Chapter 19
The day Kim Hyunsung first went to the gym—
Park Jinwoo, recognized as the top dog among the first-years at Cheonil High School, found himself in quite a predicament.
Shin Youngmin.
The notorious senior known as the devil of Cheonil had summoned Park Jinwoo.
“You’re Jinwoo, right? I’ll have your back from now on, so make sure you crush Kim Hyunsung—the guy who messed up Mincheol’s crew. Break him so thoroughly he can’t even function like a person among the first-years. Got it?”
He nodded vigorously.
It wasn’t so much that he agreed with Shin Youngmin’s plan; it was more that the pressure from Shin Youngmin tapping him on the cheek made him feel like he had no choice.
And now—
Park Jinwoo had a headache.
If it had been just a few days ago, he would’ve crushed Kim Hyunsung without hesitation. But after the incident with Park Mincheol’s crew, Kim Hyunsung had become a name to watch among the first-years. It wasn’t that people acknowledged him because of Park Jinwoo. Still, with the powerful backing of being the eldest son of Myungjin Construction and the fact that he singlehandedly wrecked Park Mincheol’s group, it made people hesitate. Mess with him, and you might get burned instead.
‘The guys say Kim Hyunsung’s a total nutcase. It’s not even about whether he’s good at fighting. People like him, if you mess with them, something’s bound to go wrong. He’s the type who’d bash someone’s head with a padlock to win a fight. There’s no way he’d just take a beating and move on.’
He was confident in a fight.
Park Jinwoo used to train in ssireum back in elementary school.
He quit when he entered middle school, but his massive frame built of fat and muscle alone was enough to overwhelm most opponents.
High school fights were all about physical dominance.
Unless it was someone like Shin Youngmin, who had actually trained in fighting, a rough brawler like Kim Hyunsung could be taken down in under a minute. What concerned Park Jinwoo wasn’t the fight—it was what came after. Kim Hyunsung might come back for revenge with a weapon or drag in the heir of Myungjin Construction to stir up trouble.
It irritated him.
If it were up to him, he would’ve refused.
But he knew that once Shin Youngmin had his eye on someone, there was no safe way to stay at Cheonil without obeying.
‘There’s a reason they call him the devil senior. The guy would break your nose just for making eye contact. If I disobey him, I’m done. Even the second-year seniors will be on me every day trying to stomp me down.’
After school—
Even at home, the dilemma weighed on him.
He had to go through with it.
Even if he couldn’t handle the aftermath, he couldn’t afford to make an enemy out of a thug like Shin Youngmin.
The next day arrived.
Determined to crush Kim Hyunsung, Park Jinwoo ran into an unexpected situation before he could even try anything.
—
“Good job.”
“…Huh?”
Shin Youngmin smiled brightly.
Park Jinwoo’s original plan was to beat up Kim Hyunsung during lunch.
But right after first period, Shin Youngmin called him over and looked at him warmly.
“Jinwoo, you dog. You’ve got some fire. I tell you to take care of Kim Hyunsung, and you went and crushed him the very same day?”
“What do you mean…?”
“I heard from the other first-years. Kim Hyunsung showed up today looking like a wreck. I thought he’d be a tough nut since he caused that whole ruckus, but I guess you stomped him so hard he couldn’t even fight back. I like you, man. From now on, go ahead and tell people you’re one of Shin Youngmin’s favorites. If anyone gives you trouble, let me know. Not that I think anyone your age would dare touch you now.”
Shin Youngmin was on a roll.
Kim Hyunsung.
He was a headache.
He’d been stressed about not being able to take care of that request, but that morning, the client thanked him. Judging by Kim Hyunsung’s wrecked face, it looked like he’d been handled properly. From the timing, Shin Youngmin naturally assumed Park Jinwoo was responsible—but the truth was something else entirely.
The day before—
Kim Hyunsung had met with Jung Doo-chul.
