By Zephyria 
Even if they were invisible, there must be some force driving the main characters of the novel, the female and male protagonists, forward according to the plot. For the protagonists, there could be no destination other than a happy ending. That was why this place was a novel, and why it had to be a novel.
A path set by the author, from which the characters could not escape. Therefore, in this world, I was the only one with free will.
As I reflected on the day’s events, I remembered Lee Beom acting particularly strange. I was surprised when he answered Ban Pyo-ran so rudely. Then again, Lee Beom had always been like that. He’d probably handle it himself, and it wasn’t my concern.
It would unfold according to the novel anyway. Now, all I had to do was think about distancing myself.
‘Freedom, at last.’
Seong Hae-min briefly crossed my mind, but… I chose to ignore it. I wanted to avoid troublesome thoughts for now. With my heart pounding, I fell into a refreshing sleep for the first time in a long while.
❖ ❖ ❖
Several days passed like usual. During breaks, the Four Heavenly Kings would visit our class and act friendly. I, who dreamed of a peaceful school life without the Four Heavenly Kings, would respond appropriately, reminding myself of the principle ‘one step back for two steps forward,’ and on the way home, I would be carried home on the beloved horse of the Four Heavenly Kings. In any case, they were ordinary days.
However, it seemed clear that the encounter with Ban Pyo-ran had become a turning point for the Four Heavenly Kings. For instance, they would flinch or frown whenever I mentioned Ban Pyo-ran’s name.
The reason was obvious. They didn’t like someone they liked taking an interest in others. I welcomed it!
More importantly, something I learned recently while talking to the class president about a performance evaluation was that the school teachers thought highly of me.
The reason, ‘because I participate diligently in class and am a smart student,’ was understandable. But the other reason was astonishing. Apparently, the Four Heavenly Kings, who used to have abysmal attendance rates, had started attending school diligently because of me. What kind of school is this?
But it didn’t end there. Thanks to that, the overall attendance rate and academic enthusiasm at the school had increased. And that was supposedly thanks to me. Was this even making sense?
No wonder so many students seemed to be whispering as I walked to and from school; it was all because of the Four Heavenly Kings attending school diligently. The Four Heavenly Kings were truly the root of all evil.
“Hae-jun, did you pack everything? Let’s go.”
Today, as I headed home with the Four Heavenly Kings trailing behind me, I saw a crowd of students in our school uniform gathered like clouds near the school gate. Today, only the first-year students were leaving school at this hour because the second and third years had a school event scheduled. I assumed they were here to see famous students like the Four Heavenly Kings, who would be leaving soon, and headed towards the gate without much thought.
However, that was a judgment error born of complacency. An uninvited guest I had forgotten about greeted me at the school gate.
“Hae-jun!!”
From a distance near the school gate, a man sitting on a motorcycle, idly tossing a key, stood up abruptly upon seeing me and waved his arm. The crowd of students in uniform in front of him parted like the Red Sea, creating a path between him and me.
Who is it? The distance was still such that people looked like matchsticks, so I couldn’t make out his face. I stopped walking and squinted to confirm the other person.
Wait, if they look like matchsticks instead of cotton swabs, does that mean their heads are red…?
The moment I realized it, the other person waved his arm, jumping up and down.
“Hae-jun! Over here!”
I hated to admit it, but it was a familiar voice I had heard a few times.
“…Do Yun-hyeok,” Jeon Jae-hyung muttered. I also focused my eyes and stared at the matchstick. But with my eyesight, I couldn’t distinguish him at all. What surprised me more than the fact that this person was Do Yun-hyeok was that Jeon Jae-hyung could clearly identify the face of the person at that distance. Did he grow up on the Mongolian steppes?
“Do Yun-hyeok came looking for Hae-jun? Is he crazy?”
“Huh? Did the mad dog come to get stomped on again? Is he a masochist!”
“His guts have grown beyond his stomach……”
The Four Heavenly Kings muttered, hearing Jeon Jae-hyung’s murmurs.
“But why Hae-jun?”
As Seong Hae-min asked, the Four Heavenly Kings’ sharp gazes turned towards me. Their piercing eyes demanded an explanation. Unable to withstand their fierce intensity, I trembled, and their pouring gazes softened slightly.
“I don’t know either.”
It was true. After being dragged around by force last time, I had completely forgotten. Although Do Yun-hyeok had said goodbye with a ‘see you again, let’s play again,’ he hadn’t shown his face since, so I had dismissed it as a perfunctory greeting and stopped thinking about it. But I never expected him to show up so suddenly.
“Hae-jun might be tired, should we go to the back gate?”
Tempted by Seong Hae-min’s plausible suggestion to just run away, I changed my mind when I remembered that Do Yun-hyeok’s nickname was ‘mad dog.’ If this mad dog had already spotted me, and I ran away, he might take it as a game of tag and chase me excitedly until he caught me. I didn’t want to leave such a future problem.
‘Alright, let’s see this through like an intellectual.’
