* * *

Jungin’s mouth tasted of blood from the pressure around his neck.

“Urgh…ugh!”

Desperately clawing at Hyuntae’s wrist, Jungin’s fingers accidentally scratched his skin, but the tough grip around him didn’t budge.

Tears trickled down his cheeks.

At that moment, he locked eyes with the homeroom teacher coming down the stairs.

“T-Teacher… please help me!”

Of course, he knew the teacher wouldn’t intervene.

In fact, it was better this way; this incident would finally expose how the teacher ignored the bullying happening to his own students.

“You thought that jerk would help you? That guy only cares if it benefits him.”

“Ugh…ugh…”

As if on cue, the teacher averted his gaze and quickly walked away as if he hadn’t seen anything.

‘Thanks for not changing. You made things so much easier.’

Though it hurt physically, Jungin couldn’t help but feel a spark of satisfaction for what was about to unfold.

Swallowing his smile, he watched as the teacher disappeared.

Finally, the people he’d been waiting for began to arrive one by one.

“What the hell are you two doing!”

“What is the meaning of this, Principal?”

The chairman and a few others, who had just entered the building with pleasant expressions, now looked shocked, their faces frozen as they witnessed the scene.

“Haha… What a joke! Why aren’t you kids heading back to class?”

For a school that boasted a no-tolerance policy on violence, they sure were quick to cover things up.

This school was rotten to the core, all the way up to its administration.

“Ahem. In front of our guests, no less. Just what is happening here?”

“I apologize, Chairman. Mr. Kim, what are you standing there for? Get these students back to class!”

Seeing the school authorities hurriedly try to hide the incident, Park Hyuntae sneered as if the whole world was on his side.

His grip tightened even further around Jungin’s hair.

But then, suddenly, a loud bang echoed as if the door had been kicked open.

All eyes turned to the powerful presence that had just entered, filling the room with a commanding aura.

Jungin, his eyes swollen from the beating, slowly looked up and recognized the familiar faces standing before him.

“Lee Jungin!”

And then one more.

Gasping for breath as he came down the stairs, Ki Beomhyeon joined them.

His loyal allies arrived sooner than expected, and now that they were all together, Jungin bit down on his cheek, his tears finally breaking free.

“Huu… Hyung… Beomhyeon…”

“Let go of him, you bastard!”

Breaking the silence, Jungseo strode over with a baseball bat in hand, intent on swinging it at Park Hyuntae.

Jungjin managed to hold him back just in time, grabbing Hyuntae’s wrist, which was still clutching Jungin’s hair, and twisting it.

“Urgh…”

“Why are you stopping me? That scum deserves to die!”

“There are plenty of ways to deal with him without you doing it.”

With an icy gaze fixed on Hyuntae, Jungjin slid his arms under Jungin’s, pulling his small, trembling body into his embrace.

“Haah… Hyung…”

Though it was part of his plan, the pain and fear from being hit by Hyuntae were more intense than he had anticipated.

Tears welled up beyond his control as Jungin buried himself in Jungjin’s arms, his body trembling.

Gently cradling his younger brother’s head, Jungjin patted him with a soft voice.

“Now that I’m here, you don’t need to worry about anything. You must have been terrified… I’m sorry I didn’t know sooner, little one.”

“Huu… Hyung…”

Jungin shook his head, even as his face stayed buried.

The hurt was still there, but with his brothers by his side, he felt his heart slowly settle.

“Lee Jungwoo, take our little one home.”

“No… I don’t want to!”

At the mention of Jungwoo’s name, Jungin gripped Jungjin’s back desperately, speaking up.

“I want to stay… I’m the one involved here, so I want to speak for myself.”

Even without a mirror, he knew how puffy his eyes had become.

He wiped his tear-streaked face with his sleeve, biting his lower lip.

Jungjin fell silent for a moment as if respecting Jungin’s wishes, then gave a nod.

Jungin took a deep breath, gripping his hand firmly as he was gently lowered back onto the floor.

“If it gets too much, just let me know, little one.”

With a steely tone that seemed capable of bringing anyone to justice, Jungjin’s voice was sharp and resolute.

Jungin nodded, taking in his brother’s intense presence.

Then, as if nothing unusual had happened, Jungjin turned to the chairman, the principal, and the others present, his gaze unwavering.

“It seems we have a lot to discuss. Should we continue here, or would you prefer somewhere more private? This likely won’t be a pleasant conversation.”

Still held close in Jungjin’s arms, Jungin turned to face Hyuntae, who was still on the floor, stunned, staring back at him.

Jungin allowed a slight, sly smile to form on his lips—a smile only he could see.

“Mr. Lee, please…”

At that moment, the Chairman addressed Jungjin as “Executive Lee,” suggesting he knew him.

Realizing this, the Chairman’s shock grew, as he likely understood that Jungin was his younger brother.

The Chairman and principal, it seemed, had been entirely unaware of Jungin’s identity.

“Secretary Kim, bring in a team of legal advisors to the school immediately, including the chief legal counsel. We’ll need as many as we can get; counting on both hands may not be enough.”

The adults weren’t the only ones thrown off by the sudden turn of events.

Some students, drawn by the commotion, had come down to the first floor and, sensing the tension, held their breath and watched the situation unfold.

“Also, inform the media only if necessary. Not just yet.”

Ending the call, he twisted his lips into a dark smile.

“So, shall we continue here?”

…

The ensuing conversation moved to another location and went on for hours.

The evidence Jungin had gathered was more than enough.

As the case escalated, witnesses who had remained silent until then started coming forward one by one, lengthening the process.

It soon became clear that Jungin had suffered ongoing school violence, facilitated by a group of five students, while others around them stood by and watched.

After this revelation, Jungjin made a single demand.

“Executive Lee, isn’t expulsion for these kids a bit harsh? Perhaps if you could be more lenient…”

“Lenient? Do you believe you’re in any position to ask for leniency, Principal?”

Standing behind him with a team of ten attorneys, his older brother made it clear that there would be no further negotiation.

“Then let’s follow the law. As you can see, we have more than enough evidence, and regardless of how much time or money it takes, I intend to see this through to the end.”

At this, Jungjin rose, the principal desperately grabbing him, a troubled look creasing his forehead.

“Executive Lee… Can you find it in you to forgive just this once? I’ll take full responsibility to ensure this never happens again—”

“You’ll also need to take responsibility for this incident.”

Interrupting, Beomhyeon spoke up, cutting off the principal.

Clearing his throat, the principal began sweating profusely, gripping his hands tightly and turning to Beomhyeon.

“Student Beomhyeon…!”

“I never imagined you’d run this school so negligently, chairman.”

The Chairman, sighing in frustration, averted his eyes at Beomhyeon’s words, slowly closing and reopening them, before glaring at the principal with a clenched fist.

It turned out that Yeonhwa Group owned the school foundation, which meant Beomhyeon’s family effectively controlled it.

‘So that’s why the teachers couldn’t stand up to him. Well, Inseong High is a private school, after all.’

“I’ll remember this well. Since you’ve worked hard in that position for so long, perhaps it’s time you take a well-deserved break.”

With a serious tone, Beomhyeon ignored the Principal’s frantic excuses.

It was incredible how the teachers’ attitudes, once indifferent to Jungin’s pleas for help, had flipped entirely.

* * *