He stepped into the octagon to train under him, and to prove his determination, he endured the session to the end despite having a nosebleed. That beating was what left his face a mess. Satisfied with what he’d achieved, he went to school as usual, but his appearance convinced others there had to be a reason for it.
And of course—
The only one who could’ve done that to someone like Kim Hyunsung was Park Jinwoo.
Plus, it gave them a nice excuse.
Shin Youngmin said, “Come hang out after school. Let’s drink a bit.”
“…Th-thank you.”
Park Jinwoo smiled for now.
He had no idea what was going on.
Not knowing anything about Kim Hyunsung’s situation, he just assumed it was one of those things that somehow worked out for the best.
The problem had resolved itself.
From that point, he smiled for real.
“Senior, if anything like this ever comes up again, please let me know right away. I’m Park Jinwoo, the guy who runs the first-years of Cheonil High. I’ll handle your problems, no question.”
“You’re a damn cool one.”
“Am I? Hahaha!”
Cheonil High School rooftop.
And so, a minor misunderstanding(?) blossomed into shared laughter.
—
The misunderstanding actually worked in Kim Hyunsung’s favor.
He had expected Shin Youngmin to make a move right away after the incident with Park Mincheol’s crew, but no matter how long he waited, nothing happened. They all believed Park Jinwoo had thoroughly beaten him. If any students had approached Kim Hyunsung, they might’ve passed the rumor along—but since then, most started avoiding him.
A week passed.
The swelling on his face had mostly subsided.
As he kept going back and forth between school and the gym every day, he suddenly noticed someone sitting in the seat in front of him.
Plop.
“I don’t think this is right.”
He had a face like a pretty boy.
Despite his delicate features, he had a solid build, and as soon as Kim Hyunsung saw him, he remembered his name.
Kim Siwoo.
A popular kid because of his good looks.
Looking at Kim Hyunsung, he said:
“It just doesn’t sit right. You didn’t do anything wrong, and yet everyone’s openly avoiding you. Honestly, I didn’t approach you either because you seemed different from the Kim Hyunsung I remember. But that’s not enough of a reason to ignore someone. So from now on, let’s hang out.”
“Avoiding me?”
“…Huh?”
Kim Siwoo’s eyes widened.
It was an unexpected reaction.
He had assumed Kim Hyunsung must be struggling with the isolation, but his face showed genuine confusion.
“You didn’t know you were being avoided?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you serious?”
It was baffling.
This wasn’t just a couple of students conspiring.
The entire first-year class had agreed to it, so the fact that Kim Hyunsung was unaware left Kim Siwoo completely dumbfounded.
“After the Park Mincheol incident, Park Jinwoo went around threatening everyone. He told them that if anyone even spoke to you, he’d make their whole high school life hell. Didn’t you notice anything strange? No one talks to you anymore. You used to be pretty sociable—why do you think everyone suddenly started acting cold?”
Just like he said.
The Kim Hyunsung of his previous life would’ve noticed immediately.
But things were different now.
The warm, sociable friend Kim Siwoo remembered had long since disappeared. After spending so much time in a vegetative state, Kim Hyunsung had grown used to being alone. Being isolated by his peers? It didn’t bother him in the slightest. Whether he was being avoided or not, Kim Hyunsung had more urgent things to deal with.
Kim Siwoo said, “Okay, let’s say you really didn’t know. What matters is that I don’t care what Park Jinwoo says. Got it? You and I—we’ve been friends since elementary school. Even if I get my ass beat by Park Jinwoo’s crew, I’m not going to sit back and watch my friend get ostracized by the whole class.”
His mind cleared.
He had forgotten for a moment.
What kind of friend Kim Siwoo was.
He was the only one who had stood by his side—who had visited him while he was a vegetable.
—
In his past life.
While he was being tormented by Park Mincheol—
There had been one friend who couldn’t stand to watch anymore.
“You assholes, knock it the fuck off already.”
It was Kim Siwoo.
Seeing Kim Hyunsung being beaten, Kim Siwoo had stepped in, and for a brief moment, Kim Hyunsung had a reprieve.
