The sky over Seoul that afternoon was overcast, as if foretelling something bad was about to happen. Kang Joon-woo sat in the back row of his class, staring out the window with a vacant expression. The sound of the teacher explaining the math lesson felt like a distant murmur. For Joon-woo, numbers and formulas had lost their meaning. The world outside seemed more interesting, even if it was just the drizzle beginning to wet the ground.
"Hey, Joon-woo!" A whisper came from the seat next to him. It was Ji-hoon, a classmate who loved to talk incessantly. "I heard something's going down after school. They say the second-year students are planning to cause some trouble."
Joon-woo glanced over briefly, uninterested. He wasn't the type to care about rumors or other people's problems. More often than not, he found such chatter annoying. But something in Ji-hoon's tone made him feel uneasy.
"What is it this time?" Joon-woo asked, his voice flat and almost emotionless.
"They say they want to 'play' with Yoo Mi-rae in the empty room on the third floor," Ji-hoon answered, clearly enjoying the thrill of spreading gossip. "You know, they often use that room for... you know, inappropriate stuff and the like."
The name Yoo Mi-rae made Joon-woo tense up slightly. Mi-rae was one of the few people who had ever been close to him. Not because he cared, but because Mi-rae always showed genuine concern for him, even when others distanced themselves. Hearing her name mentioned in this context made Joon-woo's blood begin to boil.
"Who are they?" Joon-woo asked, trying to keep his anger in check, his voice slightly lower, filled with suppressed rage.
"The second-year students, the ones who always act tough. There's Hyun-soo, Tae-jin, and five others. They've been eyeing Mi-rae for a while," Ji-hoon explained, watching Joon-woo's face, hoping for a stronger reaction. There was a hint of fear in his voice, perhaps realizing that this could turn into something more serious.
Joon-woo felt something familiar coursing through his veins uncontrollable anger. He knew that if left unchecked, this anger would explode and be hard to control. But this time, he had no choice. Memories of Mi-rae's smile and kindness haunted Joon-woo's mind. He couldn't let something bad happen to Mi-rae.
Time passed quickly. An hour later, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. The students hurried out, most of them excited to welcome the end of the day, but Joon-woo walked somewhere else. He knew where to go and what to do.
Without saying much, Joon-woo headed toward the stairs leading to the third floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ji-hoon, who seemed to be watching from a distance. There was no conversation, just a brief glance that was enough to understand that this was not someone else's business. Ji-hoon could only swallow nervously, realizing that he had just unleashed something that might be uncontrollable.
When Joon-woo arrived on the third floor, the atmosphere felt different. Silence, only the sound of his footsteps echoing in the corridor. The empty room was at the end of the hallway. The wooden door was slightly ajar, revealing a dim light from within.
With clenched fists, Joon-woo pushed the door open with one swift motion. Inside, he saw seven students standing around Yoo Mi-rae, who looked frightened and cornered in the corner of the room. Mi-rae was sitting on the floor, her face pale and her eyes watery, pleading for it all to end.
Hyun-soo, the leader of the group, turned and grinned when he saw Joon-woo enter. "Hey, look who's here! Our little hero!" Hyun-soo sneered, followed by the sinister laughter of his friends. Joon-woo knew that laugh well, a laugh that hid fear but was full of arrogance.
Joon-woo didn't reply. Instead, he just looked at Mi-rae, making sure she was okay. Their eyes met, and in that instant, Mi-rae felt a little calmer, even though she knew a storm was coming.
"You shouldn't be here, Joon-woo," Tae-jin said with a threatening tone. "This is none of your business."
Joon-woo's anger boiled, but he remained calm. Without thinking, he grabbed a wooden chair nearby, lifted it high, and smashed it over Hyun-soo's head.
"Crack...!"
A loud cracking sound echoed, and Hyun-soo fell to the floor, blood starting to flow from his temple. The laughter disappeared instantly, replaced by a tense silence.
Shocked cries from Hyun-soo's friends filled the room, but Joon-woo didn't stop. He turned and slammed the chair into Tae-jin, who tried to back away, but it was too late. The chair hit his shoulder with full force, knocking him down and causing him to groan in pain.
"You're crazy, Joon-woo!" one of them shouted, but that only fueled Joon-woo's resolve. They thought they could mess with Mi-rae and walk away unscathed? A grave mistake.
Seeing two of their friends down, the others tried to attack Joon-woo all at once. But Joon-woo was ready. He threw the broken chair at two students approaching, hitting them in the chest and knocking them back, gasping for air.
