By Zephyria 
But barbarism was barbarism, and curiosity was curiosity. Seeing my name at the top spot, and thinking about the entire student body seeing it, didn’t feel bad. I thought this would be a good opportunity for everyone to realize I was different from the Four Heavenly Kings.
‘Maybe I’ll even be a little excited?’
As I entertained this contradictory thought and approached the faculty room, the students gathered there parted to let me through when they saw me. It wasn’t the parting of the Red Sea, but I followed the path and stood before the board.
I heard the students whispering behind me, but I let it go in one ear and out the other as I checked the board.
｢1st Place Seong Hae-jun｣
My name was proudly displayed at the very top. It was natural, but I couldn’t help but feel excited. I calmly suppressed my proud grin.
“Amazing……”
“As expected of the Four Heavenly Kings!”
“He’s handsome, good at fighting, and smart too.”
“Life is unfair~!”
Since I got perfect scores in all subjects, I was bound to be first. After confirming the natural result, I looked down. I just wanted to see who else had studied well.
｢4th Place Jeon Jae-hyung｣
Jeon Jae-hyung, described as the smartest among the Four Heavenly Kings, was ranked a remarkable 4th. As expected, he was the type I disliked the most. Achieving success without effort.
Pursing my lips, I continued to scan down, and then I rubbed my eyes at an unexpected name.
‘Did I see that wrong?’
But I hadn’t seen it wrong.
｢35th Place Lee Beom｣
The five characters were clear. I stood there blankly, thinking.
‘Was Lee Beom always good at studying?’
It wasn’t that I would be surprised by anyone at the 35th rank, but Lee Beom was an exception.
Lee Beom at 35th place out of over 400 students?
If they were forming new classes based on rank, Lee Beom and I would be in the same class?
With that Lee Beom?
I couldn’t believe that there were nearly 390 students in this school who were worse at studying than Lee Beom.
After all, in the original novel, Lee Beom was clearly an incredibly stupid delinquent. He was the type to forget what he was taught as soon as he turned around. He was described as having a terrible intellect.
He always bombed his exams, got called to the teacher’s office, and got spanked! He had a bad attitude in class, often skipped school without permission, defied teachers saying he had to protect his woman, and was a romanticist who went around fighting with wooden sticks, not just fists!
Only then did I properly hear the students whispering behind me. They were saying how cool the Four Heavenly Kings were, and that while Min Si-hu and Seong Hae-min weren’t on the board, the Four Heavenly Kings, led by Seong Hae-jun, were all good students…
A chill ran down my spine. I quickly left the spot.
As expected, good news and bad news come together.
❖ ❖ ❖
After the midterm exams ended, the sports festival date soon approached.
Placing the sports festival after the midterms was a carefully calculated arrangement by the school. It was a kind of festival to allow students who were looking for an outlet for their energy after exams to release it in a constructive way and foster unity.
However, I detested physical activities. I had always been this way. I made a vague excuse about being sick to the classmates preparing for the sports festival and ran away from school.
The Four Heavenly Kings, likely due to their athletic abilities, were probably called to their respective class practices. Thanks to this, I was able to sneak away from school alone.
But perhaps it would have been better to stay at school and exercise with my classmates or the Four Heavenly Kings.
“Pretty boy! Where are you going?”
I was walking briskly towards home, so at first, I didn’t realize they were calling me.
“Pretty boy, can’t you hear me?”
“……Do Yun-hyeok?”
“I was worried you couldn’t hear me.”
It wasn’t until my shoulder was grabbed that I realized. The striking red hair looked down at me with a wide smile.
Ah, I want to go home.
Setting aside the fact that his face was handsome, I was already tired of him, as if I had been dealing with him all day, and I wanted to stop seeing him. There wasn’t even any fresh shock from being called “pretty boy.” I was amazed at my own level of desensitization.
By the way, last time he called me princess, and this time it’s pretty boy? Why does he call me that when I’m a guy? Is he researching terms that give off a bad feeling?
“Last time you called me princess.”
“Do you like that one better?”
“No, not at all. Both are terrible.”
“If I can’t call a pretty person pretty, what should I call them?”
He was still as self-willed as ever.
“But I’m busy, so I’m leaving now. Bye.”
I had no intention of being swayed and tried to continue on my way, never forgetting that Do Yun-hyeok was perpetually out of his mind. The solution was to minimize contact time with crazy people.
“Where are you going at this hour? Huh?”