The problem came afterward.
Kim Siwoo became a target too.
Just like they had done with Kim Hyunsung, Park Mincheol’s gang organized and relentlessly bullied Kim Siwoo. He held out for quite a while. He wanted to stay on Kim Hyunsung’s side, but after getting beaten so badly his right leg was broken, he stopped acknowledging him. The gang’s real target was Kim Hyunsung. Kim Siwoo realized that distancing himself might be the only way to survive.
And just like that, Kim Siwoo faded from his memory.
The hellish days that followed left no room for the past, and eventually, Kim Hyunsung ended up as a vegetable.
Then one day—
Kim Siwoo came to visit.
He gazed endlessly at Kim Hyunsung and said in a choked voice:
“…I’m really sorry. If I’d stayed by your side until the end, maybe things wouldn’t have ended up like this. But I was scared. I couldn’t handle getting beat up every break between classes. I thought I was brave, but I couldn’t fight back at all. God, life’s so fucked. You… you’re not someone who should’ve ended up like this.”
Kim Siwoo cried for a long time.
Kim Hyunsung had once been a shining figure.
Everyone who knew him—every adult who remembered him—had confidently said that he was bound for success. He had that kind of potential. And yet here he was, a lifeless shell. Kim Siwoo poured out all his frustration and never came back after that.
It was probably because of the guilt.
That vivid name, Kim Siwoo, had been buried in the back of his mind after a decade of despair.
It had to be.
Happy memories?
Precious moments?
He couldn’t survive if he remembered those.
All he could afford to think about was revenge.
And only when he came face-to-face with Kim Siwoo did he remember—he had a friend like this.
“…Don’t.”
“What?”
“Don’t act like we’re close. Didn’t Park Jinwoo say it? That he’d target anyone who’s associated with me. Don’t get yourself hurt for no reason. Just act like the rest of them. I can handle my own problems.”
“You really…”
Kim Siwoo frowned.
He looked like he wanted to say something, but the bell rang before he could.
“Tch, whatever. We’ll talk about this later. But I have no reason to listen to you. I consider you my friend, so I’ll take care of my problems myself. Just don’t go anywhere after class.”
—
After Kim Siwoo left—
The next class began.
Throughout the entire lesson, Kim Hyunsung couldn’t stop thinking about him.
‘This life is going to be nothing but hardship. In the process of going up against the Golden Circle, there’s no way I’ll be able to avoid bloodshed. If I let Kim Siwoo get close to me, I already know what his future will look like. Just like last time, he’ll suffer just for being my friend.’
He faced the truth.
Everyone outside of his family—
All ties, even the good ones, would be severed.
Family was different—they were bound by blood. But others could go on living their own separate lives.
Kim Siwoo—
That loyal friend—
He hoped he wouldn’t get dragged into the mud with him.
Because he truly thought of him as a friend, in this life, he wouldn’t form any bonds with Kim Siwoo.
“That’s it for today’s class. Don’t forget the homework, everyone.”
“Okay!”
An hour passed in a flash.
Soon, Kim Siwoo would probably show up.
Kim Hyunsung was going over what he planned to say to him, but no matter how long he waited, Kim Siwoo didn’t come.
Did he give up?
Good. It was for the best.
Now there was no need to try and talk him out of it.
Preparing calmly for the next class, Kim Hyunsung overheard some of the students chatting as they entered the room.
“Siwoo’s screwed.”
“Yeah. He said a few words to Kim Hyunsung and got dragged off right away.”
In that moment, Kim Hyunsung’s expression stiffened.
Those words—
Tore apart the mental picture he’d just painted in his head.
* * * * * * *
(T/N: I’m alive! 😂 Just dropping in with a quick update. Still not back to a regular upload schedule, but I’ll be uploading at least 5 chapters per series every week, in order based on the most recent series I picked up. No fixed days yet, but I’ll keep the bulk uploads coming as best as I can!)
