By Zephyria 
Because he wasn’t smiling, his expression was completely different from what I knew. His lowered gaze was merciless.
“Hae-jun, because you keep acting like this, I can’t guarantee he’ll return in one piece.”
In one piece? Was that something an 18-year-old high school student should say? My face contorted for a different reason.
Ignoring my shock, Yeon Su-hwan left the classroom as if nothing had happened, his footsteps heavy. The crowd of students who had been watching the scene with bated breath, like mice nibbling away at a pantry, quickly made way for him. ‘In one piece or not,’ what kind of gangster-like remark was that!
‘Will Do Yun-hyeok… get caught?’
Worry suddenly surged. I didn’t want to worry about that guy, but this novel made no sense.
‘Pursuit? In one piece?’ What were they fighting for that they were talking about limbs? Were the stakes something like ‘the presidency’ or ‘10 billion in inheritance’?
I debated whether I should chase Yeon Su-hwan and stop him, but the Four Heavenly Kings didn’t seem like they would let me go. I quickly gave up. Even if I chased him, I didn’t think I could fix anything. Ah, whatever…
‘I don’t care anymore.’
It was a problem beyond my control. Whether Do Yun-hyeok got beaten up, whether their grudges deepened, whether he took revenge on Seoyeon High. There was nothing I could do.
Ban Seo-yi was wrong after all! What do you mean, ‘I can change the plot’?
Even after Do Yun-hyeok and Yeon Su-hwan left, the students who remained, like embers from a fire, cautiously glanced at the Four Heavenly Kings. No one dared to speak loudly, all of them observing the Four Heavenly Kings’ moods. To think that all of this happened during a normal high school lunch break…
Lunchtime was already more than halfway over. I remembered the book I had borrowed from the library to read during lunch. I groaned and ran a hand through my hair.
“What are you looking at? Come to watch?”
The students who had been hesitating whether to leave or stay finally scurried away when Lee Beom shouted. The students who had been watching the scene, unable to eat their convenience store hamburgers during lunch for fear of disturbing the atmosphere, also gathered their belongings and quickly emptied the classroom. In an instant, I had become a member of the wicked delinquent group that had driven everyone away from their lunch spot.
‘What if they drive away my classmates too…?’
But I didn’t have the energy to point that out.
I had asked for nothing more than to study quietly, so how did I end up in this situation?
Even then, Jeon Jae-hyung, who hadn’t let go of his Bboongyi doll, quietly headed towards my seat. I wondered what he was doing, but he was lifting the pizza box and checking the pizza. He wasn’t as bad as Min Si-hu, but he had his own peculiar, frustrating side.
“It’s shrimp.”
The smell of still-warm pizza wafted up, but my appetite vanished. Shrimp or not, I couldn’t stand to look at it. I turned my head away.
Life was tough. I thought I had adapted to this world for a while, but of course, that wasn’t the case.
This novel.
I should just eat.
❖ ❖ ❖
In the original plot, when and how did Seong Hae-min die?
I don’t know if supporting male leads in web novels always die so anticlimactically, but at least Seong Hae-min died in a way that felt anticlimactic to me. Death is always sudden, but why Seong Hae-min?
Several factors were intertwined in Seong Hae-min’s death. If we trace the cause and effect, the trigger was Ban Seo-yi. However, Ban Seo-yi did not directly cause Seong Hae-min’s death. Ban Seo-yi probably didn’t expect Seong Hae-min’s death either.
Around the time of the ‘National Large-Scale School Alliance Ranking Battle,’ abbreviated as ‘National Ranking Battle,’ which Jeon Jae-hyung had mentioned, Ban Seo-yi intentionally leaked information to Do Yun-hyeok that Ban Pyo-ran was the weakness of the Four Heavenly Kings. The day before the Ranking Battle, Do Yun-hyeok kidnapped and confined Ban Pyo-ran to sow chaos and divide Seoyeon High’s forces. Then, the Ranking Battle began.
The Four Heavenly Kings learned of Ban Pyo-ran’s kidnapping just before the Ranking Battle. Since Lee Beom was Seoyeon High’s representative for the National Ranking Battle, he couldn’t go look for Ban Pyo-ran. Instead, Seong Hae-min, who was effectively the second-in-command, went to rescue Ban Pyo-ran. In a situation where the weather worsened and rain began to fall, Seong Hae-min, after searching in vain in various places, finally found Ban Pyo-ran in a secluded container warehouse.
From then on, the rain poured down heavily, but Ban Pyo-ran, worried about Seoyeon High’s weakened forces, wanted to get to the Ranking Battle venue quickly. Seong Hae-min, who also thought he needed to provide support quickly, hastily put Ban Pyo-ran on his motorcycle.
And the subsequent development was as expected. Rainy road, speeding, motorcycle.
The motorcycle carrying Ban Pyo-ran got into a traffic accident. At the moment of impact, Seong Hae-min embraced Ban Pyo-ran, and on the verge of life and death, Seong Hae-min and Ban Pyo-ran’s fates intertwined.
Seong Hae-min died, and Ban Pyo-ran lived.
Therefore, if asked who was precisely to blame for Seong Hae-min’s death, I had no answer.
