Morning at Haneul High School began as usual students gathered in small groups, some smoking in hidden corners while others leaned against the walls, waiting for the bell to ring. However, for Kang Joon-woo, today felt different. After the incident with Tae-sik yesterday, the atmosphere at school seemed more tense. The other students' glances felt sharper, as if they were assessing who Joon-woo really was and how he would fare in this harsh environment.
Joon-woo sat in the back of the classroom, his eyes fixed on the blackboard covered with mathematical formulas. Today's lesson was on calculus, a topic he usually mastered easily at his old school. But even though his brain could process numbers quickly, his mind was continuously distracted by the fight from the previous day. Every time he tried to focus on the lesson, images of Tae-sik and his men sprawled on the ground kept resurfacing.
"Joon-woo, could you solve this problem at the front?" The math teacher's voice broke his reverie. Joon-woo lifted his head and looked at the blackboard, where a calculus problem awaited him.
Without much fuss, Joon-woo stood and walked to the front of the class. He took a piece of chalk and began to write the solution on the board swiftly, demonstrating his deep understanding of the topic. When he finished, he placed the chalk down and returned to his seat without a word, indifferent to the admiring stares of some students.
The math teacher nodded in satisfaction. "Good job, Joon-woo. You all should learn from him. Focus on the lesson is key to success."
However, Joon-woo knew that not all students here cared about academics. At Haneul High School, physical strength and power were more important than academic knowledge. And he had to be prepared to face that.
As break time arrived, Joon-woo headed to the school rooftop, a place he often visited for a bit of solitude. However, when he opened the rooftop door, he found a group of students already there, about six or seven of them, and they all looked unfriendly.
"This new kid really dares to show up here after what he did yesterday," one of them said with a mocking tone. Joon-woo recognized the face as one of Tae-sik's men who hadn't been involved in the fight yesterday.
"We're here to deal with you," the student continued, stepping closer with a sly grin on his face. "Tae-sik can't fight today, but he sent us to make sure you learn your lesson."
Joon-woo glanced at them one by one, realizing that they were all ready for a fight. His heart raced, but he showed no fear. He knew that here, there was no way out except to fight.
"So, you all think you can take me on together?" Joon-woo asked, his voice cold and challenging.
"Try us if you can," replied the largest of the group, his fist already clenched.
Without warning, Joon-woo was attacked from all directions. Two students came at him from the front, while the others approached from the sides, trying to corner him. Joon-woo managed to dodge the first punch and deflect the second attack, but there were too many of them. A heavy blow landed on his jaw, causing him to stagger backward.
The pain surprised him the blow was much harder than he expected. But Joon-woo had no time to dwell on it. He had to move quickly if he wanted to survive. With strong determination, he retaliated by punching the stomach of one of the students in front of him, causing the student to curl up in pain. However, an attack from the side came mercilessly. A hard kick struck his ribs, nearly making Joon-woo lose his balance.
Joon-woo knew he couldn't stay in the middle like this. Quickly, he decided to change tactics. He ran to the edge of the rooftop, using the narrow space to prevent his enemies from attacking him all at once. From this position, he could face them one by one.
The first student who approached was greeted with a powerful kick from Joon-woo, hitting the student's chest and sending him falling backward. But Joon-woo had no time to be satisfied. The next student was already attacking, and this time Joon-woo couldn't dodge completely. The punch struck his shoulder, causing a sharp pain to spread.
However, Joon-woo used the momentum of the attack to pull the student closer and quickly elbowed him in the face. The student staggered back, blood flowing from his nose. Joon-woo pressed forward, taking advantage of his opponent's shock to strike brutally. He swung his fist at the jaw of another student, hitting him with full force until the sound of cracking bones was heard.
But Joon-woo couldn't avoid everything. One student managed to hit his stomach hard, making Joon-woo fold in pain. He stumbled backward, trying to catch his breath, but another attack came quickly this time a kick to his shins, causing him to fall to his knees.
Joon-woo felt the world around him spinning, but he knew he couldn't give up now. With one final push, he kicked upward, hitting the knee of the student attacking him and making him fall to the floor. Joon-woo then used the opportunity to rise again and hit the face of another student with his fist, making use of his remaining strength.
But the fight was starting to wear him out. His breath was heavy, and his body was filled with increasingly painful bruises. Yet, his eyes remained focused on the enemies still standing.
