By Zephyria 
Startled, I checked the direction of the sound. On this secluded road with no passersby, there was only one place such a sound could come from. Around the corner, where Yeon Su-hwan and Do Yun-hyeok were.
Damn it!
This was no time to wait around blankly for the police. My mind raced faster than it did for the college entrance exams. Who could stop a fight between students?
Police, parents, teachers.
After assessing the reality and immediate intervention potential of each, I ran to the school without hesitation. If I couldn’t wait for the police, bringing a teacher from school directly was the fastest option.
As I ran, I kept calculating in my head.
But if I brought a teacher myself, I’d be the informant. Historically, whistleblowers have always been the weaker party, constantly balancing risk. I didn’t want to bear that anxiety and nervousness. I wasn’t that righteous. So, should I knock on the faculty room door and leave a note? But it was likely to be dismissed as a prank note.
I ran back to school quickly, stumbling a few times. The school, with students gone and most teachers having left, was almost dark. My throat was dry. But I couldn’t give up and go back now.
The list of teachers supervising evening self-study today, I’m sure….
Hurrying towards the faculty room, I passed the physical education teacher’s office, which was closest to the back gate. Were the teachers at the cafeteria for dinner? The PE teacher’s office, with its door wide open and lights on, showed an empty interior.
“Ah, of all the….”
I clicked my tongue in disappointment. If only the PE teacher had been there, I could have quickly asked for help.
School PE teachers were known for their ability to handle unruly students. They were the ones summoned when the school needed to manage students collectively or discipline those who wouldn’t listen. Due to their physique and athletic ability, even delinquent students didn’t dare to confront them.
Delinquent students with something to hide particularly disliked any association with the PE teacher. Just hearing the sound of a whistle from afar was enough for them to throw away their cigarettes and run.
Wait a minute.
“…….”
I stopped dead in my tracks.
A whistle?
I had been to the PE teacher’s office frequently for errands, so I knew exactly where the whistles were kept. Didn’t the PE teacher once ask me to get a whistle during PE class? That was the life of a model student with impeccable conduct.
Borrowing authority.
At the same time, a familiar idiom flashed through my mind.
Three people can make a tiger.
Another one followed.
“Ah, screw it.”
The decision, and its execution, didn’t take long.
Yes, I’ll steal the whistle!
After confirming there was no one in the hallway, I quickly entered the empty PE teacher’s office and stole the whistle hanging by the door. Gripping the whistle in my hand, I ran again, aimlessly.
Of course, I regretted it as soon as I stepped out the back gate.
“Am I crazy….”
I muttered to myself as I ran. Why on earth did I steal a whistle?
Even if I blew the whistle to intimidate them, where and how would I blow it to chase them away? What if they realized there was no teacher, no matter how much I blew it? And when would I return the stolen whistle?
How many times in my life had I acted on impulse like this? It was unbelievable that I, who had never even indulged in common rebellion or delinquency during my school days, was committing such a reckless act.
If I had heard someone else plan this, I would have called them crazy and said I could never participate, cursing them profusely.
But the dice had been cast.
While regretting what I had done, I was also intensely worried that Yeon Su-hwan’s group might have taken Do Yun-hyeok to another location. Simultaneous thoughts swarmed my mind like a boiling pot.
What’s done is done.
Therefore, I had to choose the best course of action for the current situation.
“Hoo….”
Long before I reached the corner, I slowed down and took slow breaths. If I had gasped for air, I might have been discovered. Rushing out of impatience would only ruin things. Just like with the college entrance exams, complacency was the greatest enemy in life.
I cautiously approached the corner. I could hear muffled voices. It seemed Yeon Su-hwan’s group was still in the same spot. I clutched the silver whistle as desperately as a lifeline sent from heaven.
“Whoa, this guy still has some fight left in him?”
“Pfft. His will is damn stubborn.”
Thwack. Thwack. I could still hear the sounds of someone being kicked. My pulse throbbed.
If the police had arrived first, I wouldn’t have to take any risks. But I couldn’t just wait for the police forever after witnessing this. After hesitating, I brought the whistle to my lips with trembling hands.
Just then, a sound resembling a police car echoed from afar.
