Chapter 2 – Wounds and Betrayal
The afternoon sun shone on the bustling schoolyard. Graduation day had finally arrived.
The cheers of students could be heard; some were laughing, some were hugging, and some were crying with joy.
In a corner of the school, Ji Hoon sat lost in thought, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief.
"Finally... it's all over. I won't have to see Taejin and his gang's faces anymore," he thought, letting out a long sigh.
However, that feeling of relief didn't last long. On his way home from school, his steps faltered. From the end of the street, the person he most wanted to avoid appeared with several others.
Kim Taejin.
Taejin stood with a cunning smile, flanked by two of his cronies.
"Well, look who's here. The coward who finally graduated, too," he said, clapping his hands as if welcoming Ji Hoon.
Ji Hoon took a step back, but two people immediately cut him off from behind.
"Where are you going, trying to run away? Huh?"
Geon Woo, his friend who often shared the same fate, was also dragged in. Both of them were forced into a dark, narrow alley.
Taejin kicked Ji Hoon into the wall. The sound of his body hitting the bricks echoed.
"Did you think graduating would get you away from me? Huh?!" Taejin punched Ji Hoon in the stomach.
Geon Woo tried to fight back but was immediately knocked down.
"Shut up, dog! The two of you are our puppets!"
After he was satisfied with the torment, Taejin smiled faintly.
"But I need something. You two… steal some cigarettes from that corner store. If you fail, you know the consequences."
That night, Ji Hoon and Geon Woo stood in front of the small store. The neon lights flickered, and an old shopkeeper sat behind the cash register.
Geon Woo whispered, "Okay, you create a distraction. I'll grab them."
Ji Hoon swallowed, then went in, pretending to browse instant noodles. He deliberately knocked over some items.
"Ah, sorry, sir, I dropped these."
While the shopkeeper was busy picking them up, Geon Woo slipped several packs of cigarettes into his jacket. But just as he was about to leave—
"HEY! What are you two doing?!" the shopkeeper shouted.
They immediately ran as fast as they could. Their breaths were ragged, their steps were fast, and the shopkeeper's shouts grew fainter behind them.
"Hah… hah… we did it," Geon Woo said, letting out a small laugh.
They returned to Taejin, handing over the stolen goods. Taejin looked at the packs of cigarettes with a satisfied smile.
"Good… looks like you two are useful after all."
But suddenly— CRACK!
Taejin struck Ji Hoon's head hard.
"You think you're free with this? You're trash!"
As blow after blow was delivered, a loud voice was heard.
"STOP!!!"
A middle-aged woman ran up, her eyes wide.
It was Ji Hoon's mother.
"My son!!!" She ran and hugged the battered Ji Hoon.
"What do you think you're doing?! You shameless scoundrels! Beating my son in front of his mother?!"
Taejin chuckled, "Oh, so this is the coward's mother? No wonder her son is weak, look at his mother. Hahaha!"
"How dare you!!!" the mother screamed, but Taejin's gang only laughed at her.
Fortunately, a police siren was heard. Two patrol officers arrived.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!"
Taejin and his gang panicked, immediately fleeing before they could be caught.
Ji Hoon fell to a sitting position, his mother crying and hugging him tightly.
"I'm sorry, son… I came too late…"
With a hoarse voice, Ji Hoon could only whisper, "I… should be the one to apologize, Mom…"
That night, during dinner, the atmosphere was silent. His mother looked at Ji Hoon's face, which was full of wounds.
"Ji Hoon… if you keep living here, you'll never be free. They will keep hurting you."
Ji Hoon lowered his head, gripping his spoon tightly. "Mom…"
His mother took a deep breath. "Listen to me. You have to move to Seoul. I will work as hard as I can to support you. You can start a new life there."
Ji Hoon was silent for a long time, then tears fell from his eyes. He ran and hugged his mother tightly.
"Mom… thank you… I promise… I'll change there…"
The next day, before his departure for Seoul, Ji Hoon received a text message from Geon Woo.
"Meet me in the old alley. There's something I want to talk about before you leave."
Out of curiosity, Ji Hoon went. But when he arrived, his face froze.
Geon Woo was standing there… with Taejin and his gang.
"Geon Woo… what is the meaning of this?" Ji Hoon asked with a trembling voice.
Geon Woo looked down, not daring to meet his gaze.
"I'm sorry… I didn't have a choice…"
"You traitor!!!" Ji Hoon screamed.
Taejin immediately grabbed the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the wall.
"You think you can just run away to Seoul in peace?! Today, you're going to learn, Ji Hoon!"
Blow after brutal, merciless blow landed. Blood dripped from Ji Hoon's lip. Between the punches, he looked at Geon Woo, who just stood there, trembling in fear.
At that moment, something inside Ji Hoon's heart cracked.
He whispered softly, "From today on… I will never trust anyone again…"
The next day, Ji Hoon boarded a bus to Seoul. His mother waved goodbye with a bittersweet smile.
Ji Hoon stared out the window, his face full of wounds and his eyes swollen.
"Seoul… I hope I can truly be free there."
But deep down, he didn't know that Seoul held hell and monsters… that might be far more terrifying than Kim Taejin.
🎬To Be Continued....?