episode_0028

Kim Noeul showed mercy twice, and the students of Hanguk High School trampled on that mercy not once, but twice.

Without hesitation, Kim Noeul reached out and grabbed the neck of a female student. The girl, suddenly caught off guard, tried to free herself from Noeul’s grip, but to no avail.

One must experience Kim Noeul’s strength to truly understand it. When Ahn Hyojin and I faced off, there was a moment when Kim Noeul had grabbed my wrist. Despite her consideration for me as a man and holding back her strength, inherited from her past life, I couldn’t break free. Now, Kim Noeul had no need to hold back her power.

“Just go. Nod if you understand.”

In an instant, the drowsy girl’s face turned pale as Noeul’s grip tightened around her neck. Another girl attempted to punch Noeul, but having followed closely behind her, I arrived at just the right moment to block the punch with one hand.

“Huh…?”

Perhaps startled by the fact that a man had blocked her punch, she stupidly stared at my face. I pulled her towards me and delivered a knee kick to her abdomen. The girl who had kneed me fell to her knees, mouth agape, in pain.

Once again, I showed them mercy.

“Before you end up in a worse state, just go. Once she’s unleashed, no one can stop her.”

There is only one person in this school who can completely subdue the rampaging Kim Noeul. The problem is that this person is at Shinsung High, far away from this academy.

The girl whose neck was held tightly managed to nod weakly after my words. Tears welled up in her eyes.

After receiving the assurance that we would step back, Kim Noeul pushed the girl forward. Gasping for breath, the girl coughed as she was pushed to the ground.

“L-let’s go…”

The relatively unharmed girl supported the tearful one and left their spot. The onlookers who had been eagerly watching us dispersed.

The middle school students continuously nodded their heads in gratitude towards Kim Noeul and me.

“Thank you so much… Thank you…”

“We’ll walk quietly from now on…”

When the two middle schoolers disappeared from our sight, they expressed their gratitude to us and hid their figures. Now, only one middle schooler remains by our side.

“Kim Gaeul, I told you not to just go out on your own.”

“Sorry. My body moved on its own.”

Kim Gaeul, who looked exactly like Kim Noeul, had slightly shorter hair than Kim Noeul. If Kim Noeul’s hair reached down to her waist, Kim Gaeul’s hair fell between her shoulders and waist.

Kim Gaeul showed interest in me, who was next to Kim Noeul.

“Thank you for helping. So… Maru Oppa.”

She called my name after seeing the name tag on my uniform. The way she addressed me felt unfamiliar.

‘Oppa…’

After Kim Noeul pointed out her younger sister’s form of address, Kim Gaeul looked at me and asked, “Do you dislike being called ‘oppa’?”

“…I don’t dislike it.”

Her innocent eyes made it hard to refuse outright. I hadn’t planned to refuse in the first place.

“Then I’ll call you ‘oppa,’ Maru Oppa.”

As she called me ‘oppa’ while looking up at me like a puppy, I felt warmth in my heart. It felt like the stress of always being haunted by the wolf named Kim Noeul was dissipating.

As my expression softened, Kim Noeul, who had been watching, opened her eyes wide.

“Look at your expression.”

“…What are you talking about? That’s not it. You’re too strict with your sister.”

Unbeknownst to us, Nayeona and Handoa had stealthily approached and joined our conversation.

“You chased them off well. It wasn’t a big disturbance, so the teacher probably won’t make a big deal out of it.”

Handoa seemed satisfied with how he summarized the previous situation…

“Maru, you can call me ‘nuna’ instead of ‘sunbae’ if you want…”

Nayeona made an ambiguous statement with a dangerous expression. To avoid an unfavorable situation, I changed the subject.

“So, does everyone have no more business at the academy now? Seniors, aren’t you taking the test?”

“Come to think of it, that’s right.”

“Oh, right! We have to go on time!”

“Should we wait?”

When I asked, Handoa lowered her head.

“You’ve heard it takes quite a while, so you can go first.”

“I hope for a good result.”

Nuna Duo turned and headed to the test room.

We no longer needed to be at the academy. With enough attention on us, we wanted to get out of the academy.

“Nuna, are you leaving now?”

“I am. Don’t you have a class?”

“No. I saw a fight on my way out after class.”

