* * *

He picked up the baseball bat he had earlier tossed aside in the hallway, twisted his lips into a smirk, and took steps toward them, one by one.

“You guys beat up our kid so viciously all this time. Just thinking about it again pisses me off. Where did you find the guts to beat him up? Don’t you have any shame?”

At the sight of the large man approaching with a fierce glare and emanating Alpha pheromones, Hyuntae instinctively shrank back, overwhelmed.

“Why are you going so far over a fight between kids?”

Holding her son tightly, the trembling woman shouted with her eyes shut.

Watching her face, Jungseo chuckled, finding it absurd.

“Wow, so you won’t throw out your garbage just because he’s your kid? Or maybe you’re just the same kind of person.”

“You… how dare you!”

Jungseo’s lips, which had been curved up, straightened instantly.

Veins bulged on his clenched fists as he glared.

“I don’t care how refined my brothers are, but I’m not letting this slide. Keep an eye on your son. And make sure he watches his back. I don’t lay a hand on kids, but your son’s almost an adult now.”

“……”

“Same goes for the rest of your brats. I don’t care if it makes the front page or the business section, but my little one deserves to be compensated for all the hurt and hardship.”

As he spoke with an icy, fierce tone, everyone in the room remembered who they were dealing with—Jungseo, the third son of Hyun Group.

Unlike his eldest and second brothers, he had a notorious reputation as a volatile, unpredictable Alpha.

“Jungseo, what are you doing?”

Just then, Jungjin walked over and asked him.

Upon seeing Jungin in his brother’s arms, Jungseo’s fierce expression softened, and he spoke up.

“What happened to Jungin?”

“He must have been exhausted; he fell asleep. Don’t worry, just follow me.”

“Are we just going home like this?”

Grinding his teeth, Jungseo cast a dangerous glance at the perpetrators.

Sighing deeply, Jungjin patted his back and led him forward.

After sharing his experiences in front of the crowd, Jungin had collapsed into a sleep that looked like he’d passed out.

Throughout the meeting, Jungjin had watched Jungin tremble, likely from resurfacing memories.

Even for a second, he didn’t want to leave Jungin there.

The evidence Jungin had bravely gathered and the courage he showed had already laid out enough of the school’s violent history.

From here, it was the family’s role, and Jungjin decided Jungin didn’t need to stay at the school any longer.

Gently brushing the sweaty hair off Jungin’s forehead, Jungjin called Secretary Kim.

“Is the task I mentioned progressing smoothly?”

“Yes, the second young master is handling it one by one with the executives.”

“Thank you. Also, schedule dinner with the Education Minister for tonight. I’ll meet Prosecutor Choi separately at Suhong Hall tomorrow.”

Even if the school imposed disciplinary actions, it would likely be minor, like suspension or community service.

‘I can’t let go of those who hurt our Jungin that easily.’

With a cold smile, Jungjin resolved to use every means at his disposal.

“But sir… if Chairman Lee finds out…”

Secretary Kim bit his lip anxiously, then glanced at Jungin in Jungjin’s arms before closing his eyes.

“I’ll handle it. Now and in the future.”

“…Understood.”

“I’m not going back to the way things were. What happened that time was enough.”

After ending the call, Jungjin held the sleeping Jungin close, gently soothing his restless movements as he exited the building.

“…Hello. I’m Jungin’s homeroom teacher, Hyun Juwon.”

This was the man who had been absent during the entire meeting.

Jungjin frowned as he observed him quietly, and Juwon spoke up again.

“I’m so sorry. I should have taken better care of the students. I had no idea Jungin was going through such a hard time.”

The homeroom teacher lowered his head, tears welling in his eyes, looking genuinely remorseful.

“You didn’t know? Until it got this bad?”

With a stern voice, Jungjin lifted Jungin’s sleeve, revealing the clear marks left on his skin.

Showing this to Juwon, who was merely offering “I didn’t know” as an excuse, he spoke firmly.

“You won’t avoid legal consequences. Negligence is also a crime. And if you’ve acted on someone’s orders against Jungin, that’s even more serious. Prepare yourself.”

A short time ago, Jungjin had discovered that money was regularly sent from his mother’s aide’s account to Juwon.

He clenched his teeth as he spoke.

“……”

Seeing him flinch and bite his lip made it clear he was probably right.

With a cold gaze and no further hesitation, Jungjin turned and walked down the hallway, stopping at the sound of his name being called from behind.

“Hyung!”

“You didn’t do anything unnecessary, did you?”

Narrowing his eyes, Jungjin looked at Jungseo, who insisted he’d done nothing wrong.

Even then, Jungjin couldn’t entirely relax.

“Damn, I didn’t do anything. Hey, thief. Tell him yourself.”

At Jungseo’s words, Bumhyun nodded slightly, signaling his agreement.

Turning to face the sunlight filtering through the window, Jungjin shielded Jungin’s face with his hand and spoke up.

“We’re going home.”

“You don’t think he needs to go to the hospital?”

While speaking, Jungseo hesitantly asked, fearing that taking Jungin to the hospital might bring back his memories.

“I’ve already arranged for Secretary Kim to move the testing equipment, and Dr. Choi is coming too.”

“Then, alright…”

Understanding, Jungseo nodded at Jungjin’s words.

Just as Jungjin was about to start walking, gently holding Jungin in his arms—

“Are you planning to come too?”

“Yes.”

“What? Why would you come to our house?”

Jungseo’s face twisted with anger at Beomhyeon’s insistence on following them home, looking at him as he did the other students who had caused harm.

Beomhyeon, however, knew this well but didn’t want to leave. He had things to say if Jungin woke up and didn’t want to return home just yet.

Seeing his determination, Jungjin took the first step, feeling he had no other choice.

---

“Due to his low energy, we’ve given him vitamins and an IV drip. For the time being, he needs to eat regularly and avoid any stressful situations.”

Jungin frowned as he watched the IV drip flowing into his veins.

Even a slight movement in his arm made it feel as though the needle was touching his bone, so he stayed still.

Awkwardly nodding, he looked around to see each of his brothers, as well as Ki Beomhyeon, standing nearby.

“How are the injuries on his body?”

“As you know, most of the wounds are ones that have come and gone repeatedly, so they’ll need consistent care moving forward.”

Dr. Choi, cautiously glancing at Jungin, reassured him that there were no major injuries and that, with proper care, no scars would remain.

After a series of precise tests with unfamiliar machines, the examination was finally complete.

As we gathered in the living room, we felt the tension of the moment we’d been putting off and slowly raised our heads.

“Sweetheart.”

“Hm?”

Seated across from him, Jungin’s oldest brother looked noticeably worn out, even after just a few hours.

The other two brothers, seated next to him, also showed signs of weariness, as if they’d spent exhausting days worrying about him.

Jungin recalled Jungjin, who had confronted parents and teachers in the principal’s office with a quiet fury.

Unlike Jungseo, who had flared up, raising his voice and straining his neck, the veins on Jungjin’s fist beneath the table had been so vivid that it left a lasting impression on his mind.

He also remembered the pained look in his eyes, watching him each time he spoke.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

The brothers’ gazes were tinged with red, as if they might cry at any moment.

“We’re not blaming you. We just want to know if you didn’t trust us or if there was some other reason.”

They’ve been too naive.

* * *