episode_0010

An issue arose in my peaceful school life. It’s been a week since I transferred to this school, and no guys have approached me closely.

Of course, I’m not disappointed. I don’t want to waste time on meaningless relationships.

My goal was solely to understand Alice’s behavior. However, I can’t fully concentrate on that goal.

When I arrived at school in the morning, my desk was soaked with water. Even my textbooks in the drawer were damp. Water was dripping from the mop hanging on the window sill.

“Ridiculous, being bullied at this age.”

Experiencing something new at my age made me alert. It’s a more serious situation than I thought.

The torment didn’t end there. Not only did my gym clothes vanish from my locker, but also guys intentionally cut in front of me in the cafeteria line.

As these incidents repeated, I started to lose my patience.

“In webtoons, it starts with An Hyojin bullying Kim Noeul, then Kim Noeul stands up for herself. So, is this also orchestrated by An Hyojin?”

But there was no description of An Hyojin leading the guys. The suspected culprits are obvious.

I sat down and glanced at Heo Yoonsoo, who was snickering with the guys. He noticed my gaze and looked back at me.

“Why, Kim Maru?”

“…Sigh.”

At a loss for words, I took out an extra notebook.

“Should I just confront them?”

Honestly, I could probably make three guys in a reverse harem cry. But it might lead to more trouble later.

“I don’t want this to escalate further…”

However, if I keep enduring this, the harassment will only get worse.

Some girls in the class sensed what was happening to me, but since it was secretive bullying among the guys, they found it hard to openly support me.

Only Kim Noeul consistently talked to me, under the guise of being the class president helping a transfer student.

Of course, it had the opposite effect.

Every time she did, not only Heo Yoonsoo but also the guys who had feelings for Kim Noeul became hostile toward me.

“Is this real life version of ‘Pretty boys suffer in reality’?”

From the perspective of the boys, it seemed like I was using my pitiful situation to gain Kim Noeul’s attention, appearing as a despicable guy. Eventually, I decided to confide in Kim Noeul directly.

“Kim Noeul.”

“Yeah?”

“Come with me for a moment.”

In response to my words, Kim Noeul obediently followed me like a well-behaved puppy. Her big, round eyes made her look like a puppy every time I looked at her.

When we reached the middle of the stairs leading to the rooftop, we began our conversation.

“Actually, I’m being ostracized right now.”

“That’s right.”

“That’s…?”

At Kim Noeul’s calmly affirmative response, my mind went blank.

“If you were going to openly admit it like that, you should have taken some stance, especially since you’re the class president…”

“I already told the teacher.”

Unbeknownst to me, Kim Noeul had already consulted with the teacher.

“Of course, I’m sorry I didn’t ask for your opinion. But I took action because I heard that victims of ostracism are not proactive in reporting.”

“Well… yeah.”

I couldn’t refute anything she said.

“But Maru, as you know, the issue of ostracism… has never been perfectly resolved. I asked this time too, and it seems like the teacher is planning to reconcile you and Heo Yoonsoo.”

“…Ridiculous.”

It was absurd to present that as a solution.

In the end, just like in webtoons, a strong confrontation is necessary for resolution.

“Yes, students need to adhere to the rules of the students’ autonomous district, as there are almost no teachers or police here.”

“Alright, I’ll handle it myself.”

“How so?”

Seeing Kim Noeul’s curious expression, I replied calmly, “In your way.”

“…?”

Perhaps hearing unexpected words, Kim Noeul’s expression stiffened.

“Why that expression? I’m going to report, just like you.”

“I’m going to educate separately, like you.”

I swallowed those words in my heart.

“Oh, I see.”

Kim Noeul smiled again like a puppy, looking straight at me. It was a terrifying face that could appear in a dream.

On the way back to the classroom, I wore a sinister smile.

“You guys are the ones who started it first. You shouldn’t poke a sleeping lion.”

I don’t know if it was a special privilege from my past life or what, but maintaining the power of my original world was truly a divine move.

“…Just once, let it work.”

Muttering to myself, I waited for an opportunity.

Surprisingly, that chance came sooner than expected. Three lackeys of Heo Yoon-soo personally called me into the men’s restroom.

It seems they couldn’t stand the fact that I was still friendly with Kim Noeul despite their harassment.

I couldn’t bear enduring their bullying any longer, and it was a relief when things turned out this way.

It was the second-floor restroom of the old school building, seldom used these days. It was so deserted that any sound made would reverberate throughout the entire corridor.

As I entered the men’s restroom, I saw three men gathered by the restroom window, smoking cigarettes.

“You called me?”

“Yeah, I did. Oblivious as always.”

Heo Yoon-su chuckled, revealing his true colors. I did the same.

“I’m busy, why’d you call me? It’s annoying.”

“…Don’t you grasp the situation right now?”

