episode_0015

Immediately after the ceremony, I scribbled down the contents of the message sent by Nayuna in my notebook and ran a simulation in my head.

“The ambush location is not different from the original, but what I’m most curious about is the exact timing.”

I’m worried that my intervention in the original work might not have changed the timing of the Rotary Ambush incident. It seems like I’ll have to stick with Kim Noeul for a while.

I raised my head and looked at where Kim Noeul was.

She was surrounded by male students.

“Noeul, they’ve established a counseling department. They say it suits you well.”

“Thank you.”

“Can I join too?”

“It’s not the time for recruiting members yet…”

The sight of the guys trying hard to make contact with Kim Noeul in any way was intriguing.

In a past life, there were countless female hyenas approaching the Alpha Mail male students…

Their jealousy and timing could be directed towards me. After all, I’m using the study room alone with Kim Noeul.

But surprisingly, since the An Hyojin incident, there hasn’t been anyone bothering me, and the guys who used to hassle me are nowhere to be found.

Hu Yoonsoo, who used to lead the harassment, now bows his head deeply whenever he sees me.

“Come to think of it, where’s An Hyojin…”

An Hyojin’s seat was empty. Since facing Kim Noeul, she had been coming to school sporadically. She wasn’t someone who cared much about attendance in the first place.

In the original work, An Hyojin wasn’t heavily featured after this incident, but she occasionally appeared. For example, when the former counseling department head, Jin Heeyoung, went to meet An Hyojin.

“They probably intend to gather information about the two of us.”

Buzz.

I felt a vibration in my pocket. It was a text from Nayuna.

[Nayuna: Are you really okay?]

Nayuna seemed terrified since An Hyojin about Jin Heeyoung’s intention to attack us. She seemed more scared than us, the actual targets of the attack.

[Me: Don’t worry, there’s not much going on. If we’re a bit careful, we can handle a few people.]

Of course, saying this wouldn’t reassure Nayuna. A “fragile male student” speaking confidently wouldn’t be convincing.

Moreover, she wouldn’t even consider that Kim Noeul, who’s known to throw a punch or two, could handle three delinquents.

Every time I saw Nayeona like this, I felt a cognitive dissonance and confusion.

Well, I know all about her character setup. At school, she’s a lonely outcast, but in the online world, it’s different.

“Nayeona should also overcome her trauma well.”

After organizing my thoughts, I left the classroom. When I went downstairs, I noticed Kim Noeul standing near the entrance, showing me her back.

Perhaps due to the warmer weather, she had taken off her outerwear and tied it around her skirt. Her underwear strap was clearly visible under the white shirt.

I was now accustomed to such a sight. In fact, if a man paid attention to such things, he would be labeled a pervert.

I approached her and spoke, “Kim Noeul, let’s go to school together starting today.”

Kim Noeul turned around to look at me. “What? What do you mean?”

“Do you think Jin Hee-young will just stay quiet? She might act outside of school like the girls we dealt with before.”

“…Ah, I see.”

She made a puzzled expression, then returned to her usual class president demeanor.

“I was thinking the same. You’re too fearless for a guy.”

“So you’ll help, then.”

“….”

She quickly turned her head and urged us to leave. Her neck was flushed.

We walked out of the school gate and strolled through the cherry blossom-filled courtyard. It looked like a scene from a youthful romantic comedy.

“The cherry blossoms are well planted.”

I casually remarked, and Kim Noeul looked at me oddly, as if she didn’t expect me to say that.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m surprised you’re unexpectedly sentimental.”

“…I guess I’m just dull. Other guys couldn’t wait to take pictures, but you…”

Saying so, she pointed to two male students in the distance. They were posing together, taking selfies with the cherry blossom tree in the background.

“You… are a bit strange, aren’t you?”

I couldn’t argue with Kim Noeul’s following words.

Last time, when I complained to her about her clearly visible underwear, she ended up labeling me as a pervert.

We exited the courtyard and entered the alley leading to the rotary.

At the café, there were male students studying, female students rushing to PC rooms, and young student couples walking arm in arm, exuding the fragrance of youthful vigor.

“Senior Nayeon, you seem worried.”

“I guess. It would have been a different story if I didn’t know Jin Hee-young’s intentions from the start.”

When I brought up Nayeon’s story, Kim Noeul made a remark that seemed fitting.

Agreeing with my words, Kim Noeul briefly stopped walking, took my hand, and changed direction, leading us into a narrow alley instead of the main road.

I was taken aback when she suddenly held my hand, feeling a flush of heat on my face. “What’s this? Why did we suddenly come here?”

“You didn’t notice? There are girls trailing us.”

“…That was fast.”

Jin Hee-young’s handling of the situation was quite neat, and her tactics were similar. Just like how she surrounded us at school, she quietly surrounded us this time as well.

