Meanwhile, on the bus, Seong Heejun stood wedged between commuters, one hand gripping the rail, the other glued to his phone. He tried calling Park Dong again still no answer.
"Shit… why aren't you picking up?" he muttered, jaw tightening.
Since morning, Park Dong had refused to answer every single call. A sinking, ugly feeling crawled into Heejun stomach.
Pick up… answer the phone, you bastards!!I swear, you guys better not be making a fucking mess…!!
He stabbed the call button again, but the ring felt colder every time.
Earlier, at Gudal Tech High.
Heejun and his friends stood with their heads bowed, too scared to look up at the senior towering in front of them.
"Sangji High… what's his name again?" the senior asked lazily.
Heejun swallowed hard. "U-umm, hyung… it's just a fight between friends… you don't need to get involved…"
The senior took a slow drag from his cigarette, exhaling smoke right into their silence.
"Don't bullshit me, you little punk. What kind of 'friend' beats someone this bad?"
Heejun couldn't answer. The bruised, bandage, swollen face of his are in full display of what he went through with the so called fight between friends.
The senior turned to the guys behind him. "Anyone got the number of that brat from Sangji High?"
"I got it," someone said.
Heejun flinched, panic rising. He stepped forward quickly.
"H-hyung, I'll handle it myself… it's not really a big deal.."
The senior sighed, flicking ash off his cigarette.
"If my boys are the ones getting beat up, and I say I'll deal with it, you got a problem with that?"
Heejun froze, looking up at him. There was no room for argument not with him.
Standing before them was
Gudal Tech's top dog: Lee Changbeom. (2nd year)
*********
Back at the park, everyone stared at Park Dong. They already expected him to lose and that expectation was proving painfully correct.
Park Dong was on his knees, blood dripping from his nose as he clutched it with both hands. His breath trembled.
Chulgyu looked down at him with a disappointed scoff. "Honestly? I'm surprised. Didn't think someone who used to be kind of a big deal at Naguk Middle was this bad at fighting. "He tilted his head. "Then again… you were never the fighting type, were you?"
Park Dong, still clutching his nose, glared up."…What the hell are you mumbling?"
He suddenly swung his leg, trying to kick Chulgyu's ankle. "This ain't over yet, motherfucker!!"
But Chulgyu effortlessly dodged, lifted his foot, and kicked Park Dong straight in the face.
"Idiot."
Park Dong collapsed onto his back with a grunt. Chulgyu sat down beside him, almost casually.
"People like you piss me off."
"If you're this bad, don't stand in the way. You act tough this is what happens."
He forced himself to stand, then crouched down again at Park Dong's level.
"What'd you say on the phone earlier?" he asked quietly.
Park Dong tensed.
Chulgyu slapped him. "'Son of a bitch,' right?"
Another slap. "Weak little shit,' wasn't it?"
He leaned closer. "Come on. Answer me."
He kept slapping sharp, mocking, rhythmic.
"Come on, answer me, you punk. Haha"
"Hey!" Daegyu yelled, fists trembling.
Both he and Jisung gritted their teeth as the slaps continued.
Chulgyu lifted his palm again, and Park Dong flinched hard. This made Chulgyu burst into laughter.
"Damn, you really are nothing, dude. Hahaha! I haven't even hit you yet, Dong-ah~"
He kept mocking him. "So adorable."
Daegyu stepped forward ."C-Chulgyu… we're sorry we lost, okay…? Just stop already"
Chulgyu stood up and faced him slowly. "What?"
Then he slammed his elbow straight into Daegyu's face.
"What do you mean 'stop'?"
Daegyu hit the ground clutching his cheek. "Ugh!"
"You guys are hilarious," Chulgyu said, amused.
Jisung backed away, sensing something terrible was coming. Sweat streamed down his forehead.
Chulgyu leaned right into his face. "Didn't I say I'd tear you all apart, you fuckers?"
Then the beating started merciless, echoing through the empty park. A loud smack, then another, then another.
"You're all going home half-broken today. Get ready."
Yang Jinsu looked away, unable to watch them being treated like this… yet unable to say a word.
Park Dong watched Daegyu and Jiseong getting beaten, each blow echoing through the empty back lot. His vision blurred, but not from the blood shame burned hotter than any pain.
It stings… I never even thought about being good at fighting. Not once. I just wanted to be kinda popular… to be a reasonably decent guy…This is so humiliating…
A rough hand grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head up.
"Worthless piece of shit," Chulgyu hissed. "Hey. Get up."
