with his hand to keep himself from sighing, and the V boss finally met Jimin's eyes, throwing his phone towards the other sofa.
“But why do you want to deal drugs?”
“For our organization.”
“Hey, that’s so trivial. Don’t you have any more interesting stories?”
“....What's the funny story?”
“Um...like a dead end?”
“......”
“Oh, just kidding. Just kidding.”
“.....Then let’s begin.”
So Jimin put the white envelopes in front of him in front of the V Organization boss, and the V Organization boss also put a white envelope in front of Jimin.
“Oh, right.”
"yes?"
“Is your boss’s daughter that pretty?”
“.....!”
“Hmm... I’d like to see it once... but is that not possible?”
“....Please don’t speak carelessly.”
“Don’t be too angry.”
“That’s because you made me angry.”
“Um... So is it over now?”
“Okay, then I’ll take my leave.”
So Jimin put the white envelope in his black bag, gave a polite greeting, and left. The V organization boss, no, Kim Taehyung, saw that and laughed, then picked up the broken mirror under the sofa and checked his face.
“Fortunately, he was smiling.”
Taehyung touched the broken mirror and when he saw his own cracked lip, he squinted and scratched his lip very hard with his long fingernail.
“Ugh, it smells fishy.”
Taehyung roughly wiped the blood flowing from his lips with the back of his hand and checked his face again. The broken mirror reflected his face, as if it were a fragment of his own, and he smiled as he looked at it.
"It's fun."
The maddening smile of a psychopath.
"Should we go kill him now?"
****
"napa cabbage."
“Huh? Jju!”
“Hey….Do you have anything to eat?”
“Huh? You didn’t eat breakfast?”
“White porridge and a can of cola from earlier.”
“Crazy… Let’s go to the store later. This girl will buy it.”
"okay."
So, as I was putting my bag down on my seat and chatting with Joohyun, the back door suddenly opened and Jeon Jungkook came in.
“Huh? He’s a transfer student.”
"hi."
“Wow, your voice is also nice.”
The girls and boys quickly approached him as he entered, and he smiled and sat down next to me. Then, suddenly, a girl with heavy makeup climbed onto my desk, her buttocks resting on it. I squinted and pushed her away.
"ah!"
“Hey, don’t sit on my desk without permission.”
“Huh! You didn’t even apologize to Ana?”
“You were the one who climbed onto my desk first.”
“This, this… Jeong-gyeop… Seon-i was hit by Yeo-ju…”
“Good job.”"....huh?"
"I was already annoyed sitting at my desk. But I'm glad my deskmate pushed me."
“What are you talking about? I told you I was right.”
"What's so special about that? You were screaming all by yourself. I thought you were just dislocating your bones."
“......”
“So please don’t touch my partner.”
I ignored the girl and lay down. Before I knew it, he was talking. I hadn't expected this. I finally cursed quietly and stood up, and the others stared. Ignoring their stares, I took out the textbooks for today's class, and before I knew it, the teacher came in.
"Kids. Before class starts, I have something to tell you. Today, your homeroom teacher, who has been with you for five months, will be leaving for another school."
“Suddenly?”
“He said he was going because he had personal reasons.”
As the assistant homeroom teacher finished speaking, the homeroom teacher came in. With everyone's eyes fixed on him, the homeroom teacher spoke with a trembling mouth.
“It was fun being together for the past 5 months…and I hope everyone has a fun school life….”
The teacher, who should have been speaking calmly, spoke with trepidation, which made me a little puzzled. However, I heard applause, so I clapped along with him. As the bell rang, the assistant homeroom teacher left, and the children became noisy.
“Jju.”
"huh?"
“Doesn’t it seem a bit strange?”
"what?"
“No, it’s strange that that unlucky teacher suddenly left.”
“It must be due to personal reasons.”
“Still, it’s suspicious….”
That's when I was talking to Joohyun. Suddenly, a hand grabbed my shoulder, causing me to turn my head. As I turned, a cold air blew from my cheek, accompanied by the sound of carbonation.
“Hey, would you like some cola?”
".....jungkook jeon?"
I almost said, "You," but since it was school, I called him by his name, and he smiled as if he really liked it when I called him by his name.
“Did you call my name?”
“Oh... right..?”
“It’s so good, my lady.”
“Uh... okay….”
I opened a cola and drank it, and Jeon Jungkook was watching it again.
“Wow, what are those two?”
“What is it? Jeon Jungkook is looking at me.”
“Oh, you two have a love line?”
