Chapter 15: Change (1)
While preparing for the disciplinary committee, Kim Youngcheol had visited Lee Jungmin.
At the time, he hadn’t yet known about Go Chang-beom, and he was desperate to find a way to shut Kim Hyunsung’s mouth.
“Jungmin, would you be willing to testify at the disciplinary hearing? If Park Mincheol hadn’t picked on you in the first place, Hyunsung wouldn’t have gotten into that fight with his gang. It’s not a difficult request. Just tell the truth about what you experienced, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Lee Jungmin—
He was the victim in this incident.
Since Kim Hyunsung had stepped in after seeing Jungmin being beaten, if Jungmin exposed the behavior of Park Mincheol’s gang, there was a chance to turn the situation around. For Kim Youngcheol, it was a desperate attempt to clutch at straws. It might be impossible to overturn the board set by Principal Oh Daehwan and Kim Soonja, but at the very least, he needed to prove to Kim Hyunsung that he had tried.
It was the best he could do.
He expected that Jungmin would naturally help for Hyunsung’s sake—but the response he got was completely unexpected.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? What do you mean by that?”
“…”
Jungmin hung his head without a word.
He understood perfectly what Kim Youngcheol was asking of him.
He, too, felt he should help Kim Hyunsung. But what worried him was what would happen after the disciplinary committee. Park Mincheol’s gang had the solid backing of Jung Minho’s parents. They would return to school like nothing had happened, and the bullying would start again.
And his future?
It was obvious.
He would once again become a pitiful target of their abuse.
If he helped Kim Hyunsung now, the retaliation from Park Mincheol’s gang would only be more brutal. The mere thought of what lay ahead made his body tremble like a leaf in the wind. Maybe the other kids could go to school happily, but ever since the day Park Mincheol first spoke to him, Jungmin had been living in hell.
He was really sorry.
But he wanted to survive.
At Jungmin’s silent refusal, Kim Youngcheol exploded in frustration.
“You serious right now? Kim Hyunsung got dragged to the disciplinary committee and went through all that shit for you, and you’re just gonna act like you don’t know anything? Jungmin, this isn’t right. I get what you’re feeling, but this is no different from throwing Hyunsung under the bus just to save yourself. What if he ends up expelled because of this? You think you’ll be able to live with that guilt? Let’s be real—who else would ever help a kid like you?”
“…”
There was no answer.
Even as Kim Youngcheol lashed out, Jungmin, paralyzed by fear, couldn’t think straight.
“Goddamn it.”
BANG!
He kicked the desk.
Fuming, Kim Youngcheol stormed off toward the faculty office, leaving Jungmin behind.
At the time, Jungmin hadn’t even imagined—
That the committee would end with the expulsion of all four members of Park Mincheol’s gang.
* * *
Jungmin’s face had gone pale.
There was no way to justify himself against what was being said.
He had taken things too lightly.
He thought that because Kim Hyunsung was a kind friend who had saved him, a simple thank you would be enough to maintain their relationship.
But—
Reality was different.
Kim Hyunsung glared at Jungmin with a savage expression.
“This whole mess is my responsibility. Even if I jumped in after seeing you getting beat, I’m the one who sent four guys to the ER. That’s something I have to deal with. But you—too scared to testify at the disciplinary committee—have the nerve to come thank me now? Why? Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
After the committee ended—
Kim Youngcheol had said a lot.
He begged to stay on good terms with Hyunsung, but also harshly criticized Jungmin’s cowardly behavior. If not for Go Chang-beom’s sudden appearance, things could’ve ended badly. And the only one who could’ve realistically flipped the outcome had turned his back on Kim Hyunsung. Even by thug standards, Jungmin had made a coward’s choice.
“…S-sorry.”
Jungmin lowered his head.
Just like before with Kim Youngcheol, he was too scared to even speak properly.
Looking at him now—
Hyunsung saw his past self reflected.
He had fought back fiercely at first. But after facing endless abuse, his resolve had gradually worn down, until eventually he became as powerless as Jungmin was now. Back then, he knew no matter what he did, it wouldn’t change anything. Though he never gave up on his studies, there was no way to resist the Park Mincheol gang.
Fighting skill meant nothing.
He could beat one or two, but he’d always be outnumbered. And even if he fought back, he’d be the only one punished.
It was a hopeless reality.
In those days, Kim Hyunsung was pessimistic.
Even if someone had stood up for him in his past life—gotten dragged to a disciplinary committee for him—there was no guarantee he would’ve risked his school life for that person. Graduating with good grades was his only way out. But there was one thing he knew for sure: if he had made the same choice as Jungmin, he would’ve accepted all the criticism that followed without complaint.
This wasn’t about understanding.
Jungmin had been a coward.
Maybe the kind-hearted Kim Hyunsung of the past would’ve forgiven him.
But not the Kim Hyunsung of today.
“Save it. I don’t give a damn who bullies you from now on—that’s your problem. So get out of my face. I don’t even want to look at you.”
His voice was ice-cold.
Unable to say anything, Jungmin turned and left with a devastated expression.
* * *
The commotion quickly died down.
Kim Hyunsung didn’t lash out at anyone after taking down Park Mincheol, and he didn’t raise his voice at anyone else after what happened with Jungmin.
When the teacher came in for first period, Kim Hyunsung focused on class as he had in the past—just like the friend his classmates remembered.
‘If I want to carry out my plan, I’ll need good grades to back it up.’
Grades.
The root of all this conflict.
