Chapter 4

The Park Mincheol incident.

In his previous life, Kim Hyunsung lived through hell after that incident.

Every day, he was dragged off by Park Mincheol’s gang and beaten to a pulp. Even after school, he couldn’t sleep due to relentless bullying disguised as errands in games. There was no word other than “hell” to describe it. Kim Hyunsung, who had been barely enduring it all, eventually concluded he couldn’t continue his studies like this and made a decision.

He went to see a teacher.

He knew it wasn’t the best solution, but at that moment, he believed he needed the power of an adult.

However—

“So, that happened, huh?”

Kim Youngcheol’s response was indifferent.

He didn’t ask for details about Kim Hyunsung’s situation and half-heartedly listened with a dismissive attitude. If it had ended there, Kim Hyunsung wouldn’t have held a grudge against his homeroom teacher. But as Kim Hyunsung desperately explained his situation in a voice filled with despair, Kim Youngcheol made a mistake that should never have been made in an attempt to “resolve” the problem.

“Hey, Park Mincheol. Is what Hyunsung said true?”

“Aw, c’mon, sir. I’ve got no reason to bully a friend that badly. I was just joking around, but I guess because I’m a bit big, Hyunsung thinks I’m bullying him.”

“Bastard. Whatever the case, don’t bully your friends. There’s no reason for friends to be at each other’s throats. You all get that too, right?”

“Yes.”

“Loyalty! I’ll keep it in mind, sir!”

Kim Youngcheol and Park Mincheol’s gang.

For Kim Hyunsung, it was a matter of life and death, but they laughed and brushed it off, wrapping up the issue without the victim. As he left the teachers’ office, Kim Hyunsung couldn’t stop his hands from trembling. He knew what was coming next, and as expected, the moment he stepped out, Park Mincheol wore a viciously twisted expression.

“Come with me.”

“Idiot. You think tattling to a teacher will fix anything?”

He was dragged away.

Kim Hyunsung was taken to the incineration room, a place notorious for being the hangout of delinquents, and was beaten like a madman for tattling. Normally, they would stop once blood started flowing, but even after his nose bled and his face swelled, they slapped him and tripped him to the ground. Unsatisfied, they stomped on his face. Gritting his teeth and curling his body, Kim Hyunsung endured with all he had.

It was unfair.

He was furious.

How had he ended up like this?

And a teacher’s role—wasn’t it to genuinely help students in trouble?

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

“Die!”

“Today we’re really gonna kill you.”

It was then.

Covering his face and struggling to endure, Kim Hyunsung happened to look toward the school building’s window.

Beyond the glass—

He saw a familiar face.

It was definitely Kim Youngcheol, and realizing his homeroom teacher had witnessed him getting beaten like this, Kim Hyunsung was so thrilled he wanted to scream. There was no way this could be brushed off as a prank now. With clear evidence, Kim Youngcheol—nicknamed “Bulldozer”—would surely hand down harsh punishment.

In that moment—

Swoosh.

He turned his head away.

Even though he clearly saw what happened, he disappeared back into the building as if it had nothing to do with him.

It was unbelievable.

Kim Hyunsung wanted to deny reality.

He learned the truth later.

Kim Youngcheol was trash who accepted bribes from parents, and it turned out one of Park Mincheol’s gang, Jung Minho, had parents who were Youngcheol’s source of money. He had never intended to solve Kim Hyunsung’s problem from the start.

* * *

Kim Youngcheol’s eyelids twitched.

Worried other teachers might have overheard what Kim Hyunsung exposed, he quickly looked around.

Fortunately, there were no teachers watching the area.

Breathing a sigh of relief internally, Kim Youngcheol glared at Kim Hyunsung as if to kill him.

“You little punk, what kind of bullshit are you spouting—”

“Teacher.”

The words were cut off.

Kim Hyunsung, fully expecting that reaction, spoke in a calm and composed voice.

“From now on, when you speak to me, think carefully before opening your mouth. You met Jung Minho’s parents through a college senior, didn’t you? That’s how you started favoring him even before school began, and I believe you’ve been receiving monthly bribes in return. Also, I’m aware that despite having three kids of your own, you’re having an affair with the married English teacher, and that you often use M Motel as your rendezvous point. Should I keep going? You’ve lived a filthy life, teacher. And even this doesn’t expose all your skeletons. If I dig into every issue, staying at this school won’t be easy for you.”

Creak.

He leaned back in his chair.

Spitting out the blood pooled in his mouth, he looked up at the startled face of Kim Youngcheol.

“Don’t think you can brush this off as nonsense. Depending on how you respond, I can ruin your life—even if it means dropping out of this school.”

“……”

He was speechless.

He didn’t understand.

In his past life—

When Kim Hyunsung reached his third year of high school, all of Kim Youngcheol’s secrets were exposed. His wife came to school and slapped him across the face before stamping the divorce papers. It turned out her family background was quite impressive. Most of their assets were in her name, which made Kim Youngcheol terrified of his affair being revealed.

Therefore—

The threat had to work.

His trembling pupils confirmed it, and after a moment of silence, Kim Youngcheol barely opened his mouth.

“…What do you want me to do?”

He quickly grasped the situation.

He realized that messing with Kim Hyunsung could lead to serious trouble, so the “Bulldozer” backed off a step.

Kim Hyunsung smiled.

“It’s simple. If you want to shut me up, just keep living the way you’ve always lived.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I mean keep living like garbage. Keep turning a blind eye to students’ problems, keep covering things up even when you know they’re wrong. The only difference is the target changes. From now on, just do a lot of things for me. As long as you make sure this incident doesn’t blow up—by any means necessary—I won’t expose your secrets until I graduate.”

