ASD 37

“Gi, Gi…jun.”

Gawon called his name with his completely busted lips. With a dumbfounded face, he looked at Gijun standing beside him.

“Yoon Gawon.”

A frighteningly stiff voice was heard. Kneeling on one knee, Gijun first examined Gawon’s face. His trembling gaze took in the ridiculously wigged hair, the cheek that was beginning to swell, and the split lips.

Gijun’s eyes wavered up close. The fiercely blazing fury was like a conflagration. It was an emotion so immense that just facing it was enough to make one’s breath catch.

A large hand pulled off the shabby wig placed on Gawon’s head. Gijun, who tossed it carelessly to the side, slowly turned his head.

“What the fuck are you doing, you fucking little shit? You wanna die…”

The senior who had been hit shot up to his feet. His face contorted deeply, he clenched his fist and charged at Gijun. It was the same senior who had previously chuckled while hitting Gijun’s face like he was hitting a punch machine.

However, the senior’s fist couldn’t reach Gijun this time. A long leg shot out in an instant and kicked the senior in the solar plexus. The movement was simple, but the power was overwhelming. The man, who took a direct hit, was sent flying with a loud clatter.

Striding toward him, Gijun mercilessly kicked him in the side. The man, his face pale white, couldn’t even breathe properly and just gasped.

“Ugh, euk, keuk, keok…”

“You fucking son of a bitch!”

Another senior charged from behind. Lightly dodging, Gijun threw a punch. The foot that was about to kick Gijun flailed in the air, and he lost his balance. A cracking sound of bone breaking came from his nose as it collided precisely with Gijun’s fist.

“Aargh!”

The senior who was hit clutched his nose and rolled on the floor. Blood gushed from his nose, soaking his clothes. Seeing the blood, the eyes of the group glinted with madness.

“Hey, let’s all jump that bastard!”

Three or four people rushed him at the same time. One of them grabbed Gijun by the collar and raised his hand to throw a punch. Thwack! A dull sound erupted, and the guy who had grabbed his collar let go and screamed. Blood burst from his nose, which had taken a direct hit from Gijun’s headbutt.

This time, Gijun grabbed the man’s collar. He fiercely slammed his fist into the face of the guy with the bloody nose. With just one, powerful blow, the senior staggered and collapsed on the spot as if hit by a hammer. The group, who had been watching with bated breath, was horrified.

“Wow, what the fuck is that…”

A sense of dismay appeared on the flustered seniors’ faces. The other kids in the class also had dumbstruck expressions. Gone was the Gijun from last time, who had simply taken the beating, as if telling them to do as they pleased, no matter how much they hit him.

Another senior rushed forward, screaming. Gijun grabbed the collar of the boy who had charged while pushing a desk with a roar, and in an instant, he flipped the large boy over his shoulder and slammed him to the floor. The boy, who had been spun through the air and thrown down, let out an ugly groan and twitched and convulsed on the floor.

“Die, you fucking bastard!”

At that moment, one of them lifted a chair and charged at Gijun from behind. Gawon, trembling, screamed.

“Gi, Gijun. Behind you!”

Gijun, turning his body nimbly, avoided the chair that came down mercilessly. He grabbed the collar of the guy who had stumbled forward and slammed his fist into his face. Thwack, thwack. The guy, who had been hit twice, collapsed just like that.

The ones who had been beaten looked at Gijun with faces full of terror. Some of the seniors were lying on the floor, completely unable to move. Gijun, who was staring at them with an unfeeling and cool gaze, slowly slid his eyes over. His crazed eyes stopped on Heo Yeonggyu, who was frozen in place.

“Uh, eu, uh. G-get the fuck away. D-don’t come here…!”

Stuttering with a trembling chin, Heo Yeonggyu hastily backed away. His feet got tangled, and the guy, who had pathetically landed on his butt, looked up at the approaching Gijun with dazed eyes.

Gijun abruptly snatched Heo Yeonggyu by the collar, lifted him up, and sat him on a chair. While everyone watched with bated breath, he picked up Heo Yeonggyu’s phone from the floor.

Gijun, who had manipulated the phone a few times as if it were his own, threw it back on the floor. With his heel, he stomped, crushed, and ground it with unhesitating movements.

Heo Yeonggyu’s gaze changed as he watched his phone get brutally destroyed right before his eyes. He instantly transformed, his eyes glaring as he charged at Gijun as if his life depended on it.

“You fucking bastard! What do you think you’re—!”

Then, a loud SMACK! erupted. Heo Yeonggyu, who was slapped with a full swing, let out a dying gasp, keok, and collapsed onto the classroom floor. His large body rolled pathetically on the ground. When he coughed a couple of times, kul-leok kul-leok, a few pieces of a broken tooth flew out.

Gijun slowly took off his school uniform jacket. Tossing it carelessly onto a desk, Gijun pulled down his necktie and muttered impassively.

“Stop your bullshit and sit down.”

“Heo-euh…! This fucking bastard…!”

Heo Yeonggyu howled like a beast and charged again, but this time he was slammed flat on the floor. He lost the will to resist only after his face was shoved into the ground.

Flipping the fallen Heo Yeonggyu over, Gijun straddled his waist. He grabbed his collar tightly, raised his hand, and commanded impassively.

“Shut your mouth. The blood splattering is annoying.”

