Chapter 401: Solving It (1)

“What a f*cking loser...!” Yoo Da-Bin swore in unhappiness while glaring at Han Jin-Seong. That stinking little orphan was entering the classroom while awkwardly waving his hand as if he was someone famous.

“F*cking hell.. I don't get why everyone's losing their shit for some stupid celebrity like Choi Yeon-Ha. Do they think that woman will suddenly hold their hands if they do that?”

To Yoo Da-Bin's eyes, every single one of his classmates had lost their marbles.

It felt like the entire class was now revolving around Han Jin-Seong post-Choi Yeon-Ha's visit. Seeing all the spotlights focusing on that dumb little shit was getting on Yoo Da-Bin's nerves like there was no tomorrow!

Because of Choi Su-Han, who proclaimed himself a diehard Choi Yeon-Ha stan despite looking like an extra from the Planet of the Apes, Yoo Da-Bin couldn't even peep a word out. However, Choi Su-Han hadn't stopped by Yoo Da-Bin's and Han Jin-Seong's class today.

“Nice. Now I'm gonna f*ck you up real good.” Yoo Da-Bin licked his lip like a snake.

But then, Bak Dong-Wuk sitting next to him hurriedly grabbed Yoo Da-Bin's shoulder. “Hey, man! What are you doing?”

“I'm gonna wreck that stupid b*tch.”

“What? Who? You mean Jin-Seong?”

“Yeah. What? Is something wrong?”

“N-no, not exactly, but.. Nothing is wrong, but..” Bak Dong-Wuk made an unsure expression while fidgeting nervously.

Yoo Da-Bin tutted loudly. “Uh-whew, you f*cking coward. You think Choi Yeon-Ha's gonna smooch you or something if you act like a simp?”

“That's not what I'm saying, man. F*ck! It's not that, but.. Hmm..”

“Okay? I'm listening.”

Bak Dong-Wuk hesitated again. After that day, bullying Han Jin-Seong didn't feel quite right for some weird reason. He couldn't explicitly explain why, either. In the past, they could casually hit or bully Han Jin-Seong for fun, but now... How should he describe this feeling?

'F*ck! I can't explain it!'

Yoo Da-Bin lost his patience with Bak Dong-Wuk's time-wasting and shot up to his feet. “That's enough, idiot. I'll do it myself. So, enjoy the show, you coward.”

Even before Bak Dong-Wuk could stop him, Yoo Da-Bin unhesitantly walked over to Han Jin-Seong.

Bak Dong-Wuk plopped back in his seat after realizing he didn't have a good enough reason or pretext to stop his buddy. “Urgh, dammit..”

Even so, he couldn't get rid of this weird, uneasy feeling in his head.

Yoo Da-Bin stood before Han Jin-Seong and abruptly called out. “Hey, you!”

“...Ng?” Han Jin-Seong, still sitting on his chair, looked up dazedly.

Without any warning, Yoo Da-Bin kicked Han Jin-Seong in the chest.

Baaaang!

The sudden attack shoved Han Jin-Seong, and he tumbled to the floor along with his desk.

“What was that? Hah? You little piece of shit? Say that again?” Yoo Da-Bin kicked Han Jin-Seong two more times before spitting on the floor. “You thought you were on top of the world, eh? F*cking hell! Is this why they say you gotta live long to see all kinds of weird shits in this world? A little shit like you think he's the king just because a celeb showed up to school? Listen, you shit, you think things will change for you because of that?”

Han Jin-Seong couldn't reply. The kick had landed accurately on his sternum, forcing all the air out of his lungs, so he could only hold his chest and wheeze painfully.

“A little punk like you wanna show off if you're some hot shit? F*ck! You should be ashamed of yourself, okay? And you lot, too! You should be embarrassed, too!” Yoo Da-Bin swept his glare across the entire class, and the students hurriedly lowered their heads to avoid meeting eyes with him.

“Hah, f*ck...!” Yoo Da-Bin turned his attention back to Han Jin-Seong as the latter finally regained his breathing. Then, he kicked Han Jin-Seong again. “You smelly piece of shit! You thought you were having fun, didn't you? Eh?”

Smack!

The kick landed in Han Jin-Seong's stomach this time.

“F*ck. How dare a stinking little orphan thinks he's some hot shit in front of me! You! You better consider yourself dead, got that? Cuz I'm gonna make sure you kill yourself before you graduate, okay? If you don't like it, die or transfer, you hear me?! I promise you, I'm gonna f*ck you up whenever I clap my eyes on you!”

Yoo Da-Bin loudly gritted his teeth. By beating Han Jin-Seong like this, Choi Su-Han shouldn't have a pretext to retaliate later. After all, Yoo Da-Bin was only beating up some stinking punk who had been trying too hard to show off.

Besides, if Choi Su-Han tried to stand up for this little orphan punk, he'd lose face in front of others, too. So, he probably wouldn't go that far.

Slam!

That was when the classroom's rear door was slammed wide open. Yoo Da-Bin reflexively stopped kicking and looked behind him.

