Chapter 140: Lawless Land (2)
The day before, **Choi Myung-hoon** had received a call from broker **Park Hyung-joon**.
“[Myung-hoon, listen carefully. Tomorrow, for one day only, whatever happens at school, no one will interfere. Not the teachers, not the police. Even if someone dies, there won’t be a single reliable witness. And when the police do show up, they’ll be too late, chasing fake leads we’ve planted. Do you understand what that means?]”
It was remarkable.
**Choi Myung-hoon** had carried out countless assignments, even traveling far to complete jobs for an S+ rating. But it was the first time he’d seen **Golden Circle** react so sensitively. They had initiated what they called a “blackout,” turning the school into a temporary lawless zone. This strategy was rare, only used in extreme situations.
But here they were, drawing the sword.
**Golden Circle** had determined that **Kim Hyun-seong** was worth eliminating.
‘Makes sense.’
It was an understandable decision. **Kim Hyun-seong** had transferred with a clear purpose, counterattacking the disciplinary committee’s ruling using **Golden Circle’s** own methods: a **stay of execution**. If **Kim Hyun-seong** managed to take first place in the upcoming midterms, the already agitated clients wouldn’t sit idly by.
One day.
The day of reckoning had arrived.
**Choi Myung-hoon** contacted his underclassmen, and as the day came, he set his plan in motion.
**Whizz.**
**Splash!**
“Nice.”
Milk splashed down onto **Kim Hyun-seong’s** head from above.
Based on what he knew, **Kim Hyun-seong** wasn’t the type to take such humiliation in silence. **Choi Myung-hoon** had deliberately shown his face, knowing **Kim Hyun-seong** would storm up to retaliate.
And sure enough—
“That bastard’s really coming up, huh?”
A friend commented, and **Choi Myung-hoon** grinned.
It was going according to plan, but his rage simmered beneath the surface.
“Yeah. Looks like this punk really thinks we’re a joke.”
He turned to face his friends.
“Tell the others. Start the plan now.”
* * *
**Bang!**
One of the underclassmen was slammed into the wall, knocked unconscious with a single blow. Without exchanging words, the rest of them rushed at **Kim Hyun-seong**.
**Whoosh!**
Coming down the stairs at full speed, one of them threw a punch. But **Kim Hyun-seong**, fighting from a lower position, dodged easily, closing the gap and landing a devastating uppercut.
**Smack!**
Blood splattered as the boy fell. Behind him, more underclassmen charged down the stairs.
“Get him!”
“Just take him down together!”
In seconds, the fight turned chaotic. Punches flew from all directions, but **Kim Hyun-seong** stayed focused, backing into the wall to take on his attackers one by one. Each punch he threw sent another opponent sprawling. The strength he had honed through years of training was not something mere high schoolers could withstand.
Already, five students lay scattered on the ground.
The initial group had all been taken down, but **Kim Hyun-seong** could see more approaching.
‘So, they really want to do this.’
This was a school.
Even when two students got into a simple fistfight, teachers would immediately intervene. Yet now it seemed like a scene straight out of a gangster movie, with groups of thugs piling in to fight. Since the disciplinary committee’s ruling couldn’t touch him, they had clearly decided to settle things the **Golden Circle** way.
Violence.
Classic.
As he fought, **Kim Hyun-seong** recalled the teachings of **Jung Doo-chul**.
“If you ever have to fight against multiple opponents? Well… no matter how long you’ve trained in mixed martial arts, there’s no real way to win against weapons or large numbers. No matter how strong one person is, they can’t handle guns or crowds. But if you want to prepare for the worst, remember two things. First, always secure a space where the enemy can’t attack efficiently.”
That was why **Kim Hyun-seong** had backed into the wall. Climbing the stairs, no matter how many of them rushed at him, they were forced to face him in a narrow, limited space. As long as his field of vision remained clear, he could manage. Even if punches flew from all directions, he could see them coming.
**Whoosh.**
He deflected an attack. Locking eyes with the assailant, **Jung Doo-chul’s** second piece of advice came to mind.
“And second: instill fear through ruthless, brutal force. Once they start to fear you, they won’t be able to use their numbers effectively.”
**Smack!**
He landed a punch, grabbed his opponent by the head, and drove his knee into their face.
**Crack!**
“Gah!”
