"So this is the school I've been going to." Lee Dojin rubbed his chin. "Pretty big." He stared at the big white building in front of him. Compared to his past, where he went to the worst, this school seemed to exist as the antithesis of his old one. It stood white, tall, massive, and holy. Like there was no speck of dust to be found anywhere near it. Though—he looked at the boy to his side—there was no way that could be true.
"Will you let me go now," the young man asked him. His arm ached as he was dragged here. His eyes were shaking crazily. He did not understand why that weak Dojin had suddenly turned into such a fearsome creature. Even then, why did that guy want him to show him where the school they went to every day was?
Lee Dojin looked at the young man. "Say, what was your name again?"
"You—" The young man was about to throw a fit, but then wisely held his mouth. It was true that such a question was of much disrespect to him, but he was in no state to fight back. He still remembered the big Park Wanho, who had been pummeled into the hospital. Even now, he still had not woken up. His face had turned bloated, his teeth crooked, and pus had leaked out his open wounds. But what stayed in his mind the most was the putrid stench that came with it—that cold iron, mixed with something rotten. He did not want to be remembered like that. Thus, he answered, "It's, uh, it's Kim Heeson."
"That's a stupid name," Lee Dojin commented nonchalantly. He then laughed out loud.
Kim Heeson felt a great surge of anger well up inside him but then shrunk back. Lee Dojin's arm was still wrapped around his neck. He could escape today, but no one could know what that crazy bastard would be capable of in a week. "I hear that often," he said, with a false smile on his face.
"Now, we might be late, but that's still better than never right?" Lee Dojin stared at the empty field. Currently, everyone was in their classes, studying diligently. "Wait, we do go to the same class, right?"
Did that guy hit his head on the pavement at New Years' or something? Kim Heeson had such exasperated thoughts in his head. Of course, he did not voice them out. "Yes, yes. That's correct. If we go fast, we might still manage to get there in time." He jogged away. hoping to distance himself from that psycho.
Lee Dojin, meanwhile, had different thoughts. Certainly, most of his mind was occupied with The MIrage and The Shadows, but he also wanted to experience the high-school life he had never managed to get. He knew it would end in less in a week, yet, it was still an invaluable time to him. Like a day of relaxation. If possible, since he had to be here anyway, he wished to enjoy it without the thoughts of the apocalypse. It would be hard, of course, to adjust himself to a time of peace. Still, he had to try. For it was these moments that life was worth living.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." He grabbed Kim Heeson's neck. "I'll break your spine if you don't act naturally okay?"
Kim Heeson knew instinctively that this wasn't a threat; It was a promise. Lord knows what that Lee Dojin might attempt doing. "Of course, of course, I wouldn't dare."
"Hmm, that's too bad. I wanted to see you try. It won't matter in a few days anyway," Lee Dojin mumbled, much to the horror of Kim Heeson.
The two of them walked through the empty hallway, and if one did not know their relationship, they might have believed them to be great friends. The school, as expected from the size, was rather hard to navigate. Lee Dojin wondered how his mother had afforded for him to attend such a prestigious-looking school. Though maybe it was that he got here solely by his own talent, which would not be ideal, since the current Lee Dojin was anything but gifted in education. They stopped at a white door, in which an old woman was currently giving a lecture. Based on the words written on the blackboard, he guessed the lessons to be in Korean literature. His face brightened as he realized it was about the three kingdoms in Korea. There was only one reason for him to feel so: He had fought alongside these heroes depicted in the apocalypse.
"Should we go in," Kim Heeson asked the non-responsive Lee Dojin. The young man felt a little nervous entering the class this late.
He answered, "Well, would you rather stand outside here?" Lee Dojin shoved the door open. A sudden quiet descended the room, as all eyes were on the new intruder. Even the teacher stopped the lecture to see who it was.
Kim Heeson entered soon after. "Seungsengnim, excuse us for being late!" He bowed lightly.
The teacher answered with a rough voice. "Excuse me? You want to be excused? It's almost afternoon, and you arrive only now? Have you gone slack so soon to graduation? I'll have you know, it's still more than a year away, you two hear me?"
"Yes, yes, I understand." Kim Heeson lowered his head. He had a smile on his face. "See, I passed Dojin on my way to school, but he had a stomachache on his way. It looked serious, so we brought him to the doctors, just to be safe," the man shot these words out as if he was an experienced actor auditioning for his favorite role.
The teacher scrutinized the two of them. "Is that so? Which doctor was it then, and at what hospital?"
"Dajoen hospital in Yeoungdo, Seungsengnim."
"Hmm," she closed her book. She then stared into Lee Dojin's eyes. He did not budge. "Well, if it's Dojin, then I suppose it is alright. Take a seat."
Kim Heeson breathed out a sigh of relief for no one to hear.
"Slimy bastard," Lee Dojin whispered into his ear. Kim Heeson flinched but had no way of reacting. The two of them sat down. It was only then that he realized he hadn't brought the necessary supplies to start his school-life-adventure. Yes, he brought his bag, but there wasn't actually anything of substance in there. Only a pen that did not work, some random books, like a manwha for example, and tons of snacks. Attending his classes wasn't in his planned schedule, to begin with, thus he simply got rid of the useless stuff like textbooks and notes.
He stared around, not knowing what to do. His eyes fell on the girl sitting beside him. She had long, straight, black hair, a small face with round eyes, and pale skin. Her nose had a beautiful arch, that pointed to her bright-red lips. She had an innocent quality to her, one, that seemed almost too indiscreet to touch. Incidentally, she looked at Lee Dojin too. She had a worried face, her brows wrinkled, and while the teacher was not looking, she threw him a piece of paper.
Lee Dojin, confused by the stranger, still managed to open the folded letter. There, the girl had asked, "Hey, why were you walking with that bastard Kim Heeson? Did he do anything to you?" By the scribbles, he could tell it was written hastily, yet with care. He chuckled silently. Perhaps, was that the woman whom the past him was friends with? The only lady that protected him? He turned around and waved his hand, indicating that nothing was wrong.
The girl, still unsure, had her lips pursed, yet she did not say anything more.
In the meantime, Kim Heeson, who had returned, was greeted by Oh Sanbaek, one of his friends who had not witnessed Lee Dojin beating up everybody at the convenience store. He had gotten the flu over New Years' and could not attend. The worst part was that this guy was the most unbearable, and also the harshest on Lee Dojin. The two of them had been in the same middle school, and it was him that had gotten on Lee Dojin's case first. Kim Heeson knew why, though he did not voice his thoughts: It was because if not for Lee Dojin, it would have been him who had gotten bullied. Thus, like a lizard's tail, he cut that guy off to live the good life.
"Hey, what's this, why are you walking with loser Dojin to school? Did you take his allowance again?" He cackled. "Fuck, why did you not call me? I'm running low on money myself."
Kim Heeson's face turned grim. "Shut the hell up, or I'll kill you," he whispered in a low voice.
That shut him up good. He was rather shocked at his friends' crass words. He turned to Lee Dojin, and a wave of unknown anger welled up inside him. What had that bastard done?