It had been a few days since Taejoon got suspended from school. Yeah, that's right—suspended. Yet, Kim Daeho couldn't shake the anxiety that gnawed at him whenever he felt the eyes of the other students on him.
Of course, it was only natural for them to be curious. After all, he was the one getting bullied in that video. The mix of curious and pitiful gazes stung him as he hurried to his classroom.
Today was the first day of exams. He had studied diligently the night before, staying up until midnight to cram every bit of information into his mind. His neck still ached from the strain of leaning over his desk for so long. With a sigh, he slipped into his seat.
The thought that no one was going to bother him today began to sink in. No more Taejoon, no more lackeys shadowing his every move. It felt surreal.
The teacher hadn't arrived yet when Daeho entered the room. He wasn't sure what to feel when a girl suddenly approached him. It was their class representative.
Her hair was tied up in a neat bun, and her glasses rested carefully on her nose. She looked at him with a mixture of concern and something else Daeho couldn't quite place.
"Hey, are you okay?" she asked softly, her voice laced with genuine worry.
Daeho managed an awkward smile. "Yeah. I'm okay now. Thanks for asking."
She sighed, glancing down for a moment before speaking again. "I'm sorry I didn't step in when Taejoon was bullying you. Everyone in the class was too afraid to do anything..."
Not exactly everyone, Daeho thought as his eyes wandered to the corner of the classroom where a figure was sprawled out, sleeping—again.
"I understand. Thank you," Daeho replied, his voice calm but distant.
"Well... good luck to us!" she added with a small smile before heading back to her seat beside none other than Park Jihye—Daeho's crush.
His gaze drifted back to the sleeping figure in the corner. It was Jeong Si-Woo, the one person in the class who had never seemed to fear Taejoon. Si-Woo was an enigma—aloof, always on the fringes, and never too interested in what was going on around him. But Daeho had noticed that, unlike everyone else, Jeong Si-Woo never looked away when Taejoon came around. If anything, he seemed almost bored by the whole ordeal.
The bell rang, snapping Daeho out of his thoughts. The teacher finally arrived, carrying a stack of exam papers. Daeho took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind of everything except the test in front of him.
As the class came to an end, he spotted Park Woojin exiting the school.
"Woojin!" He called out.
The guy looked at him surprised.
"Daeho? Is something wrong?" Woojin worriedly asked.
Kim Daeho just laughed hard and shook his head. "No. I just wanna greet you. How's your exam?"
They walked together as they exchange words. "It's okay. Are you going home?"
"Hmm, yeah. Why?"
Park Woojin sighed and clutched his bag tightly. "Oh. I'm going to Renji's place." He announced.
"Why? Didn't he come again to school?" Kim Daeho was genuinely surprised. Over the past few days, whenever he saw Woojin, Renji was always with him. So it's really surprising that he's still absent until now.
"Do you want me to accompany you?" He hesitantly asked. Park Woojin face brighten up. "Is that okay? Well... hehe I'm kinda nervous going there unannounced. I'm just really worried that something happened to him... You know." He shyly said.
"Don't worry. It's okay."
Together, they made their way toward Renji's place. Well, it was more like their gym. Fortunately, Daeho still remembered the way. When they arrived at the front door, a man dressed in a white shirt welcomed them. It was the same man who greeted him and Renji the last time he went here.
The man frowned, seemingly remembering Woojin's face. Park Woojin smiled awkwardly, bowing his head.
"Hello, is Renji here?"
Kim Daeho, behind him, was busy eyeing the place. Is this really Renji's place? It seemed more like a gym. Confusion was written all over his face as his gaze stayed fixed on the sign above him—Gangcheol Fitness.
["강철 휘트니스" (Gangcheol Fitness) — "Gangcheol" means "steel," implying strength and resilience.]
"Oh! You're Renji's friend, right?" the man said joyfully.
"Uhmm... yes. By any chance, is Renji here?" Park Woojin asked again, his eyes flickering between the man and the door inside the gym.
He wasn't sure if it was just him, but he thought he heard voices coming from inside. There must be a few people exercising at this time.
"Yes, yes. Renji is inside. Come, come. I'll call him for you."
