The doorknob rattled violently before finally twisting open.
The door slammed against the wall.
Seol Hyorim was still gripping both girls in the hair when she looked back.
Jisung and Jinkyung stood frozen in the doorway, eyes blown wide.
Jinkyung's hand was still clutching whatever she'd used to force the lock.
Behind them, a crowd had already gathered, whispers spilling over one another.
"Seol Hyorim…?"
"That's Hai-an and Hong Aera!"
"What the hell?!"
"Jinkyung…" Seol Hyorim panted, chest heaving.
Jinkyung's gaze snapped from Hyorim's flushed face, disheveled hair and to the two girls trapped in her grasp.
"…What?" Her voice dropped dangerously calm.
In Jinkyung's mind, the picture formed instantly.
Her jaw clenched.
What gives you the right, you bastards..
you're ganging up on her two against one?!
Before anyone could react, Jinkyung stepped forward, shoulders squaring, presence exploding.
She said menacingly. "I'll join in too then."
Hong Aera's face drained of color. "H-hey wait! I'm the one getting beat up more."
She never finished the sentence.
Smack.
Jinkyung's palm cracked across Hong Aera's face with a sound so sharp it echoed off the tiled walls. Aera was flung sideways, crashing hard to the floor.
Gasps erupted.
Before Hai-an could even scream, Jinkyung pivoted and struck her too one clean hit that sent her slamming into the wall, sliding down with a dull thud.
Of course having never known defeat Kim Jinkyung was no different.
Silence.
The bathroom felt unreal.
The crowd outside stared, mouths hanging open.
"…What did I just see?"
"That was like a freaking bear."
Jinkyung exhaled slowly, then turned to Seol Hyorim and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
Seol Hyorim stared at the two girls sprawled on the floor, both taken down in seconds.
Her fingers loosened.
The anger that had been burning her hollowed out all at once.
"…How empty," she muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Seol Hyorim lifted her gaze to the crowd clogging the doorway, eyes sharp.
"What are you all staring at?" she snapped. "What is this a show? Get lost."
The onlookers flinched but didn't move.
She then walked toward Hai-an, who was sitting on the floor with her legs folded awkwardly to one side, one hand bracing herself against the floor shaking.
Seol Hyorim stopped in front of her.
Seol Hyorim looked down at her, eyes cold and unflinching.
"Hey. You're Hai-an… right?"
Her voice was steady and calm. "You knew Kim Kwangwoon and Irina were dating. And you still went out with him like it was nothing. Acting all friendly with Irina at school."
Her lips curled mockingly. "Are you even human?"
Hong Aera's eyes widened in shock, confusion crashing over her face.
"What kind of guts do you have," Seol Hyorim continued, "cheating with Irina's boyfriend when you're all in the same school? Aren't you worried about rumors spreading? About what'll happen to your image once everyone outside hears this?"
She scoffed. "Try thinking for once."
Hong Aera instinctively put a hand on Hai-an's back. "Hey… what does she mean..?"
Seol Hyorim cut in sharply. "You're acting like this is some kind of beautiful romance, aren't you?"
Her glare bored straight into Hai-an. "If you really liked him, you would've ended things first before dating. Idiot. That bastard is just playing with you."
Hai-an's composure finally broke.
Tears spilled freely, her shoulders shaking as she tried and failed to hold them back.
Seol Hyorim turn back.
She turned, walking toward the door beside Jinkyung, then paused to cast one last glance over her shoulder.
"They're over anyway. Date him if you want. Whatever."
Her voice dropped, sharp with disgust. "Just don't ever show that side of you to Irina. It's so damn irritating."
Seolhyo brushed off her uniform, tugging it back over her shoulder.
Then, stepping into the corridor, she met the sea of gawking faces that whispers buzzed like flies.
Ugh… why are there so many people,this is embarrassing.
From within the crowd, Im Yongjin grin curling his lips.
"Ooh, as expected of Seol Minsu's little sister."
"That was cool…" Kang Hyuk muttered.
Others whispered among themselves.
"Ian was supposed to be nice, so why..?"
