Ch.54054 – Bullying Game 3

# 054 – School Gang Game # 3

“If you stay like this, you’ll be in big trouble with Kwon Suho’s group. Your friend begged me to help you, so I’m trying to help. Be grateful to your friend Jeongseok.”

I briefly explained the situation to the somewhat bewildered Bong Jiyeon.

The story was that if she came to eat with us, she could escape the encirclement of the school gang.

I didn’t forget to give credit to Jeongseok.

This should earn Jeongseok some points from Bong Jiyeon.

If this works out well, my relationship with Jeongseok will become more solid.

A leader must also pay attention to the love lives of the people they lead.

“What’s this loser saying?”

The problem was that Bong Jiyeon wasn’t an easy person to deal with.

It probably didn’t sit well with her pride that Ha Yeongwon, Yang Juhui’s lackey, was telling her what to do.

I just want to ditch her.

If Jeongseok didn’t like her, I wouldn’t be going through this trouble.

Should I just introduce Jeongseok to another girl?

Of course, I didn’t know enough girls to introduce to others.

But Yang Juhui might know some school gang girls that Jeongseok might like.

BAM—

Just then, Yang Juhui burst into Class C.

“Ugh, this is so annoying. Hey, Bong Jiyeon. You bitch. Yeongwon is being nice to you and you can’t understand? You need to come eat with us today. If you don’t like it, go to Kwon Suho!”

The carrot and stick approach, huh?

If I was the carrot, Yang Juhui was definitely the stick.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but Kwon Suho has his eye on you, right? Even if you’re a blockhead who doesn’t study, you need some sense to survive.”

“What are you saying, you bitch? I’ll handle my own business. I’ve been feeling off for a few days, but I’m fine now. I’ll talk to Suho oppa and work things out.”

Bong Jiyeon crossed her arms, refusing to back down to Yang Juhui.

Bong Jiyeon had quite a large chest too.

If the Baby Ghost appeared again, I could ask her for things instead of Yang Juhui.

Anyway.

The fight between the school gang girls was about to explode.

As I was wondering what would happen next, Yang Juhui raised one corner of her mouth and smirked.

“As if that’ll work out. You know better than anyone how crazy Kwon Suho is. I heard that while he was dating you, he was inviting other girls to his apartment one after another?”

What?

I froze at this shocking revelation.

What kind of high school student has their own apartment?

And he invited other girls while having a girlfriend?

Meanwhile, I don’t even have a girlfriend and I’m living with cockroaches in a haunted villa.

Life is incredibly unfair.

Is it right for life to be so different just because someone was born to good parents?

“Hey. Forget it. Girls like you can just live however you want and die. Let’s go, Yeongwon.”

BAM-

Yang Juhui grabbed my hand and pulled me out of Class C.

I had no choice but to be dragged along by her surprisingly strong grip.

I’d noticed it before, but Yang Juhui was much stronger than me, a guy.

“Juhui, are we just leaving her like this?”

“Leave her be. If she doesn’t want our help, what can we do? It’s better for us not to get on bad terms with Kwon Suho’s group. Why should we care?”

That was true, but…

Glance.

When I looked at Jeongseok, he was understandably fidgeting with anxiety.

Yang Juhui spoke to Jeongseok.

“Hey, Jeongseok. If you like Bong Jiyeon that much, go convince her yourself. Don’t make others do it. She’s getting so full of herself because you keep acting like such a loser.”

“I… I didn’t…”

This is a complete disaster.

While I was thinking this, girls with bleached blonde hair entered the first-year hallway.

They were unfamiliar female students.

Probably second or third years.

They ignored us as they passed by and entered Class C.

Then they spoke to Bong Jiyeon.

“Bongi. Good, you didn’t run away.”

“Come with us. If you get beaten up here, you’ll be too embarrassed to come to school anymore.”

As expected, they were senior school gang girls.

It seemed they were trying to take Bong Jiyeon away.

“Let me talk to Suho oppa. This is all a misunderstanding.”

“Is Suho oppa your friend? What is there to talk about? You ignored his calls.”

“Let’s take her to the apartment. The unnies will be there. Suho oppa told us to handle it.”

