Chapter 3
At that moment—
Though class had ended for Kim Hyunsung’s class, Park Mincheol’s group still hadn’t left their room.
“Everyone take note. Today’s material will definitely be on the midterm…”
It was their Korean teacher, nicknamed “Park Chat-hoo.”
Once he started talking, there was no end in sight. Even though the bell had rung, he continued his lecture unfazed. For Park Mincheol’s crew, it was maddening. They had planned to pummel Kim Hyunsung the moment class ended, but with no sign of the lesson stopping, frustration boiled over.
“Fucking Korean bastard. So goddamn annoying.”
“Right? If someone told him to stay late for work, he’d be pissed too. Why can’t he respect the bell?”
In the back of the classroom—
The group grumbled in low voices.
Jung Minho glanced at the clock on the wall and muttered while recalling Kim Hyunsung.
“But seriously, what the hell’s up with that Hyunsung guy? I thought this would be an easy win, but he came at us like he had nothing to lose. You think someone tipped him off or something?”
“No way.”
Jo Yongtaek shook his head.
The conflict between Park Mincheol and Kim Hyunsung—
It wasn’t random.
Yes, Kim Hyunsung had been the one to provoke Park Mincheol, but from the beginning, the group had planned to use Mincheol as bait to crush him. Yet Kim Hyunsung’s response had been completely unexpected. He should’ve cowered in front of the numbers, especially when Kang Changseok stepped forward—but he hadn’t flinched at all.
Totally unexpected.
Their calculations had fallen apart.
Jung Minho’s eyes turned sharp as he recalled the confrontation.
“Whatever his reason was, Kim Hyunsung disrespected us in front of everyone. If we just let that slide, the others will start looking down on us. I don’t care if this started as a favor—let’s crush him completely. Make sure he never looks at us like that again.”
“Damn right. I’m gonna fucking kill him.”
That was Kang Changseok.
Having almost clashed with him already, his head was filled with nothing but thoughts of stomping Kim Hyunsung into the ground.
Even the most drawn-out lesson eventually ends.
“Well, that concludes today’s class.”
There was no rush.
As the Korean teacher exited the room, Park Mincheol’s group casually stood from their seats.
“Let’s go.”
There was nowhere to run.
A school was a limited space.
If Kim Hyunsung wanted to continue his school life, there was nowhere he could hide.
They were in Class 8.
Kim Hyunsung was in Class 1.
The distance was enough that they could walk slowly. But as they neared, Jung Minho spotted a crowd gathering around Class 1. A creeping sense of unease stirred in him. A sharp flash of intuition screamed that Mincheol might be in danger. His face twisted, and he suddenly broke into a run.
“Fuck, you bastard!”
“Move!”
They ran.
But when they reached Class 1, Park Mincheol’s group froze at the scene before them.
“You’re late.”
Kim Hyunsung glared with cold eyes.
Park Mincheol, covered in blood, hung limp—gripped by the collar in Kim Hyunsung’s hand.
* * *
There was no need for words.
Without time to assess the situation, the hot-headed Kang Changseok charged in.
“You son of a bitch!”
Clatter.
He was fast.
As the hulking Changseok rushed at him, familiar memories flashed through Kim Hyunsung’s mind.
Over the past ten years—
He had enacted countless imaginary revenges in his vegetative state.
Park Mincheol had never been the problem.
The real problem was Kang Changseok.
No matter how many times he beat Mincheol, Hyunsung could never handle Mincheol’s crew when led by Changseok. Even if Hyunsung was good in a fight, he wasn’t strong enough to take on multiple opponents alone. If he had been, he wouldn’t have spent three years suffering under their torment.
So—
What was the solution?
After failing countless times in his mind, he finally thought of something the old Kim Hyunsung would never have done.
It was simple.
Grab.
Smash!
“Grahh!”
Changseok screamed.
Just as he lunged at Kim Hyunsung, Hyunsung snatched a locker padlock he had scouted earlier and smashed the steel end into Changseok’s head. Fair fight? That meant nothing. For revenge, he’d use whatever it took. As Changseok staggered, Hyunsung grabbed his hair and repeatedly bashed the lock into his temple.
Crack!
Crack, crack!
Twist.
His eyes rolled back.
Even with his athletic background, once his weak spot was hit with a metal weapon, there was no chance of withstanding it.
And then—
Crunch!
Hyunsung yanked his head in and slammed a knee straight into his face.
Blood sprayed as Changseok’s massive body crumpled backward. The two who had planned to follow him froze. It was only a moment—but watching Changseok go down so quickly stunned them.
Kim Hyunsung didn’t give them time to recover.
‘Now’s the only chance.’
Target: Jo Yongtaek.
The scrawny boy didn’t even have time to process the situation before Hyunsung’s tackle slammed into him.
‘If I put my full weight into the hit, Jo Yongtaek won’t be able to hold out. And behind him is the school hallway. Once he hits the floor, he won’t be able to react to follow-ups.’
Wham.
Crash!
It was a meticulously calculated move.
After reliving these scenarios countless times, Kim Hyunsung had devised the most effective method to take down Mincheol’s crew. As expected, Jo Yongtaek was disoriented after hitting the floor. While he flailed, Hyunsung mounted him and began pummeling his face. Jo Yongtaek swung his arms in protest, but with Hyunsung in full mount position, the blows kept coming like he meant to kill him.
