The following morning at Shinra High School, the tension was palpable. The incident with Gunwoo had stirred up quite a buzz. Woojin, still rattled from the previous day's events, moved cautiously through the hallways. He was especially wary of Donghyun and his friends. He glanced around nervously, half-expecting someone to jump out at him.
Classes went by in a blur. Woojin found it hard to concentrate, constantly looking over his shoulder. At lunch, he avoided the cafeteria and ate in a quiet corner of the school grounds, his food barely touched. He couldn't shake the feeling of impending danger.
Woojin's unease followed him throughout the day, and as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, he reluctantly made his way back to class. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he nearly bumped into someone in the hallway.
He suddenly froze in place when he saw Donghyun's group in front of him. Gunwoo was also there, shooting him a hostile look. The bruise he had received from Renji yesterday was still visible.
"We've been looking for you."
Woojin's heart raced as he stared at Donghyun and his gang. The group's intimidating presence was enough to make him feel cornered despite being in a hallway full of students. Donghyun's eyes were cold and calculating, while Gunwoo's glare was filled with resentment.
"Where's Renji?" Donghyun coldly asked.
Woojin flinched as Donghyun's hand pressed into his shoulder, the pressure making him wince. "I—I don't know," he stammered, struggling to keep his composure. "I haven't seen him today."
Donghyun's eyes narrowed, his patience wearing thin. "Don't lie to me. We know you're friends with him. If you're hiding him, you're going to be in a lot of trouble."
Woojin swallowed hard, his mind racing. "I swear, I'm not hiding him. I don't even know where he is."
Gunwoo, still glaring at Woojin, took a menacing step forward. "You better start talking before we make you. We're not in the mood for games."
Just then, a teacher turned the corner, and the group's attention shifted momentarily. Donghyun's grip on Woojin loosened, but the threat in his eyes remained.
"Consider yourself warned," Donghyun said in a low, dangerous tone. "If you see Renji, bring him to meet us at the back alley. Otherwise, we might just come looking for you again."
With that, Donghyun and his gang turned and walked away, leaving Woojin standing there, shaking. He watched them disappear around the corner before letting out a shaky breath.
Woojin stood there for a moment, his mind racing as he tried to process what had just happened. The threat was clear: he needed to find Renji and get him to the back alley, or face the consequences himself.
Woojin couldn't shake the feeling that he was born unlucky. It seemed the universe was always against him.
Woojin had grown up in a small, quiet town. It was nice and peaceful. However, things began to change when Woojin was ten. His father fell ill, and the family's financial situation grew precarious. They moved to the city, hoping for better opportunities. Yet, his life only became worse.
Woojin struggled to fit in at his new school, where the students were much less friendly and far more aggressive than those he had known.
Despite his best efforts to stay under the radar, Woojin became an easy target for bullies. His gentle demeanor and small stature made him an obvious mark. By the time he reached Shinra High School, he had developed a habit of keeping his head down and avoiding conflict whenever possible. But no matter how much he tried to stay out of trouble, trouble always seemed to find him.
Ever since he started at Shinra High School last year, none of his classmates wanted to befriend him because they were afraid of being targeted by Donghyun and Gunwoo's bullying group.
He didn't know how it started, but one day he suddenly became their target for bullying.
For the rest of his time at Shinra High School, there wasn't a day when they didn't bully him. Even the money he earned from working at the convenience store ended up in their hands.
He couldn't fight back out of fear that he might receive even more pain. He couldn't report it to the teachers because they were either afraid or didn't really care about their students.
He also couldn't tell it to his mother because he knew she had her own big problems.
Ever since his father fell ill, their savings were depleted by medical expenses. Needing money to pay for bills and other hospital expenses, his mother had no choice but to borrow from a creditor she knew.
Now that his father was gone—having passed away eventually despite all the medication—it was just the two of them, him and his mother.
Because of the expenses, they fell deeper into debt.
The creditor frequently came to their house to collect the money. Just thinking about their faces scared him. He didn't know what to do if they couldn't pay.
The money he earned at the convenience store could have been used to pay the creditors if only Donghyun and his group didn't take it.
