Chapter 6

– Do Seon-woo (200/200)

It was a perfect score.

Second place was Sung Hae-yeon, and third place was Bae Seong-hyun. Fourth to seventh place were all occupied by six out of the seven new student representatives.

"You said you didn't study, right? Weren't you going to choose number 2?"

"I said I would solve it. And it was just, really, good luck."

"Wow, no, still. A perfect score. Huh."

Koo Jun-hyuk laughed in disbelief.

Even Koo Jun-hyuk, who spoke like that, ranked 29th, which was still in the top tier. Before the exam, he had boasted that he would choose number 2, but it seemed he worked hard during the test.

If Rekba hadn't helped me, my score would have been lower than Koo Jun-hyuk's. I felt ashamed of myself for taking first place through unfair means. I didn't have the qualifications or the ability to be first.

"Ah, here it is. You found it, didn't you?"

Just as I was immersed in self-reproach and reflection, Jung In-a approached.

She was smiling brightly, looking very happy. Koo Jun-hyuk frowned deeply at the sight of her.

"Why do you look so happy? It's annoying."

"Quiet. Did everyone do well on the exam?"

Jung In-a ignored Koo Jun-hyuk's words and smiled, looking very pleased.

Koo Jun-hyuk still looked annoyed as he spoke.

"I ranked 29th."

"Oh~ You did well?"

"You. What rank did you get?"

"12th! I did well considering how much I studied. I was also lucky."

Jung In-a said it as if she were humming. 12th place was definitely in the top tier, and it made sense why she looked so happy.

"Do Seon-woo, what about you?"

"I did okay."

"Ah, right. You said you didn't know about the exam until the day of, right?"

Although I was first, it wasn't a score I could boast about. I was trying to brush it off, but Koo Jun-hyuk, who had been listening, snorted in disbelief and spoke.

"Hey, this guy got first. He said he didn't study."

"Oh, first~! ...First? Really?"

Jung In-a looked at the bulletin board in disbelief. At the top, it clearly read "1st Place: Do Seon-woo."

I felt embarrassed and lowered my head. Jung In-a was speechless.

"What do you mean by that? You said you were just lucky."

"Yeah, just lucky... Yeah..."

She still looked dazed, staring at the bulletin board. She seemed quite shocked.

"Traitor."

Then, she looked at me with a hurt expression.

"You said you didn't study! But first place? Perfect score?"

"No, this time it was really just luck."

"Luck, my foot."

Jung In-a huffed playfully. Koo Jun-hyuk watched the scene with amusement.

Not just Koo Jun-hyuk, but all the other students were looking at us. Their gazes were filled with admiration, envy, and jealousy.

"Let's go to the classroom for a bit."

It didn't seem like continuing the conversation here would be a good idea. The stares were uncomfortable.

* * *

"Did everyone do well on the diagnostic test? Our class did particularly well. 1st, 3rd, and 12th place. Three students in the top tier. I'm proud of you all."

After we went up to the classroom, not long after, Ha Ye-jin started the morning meeting. She talked a bit about the diagnostic test, announced a few things, and quickly left the classroom.

The classroom became noisy as soon as the homeroom teacher left. The source of the noise was undoubtedly Bae Seong-hyun. His friends—Bae Seong-hyun's gang—gathered around him, shouting, laughing, and making a mess of the study atmosphere.

Everyone found them annoying, but no one stepped forward. I was the same.

"Ugh, it's so noisy."

Jung In-a, who was studying, frowned and glared at the gang.

Unable to bear it, she finally stood up and was about to yell at the gang. I tried to stop her.

"Just ignore them."

Getting involved with such a low-quality group would only cause trouble. It was more reasonable to ignore them and focus on studying.

"Right, sigh."

Jung In-a took a deep breath to calm down.

* * *

After school, in a dim, secluded, and eerie alley.

A group of large men stood with one hand in their pockets, leaning on one leg, and smoking cigarettes. In the center, Bae Seong-hyun sat on a vent, puffing out smoke with a troubled expression.

"Ha."

He looked particularly unhappy today.

"What's wrong? Did something go wrong with her?"

"Nothing went wrong. I already had my way with her."

"Damn. In a week? Can you introduce me? Can I have the leftovers?"

"Can you with your face?"

The gang members exchanged low-level jokes, carefully gauging Bae Seong-hyun's mood.

Usually, Bae Seong-hyun would have chuckled and joined in the cheap conversation, but today he sat in silence, smoking with a dark expression. He looked very unhappy.

The gang members thought to themselves,

'Absolutely can't mess with him today...'

"Seong-hyun, you like it, right? 'Punch Machine.' Want to do it?"

So, the gang members came up with a way to cheer Bae Seong-hyun up.

By bringing in the 'Punch Machine.'

One of the gang members tried punching the 'Punch Machine's' chest.

Punch!

A dull sound was followed by a groan from the 'Punch Machine.' The 'Punch Machine' clutched his chest and slid to the ground.

"Hey, is this thing broken? Why isn't the score showing?"

"Hee...! E, eighty-nine points... sir..."

"Oh, 89 points, not bad."

Ha ha ha!

The gang members laughed wildly and lightly kicked the 'Punch Machine's' stomach.

The poor boy, who was playing the role of the 'Punch Machine,' curled up and trembled. He was the only one not laughing in the alley filled with raucous laughter.

'If this is the end, I'll be lucky.'

The gang members' punches weren't scary. Compared to Bae Seong-hyun, their punches were so weak they didn't even deserve to be called punches.

The problem was Bae Seong-hyun. Getting hit by Bae Seong-hyun was so painful that you couldn't eat properly for a whole day.