“……”
I was on my way home from school, so where else would I be going? But I had a feeling that if I said I was going home, he would follow me all the way there, so I walked away without answering. Minimize contact time, minimize contact time. I repeated to myself.
But there was something else I had forgotten: contact, unlike conversation, only requires the will of one person. Unless this guy was issued a restraining order, I couldn’t stop his advances.
Even though I kept ignoring him, Do Yun-hyeok followed me like a goldfish’s droppings. If this continued, he seemed like he would even follow me into my house, so I finally stopped. I couldn’t let this guy into my home!
“Hey, I told you I’m busy. Didn’t you hear me?”
“So?”
“I don’t have time to spend with you.”
“We can make some?”
“What?”
“I’ll kidnap you like last time.”
“…?”
“I’ll be the villain, and you can be the kidnapped princess. Then we’ll have time to spend together, right?”
In a world where you can get robbed blind, I was kidnapped for the third time by this crazy psycho.
This time, Do Yun-hyeok took me not to Jeseong High School’s neighborhood, the city, or a club, but to the streets of Myeongdong. Standing before the massive crowd, my jaw dropped. I nudged Do Yun-hyeok, who stood beside me.
“Hey, Do Yun-hyeok…”
“Yeah?”
“Why are we here?”
“To hang out with you.”
“We’re going to get crushed by people here… How about just going home?”
“It’s fine. Just stick close to me.”
Do Yun-hyeok grinned despite my refusal and started dragging me around various places. As I began to get buried in the crowd, my head started to spin.
What kind of misfortune is this on my way home from school?
“Get a balloon~!”
“Let’s get that one.”
“What?”
“It suits you well.”
In one hand, Do Yun-hyeok’s hand, and in the other, a balloon. It was a round, pretty sky-blue balloon fixed to a white stick. I wanted to throw it away immediately, but I couldn’t litter on the street…
So, I ended up being dragged through various shops while holding the balloon. I never imagined I’d be walking around Myeongdong holding a balloon.
Meanwhile, Do Yun-hyeok was so handsome that he drew all sorts of attention. Female students passing by would squeal and glance at the red-haired Do Yun-hyeok as he strolled along. The sound of phone cameras clicking was an added bonus. Even passing men would turn around to check out Do Yun-hyeok’s face.
It was only natural that the attention would extend to me, whose arm was being held by him.
I couldn’t say, “What are you looking at!”…
‘If you give up, it’s easier…’
My face had been worn down by people’s gazes, and I had been sold out as much as possible. Now, I was dragged around by a mad human whose thoughts were inscrutable, with a vacant mind. Even when Do Yun-hyeok rummaged through the store and asked which of the two I liked, I just nodded my head perfunctorily. Knowing from past experience that Do Yun-hyeok would send me home obediently by evening, I just wished for evening to come quickly.
Still, I guess I wasn’t so detached as to endure even this.
“Here, open up.”
“This one…”
“Is it hot?”
Do Yun-hyeok dragged me to a place full of street food stalls. And he bought takoyaki without asking. He held it out for me to eat, but then, seeing that both his hands were occupied with himself and balloons, he tried to feed it to me.
Do Yun-hyeok blew on the takoyaki to cool it and offered it to me with a toothpick. I tilted my head back. The takoyaki chased after my lips.
“……”
“Here, eat.”
I gritted my teeth, refusing to open my mouth, and replied.
“I don’t want to eat it.”
“It’s delicious, though.”
“……”
What on earth is that guy’s thought process? I’ve eaten takoyaki to survive too. I kept my teeth clenched and spoke as if using ventriloquism.
“If you let go of my arm. I’ll eat it.”
“That’s not happening.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to let you go.”
“Then give me this balloon. I’ll eat it this way.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why not again?”
“I want to feed you. I’ve gotten competitive.”
You crazy bastard!
In the end, I gave up and accepted the takoyaki Do Yun-hyeok fed me. I realized once again that trying to win against a mad dog was a futile endeavor.
After eating takoyaki like that, just as we were about to wander around Myeongdong further, a suspicious-looking man approached Do Yun-hyeok. I had found it suspicious that he had been diligently adjusting his sunglasses and glancing this way from time to time, and sure enough, he walked straight up to Do Yun-hyeok.
“Excuse me, student.”
“Not interested.”
“Please listen for a moment.”
A thug’s lackey…
Is that what he is?
Unconsciously, I tensed and tightened my grip on the balloon I was holding. Do Yun-hyeok, however, was indifferent.
“Student, have you ever thought about becoming a celebrity?”
Huh?