Upon thinking about it, Renji was the only one who never distanced himself or avoided him. Even though sometimes he seemed to be in his own world when he had a book in hand, he never shunned him as if he were a disease.
Renji also accepted the book he gave him, knowing that he loved to read. Since then, he felt more at ease with him, especially when they became seatmates.
Now that Renji seemed to be getting caught up in the bullying from Donghyun's group, he couldn't stand to let him face them alone.
He knew Donghyun well. His connections extend beyond school. He could not let them harm Renji, whom he considered a friend.
After a long period of time, he made a decision.
Woojin's day dragged on painfully, each class a haze of anxiety. The words on the blackboard blurred together as his mind kept replaying the encounter with Donghyun and his gang.
As the final bell rang, Woojin felt a knot in his stomach tighten. He knew he couldn't go straight home. Instead, he headed towards the back alley. The shadows were growing long as he approached the familiar alley, his steps cautious and hesitant.
The alley was empty. Woojin felt fear. The silence was oppressive, and every small sound made him jump. He paced back and forth, trying to come up with a plan. But the truth is, there is none. Except for the endless beatings and curses he will later get for not bringing Renji to them.
A distant sound of footsteps drew his attention. He tensed, but it was only a stray dog rummaging through trash cans. He let out a sigh.
Because Renji hadn't been in class earlier, Woojin couldn't help but worry about his whereabouts. He feared that Donghyun and his gang might have found him and was anxious about the potential harm that could come to him.
The area was growing darker as the sun set. He wasn't sure how many minutes he had been waiting. He couldn't bring himself to leave because he needed to plead with Donghyun to stop targeting Renji.
He didn't want Renji to get hurt because of them, knowing all too well how difficult it was to be bullied by this group.
As he continued to wait, he felt a gnawing guilt. He knew Renji wouldn't willingly put himself in danger, but what if he had already been cornered by Donghyun's group? The thought made Woojin's heart race faster.
Finally, a familiar figure emerged from the end of the alley. It was Donghyun. And behind him was his gang.
Woojin's heart sank as he saw Donghyun and his gang approach. They looked even more menacing in the fading light, their expressions grim. Donghyun's eyes locked onto Woojin's with a steely resolve.
"You didn't bring Renji," Donghyun said, his voice low and dangerous. "I see you've made the wrong choice."
Woojin's hands trembled as he tried to maintain his composure. "I—I'm sorry. But can you please let it slide? I know Renji didn't actually mean to do that, he just—"
"Are you freaking kidding me?!"
Gunwoo's voice thundered through the back alley. Woojin flinched at Gunwoo's outburst, his face paling further. Donghyun's eyes hardened as he took a step closer, the menace in his posture unmistakable.
"Listen, Woojin," Donghyun said, his voice dangerously calm, "we don't have time for excuses. You had one job, and you failed. Now, there's a price to pay."
Without warning, Donghyun landed a punch to Woojin's face, sending him crashing to the hard concrete. Woojin lost his balance and fell awkwardly, the impact stunning him momentarily.
The pain nearly made Woojin lose consciousness. His small body trembled uncontrollably, overwhelmed by fear.
Before he could recover from the initial shock, Woojin was hit with a flurry of kicks from Donghyun's gang. All he could feel was excruciating pain as he clutched his head in a futile attempt to protect himself.
Tears streamed down his face as the pain became unbearable. His hearing was nearly drowned out by the sound of the kicks landing, and his vision blurred to the point where he could barely keep his eyes open.
Stop it... Please make it stop... Someone please save me...
Woojin's muffled cries for help were drowned out by the harsh laughter and taunts of Donghyun's gang.
The assault continued, with Donghyun's gang showing no signs of stopping. Woojin's world was a haze of agony and confusion, the blurring lines between his cries and the cruel laughter merging into a nightmarish symphony. He desperately tried to shield himself, but his efforts were futile against the relentless onslaught.
Suddenly, the harsh laughter was interrupted by a familiar voice—firm and authoritative.
Woojin's eyes flickered open through the haze of pain to see a figure standing at the alley entrance.
It was Renji.