“Shit.”
“....”
“Oh, Jeon Jungkook is silent.”
“Get out, Joohyun.”
So I tossed the empty Coke can toward the trash can, and it clattered into the bin. I pursed my lips in delight. Then, looking at the first period, I squinted at the large word "math" written there.
“Hey! Our schedule has changed!”
“Physical education is in the first period!”
When I heard that it had changed to PE, I clenched my fists and took out my gym clothes from my bag, and the girls were already going to change into their gym clothes while chatting noisily.
“Hey, let’s go together, cabbage.”
“Well, that’s what it is.”
I linked arms with Joohyun and smiled as I spoke. Joohyun smiled back. I grabbed my brown gym uniform and headed to the girls' locker room, where the kids were all wearing their gym uniforms.
“Did you guys see how powerful Jeongguk was yesterday?”
“Yeah, you were so cool yesterday…”
“That’s right, yesterday… Huh? That’s the main character from yesterday!”
Just as I was quietly taking off my clothes, the kids pointed at me. I tried not to pay attention and just wore my gym top.
“Hey, Yeoju.”
"what."
“Do you remember yesterday?”
“What do you remember?”
“When you collapsed yesterday, Jungkook carried you out in his princess arms!”
".....what?"
“That was really awesome back then….”
A girl I didn't know suddenly approached me and started talking about Jeon Jungkook, and what she said was even more amazing.
“....What are you talking about?”
"You fell yesterday, right? But before you could hit the ground, Jungkook caught you, put his hand on your forehead, covered you with his school jacket, and then hugged you like a princess before asking the teacher for permission to leave! Wow, he was so powerful back then…"
“.....”
“Hey, tell me honestly. Are you dating Jungkook?”
“What are you talking about? Don’t say things like that.”
“Oh, no, it’s not real, but it looks like it is…”
“It’s class time now. Let’s go.”
I forcefully interrupted the girl, threw my uniform aside, and walked out of the locker room. A group of boys stood in front of me, smiling at me and then patting my shoulder.
“Hey hey.”
"what."
“I heard you’re dating Jeon Jungkook?”
".....what?"
“I asked and they said it was true?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
What the hell was this guy talking about? I wanted to go find him and grab him by the collar, but since it was school, I just kept looking for him. He happened to come out of the men's locker room, so I ran over, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him away.
“.....?”
“Follow me.”
“No, wait a minute, what…”
“If you don’t want to fall behind, shut up and follow me.”
I dragged him away like that. Cheers erupted here and there, and I cursed as I dragged him to a corner.
“Excuse me. Are you kidding me?”
"what?"
“Why are there rumors going around that you and I are dating?”
“Yeah. We’re really dating…”
“Shut up.”
“......Do you hate me?”
"of course."
"why?"
“You suddenly show up at me, your girlfriend is acting crazy, and the kids are talking about me. Do you know that you only do things I hate?”
“.....”
“And, I hate people like you from the start. How many times have I told you this?”
“.....”
“You always stick to me! You keep calling me your girlfriend!”
“.....”
“How I hate that kind of thing…”
“.....”
"I really hate false rumors spread by children. Especially about me."
“.....”
“I suffered for years because of that false rumor….”
“......”
“You’re making me suffer again just after I got out of there.”
“....”
“Now, please go. Please don’t pay attention to me.”
“.....”
“Treat me like I don’t exist!”
“Are you done talking now?”“.....!”
“I definitely gave you a chance. A quiet deal was made.”
“......”
“I won’t look after you anymore.”
“......”
“But you said you’d give me a week, so I’ll keep that promise.”
“.....”
“There are four days left, including today.”
“......”
“Hold on tight. I’ll see if you can find me.”
“....Should I fuck off?”
“From now on, I will pay attention to you as you wish.”
“......”
“Try it out.”
“.....”
“You will definitely be hanging on to me.”
“......”
"clearly."
“......”
“How do you feel when you’re alone? Aren’t you excited?”
"I'm really looking forward to it."
****
Taehyung raised the corners of his mouth as he looked at the large mansion before him. He smiled at the members of the organization in front of him, who trembled before being shot dead by one of Taehyung's members.
“Yeah, where is that boss?”
“Our organization says there is a standoff on the first floor.”
“Even though he’s 40, he’s still that skilled… Is he really the best boss in the country?”
“Come in.”
Taehyung twirled the dagger in his hand as he entered the mansion. The sound of swords slicing could be heard on the first floor. Taehyung entered the study, marveling at the house's neater design than he'd expected.