Park Dong managed to stand, swaying. Chulgyu looked up at him with a mocking grin.
"From now on, consider yourself gone from this neighborhood. Got it? If I see you again, I'm beating your ass every single time. So keep out of my"
Park Dong didn't hear the rest. Or maybe he did he just didn't care anymore.
He swung.
His fist connected flush with Chulgyu's cheek. A clean, sharp hit. The kind of hit he never thought he had in him.
Chulgyu's head snapped to the side.
Park Dong let out a shaky laugh. "Heh… hehehehe… hit you right in the face."
Chulgyu slowly turned his head back, touching his cheek. His eyes locked onto Park Dong's smug, defiant grin.
Then Chulgyu's fist buried itself in Park Dong's stomach.
"Son of a bitch…"
"Guhk!!"
The air exploded from Park Dong's lungs as he folded over. Chulgyu grabbed him by the neck, fingers digging in.
"I'm gonna mess up your face."
He slammed Park Dong onto the ground and mounted him, fists raining down without pause each hit duller, heavier, more merciless than the last.
A voice cut through the sound of fists and groans.
"Hey. Didn't I tell you not to show your face to me again?"
Daegyu and Jiseong snapped their heads up eyes wide with relief. Even Park Dong, curled on the ground and bleeding, exhaled shakily.
I thought this would never end…
I walked in calmly. No rush. No hesitation.
I slipped off my black long-sleeved uniform jacket and draped it over the railing beside me. Every movement quiet. Controlled. Chulgyu finally looked up and froze.
The moment he recognized me, rage twisted his face.
"You bastard…" he spat, smirk face trembling with rage. "You got lucky a few times and now you dare act arrogant?"
I stepped closer. He lunged.
His fist cut through the air toward my face fast, but sloppy. I tilted my head lightly, letting the punch graze past my cheek.
His eyes widened for a split second.
Then I countered.
My right fist shot forward like a hammer hips turning, shoulder driving behind it, perfectly aligned like a trained boxer.
The impact cracked through the park.
Chulgyu's feet lifted off the ground. He flew back and slammed onto the dirt skidding, a spray of blood mixed with two small white fragments bouncing beside him.
For a moment, he didn't even know what happened. The world spun around him, sound distant, vision shaking violently.
"W-What the"
He forced himself up, wobbling, head still swimming.
But the moment his eyes found me again standing there as if I hadn't even exerted myself panic flashed behind his anger.
"You…!"
He roared and sprinted at me, swinging a wild haymaker.
This time I didn't dodge backwards. I stepped into him, smooth and efficient, cutting his angle.
I caught his wrist mid-swing, rotated it, and used his momentum against him. His own force dragged him forward as I redirected it, twisting his joint sharply.
"What?!"
Before he could recover, I pivoted and delivered a clean liver shot with my left a compact and brutal short punch.
A sharp thud echoed.
Chulgyu collapsed face-first into the dirt.
I looked down at him, nudged his side with my foot no reaction. With the toe of my shoe, I rolled him over onto his back. His chest rose and fell in shallow, shaky breaths. His face was a wreck blood smeared across his cheek, nose bent, eyes unfocused. He pulled both arms over his face like a child hiding.
Yang Jinsu stared, frozen, sweat pouring down his temple. Behind him, Park Dong, Daegyu, and Jisung looked on in stunned silence. The shame hit them all at once they got beaten helplessly by a guy I just flattened in seconds.
I looked down lazily, reached into my pocket, tore open a wrapper, and popped a grape candy into my mouth. The sweetness spread across my tongue as I smiled lightly at the pathetic piece of shit lying at my feet.
"What are you doing?" I asked, voice almost bored. I nudged his ribs again. "That wasn't even a full minute. Come on. Stand up."
He didn't move.
My smile faded.
I grabbed a fistful of his collar with my left hand and yanked him upright like he weighed nothing. His shaking hands tried to pry my arm off him, but he couldn't get any strength behind it.
For one second, he stared at me the same defiant glare he always had… but now twisted with unmistakable fear.
My right fist buried itself in his stomach.
"GAAAGH!!"
His whole body folded. I didn't stop. Another blow. Then another. Each impact landed with a deep, sickening thud that echoed through the park.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
A sharp voice cut through the air.
I turned my head.
Standing at the path where I came from was Seol Hyorim eyes sharp. Behind her, Suwon hovered nervously, and Kang Hyuk and Im Yongjin stood a few step behind stare at me then to Chulgyu.