Chapter 7

7. The Age to Grow Through Fighting

"Wow, you really are abnormal. It's already the second semester, and you're asking for my name? Well, whatever. I'm Min Seoyeon. My name is Min Seoyeon. So what?"

"Min. Seo. Yeon..."

Jinhyuk knew that it was impossible for the past Seomyeong to be here now.

But it was only now, after hearing the girl's name, that this extremely rational thought surfaced in his mind.

Even if we set aside the one-year age difference, Seomyeong was... not Korean.

'Are you from North Korea?'

At their first meeting, Seomyeong asked.

Seomyeong, who had been a flower beggar in North Korea, fled due to hunger.

After nearly two years of wandering and hiding across China, she ended up in an area known as the Golden Triangle.

The Golden Triangle, where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet, was notorious as the base of the drug lord Khun Sa, who had an army of 20,000 and even possessed missiles. It had been about ten years since Khun Sa surrendered to the government.

At the time, the Golden Triangle was not as notorious as it once was, but guerrilla wars for control of the drug routes still raged behind the scenes.

The mercenary training camp, established during the intense wars of the 1990s, still remained.

It was there that Seomyeong, wandering around, was discovered by the mercenaries.

Jinhyuk, who thought he had lived a rather rough life for his age, realized that Seomyeong's life was incomparable.

So, Seomyeong was already a fierce warrior, full of determination, from the training camp.

But just because the girl in front of him wasn't the past Seomyeong, it didn't mean the end.

After all, there was no law that said the miracle that happened to him couldn't happen to Seomyeong.

Just as the name Woo Jinhyuk connected his past life, perhaps Seomyeong's appearance was connected as well. Otherwise, how could they look so alike?

"Woo Jinhyuk. My name."

Jinhyuk said his name, focusing on the girl's facial expressions.

"Well, well. Do I look familiar? I know the names of the kids in my class."

But Seoyeon showed no reaction to the name.

What am I expecting right now?

Trying to erase the thought, Jinhyuk was clinging to a thin thread of hope.

"Have you heard of James?"

"James? Which James?"

"James Miller."

Seoyeon seemed to think for a moment before answering.

"I don't know him."

He felt deflated.

What if I fell back a bit further in time, and that's why the name Woo Jinhyuk was already familiar to her...

But there was no reaction to James' name either. That meant this girl had no connection to Seomyeong.

"Who is he?"

"Never mind."

Jinhyuk had nothing more to say. He should just leave.

But Min Seoyeon's face, so similar to Seomyeong's, was hindering his steps.

While Jinhyuk hesitated, Seoyeon spoke.

"Is that it?"

"..."

"Is that all you came to say?"

Seoyeon looked bewildered.

"Wow, what's wrong with you? You make such a big fuss and that's it?"

"What more could there be?"

Seoyeon burst into a hollow laugh, seemingly genuinely exasperated.

"Hey, you know. Usually, when someone makes such a dramatic entrance, they'd confess or something."

"..."

"Or if you were going to confess but lost your nerve, now's your chance. I'm starting to find you a bit interesting."

One of Jinhyuk's eyebrows twitched.

'Bro, do you like me?'

'Don't be ridiculous.'

'But why are you being so nice?'

Seomyeong wasn't just a girl; she was family, a younger sister he needed to protect.

In his past life, Jinhyuk never intended to deviate from the relationship he defined with Seomyeong.

"Don't be ridiculous."

As he said this and turned to leave, the children flooded out of the classroom. Among them was Do Minwoo.

"Jinhyuk, the opening ceremony. We need to go to the auditorium."

Do Minwoo glanced at Min Seoyeon and led Jinhyuk to the auditorium.

Min Seoyeon watched Jinhyuk's back as he left.

"... James?"

Muttering the name, Seoyeon finally moved after Jinhyuk's back disappeared among the children.

***

It's long.

The principal, who hadn't seen the students in a while, seemed to have a lot to say.