“Ugh….”
“Hmm….”
"you…!"
“You’re old now. You were so vibrant just 10 years ago…”
"this….!"
“Oh, is it because your wife was killed by our father?”
“Don’t talk nonsense about my wife!”
“Haha, I didn’t know you would react this quickly…”
“How dare someone like you…!”
“Calm down, calm down. Don’t you think my father is a good person too?”
"shut up!"
“I killed my father with my own hands, so I’ve said it all.”
“You bastard….”
"Hey, you're saying I'm a victim too? My father was the one who made me sit there and witness the torture as your wife died. Oh, and your daughter was there too?"
“.....”
“But, I can’t forget that face.”
“......What are you trying to say?”
“At that time, I felt a strange sense of joy when I saw my mother die and cried as if she had given up everything and was in despair.”
“.....”
“So, I want to see that sight again. Because I’m a bit of a psycho.”
“....Don’t touch our daughter.”
“Oh, of course I won’t touch your daughter. I won’t touch you.”
“.....”
“You said you had pulmonary fibrosis?”
“.....!”
“I think I’ll die a little more painfully if I’m going to die anyway.”
“......”
“But your daughter won’t die, right?”
Taehyung laughed and stabbed Lee Sung-ryong in the stomach, who collapsed, coughing up blood. Taehyung quietly looked down at the blood, then grinned. After roughly wiping it away, Taehyung gestured to his gang members.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you taking me with you?”
Take me to 'that place'.
*****
As the few periods passed, he didn't even glance at me. Of course, I liked it, but for some reason, I kept scratching at my wooden desk, feeling uneasy. He chatted with the girls during every break, and even Joohyun talked to him, so no one talked to me.
I felt like I was alone.
‘I’m really looking forward to it.’
Was his words becoming true? Feeling inexplicably depressed, I scribbled on my notebook. Just as I was scribbling, the bell rang, forcing me to tear up the paper I'd scribbled on.
"today-"
I didn't pay any attention to what the teacher said. I was just completely focused on him. If he'd just give me a little attention... What should I do then? No, why should I care about him? It was actually a good thing. Joohyun could hang out with me after school, and he was used to being alone, so it didn't matter. Yes, he was more comfortable alone. I forced myself to think, staring intently at my textbook, and then... familiar memories came flooding back.
‘Why does he always go out alone?’
‘He’s a jerk. And he’s a jerk who lost his mother.’
Oh, really?
The laughter of girls. And the laughter of boys. All of this mixed together in a dark classroom. No, only for me, the classroom was dark. I wasn't light, I was darkness, and I was the butt of children's ridicule.
‘I ended up doing that.’
‘It’s embarrassing.’
Now that I think about it, these words were familiar. No, I've always been used to hearing these words. Yes. Familiar. I live with my textbooks torn up all the time. But why? This is normal. I've always lived as a dirty, ugly, and rude person because I didn't have a mother.
‘Aren’t you excited to feel what it’ll be like to be alone?’
Now that I'm alone, from now on, I'll always be alone. It doesn't matter. If the kids laugh at me, I can ignore them and just cry in my room. Yeah, that's fine. But... why me?
Do I have to be alone?
Why me? Did I do something wrong? No. I was just left alone by a 'false rumor.' I did nothing wrong. That's right. I absolutely did nothing wrong.
"-main."
I bit my fingernails and continued to move the pencil quickly across my notebook. Someone grabbed my hand, but I swatted it away and continued to move. Eventually, I moved the pencil so hard that it scratched my left hand, which was next to me, and blood flowed.
“Hey, Yeoju!”
His words brought me back to my senses, and everyone was staring at me. I was so frightened by it that I looked at the children with fearful eyes, and they looked at me strangely.
“You, what are you doing?”
"iced coffee…."
“What are you doing!”
“Don’t come any closer!”
“......”
“Don’t look at me like that…”
“.....”
“Don’t look at me with contempt…”
“.....”
“Me….Me….!”
As I lifted the pencil into the air, someone suddenly grabbed my arm, knocking the pencil away. Then, someone embraced me. Suddenly, my vision was obscured, and I struggled, but the more I struggled, the tighter the embrace.
"Sorry."
“.....”
“I should have been more careful.”
“......”
“You acted without thinking about what happened to you.”
“.....”
“I’m really sorry.”
My vision grew blurry, and tears began to cloud my vision. Eventually, I burst into tears, and the children, panicked, finally sat still at the teacher's scolding.