Jung Minho?
Irrelevant.
Whether he struck from behind or not, Hyunsung had to finish off Jo Yongtaek after dealing with Changseok.
Only then—
Would the numbers be even.
Kim Hyunsung’s blood-red eyes didn’t stop, even as Jo Yongtaek’s resistance waned.
Whack!
Wham, wham, wham!
Blood splattered.
His hands were soaked in red.
After pummeling for what felt like ages, Kim Hyunsung only stopped once his opponent could no longer resist. He backed off, breathing heavily.
“Huff, huff.”
It was physically exhausting.
Though the fight had been thoroughly calculated in his mind, the body of a high school freshman couldn’t keep up with such intensity. But he couldn’t stop here. Forcing down the breath rising to his throat, Kim Hyunsung got to his feet and looked back.
There was still—
One more left.
When he turned, he saw Jung Minho’s face twisted in shock, along with the crowd of students gathering behind him like a backdrop.
* * *
Jung Minho was horrified.
Like his trembling pupils, his mind couldn’t process the fact that his friends had gone down so easily.
‘…Was Kim Hyunsung always this strong?’
High school.
Adults might see it as childish roughhousing, but when boys first enter, they fight to establish their pecking order. Kim Hyunsung had been part of that process too. With his diligent and kind image, he’d had a few clashes with the Golden Circle, and after proving himself, he was left alone.
But this—
Was on a completely different level.
Even taking down just Kang Changseok should’ve been impossible, yet Kim Hyunsung now looked like a demon.
“Hic… hic.”
He hiccupped.
He was terrified.
When Kim Hyunsung stood up and looked at him, every fiber of his being wanted to run.
‘I can’t beat him.’
This entire situation—
Was monstrous.
Kim Hyunsung had bashed Changseok’s head with a lock without hesitation, then brutally beat Jo Yongtaek until he was unconscious. There was no holding back. Realizing he might end up like his friends, even Jung Minho, who was decent at fighting, completely lost the will to resist.
“Let’s finish this.”
Kim Hyunsung stepped forward.
Covered in his friends’ blood, his approach made Jung Minho raise his fists out of instinct—but his face was frozen in fear.
Tension soared.
And then—
“Hey! What the hell’s going on here?!”
A harsh voice rang out.
Through the crowd emerged a hulking man.
Class 1’s homeroom teacher, Kim Youngcheol, had arrived after hearing the commotion.
* * *
Honestly, it was inevitable.
They weren’t even in the classroom—of course teachers would hear all that noise from the hallway.
It was chaos.
The whole school was in an uproar.
This wasn’t some minor school scuffle—three students had been beaten into bloody messes by Kim Hyunsung alone.
After getting the injured students sent to the hospital, Kim Youngcheol now faced Hyunsung with a fierce glare.
“Hey, Kim Hyunsung. Are you insane? I get that boys fight, but there’s a limit. These kids were hauled off in ambulances with blood all over their faces. This isn’t something that can be handled in school. I’ve been a teacher for over ten years, and I’ve never seen a punk go off the rails like this. Be ready. I’m calling their parents, and you’re going to face the consequences.”
The air turned hostile.
It didn’t matter what kind of student Kim Hyunsung usually was or who started the fight.
Just look at the victims.
If things went badly, Kim Youngcheol might be held responsible himself. Determined not to go down with the ship, he drew a hard line and loomed over Hyunsung, furious that a normally quiet student had caused such a massive headache.
At the very least—
This was a case for the school violence committee.
If he didn’t push for disciplinary action, the blowback might land on him.
But then—
“Teacher. You don’t need to overreact like that.”
“…What?”
He couldn’t believe his ears.
This was the moment Kim Hyunsung should be groveling for forgiveness.
He should’ve been on his knees, sobbing—but instead, he looked up at Kim Youngcheol with a cold, remorseless face.
“School violence has happened more than once, hasn’t it? You’re good at this sort of thing. Sweeping things under the rug so they don’t become a big deal. Just handle this one the same way. Make sure none of it lands on you.”
“You little—”
Smack!
His head snapped to the side.
The sharp sound drew every teacher’s attention in the faculty office.
No one said a word.
Even though violence had just occurred in the teacher’s office, they all turned away with twisted expressions, as if it were a justified punishment.
‘Right. This is how I died.’
In his past life—
It wasn’t just the bullying that killed him.
It was the Golden Circle.
And the adults who stood by and watched.
They were the ones who tightened the noose around his neck.
Especially his homeroom teacher, Kim Youngcheol—he was trash, unworthy of the title “teacher.”
Kim Hyunsung remembered clearly—
How Kim Youngcheol had lived while wearing the mask of an educator.
As the man raised his hand to slap him again, Hyunsung bared his bloodstained teeth.
“That’s enough.”
“You bastard!”
“Lower your voice, sir. If you keep going off like that, I might have to tell the parents about the money you’ve been taking—especially from Jung Minho’s family. You two talk quite a bit, don’t you? Should I start yelling right now and explain it all? Even if it’s not about them, I’ve got plenty to say. Like that affair with the English teacher, for instance.”
He smiled.
Staring at the frozen face of Kim Youngcheol, Hyunsung lowered his voice so only he could hear.
“So let’s keep it quiet, you fucking scumbag.”