"Um—so, lastly..."

This "lastly" was already the umpteenth "lastly."

"Dismissed."

The lecture finally ended. The children, who had just finished their homework, cheered with thunderous applause.

The principal, misunderstanding the meaning of the applause, was very satisfied.

Life, it seems, is about enduring even meaningless things. Jinhyuk tried to recall the sense of his past life.

When he returned to the classroom and sat down, Jang Seokhwan, who was sitting behind him, tapped Jinhyuk's back. Turning around, Jinhyuk heard Jang Seokhwan whisper.

"Hey, come to the rooftop after school. Don't bring anyone and don't try to run. You'll regret it."

Ha, life... even troublesome kids need to endure.

Is it not past the age to grow through fighting?

Jinhyuk shook his head.

Things started off a bit tiring, and the principal's lecture was boring, but it wasn't all bad.

During class.

High school studies, which Jinhyuk once wanted to do so much. Jinhyuk genuinely enjoyed studying.

Even on the chaotic first day of school, Jinhyuk was fully engaged in the class.

3rd period. Math.

The math teacher, true to his subject, was giving a strict and inflexible lesson despite it being the first day of school.

Sighs could be heard from all over, but he paid no attention.

"You guys. Just because it's summer break doesn't mean you really took it easy, right?"

The math teacher quickly wrote a problem on the top of the board.

"Of course, you remember what we learned at the end of last semester, right? Who wants to come up and solve it?"

Wherever the math teacher's gaze fell, the students' eyes scattered like a bomb had dropped.

"Hey, did we learn that?"

"Man, is that a question? Do you think I can answer that? What do you take me for?"

The math teacher's lips twisted at the students' attitude.

"You brats. No one's coming up, huh? Alright, let's see. Girl, number 10, come up."

"Sure!"

"Come up and solve it. If you can't, you'll have a lot of homework from the start of the semester."

A girl stood up and walked to the board.

Her hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and she had a tidy appearance. Her face said, "I'm a model student." Her name was Kim Minyoung, the class president.

"Phew—"

"Minyoung, you're saved."

1st grade, 3rd class, the perennial top student. Kim Minyoung, who scored full marks in all math tests in the first semester.

The students' faces brightened, and the math teacher's face, which had chosen the wrong opponent, frowned. But his lips soon twisted again.

"One more boy needs to come up. Boy, number 12, come up."

No one stood up.

"Boy, number 12. Not here?"

The math teacher, frustrated by the lack of response, repeated the number.

"Boy, number 12, where are you? Woo Jinhyuk. Is Woo Jinhyuk here?"

The moment the math teacher called out the name after checking the attendance list, Jinhyuk jumped up from his seat.

"Here I am."

What's this? Do Minwoo, why didn't you tell me sooner?

But. Do Minwoo's unmoving back. Jinhyuk was sure. The kid was sleeping with his eyes open.

Woo Jinhyuk walked forward. The children's faces were filled with despair.

Of all people, Jinhyuk?

He was a kid who had nothing to do with studying. Now, all that's left is a homework bomb.

"Good. Not focused from the first day of school. How good are you? If you can't solve it, take your chair and go to the hallway."

The math teacher's face brightened, opposite to the students. Indeed, probability doesn't betray.

But the math teacher didn't know one thing. Miracles can't be calculated by probability.

Thud. Thud. Tap.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Jinhyuk stood in front of the board. The class president was busy solving the problem, which was quite difficult.

Swoosh.

Jinhyuk picked up the chalk.

Tap. Tap.

Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap.

Jinhyuk wrote the equations without hesitation. He didn't know his number, but he knew the math problem on the board.

"Wow—"

The students involuntarily opened their mouths wide. Their eyes couldn't leave Jinhyuk's moving hand.

Of course, few students knew if he was solving it correctly. But the fact that he could write such complex equations so quickly was enough to be amazed.

Tap.

Jinhyuk's hand, which had moved without hesitation, stopped. It was the moment he wrote the final answer.

