ASD 26

The questions the kids were scrambling to pour out were exactly what Gawon had wanted to ask. What kind of punishment would those human-scum pieces of trash get for suddenly barging in and beating up a junior a year below them for no reason at all?

Although I didn’t have a single ounce of strength to fight and couldn’t properly stand up to kids like Heo Yeonggyu, Gijun would be different. I didn’t know Gijun’s exact circumstances, but recalling the way he usually dressed or the fact that he had a lady who worked for him, there was no way he would be as unable to fight back as I was.

Besides, Gijun had kept his hands tucked in his pockets throughout the whole fight. Everyone here was a witness. If a School Violence Committee was properly convened, he could definitely get those sunbaes properly punished. Fiercely calculating these things on his own, Gawon waited for the words that would come out of Gijun’s mouth.

However.

“I’m not opening a School Violence Committee.”

The words Gijun uttered simply were enough to stun Gawon.

“…Huh? Why? Why not?”

“Hey, how does that make any sense! You were the one who got one-sidedly beat—no, those bastards swarmed you and suddenly started wailing on you!”

“Exactly. Hey, if not, then at least get a shit-ton of settlement money!”

“Right, you should! Damn it, I was more pissed off just watching. My aunt is a doctor, should I help you get a medical report?”

Gawon wasn’t the only one who was stunned. The entire class’s jaws dropped. Gijun frowned as he watched the guys who were spitting saliva in their excitement, as if it were their own problem.

“It’s fine, what’s the big deal about getting hit a few times.”

“Huh? Hey, you still have to do it! Get hospitalized, huh? If you get a medical report for this, those bastards will all have to pay at least several hundred thousand won each!”

“It’s a hassle. What am I going to do with a measly few hundred thousand won.”

Listening to the indifferent addition, the kids in the class looked like they couldn’t understand. But that only lasted for a moment, and soon everyone began to chatter noisily. Saying he was so cool, or that his guts were insane for calling it a measly few hundred thousand won.

Most of the comments were praising Gijun, but to Gawon’s ears, they were just gratingly unpleasant. It was obvious that they would go behind his back later and talk shit, calling him a fucking loser or saying he got scared. Just like before.

A quiet anger flared up. He couldn’t understand Gijun. No, he didn’t even want to understand. He got it, the settlement money he could get from those thugs was so trivial to that kid that he’d describe it as a measly few hundred thousand won. His attitude of not opening a School Violence Committee because the fierce arguments that would go back and forth between both sides were annoying was also incomprehensible, but that was, in any case, entirely up to Gijun’s will.

Even so, he didn’t know why he was so filled with indignation. His tightly clenched fists trembled, and his chest heaved with so much resentment. He was so angry he couldn’t stand it.

In any case, those bastards beat up a kid for no reason. A kid who was sleeping soundly, tired from working out late into the night—they swarmed him like a pack of dogs and beat him to a pulp. An act like that shouldn’t be let off the hook so emptily.

Above all else… you were the one who got hit. Your face got messed up. So it must have hurt. So how can you just, brush it off like it’s nothing.

Contrary to his desire to confront and question Gijun, he felt endlessly frustrated with himself for not being able to step forward rashly in front of the other kids. He didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention in front of these guys who were already so interested in other people’s business. He also couldn’t put the already sufficiently battered Gijun in any more trouble.

The homeroom teacher who came in afterward for the end-of-day meeting didn’t say much either. He told everyone not to cause any unnecessary commotion and to be sure to report to him if anything happened, and then he ended the meeting briefly.

Gawon was the first to run out of the classroom. His heart was boiling tumultuously. On a normal day, they would have left the school gates together, but right now he didn’t even want to see Gijun’s face. However, as Gawon quickly crossed the hallway, he was caught by the wrist from behind before he could get far.

“Why are you going alone, Yoon Gawon.”

“I want to go alone today.”

He spat out bluntly. Gijun chuckled at Gawon, who spoke without even making eye contact.

“Whyyy. Let’s go together. Huh?”

“Just go to the hospital.”

“I don’t need to. More importantly, I’m hungry, let’s go together…”

“I don’t want to. I’m busy.”

Even to his own ears, it was an incredibly heartless voice. His voice trembled the more he spoke. Gawon gritted his teeth and turned his head away. Shaking off the hand on his wrist, he walked quickly down the hall and down the stairs.

