ASD 25

“What do you think you’re doing. Right now.”

It was a surly voice. He looked annoyed, but more than being shocked about being hit by a stranger, he seemed more bothered. The upperclassman who had kicked the chair let out a scoff as he looked at Gijun, who was chewing him out with a defiant attitude.

“Look at this little fucker talking back to…”

He raised his hand triumphantly. However, Gijun snatched the wrist flying toward his cheek and twisted it behind him. The extremely natural movement was less an act of will and more of a reflex. The upperclassman whose wrist was caught turned pale and glared.

“Aaargh! Hey, you bastard, let go! Hey. Are you not going to let go?!”

“Why the hell are you beating up a sleeping person.”

“Hey! What are you all just standing there watching for!”

Struggling to free his firmly held wrist, he yelled at his friends. Three or four of them immediately rushed forward, surrounding Gijun.

In the midst of the instantly chaotic atmosphere, Gawon shot up from his seat. He was going to get a teacher, or anyone. How could anyone just stand by and watch in a situation like this…!

Even seeing the men surrounding him, Gijun didn’t panic or shrink back. The emotion in his eyes was closer to dismay than fear.

The moment his gaze, which was about a handspan taller than the others, met Gawon’s, Gijun gave a quick, short shake of his head. That alone was enough for Gawon to understand.

Don’t go to the faculty office.

The message he wanted to convey was clear. He remembered the upperclassman’s words, mocking him for being forcibly transferred. Gijun had been minding his own business when he was picked on, but the teachers who knew about the forced transfer would already be looking at this with prejudiced eyes just from the fact that a fight broke out. They might even lump him in with those delinquents and brand him.

But he couldn’t just stand by and watch the fight either. Gawon bit his lip, torn between what to do. He clenched his fists tightly. No matter how big and good at sports Gijun was… how could he possibly handle so many older guys…

A part of him did trust Gijun. He had said he was very good at martial arts, so he wouldn’t just let himself get beaten defenselessly. If he could somehow gain the upper hand and chase the upperclassmen out of the classroom, those delinquents, who valued their pride so much, wouldn’t go tattling to the teachers.

However.

“Hey, fuck. Hit him already. Aren’t you gonna hit him? Should I?”

Thwack. One of their fists cut through the air. It was a blow strong enough to make Gijun’s head snap to the side. His large frame swayed slightly, but he didn’t fall or stumble.

When Gijun turned his head back to the front, a wildness surged in his eyes. A fierce rebelliousness flared up like a flame, but it was only for a moment.

Gijun’s attitude, which had been so light when dealing with one person, changed completely the moment several of them rushed at him. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Gijun just stood there among them, not even properly defending himself.

The upperclassmen snickered, laughing in unpleasant voices.

“Looks like this bastard is scared shitless.”

“What the hell. He’s just a fucking weakling. Was it all just a bullshit rumor?”

“Guess he gets expelled if he causes trouble this time. The dumbass.”

Another one punched Gijun in the face with a clenched fist. Thwack. It was a gesture mixed with bravado, as if he were hitting a punching machine. Gijun’s face snapped to the side again. This time, his nose started bleeding.

“Gijun!”

Gawon screamed. It was horrible. So horrible that he couldn’t watch anymore. The thought of trusting him and waiting it out also vanished in an instant.

How could they hit someone like that? When did they ever act all friendly, calling him Gijun, Gijun, and now that the boy was getting beaten up, the other guys in the class, who were just watching this spectacle with nothing but fascinated eyes, were disgusting too.

His whole body trembled as if he had been electrocuted. Gawon clenched his teeth and stood up to run out of the classroom. To hell with forced transfers or anything else. Whatever happened later, he had to save the boy first.

A ringing sound filled his ears. Suddenly, Heo Yeong-gyu blocked the classroom door. He was saying something, but the high-pitched beeeep in his ears blocked it out so he couldn’t hear properly. Gawon yelled roughly and pushed Heo Yeong-gyu aside.

“Get out of the way!”

It was a superhuman strength he had never exerted before. While Heo Yeong-gyu staggered, Gawon slipped through the small gap like an eel and ran towards the faculty office on trembling legs. Thump, thump. All he could hear was the fierce beating of his heart.

He threw open the faculty office door roughly. Receiving the gazes of the surprised teachers, he approached his homeroom teacher. The gasps of breath bursting from his lungs wouldn’t calm down at all. In an urgent voice, Gawon told him that the upperclassmen were hitting Gijun and recited all the delinquents’ names.

“What? Those little bastards…”

The homeroom teacher stood up with a grim expression. Unlike his own heart, which felt like it was dying of urgency, the teacher’s steps toward the classroom were slow as he wore a stern face.