Jinhyuk slowly put down the chalk.

The math teacher, who was watching with wide eyes, and the students behind him, who were even more surprised.

Especially Kim Minyoung, who was solving the problem next to him, looked shocked.

She and Jinhyuk were not comparable in math.

But. He already solved it?

At first glance, the process seemed accurate. The answer... she wasn't sure yet.

Kim Minyoung bit her lip and finished the remaining process, putting down the chalk after about a minute.

A moment of silence.

"Ahem."

The math teacher's awkward cough echoed in the classroom.

"You both did well. Good job."

"Wow—"

The students' admiration. This was clearly directed at Jinhyuk. As Jinhyuk returned to his seat, the children's surprised eyes followed him.

Jinhyuk sat down as if nothing had happened.

The math teacher tilted his head.

He couldn't have missed a student with good grades. But Jinhyuk was a student he had no memory of.

***

"Dismissed. Don't do anything silly on the first day of school and go home right away. Understand?"

"Yes!"

With Mr. Jeong's final words, the assembly ended.

The shortened classes on the first day of school were a silver lining for other students but a bit disappointing for Jinhyuk.

As Mr. Jeong left, Jang Seokhwan nodded at Jinhyuk and left the classroom first.

The clueless Do Minwoo approached Jinhyuk with an innocent face.

"Let's go, Jinhyuk! I'll buy you a hamburger today."

Hamburger. Hamburgers after school were always a part of the truth.

The mercenaries' hamburgers were a bit different from those of civilian chain stores.

"I'll go to the bathroom for a bit. Wait here."

"Oh, sure. Go ahead."

"Ah, by the way, get a big one."

"Got it. Come back quickly."

Jinhyuk turned and smiled.

You won't know. A bit bigger.

***

"Hey, Seokhwan. Do we really need to gather so many people?"

"Do Minwoo is a friend. If he comes, it'll be a headache."

"Shit. Even if Do Minwoo comes, it's no big deal. You grab Do Minwoo, and I'll take care of that scrawny kid, and it's over."

'Is this kid trying to mess with me?'

Jang Seokhwan frowned. The only person he couldn't beat one-on-one in this school was Do Minwoo.

If not on the same team, he wanted to punch that kid's face.

Of course, not being able to win one-on-one didn't mean he couldn't win at all.

Jang Seokhwan had no such stubbornness that he had to win one-on-one.

He brought his gang and beat Do Minwoo up thoroughly.

Of course, Do Minwoo didn't bow to Jang Seokhwan, but he didn't interfere in his affairs unless absolutely necessary.

And today, it was the first time in a while that the kid was getting involved.

'Do Minwoo will come, right?'

If only Jinhyuk came, it would be embarrassing to have so many people. His eyes were definitely suspicious.

But if Jinhyuk wasn't a fool, he wouldn't come alone.

However.

He came. The kid. Alone.

Jang Seokhwan slowly stood up to meet Jinhyuk, who opened the rooftop door and walked in.

"Did you come alone?"

"As you can see."

What? This naive? Or is he crazy?

Jang Seokhwan was momentarily confused.

"I don't have time. What's the matter?"

"Ha, this kid. What makes you so confident? Get down, kid."

Jinhyuk smiled.

"I don't want to."

Normally, at this point, Jang Seokhwan's fist should have already flown towards the opponent's face.

But.

Jang Seokhwan couldn't shake off a strange feeling.

"Ah, damn. You're so stiff. Seokhwan, let me handle this."

One of the guys stepped forward. It was fortunate for Jang Seokhwan.

"Hey, you. Do we look like pushovers? Ha! Come here. Let's start with a punch."

The guy, who was quite large, scowled.

Jinhyuk, who had been watching the guy, slightly tilted his head.

"I'll give you a chance. You can stop and leave now. I don't want to fight you guys. But if you insist on fighting..."

Jinhyuk said with a blank face.

"Come at me all at once. I don't have time."