Chapter 14: Disciplinary Committee in Chaos (5)
At the same time the disciplinary committee was in session—
In a hospital room in Daesan, Park Mincheol’s gang was enjoying a leisurely afternoon.
“Think the disciplinary hearing’s going well?”
“I’ll bet you anything Kim Hyunsung is totally screwed right now. You know how crazy Minho’s mom gets. She’s so obsessive she’d flip the entire school upside down if anything happens to Minho. No way she’d let Kim Hyunsung off the hook after what happened. That’s why, even back when we used to get into fights early in the semester, we never so much as touched Minho, remember?”
“Kekeke, yeah, you’re right.”
Park Mincheol laughed, clearly amused.
The past week—
Had been miserable.
When he’d first opened his eyes in the hospital, the thought that he’d been beaten like a dog by Kim Hyunsung made him want to just die. But then, as his friends were wheeled in one after another, his mood started to lighten. If he’d been the only one crushed, it would’ve been humiliating. But if the whole gang got wrecked? That just meant Kim Hyunsung was strong.
Of course—
Their reputation might take a hit when they returned to school, but it was still a hell of a lot better than bearing that shame alone. Even now, it hurt to smile. His face was so swollen from all the slaps that even after a week, the bruising hadn’t fully gone down.
Still, whenever he imagined Kim Hyunsung wallowing in despair, a grin crept across his bandaged-up face.
Park Mincheol spoke.
“I’m gonna ruin Kim Hyunsung’s life. Even if he gets expelled, I’ll hound him for a settlement. And if he doesn’t get expelled? His school life is already over. After getting stomped by Minho’s parents, there’s no way he’s bouncing back. I’m gonna torment him until he says he wants to drop out himself. Hell, I’ll push him to be one of those idiots on TV who kill themselves.”
“Oh, we can ask for settlement money too?”
“Of course. Gotta get at least a few hundred per person.”
“Damn, that’s sick. Doesn’t Kim Hyunsung only have his grandma, though? Not our problem. Once I get that cash, I’m getting that motorcycle I’ve been eyeing. Then we’ll grab some chicks and throw a party at the park, yeah?”
“Fuck yeah.”
The mood was light and full of laughter.
Though the three of them lay there in a cramped hospital room looking like hell, the thought of what was to come filled them with joy.
In truth, just a day ago—
The doctor had said they were good to be discharged.
No internal injuries, just bruises and scrapes, so outpatient treatment would suffice after a week. But they’d refused to leave on Jung Minho’s advice. The longer they stayed in the hospital, the worse Kim Hyunsung’s offense would look. So they sat there watching daytime TV, holding out as long as they could.
Each day that passed—
Would be a taste of hell for their opponent.
As they continued chatting and laughing, Park Mincheol’s phone rang loudly.
Riiiiing.
“Ooh, it’s Minho. Everyone shut up.”
“Answer it!”
“Guess the disciplinary meeting’s over.”
All eyes turned to him.
Park Mincheol picked up, ready to hear Minho’s triumphant report.
But—
[…Sorry, guys. We got expelled.]
That’s what he heard the moment he answered.
Park Mincheol’s gang sat there, stunned.
After a whole week of cocky lounging, the flames finally licked their feet for the first time.
* * *
That evening—
Park Mincheol, Kang Changseok, and Jo Yongtaek.
The three were discharged immediately and met Kim Hyunsung in a quiet park.
It wasn’t about revenge.
Park Mincheol looked unusually friendly as he faced Kim Hyunsung, who had come in response to his call.
“You came! Thanks, really.”
“Skip the intro. Get to the point.”
“…Okay.”
The three exchanged nervous glances.
Honestly, just arranging this meeting was humiliating. But unlike Jung Minho, they weren’t backed by rich parents. If they got expelled, their lives were over. Pride be damned—they had no choice but to dig up Kim Hyunsung’s contact and reach out.
Park Mincheol began.
“Hyunsung… I’m really sorry for what happened. Trying to mess with the kids and beat you up—that was all on me. I wasn’t thinking straight and didn’t consider how much pain I was causing. Spending a week in that hospital made me realize just how terrifying school violence can be, and no matter what the committee decided, I swore I’d never do anything like that again. So… can’t you let it go just this once?”
