Bugh!
A punch flew swiftly and landed on the face of a young man who was already sprawled on the ground, his handsome face covered in bruises and fresh blood flowing from the corner of his lip.
His high school uniform, which had been clean and tidy that morning, was now tattered and dirty, and he couldn't fight off the perpetrators, not just one, but four or six of his own schoolmates. One of them grabbed his collar and gripped him tightly, his eyes fixed on the young man named Nathan Sagara.
"Hey, you bastard. What kind of relationship do you have with Hana, huh?! How dare you play behind my back!"shouted the perpetrator, whose name was revealed to be Daniel, his face filled with anger and his pupils constricted.
"... I told you... I have no relationship whatsoever with her, we just met...!"Nathan stammered, holding back the pain that coursed through his body.
"Tch, how long are you going to lie, huh?! Do you think I don't know you two are walking together, and you're such a jerk, acting all handsome in front of her!"Daniel pressed, tightening his grip, making Nathan's breath hitch a little.
"Ugh... I was just helping her---"
"Shut up!"
Bugh! Bugh!
Nathan was once again hit with a barrage of punches and even kicks from Daniel. Like someone possessed, Daniel didn't waste a second beating Nathan until the young man's face was covered in blood.
Nathan was completely helpless, his body lying limp, his eyelids swollen from the punches drooping and his pupils no longer emitting any light. All he could think about now was his family, who must be waiting for him at home. He had promised to come home early, but it seemed Nathan had broken that promise, even with his body barely moving.
Nathan truly had no idea that helping Hana clean the library that afternoon had led to this unfortunate outcome. Hana herself never knew that Daniel liked her or that Nathan was now the target of this man's jealousy. If only Nathan hadn't felt compassion for Hana, perhaps this would never have happened.
"Just die, you bastard!"
Daniel raised his clenched fists high, his eyes burning with anger, while Nathan remained motionless, simply accepting whatever attack Daniel threw at him. Until Daniel's fist swiftly flew toward Nathan's face, and...
BAGH! DUGH!
No, that wasn't the sound of Daniel hitting Nathan. Instead, Daniel's body was thrown far away, and his back ended up hitting the back wall of the school with a loud thud, causing the man to vomit fresh blood from his mouth.
With all the strength Daniel had, he turned his gaze to the person who had kicked him. There stood a tall young man carrying a plastic shopping bag in his hand, right next to the helpless Nathan.
Whoever the young man was, he certainly managed to deflect Daniel's blow to Nathan. Daniel didn't even notice his arrival.
"Hey, you bastard! Hurry up and beat him up! Why are you all just standing there—?!"
Daniel's eyes widened as his five friends were battered and lying on the ground. When had the young man defeated his friends? Why hadn't he noticed? Daniel wondered, his mind full of questions.
"I'll give you five seconds to escape..."the young man glared at Daniel, his body trembling with fear.
"One..."
Daniel's face was pale and filled with fear, and he stumbled backwards until he hit the school wall.
"Two..."
"Three..."
The young man's gaze was so sharp, he stared straight at Daniel from where he stood. His body seemed to radiate a red aura, making Daniel's heart shrink even more.
"Four...!"
"Whoa!"
Daniel quickly rose from his seat and ran away without looking back, finally disappearing behind the back wall of the school. Meanwhile, Nathan, still a little conscious, glanced weakly at the young man, wanting to see the face of the man who had helped him.
Unfortunately, all he saw was a blurry, foggy vision due to his swollen eyes, so Nathan couldn't see him clearly. All Nathan could make out about the young man was that he had short black hair and a stature taller than him. That was the only description Nathan could give of him.
"Th--thank you---"
Before he could finish his sentence, Nathan fainted from exhaustion, leaving the young man still staring at him from above.
***
Niit... Niit... Niit...
The beeping of the patient monitor was clearly audible in Nathan's ears, and he felt pain throughout his body. Even though his eyes were still closed, he could hear the voices of people chatting; it seemed like there weren't just one or two people in the room.
"I told you, there must be a reason Nathan was beaten like that!"a man's voice boomed, Alex Fernaldi by name.
"Could it be Rey's gang...?"another man's voice, slightly larger than his muscular build, Bara Malvin, spoke.
"No, that's impossible! Rey's gang wouldn't know Nathan. Vino always hid Nathan's identity, not saying he was his younger brother."the man with the soft voice, Aaron Iefan, argued.
"So what? Daniel couldn't have hit him like that, right? If there wasn't a reason... And according to the information I've gathered, Daniel has indeed bullied Nathan a lot before, but not this badly."Alex explained loudly.
"Could it be because of a girl? You know, if a thug likes a girl and she's close to another guy... He'll definitely be incredibly jealous, and end up beating up the guy who's close to that girl. Right?"Aaron guessed, acting thoughtful.
"It could be..."Alex replied.
"My question is... Who brought Nathan to the hospital and called Vino here?"said the white-skinned man, Leo Kim.
