* * *
Suddenly, my neck was grabbed.
Thud. The chair hit the floor.
Someone violently pushed down on the back of my head.
Half-bent over, I was dragged by Jungsoo.
My nape hurt. I could barely breathe.
My vision was blurry from having my eyes closed for so long.
I didn’t understand what was happening.
Where was Jungsoo taking me, and why was he doing this after months of silence?
The only thing I knew was Jungsoo’s angry voice.
He always sounded like that when he beat me last year.
Now, there was no Hyunoh by his side.
“Walk properly, or you’ll crack your head on the stairs,” Jungsoo growled in my ear.
I staggered but forced my legs to steady.
Each time I wobbled, Jungsoo hit the back of my head with his fist.
I cried out, my vision going white.
I was dragged roughly to the school rooftop.
They must have stolen the key from the teachers’ office.
As soon as the rooftop door opened, a biting cold wind lashed at my skin.
The others were all wearing coats, but I only had on a dress shirt and a vest.
My arms quickly turned cold.
“You bastard.”
Park Jungsoo threw me to the ground.
I rolled across the old rooftop painted green.
My knees and ankles twisted painfully.
It was both freezing and painful.
Then, without any reason, the beating started.
Three pairs of feet kicked me all at once.
My abdomen, spine, and shins took hit after hit.
They avoided my face.
I groaned, pressing my cheek against the rooftop floor.
My mouth hung open, and saliva dripped out.
Tears and snot flowed continuously.
I knew violence didn’t always need a grand reason.
Sometimes, it’s just for fun.
Someone can beat another for the lightest and simplest of reasons.
I had learned not to feel wronged by it, to prevent the physical pain from breaking my spirit.
But this time, it was too much.
I felt wronged. It hurt so much, it seemed like the violence would never end, like I might actually die.
I wanted to scream, but all that came out were strangled sounds.
“Fuck, you bitch.”
Park Jungsoo muttered like a madman.
I could sense deep malice from him.
I wanted to ask why he was suddenly hitting me, what I had done wrong, and where Hyunho was right now… But I wouldn’t get any answers.
I don’t know how long the kicking went on.
It felt infinite to me.
Finally, Jungsoo seemed to get tired and the violence stopped for a moment.
I curled up like a caterpillar, coughing.
Blood stained the green rooftop floor.
My vision was blurry.
Every breath I took brought immense pain.
The pain was so intense that I held my breath as long as possible before exhaling very slowly and weakly.
Something was definitely wrong with my bones.
Above, the voices of those bastards buzzed around.
“Hey, isn’t he gonna die like that?”
“Fuck, no way. He’s got plenty of fat; he’ll be fine.”
“But he’s coughing up blood? What if something happens? My mom will kill me.”
“Don’t worry. My uncles are all cops.”
“Oh, right.”
“Yeah. It’ll be fine.”
Jungsoo squatted next to my head.
“Hey, Chanyi.”
He called me.
When I didn’t respond, he slapped my cheek with his palm.
“Ugh…”
It stung.
It felt like the soft flesh inside my mouth had burst.
“Open your eyes.”
“……”
“I said, open your eyes, you bastard. Do you know how much I’ve suffered because of you this past year? Ha, because of that bastard Hyunho.”
Jungsoo’s friends chuckled.
“Why do you suck up to Hyunho like that?”
“What? I don’t suck up to him.”
Jungsoo’s voice was filled with indignation.
“You did. What’s so scary about Hyunho?”
“It’s not him that’s scary; it’s his family… Ah, forget it.”
“Is Hyunho’s family rich?”
“Anyway, my dad told me not to mess with Hyunho. It doesn’t matter now.”
“Really? Should we bring Hyunho here too?”
“And do what? He’s good at fighting. You guys can’t fight at all.”
“But the three of us could handle him, couldn’t we?”
“Hmm. Maybe. I’ve always wanted to beat the crap out of that bastard.”
At the mention of Hyunho’s name, I felt a lump in my throat.
I forced my eyes open and glared at Jungsoo.
My throat felt like it had been torn apart from inhaling too much dust.
I squeezed out my voice with all my strength.
“Don’t.”
Jungsoo frowned deeply and grabbed me by the collar.
“What? You still have the strength to talk?”
“Don’t… do it.”
“If you don’t want to get beaten, don’t do things to get beaten for.”
“Not me. Hyunho….”
“Ha.”
Jungsoo let out a hollow laugh and slapped me again, in the same spot. I couldn’t help but tear up.
“What? Hyunho? You bastard. Know your place. Haven’t you had enough?”
Jungsoo gritted his teeth, stood up, and kicked me in the abdomen again.
“Ugh…”
I doubled over and spat out blood.
My right eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
It hurt so much.
“You must have been bored living a year without getting beaten. Hey, get up.”
Jungsoo nudged my cheek with his toe.
“Get up.”
I had no strength left. All I could do was scratch the floor with my fingers.
Jungsoo got annoyed and yanked me up by the collar.
“Gasp…”
The pain in my abdomen doubled as soon as I stood up.
The continuous pain blurred my vision. Jungsoo dragged me, muttering angrily.
“Fuck. What? Hyunho? Did you think you became friends just because he treated you a bit nicely? You know nothing, bastard. Who do you think you are? You hid behind Hyunho and ignored me. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
Jungsoo brought me to the rooftop railing. He grabbed the back of my neck and half-draped my body over the edge.
The wind from the void was biting.
My upper body naturally leaned forward, and I saw the distant ground below.
My toes barely touched the floor.
If Jungsoo let go, I would fall to my death.
Suddenly, my whole body trembled.
Drool fell from my mouth.
“Hey. Jungsoo. What’s with you?”
Jungsoo’s friends approached, sounding slightly alarmed.
“What? Stay out of it.”
Jungsoo gripped my neck tighter and whispered to me.
“Are you scared?”
“……”
“Do you want to live?”
I glared at Jungsoo.
He was laughing, as if this were amusing.
Beating me senseless and dangling me off the rooftop—was this funny to him?
My suffering was just a source of entertainment for him.
Why?
What did I do wrong?
Why do you hate me so much?
* * *
*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*
