* * *
“Hah…”
He regretted not staying home, surrounded by his overprotective brothers.
Barely managing to Imp out of the restroom, Jungin dragged his injured leg back to the classroom.
“When class started ages ago, why are you just coming in now?”
It was the homeroom teacher’s class.
He stopped writing on the board when he saw the soaked Jungin, looking him up and down with disapproval.
“Oh man, what’s that awful mop smell?”
A classmate near the door pinched their nose and jeered.
It wasn’t surprising, considering how he was drenched in mop water.
Jungin glared at Im Jungsoo and the boy sitting next to him, but they just pretended they didn’t know anything, giggling among themselves.
“Ugh, it’s making me wanna puke.”
“A mop? Hah, that’s hilarious.”
Different voices filled the classroom, mixing with laughter and annoyance, creating a momentary uproar.
“Everyone, quiet! Lee Jungin, are you here to ruin the atmosphere on the first day?”
“I’d like to leave early.”
“Haa… Do whatever you want.”
As expected, the teacher didn’t even bother asking if he was okay or what had happened.
He just turned his gaze away.
Jungin grabbed his bag and coat hanging by the desk and Imped out of the classroom.
Slowly making his way down the hallway, he powered on his phone.
[Missed calls: 16, Messages: 31]
“Why so many…?”
One was spam, but the rest were all from his brothers, worried about him.
Just as he was about to call his eldest brother, a different idea crossed his mind.
He wanted to make those bastards pay even more.
Judging by how things were going, today wouldn’t be the last time they did something like this.
Initially, he had planned to tell his brother everything and resolve the situation, but now he decided to change his plan slightly.
“If my brothers find out on their own… they’ll be way angrier.”
With a twisted smile, Jungin replied to his three brothers, reassuring them that everything was fine.
For some reason, the people at school believed that even Jungin’s brothers and family hated him.
But from what Jungin had seen, his brothers clearly loved and cherished him.
And when his fiercely protective brothers found out that their youngest sibling was being bullied under the teacher’s indifferent watch, he couldn’t wait to see how furious they’d be.
And one more thing—through this, he’d find out who truly cared about him and who had been lying.
After all, every time he saw that kid, he always seemed to have a new wound on his face, just like himself.
“Now then, there’s still a while until class ends. Where should I go in the meantime?”
The nearest place was a PC room or a café, but looking like this…
First, he wanted to wash off the foul smell from his body.
He hadn’t realized it at first, but when he checked the brand of the padded jacket his eldest brother had given him, even someone like Jungin, who knew nothing about luxury brands, could tell it was an expensive one.
In this state, there was no way he could wear it, so he slung it over one arm, trembling as he walked.
Using the map app on his phone, he found the nearest bathhouse, about a 10-minute walk away.
“Ten minutes? That’s doable… Who am I kidding?”
The temperature was freezing, yet the snow still hadn’t melted. And why was the wind so brutal?
Jungin quickened his uncomfortable steps, and after walking for what felt like forever, finally arrived at the neighborhood bathhouse.
Thankfully, he had brought cash with him. He took it out and tried to enter the building, but the door wouldn’t budge, making a rattling sound.
“What the… Why isn’t it opening?”
Rattle, rattle.
No matter how much he shook the door, it wouldn’t open. What kind of luck was this? After all the effort it took to get here!
Just as Jungin was holding the doorknob, gritting his teeth in disbelief, a voice came from behind.
“Hey, kid, are you looking for the bathhouse? It’s closed for renovations right now.”
He turned to see a man in his 40s or 50s pointing at one of the walls.
Jungin followed the man’s hand and saw a notice posted on the building’s outer wall: ‘”Under renovation! Closed until May 12!”‘
“Sigh…”
Where was another nearby bathhouse?
At this rate, he might really catch a cold and die.
Sighs kept escaping from him.
“Hmm… You need to wash up, kid?”
“Ah, yes… I look like this, so…”
Jungin bowed his head, explaining his situation while gathering up the padded jacket and bag he had placed on the ground.
He was about to head to a bathhouse that was a 20-minute walk away, according to the app, when the man grabbed his hand and continued speaking.
“Hmm… I run a motel over there. Wanna wash up there in the meantime?”
“Really? Is that okay?”
The man, who Jungin had dismissed as just some guy, suddenly seemed to glow with an aura of kindness.
Jungin’s eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief, and the man, with a satisfied smile, went on.
“Yeah, yeah. You seem to be in a tough spot, so I won’t charge you. How old are you? Got a girlfriend?”
But as the man’s hand slid around his waist, Jungin couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Just as he was lifting his head in doubt, the man let out a scream and was pulled backward.
Or, to be more accurate, someone had dragged him back.
“Ahhh, let go, let go!”
The hand that had been rubbing Jungin’s waist was now twisted at an unnatural angle.
Jungin shifted his gaze to the man standing next to the groaning one and recognized him instantly.
“Oh? You’re the guy from back then…”
It was the man he had seen on the hospital rooftop.
“Lee Jungin.”
“What are you doing here? Oh, did you come to take a bath too?”
Jungin looked the man over, wondering if he was once again covered in blood, but the man, dressed in a clean black suit, didn’t seem to need a bath at all.
“Hyung—”
“Who are you calling ‘hyung’ all the time? And why were you following this piece of trash?”
Oh right! Jungin finally remembered the man who was now weeping with his mouth covered.
Why had Mango hyung twisted his arm?
“Mr. Yoon.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Get rid of him.”
Standing beside the handsome man, Jungin recognized the other man’s face—it was the guy who had escorted him to the hospital room.
Did they always move around in pairs? But where were they taking him?
“Wait, hold on! Why are you taking him? Are you… are you going to threaten him or sell his organs or something…?”
“What?”
Clearly, they were gangsters.
Maybe they were taking him away because he hadn’t paid his dues, just like in the movies.
What kind of world was this…?
Though the men were much larger than him and a little intimidating, Jungin felt a need to stand up for justice.
Clenching his fists, he took a deep breath and spoke to Mango hyung.
“Let him go! It’s wrong to torment an innocent citizen—”
“Tsk. Even when I help, you complain.”
“Why are you cursing?”
Beomhyeon looked at him with an exasperated expression and rubbed his tired, bloodshot eyes.
He gestured silently, and Mr. Yoon released the motel owner’s mouth.
“You tell him. What were you planning to do to this kid?”
“I-I wasn’t going to do anything—”
“Let’s start with one finger. Bring me a hammer.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
The cold voice echoed in the narrow alley, and the atmosphere grew icy.
Before Jungin knew it, one of the men in black suits appeared, holding a hammer.
“Hold him.”
At Mango hyung’s simple command, the men with scarred faces pinned the motel owner’s wrist to the ground.
* * *
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beat that man up 😤😠
That classmate of his is really irritating