The last man's words, Leo, silenced the others, creating a tense atmosphere. Nathan, who had been listening, still refused to open his still-painful eyes.
"That person called using Nathan's phone, so I don't know for sure who he is."said the man with earrings in both ears. He was definitely Vino Sagara—Nathan's older brother.
"It can't be the same perpetrator, right?"Bara thought, somewhat doubtfully.
"You mean, that Daniel guy called?"Alex asked, confirming.
"Who knows, right?"Bara replied, shrugging.
"No. His voice was a bit deep but smooth, and it wasn't Daniel. I know what Daniel sounds like very well."Vino denied, recalling the voice of the man who had called him. "That person also didn't speak very clearly, and his speech was a bit slurred."Vino continued, turning to his brother, who was still lying in bed.
Nathan's entire body was covered in bandages, and his face was stuffed with cotton to cover his wounds. A look of sadness flashed in Vino's eyes as he saw his brother's condition.
"I really didn't expect my super kind and innocent little brother to experience something so terrible."Vino muttered, audible to his friends. "I should have picked him up back then, maybe he wouldn't have been like this."Vino continued, filled with guilt.
"Come on, Vin, it's a disaster, no one knows about it, right?"Alex said, rubbing Vino's shoulder.
"What should I tell my mom about Nathan being like this? She'll definitely be mad at me, especially my dad, who never liked me anyway."Vino said, his heart aching. "I feel like I've failed as a good older brother to Nathan, I can't even take care of him."he continued, starting to cry.
"Don't be like that, Vin. It makes me sad too~"Alex said, his lips pursed as he held back tears.
Meanwhile, his other friends all looked down, unable to bear to see an older brother so sad about his younger sibling's condition. It was true, no one knows when or where a disaster will strike. However, that made Vino continue to feel guilty about what his younger sibling had experienced today.
"Don't be sad, everyone. It's making the atmosphere uncomfortable, you know."
The weak voice made everyone glance at Nathan, as did Vino, who was on the verge of tears. A weak smile appeared on Nathan's face as he looked at his older sibling with still-swollen eyes. Vino quickly cleared his throat and returned to his usual expression, though he couldn't hide his sadness.
"Are you awake, little brother?"Vino said, still trying to be strong.
"...Not yet, I'm still sleeping."Nathan replied softly, but it managed to make Vino smile wryly as he thought, 'Damn it.'
"Nathan, are you okay?"Alex asked, looking down slightly at the hospital bed.
"Hey, are you stupid or what?! He clearly doesn't look fine, and you're asking me again!"Bara sneered, pressing Alex's temple.
"It's just a reflex to ask questions, Bar."Alex squeaked, pouting.
Nathan smiled faintly. "I'm fine, big brother Alex. Don't worry."he replied, his mouth not opening wide, as it was indeed hurting.
Vino's lips trembled as he let out a shaky breath. "Damn you, little bro!"
"Huh?!"
Hearing Vino's words made his friends stare in surprise, while Nathan just smiled stiffly where he lay.
"You had me worried, you know! Luckily you're still alive. If you had died... who would have played games with me, huh?!"Vino exclaimed, his expression mixed with annoyance and gratitude.
His friends all slapped their foreheads at Vino's out-of-mind remark. One of them simply stared blankly at Vino with a facial expression that seemed to say, 'This guy's crazy, huh?'
"Instead of saying thank you or something like that his little brother is still alive, he's actually afraid he won't have any friends to play with. Are you sane, sir?"Leo sneered, his face irritated.
"You know what, you really deserve a beating."Aaron continued, becoming irritated by Vino's behavior.
"You'll never know, Nathan was the only one who could save me when I was being ganged up on in a game!"Vino exclaimed dramatically.
"Halah, bullshit!"Leo grumbled quietly, so that no one could hear him except Alex, who blinked silently.
"Um, um... Nathan's hand still hurts, bro. Don't hold it like that."Nathan said, holding back the pain in his hand.
"Hm?"
Hearing this, Vino immediately shifted his gaze to Nathan's hand, which was attached to the impostor. Indeed, Vino gripped it tightly. Without thinking, he immediately let go, causing Nathan's hand to hit the bare metal of the bed.
Tuk!
"Ouch!"Nathan groaned, feeling the pain in his knuckles.
"Oh, little one. Sorry, sorry... It was just a reflex."Vino apologized, stroking Nathan's hand that he had just let go.
But instead of getting better, Vino carelessly rubbed the impostor that was still attached to the back of Nathan's hand, causing Nathan to lash out in pain again as the tube shifted slightly.
"Aaww!"
"Oh, my goodness, little one...! Sorry, I forgot the tube was still there!"Vino apologized for the umpteenth time.
Meanwhile, his four friends watched the scene with pale and gloomy faces. They then glared at Vino with sharp eyes like lions staring at their prey.
"Why don't you just beat him now?"Bara asked, filled with negativity.
"Great idea."his three other friends replied.
"Eeekk?!" Vino shouted in surprise.