If you were unlucky enough to get a direct hit to the chest, it felt like your insides were all twisted and about to burst.

The boy wished he could just die. Then he wouldn't have to face Bae Seong-hyun's punches.

Imagining himself vomiting after being hit by Bae Seong-hyun, the boy slowly got up.

"Hey, get lost. I'm not doing it today."

The boy's face lit up at Bae Seong-hyun's words.

Bae Seong-hyun was so unhappy today that he didn't even have the energy to hit the 'Punch Machine.' It was good news. No need to face Bae Seong-hyun's punches! If only it could always be like this!

Just as he thought that, Bae Seong-hyun suddenly stood up from the vent.

"Ah, uh. S, sorry!"

The boy apologized reflexively, but Bae Seong-hyun wasn't paying attention to him.

His gaze was fixed on three students in Florence uniforms at the other end of the alley.

"Hey, you guys. Come here."

Bae Seong-hyun, with a cold and chilling smile, called them into the alley.

Do Seon-woo, Jung In-a, and Koo Jun-hyuk, who were walking home together, hesitantly entered the smoke-filled alley. Jung In-a coughed from the cigarette smoke.

Bae Seong-hyun smiled at them. It was a hypocritical and insincere smile that made you want to vomit just by looking at it.

"You guys are in my class, right? Is that correct?"

"Yeah, so what?"

Jung In-a said, pinching her nose. Her voice was nasal. Koo Jun-hyuk looked at Bae Seong-hyun up and down with a wary expression.

Do Seon-woo, seemingly without a care, was just observing the alley's scenery.

Bae Seong-hyun suddenly extended his hand to them. Specifically, to Do Seon-woo.

"Are you Do Seon-woo? I didn't call you here to start trouble, so don't worry. I just want to be friends."

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

This was a favorite maxim of Bae Seong-hyun, the son of a successful businessman.

Do Seon-woo was a potential threat to his position. His physical abilities were so exceptional that he could be called a genius.

Bae Seong-hyun was once called a genius, but Do Seon-woo's talent was on a completely different level, far beyond Bae Seong-hyun's.

Therefore, trying to control him was meaningless. A genius overcomes numerous trials and control to stand at the top, which is why they are called geniuses.

Bae Seong-hyun wanted to be friends with Do Seon-woo before trying to control him. More precisely, he wanted to bring Do Seon-woo under his command before his talent fully blossomed.

"Ah, really? That's good."

Fortunately, Do Seon-woo accepted Bae Seong-hyun's handshake. His grip was indeed strong, even overpowering Bae Seong-hyun, who was blessed with incredible strength.

"But why is he still lying there? Is he hurt?"

After shaking hands, Do Seon-woo looked at the boy on the ground and asked.

The boy was still curled up on the ground, trembling. Bae Seong-hyun kicked his head.

"Friend. We were just playing. Want to join? He has an amazing talent."

Bae Seong-hyun signaled with his eyes, and the boy, like a dog, got down on all fours and started barking. It sounded so real, like a real dog.

Jung In-a took a few steps back, shocked. Koo Jun-hyuk frowned in disgust.

"What do you think? Doesn't he sound like a real dog?"

"Yeah, but."

Do Seon-woo continued, seemingly unfazed by the scene.

"Seeing you still play like this, it's a bit... childish and pathetic. Just saying."

Then, he glanced at Bae Seong-hyun with a calm smile. Bae Seong-hyun's face hardened.

Childish? Pathetic? Me?

Bae Seong-hyun tried to smile but his lips only trembled uncontrollably, and he couldn't manage a smile.

Noticing Bae Seong-hyun's rapidly deteriorating expression, the gang members tensed up and approached Do Seon-woo.

"Hey, pathetic? Are you crazy?"

"Showing off because you got a girl, huh?"

The atmosphere was tense, as if a fight was about to break out.

In that tense situation, Do Seon-woo remained calm and smiled.

"Hey. That's enough."

Bae Seong-hyun stopped the fight.

'Even if I cover for Koo Jun-hyuk, I can't handle Do Seon-woo. Just from the handshake...'

The pressure from Do Seon-woo's handshake still lingered in his hand. Moreover, Do Seon-woo was smiling even in this situation, indicating he was confident he could win a fight easily.

"I'm sorry for holding you up on the way home. See you at school."

"Yeah, got it. By the way, smoking is bad for your health, you know?"

"...Yeah, I'll quit. I have to."

Do Seon-woo rubbed Bae Seong-hyun's nerves with his innocent and calm face. From his expression, it didn't seem intentional, which made Bae Seong-hyun even angrier and more frustrated.

As the three of them left the alley, the gang members approached Bae Seong-hyun.

"Hey, what's with those guys? What gives them the right to call us pathetic and make dog sounds, damn it. It's annoying."

"What do they have to be confident enough to say that? They look like they'd fall over with one punch."

Bae Seong-hyun, who had been silently listening to the gang members, had a vein pulsing on his forehead.

"Hey. Shut up."

When Bae Seong-hyun spoke, the gang members immediately shut up. Bae Seong-hyun sighed deeply, looking frustrated.

"Ha... I want to kill them. Damn, really..."

Not only did Do Seon-woo threaten him in the physical test, but he also got first place in the diagnostic test. And now, this unwarranted sense of justice and meddlesomeness.

The inferiority complex that had been dormant in Bae Seong-hyun's heart gradually grew stronger.

Meanwhile, the boy who had been trembling on the ground thought to himself,

'I'm envious.'

The confidence to stand up to Bae Seong-hyun without flinching. The courage not to bow to power.

He envied Do Seon-woo for having those qualities. I hope I can be like that someday. The boy vaguely hoped.

(To be continued)