Heo Yoon-soo seemed taken aback by my assertive attitude, his expression contorting in confusion. I didn’t relent in my assertiveness.

“What’s with the hesitation? If you promise not to mess with me even now, I’ll let it slide.”

“Pfft!”

A guy next to Heo Yoon-soo burst into laughter. Judging by his build, he seemed to be responsible for muscle within their gang.

“What’s so funny?”

“No way. Not only do you dress up like Changnam, but you’re also getting bullied by a weaker opponent.”

“You focus on dressing up like Changnam, and yet you fall asleep during class because of a weakling like me?”

“…You little…”

Instead of acknowledging my logical retort, the big guy next to Heo Yoon-soo lunged at me.

His attempt with that large frame was merely aiming to slap my cheek with an outstretched hand. I grabbed his arm, halting the intended slap as if to say, “That’s enough.”

“Huh!?”

Applying force, I bent his arm in the opposite direction, causing the big guy to flail like a feather.

“Aargh!”

“Wha-what the…”

As I easily subdued the larger man, Heo Yoon-soo looked bewildered. The guy next to him dropped his cigarette, mouth agape.

“If you say you won’t lay a hand on me from now on, I’ll just let you off quietly here. What will you do?”

“S-Stop this nonsense…!”

“I’ll break you.”

“Wait a second! Okay, okay, I get it!”

When I exerted more force, I was overwhelmed by an unprecedented physical strength that I had never experienced in my life, and obediently wagged my tail.

“Pay up. Hurry up and go.”

I kicked him in the butt and pushed him out of the bathroom. He staggered, glancing back at Huh Yoon-soo before finally leaving.

Huh Yoon-soo’s lackey, left alone with me, just stared blankly and looked in the direction the big guy had fled.

“What are you doing? Come in next.”

As I snapped my fingers, Huh Yoon-soo realized he couldn’t win by force and began to bluster.

“Y-You ignorant gorilla punk!”

“What’s your average grade?”

“You bastard!”

“Your parents who raised you to be such a bastard must be proud.”

“You’re not even good-looking.”

I had already gained the upper hand. After confronting Huh Yoon-soo, making him cry was the biggest blow I could deliver.

…But making a high schooler over ten years younger than me cry only increased my guilt as an adult.

“He should understand by now.”

“Alright, I won’t bother with kids who can’t even throw a punch. I’m leaving first.”

I turned to leave the bathroom. Just before I left, I gave one final warning.

“I’m telling you one last time, don’t mess with me anymore. The teacher has already started paying attention to us, and you wouldn’t like it if things escalated, would you?”

“Damn it… damn it….”

Huh Yoon-soo, ignoring the nearby male student, stomped on a cigarette with all his might and muttered for a while.

“What are you looking at! You too, get lost!”

As Huh Yoon-soo cursed, the male student whimpered and ran out of the bathroom. Huh Yoon-soo dialed someone with trembling hands.

Hyojin An’s name appeared as the recipient. Shortly after, Hyojin answered the phone.

[Yoon-soo? Why are you… Oh, about our date next week…]

“A date or whatever, just help me deal with that son of a bitch Kim Maru.”

[Me? That’s a bit…]

Hyojin hesitated at the request to handle the guy. It didn’t look good for several girls to gather and threaten a male student.

“Damn, if that bastard wants me to fix it, I’ll do anything, even go on a date.”

[…What?]

Lost in various fantasies, An Hyojin coughed and reluctantly accepted the request.

After ending the call, An Hyojin was startled by the face of a girl staring at him intently from the side.

“You look happy. Boyfriend?”

“Oh, no. It’s not like that…”

In An Hyojin’s sight, there was a high school girl who looked remarkably similar to Jegal Yeonhwa, the student council president of Hanguk High. This girl was none other than his twin sister.

“Um, Jegal Hwarin unni?”

“Just call me Hwarin.”

“…Hwarin unni. Have you ever dealt with annoying guys?”

“Why are you suddenly talking about guys?”

“Just… guys can be irritating to deal with. How should I suppress my anger?”

“Well, just hit them back the same way.”

“Have you tried it yourself?”

“No? I didn’t hit anyone, but one of unni’s colleagues is a woman who beats up guys without mercy.”

‘Jegal Yeonhwa’s colleague….’

The school union, ‘Ojakgyo,’ which secretly controls the students, consists of 5 leaders, including Alice, the head of the union. If Jegal Yeonhwa is one of the leaders, then her colleague must be another leader.

And if she’s someone who beats up anyone regardless of who they are….

‘Eji Hye, known as the crazy tigress.’

But something about rampaging like Eji Hye bothered him. Ultimately, he felt an instinctive aversion to the idea of having to beat up a guy.

‘Let’s just scare him and be done with it. I can handle it alone, right?’

Up until now, that’s what An Hyojin had been thinking.