The reason Kim Noeul led us into the deserted alley was simple.

If we were surrounded in a wide space, it would be difficult to confront many people. It meant she’d rather face off in a narrow street.

Moreover, even if we walked on the main road, attacks could still occur.

Because it’s a school.

And if you’re affiliated with Ojakgyo, passing students lower their heads and walk by.

This is the current state of the school. Something is seriously wrong. To correct this anomaly, I cooperated with Kim Noeul.

“Oh~ Did you notice we were following you?”

Two female students appeared quietly from the front alley, giggling.

One had her bangs fixed with a pink hairband, while the other had her hair tied up, blowing bubble gum.

They almost completely unbuttoned their white shirts, seemingly trying to look like Iljin.

“I warned you guys. You haven’t shed any blood on your heads yet.”

This time, Jin Hee-young appeared from behind. Beside her, An Hyojin looked uneasy.

“Hyojin? You don’t even come to school….”

As the class president, Kim Noeul, who had been looking for An Hyojin’s whereabouts, narrowed her eyes upon seeing An Hyojin appear with Jin Hee-young.

The situation where the person who got hit and the person searching for them both appeared seemed comical.

“Hey, Hyojin. Did you really get beaten up by those two?”

“…Yeah.”

Jin Hee-young lightly tapped Ahn Hyojin’s shoulder, as if to reassure him, and confidently thumped her chest, as if to say “don’t worry.”

“If that’s the case, you should have said so. Unni would have called people in for a lesson. What’s the point of making a fuss over something you’ve only done once?”

“Don’t underestimate her. That Kim Noeul is no pushover. There’s something off about that guy too.”

“Whether it’s strength or whatever, it doesn’t matter in the face of skill.”

Jin Hee-young walked away with a confident expression. The other two members of our group also approached us.

“Ms. Jin Hee-young, you’ll get paid right after the job is done.”

“Fine by me.”

Kim Noeul distanced herself from me, leaving me behind, and created some space between herself and the girls. She seemed tense, as if she was facing off against the four girls.

These weren’t just any ordinary girls. Two of them were famous troublemakers from Haneul High, and the other two were from Ojakgyo School.

Suddenly, someone’s figure overlapped with Kim Noeul’s back. It was the image of the blonde girl who had stood in front of me, facing off against a villain in a blazing fire at the restroom.

Why did that memory come to mind now?

“Kim Noeul, can you handle this alone?”

“Huh?”

“I don’t trust you. If it gets really tough, I’ll take care of at least one person.”

“You…!”

“We agreed to compromise.”

“…Damn it.”

Seemingly helpless, Kim Noeul gritted her teeth and turned towards the girls from Ojakgyo. Naturally, Jin Hee-young and Ahn Hyojin ended up facing off with me.

“Wow, what’s with her? Is she ditching the guy?”

“Looks like a couple is breaking up today.”

The two Ojakgyo girls chatted as they loosened up. Kim Noeul untied her outerwear from her waist and unbuttoned a few buttons on her shirt.

The two Ojakgyo girls narrowed their eyes at Kim Noeul’s revealed figure.

“Did she say her name was Kim Noeul? What does she eat to be so curvy? Share your secret.”

“….”

“That guy must like her. She’ll do all sorts of things for him with those curves.”

“Stop yapping and let’s get started.”

In response to the crude jokes, Kim Noeul raised both arms. Unsuccessful in their dirty talk, the two girls rushed at Kim Noeul.

The girl with tied-up hair aimed a roundhouse kick at Kim Noeul’s neck.

Kim Noeul tried to grab her ankle but had to step back to avoid a punch coming at her face from the side.

Trying to close the distance, the girl with the rolled-up hair threw a second punch, a straight punch with power coiled up to her waist.

Hudongjak’s attack was a big one, and Kim Noeul had intended to block it and counterattack, but another kick came flying from the side.

Frowning, Kim Noeul distanced herself again.

It was a strange timing. The punch of the girl with the bobbed hair, and the kick of the girl with the ponytail.

It seemed like they were determined not to allow her any chance for an attack. Kim Noeul’s expression hardened.

They were different from An Hyojin. She was taken aback by the combined attack of the two who were familiar with fighting.

Meanwhile, the two girls were also taken aback.

“There was a reason for her provocation… Why isn’t this girl’s name known?”

“Yeonhwa might be interested.”

“Wow, you’re really unlucky to get on her bad side, Kim Noeul.”

After finishing their words, they rushed in again. Kim Noeul regulated her breathing and prepared herself.

“It’s difficult to win without getting hurt.”

To attack one person, she had to allow the other’s attack. Kim Noeul stared at the fist of the girl with the bobbed hair coming towards her, and then let it hit her cheek. As Kim Noeul turned her head, she grabbed the incoming kick of the girl.