Kim Noeul and I left the academy. It was already sunset. It seemed like we often saw Noeul’s sunset after incidents ended at the academy.

Kim Noeul asked her sister about her way home from school.

“Is it still the shuttle bus to leave the academy? You can take that to get home, right?”

“Yeah. There’s a bus to go home once you’re outside.”

“If possible, go with your friends. Something like today might happen again.”

“You know my situation isn’t like that.”

“….”

At Kim Gaeul’s words, Kim Noeul closed her mouth. Both seemed to sense something and subtly interrupted their conversation.

It was an awkward silence, but I didn’t dislike it.

I didn’t want to erase the silence by forcing out their trauma. The current silence was consideration for the Kim Noeul sisters.

We arrived at the bus stop and checked the remaining bus time. It seemed we would have to wait quite a bit.

“Then, I’ll go ahead.”

I bid farewell to the two girls. Kim Noeul naturally raised an objection.

“It’s dangerous to go alone.”

“Hey, my dorm is really close from here, and I hardly see any outsiders around here.”

“But…”

“And I met my sister. Loosen up a bit.”

When I mentioned her sister, Kim Noeul’s expression softened. She must have had a lot she wanted to talk about, having met her blood relative after a long time.

Leaving the two girls behind, I headed towards the dormitory.

As the Kim sisters watched Maru walk away for a moment, they eventually looked at each other. The younger one spoke first.

“You seem to be doing well. I thought you hadn’t completely let it out.”

“I haven’t let it out.”

“Always saying this, but it wasn’t unni’s fault. It was my fault for becoming a burden to oppa, so I was the one in the wrong.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s actually my fault. I should have been more attentive. As the eldest…”

“Unni, there’s no need for self-harm like this.”

“……”

“I understand your feelings, but whenever I see you like this, I wonder what Mom and I are thinking.”

“I know too. Logically, it’s not my fault. But…”

Kim Noeul paused for a moment and took in the sunset scenery in the sky. Her pupils glowed red as they caught the light of the setting sun.

“But if I don’t blame myself like this, I feel like I won’t be able to endure it.”

“…Does that oppa also know about this?”

“Maru…? No, he doesn’t.”

“He seems like a good person. When he’s with oppa, your expression looks relieved.”

As her younger sister calmly spoke, Kim Noeul pictured Kim Maru’s face.

A face that easily drew attention from women.

A man who didn’t hesitate to step into such situations and willingly risk danger.

“You don’t know because of that. How much he torments me. You saw it today too. He shamelessly approaches other women.”

It felt like something precious, akin to a treasured possession. Kim Noeul trembled nervously, unsure when or where it might be violated.

In her heart, she wanted to keep it in a place where no one could trespass. Yet, she restrained her desire to guard it, knowing that there was a greater cause at stake.

“He fights well. At least the things we worry about won’t happen to him. Because he’s someone else.”

“Someone else….”

“And unni is by his side. This time, she’ll definitely protect him, right?”

Kim Gaeul believed that the key to overcoming Kim Noeul’s trauma lay in Kim Maru. Watching the relationship between the two today confirmed it for her.

‘I need to support her.’

But perhaps due to her exceptional appearance, there seemed to be many women around him.

There was a woman with a certain part of her face covered by bangs, and another who looked like a country girl, both stood out.

‘Well, even so, our unni won’t lose out.’

Whether she sensed Kim Gaeul’s sinister thoughts or not, Kim Noeul sighed.

“Focus on your own life. I’ll handle things skillfully.”

“Hurry up and make a decision. Don’t drag it out after the fact.”

“There’s no need for that.”

Kim Noeul stared at Kim Gaeul with unwavering eyes. They were clear, but the reflection of the sunset made her red irises seem ominous.

Kim Gaeul shuddered at this ominous sight. She hesitantly replied while patting her arm.

“…Alright. If you’re that confident.”

“The bus is here.”

The fiery red glare in Kim Noeul’s eyes subsided as she focused on the bus.

Kim Gaeul boarded the bus and took a seat. Kim Noeul watched her younger sister, who was seated by the window, until the bus departed.

Alone now, Kim Noeul rose from her seat and walked down the aisle.

“I’ll have to talk to her someday.”

She had promised Kim Maru that she would eventually tell him about the past. She had no intention of breaking that promise.