He must have something to say to me. The presence of the Four Heavenly Kings beside me emboldened me further. We chose to confront him head-on and headed towards the school gate.
“Hae-jun, hi!”
As I got closer, Do Yun-hyeok greeted me like a dog welcoming its owner back home after a long absence. He was a complete son of a bitch, just without a tail. I reluctantly returned the greeting.
“Hi.”
“Get on!”
“…Huh?”
“Get on. Can’t you hear me well?”
“Huh?”
“Get on!”
“What?”
It was my mistake to forget that conversation happens between two intellectuals. Conversation is a very fragile means of communication; even if one party is a great intellectual, if the other party is not human but a dog, it immediately breaks down and loses its power.
Do Yun-hyeok gestured for me to get on. His question about whether I couldn’t hear well wasn’t sarcastic but a genuine inquiry. He was consistently crazy.
It’s good that he’s a distinct character. Actually, it’s not good.
“Hurry up and get on. I missed you so much. I want to go quickly.”
“That son of a bitch mad dog, where…!”
“Seong Hae-min. Don’t make a big problem.”
As Seong Hae-min, unable to calm his anger, clenched his fists and lunged forward, Lee Beom reached out and stopped him. Seong Hae-min, still agitated, grumbled. Lee Beom stepped forward and called out to Do Yun-hyeok.
“Do Yun-hyeok.”
“Who are you?”
“Don’t cause trouble at someone else’s school and get lost.”
“I didn’t come to see you.”
“This is your second and final warning.”
“Why are you acting like this? To someone who came to keep a promise.”
“…A promise?”
Lee Beom’s eyebrows furrowed fiercely. Do Yun-hyeok curled one side of his lips and smiled sharply. He had acted like a fool when he was alone with me last time, but in front of the Four Heavenly Kings, he looked like the villain from a novel that I knew well.
“Ask Hae-jun.”
Me?
“Seong Hae-jun.”
Immediately, Lee Beom looked at me with eyes demanding an explanation. My face flushed with indignation.
Is he really crazy? He shows up uninvited and then throws me under the bus!
“Did something happen…?”
Seong Hae-min, standing beside me, placed a hand on my shoulder and urged me on. Seeing his face full of worry and concern, I was speechless. Already flustered, I became anxious as well. My words came out stammering.
“I, I don’t know anything about it?”
“You heard that?”
Lee Beom turned and glared at Do Yun-hyeok. Do Yun-hyeok, not backing down, smirked and, shamelessly, placed a hand on his forehead and let out an exaggerated sigh. It was like a scene from a play.
“Hae-jun. Are you going to make a promise and then forget it? If you do that, I’ll be really disappointed.”
“…A promise? Me?”
“Yes. You promised.”
“…Me?”
What kind of conversation was this? It was like a round song.
In my opinion, Do Yun-hyeok should debut as an actor immediately instead of doing whatever he was doing. He mimicked the disappointment and emptiness of a betrayed person so well that even my own memory was called into question.
“You said you’d hang out with me today. After I’ve said all this, you really don’t remember?”
“…?”
I’ve genuinely never heard this before…?
Do Yun-hyeok’s eyes drooped, and his undisguised disappointment welled up in his eyes. Moisture trickled down his eyes as he bit his lip tightly. I was so dumbfounded by his absurd act that I couldn’t close my mouth. Beside me, Seong Hae-min, who was raging, ‘That crazy bastard…!’ was tackled by Min Si-hu.
Do Yun-hyeok, who didn’t stop his shameless act, and the Four Heavenly Kings, who glared at him with cold eyes, were in a tense standoff. My palms became sweaty. I rubbed my palms on my clothes to wipe away the sweat.
Is this the school conflict from an internet novel? I never want to see it again! My head, faced with an unexpected nuisance, began to ache.
‘I should have gone to the back gate like Seong Hae-min suggested!’
Just as I was bitterly regretting my past decision, someone from the crowd of students, who were gathered like a flock of sheep, shouted at the top of their lungs.
“I love you! Mad dog Do Yun-hyeok! Don’t cry! If you cry, my heart breaks!!”
It was a volume that could rival a dolphin’s. Murmurs grew from within the mass of uniforms, and then someone else, with a gruff voice, shouted back,
“Jeseong High School’s signboard isn’t needed at Seoyeon High School! Mad dog, go back to Jeseong High School!!”
Then, like a balloon reaching its limit and bursting, shouts erupted from all around.
“Four Heavenly Kings, fighting! Crush Jeseong High School’s heads!”
“You dirty Jeseong High School punk! Don’t pollute Seoyeon High School with your presence!”
“Jeseong High School mad dog! Your looks are as crazy as you are!”
“Coming to someone else’s school, are you challenging the Four Heavenly Kings?!”
“Oppa Yun-hyeok!! No matter what anyone says, I’m on your side! Don’t give up!”
“Whoever wins, they’re on our side!”
“Lee Beom-nim! Please show that arrogant punk the taste of Hyung’s side kick!”
Why are you guys doing this…