WebNovels

Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: "The Art of Provocation"**

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> **"He doesn't fight because he wants to win. He fights because it makes the world quiet again."**

> — Kim Suhyeon, Observation Log

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### **\[1] — Restless Calm**

Jungho didn't sleep much that week.

Not because he was afraid. He simply couldn't *rest.*

His body remained still—reclined on the floor, eyes closed. But his mind? It kept replaying that rooftop conversation with Baekho over and over again.

Baekho hadn't threatened him.

Baekho hadn't insulted him.

Baekho had done the one thing that truly irritated him:

**He smiled like he knew him.**

And Jungho hated that.

More than anything.

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### **\[2] — Suhyeon's Analysis**

Kim Suhyeon sat in the library, staring at a whiteboard filled with profiles. Daniel, Vasco, Logan, even Eli. And now\...

"Yoo Baekho."

He added the name beneath Jungho's, connecting it with a red marker.

"This guy's no system holder. No gang record. But he's disrupting *everything.*"

Jay walked in quietly and handed Suhyeon a USB drive.

"Security footage from behind the alley on Wednesday. You won't like it."

Suhyeon watched it.

Jungho. Calm.

Six attackers.

Then—*violence.*

Limbs bent the wrong way. Bones cracked like twigs. No wasted movement.

Jungho fought like a *reaper.*

And above?

Baekho.

Watching.

Clapping.

Suhyeon whispered, "What the hell is he trying to create?"

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### **\[3] — Quiet Before the Shatter**

Lunchtime, three days later.

Jungho sat on the third-floor stairwell, biting into a lukewarm kimbap.

Daniel joined him.

"He's not letting up, is he?"

Jungho didn't answer.

Daniel sighed. "You know he's trying to get into your head."

"He's already inside."

Daniel blinked. "Wait, what?"

Jungho turned to face him. "That's the thing. He isn't forcing his way in. He walked in like the door was always open."

Daniel looked down. "That... sounds dangerous."

Jungho finished his food, stood up, and stretched.

"It is."

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### **\[4] — Provocation Begins**

It started small.

Baekho began hanging around the students Jungho tolerated.

Not friends. Jungho didn't have those.

But people who knew to leave him alone.

Baekho sat near them in class. Ate near them. Walked them to the gates.

He never said Jungho's name.

But every action screamed: *Look, I'm replacing you.*

Jungho didn't react.

Until Baekho stepped into the music room.

Where Jiwoo—a quiet girl who sometimes lent Jungho manga—was practicing piano.

Baekho leaned against the wall, watching her play.

Then he spoke.

"You're very talented. I see why Seo Jungho enjoys your company."

Jiwoo smiled nervously. "He doesn't talk much. But he's kind. In his own way."

Baekho's smile turned sharper. "Kind? You sure?"

Then he left.

Later that night, Jiwoo found her locker trashed. Her piano keys broken.

She told no one.

But Jungho knew.

And when he walked home that night, he didn't wear headphones.

He wanted to *hear* them coming.

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### **\[5] — The Steel Trap**

They attacked near the bridge.

Four this time.

All wielding steel pipes.

Jungho didn't let them speak.

One moved.

Jungho grabbed his wrist.

*Crack.*

The rest screamed.

Two minutes.

Three unconscious.

One dangling over the bridge railing, begging.

"WHO SENT YOU?!"

The kid cried, "Baekho! Baekho said it was a *test!*"

Jungho dropped him.

Only for the boy to land on a pile of trash bags.

Alive.

Barely.

Jungho turned.

And Baekho stood across the street, under a flickering lamppost.

Smiling.

Clapping again.

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### **\[6] — Unraveling**

Suhyeon snapped his pen.

"This isn't a feud. This is *experimentation.*"

Daniel asked, "On who?"

Suhyeon slammed a hand on the table.

"On Jungho. On *us.* On the whole damn food chain. Yoo Baekho's testing reactions. Response times. Loyalty. *Boundaries.*"

Jay added, "He's not aiming to win. He's aiming to *unravel.*"

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### **\[7] — Maniacal Resurgence**

Sunday.

Jungho found Baekho waiting outside the closed gym.

Baekho tossed him a sports drink.

"You ever play basketball?"

Jungho caught it.

"Once. The ball broke."

Baekho laughed.

"You intrigue me, Jungho. You don't crave anything. Not respect. Not attention. Not even *peace.* So why do you still exist?"

Jungho stepped closer.

"Because people like you keep trying to see what happens when I get serious."

Baekho's smile faltered. Just for a moment.

Then returned.

"Let's find out together."

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### **\[8] — Next Target**

That night, Baekho met a man in a silver car.

A former boxer. Now a thug-for-hire.

Baekho handed him a photo.

Jiwoo.

"Scare her. Don't touch her. I want to see his reaction."

The boxer frowned. "Isn't that risky?"

Baekho leaned in.

"Of course. That's the point."

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### **\[9] — The Moment Before Madness**

Jungho stood on the school roof the next morning.

He didn't blink. Didn't breathe hard.

But his fingers twitched.

Jiwoo hadn't come to school.

And something inside Jungho was shifting.

Like plates beneath the earth.

*Grind. Grind. Grind.*

Not yet an explosion.

But close.

Very close.

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