The next few days were a blur. The events of the confrontation with Kyung-Ho had finally settled in the back of Jiro's mind but the aftereffects were making themselves known. He felt the shift in the air around him; something was different. Something had snapped.
When he had ducked Kyung-Ho's attack in the alleyway, it had just been instinct. He had never been in a fight before, and never had any reason to. But for the first time in his life, he was in charge of the situation. He could feel the movements before they happened, his mind processing the smallest shifts in the air, in the tension of his surroundings. It was like seeing strings that tied everything together and pulling them in whatever direction he wanted.
He had done it. He had defied Kyung-Ho, the school's untouchable ruler. And the taste of that victory was. exhilarating.
But the consequences were coming.
The next morning, as Jiro walked through the school gates, he felt the weight of a hundred eyes on him. The whispers had started. He could hear fragments of conversations as he passed by students in the halls.
"Did you hear? Han… he got Kyung-Ho to back off."
"I heard he almost knocked him down."
"No way. That kid? The one who always stays quiet?"
Jiro's head remained low, his hands thrust into his pockets, as he sought to disregard the increasing tension in the air. He had sensed this coming along. Kyung-Ho wasn't the type of person who would let such a minor defeat go unchecked. The bully's pride had been wounded, and pride is a dangerous thing.
As he walked to his first class, Jiro noticed something odd. Students who normally ignored him—who didn't even spare him a glance—were now looking at him with something different. Curiosity. Caution. Some of them even nodded at him as he passed. It wasn't warmth, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it was acknowledgement. For the first time, Jiro wasn't invisible.
That feeling, the one he had when he was in control of the situation, crept back into his chest, making him stand just a little taller. He could feel it again his ability, his Perception Field. It pulsed gently, almost like a heartbeat. It was there, always present, and Jiro was beginning to realize just how much he had underestimated its power.
The bell rang, and the students filed in. Jiro sat, trying not to attract any more attention than was already directed his way. He wasn't afraid-he'd shown he could keep up, but he wasn't looking for trouble. Not now. He wasn't ready for whatever storm was brewing.
As the teacher started the lesson, Jiro struggled to keep his attention, but his thoughts wandered around. It was as if the world was vibrating all around him; every motion was amplified with his enhanced awareness. He could hear the faint humming of the fluorescent lights above him. He could feel the minute tremors of the floor beneath his feet. Everything around him seemed alive in a way that it had never been before.
Then he felt it.
A gaze. A sharp, calculating stare that seemed to pierce straight through him.
Jiro looked up instinctively. His eyes scanned the classroom until they landed on the source. A girl. A girl he had never seen before, sitting in the second row, her eyes locked on him with unnerving intensity.
She was unlike them. She did not look at him with pity, disdain, or fear. She seemed. fascinated. As if she knew something about him that he did not understand.
Jiro's heartbeat quickened. He felt the weight of her eyes on his chest. She didn't blink. She didn't turn away. She just watched him with an unreadable expression.
For a moment, he was frozen. Something about her felt. dangerous. Not in the way Kyung-Ho felt dangerous, not in the raw physical sense, but in a way that made Jiro's instincts scream at him. This girl was no ordinary student. There was something different about her.
Just as he could ponder about it further, the bell went off, indicating that it was time to go out. The students slowly get out of the class room, but the girl never budged. She didn't move, even if her eyes were glued onto him.
Jiro turned around, taking his bag, but just before getting out, he heard the voice.
"Jiro Han." It was very soft, but with that tone, there was something unmistakable about it.
He froze, his hand still holding onto the strap of his bag. He slowly turned around to face her. The girl was now standing and was walking towards him, each step purposeful. She did not look away from him.
"Yeah?" Jiro's voice was neutral, though inside his heart was racing. He did not know what to expect.
The girl stopped a few feet away from him. She was tall, with long black hair that cascaded down her back, her uniform fitting her perfectly. She had an air of confidence about her, and her eyes those piercing, dark eyes held a depth that Jiro couldn't quite place. She wasn't just pretty there was something more to her, something unsettling.
"I've been watching you," she said, her tone unflinching. "You're different."
Jiro blinked, caught off guard by her words. "I don't know what you mean."
Her lips curled into a faint smile, but it wasn't warm. It was. knowing. "I think you do."
Before Jiro could say a word, she spun on her heel and walked away, disappearing into the crowd of students flooding the hallways. The encounter left him standing there, feeling more unsettled than ever. He didn't understand. What was that about? Who was she?
Jiro's mind was in an uproar as he walked home. The conversation with the girl in class was still fresh in his mind. What had she meant by "different"? He didn't feel any different. Sure, his Perception Field was becoming more apparent, but that didn't mean he was special. He was still the same quiet, invisible guy he had always been.
As he turned the corner near his house, he noticed something. A figure stood in the alleyway, keeping an eye on him.
Jiro froze.
It was Kyung-Ho. But this time, he wasn't alone. Two of Kyung-Ho's minions stood behind him, blocking the way. The air felt heavy with hostility.
Jiro's mind raced. This was it. The confrontation he had been expecting. He could feel the tension rising in the air like a storm about to break. Kyung-Ho's eyes were filled with malice, his stance aggressive.
"You think you're special now, huh?" Kyung-Ho sneered. "What happened the other day it was a fluke. But don't get it twisted. You're not untouchable. You'll never be on my level."
Jiro didn't say anything. He could feel his Perception Field expanding, the edges of his awareness sharpening, and he began to analyze the situation. He could see their movements, feel their intent.
Kyung-Ho lunged, but Jiro had already anticipated it. He sidestepped with ease, his body moving almost automatically, like he had done this a thousand times before. Kyung-Ho missed, his punch narrowly avoiding Jiro's face.
The first flunky came at him next, swinging a fist toward his ribs. Jiro twisted his body, dodging the punch and grabbing the flunky's wrist with ease. The other flunky tried to charge in, but Jiro was too fast, too aware of their movements. In seconds, the two flunkies were on the ground, groaning in pain.
Kyung-Ho's face contorted in anger. "This isn't over, Han. You think you've won? You're just a freak. A nobody who got lucky. But mark my words—no one messes with me."
Jiro didn't say anything. He didn't have to. He just turned and walked away, leaving the beaten lackeys and the fuming Kyung-Ho behind.
As he walked, he felt a strange calm wash over him. The Perception Field had done its job. He had been in control, and it had felt good.
But even as he savored the moment, something in the back of his mind told him that this was only the beginning. The ripple effects of his actions had started to spread, and the consequences were only just beginning to unfold.