'Uh?' The first reveal of this chapter happened through N//0/vel-Biiin.

Why was that guy here?

Dong-Min 'hyung' from the senior year had shown up for some reason, even though he should be busy preparing for the entrance exams. Right up until last year, Kim Dong-Min used to let his violent temper get the best of him and half-killed lots of guys getting on his nerves. Lately, though, he said he was turning a new leaf to study seriously, so the things in school had largely quietened down, giving some breathing room to other thugs in school, but now...!

Kim Dong-Min scanned the class before spotting Han Jin-Seong and Yoo Da-Bin. However, his gaze didn't linger for long, and he continued to scan the classroom. “Who's Han Jin-Seong?”

No one replied.

“I said, who is he?”

“...”

Veins bulged on Kim Dong-Min's forehead.

Bang!

He suddenly kicked a nearby locker, easily smashing its door apart, then loudly yelled into the classroom. “Are you all f*cking deaf or something! Who the f*ck is Han Jin-Seong?!”

One of the boys finally raised his hand. “I-it's him...!”

“Who?!”

“T-that kid..”

“...” Kim Dong-Min followed the boy's pointing finger and stared at Han Jin-Seong on the floor before rubbing his eyes fast. “...Okay, so. That kid?”

“Yes.”

“The kid getting kicked the living shit out of him?”

No one replied. However, Kim Dong-Min wasn't expecting an answer, anyway. He rubbed his face again before groaning loudly.

“...Yoo Da-Bin.”

“...Y-yes, hyung.”

“Stop hurting that boy, and..” Kim Dong-Min's groan deepened. It was so heavy that the ground beneath seemed to be caving in. He shook his head and glared at Yoo Da-Bin. “You two, stay behind after school's over.”

“...Sorry?”

“I said, stay behind after school, you little f*cker.”

“...!”

“And I'm warning you, don't hurt that brat again.” Kim Dong-Min grunted before turning around to head toward the exit.

However, Yoo Da-Bin reflexively asked a question first. “E-excuse me, but.. Dong-Min hyung?”

“What now?”

“Did I do something wrong?”

Kim Dong-Min shook his head. “Nah. It's not that. Someone was looking for that brat, that's all.”

“Oh, okay.”

Once Kim Dong-Min left, Yoo Da-Bin started glaring at Han Jin-Seong again, his eyes burning in annoyance. “...You piece of shit!”

Yoo Da-Bin suddenly picked up a nearby chair and threw it at Han Jin-Seong. The chair hit Han Jin-Seong's face at an angle, causing his lips to burst. Crimson blood quickly trickled down his chin.

Yoo Da-Bin snarled like a beast. “F*ck.. You better not go around with blood on your face and tell everyone that someone hit you. You hear me, you f*ck?”

“O-okay..” Han Jin-Seong's head faltered.

Yoo Da-Bin spat on the floor in irritation while heading back to his seat.

Bak Dong-Wuk leaned in closer when Yoo Da-Bin sat down on his chair. “Hey man, why was Dong-Min hyung looking for Jin-Seong?”

“Who knows. Or cares?” Yoo Da-Bin rested his legs on top of his desk while jerking his head back. “What does he want from me, anyway? He wants Jin-Seong, so why does he want me to stay behind, too?”

“...Can you guess why Dong-Min hyung wants to see that brat?”

“Who cares! Maybe he wants Choi Yeon-Ha's autograph or something. That f*cker is only good for shit like that, anyway,” Yoo Da-Bin grunted in unhappiness. “Argh, I don't give a shit. We'll see when the time comes.”

Yoo Da-Bin's glare locked on Han Jin-Seong as the latter staggered back to his feet and tried to fix his desk.

“And you lot...! Behave yourselves properly, or else! Don't let some stinking f*ck show off.”

Yoo Da-Bin glared at the rest of the class. No one dared to reply, simply choosing to look away. But that was already enough to satisfy Yoo Da-Bin.

If he repeated a similar treatment for the next two days, things in the classroom should return to normal. Return to the 'peaceful' days, so to speak.

However, Yoo Da-Bin had no idea. He didn't know what kind of a mistake he had made just now.

***

Kim Dong-Min quietly asked, “What's the matter with that brat's face?”

Yoo Da-Bin clamped his mouth shut.

“...Did you hit him again?” Kim Dong-Min began frowning at Yoo Da-Bin.

“N-no.. His face looked like that already.”

“Listen here, you dipshit,” Kim Dong-Min began glaring murderously. “F*cking little punk, you think you're smart? You think I'm f*cking blind or something? I saw that brat's face before leaving, you dipshit! You.. You think you can lie to me? Is that it, you piece of shit?!”

“...No, hyung.”

“You... Urgh, goddamn it!” Kim Dong-Min scratched his head angrily. “Uwaaaah! You thoughtless little f*ck!”

Yoo Da-Bin couldn't understand Kim Dong-Min's reaction. This wasn't a big deal, so why was Kim Dong-Min losing his sh*t like that?

Besides, Kim Dong-Min's reaction didn't seem to be one of anger. Not even irritation, either. It was as if.. As if he was scared?