But she wasn’t ready yet. Once her mind was settled and she had prepared for the future, she would reveal her true self to Kim Maru.

At that point, their relationship would also be confirmed.

***

“Damn it… Damn it….”

A high school girl at the back of a Korean high school bit her nails and muttered curses under her breath.

Her uniform name tag read ‘Jegal Hwaryun.’

Hwaryun was currently staring at her phone, her pupils shaking intensely. The phone kept vibrating with message notifications.

[Jegal Yeonhwa: Today Eun Yuli called me]

[Jegal Yeonhwa: Not a video call, but an in-person meeting]

[Jegal Yeonhwa: Should I go and face whatever mess awaits me?]

[Jegal Yeonhwa: Because that incompetent idiot made a huge mistake, I’m the one getting scolded instead?]

[Jegal Yeonhwa: Eun Yuli will discipline me under the pretext of ‘mismanagement’]

[Jegal Yeonhwa: Knowing Eun Yuli, she’ll rush to Alice and report this. Will Alice just let it slide?]

[Jegal Yeonhwa: From now on, I’ll manage things more rigorously to avoid such incidents]

One after another, her older sister’s composed messages made Hwaryun break out in a cold sweat.

[Jegal Yeonhwa: Once the disciplinary action is over, I should start by managing my little sister first]

“Eugh!”

Jegal Hwarin, who was in a panic, dropped her phone. Trembling, she clutched her shoulders with both hands. Though she had resolved to break free from her sister’s shadow, it seemed impossible. Tormented by her sister Jegal Yeonhwa’s domineering nature since childhood, she remained under her sister’s control.

“No! I can’t just stay still like this…!”

In a panicked state, she saw two Korean high school girls smoking in the distance. They seemed unwell. One was rubbing her throat, and the other was clutching her neck.

“That crazy gorilla girl. What does she eat to be so strong?”

“It wouldn’t have happened later if it were Kim Noeul. She wasn’t wearing the uniform, so I couldn’t see the name tag.”

“What!? Damn! If it were Kim Noeul, we wouldn’t have touched her! Jegal Hwarin got caught by the counseling department led by her!”

Jegal Hwarin rushed towards the two girls. As they watched her approach, they dropped their cigarettes. Her expression was formidable enough to instill fear. Despite their fear, they swallowed hard, feeling as though she might devour them.

“Hey, did you get caught by Kim Noeul?”

“Uh, well…”

“Answer me!”

When Jegal Hwarin kicked the girl who had been clutching her throat, she tearfully confessed, “Cough! Y-yes…! I was caught by her at the academy today! Cough!”

“Hmm… The academy, huh?”

Having gathered information, Jegal Hwarin pondered deeply. “The inside of the academy is Ji Jihye’s territory. Since she sent many thugs there as students, I won’t just sit back and watch this situation unfold.”

Given this, she decided to collaborate with Ji Jihye to deal with the situation. Using Ji Jihye as a shield, she aimed to minimize Jegal Yeonhwa’s wrath.

“I-I need to make a call… I need to call Ji Jihye… Ji Jihye’s number is…”

Struggling, Jegal Hwarin dialed Ji Jihye’s number while listening to the ringing tone. After a while, someone finally answered.

For a high school student, the voice on the other end sounded unusually curt.

[Who is this?]

“It’s me. Jegal Hwarin. Don’t you have my number saved?”

[Why should I save your number?]

“Worthless wench.”

She doesn’t show deference to someone just a year younger. But right now, the one feeling regret is herself.

“Have you heard? Some Korean high schoolers got into trouble in your area. Those punks who were causing chaos in the neighborhood. Are you going to keep ignoring them?”

[At TT Academy?]

“Yes! They caused a ruckus there without any restraint!”

[I haven’t been informed yet.]

“That’s why I’m telling you now! Shouldn’t we gather the kids and step in? If we leave this alone, do you think Eunyuri and Alice will stay quiet?”

“I’m at Eunyuri’s school for a meeting right now, so be careful what you say.”

“Oh, okay.”

Jegal Hwarin closed her mouth, worried that Eunyuri might have overheard.

“So, are you asking me to handle this quickly?”

“Y-yes.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. It felt like an eternity.

After a while, Lee Ji-hye came to a conclusion.

“Why would I?”

“What?”