So, now, just because one crazy guy revealed that I'm 7th in rank, there's this absurd label of being rank zero, all because of that one thing.
Squeezing the phone in his hand, Sihyun felt tension building up. Amidst his not-so-normal school life, there was this new student who added an extreme level of chaos. He wanted to find and confront this troublemaker right away.
No wonder there were more glances than usual.
Finally, he understood why people were whispering when they saw him. Even the freshmen, who already knew about my status as a Quadruple-Class, were murmuring, probably because of the title attached to me, like some sort of badge earned in the dead of night—Rank Zero.
It had turned into an international gossip topic without my knowledge. Trying to contain irritation at this openly uncomfortable situation, a discomforting voice suddenly cut through from the side.
"Rank Zero? Seriously? Did they use personality as a basis for ranking?"
"..."
The noisy surroundings fell silent in an instant after that remark. Sihyun turned his head towards the voice, swallowing once when he saw who it was.
It was Kang Donghyuk.
Sihyun, already on edge due to his persistent actions lately, held back the urge to snap. Giving attention only fuels more. It was a suitable response for someone like Donghyuk.
"What's wrong with him?"
"Ignore him."
Pulling Daun's arm to disregard him, Sihyun didn't want to create unnecessary gossip for the students who had gathered to watch. Enough trouble for one day. As he tried to calm Daun down, her dissatisfied eyes turned towards him.
"Don't you have any pride?"
"That's not going to feed us, is it?"
Hungry, let's eat. Trying to divert attention away, Daun seemed uninterested. Jihye, noticing Daun getting worked up, tried to calm her. Giving her a look that seemed to say 'let's just let it be for once.'
As Jihye was calming Daun down, Sihyun took Haru and entered the dining hall. The crowd that had gathered started to disperse, parting like the red sea.
"Aw, I thought there'd be a fight."
"I was curious to see a Quadruple's skills."
"Is he just a wuss?"
Sihyun ignored the various comments and went to get food, but as he tried to go to his seat, a voice grabbed his attention.
"Too shocked to say anything?"
"...?"
"What, that's not it?"
Kang Donghyuk chuckled while looking at Sihyun, sending a mocking laugh his way. Sihyun held his breath as the mocking laughter reached him. Childish. Dealing with the likes of strong individuals like Seowoo or Haeun made Donghyuk's immature behavior seem even more childish.
Many think that if a person avoids something, it automatically means they're scared. Donghyuk was among those people.
'Forbidden prey.'
'Don't give it attention.'
Sihyun, mentally placing two virtual warning signs on Donghyuk's forehead, pushed a furious Daun to keep walking. He asked her why she was the one getting angry when it was his problem, but that seemed to be the wrong thing to say because her expression just got worse.
"You're really laughable."
"...?"
"The old Sihyun wouldn't just give up and take this, really! How are you this complacent?"
Because he's forbidden prey.
The forbidden prey Kang Donghyuk looked over at an excited Haeun in bewilderment, Haeun just kept intense eye contact while putting up a peace sign. He then looked over to Sihyun, wanting praise, but was instead met with an unimpressed expression. Haeun had a knack for looking like a crazy person.
Taking a deep breath, Sihyun couldn't help laughing at the situation.
"It's easy hiding behind others backs, huh?"
"...…"
"Are they your spokespeople? You're actually too scared to speak so they're doing the talking for you, right?"
You think I'm that full of myself as a Quadruple?
This is bullshit. Donghyuk was really starting to get under his nerves. He keeps misinterpreting things while spouting ridiculous stories, and Sihyun felt there was no need for him to care, but he realized that his ambiguous attitude might be triggering Donghyuk even more. He's the type who keeps talking until he gets a response.
As if he's avoiding him because he's scary, he's avoiding him because he's nasty.
Breathing deeply as if expelling discomfort dissolved in the air, Sihyun continued with long breaths. There was nothing to gain from getting too worked up and excited. Indifferent eyes met Donghyuk's. If he really wanted him to talk, then it's better to just do it.