“Huh?”

As Kim Noeul raised the girl’s arm, the girl lost her balance and fell.

“Ugh!”

Kim Noeul turned around with a shout. Surprisingly, the girl whose ankle she had held briefly lifted up, and when Kim Noeul released her ankle, the girl crashed into the alley wall.

“Ahh!”

The girl who crashed into the wall screamed as cleaning tools around her fell onto her. Kim Noeul took aim at the girl with the bobbed hair, who was about to throw another punch at her despite her companion’s predicament.

Without being fazed by her friend’s situation, the girl aimed precisely at Kim Noeul’s jaw and threw a punch.

Kim Noeul slightly turned her head, and her cheek was struck again by the girl’s fist. Enduring the sharp pain, Kim Noeul grabbed the girl’s ponytail tightly and pulled with all her might.

“Ah, ahh! Let go! Damn it!”

The girl, feeling as if her hair was being pulled out, went berserk and repeatedly struck Kim Noeul’s face.

Despite being hit, Kim Noeul kept her eyes open and aimed her fist at the girl’s face.

The hastily thrown punch contained a destructive force beyond imagination, and it landed on the girl’s face despite her efforts to dodge. “Ugh….” With just one blow, the girl staggered back, her hair torn from her head. Dazed, she stumbled and sank to the ground.

Kim Noeul turned around to see a shoe coming at his spine, slicing through the air. Crossing his arms, he blocked the kick. “Thud!” The impact made his arm bones reverberate. Sensing no time to endure such pain, Kim Noeul leaped, wrapping his arms around the girl’s waist and slamming her to the ground with a powerful kick. Mount position.

The disheveled girl writhed beneath him, striking Kim Noeul’s chest repeatedly. Gritting his teeth, he raised his fist and struck her face, causing bubblegum to fly out of her mouth. The light faded from the girl’s eyes after the first hit. “You crazy… gorilla….” Those were her last words as she lay motionless.

Struggling to stand, Kim Noeul leaned against the wall. “No time for this.” However, taking steps became arduous. His physical exertion had rapidly drained his strength, leading to a state of mental exhaustion. He strained to open his eyes and glanced toward Kim Maru.

An Hyojin lay sprawled on the floor, while Jin Heeyoung held Kim Maru’s arms, engaging in a confrontation. Jin Heeyoung forcefully jerked her head backward, striking Kim Maru’s face with her own head. Staggering back in shock, Kim Maru couldn’t contain herself and retreated.

“You bastard! Don’t think just because you’re a man, you can’t be hit!” Something fell from Kim Maru’s face with a thud. It was blood, dripping from Jin Heeyoung’s headbutt.

At the sight of the crimson stain, Kim Noeul’s face paled. When he came to his senses, he found himself standing right in front of Jin Heeyoung, already throwing a punch. “Urgh!” Gasping for breath, Jin Heeyoung fell backward, and as Kim Noeul’s foot pressed onto her chest, she screamed in agony. “Stop! Stop, Kim Noeul!”

The screams gradually subsided, and Jin Heeyoung’s response weakened. “You crazy b*tch! Stop it!”

Kim Noeul finally regained her senses and halted her steps. Looking down, she spotted Jin Hee-yeong’s school uniform top soaked in mud, trembling. “Wow! Ahh!” An Hyo-jin, who had recovered from the pain in her abdomen, aimed a punch at the distracted Kim Noeul.

In order to stop An Hyo-jin, I threw a punch towards her chest. It was an act similar to hitting a man’s groin in my past life. An Hyo-jin screamed as my fist connected with her, losing her balance and falling over.

To finish it off, I kicked her in the face. An Hyo-jin was knocked out cold by my blow. As the situation concluded, I slumped down and touched my numb nose, catching a whiff of the metallic scent of blood. “Ugh. I let my guard down. I didn’t expect a sneak attack,” I muttered to myself, feeling embarrassed after being unexpectedly struck by Jin Hee-yeong. As I awkwardly looked at Kim Noeul, she approached me without a word and suddenly embraced me. A faint fragrance emanated from her neck.

“What… are you doing?” I asked, but Kim Noeul didn’t respond and began running somewhere. As we dashed out of the alley, the bright sunlight poured down on us. The surrounding students gawked strangely at us as we ran through the streets like beggars. In the midst of it all, I clung to Kim Noeul’s embrace like a child.

“Hey! What the heck are you doing? Let go of me!” I protested, but Kim Noeul mumbled something softly. I strained to hear what she was saying.

“No… no… no….” She repeated the words, her complexion turning pale.

Hearing her, I ceased my resistance, letting out a sigh and wrapping my arm around her neck. It was to keep her from falling.