Hyun Woo lowered his head, his hand covering his mouth. A small smile spread under his palm, hidden from everyone else in the class.
Golden light flickered in his eyes.
[ Judge Eye — Active ]
[ Target: Seok Min-jun ]
[ Crime: Extortion, Bullying, Assault ]
[ Sin Weight: 9 ]
[ Verdict: Guilty ]
[ Target: Kim Jae-ho ]
[ Crime: Bullying, Theft ]
[ Sin Weight: 7 ]
[ Verdict: Guilty ]
[ Target: Oh Sang-gyu ]
[ Crime: Bullying, Threats ]
[ Sin Weight: 6 ]
[ Verdict: Guilty ]
[ Target: Yoo Chan ]
[ Crime: Bullying, Harassment ]
[ Sin Weight: 5 ]
[ Verdict: Guilty ]
[ Current Rank: Petty Judge ]
[ Jurisdiction: Valid ]
Hyun Woo's heart beat harder, not with fear but with excitement. His fingers curled under the desk until his knuckles turned white.
Perfect… every one of them… mine.
His chest felt hot, like he could already hear the chains rattling, wrapping around them the way a snake coils its prey.
Inside, he laughed to himself. He couldn't wait to drag them down, to make them taste real punishment.
The classroom was noisy. Some students moved their chairs and even walked on other students' desks to gossip.
Some students just kept banging their desks to make more noise.
All the students started talking at once, voices piling over each other until the whole room was just noise. You couldn't even tell what anyone was saying anymore.
"Four of them… dead."
"No way, I saw Jin-ho last night."
"Shut up, idiot, it's real. They showed the site on the news."
"Keep your voice down; the teacher will hear."
A boy near the window laughed too loud, then hid his face in a book.
Two girls in the front whispered sharply, one biting her nail, the other recording with her phone like she'd post later.
In the back, a fat kid grinned nervously, nodding at every rumour but not saying a word. Just happy no one was picking him.
Hyun Woo sat quietly in the middle. Bag under the desk, hands folded, eyes down.
But his ears caught everything. Every word.
Seok's palm slammed down on Hyun Woo's desk.
Bang! The whole desk shook; his pen rolled off and hit the floor with a clink.
Seok Min-jun leaned close. Gum stinks heavily.
"You paid Kang, right? Now you pay me."
The slam made the whole room freeze. A few kids stopped mid-sentence, their mouths still half open.
Some students lowered their heads quickly, pretending to read their books. Others peeked from the corner of their eyes but turned back right away like nothing happened.
No one said a word, but everyone was watching.
Behind him, Jae-ho smacked the back of Hyun Woo's head. "Oi, corpse. Answer the boss."
The three of them laughed. Not natural laughs. Forced ones, the kind you cough out so you don't get hit next.
Hyun Woo bit down so tight it made his jaw hurt, trying to keep the anger inside. His hand under the desk was balled into a fist, nails pressing deep into his skin.
Sang-gyu yanked his collar and slammed his face down.
Thud.
The class flinched. Even the fat kid's grin slipped.
A skinny boy muttered, "Shit…" then froze, praying no one heard.
The slam made Hyun Woo's head buzz, his forehead stinging sharply. His nose hit the desk hard, and blood started to drip, leaving a blood smear on the desk.
"Puahaha, look at this bastard! Not even fighting back," Sang-gyu sneered.
One boy covered his face with a book, pretending to study. Another girl looked down at Hyun Woo from her desk, not moving at all. But a few kids couldn't stop grinning, eyes wide like they wanted more.
Hyun Woo lifted his head slowly. Blood dripped from his nose. His eyes… empty. Cold.
Seok's smirk twitched. His chest tightened for half a second. But he forced a laugh, grabbed Hyun Woo's hair, and yanked his head up.
"You were Kang's dog. Now you're mine. So bark."
The lackeys stomped, barking like idiots.
Some kids hid their faces in books, but their ears stayed open, listening.
Hyun Woo's teeth ground together, sounding sharp inside his skull. Dog… me? Keep talking, bastard. Keep fucking talking.
Thud!
Seok slammed his head down again, harder this time. The desk rattled, the wood booming against his skull.
For a moment he couldn't hear anything. Just a ringing in his ears, loud and sharp, like he was stuck underwater.
His eyes shook, and the whole classroom turned blurry. He could see mouths moving, but no sound from the classroom reached him.
Blood ran from his nose, staining his collar. His breath was steady, too steady.
He lifted again. His eyes — black, cold, dead.
Seok's laugh faltered. His throat felt dry.
"What the fuck…" he muttered, but no one caught it.
He made himself grin again, even though it looked shaky, and pushed Hyun Woo's head down, about to slam it once more—
"Teacher's coming!"
The shout came from the hall. One of Seok's boys standing guard near the classroom door.
Seok clicked his tongue and shoved Hyun Woo back. "Tch. Lucky dog." He stood tall, smirk twisted. "Later."
They rushed back to their seats. The rest of the class buried their heads in books, phones gone, pretending like nothing happened.
Hyun Woo pressed his nose with a handkerchief, slowly. Red blotched the cloth, spreading onto his collar. His hands trembled, but his eyes didn't.
Later… I'll fucking see you.
The door opened.
The teacher stepped in, file under her arm. Behind her — Detective Choi. Tall, dark coat, polished shoes. His eyes were sharp, scanning everything.
The whole classroom went stiff all at once. Some kids quickly opened their books, flipping pages like they were actually studying. Others just kept their heads low, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Choi's gaze moved slowly across the room. Then it stopped.
Hyun Woo.
Handkerchief at his nose. Red stain on his collar. A drop of blood still on his lip.
In his head, something tugged.
That boy… Where have I…
A flash from the crime scene, just a back slipping through the crowd. A school uniform. Shoulders hunched, head down.
It wasn't clear. Not enough to match. But the feeling pressed in, like déjà vu. Familiar, even if he couldn't place it.
Choi's brow twitched. A small frown. Then his eyes moved on.
He didn't know him. At the crime scene, all he had seen was a boy's back. Just a glimpse, not enough to match to this quiet student sitting now with blood on his shirt.
The teacher cleared her throat, standing by the desk.
"This is Detective Choi," she said, her voice firm. "He has questions about Kang Jin-ho and his friends. You will all cooperate. Is that understood?"
Nobody said a word. A few kids nodded fast, like they just wanted this over, while the rest only kept their heads down.
She went on, eyes narrowing. "This case is under heavy watch. Kang was the son of Kang Dae-hun. You all know what that means. So do not play around. Answer honestly."
She fixed the file in her arms. "There will be no class today. Each of you will be questioned, one by one."
Desks filled with noise as students started closing their books, pushing papers together, and sliding pens inside.
Some kids even had small smiles on their faces, happy there'd be no class.
Detective Choi gave a small nod. That was the signal.
The door opened again, and police officers stepped inside, one after another. Not in uniform but in plain clothes, carrying clipboards, pens in their hands. More waited in the hall.