As Jin-woo hobbled away, he held his chest. Out of all the hits that hurt the most, it was the first kick Seo-joon aimed at his chest. He was unguarded, having no defenses up. As for the other kicks and punches, he was able to protect his vitals with only a few punches landing on his cheeks causing bruises on his face, and kicks to his side that made his abdomen ache a little.
Nevertheless, the pain was intense as it was coming from more than one area on Jin-woo's body. It almost felt like ants were continuously biting him over and over again.
Jin-woo heard the voices of the two drivers as they spoke, but he ignored them and turned the corner to leave. However, as he turned the corner, a figure brushed past him. Both he and the figure made eye contact, and Jin-woo couldn't help having his expression turned cold. But he was quick to look away and hurried off.
Teacher Park paused in his steps and glanced at Jin-woo's back. A cold sneer slid onto his lips when he saw the state Jin-woo was in.
"Student Lee, make sure you're present at the tennis court."
After saying that Teacher Park let out a soft chuckle before he finally turned the corner.
Teacher Park saw the truck and the two drivers as he turned the corner, which caused his mood to be lifted even more. However, seeing one of the drivers standing to the side giving instructions to the other driver who was driving the truck closer to the pipes, his expression became irate.
"What are you doing?"
The first driver, who was directing the second driver in the truck, paused to look at Teacher Park storming over. The second driver also leaned out the window to look at him.
"Are you Teacher Park?"
The first driver asked, his eyes flashing murderously while his hand shifted to the inside of his zipped-down jumpsuit jacket. The second driver also did something similar.
Completely oblivious to their actions, Teacher Park snorted and said.
"Who else could I be? Answer me, what are you guys doing?"
The two drivers lowered their hands. The first driver then explained.
"The hose isn't long enough to reach the main source so we're just moving the truck forward."
Teacher Park's eyes flared with anger, and he yelled.
"Idiots! Weren't you told in the beginning to come in from the back of the school?! If you had then the truck would be facing the other way allowing you to easily connect the hose and get the water before quickly leaving!"
The first driver frowned and said.
"There's no way we could turn around on this road, so even if we had come in from the back like you said we'd still have to leave through the front gate. What's the difference if we came in from the back or front then? Plus, we would have moved the truck forward and connected the hose already if not for you interrupting us."
Teacher Park glared at the first driver, but he realized what he said made sense, so he snorted once more before saying
"Fine, then hurry up get the water and leave."
"Okay, but shouldn't you move first?"
The second driver in the truck spoke for the first time.
Teacher Park had stopped right in front of the truck. He had to awkwardly move out of the way, but he compensated for his embarrassment by standing off to the side and aggressively instructing the two men on what to do.
The two drivers were annoyed as what he was saying didn't make an ounce of sense to them. They simply ignored him for the most part and hurried with what they were doing so they could leave.
At the water pipes around the corner, Jin-woo bent over and spat out the water in his mouth into the stretch of concrete sink under the pipes. He watched as the water with a tinge of red in it flowed away.
"Are you okay Jin?"
Seong asked by the side as he rubbed Jin-woo's back.
Jin-woo nodded silently. He soon straightened up and picked up his glasses on the water pipes before putting them on.
Having cleaned up his face, Jin-woo looked relatively fine aside from a few bruises and swelling on his cheeks, in addition to his busted lip. However, despite looking relatively fine, it was obvious that he was just in a fight.
Jin-woo turned to leave, and Seong couldn't help but ask worriedly.
"Are we heading to the outdoor tennis court? Maybe we should sneak back to class, it's not like that bastard can punish us when it's already lunchtime."
Jin-woo stayed silent for a beat before he shook his head.
"Yoon-min and Micah are probably already there waiting for me."
"Yeah, and so could Joon and his lackeys."
Jin-woo's eyes suddenly flashed with an intense light before he said.
"Seo-joon doesn't show his true colors in the open for fear of staining his Track career so he won't do anything in front of so many people. But that makes no difference. After school is over, I'm going to find an opportunity to get back at him."
"Wha-What?! You're already like this but you want to go look for more trouble?!"
Seong yelled completely shocked by Jin-woo's sudden declaration. Before he could dissuade Jin-woo from doing something so crazy, Jin-woo spoke up.
"He went too far this time; I didn't even get to land a single hit on him. If I just go home with all this pent-up anger, then I might die of frustration on the way."
Upon recalling his home, Jin-woo's thoughts momentarily drifted to his home being raided. He should call his mother after this.
Upon hearing Jin-woo's words and seeing the serious expression on his face, Seong knew he couldn't convince him otherwise.
"Even in situations like this, you don't like to lose."
Seong muttered under his breath before letting out a sigh.
Jin-woo smiled and said nothing.
However, internally, Jin-woo's thoughts were a complete mess. Seo-joon's words about Seong from before were repeatedly echoing in his mind. Something about the way he said it made Jin-woo question Seo-joon's actions up until now. He too, like the two lackeys, was beginning to realize Seo-joon was behaving strangely.
Of course, Jin-woo's also recalled the hallucinations from earlier. He had never experienced anything like them before. The first time he had a hallucination was during the Entrance Exams when he saw Seong and had a panic attack. If it weren't for Seong calming him down back then and even now, he wouldn't know what would have happened.
Jin-woo wasn't sure how to feel about that either, whether it was healthy to indulge in his hallucinations because they helped him, or not because it might get worse like what he saw Seo-joon and his lackeys turn into.
As these thoughts rose in Jin-woo's mind, complex emotions began to hammer at his heart like tidal waves. Soon, he unknowingly reached the outdoor tennis court through the silent high school campus.