A scream followed. As blood oozed from the student’s broken nose, the others, who had been charging forward, hesitated. No matter how loyal they were to **Choi Myung-hoon**, witnessing such brutality up close shook them to their core. **Kim Hyun-seong** didn’t waste the opportunity. He unleashed even more violence, pushing them beyond what they could endure.
**Bam!**
Another opponent’s face twisted grotesquely as blood sprayed from their nose. **Kim Hyun-seong** followed up with a high kick to another’s head.
**Crash!**
The boy collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, and the others, still descending the stairs, hesitated for a moment.
That was all the opening **Kim Hyun-seong** needed.
He stepped away from the wall and rushed them, knocking down opponent after opponent, his fists flying. Blood spattered everywhere as the remaining attackers dropped, one by one.
It was overwhelming.
**Kim Hyun-seong**, carving his way through more than a dozen opponents, left a trail of bloodied, broken bodies in his wake.
**Thud.**
Another underclassman hit the ground, and **Kim Hyun-seong** stepped over him, looking up at the students who hadn’t yet made it down the stairs.
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you coming down?”
He took another step up the staircase.
This was just the beginning.
With an expression as calm as ever, **Kim Hyun-seong** ascended, heading toward the next wave of enemies.
* * *
At the same time, **Kang Jae-wook** had returned to his classroom.
As he prepared for the next lesson, his face was full of anxiety.
‘…Will he be okay?’
**Kim Hyun-seong’s** last expression before he had gone to confront **Choi Myung-hoon** lingered in his mind.
There was no doubt a fight would break out. Knowing what **Choi Myung-hoon** was capable of, **Kang Jae-wook** couldn’t help but worry.
If **Kim Hyun-seong** fell, then there would be no hope left for him.
Jumping out of a window or transferring schools — those would be his only options to escape.
Just then—
**Bang!**
“Breaking news! Breaking news!”
One of his classmates burst into the room, breathless, and shouted to everyone.
“There’s a fight going on in the other building’s stairwell! And it’s serious. It’s not just a few punches — it’s a full-on brawl between all the school’s top fighters and **Kim Hyun-seong**. It’s insane right now!”
“…!”
**Kang Jae-wook’s** eyes widened.
He had expected a fight.
But this wasn’t what he had imagined.
An all-out brawl?
‘What do I do?’
His thoughts raced.
There had been rumors that **Kim Hyun-seong** was an infamous fighter back in **Daesan**. So **Kang Jae-wook** had hoped he could take down **Choi Myung-hoon**. But no matter how skilled a fighter was, facing a mob and then going up against **Choi Myung-hoon** was impossible.
It was a trap.
**Choi Myung-hoon** had deliberately set up a trap to bring **Kim Hyun-seong** down.
‘No, this can’t happen. If **Kim Hyun-seong** loses, then there’s no stopping **Choi Myung-hoon**.’
**Kang Jae-wook** stood up abruptly.
He had to do something.
The consequences could be dire. **Choi Myung-hoon** might target him again, but at this point, there was no turning back. It was all or nothing. Whether **Kim Hyun-seong** won or lost, **Kang Jae-wook** couldn’t just stand by and watch.
He rushed to the teachers’ office.
**Thud.**
“Teacher! Something terrible is happening!”
The teachers inside the office looked up from their meeting, all eyes on **Kang Jae-wook**.
Any normal teacher would have reacted by asking what was wrong, stopping the meeting to address the emergency.
But instead—
“Get out.”
“Teacher, this is serious—”
“Didn’t you hear me? Get out, you little bastard!”
It was **Jang Won-gi**.
He stood up, yelling furiously. Startled, **Kang Jae-wook** blinked in disbelief as **Jang Won-gi** stormed toward him, his face contorted with anger.
**Jang Won-gi** closed the gap between them with heavy, threatening steps. His presence loomed over **Kang Jae-wook**, his voice dripping with venom.
“Do you think we don’t know what’s going on? We’re in the middle of something important. Now get the hell out of here.”
With a shove, **Jang Won-gi** pushed **Kang Jae-wook** out of the office.
**Thud.**
The door slammed shut in his face.
For a moment, **Kang Jae-wook** just stood there, stunned. The teachers, the very people who should be protecting the students, were not only ignoring the violence but seemed to be actively complicit in it.
‘What the hell is happening in this school?’
