The end of the school day always felt the same, too loud, too bright, too crowded.
Students swarmed the courtyard like ants, laughter, arguments and footsteps all bleeding together into static noise. I kept moving, hands shoved into my pockets, head low.
Nobody worth noticing.
Nothing worth caring about.
Then I heard it.
The kind of laughter that grates, sharp, mean, designed to cut.
I stopped. Looked up.
Ji-Won stood against the wall, notebook hugged to her chest.
Four girls circled her, smirking like they owned the place.
One of them yanked the notebook away.
"Always scribbling in this thing. What is it? Secrets? Love letters?"
She flipped it open with a nasty grin.
Ji-Won reached for it. "Give it back."
Her voice was soft, but steady.
The girls shoved her lightly. "Or what?"
The laughter stabbed at me.
Not my problem.
Keep walking.
But my legs didn't move.
I exhaled slowly, the way I always did before things went bad.
"Give it back," I said. My voice was flat, carrying across the courtyard like it didn't belong to me.
The girls froze.
Then the leader smirked, eyes narrowing.
"Oh. Look who it is. It's Rat-blood himself."
Her words carried, and a ripple went through the crowd.
Whispers.
Always whispers.
"Big scary Kang Jae-Hyun. You gonna hit a girl?" she sneered.
Before I could reply, four boys strutted over. Their boyfriends, judging by the smug swagger and too-loud bravado. One cracked his knuckles, another rolled his shoulders like he'd been waiting for this.
"You got a problem, punk?" the tallest one said, stepping into my space.
His breath stank of cheap cigarettes.
I met his stare, expression blank.
"Leave. Now."
They laughed.
The kind of laugh that dares you to swing.The tall one shoved me in the chest. Hard.
"Or what?"
My fist moved before I thought.
Crack.
His head snapped sideways, blood spraying from his lip as he stumbled back.
The courtyard erupted in shouts.
The second boy rushed me, wild and sloppy. I ducked under his punch, driving my knee into his ribs. He gasped, wheezing, before I shoved him back into the concrete wall.
The third grabbed me from behind, arms locking around my shoulders.
My teeth clenched. I threw my head back, skull smashing into his nose.
He screamed, releasing me just as I spun and drove an elbow into his jaw.
He collapsed, clutching his face, blood spilling between his fingers.
The fourth hesitated.
Just long enough.
A blur slammed into him from the side, Min-Soo. He grinned like a madman, fists flying as he drove the guy into the ground.
"Took you long enough to let me in on the fun!"
I didn't answer. My focus was on the second boy, who'd staggered back up, fury twisting his face.
He charged again. I sidestepped, grabbed his arm and hurled him over my shoulder. He hit the ground with a sickening thud, air rushing out of him in a wheeze.
The leader, the tall one I hit first, tried to recover, rage burning in his eyes. He swung wild. I caught his fist mid-air, twisting his wrist until he cried out, then drove my fist into his gut. He folded, coughing, before I shoved him down next to his friends.
Silence followed.
Only the sound of groans and heavy breathing. Four bodies sprawled across the courtyard, broken pride dripping from them like blood on pavement.
I stood above them, chest heaving once.
Twice.
Then steady again.
My knuckles throbbed, the skin torn open, red dripping onto my sleeve.
Ji-Won's wide eyes locked on me. She stepped forward slowly, notebook back in her arms.
"T-thank you" she whispered. Her voice shook, but not from fear.
Something softer. Something else. Then she bit her lip, steadying herself.
"But... you didn't have to fight. Violence wasn't needed."
Her words cut deeper than any punch.
I frowned, jaw tightening.
No reply.
No excuse.
I turned my back to her and walked.
Min-Soo lingered for a second, glancing at her with a lopsided grin.
"He's always like that. Don't take it personally." Then he jogged after me.
We slipped through the gates, the courtyard shrinking behind us. The noise of the crowd faded with every step.
"You're welcome, by the way" Min-Soo said, brushing dirt off his uniform like it was nothing.
I shot him a sidelong look. "Why'd you jump in?"
His grin widened, like he'd been waiting for the question. "Told you before. I said I'd stick around. What kind of friend would I be if I let you hog all the fun?"
Friend.
The word made me flinch.
I sighed, rubbing at the ache in my knuckles. "Fine. Let's go eat."
Min-Soo blinked. Then he burst out laughing, loud and genuine. "Oh-ho! Look at you, warming up to me already."
I didn't answer.
Didn't smile.
Just kept walking.