Even I, who had read the novel to the end, couldn’t tell who was most at fault. Everyone seemed to have contributed similarly to Seong Hae-min’s death.
Ban Seo-yi, who used Do Yun-hyeok as a decoy to get Ban Pyo-ran kidnapped; Do Yun-hyeok, who actually carried out the plan; Lee Beom, who sent Seong Hae-min instead of going himself; Ban Pyo-ran, who drove on a rainy road because she was worried about Lee Beom; Seong Hae-min himself, who agreed to it; and even the sky that suddenly poured rain, and the truck driver who dozed off while driving on the wet road.
So, how do I prevent Seong Hae-min’s death?
‘I don’t know either.’
As long as the fundamental problem wasn’t solved, danger lurked everywhere. The only way was to resolve the grudges and put an end to the delinquent fighting lifestyle.
But it seemed hopeless!
Even though Seong Hae-min promised not to ride a motorcycle, it wasn’t enough to just not ride a motorcycle.
Jeon Jae-hyung, who seemed the most reasonable among the Four Heavenly Kings, said he himself jumped into the fray because his younger brother suffered from school violence. If that was his way, I couldn’t tell him to stop. Seong Hae-min also seemed to have his reasons for not quitting fighting, but he wouldn’t tell me, so I couldn’t know. I tried to at least slow down the deterioration of his relationship with Do Yun-hyeok, but they were still sworn enemies. Meanwhile, Ban Seo-yi, despite realizing this was a novel, claimed he couldn’t change anything.
All I wanted was to focus on my studies like a normal high school student, get into a top university…
Suddenly, everything I was doing felt foolish. I couldn’t recall ever feeling this way, except when my sister’s report card, showing her as the top student in the entire school, was placed on top of mine, where I had been the top student in our class.
Seong Hae-min hadn’t done anything wrong, but I didn’t even want to see his face. When my mind was in turmoil, even looking at other people’s faces and having trivial conversations was difficult.
I broke away from the Four Heavenly Kings who wanted to walk home with me and headed home alone. I deliberately took a secluded route because I didn’t want to mix with crowds of people.
But no matter how much I disliked people, I had to take a normal route home.
Thump, thump. Thud.
“Still got the energy to resist?”
I stopped at the ominous sounds coming from around the corner.
The path ahead was singular, and I had to pass this corner to get home. So, there was no need to think twice. It’s best to avoid trouble! I immediately turned back the way I came.
“That bastard Do Yun-hyeok, he’s really persistent.”
The three syllables that struck my ears froze my feet.
‘Do Yun-hyeok?’
Did I hear that wrong?
I had no interest in eavesdropping, but I wanted to confirm if I had heard correctly. First, I checked if my shadow was visible beyond the corner, and then I held my breath and listened intently.
“I thought he was all looks, but maybe he’s got guts?”
“Ugh…”
Thwack. My breath hitched at the sound of someone being brutally beaten. My heart began to pound like crazy. Should I ignore it and leave, or not? I wasn’t without conflict, but it didn’t last long.
I’d thought many times that if a situation like this arose, I’d prioritize my own safety over any sense of justice. But I couldn’t just leave after witnessing an event that had the potential to significantly impact my life…
“How should we mess this guy up even more?”
“I don’t know. Should we leave a mark on his face?”
And then, hearing familiar voices, I clamped my hand over my mouth to stifle a surprised gasp.
Yeon Su-hwan!
But what? A mark? What kind of mark! He must be completely out of his mind, too engrossed in being a delinquent.
This wasn’t the time. I’d set out to chase Do Yun-hyeok around lunchtime, so if Do Yun-hyeok had been caught, he could have been beaten for nearly half a day. The thought made me feel sick, but I tried to stay calm. I tiptoed as much as possible and moved away from the scene of the incident.
I went to a spot far enough away that my voice wouldn’t be heard by the people around the corner. It was a secluded road, and I couldn’t find a single person to ask for help.
There was no other choice. I scanned my surroundings, quickly pulled out my mobile phone, and dialed 112. As soon as the police officer answered, I spoke quietly, in a low voice, and rapidly.
“At the Seoyeon High School route home, I witnessed delinquents, thugs, a violent circle, and they are collectively beating a student. Please come and help quickly.”
Even during that short call, the police were frustrating. They asked, “Delinquents?” When I said thugs, they asked, “A violent circle?” Besides that, with me in such a hurry, they asked slowly, “How many people?” and “Uh… which high school did you say?”
Could I even trust the police like this? After finishing the report, I clutched my mobile phone and waited for the police. It was the best I could do, being powerless.
This was the first time I had witnessed such blatant violence, so I couldn’t calm down easily, but the more I felt that way, the calmer I had to be.
Why are high school students like this? If it’s not for a ‘presidential election’ or ’10 billion in inheritance,’ and not for ‘taking down an industrial spy’ or ‘revenge on a family enemy,’ is there any reason to go this far?
I felt tempted to sneak a peek around the corner, but since I had called the police, there was no reason to risk danger. I clasped my trembling hands together, waiting for the police to arrive.
Clang…
I heard the faint sound of a metal pipe hitting something.