episode_0013

Chapter 12: Where’s That Mop Smell Coming From? (2)

Occasionally, situations arise that are so awkward they defy description.

And this was one of those moments.

While various things may be happening,

this was about gossip behind my back.

Especially sexual jokes were an experience I had never encountered in life.

A situation that required a breakthrough.

This place was the central staircase,

and since the other staircases were literally under construction, I couldn’t go up.

I had to break through.

I wasn’t particularly scared.

The voice I heard was that of a woman I hadn’t heard before.

In other words, while she might know me, the chances of her being a woman related to me were slim.

I took another step forward.

Climbing the stairs.

Seems like freshmen, right?

Not quite experienced middle-aged folks,

but I had already lived through my mid-twenties.

No need to fear school bullies.

It would be more frightening to face boxing champion Han Seyeon, who was working hard.

“If only Hansei were right in front of me like a dog…”

“Hey, hey…”

“Suck… What the hell.”

Slowly climbing the stairs,

I reached a flat space.

And there were two female students engaged in vulgar talk.

They were pretty, but compared to Kang Hyun-ah or Han Seyeon, they were mediocre.

In technical terms, they were riffraff.

I spoke up confidently.

“Go ahead.”

“…What?”

“I said, give it a try.”

I took a step closer to her.

Is it still a man’s world after all?

Due to her taller stature, I had to raise my head to meet her gaze.

Compared to her, I was lean and frail.

Naturally, I’d lose in a fight.

But I was a man who had lived in South Korea, and I understood their psychology.

In a man’s world, if the man is supposed to be passive,

what if he acts a bit more assertively?

*Tock, tock.*

“Why can you speak boldly from behind but do nothing in front?”

I tapped her shoulder.

The cheeky student’s face reddened gradually.

Kim Hyung-min’s influence was evident here.

Within her contorted face,

uncontainable anger manifested through action.

“…!”

It happened in the blink of an eye.

Another student who was trying to intervene had no chance to act.

The girl I provoked forcefully pushed me away with both hands.

I stumbled backward quickly.

My back hit the wall, and I felt a jolt as if my breath had been knocked out of me.

“Ugh! Ugh, ugh, h-ha, ha…”

It hurt.

Rough groans escaped my lips.

Perhaps emotions overpowered reason.

The girl who pushed me approached.

Despite my trembling body, I raised my hands slowly to block her, but it was futile.

“That’s right, you mop jerk. I’ll teach you a lesson.”

“Ugh…”

Her hand rose above my collar.

As she tried to tear off my clothes roughly,

Hyun-ah’s voice echoed from the stairs.

“What are you doing?”

* * *

“Ugh… Hyeorin, your punch hurts the most…”

“Of course, idiot.”

Since it was Park Hyeorin who hit him in the first place, it was a fitting remark.

Anyway,

Hyun-ah was staring blankly at her smartphone.

She had already heard the news that Kim Hyung-min had called Hansei.

Jung A-yeong falling after being hit was nothing out of the ordinary.

With a somewhat resigned expression, she was reading a novel.

However, there was a conversation bothering her ears.

“Damn, I really want to mess with Hansei.”

“Idiot, we’re not even in the same class.”

“You never know. He might pay attention to me too.”

Hyun-ah’s eyebrows twitched.

And, Kim Hyung-min was observing the subtle change in expression.

From the start, he was feeling familiar with his gaze.

Kang Hyeon-ah merely perked her ears at the sound that reached her.

At that moment,

Along with the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, a man’s voice could also be heard.

A clear and melodious voice.

Kang Hyeon-ah’s gaze turned towards the stairs.

It wasn’t just a matter of attention.

It became a situation where she had to move her body.

“Try it.”

“…What?”

“I said, try it.”

Kang Hyeon-ah slowly raised her head.

Her eyes, which were looking at the smartphone, shifted to the right and then towards the stairs.

Normally, she should have checked Kim Hyung-min’s reaction.

After all, he was the one who called Han Se-in here, but

Kang Hyeon-ah’s priorities shifted.

Not towards the master she had served for over ten years,

But towards the man she was facing for the first time.

Thud!

A dull noise was heard.

Kang Hyeon-ah’s body flinched.

Understanding the situation relied not on sight but on hearing,

She painted the picture of the situation through the sounds.

The crazy woman pushed Han Se-in.

As evidence, groaning sounds could be heard.

Kang Hyeon-ah moved.

Slow but quick steps.

Since she wasn’t far away to begin with, it wasn’t difficult to assess the situation.

Kim Hyung-min’s gaze coldly descended,

But Kang Hyeon-ah was walking forward, so she couldn’t see.

However, that wasn’t important.