Unable to bear it any longer, he left the teacher behind and ran across the hallway. The bell signaling the end of break time rang. The areas near the front and back doors of the classroom were already crowded with kids from other classes who had heard the rumor and come to watch. Among them were students from other grades as well.

“Hey, you bastards! What do you think you’re doing!”

As the homeroom teacher shouted from a distance, the onlookers scattered in a rush. By the time Gawon ran into the classroom, everything was already over. The upperclassmen, who were sauntering out the front door of the classroom, just snickered among themselves, saying, “Ah, shit, we’re screwed,” even after seeing the teacher.

Gijun, who was sitting with his hip casually perched on a desk, spat out bloody saliva. Ptui. The cheek he had licked, now bulging, was severely swollen. As he exhaled a murky breath, he looked like a giant beast that had failed in its hunt and was wounded instead. As if they had focused their attack on his face, his eyes were puffy and his cheeks were all busted up, a complete mess.

“Gi, Gijun. You, you…”

Gawon rushed to Gijun in one breath. He called the boy’s name in a trembling voice. The corners of his eyes kept getting hot, but Gawon held back his tears with all his might.

The students’ gazes were fixed on him and Gijun, suffocatingly. If he started bawling here, it would look really strange. He himself had nowhere lower to fall, but Gijun would be subjected to dirty misunderstandings because of him. He had to prevent that, at all costs. He deliberately spoke in a cold voice.

“Go to the nurse’s office with me right now… no, you need to go to the hospital.”

Gijun, who was casually wiping his bloody nose with his sleeve cuff, saw Gawon and his eyes immediately softened. Unlike Gawon, whose whole body was trembling with anger and despair, he acted as if nothing had happened.

“I’m fine, Gawon-ah.”

“What do you mean, you’re fine!”

“Really. For reals.”

Even with his battered face, Gijun grinned. His mouth must have been all busted up inside, because his teeth were all stained with blood. Ah. Gijun let out a single gasp and covered his mouth with his hand.

“Right, I must look really ugly right now. Ah, shit, I can’t have Yoon Gawon getting turned off by me.”

“How can you even say that right now…!”

“Gijun. You come to the faculty office right now too.”

The homeroom teacher, with a sternly set face, took Gijun with him. The upperclassmen who had beaten him up were with them too. Despite such a commotion, the next class proceeded as normal.

Is investigating the truth the problem right now? The boy is injured to that extent, why aren’t they sending him to the hospital first? To Gawon, all of this seemed completely unreasonable.

He couldn’t focus at all. He was so furious with the guys who had beaten Gijun up so badly, and because of Gijun, who had smiled and said he was fine even after being beaten that severely. On top of that, the whispers of the other kids next to him were even more ridiculous.

“Hey. But wasn’t Gijun supposed to be a really good fighter? He just took the hits.”

“No matter how tough you are, I guess he was scared of those upperclassmen.”

“He had no intention of hitting back at all, right? He just stood there with his hands in his pockets taking the hits.”

“Tsk, that’s a bit disappointing. Maybe the thing about him being close with Ahn Sung-joon hyung is a lie too?”

“But do you think the forced transfer is true?”

“Looking at him today, doesn’t it seem like it’s not? Looks like he just got his ass kicked and got kicked out.”

The sound of them snickering and whispering among themselves was sickening. Gawon’s clenched fists trembled. Cowardly bastards. Bastards with no fucking backbone. They used to follow him around saying he was so cool.

A school violence committee will definitely be convened. If they need a witness, he would definitely attend and testify. They all must have secretly filmed it too, so he was planning to get a hold of that somehow. Thinking that, he barely managed to endure the 6th period.

Gijun returned after all the classes were over. As he suddenly entered the classroom, the kids who had been excitedly talking about Gijun fell silent. While pretending not to, their curious gazes were still fixed on him.

Gijun had a nonchalant expression. He must have received some simple first aid, as there was a cotton ball stuck in his nose. There were so many things Gawon wanted to ask that he felt dizzy. What happened to those upperclassmen, when was the school violence committee meeting, was he okay where he was hit… However, he couldn’t easily approach him because of the intense focus of everyone’s attention.

“Hey… Gijun, are you okay?”

The first one to get up and approach Gijun was Kim Won-jae. Gijun let out a soft laugh at Kim Won-jae, who asked in an awkward voice.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Why were those crazy bastards suddenly going nuts?”

“How would I know. I was sleeping and suddenly got my ass kicked and sent flying.”

Kim Won-jae burst out laughing at the lightly thrown joke. The class atmosphere flipped in an instant. Taking that as a signal, the rest of the hangers-on who had been furtively glancing around also rushed over and stuck to Gijun. Gawon frowned, disgusted by the sight of them clinging to him out of pure curiosity, without a shred of concern.

“Hey. What happened to those upperclassmen?”

“What did the homeroom teacher say?”

“Are they opening a school violence committee? Did he call your parents?”