Gijun didn’t hold onto him any longer. Instead, he followed continuously from behind. While Gawon went down the stairs, and while he crossed the athletic field to the school gate, Gijun stayed behind him like a shadow.

At this rate, it felt like he would follow him all the way home. They were quite a ways from the school gate, but that kid was still behind him. Gawon, who was walking on the sidewalk next to a four-lane road with few pedestrians, finally stopped. Then he whirled around and shouted.

“Why do you keep following me! I said I’m busy.”

“But I’m hurt. Gawon.”

“So what do you want me to do about it. Just go to the hospital.”

“Why are you suddenly being like this. A moment ago, you were, like, worrying about me and stuff…”

Gijun pouted his lips and put on a pitiful expression. Like a dog with its ears drooping all the way down. He could see his face, which had already started to bruise, and his lips, which were all split and seeping blood. In that moment, anger surged up from within him.

“Of course you’d be hurt! Because you just put your hands down and took the beating!”

The indignation he had been bottling up inside burst out with a shriek. Startled by the sudden loud noise, Gijun flinched. Toward that kid whose eyes had gone round, Gawon argued, the veins on his neck standing out.

“Hey, Gijun. Don’t you have any pride? Why did you just take the beating? Why!”

“…”

“You said you’ve done a lot of sports. You… is that all you’ve got?! You said you were going to enter a competition and win. Why are you just letting bastards like that beat you up! Shit, until your face became such a mess…”

Suddenly, the corners of his eyes grew hot. Tears welled up, and in an instant, Gijun’s face blurred.

It was a foolish situation. The kid who actually got beaten until his face looked like this was just standing there blankly, perfectly fine, so why was he, someone who had nothing to do with this kid, so resentful? Why was he so pissed off it brought him to tears, why was his anger boiling over, why was he in so much pain…

“Gawon.”

Gawon didn’t reply and roughly wiped his face with the back of his hand. Even though he didn’t want to, he had no choice but to realize. The fact that this kid, who called his name so affectionately, was no longer someone who had nothing to do with him.

“Are you worrying about me right now?”

Gijun, who was laughing with a “hehe” sound, looked like a complete fool. Gawon, his eyes glistening with tears, glared at the kid.

“You stupid moron bastard. Do you really think that’s something you should be saying right…!”

“Ah, this feels so damn good.”

Gijun didn’t seem to feel bad at all even after getting cursed at. Instead, he just grinned and laughed like a guy with a screw loose.

“When those bastards swarmed me and suddenly started wailing on me earlier, honestly, it felt a little, fucking shitty, you know?”

“…”

“But, I feel so good right now. Because you’re worried about me. I think I could get hit again and still take it happily.”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

Gawon shouted, panting with anger. If Gijun got hit again right in front of his eyes, he really wouldn’t stand by and do nothing next time. He’d grab a chair or something and charge at those bastards.

“Gawon. Do I look like too much of a fucking loser to you too, is that why you’ve started to hate me?”

While I was being this serious, Gijun was still just sitting there cracking jokes. Gawon was so angry he clenched his fists tightly. And he started hitting the broad chest in front of him, making smacking sounds.

“Yeah, damn it! I hate you! You fucking coward. You fucking loser! What a waste of that big body! If it were me, I would have beaten the shit out of those bastards!”

“Ouch, ouch. Aah, that hurts so much. Gawon.”

Even with the laughing words that sounded like an exaggeration of pain, he had no choice but to immediately stop punching. What was he doing to a kid who had already been thoroughly beaten up? Gawon tried to pull his hands back while glaring at Gijun with all his might. Just then, a soft grip pulled on his wrist.

“Gawon. Don’t do that… can’t you let your anger out on me?”

Gijun, who had snatched his hand, brought Gawon’s hand toward his own face. The rampage he had been on until now came to a halt all at once.

Gawon, whose breathing had also stopped, looked at Gijun with wide eyes. The strength he had been putting into his hand drained away on its own. For fear of hurting the swollen and bruised face.

Seeing Gawon, who had lost all his aggression in an instant, Gijun smiled warmly, then slowly rubbed his face against Gawon’s hand as if savoring it.

“Cut me some slack, please. Right now, I’m kind of in a situation where… I can’t get involved in things like fights.”

Gijun smiled with a troubled look on his face.

“Me transferring schools. The truth is, I really was forcibly transferred.”

“…”

“I got unluckily swept up in a gang fight between some sunbaes.”