“Yeah, Hyunsung. Please give us a chance. If we really get expelled, our lives are done.”
“I called the teacher earlier and asked. If you write and submit a statement saying you’re willing to forgive us, they said we might avoid expulsion. Minho’s case is a lost cause since his parents got involved, but the three of us might still be saved. So please, just this once—help us out. If we get to stay in school, we’ll do whatever you say. Chores, errands—anything. We swear.”
They were desperate.
This was who they really were.
Just seventeen years old.
They might act like predators around other kids, but they were still high schoolers with shaky futures. Telling them to leave school was like dropping a bomb. If they had connections like Jung Minho, they could just transfer. But in a place as small as Daesan, chances were slim that anyone would accept Park Mincheol and the other two.
That left one obvious future—
Middle school dropout.
And not even by choice—forced out with an expulsion record.
No one would take them in after that.
Haunted by fear of a future they’d never imagined, Park Mincheol played the part of a meek little lamb.
“…Hyunsung. Is there really nothing you can do?”
He glanced at Kim Hyunsung’s face.
It was calm.
No anger. But no trace of mercy either.
Sensing this wasn’t going their way, Park Mincheol met his friends’ eyes and went for a desperate gamble.
“Saying this might screw us over too, but… the truth is, there was someone behind it all. We didn’t actually want to mess with you. Someone told us to. We went after Lee Jungmin because we figured you’d get involved. We’ll tell you who was behind everything.”
“I know.”
“Huh?”
Park Mincheol’s eyes widened.
A mastermind?
There was no way he could’ve known.
But Kim Hyunsung looked at him with a cold stare and said,
“I know who’s behind it all.”
* * *
In his previous life—
Kim Hyunsung had only discovered the truth after years had passed with him in a vegetative state.
[Breaking news: The truth behind the group orchestrating school violence has come to light. They were—]
The news from the TV.
It was shocking.
At first, he’d thought it was just the result of some students’ malice. But a suicide note left behind by a student who took their own life contained the truth.
The group’s name was the Golden Circle.
They had taken root in elite schools throughout Gangnam. Their origin stemmed from a single unknown figure. What began as a simple business idea turned into something else entirely. In a world plagued by rampant school violence, the person who first created Golden Circle saw it as an opportunity.
It was a simple transaction.
Recruit bullies—
Or students with similar influence.
Then approach wealthy and powerful families and offer to protect their children during school life. If that were all, Golden Circle wouldn’t have grown. But its founder built a system ensuring that students under its wing got excellent grades. If a member was ever overtaken by a rival, that rival would be ‘removed.’
It was simple.
School violence.
Relentlessly harass the top student until their grades dropped, allowing second place to rise. A crude but undeniably effective method.
Time passed.
Over the years, Golden Circle expanded rapidly. Graduates pulled each other up year after year, creating a self-sustaining chain. Kim Hyunsung had been caught in that machine. Someone jealous of his academic performance had contracted Golden Circle, and Park Mincheol was sent to target him.
When he first learned the truth—
He couldn’t function for days.
That an unknown force had pushed him into a vegetative state was something he never imagined.
‘Golden Circle’s identity was exposed in the future, but it didn’t take long before it was buried again. Its members hid their dirty laundry. The ones who shoved me into hell. To complete my revenge, I must destroy Golden Circle itself.’
In the pitch-black darkness—
He replayed his plans countless times.
Starting with Park Mincheol, Kim Hyunsung intended to go to Gangnam because that was Golden Circle’s home base.
He spoke.
“Golden Circle. This has their stench all over it. But here’s what’s strange—Golden Circle shouldn’t have any influence in Daesan. Their power is centered around Seoul and Gyeonggi. So who approached you?”
“…It was Shin Youngmin-sunbae.”
“Shin Youngmin?”
Park Mincheol came clean.
If he already knew about Golden Circle, there was no point hiding anything else.
Shin Youngmin.
A well-known name.
A third-year student at Cheonil High School who practically ruled the entire school. He was also training for mixed martial arts and had the skills to back it up. He probably wasn’t a full-fledged Golden Circle member. Occasionally, Golden Circle accepted requests from regional clients, and when they did, they hired so-called ‘mercenaries’ for the job.