“I.. You.. Awwooo.. You...!” Kim Dong-Min seemed to have something he wanted to say. However, he chose to glare murderously at Yoo Da-Bin instead. His glare was so intense that Yoo Da-Bin thought he might get beaten up to death soon!

“H-hey, Dong-Min! Why are you overreacting, man?”

“Didn't you call these brats to re-educate them or something? What's gotten into you?”

When other third-years tried to stop Kim Dong-Min, he shoved all the hands grabbing his shoulders and yelled at them. “F*cking hell! That's because Hyeok-Tae hyung said he wanted to see the face of his little bro today. Today! And that little bro is this Han Jin-Seong!”

“...Say what? Hyeok-Tae hyung?”

“Yeah!”

“F-f*ck, doesn't that mean we're all f*cked?”

“Shit..” Kim Dong-Min squatted on the ground as if he couldn't be bothered to talk anymore.

'...Hyeok-Tae hyung?'

Yoo Da-Bin froze stiff like a stone statue at the mention of Jo Hyeok-Tae.

The truth was that most school bullies were nothing more than unruly kids venting steam. They wouldn't break the law or go overboard with their violence. After all, they weren't insane or thoughtless idiots, to begin with.

However, there were some who would cross the line. These 'kids' cared little about protecting themselves with the wall called 'Being a Student'. No, they would actively kick that wall aside and throw themselves into a life of violence.

If the former group of bullies was neighborhood hooligans, the latter group would be classified as gangsters. Members of organized crime, as it were.

And Jo Hyeok-Tae belonged to the latter group. He was two years older than Yoo Da-Bin. So, one year older than Kim Dong-Min.

When Jo Hyeok-Tae was still attending school, the so-called school bullies didn't even dare to breathe too loudly. Such was his reign of terror that bullies spent most of their days behaving themselves to not piss Jo Hyeok-Tae off.

And now...!

'...This orphan f*ck is Hyeok-Tae hyung's little bro?!'

Yoo Da-Bin sucked in a deep breath. No, that had to be wrong. A mistake, maybe!

Because such a thing didn't make any sense. First of all, their surnames were different. And, if Han Jin-Seong was really Jo Hyeok-Tae's little bro, why would the latter not do anything after all that bullying in school? Just one word from Jo Hyeok-Tae would've been enough for the bullies to get sent to hospitals with broken bones.

'N-no, before all that...! Hyeok-Tae hyung was still attending our school when I was a freshman, so...! So what kinda bullshit is this?!'

If shit is?about to hit the fan, why didn't it happen back then?!

“H-hey, man... Isn't that Hyeok-Tae hyung?”

The high school boys began shuddering fearfully when the blinding light from a motorbike bathed their concrete surroundings.

The bike instantly closed the distance while letting out a deafening rumble from its engine.

Screeeech!

The bike came to a sharp stop as the ear-piercing brake noise stabbed into the boys' ears. Its rider leisurely got off the bike and stood tall to reveal his height, which was at least one head taller than average males.

“Greetings, big bro!”

“Hyung! Greetings!”

Jo Hyeok-Tae scanned the boys busy bowing their heads at him, then took his helmet off and hung it on the bike's handlebar. “Been a while, boys.”

“Yes, hyung!”

“Have you been well?”

“Yes, hyung!”

Jo Hyeok-Tae slowly nodded before wiping his jaw. When everyone saw all the hardened skin on his hand, which was already twice as large as most people's, they froze stiff, their bladders suddenly needing a release.

“Okay, so.. The reason I called you out like this is.. Well, it's nothing major. I just wanted to give you all a heads-up, see? Okay, did you bring that kid with you? What was his name again...? Argh, goddamn it. Me and my rocks for brains! Hey, Kim Dong-Min, what was the name of that brat again?”

“...It's Han Jin-Seong, hyung.”

“Right, right, Han Jin-Seong. Did you bring him, then?”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Okay? Who is it?”

Everyone's gaze slowly drifted toward Han Jin-Seong at the back. Han Jin-Seong could only stare back at Jo Hyeok-Tae in a daze.

Jo Hyeok-Tae cocked his brow. “Are you Han Jin-Seong?”

“...Yes.”

“You? Really?”

“Yes, I am..”

“What the f*ck...? What's wrong with your face, brat?”

“...”

Jo Hyeok-Tae chuckled hollowly. “Hey, Dong-Min.”

Kim Dong-Min grimaced while responding, “Yes, hyung.”

“You know why I called you guys here today?”

“No, hyung.”

“...See, I was thinking of telling you that fun things will be in store for any stupid punk daring to touch even a hair on this kid.”

“...!” Kim Dong-Min's complexion was drained of all color in an instant.

“But now, looks like someone's saved me some time, eh?” Jo Hyeok-Tae smirked eerily. “I mean, I can just demonstrate it now, right? Right? That's the fastest and surest way, riiight? Dong-Min, why don't I start off with you, you piece of shit!”

The atmosphere rapidly plunged into an icy Hell.