The police are here!
My face lit up. My reason, which had been on the verge of flying away due to the urgency, returned.
Yes, no matter how unreliable they seemed, the police were the police. I could finally relax, thinking I wouldn’t have to resort to a gamble like the whistle.
This problem would be automatically resolved once the police arrived. I lowered the whistle from my lips. My heart was pounding so hard it felt painful, a testament to how tense I had been. I took slow, gasping breaths.
“Hey! Why are the police here?”
“It can’t be a patrol, someone must have reported it. What do we do, top dog?”
“…Let’s move.”
“Okay. The road’s winding anyway, so the cops won’t get here fast.”
However, the students around the corner showed no fear. The very thing I had feared was happening. Even hearing the police car, they calmly chatted and began to move Do Yun-hyeok.
“Hey! You take care of Do Yun-hyeok.”
“Me?”
“He’s unconscious anyway.”
“He’s so damn heavy…”
Listening to them grumble amongst themselves, I gripped the whistle. It felt hot and stinging against my palm. The sound of a metal pipe being thrown, the sound of a person being dragged like a sack of rice on the floor. All sorts of sounds reached my eardrums.
When pushed to the absolute extreme, my mind became cold.
According to them, even if they heard the police car, it would take time to get here. In that case, the possibility of the beating of Do Yun-hyeok ending due to the police was close to zero.
The whistle in my hand glinted.
I quickly thought about what kind of scene would unfold here if the PE teacher had actually come running after knowing about this situation.
If it were that burly, muscular teacher….
I backed away, trying to make as little noise as possible.
If the whistle sounded too close to the corner, it would be suspicious, so I put the warm whistle in my mouth from a reasonable distance. I couldn’t smell the teacher’s saliva or anything. My senses seemed dulled by tension.
Now was the time to make a bold decision I had never dared to make in my life. Once done, there would be no turning back. I never thought I, who always took the safe path, would do something like this.
Fuck.
I don’t care anymore!
Peep- peep, peeeep, peep- peep, peeeep!
I ran and blew the whistle with all my might. I tried to mimic the rhythm the PE teacher always used.
“Did the police get here already?”
“Huh? Hey, this is PE!”
“Where’s the mad dog?”
“Leave him and run!”
“Why PE of all things!”
“Run!”
The actions of those who recognized the danger were swift. The group of students scattered in the opposite direction. The sounds of running, big and small, faded away.
I pulled the whistle from my mouth just before turning the corner and stopped. I wanted to gasp for air, but I suppressed my breathing as much as possible and quietly inhaled.
Beyond the corner where the students had fled in a rush, it was quiet.
My legs trembled. My palms and temples were drenched in sweat. I shoved the whistle into my pocket.
I feel like I’ve lost fifty years of my life….
I wanted to check on Do Yun-hyeok, who must be lying there unconscious just around the corner, but I couldn’t bring myself to move, anxious about any potential situation. I scanned my surroundings and picked up a stone, tossing it towards the corner.
Tap, roll.
The sound of the stone hitting an empty alley and rolling away echoed forlornly. The distant police car still sounded like it was lost somewhere.
Just check….
I mustered up my courage and took a step. And I gasped.
“Are you crazy.”
As I rounded the corner, Do Yun-hyeok lay there, a bloody mess.
I rushed to him, my fear having gotten the better of me. I suspected he’d be down just from the sounds, but I never imagined he’d be in such a terrible state. This was too much…
In my life, I had only seen such a state in blockbuster movies. I knelt on one knee and examined Do Yun-hyeok, who was lying face down. His uniform, covered in dirt, was so bad I couldn’t tell which school it was from.
I suddenly became scared, wondering if he was even alive. I put my finger under his nose to check his breathing. He was alive. I felt genuinely relieved. My heart pounded as if it couldn’t live out its natural lifespan. My hands were damp.
“This isn’t the time, ambulance.”
My limited first-aid knowledge couldn’t handle Do Yun-hyeok, and leaving him seemed impossible given his condition. I intended to call an ambulance and run, so I typed 119 on my mobile phone keypad.
Just as I was about to press the call button, the person lying on the ground suddenly grabbed my wrist like a zombie.