"Maybe she just rubbed her the wrong way?"
"I didn't think she was a thug, but guess I was wrong. Tsk tsk."
"Like brother, like sister.."
Behind them, Park Mijin stood with a toothbrush still hanging out of her mouth she said flatly at both of them.
"What was that? Want me to pass that along to Hyorim?"
Beside her, Shin Sujeong shot the murmuring students a sharp glare. "Say it to her face instead of trash-talking behind her back."
The two students flinched and hurried away.
The murmurs didn't stop there.
"…Wow. How pathetic, lol"
"I wonder what actually happened."
"Seriously,"
The crowd kept buzzing, like flies over blood, while Seolhyo, Jinkyung, and Jisung pushed forward, trying to slip free from the suffocating stares.
Seol Hyorim's words wouldn't leave her head.
"You act like you're in some beautiful romance."
"That bastard is just playing with you."
They echoed over and over, drilling straight into Hai-an's chest.
Her hands curled into fists, nails biting into her palms.
Her breathing grew uneven, shaky, like she was holding something back that had nowhere else to go.
"I WAS FIRST!!!"
The words slipped out before she could stop them hoarse, cracked.
Hong Aera blinked, startled. "Huh…?"
The shout cracked through the hallway.
Everyone stare inside startled by the sudden voice.
Hai-an's head snapped up.
Ha Ian's voice trembled with rage, her chest heaving, her eyes red and wet.
Tears streaked down her cheeks, but her expression was twisted with something rawer than shame.
"I WAS FIRST!" she shouted. "Before your friend ever dated him before Irina!. I LIKED HIM FIRST!!!"
Hong Aera stared at her, stunned.
This was the first time she'd ever seen Hai-an raise her voice, let alone look like this.
Hai-an turned toward the door, shoulders trembling, her face twisted with resentment and hurt all tangled together.
"That oppa…!!" she spat, teeth clenched. "I liked him first, you know!!."
Her words echoed, bouncing off the tiles and slamming into the backs of Seolhyo and Jinkyung as the crowd went dead silent.
"There's a fight in the girls' bathroom!"
"What like, actual punches?"
"Yeah, full-on brawl!"
"No way seriously?"
"Yo, let's go check it out, LOL."
"Who's fighting?"
The chatter buzzed through the classroom, voices overlapping, excitement and disbelief mixing together.
Chairs scraped against the floor as a few students stood, already halfway out the door.
Irina, still slumped in her seat, lifted her head slightly at the noise.
-
Choi Giryang listened in silence as Kwangwoon's two friends explained what had happened, their voices overlapping, defensive, half-panicked.
When they finally stopped, Giryang let out a slow breath.
"...I get why you guys were angry," he said carefully.
His gaze shifted to Kwangwoon.
Kwangwoon was slumped on the ground, barely upright, one hand pressed to his face.
Blood streaked down his nose and smeared his lips, already drying along his chin. His eyes were unfocused, blinking sluggishly, like he was still trying to understand where he was.
Giryang's brows knit together.
"But still," he continued, voice quieter now, "you didn't have to beat him this badly."
Daegyu let out a sharp breath. "He threw the first punch. We didn't start anything we just hit back."
Choi Giryang's jaw tightened. He looked down at Kwangwoon sprawled on the ground, blood smeared across his face, chest rising unevenly. "You call this hitting back?"
His voice wavered despite himself. "You almost beat him to death."
At that moment, Seojin stepped forward.
He placed himself squarely between Giryang and Kwangwoon, blocking the view with his broad shoulders. His expression was calm too calm but there was something terrifying simmering beneath it.
His eyes were cold, flat, utterly devoid of hesitation.
Giryang stiffened without meaning to.
He wasn't a fighter.
But he could feel it instinctively this guy was dangerous.
Seojin spoke, his voice low and even. "Then he should've thought about that before hitting our friend first."
Giryang swallowed. "That doesn't give you the right to-"
"You're right," Seojin cut in, tilting his head slightly. "It doesn't.
He smirked, eyes glinting with amusement. "But what can you do?"