His hands trembled as the realization set in: he was utterly alone. No one in authority was going to help. **Kim Hyun-seong** was fighting a war by himself, and the teachers—the very adults they were supposed to trust—had turned their backs.
‘Police.’
The thought hit him like a lightning bolt. If the teachers wouldn’t help, then maybe the police could. Grabbing his phone with shaking hands, **Kang Jae-wook** dialed **112**, the emergency number, hoping it wasn’t too late.
**Click.**
“Hello, this is the police.”
“Please, you need to help! There’s a massive fight happening at **Daesung Mirae High School**! Dozens of students are ganging up on one kid! It’s really dangerous—you have to come quickly!”
The operator responded in a calm, controlled tone.
[**Sir, you said the fight is happening at Daesung Mirae High School?**]
“Yes! Please hurry!”
[**Understood. We’ll dispatch officers right away.**]
Relieved for a moment, **Kang Jae-wook** hung up and stepped outside the school building to wait. His heart raced, his breaths coming fast and shallow as he paced in anxious circles, waiting for the sound of sirens.
But time passed.
More time than it should have.
Five minutes. Ten minutes. Still, no police cars appeared.
Worried, he called the emergency number again.
“What’s taking so long?! The school is nearby—why aren’t the police here yet?”
The operator’s voice returned, but this time, there was a hint of hesitation.
[**I’m sorry, sir. There’s been an emergency near the school—a man with a knife is causing a disturbance, so our officers are currently handling that situation. We’ve requested backup from other precincts, but it may take a little longer to get to your location. Please bear with us.**]
“What? No! You have to come now! Someone could get seriously hurt or worse!”
[**We understand, and we’ll get there as soon as possible, sir.**]
**Kang Jae-wook** hung up, his frustration boiling over. The timing was too perfect—too convenient. It didn’t feel like an accident.
‘Something’s wrong.’
He was starting to piece it together now. The teachers had ignored him. The police were being delayed. It wasn’t coincidence—it was a coordinated effort to let **Choi Myung-hoon** and his gang do whatever they wanted without consequences.
This wasn’t just school violence.
It was something bigger.
A dark, twisted network working behind the scenes, pulling strings to make sure **Kim Hyun-seong** was left to fend for himself.
‘A lawless zone… They’ve turned the school into a lawless zone.’
He clenched his fists, his knuckles white.
The memories came rushing back—his own experience with the teachers’ betrayal, the lies of the students who had framed him, the helplessness he felt when the people meant to protect him turned their backs.
He couldn’t let this happen again. Not to **Kim Hyun-seong**.
“Damn it!”
**Kang Jae-wook**’s heart raced as he frantically looked around. There had to be something he could do, some way to stop this. His eyes landed on a janitor’s cart nearby, and a plan quickly formed in his mind.
**Crack!**
He stomped on the base of a mop, snapping it in half, fashioning a makeshift weapon. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.
“Calm down… Calm down…”
He took a deep breath, gripping the mop handle tightly. His mind screamed at him to run, to save himself. But his feet wouldn’t move. He couldn’t abandon **Kim Hyun-seong**—not when he was the only one willing to fight back.
If the teachers weren’t going to help, if the police couldn’t make it in time, then he would have to take matters into his own hands.
Clutching the broken mop handle, **Kang Jae-wook** made his way toward the building where **Kim Hyun-seong** had gone.
The hallways were eerily silent as he climbed the stairs, tension hanging in the air like a thick fog. He felt a chill run down his spine with every step he took.
And then—
“…What the…?”
He froze in his tracks.
The staircase was littered with bodies—students lying on the ground, groaning in pain, some with blood dripping from their noses and mouths. **Kang Jae-wook**’s eyes widened in shock.
“…Was this all…?”
Each step higher revealed more students sprawled out, injured and barely conscious.
Had **Kim Hyun-seong** done all of this by himself?
“…Incredible.”
**Kang Jae-wook** couldn’t believe what he was seeing. **Kim Hyun-seong** had fought through all of these guys—dozens of them, by the looks of it—and was still going.
From above, another scream rang out, followed by a sickening **thud**.
**Kang Jae-wook**’s head snapped upward.
He knew exactly what was happening.
Somewhere up there, **Kim Hyun-seong** was still fighting.
Without wasting another second, **Kang Jae-wook** gripped the mop handle tighter and raced up the stairs.