BAM-

The senior gang girls linked arms with Bong Jiyeon on both sides.

They started taking her away like they were escorting a prisoner, but Bong Jiyeon was flailing like a loach being forcibly dragged out.

“Let go! Let me meet oppa! It’s a misunderstanding! I can resolve this myself! Ahhh!”

It was complete chaos.

It was amazing that no teachers had shown up despite the situation, but the teachers at our school treated students almost like free-range animals.

Not that the students would listen even if they said anything.

So what would happen now?

I couldn’t even imagine what would happen to Bong Jiyeon if she was dragged to that “apartment.”

That’s when Jeongseok clenched his fists and spoke to the senior gang girls.

“Excuse me.”

“…”

“…”

The senior gang girls turned to look at Jeongseok simultaneously.

Their expressions were so cold and fierce that even I felt intimidated.

But Jeongseok spoke like someone who had made a big decision.

“Excuse me. We need to go eat with her. The school chairman… invited us to eat together… It would be really bad if we don’t go. So if you could let her go…”

Jeongseok was a coward.

He would collapse from fear whenever he saw ghosts.

For him to speak to these scary senior gang girls like that must have been a once-in-a-lifetime decision.

I would have trembled like that too.

Of course, the senior gang girls weren’t so easy to deal with.

“What the fuck are you saying?”

“You’re going to eat together? Bong Jiyeon, how long has it been since you broke up with Suho oppa and you’re already dating another guy? That’s fucking hilarious. Did you agree to go eat with him?”

“…”

Bong Jiyeon’s large eyes were trembling with anxiety.

I suddenly became curious.

Would she choose to keep her pride and die?

Or would she swallow her pride, take Jeongseok’s hand, and survive?

As Bong Jiyeon stood at this crossroads, Jeongseok delivered the final blow.

“Bong Jiyeon. Your sister, Seyeon. You might be able to meet her again. We’re looking for her in various ways. We need your cooperation.”

“My sister?”

Bong Jiyeon’s expression changed completely.

The fear from just a moment ago was gone, replaced by a fiery look.

“Oh, seriously, whatever. She can’t go eat with you today, so get lost.”

“What chairman bullshit.”

But it seemed the senior gang girls weren’t afraid of the Yeongji High School chairman.

Don’t they know who the chairman is?

They looked exactly like the type who wouldn’t study.

Ring ring-

Just then, the senior gang girls’ phones rang.

“Oh, oppa. We’re on our way now. Should we take her to the apartment?”

That must be the third-generation chaebol, Kwon Suho?

The timing was perfect.

“I don’t know. Right now some first-year kids are trying to take Bong Jiyeon away, saying they need to eat with the chairman. What? I don’t know. Should I let them talk to you? Hey, take this call.”

Swish-

The senior gang girl held out her phone to us.

More specifically, she held it out to Jeongseok, but he trembled in shock and passed the phone to me. I had no choice.

“Hello?”

—Who are you?

—Don’t ‘hello’ me.

—Your voice is kind of cute.

The voice that came through was extremely confident.

Even without listening carefully, I could hear the chatter of a group of guys and girls in the background.

I was familiar with this kind of atmosphere.

A school gang leader with his posse, full of confidence.

“I’m… Ha Yeongwon.”

—Ha Yeongwon? Have any of you heard of Ha Yeongwon?

—No.

—Don’t know!

I felt slightly relieved that none of them had heard of my name.

Soon, the voice that I presumed to be Kwon Suho spoke.

—So. You’re taking Bong Jiyeon to eat with the school chairman?

“Yes.”

—You’re not lying?

“I’m not lying.”

—I hate liars the most. And I’m incredibly good at detecting lies. If you’re lying, you’re seriously dead.

Dead-

There was power in that voice.

If I had been someone lying to get out of the situation, I might have confessed right there.

But fortunately, the truth was on my side.

“I’m really not lying.”

—…

A brief silence followed over the phone.

After about 5 seconds?

—Put Eunjeong back on.

“Who’s Eunjeong?”

—The ugliest one there.

I handed the phone back to the senior gang girl who was the original owner.

They exchanged a few words and then ended the call.

# # #

“That was terrifying.”

In the hallway after the senior gang girls had left.