Park Woojin and Kim Daeho exchanged glances as the man disappeared into the gym, leaving them standing awkwardly at the entrance. The air was filled with the faint sounds of clashing weights and grunts of exertion, which only heightened Woojin's nervousness. Daeho, on the other hand, was more curious than anything else. He had never imagined Renji's place to be a gym, let alone one with such an intense atmosphere.
The two boys stepped inside, the scent of sweat and metal lingering in the air. The gym wasn't crowded, but there were a few people working out, each focused on their routines. Daeho noticed a punching bag in the corner, its surface worn from countless hits.
"Oh, can you wait a second? Renji is still practicing," the man said with a chuckle, pointing at a ring where two guys were sparring.
"Eh? Is that Renji?" Daeho couldn't help but feel overwhelmed as he watched the two guys sparring in the ring. Both were wearing protective gear, throwing punches continuously at each other.
The man stepped forward, placing his hand on his chin, seemingly proud. "Of course! Our Renji has been training day and night since he was nine. His father, a highly recognized coach, trained him personally."
The two boys listened silently as they watched the sparring session. The mention of Renji's father caused the man's expression to turn solemn.
"It's such a shame they're no longer as close as they used to be. It still breaks my heart that Renji isn't as joyful as he was before," the man said quietly, brushing away an invisible tear before looking back at them.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he giggled. "But I never knew there were still people like you who could stand his mood swings. Hahaha!" The man laughed hard, rubbing his large belly. Kim Daeho and Park Woojin exchanged forced smiles.
Just as the man was about to say something else, the sparring session in the ring came to an end. One of the fighters pulled off his headgear, revealing Renji's sweat-drenched face. His expression was serious, more intense than Daeho had ever seen. The laid-back Renji from school seemed like a different person.
"Renji!" The man called out, waving him over.
Renji's gaze snapped towards them, his expression confused when he recognized them. He exchanged a few words with the other fighter, who nodded before stepping out of the ring.
Renji wiped the sweat from his face with a towel as he walked over to them. "What are you two doing here?"
"We were worried about you," Woojin admitted. "You haven't been to school for days."
"I've been telling Renji he needs to go back to school, but he refused," the man explained, crossing his arms. Renji shot him a glare. "Shut up, Uncle San!"
Daeho and Woojin both looked surprised. "Wait... he's your uncle?" Woojin asked hesitantly.
Renji raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Yeah. Why didn't you tell me before?" Woojin muttered, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"You didn't ask," Renji replied with a shrug.
Woojin pursed his lips, then turned to Renji's uncle. "Sorry for being rude. We didn't know."
Renji's uncle, San, just laughed heartily. "It's fine, no harm done."
Renji glanced at his uncle with annoyance before turning his attention back to Daeho and Woojin. "Seriously, you two didn't have to come all the way here. I'm fine."
"Well, you've been absent for days," Woojin pointed out, his voice quiet but firm.
Uncle San gestured that he was heading out, and both Woojin and Daeho nodded in acknowledgment. As soon as his uncle left, Renji walked over to the bench where his belongings were. He grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his face.
"It's exam week, so I decided to come to your place to let you know," Woojin said, settling himself on a nearby mat. "You should go back to school."
Renji sighed, then nodded slowly. "Thanks for coming. I'll go to school tomorrow."
Woojin motioned to Daeho, who was standing a bit awkwardly by the entrance. "You remember Daeho, right?"
Renji glanced at Daeho, who was nervously fidgeting with his fingers. "Yeah. We met in the canteen before, right?"
"Yeah! I thought you wouldn't remember him," Woojin said with a grin.
Renji shrugged slightly. "I remember."
Woojin leaned back on the mat, his expression growing more serious as he sighed. "A lot has happened while you were gone." He then began to recount the events of the past few days, detailing Taejoon's suspension and how the video had gone viral.
Renji listened quietly, his face unreadable, though his eyes narrowed at certain parts of the story. When Woojin finally finished, Renji looked at both of them with a hint of concern in his voice. "Are you both okay?"
Daeho quickly nodded. "Yeah, thankfully, we are."