The sun dipped low over the school as Minjae slumped at his desk, doodling absently in the corner of his notebook. The teacher's lecture about ancient Korean history faded into background noise. His body was in class, but his mind was stuck on the embarrassment from yesterday's fight.
"I'll fight you."The words haunted him — especially the part where he got folded like a lawn chair in front of half the school.
"At least my manga's okay," he mumbled to himself, glancing at the patched-up volume in his bag.
A rolled-up paper suddenly thwacked the back of his head.
"Hey, space cadet," Jisoo muttered. "You're drooling on your own notes."
"I wasn't drooling," Minjae said, wiping his mouth.
Hyunwoo leaned over from his seat behind them. "Dude, I heard the guy who beat you yesterday got jumped this morning."
Minjae blinked. "What?"
"Yup. Three-on-one. Heard it was some juniors from another class. Rumors are flying like crazy."
Jisoo sighed. "This school's turning into a drama series."
Minjae leaned in. "What kind of rumors?"
Hyunwoo shrugged. "That a gang's trying to control the cafeteria. Some kids are getting shaken down for their lunch money."
"Over lunch money?" Jisoo raised an eyebrow. "That's got to be the dumbest crime ring I've ever heard of."
"Hey," Minjae said, pretending to be serious, "fried chicken rice bowls are a hot commodity."
The trio laughed, but beneath the jokes, a weird tension lingered. Fights were happening more often. Seniors acting shady. New faces lingering around school corners with bruised knuckles and cold stares.
After class, they hit their usual ramen joint near the back alley behind the school. Steam rose from the bowls as Minjae slurped noodles like a man on a mission.
"I swear," he said between bites, "one day I'll train. Get strong. Like those protagonists who suffer in early arcs but come back badass."
Hyunwoo grinned. "So you're calling this your 'Episode 3: Ramen of Resolve'?"
Minjae nodded solemnly. "Exactly."
Jisoo took a slow bite, eyes half-lidded with boredom. "You'll need more than anime training montages, loser."
Minjae placed his chopsticks down dramatically. "Then you'll train me."
"Nope."
"Hyunwoo?"
"I can bench more than your body weight, but I ain't got the patience to coach your weak otaku bones."
"Then I'll train myself!" he declared, standing — and instantly knocking over a cup of water.
"Smooth," Jisoo muttered, tossing him napkins.
Just as they laughed it off, a group of unfamiliar students passed by the window. One of them glanced inside — a tall guy with cold eyes and a healing scar across his jaw. He held Minjae's gaze for a beat too long.
"You know him?" Jisoo asked, noticing.
Minjae shook his head. "No. But he looked like he knew me."
They all fell quiet. The mood shifted slightly.
Outside, the sky darkened, clouds creeping in again.