Thwack, thwack, thwaack… The dull, blood-soaked sounds rang out continuously. Even though he was being slapped, the sound was no different than if he were being punched.

Gijun continued to strike Heo Yeonggyu’s cheek. His intention in hitting with his palm instead of his fist was clear. To humiliate him, to show that as a fellow male, he was nothing. And to be able to hit him even more.

“Keok, heu, heu-eu, eu-eu-eu…”

Heo Yeonggyu let out sounds of desperate crying. His face, completely busted up, was a mess that was hard to look at. The fine spatter of blood had thoroughly dyed Gijun’s palm.

Gawon watched the scene, unable to even breathe. He had to stop him. This couldn’t go on. He knew that, but his hands and lips were trembling so much he couldn’t do anything. His body, consumed by the overwhelming emotions, was completely frozen.

His stomach churned. His chest tightened, making it impossible to breathe. Is that kid, the one beating someone to a pulp in front of me, really the… Gijun I know? Is he really that same boy, who was so gentle and yet so naive…?

“Hey, Gi, Gijun… He’s going to die at this rate.”

Unable to watch any longer, Kim Wonjae tried to stop him, but Gijun continued to slap Heo Yeonggyu’s cheek as if he couldn’t hear. It was only after a long while that Gijun’s movements, which had been striking Heo Yeonggyu, stopped. As he stood up, he swept back his bangs, which had fallen forward, with the back of his blood-stained hand.

“Put this on with your own hands. It’s disgusting to touch.”

Gijun gestured with his chin at the wig lying on the floor. Heo Yeonggyu, like a person who had lost his mind, crawled on the floor and fumbled to pick up the wig. Heo Yeonggyu’s face, completely busted up as he put it on his head, was exceedingly grotesque.

Gijun’s lips curled up into a lopsided smile.

“Looks good. Hey, take a picture.”

“Huh? …Oh. Oh.”

Kim Wonjae, who had been watching the scene in a daze, took out his phone as if possessed. Click, click. Every time the shutter sound went off, Heo Yeonggyu looked pained, shedding tears and bowing his head.

Gijun also took pictures and videos with his own phone. Even though there was nothing to be gained by leaving evidence, he showed no hesitation.

“Kneel in front of him.”

Gijun gestured toward Gawon with his chin and gave the order. Heo Yeonggyu, who had been following Gijun’s words like a soulless person until now, hesitated this time.

But the tyrant who had turned the classroom into a complete wreck in a single breath did not wait. As Gijun raised his hand again, Heo Yeonggyu let out a strange sound, heek, and flinched.

“P-please, eu-eup, I-I’ll do it, so stop… stop hitting me… f-fuck…”

Heo Yeonggyu made a crying sound, biting his completely busted lips. Crawling on his knees to Gawon, he plopped down and knelt before him. Gawon, still frozen, stood tall and watched the scene.

“What are you doing, you fucker? If you’re on your knees, you should be begging your fucking ass off.”

Gijun, with his hands in his pockets, pressured Heo Yeonggyu with a chilling voice. In front of everyone in the classroom who was watching with bated breath, Heo Yeonggyu’s head drooped.

The moment he said “…sorry” to Gawon in a barely audible voice, Gijun’s foot flew out. Heo Yeonggyu collapsed helplessly to the side.

“Ugh!”

“What was that? I can’t hear you.”

“S-s…orry…. Heu, eu-euk, I’m sorry…”

Collapsing to the side again from the merciless kick, Heo Yeonggyu clumsily wiped his tears with the back of his hand and got up.

“Who are you sorry to? Speak clearly.”

“T-to Yoon Gawon… I’m sorry…”

Again and again, Gijun found fault like this and crushed Heo Yeonggyu. Gawon watched from beginning to end with a blank expression as Heo Yeonggyu—beaten to a pulp, wearing a ridiculous wig, bowing his head before him, and endlessly apologizing.

He felt strange. In this surreal situation, like he was in a dream, Gawon felt numb. Of course, it wasn’t because he felt sorry for Heo Yeonggyu. Even seeing him so humiliatingly degraded in front of everyone, not a shred of pity arose.

Because this was exactly what Heo Yeonggyu had been doing to him for over a year. If Gijun hadn’t shown up at the right time, he would be the one crawling between Heo Yeonggyu’s legs like that by now.

It didn’t matter whether Heo Yeonggyu knelt and apologized to him or ran around naked. No matter what Heo Yeonggyu did in this moment, he had no effect on him whatsoever. In a word, he was beneath his notice.

Then why on earth do I feel like I’m about to cry? Why is this vast, dizzying sense of despair washing over me like a wave, making me tremble in fear…?

“Yoon Gawon says he doesn’t like your apology, you fucking bastard.”

Heo Yeonggyu fell to the side again. As Gawon watched Gijun firmly grind his slipper-clad foot into the crying face, something inside him came crumbling down. A silent, explosive roar awakened the completely frozen Gawon and made him move.

“You have to apologize properly, don’t you? Huh?”

“Stop.”

Gawon parted his trembling lips. At that moment, the foot that had been viciously stomping on Heo Yeonggyu’s face stopped.

“Gijun, that’s enough… Stop now.”

Gijun turned his head. His eyes, which had been like a reptile’s, devoid of all warmth, slowly took in Gawon. The rampage that no one could stop subsided all at once at the single wisp of a frail voice.