“I don’t know what happened to Yeoju, but for now, Jeongguk will take her to the infirmary, and the rest of the kids will finish studying.”
"yes-"
So I hugged him and started crying, and he ran to the infirmary to comfort me as I cried.
"hurry-"
“Teacher, please take a look at Yeoju’s arm.”
“What? What arm… What is it? Why is he like this?!”
The doctor sat me down and began examining my arm. It was already bleeding profusely, so he quickly applied gauze to stop the bleeding and then began applying ointment.
“Why did you touch the knife?”
“The female protagonist harmed herself.”
"....what?"
“Let’s talk about that later and get treatment quickly.”
"okay."
So the teacher wrapped my arm in a bandage and secured it with something, and only then did I cry even more sadly as my arm began to hurt.
“Ugh… My arm hurts… Ugh…”
"Hold on a second. Oh, and Jeongguk, this is a health room pass. You go get it from the teachers on Yeoju's behalf."
"yes."
So, Jeon Jungkook left the infirmary, and the teacher took me to the bed, laid me down, covered me with a blanket, and continued speaking.
“There’s so much bleeding in your arm right now, I think you should go to the hospital.”
“.....”
“Don’t you know how dangerous it is to harm yourself?”
“.....”
"The more severe the self-harm, the more severe the side effects. People like you who self-harmed on their arms might have difficulty bending their arms or their fingers might become numb."
“.....”
“So don’t do that again next time.”
The teacher spoke with a murderous expression I had never seen before, and I ended up speaking while choking up.
"teacher…."
"why."
“My...my heart hurts so much…”
“.....”
“My heart feels like it’s going to burst, but no one is cheering me on.”
“......”
“Even though I’m in so much pain, people keep trying harder.”
“.....”
“I’ve reached my limit and everyone is making demands on me.”
“.....”
“Teacher… please save me…”
“....This lady.”
“I don’t want to do it, but… but….”
“There is no one in this world who does not get sick.”
“......”
“But there are countless people in this world who are even more sick.”
“.....”
“I don’t know if what I’m saying will be of any help.”
“......”
“I’ll tell you anyway.”
The teacher continued speaking with a very serious expression, and I looked at the teacher with a calm mind.
"I've been sick myself, so I can't tell you to cheer up when you're really sick. It's hard, it's painful."
“.....”
"I want to say it's okay, I want to say it's okay even if it hurts."
“.....”
"You will surely learn something from it, and there will come a time when you will view that pain as a beautiful gift."
“......”
"Because people in the despair of pain struggle to find happiness within it."
“......”
"Your body. My heart. It's just asking you to leave and find happiness."
“.....”
"That's why you're sick for a little while. That's why you're okay now."
“......”
"You will find greater happiness than those who are not sick, and you will say that you are happy because you were sick."
“......”
“So, I believe that you will be even happier, and from now on, please be in pain with a good heart and a happy heart.”
“......”
"Because that's really all there is to pain."“But… I… every time… prayed that it would all be washed away…”
“.....”
“No one grants my wishes.”
“.....”
“I just wanted to ask you to be happy, just once, just once…”
“My lady.”
“.....”
“There is no one who does not make a wish.”
“.....”
“If your wish is to be happy and wonderful.”
“.....”
“It’s not too late to start working hard now.”
“....”
“For those wonderful wishes, those wonderful fortunes, to come to you, you have to hope to overcome those limitations, you have to hope to overcome those moments of laziness.”
“So, before you make that wish come true, cry as much as you want.”
“Because crying is a way to convey your feelings to everyone.”
****
Taehyung was smiling, looking at his phone in front of him. Lee Sung-ryong was continuing to hit him with a wooden stick, and Taehyung seemed to enjoy it.
“Ah… this isn’t fun anymore.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I just wish that kid would come quickly.”
Taehyung stuck a dagger into the wall, and one of the gang members flinched before returning to focusing on beating Lee Seong-ryong.
"Aren't you being too stubborn? You'll get hit more if you do that anyway."
“Yeoju…”
“Don’t worry, sir. The child will come now.”
“The heroine…”
“Ah, I’m already looking forward to it.”
Taehyung looked at the warehouse that was getting darker and darker and laughed, and in the end, Taehyung's crazy smile made the warehouse even more frozen.
“If you approach that child to condemn all these sins.”
“Will light come to me too?”
"no,"
“I wish all this light could turn into darkness, because then light would not exist.”
“Isn’t that so?”
"-brother."