The next day, Chulgyu was sitting under the gazebo with his girlfriend. She stared at his bruised face swollen cheek, cracked lip, dried blood that hadn't fully washed off.
"…Tell me what happened," she said quietly.
"I said there's nothing for you to know," Chulgyu snapped. "Didn't I tell you this isn't your business?"
"I'm asking how you got hurt," her voice shook. "Did someone beat you up? How did you end up like this?"
Chulgyu scoffed. "So what? Even if you knew, what would you do about it?"
She lowered her gaze. A tear slid down her cheek and dripped into her hands.
"Am I even your girlfriend…?" she whispered. "Our dates are just you extorting money or getting into trouble. I just want to hang out like the other girls do. But I liked you, so I put up with all of it. Even when something happened, you never talked to me. So what are we even doing together…?"
Chulgyu stared at her without a flicker of emotion. "Fucking hell… I'm already pissed off, and now you're nagging me? Get lost. Don't be my girlfriend anymore."
She froze, tears still falling, then stood up slowly."…You're a real piece of shit."
She walked away, leaving him alone with nothing but the sound of her fading footsteps.
Later that day, Chulgyu sat in a narrow alley, smoking. He kept staring at the photo on his flip phone the one someone sent him with no caller ID. It showed him lying on the ground, beaten senseless, blood smeared across his face. His hand trembled as he gripped the phone.
Im Yongjin… that bald-headed bastard… I'll kill you. I swear I'll kill all those Sangji High sons of bitches. Someday… someday I'll get payback.
He snapped the phone shut and exhaled harshly through his teeth. Just then, the phone buzzed. Yang Jinsu name flashed on the screen.
"Tch. Play with him a few times and he thinks we're actually friends…"
He took another drag from his cigarette.
Then someone smacked the back of his head hard.
Chulgyu whipped around, ready to explode. "What kind of fucked-up bastard-"
His voice died in his throat.
Standing behind him was Seol Minsu.
Minsu's glare was ice-cold. "You punk. Who told you you're allowed to smoke?"
Chulgyu felt all the strength in his legs drain away. The cigarette slipped from his fingers.
After that encounter…Chulgyu was nowhere to be seen on the streets.
**********
Choi Jinwoo's crew wrapped everything up, and a few days later the whole school had more or less moved on well, except for the photo.
In Jinwoo's class, Im Yongjin was seating beside him, Kang Hyuk sitting behind them on top of a desk, a few guys gathered around.
"LOL Yongjin, that pic is legendary."
"Bro, it's like a Pulitzer Prize winner," another guy snorted.
Yongjin smirked. "Crazy, right?"
Kang Hyuk raised a brow. "Wait… you shared the photo with everyone?"
Jung Chulgyu had become a laughingstock of the whole school. Once the picture spread, everyone saw him laid out on the dirt like a rag doll.
Kang Hyuk frowned. "You might've gone too far. What if he reports it?"
"I didn't spread it," Yongjin said, shrugging. "I just sent it to a few close friends. And come on Crazy Dog getting beat like that? Perfect match. Who cares? It's not like I'm the one who smashed his face."
Kang Hyuk turned to Jinwoo, who was casually sipping strawberry milk like.
"…Jinwoo. What did Gudal say?" he asked.
Jinwoo wiped his mouth. "After he saw the photo yesterday, he just said, 'Good. I like it.' That's it."
Kang Hyuk snorted. "Figures. Anyway, good. He's probably too embarrassed to cause more trouble now."
It was a brutal, messy way to settle things but guys all over school looked up to these three. And to them, the situation was done.
Meanwhile, Park Dong, Daegyu, and Jisung felt something else entirely a weird, sour shame. Yoon Seojin, A guy who just suddenly appear that was only known for his looks, had easily beaten someone from Naguk Middle School to the point he couldn't even fight back. And those Gihong Middle monsters, Naguk Middle suddenly didn't seem that tough anymore.
Jisung, both eyes so swollen he was basically blind, muttered, "Doesn't this whole thing feel kinda wrong now…? Like, this was our problem, but Seojin and the Gihong guys solved it while we just stood around…"
"My eyes can't even see… damn it," he added, facing the wrong direction.