My legs were trembling so much that it was hard to stand.

Seeing me like this, Yang Juhui frowned.

“Hey, Yeongwon. You’ve been through worse things, and you’re scared of high school kids? You’re such a coward.”

They’re not just high school kids, they’re crazy chaebol high school kids.

I opened my status window out of curiosity.

“Park Eunjeong” had newly appeared in my player list.

Kwon Suho, whom I had spoken with, still didn’t exist. Perhaps I needed to meet him in person and have some level of interaction to make him a player.

“Hey. Is it true that you’re looking for my sister?”

Just then, Bong Jiyeon asked Jeongseok.

As Jeongseok hesitated, Yang Juhui answered instead.

“Bong Jiyeon, since you survived thanks to us, be cooperative.”

“What? Even without your help, I would have talked things out with Suho oppa and resolved everything well.”

“As if.”

Bong Jiyeon and Yang Juhui growled at each other.

While they seemed to have a terrible relationship, there was also something strangely friendly about their interaction.

Bong Jiyeon snorted and said:

“Yang Juhui, you’ve really fallen. Now you’re just playing school gang with these kids. I heard rumors that your reputation in town has tanked, and I guess it’s true.”

Did she think she was being insulted?

Yang Juhui frowned deeply.

“We’re not playing school gang, we’re pirates. And he’s our captain.”

“…”

Bong Jiyeon wore an expression of incomprehension.

If a woman at a blind date were asked “Which anime from this quarter did you enjoy the most?” by a man, her expression would be exactly like this.

At times like this, I, as the captain, should step up.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ha Yeongwon, captain of the Ha Yeongwon Pirates. You’re not an official member, but since you’re temporarily with us, you should cooperate well. Especially, you need to follow my orders.”

“What the hell is this concept? Yang Juhui, is this for real? You used to reject confessions from oppa trainees preparing to be idols, how did you end up with these kids… Did they find some weakness of yours?”

Bong Jiyeon’s eyes grew more wary as she looked at me.

There was even a hint of fear in them. Perhaps it was the lingering effect of “Androphobia.”

So when does Class A end anyway?

Class A is a special class for outstanding students.

Unlike other classes that end at 3 PM, they sometimes have classes until 5 PM.

Ding dong dang dong-

Finally, it was 5 PM, and Yu Dahui burst out of the classroom.

“Did everyone wait long? Someone kept asking the teacher questions when we needed to end class! Let’s all go home together! The driver is waiting! This is my first time inviting friends over!”

Yu Dahui seemed very cheerful and excited about inviting friends to her home for the first time.

However, she tilted her head when she saw Bong Jiyeon.

“…Who’s this?”

“I… I… I am…”

It was quite surprising.

Bong Jiyeon, who had been hissing at everyone like a wildcat, was now awkwardly stammering in front of Yu Dahui.

Is Bong Jiyeon the type who bullies the weak but fears the strong?

Maybe her school gang instincts recognized that Yu Dahui was naturally superior.

I said:

“This is Bong Jiyeon. She’s Jeongseok’s friend. Can she come to dinner with us today?”

“Hmm, sure. The car is big enough for everyone. I’ll just return this microscope to the faculty office! You can go ahead to the school gate and wait in the car!”

Patter patter-

Yu Dahui disappeared toward the faculty office with quick steps.

That’s when Bong Jiyeon spoke to Yang Juhui.

“So eating dinner today means eating at Yu Dahui’s house? Isn’t she super rich? She’s the one who comes to school in a limousine every day!”

“Yeah, she’s the chairman’s granddaughter. She’s really annoying, but she is rich.”

“…”

The look in Bong Jiyeon’s eyes, which had been wary and distrustful of us until just now, changed noticeably.

It might sound bad, but school gang members like Bong Jiyeon were quite good at understanding power dynamics and direction.

She was clearly reassessing the “power level” of our pirate crew who hung out with the incredibly wealthy Yu Dahui.

While Yang Juhui and Bong Jiyeon were whispering to each other, I asked Jeongseok:

“Hey, Jeongseok. Is she really your best option?”

“Despite how she looks… she’s actually tender-hearted and kind inside.”

This is driving me crazy.

This was a quirk in some sense.