He originally just wanted to attend school normally, not wanting to be exposed and teased everywhere.
"What's bothering you so much?"
"What nonsense?"
"You're doing this because there's something bothering you, right? From what I heard, your words seem to lack a point. I need to know what's bothering you in order to fix it. Aren't you too old for childish tantrums?"
Casting a glance sideways while speaking, Sihyun looked at Haeun. Seventeen. Another gaze turned to Seowoo, he too, was seventeen. Turning around once more, his gaze settled back on Donghyuk. They were all seventeen.
"What's the problem?"
At the similar question thrown back, Donghyuk's expression twisted. Understanding the meaning behind Sihyun's gaze, his face reddened. Still, It seemed like he didn't want to show his embarrassment, so he just stood biting his lips.
They stood in silence, Sihyun also understood that his complaints were childish.
It was good that they both seemed to know, it would spare him a lot of arguing.
"Too scared to talk? Do you need me to get you a spokesperson?"
'Do you want to do it?' He looked at Haeun and pointed towards Donghyuk. Haeun shouted 'don't wanna!' And the crowd started laughing. Donghyuk's face turned even redder, but Sihyun remained unfazed.
If you were trying to create gossip about someone, prepare to get your own reputation hit.
It was only fair, cause and effect. He looked over at Donghyuk without speaking. There were a lot of things he could do, but for now he's just giving back what he himself had received. Best not to overdo it.
By now Donghyuk was thoroughly embarrassed and appeared discouraged. Sihyun thought that he would finally get to eat, so he pulled Haru along, together with the rest of the A Class. By now he was so used to it that he didn't have the energy to shake them off.
Just as he pulled out an empty tray, he heard Donghyuk's voice behind him.
"You think that you're all that…"
Perhaps because of his anger, Donghyuk's voice was darker and raspier than usual. Sihyun turned around at the words that were obviously directed at him. He had thought that he would've given up by now, but Donghyuk was surprisingly prideful.
It seems he still wouldn't get to eat.
Of course, having some sense of pride was necessary. However, sometimes, it was okay to let go of that pride and quietly move on, depending on the situation. But for the seventeen-year-old Donghyuk, who hadn't experienced much in life, it seemed incredibly challenging.
Sihyun looked over at the overtly hostile Donghyuk. He let out a deep sigh before putting down his tray. In this type of atmosphere, even good food couldn't be enjoyed.
"I'll be off now."
Thinking that the innocent students gathered around them could end up getting caught in the middle, Sihyun made the decision to leave. Both Seowoo and Haru very naturally put down their plates and followed Sihyun out. Haru still had some noticeable separation anxiety, but when Sihyun asked why Seowoo had followed him as well, he replied with a smile.
"Just lost my appetite."
"But you haven't eaten all day."
"Ah, you remember?"
Of course he remembers. All morning he was trying to coax Sihyun into eating more, picking up this and that from the buffet. While he himself didn't eat a bite he still had the nerve to criticize Sihyun for his food habits.
He'd barely had any lunch yesterday and Sihyun didn't think he ate dinner either. At this rate he might be a fairy living off dew drops.
"You should eat anyways."
"You're not eating though."
"And that matters to you?"
"That's right."
"....."
Why would that be important. As soon as I send out a question it gets thrown back at me like a boomerang. No matter how you looked at it this guy wasn't normal. I shook my head as I pulled Haru along. Suddenly, there was a sound of a table being hit.
Kwang!
Sihyun turned around towards the noise.
"This fucking asshole."
Curses were thrown for no reason. As the cursing got worse and he had turned around, Sihyun realized three truths in that moment.
First, because of Kang Donghyuk's extremely prideful nature, he acts like there is no tomorrow.
Second, that type of person usually acts purely on instinct.
Thirdly, Kang Donghyuk's personality is unable to handle someone talking back to him without retaliating.
In short, he had been looking down on a dangerously strong personality. As Sihyun was realizing this, Kang Donghyuk, whose face was rapidly switching between red and blue, threw a knife right at him.