One of the remaining students, with a look of fear on his face, tried to attack from behind with a piece of wood he had found nearby. But Joon-woo heard him approaching and quickly turned around, grabbing the wood from his hands and swinging it with full force, hitting the student's head. The student fell to the ground, unconscious.
Only two students were left standing. They looked at each other with doubt, seeming to realize they had underestimated Joon-woo. However, one of them, larger and more daring, stepped forward with anger in his eyes. He swung a brutal punch at Joon-woo, but this time Joon-woo was ready.
He blocked the punch and quickly elbowed the student's chin, making him fall hard. The last student, realizing they had no chance, quickly fled, leaving his injured friend behind.
Joon-woo stood on the rooftop, his body heavy and covered in wounds. His breath was still ragged, and the pain in his body was intensifying. Yet, he remained standing, staring coldly at the bodies scattered around him.
"I told you," he muttered quietly to himself, "I won't go down easily."
But before he could step away, a voice came from the open rooftop door. Han So-yeon appeared, her expression flat but her eyes attentive as she looked at the scene before her.
"You really know how to cause a stir, Joon-woo," she said, walking closer.
Joon-woo looked at her without speaking, too exhausted to respond with sarcasm. So-yeon stopped in front of him, observing his injuries, and then sighed.
"You need to be more careful," So-yeon continued. "Here, people will always try to bring you down. And they won't stop until you're completely unable to get up."
"I have no choice," Joon-woo cut in, his voice still slightly breathless but firm. "If I show weakness, they'll keep attacking. This is the only way to survive."
So-yeon looked at him in silence for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I understand, but you can't keep going like this. Fighting everyone who tries to challenge you will wear you down faster than you think."
Joon-woo shrugged, then turned his face away to avoid So-yeon's gaze. "I've been through worse," he murmured quietly, more to himself.
So-yeon sighed, then reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of water and a small box of bandages. "At least clean yourself up before going back to class. You don't want to attract more attention, do you?" she said, handing the water and bandages to Joon-woo.
Joon-woo took the water bottle without much comment. He unscrewed the cap and took a few sips before pouring the remainder over his face to clean the blood. As he applied the bandages to the cuts on his face, So-yeon stood by, watching him closely.
"You shouldn't be doing this alone," So-yeon finally said. "There are other ways to handle them. You don't always have to resort to violence."
"If I don't fight back, they'll see me as weak," Joon-woo replied firmly, placing the last bandage on his bruised cheek. "In a place like this, strength is everything."
So-yeon seemed to want to argue, but she knew it was pointless to debate with Joon-woo at this moment. She understood how harsh life was at Haneul High School, and while she didn't agree with Joon-woo's methods, she could comprehend his logic.
"I just don't want to see you end up like the others," So-yeon said, her voice softer. "This school has broken many people, and I don't want you to become one of them."
Joon-woo looked at So-yeon, trying to discern the meaning behind her words. There was something in the way So-yeon spoke that made him feel oddly as though she genuinely cared, despite their brief acquaintance.
"Why do you care?" Joon-woo asked finally, his voice low but curious.
So-yeon paused for a moment, weighing her response. "Because I know what it's like to survive here," she said quietly. "And I know how hard it is. We all have to look out for each other, or we'll fall apart alone."
So-yeon's words lingered in the air, stirring something within Joon-woo that had long been locked away. But before he could respond, the school bell rang, breaking the silence.
"We need to get back to class," So-yeon said, turning toward the rooftop door. "And remember, Joon-woo, be careful. You may be strong, but you're not invincible."
Joon-woo nodded slightly, though he didn't entirely agree with So-yeon's warning. For him, strength was the only way to survive in this school, and he was determined not to back down. Yet, there was something in So-yeon's manner that made him reconsider his position.
The next lesson was history, one of the subjects that usually bored students at Haneul High School to death. But today, the room was filled with whispers, mostly about the rooftop fight that had quickly spread throughout the school.
Joon-woo sat at his desk at the back of the classroom, trying to focus on the lesson being taught by the history teacher, a middle-aged man who seemed tired and apathetic. Today's topic was World War II, specifically the major battles on the Eastern Front. On the blackboard, the teacher explained how the Battle of Stalingrad became a turning point in the war, forcing German troops to retreat from the Soviet Union.