A mop stick in the corner of the room caught Joon-woo's attention. Without hesitation, he grabbed it and swung it around, striking the face of one of the students who was trying to get up. The end of the mop struck his jaw, making a clear breaking sound. The student fell, covering his now bloody face, his teeth scattered on the floor.
Another student, in a desperate attempt, grabbed a broom nearby and tried to attack Joon-woo. But his movements were too slow. Joon-woo quickly kicked the student's knee, causing him to lose balance and fall to the floor. Without giving him a chance to get up, Joon-woo brutally struck his back with the mop handle, repeatedly, until the groaning turned into cries of pain.
"Stop! Please, stop!" the student cried out, but Joon-woo didn't care. Each blow was a warning that they would never be able to touch Mi-rae again.
The two remaining students, now terrified, began to back away. But Joon-woo didn't let them escape. He swiftly approached them, grabbed one of the students, and slammed his head against the wall. The student instantly passed out, leaving a bloodstain on the wall.
The last student tried to run, but Joon-woo pulled him back by grabbing his collar. He punched the student's face, once, twice, until his lip split and blood flowed. With one strong motion, Joon-woo threw the student's body onto the table in the middle of the room, breaking the table in half with a loud crash.
Joon-woo's breath was heavy, and he paused for a moment, surveying the room. All the students now lay on the floor, severely injured and unable to fight back. Blood stained the floor, and the room that had been silent was now filled with the smell of blood.
Joon-woo stood in the middle of the room, his hands trembling not from fear, but from the adrenaline still rushing through his body. His vision was still blurred, but he felt his mind slowly returning to him.
Joon-woo looked toward Mi-rae, who was still sitting in the corner, tears streaming down her face. Slowly, he approached her, his knees slightly shaky from the tension he had just released. Mi-rae looked at him with a mix of fear and relief, unsure of what to say after witnessing the violence that had just occurred.
"Are you okay?" Joon-woo asked, his voice softer now, though the tension was still visible on his face. The hands that had just brutally struck and pummeled were now gently extended toward Mi-rae.
Mi-rae nodded slowly, though she still looked frightened. "I… I'm okay," she whispered, her voice trembling. She hesitated for a moment before taking Joon-woo's hand, feeling a little safer after touching him.
Joon-woo helped her stand up, carefully watching his surroundings. All the students who had tried to harm Mi-rae now lay sprawled on the floor, some still groaning in pain, but none dared to rise. They knew that fighting back would be like seeking their own death.
"Let's get out of here," Joon-woo said softly, more as a command than a request. Mi-rae said nothing, only nodded weakly and followed Joon-woo out of the room. Their footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, a stark contrast to the chaos that had just occurred inside the room.
Outside the room, the corridor looked normal. The other students were unaware of what had just happened, busy with their own affairs, talking and laughing as if it were just another ordinary day. Joon-woo made sure to walk out calmly, though his hands still trembled slightly.
They walked out of the school building without any interference, as if the world outside had no idea about the violence that had just taken place. The cold evening wind greeted them as they reached the schoolyard, bringing a bit of freshness after the heat of the adrenaline that had taken over Joon-woo's body.
Mi-rae walked beside Joon-woo, still silent. She hadn't fully processed what had just happened. Joon-woo, on the other hand, seemed lost in his own thoughts. He didn't regret what he had done. In his mind, it was the only way to stop them. They dared to touch Mi-rae, and that was the biggest mistake they had ever made.
"Joon-woo…" Mi-rae's voice broke the silence between them, still shaky. "Thank you… I… I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come."
Joon-woo just nodded. He didn't need thanks. What he did wasn't out of a sense of responsibility or a desire to be a hero. He simply couldn't stand seeing a girl he knew treated like that.
"Don't worry. They won't bother you again," he said flatly. It wasn't a guarantee, but more of a warning to anyone who might try to approach Mi-rae again.
They stopped at the school gate, and Joon-woo turned to Mi-rae. "Go home. Make sure you're not alone on your way," he added, showing a protective side that was rarely seen.
Mi-rae nodded, then smiled weakly. "You be careful too, Joon-woo," she said before walking away, leaving Joon-woo standing alone at the school gate.
Joon-woo watched Mi-rae's back as she walked further away. He knew that after this, nothing would ever be the same. The fight that had just happened would bring consequences, and he was ready to face whatever came. But for now, the most important thing was that Mi-rae was safe.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. But deep inside, Joon-woo knew that this was just the beginning of something bigger. Something he might not be able to control in the future. Something that would force him to return to the dark side he had been trying to avoid all this time.
Joon-woo walked slowly away from the school, his mind still filled with the events of earlier. He didn't regret it there was no room for regret within him. However, something bothered him, something telling him that this issue wasn't over yet.