Kang Hyeon-ah’s emotions began to devour the man like any other woman.

Her breathing became uneasy, her voice sharply echoed.

“What are you doing?”

“….”

Kang Hyeon-ah was confused.

Why am I getting angry?

Deep down, she knew the answer, but

An emotion that was hard to affirm immediately took hold.

Her body was hot, her heart was burning, yet

Her cold eyes observed the situation.

Two women on the stairs and one man.

The man was obviously Han Se-in,

The rest were individuals she didn’t care to name.

The only certainty was

That they were worthless trash not worth bothering about.

And that trash

Was gripping the man’s collar, shining brightly.

Irritation surged.

Her body moved, slowly descending the stairs.

Moving from a higher place to a lower one,

Yet Kang Hyeon-ah was still looking down.

With a superior height and physical ability than them.

A woman who inherited brains from her mother and physique from her father.

Kang Hyeon-ah’s mouth opened.

What came to mind was nothing but lines from a novel.

However, she didn’t say them.

“That man is not someone a girl like you can handle.”

“Kim Hyung-min asked to bring him. Don’t you know?”

“Oh, I see…”

The excited voice of the woman was chilled.

It was an acceptance of reality.

If she lied here, she would end up falling into an even deeper abyss.

In the end, the dog, who had been baring its teeth in excitement, lowered its tail before the wolf.

“Are you mocking me? How dare you? You will pay with your life.”

“Hey.”

When Kang Hyeon-ah flicked her finger, the hand holding the collar came down.

With a strong momentum. The woman, who was about to retort, approached Kang Hyeon-ah.

Only then did the approaching woman’s body stiffen.

To be precise, it was a response caused by stimulation.

Kang Hyeon-ah lifted her hand and brought it to the woman’s cheek.

“Hit me.”

“…Huh?”

“I said, hit me.”

Did she mishear?

Only then did the woman respond when Kang Hyeon-ah growled.

“Oh, okay.”

She naturally understood the meaning of the words.

However, it was not an easy thing to do.

To strike her own cheek.

Who could easily do that?

She was twenty years old.

Certainly, but it was still an immature age with little experience.

Even if one were an adult.

-Chaak.

Feeble and fleeting sounds echoed.

Self-harm by another.

However, it was difficult to see it as a solution.

Kang Hyun-ah’s mouth opened.

“Again.”

-Chaak…!

“Uh, ugh. I-I’m sorry.”

“Again.”

Once. And once more.

The endless maze was terrifying.

Trembling body and legs.

Self-harm that seemed never-ending became even more cruel.

Kang Hyun-ah muttered with indifferent eyes.

Again, and again.

It was truly ironic.

There was hesitation in her hands, but determination grew stronger.

It was what she had learned.

A dog that lowers its tail to a wolf.

Choosing submission to avoid being bitten to death.

Submission meant understanding the owner’s intentions.

21st century South Korea.

In a highly developed civilization, it was a situation close to instinct.

“Again.”

“Ugh, ack. Hnng…”

The burst blister.

One cheek swelled up, lips even tore, blood trickling before it stopped.

A stream of water ran down the stinging, reddened cheek.

“Stop.”

“Huuk… hck…”

“Shut up, and you.”

“…Me?”

Me?

The student who had been quiet so far pointed at herself.

Yes, you.

Kang Hyun-ah nodded and spoke.

“What did you just see?”

…

A moment of silence.

If this were a martial arts novel in the world of martial artists.

I saw nothing!!

I am not here!!

She would have come up with the best excuse, but unfortunately, she was just a common troublemaker.

But did instinct help her?

The result of a brain that hadn’t even studied spinning quickly.

It didn’t lead to the best, but it steered towards the next best thing.

“Self-harm…”

…

“I, you crazy b****. Slapped my own cheek.”

There is no before or after, only consequences.

That’s all there is to it.

Choosing the next best thing. That was the result of a calculated move.

“Get lost.”

“Okay!”

They swiftly left the place.

Originally, they might have played the role of losers.

But for now, don’t you need to survive? The opponent is Kang Hyun-ah.

And then.

On the silent staircase.

Han Se-in spoke.

“Thank you.”

The man who suffered from violence, groaning in pain.

Met eyes with Kang Hyun-ah.

Confident and firm.

Thus, becoming a man who could linger in her heart.

He once again made himself known to her.

Kang Hyun-ah said nothing.

Or rather, she couldn’t.

She quickly turned around.

Pushing Han Se-in aside, she took a step forward.

She felt like she might reveal her emotions to him.

Kang Hyun-ah refused to meet his gaze.

Her mouth twisted.

She forced back the best smile she could muster.

That was her best effort.