However, Joon-woo's thoughts kept drifting back to So-yeon's warning. Although he tried to concentrate on the story of Soviet tanks breaking through German defenses, part of him remained alert to his surroundings. He knew that in this school, threats could arise at any moment, even in the middle of a lesson.
"Stalingrad is an example of how good strategy and resilience can overcome a materially stronger enemy," the history teacher said in a monotonous voice. "The Soviet troops, despite being outnumbered, managed to hold off the German siege by relying on their ability to endure the harshest conditions."
Joon-woo stared at the map on the blackboard, imagining how Soviet forces had to fight through snow and starvation, facing an enemy far superior in weaponry. There was something he could learn from this battle how resilience and strategy could be more powerful weapons than sheer physical strength.
But before he could reflect further, the classroom door burst open violently. A student from another class ran in, panic written all over his face. "Sir! There's a huge commotion in the field! Tae-sik is going wild!"
All heads turned, including Joon-woo's. The mention of Tae-sik immediately heightened his sense of alertness. Without waiting for the teacher's permission, students began rushing out of the classroom to see what was happening. Joon-woo stood and followed them, a mix of curiosity and caution stirring within him.
When Joon-woo arrived at the field, he saw a crowd of students gathered around Tae-sik, who appeared extremely angry. Tae-sik's face was covered in bruises from the previous fight, but the rage in his eyes seemed far more dangerous than the injuries on his body. Beside him stood several other students, looking ready for a major confrontation.
"Where is he?" Tae-sik shouted with a voice full of fury. "Where is Joon-woo?!"
The crowd fell silent, all eyes searching for Joon-woo. No one dared to step forward to challenge Tae-sik, but whispers began spreading among them. Joon-woo felt their gazes fall upon him, and he knew there was no use in hiding.
With deliberate steps, Joon-woo moved forward, pushing through the students blocking his path. When he reached the front of Tae-sik, he stopped and faced his adversary with a cold stare.
"I'm here," Joon-woo said, his voice calm but challenging. "What do you want, Tae-sik?"
Tae-sik's face was red with anger, and without another word, he lunged forward with the intent to attack. However, before he could get close to Joon-woo, a loud voice cut through the air.
"Stop!" The voice belonged to So-yeon, who had suddenly appeared between them, standing firm with a sharp gaze. "You can't solve this problem this way."
Tae-sik hesitated for a moment, his breath still heavy with anger but clearly disturbed by So-yeon's appearance. "Get out of the way, So-yeon," he snarled. "This isn't your business."
"It is my business," So-yeon replied firmly. "If you fight here, everyone will get dragged into it. You're only making things worse, not just for yourself, but for everyone at this school."
Joon-woo remained silent, observing So-yeon with full attention. He could sense that So-yeon was trying to protect them both from something larger, perhaps from harsher consequences if they were caught fighting in a public place like this.
Yet, Tae-sik was still furious. He glared at So-yeon with hatred and said, "So, you think you can stop me? You think Joon-woo deserves your protection?"
So-yeon didn't flinch. "I'm not protecting him. I'm protecting all of us from making a mistake we can't fix."
Tae-sik seemed doubtful, but his rage was still unquenchable. Before he could respond, another voice came from the side.
"What's going on here?"
All heads turned towards the voice. The stern physical education teacher, Mr. Kim, appeared in the field with an angry expression. When he saw the tense situation, he needed no further explanation.
"Everyone, disperse now!" Mr. Kim shouted. "And you, Tae-sik and Joon-woo, come with me to the principal's office!"
The crowd quickly broke up, leaving Tae-sik and Joon-woo still staring at each other. So-yeon let out a sigh of relief, though she knew this wasn't over.
"I'll make you pay for this," Tae-sik hissed in a low voice as he approached Joon-woo, before turning to follow Mr. Kim to the principal's office.
Joon-woo remained calm, even though he knew Tae-sik's threat was not idle. It was only a matter of time before this conflict would escalate again, and this time, he might not be able to avoid it.
As he walked to follow Tae-sik and Mr. Kim, Joon-woo glanced at So-yeon, who stood still in place. There was much he wanted to say, but for now, he could only nod in thanks. So-yeon returned the nod with a thin smile, full of concern.