Shin Youngmin was one of those mercenaries.
To reach the real mastermind, the one who wished to bring him down, Kim Hyunsung had to defeat Shin Youngmin first.
‘Right now, it’s impossible. In the future I remember, Shin Youngmin went on to debut as a professional MMA fighter. If I rush in with half-baked skills, I’ll get crushed.’
He calmed his thoughts.
For now—
It was time to deal with Park Mincheol’s gang.
And really, there wasn’t much to think about.
“So, you came crawling to me begging for forgiveness? You guys are real pieces of work.”
Kim Hyunsung sneered.
Malice.
It was a feeling that had piled up layer by layer.
Back when he was comatose, his grandmother had visited the suspected attackers. Their parents screamed and shoved her away. After hearing her sobs as she poured out those horrors to him, something dark began growing inside Kim Hyunsung.
Forgiveness?
Remorse?
Such things were never permitted.
The malice that had grown into calluses would allow him no human empathy.
Grab.
“Hy—Hyunsung?!”
He suddenly grabbed Park Mincheol by the collar.
As the gang panicked, Kim Hyunsung’s face twisted into something demonic.
“I’ll show you from now on. What happens every time you meet me.”
Smack!
Blood splattered from a blow to the face.
Clutching Park Mincheol’s collar as he fell, Kim Hyunsung struck him over and over again.
They would never forget this day.
This fear, etched into their bones, would make them wet themselves at the sound of Kim Hyunsung’s name.
That—
Was exactly what Kim Hyunsung wanted.
That they never forget this day. That this trauma remains with them forever.
Even as his hand was soaked with blood, he didn’t stop.
* * *
The next day—
Students gathered in clusters around Cheonil High School, buzzing with gossip since morning.
“Is it true? That’s insane.”
“I’m telling you, when the heir of Myungjin Construction showed up as Kim Hyunsung’s guardian, even the principal didn’t dare say a word. They expelled Park Mincheol’s whole gang. Isn’t that nuts? This is what it means to be a main character hiding his power. Who would’ve thought Kim Hyunsung had someone like that behind him?”
“So does that make Kim Hyunsung the top dog of the first years now? He did take out Park Mincheol’s gang by himself.”
“Eh, not really. I mean, they were thugs, sure, but they weren’t strong enough to be called the top or anything.”
The school was abuzz.
Everyone was talking about Kim Hyunsung.
Some even started telling exaggerated tales of his exploits.
“When he fought Park Mincheol’s gang? It was insane. Kang Changseok came charging in like a wild boar, and Hyunsung just slammed a padlock into his head—bam! Took him down right there, then rammed into Jo Yongtaek too. And Jung Minho? He was so scared he couldn’t even move. I don’t know about anything else, but Kim Hyunsung’s got guts. Watching him fight that day… you just knew. Mess with him and you’re fucked.”
“But seriously, it’s like he just went dark mode all of a sudden. Hyunsung wasn’t like that before.”
“That’s the scary part. It’s the ones who aren’t usually like that—you push them too far, and they don’t know how to stop.”
Just then—
The door to Class 1 opened.
As Kim Hyunsung walked in, all the students who had been loudly chatting immediately averted their gazes.
Silence fell.
He had once been a familiar, friendly face to them, but after everything that happened, no one dared approach casually anymore.
Step. Step.
Thud.
He sat down.
And made no effort to speak to anyone.
With his calm gaze fixed outside the window, one student hesitantly approached him.
“…Thanks.”
Hyunsung turned his head.
It was Lee Jungmin.
Fidgeting nervously and picking at his nails, Jungmin continued,
“I’m alive because of you. From now on, just say the word. Whatever it is, if it’s for you, I’ll help you with everything I’ve got.”
It was a touching moment.
The students watching thought that maybe, with Jungmin’s gratitude, the old Kim Hyunsung they remembered might return.
But then—
“What are you even thankful for?”
His tone turned sharp.
Jungmin flinched.
He hadn’t expected that reaction from Kim Hyunsung.
It was laughable.
Jungmin’s gratitude meant nothing to him.
“You ignored everything until the disciplinary hearing was over. And now you’re saying thanks? Explain that to me. What the hell are you even grateful for?”