Golden Circle chose its targets based on that very reason—to tear down students who outperformed their members. That’s how the bullying started in his past life, too. Since middle school, Kim Hyunsung had always ranked near the top. Just before his first high school midterms, someone put in a request, and Shin Youngmin had used Park Mincheol to go after him.
That meant—
The real culprit was somewhere in this classroom, or at least within this school.
Someone jealous of Kim Hyunsung’s grades. Someone who wanted to drag him down so they could rise higher in rank.
There were a few suspects that came to mind, but without solid evidence, he couldn’t act carelessly. For now, he planned to maintain his current position. If he kept scoring top marks—enough to remain a thorn in their side—Golden Circle would be forced to act again just to fulfill their client’s request.
And when they did—
That was his chance.
He would crush them all.
Anyone involved with Golden Circle—he would ruin their lives without exception.
‘My ultimate goal is to dominate Daesan and expand into Gangnam. And to make Golden Circle wary of me even in Gangnam, I need more than just power. I need grades that are so overwhelming they throw everything into chaos. Grades that will drive their clients to rage and pressure them into action.’
It wasn’t a difficult problem.
In his previous life—
Kim Hyunsung’s grades had ranked at the national level.
That’s why he was pushed off the rooftop just before the final college entrance exams. And the material being taught now? He understood it all as if it were tattooed into his brain. Even so, he didn’t let his guard down. Revisiting his past knowledge, he now aimed not just to be among the best—but to claim the very top.
Soon—
It would be time for midterms.
Once his grades were revealed, a huge stir would erupt across Daesan.
“The content I’m explaining now will be on the midterms—”
As the teacher lectured, while a few students nodded off in boredom, Kim Hyunsung kept his eyes locked ahead, sharp with focus and resolve.
* * *
Lunchtime.
While the other students ran around the schoolyard after their meals, one student was smoking on the rooftop.
“Phew.”
“Hey Youngmin, what do we do now? With Park Mincheol’s gang expelled, the whole plan’s gone to hell.”
“Yeah, no kidding.”
Flick.
He tossed his cigarette to the ground.
The floor was already littered with butts, but the boy—called Shin Youngmin—lit up another one.
Flick, flick.
“Seriously, this is such bullshit. I thought this was gonna be easy money, so I accepted the job without thinking. But now? It’s a complete mess. Golden Circle screwed me over. When they brought the job to me, they swore the kid had no background—so they lowballed the rate. And now? Turns out the bastard has the eldest son of Myungjin Construction as his guardian. There’s no way we can muscle him down in Daesan with that kind of backing.”
“Yeah… even if someone’s powerful, there’s no beating Myungjin Construction in Daesan. So are you giving up?”
“No.”
He inhaled deeply.
Giving up wasn’t an option.
He’d already spent the 5 million won down payment he received for the job.
He was promised another 10 million upon success. No matter what, Shin Youngmin intended to collect every last won—even if it meant using any means necessary. Of course, the situation had become complicated. Anyone who could single-handedly send Park Mincheol’s gang to the emergency room wouldn’t be easy to break through harassment alone.
Still—
They were both high schoolers. There were ways.
Shin Youngmin spoke.
“Since we accepted the job, there’s no turning back. We’re past the point of choice. If anything, this is a chance to renegotiate and get a better payout since the conditions changed. As messed up as it is, it’s not exactly bad. We’re talking about high school-level stuff here. If we can squeeze tens of millions just for taking down some high schooler, we should be grateful.”
The plan was simple.
Direct assault.
Use school violence to deal with it.
Even with powerful connections, no one could fully shield themselves from what happened in the hallways.
Shin Youngmin smirked.
“So, who’s the current top dog in the first-year class? Tell him to get his ass up here now.”
* * *
School ended.
It had been a quiet day.
Attending classes, spending breaks, eating lunch, and going back to class.
No one spoke to Kim Hyunsung during any of it.
Most of the kids who used to hang out with him were model students. After the Park Mincheol incident, they looked at him strangely. To them, Kim Hyunsung had changed overnight. It wasn’t just that he fought back—he showed a brutality beyond what they expected.
But he accepted it.
There was no point longing for ordinary days with friends—his fury left no room for that.
Today, he didn’t head home.
He had a new destination.
‘To carry out my plans, I need more than just grades. I need personal strength. If I can’t overwhelm my enemies in the moment, all my other advantages mean nothing. In a world ruled by kids, raw violence is absolute. And if it’s true that Shin Youngmin took on Golden Circle’s request, I can’t face him with my current strength.’
The blueprint was already drawn.
To gain that strength, he needed someone from Daesan.
He began walking.
Step.
And finally arrived.
He looked up at the faded sign above the building.
[Jung Doo-chul Gym]
Jung Doo-chul.
A former mixed martial artist—and the first Korean to become a world champion in the UFC (Ultimate Fight Club).
Now, a forgotten name.
And the next piece of the puzzle Kim Hyunsung needed.
* * * * * *
Translator’s Note:
Hey everyone, just a quick heads-up — starting next week, chapter releases might be a bit inconsistent for a while. My wife and I just had our baby, and I’ll be prioritizing taking care of them during this time. Depending on how things go, I might still be able to post chapters here and there, but I can’t promise a regular schedule just yet.
I really appreciate your patience and support. I’ll do my best to keep updates coming when I can, and I’ll let you all know once things start settling down and we’re closer to getting back to a steady rhythm.
Thanks again for sticking with me and this story. It means a lot.