Park Dong, lying sideways on top of the lockers, sighed. "…Even if we hate to admit it, everything only wrapped up clean because they stepped in. Still… feels kinda good though."
"Seojin really handled everything," Daegyu muttered, glancing at my back.
"Yeah…" Jiseong scratched the back of his neck. "We didn't even do anything in the end."
Daegyu called Park Dong and ask him. "Hey… wanna do the thing, Park Dong?"
Park Dong glance at him. "…The thing huh?"
Park Dong sat up, pulled out a box of cigarettes, and tossed it at Daegyu.
Daegyu caught it, confused.
"I'm quitting," Park Dong said, jumping down from the lockers.
Jisung, still looking the opposite way: "Huh? Is it April Fools?"
"I'm tired of it," Park Dong muttered. "Of everything. Of struggling through life... and always sneaking smokes too."
Park Dong stretch his neck. I can't even fight… but I love this kind of crap like crazy. That's why we always end up relying on someone else, he thought with a bitter twist in his mouth.
He walked over to Suwon and me, stopping by my desk. He tapped the surface twice with his knuckles. "Hey. Wake up. Let's hit the snack store."
I blinked awake, eyes slowly opening. The light stung a little. "Yeah… sure," I muttered, voice still rough from dozing off. I stretched, joints popping one by one. I'm out of candies anyway…
I pushed myself up from my seat.
Suwon yawned and stood as well.
The cold air outside helped me wake up a little. By the time we reached the snack store. After buying a few things, we turned a corner and there she was.
Seol Hyorim sat with Irina, and Jinkyung at the stone bleachers at the school field, sunlight catching in her hair. She looked up, and our eyes met. For a second, time stuttered. All the images from that night, came rushing back, hitting me like a punch to the gut.
Her eyes widened slightly, and a faint pink crept onto her cheeks. I felt my own face heat up before I could stop it. Park Dong and Suwon kept walking, but my feet felt rooted to the spot.
We ended up taking our seats among them anyway, me sliding down next to Seolhyo. The smell of her shampoo mixed with the faint sweetness I don't know where it came from.
Neither of us said anything at first, but the space between us felt charged, like everyone else had faded out for a moment.
I lazily munched on the candy I'd just bought, staring at the empty field, when I felt Seolhyo's eyes on me. She looked at me worriedly.
She leaned closer to me, lowering her voice so the others wouldn't hear."You look tired."
I let out a small chuckle. "I barely slept last night."
The moment the words left my mouth, Seol Hyorim's face flushed. It took me a second to realize why and then I turned red too. We both looked away at the same time
Irina, meanwhile, was staring at Park Dong's bruised face one eye swollen not buying the reason he's giving. "Seriously, what happened to you guys?"
Park Dong didn't even flinch. He just kept munching on the snacks he bought, talking with his mouth half full. "Seriously? We skipped night study and got caught. These two didn't ditch," he jabbed a thumb at me and Suwon, "that's why they're fine."
Irina, gave Park Dong a mischievous grin. "But honestly, you look more handsome now after getting hit though? ."
Park Dong retaliated. "Really? You wanna fight, Rina?"
While the others were still laughing, I slowly reached out under and intertwined my fingers with Seolhyo's. She jolted like she'd been electrified, eyes going wide.
"Th-the others might see let go…" she whispered, voice small and nervous.
I bit back a grin. "It's fine. They can't see from here."
She puffed her cheeks a little and turned her head away, clearly flustered. That tiny pout made me chuckle under my breath. I leaned in closer, my shoulder brushing hers.
"So," I murmured quietly, "when are we going to tell them we're dating now?"
Seolhyo snapped her gaze back to me, eyes round. "Let's just… tell them."
"Now?" I raised a brow.
She glanced at the others. She cleared her throat. "Ahem… maybe… not right now."
I smirked. "So we're keeping it a secret?"
She immediately shook her head. Then nodded. Then stopped. "…Let's just… stay quiet about it for now."
I tighten a little bit my hold on her hand. "How about we tell them this weekend? We're hanging out with everyone anyway."
Seolhyo thought for a moment, lips pressed together, then nodded slowly."…Yeah. That might be a good time."