He leaned forward.

With a slightly louder and more resolute voice, Kim Hyunsung spoke to the anxious Kim Youngcheol, who was worried other teachers might hear.

“Do you understand what I mean?”

* * *

He exited the teachers’ office.

Walking down the hallway, he recalled Kim Youngcheol’s final expression.

“…I’ll try, for now.”

A face full of despair.

A voice forced from his throat.

Kim Youngcheol had surrendered to reality.

Even though he was being threatened by nothing more than a student, there was nothing he could do to resist. Sending Park Mincheol’s gang to the hospital, Kim Hyunsung had already proven his resolve. Knowing that provoking someone as ruthless as him would lead to mutual destruction, the now-stabilized Kim Youngcheol couldn’t help but be afraid.

In his previous life—

After the incident with Kim Youngcheol, Kim Hyunsung had tried to resolve the problem on his own.

He confronted Park Mincheol’s gang head-on.

Even knowing he couldn’t win a fight, he swung his fists, desperate to escape his hellish reality.

That day was especially brutal.

He knocked Park Mincheol to the ground and broke Jung Minho’s nose, but after being thrown by Kang Changseok, Kim Hyunsung ended up hospitalized. It was clearly mutual. To be precise, it was an incident that should have highlighted the bullying by Park Mincheol’s gang, yet the reality that awaited Kim Hyunsung was harsh.

“Hyunsung started it first.”

“Can you believe this? My precious son’s nose was broken!”

“We can’t just let this go.”

Park Mincheol’s gang posed as the victims.

And then the adults got involved.

The situation was overturned.

Kim Hyunsung, who had no parents, was powerless in a space beyond his reach, and his grandmother—who relied on basic welfare—couldn’t stand up to the booming voices of women decked out in luxury brands. She bowed her head. Despite her fiery nature, she could only bow in the face of threats to ruin Kim Hyunsung’s life.

A school violence committee was convened.

The result: disciplinary action against Kim Hyunsung.

While Park Mincheol’s gang continued school life without issue, Kim Hyunsung—left like a vegetable—realized too late.

If only—

If only he could turn back time.

He realized that to get revenge on Park Mincheol’s gang, brute strength alone wasn’t enough.

Even the adults’ involvement had to be resolved completely to achieve true revenge.

Kim Youngcheol—

He was merely the first card in a pre-planned deck.

As he arrived at his destination, Kim Hyunsung temporarily pushed aside the thoughts clouding his mind.

There was something he needed to do first.

Creak.

Clack.

The door opened.

When the door to Class 8 burst open, the students inside stared at Kim Hyunsung in surprise.

And among them—

“Jung Minho. You better finish what you started.”

Jung Minho, one of Park Mincheol’s gang, froze on the spot with a pale face.

* * *

Kim Hyunsung had been called to the teachers’ office.

Jung Minho, now acting as if he hadn’t been scared at all, exploded with rage.

“That bitch is fucking crazy. I’m gonna tear him apart when he gets back.”

Bang!

The moment he entered the classroom, he kicked over a desk.

His classmates, seeing him seething with anger, didn’t dare say a word.

Jung Minho understood the situation.

With his mother having a close relationship with Kim Youngcheol, there was no way he’d let Kim Hyunsung—who had turned his three friends into bloodied messes—off the hook. At the very least, he’d be expelled. If Kim Hyunsung got kicked out of the school, they’d never have to cross paths again. That meant there was no reason to worry about fighting him anymore.

Truthfully, he had been scared.

But thinking his friends might have seen that fear, Jung Minho acted out more violently than necessary.

“Damn it, fuck!”

Bang!

Crash!

He wrecked his surroundings.

Kicking desks and flipping chairs, he turned the once-noisy classroom ice-cold. Just the way he wanted it. In this school, he had to be the predator. He could never allow someone like Kim Hyunsung to drag down his status.

Clack.

He sat in his chair.

He calmed his rage.

At the time, he really believed that if he ever saw Kim Hyunsung again, he’d beat him to a pulp.

But then—

Thud!

“Urgh.”

His head snapped to the side.

Seeing Kim Hyunsung charging at him, Jung Minho couldn’t even react—he took the punch directly. The moment he saw Kim Hyunsung, his body froze. Normally, he’d be quick to react thanks to his fighting experience, but the sight of Kim Hyunsung returning from the teachers’ office like some kind of ghost paralyzed him.

A natural enemy.

He became a mouse before a cat.

Toppled over, Jung Minho raised his head—only to see a knee filling his vision.

Smack!

“Gah.”

His vision spun.

From that moment, he couldn’t think straight.

His face was helplessly flung around as he sat slumped on the floor, getting slapped repeatedly by Kim Hyunsung.

Smack!

Smack, smack, smack!

Blood splattered.

His face was a mess.

The furious Jung Minho from moments ago was gone, replaced by someone being beaten like a dog. He wanted to scream for help. Kim Hyunsung was a truly insane bastard. Flailing in desperation to survive, Jung Minho suddenly spotted a familiar face through the classroom window.

‘Bulldozer!’

It was Kim Youngcheol.

A flash of hope filled him.

If it was Kim Youngcheol, who accepted bribes from his mother, he wouldn’t just watch him get beaten like this.

But then—

“…Fuck.”

Kim Youngcheol’s expression twisted.

Even though their eyes met, he looked away as if he hadn’t seen anything and turned on his heel.

At the same time, a voice filled with despair rang in his ears.

“Don’t expect any help. No one in this school—absolutely no one—will come to save you.”

Only then did he understand.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

As Kim Hyunsung’s palm filled his vision, Jung Minho squeezed his eyes shut.

Smack—!