As the three of them walked off laughing, Woo-hyun quietly pulled out his phone and made a call.
The line connected.
Woo-hyun lowered his voice and told the person on the other end what he had just heard.
"Yes, Minsu hyung… does Hyorim have a boyfriend?"
There was a brief pause.
"Boyfriend?"
Woo-hyun continued, frowning.
"Some random guys I've never even seen before were going around saying they're Hyorim's boyfriend… bragging about getting her into bed and stuff. Should I go deal with them?"
Seol Minsu was standing in a narrow alley with his friends when the call came holding the phone near his ear his expression unreadable.
A little later.
At Naguk Middle School, Seol Hyorim and her friends were gathered outside.
Giryang had just walked up and asked her to grab lunch with him.
Her group of friends watched them with mixed reactions.
"Is that guy Seol Hyorim's boyfriend?"
"Yeah… isn't that kind of a waste?"
"Well…"
Seol Hyorim suddenly turned toward her friends and raised her voice cheerfully.
"Who wants to go get tteokbokki together?!"
Irina laughed.
"Forget it, you two go eat!"
Park Dong rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"This is so awkward… can we just move on already?"
Chulgyu placed a cigarette between his lips.
"Let's just go already."
Heejun glanced at Park Dong.
"Park Dong, Chulgyu and I are going to play pool."
Park Dong waved lazily.
"Okay, see you Monday."
Just then a blue scooter rolled to a stop near the pedestrian crossing.
Jisung noticed it first.
His face instantly went pale.
"H-hey… hey!"
Daegyu started sweating too.
"Why is Minsu hyung here?!"
"Did we do something wrong?!"
"Hide the cigarettes!"
Seol Hyorim turned around in shock.
"W-what?!"
Meanwhile Giryang looked confused.
Seolhyo blinked when she saw him.
"Oppa…? Why are you here?!"
Seol Minsu ignored her question completely.
He pointed straight at Giryang.
"Is this bastard your boyfriend?"
Giryang frowned.
"…Yeah, I am. Who are you to talk like.."
Seol Minsu lifted his arm behind him, his hand spread open.
-
Back at present.
Minsu's hand moved so fast it was barely visible.
His open palm slammed into Giryang's face.
The force sent him crashing backward onto the ground.
"ACK!! GAHH!!"
"You fucking bastard," Minsu snarled.
Another slap.
Another hit.
"AAAH!! AAGH!!"
Seojin helped Seolhyo to her feet.
Her eyes were glossy, tears gathering at the corners.
Her voice was barely audible.
"…I'm sorry… because of me…"
Seojin closed his eyes briefly as he felt her trembling hands.
He let out a deep sigh.
Seolhyo turned back toward the scene.
Her brother was still beating Giryang mercilessly.
Her heart pounded wildly in her chest.
"Still haven't learned your lesson?" Minsu said coldly.
"Crawling back again?"
Giryang curled up on the ground, arms covering his head.
"S-sorry… I'm sorry!!"
His thoughts spiraled in panic.
I-I'm going to die for real…!!
This bastard is going to kill me…!!
Someone help!!
"You're not getting away so easily this time," Minsu said.
Suddenly
Seolhyo hurled her slider phone.
It struck the wall right in front of Minsu with a loud crack before falling to the ground, its screen instantly spider-webbed with deep cracks.
She stood there heaving, shaking with anger and frustration.
"Everything just pisses me off… you fuckers…!!"
Her voice broke.
"Do whatever you want! I don't care anymore if you beat someone up or end up in jail!"
Tears streamed down her face as she turned away.
"SCREW THIS MESSED-UP HOME!! I'M LEAVING THIS PLACE!!"
She ran.
Seojin tried to grab her wrist but missed.
"Seolhyo!"
Minsu turned his head and shouted after her.
"Hey!! Seol Hyorim!!"
Seolhyo ran into the street, her vision blurring with tears.
Her thoughts spiraled wildly.
…Yeah.
Maybe it'd be better if I just disappeared.
I'll…
-
Choi Giryang staggered through a narrow alley, one hand pressed against the wall to keep himself upright.
Each step dragged and breathing hurt.
As he reached the sidewalk, a couple nearby was chatting casually.
"What, me? Tsk… I've won a 3-on-1 fight back in high school," the guy said with a smug smirk.
The girl laughed, holding onto his arm.
"HAHA, I'll believe you this time just because you're cute!"
Skk-rch.
They heard something from the alley.
Both of them turned and jolted.
The girl immediately covered her mouth.
"KYAA!!"
The guy flinched and instinctively pulled his hands out of his pockets, placing one on her shoulder as he ducked slightly behind her.
"AAAACK!!"
Standing there was Giryang.
His face was swollen like a balloon, lips split and bleeding, cuts scattered across his skin, and his nose bent unnaturally to one side.
"GRRRGHH…"
"A-a zombie…?!" the girl whispered in horror.
"Did he fight seven guys or something?!" the guy added, equally shaken.
Without another word, the couple hurried away, fear written all over their faces half-expecting whoever did this to come chasing after him next.
Giryang slowly turned his head toward a convex mirror by the street.
He stared at his reflection.
His body swayed.
Feels like my whole body is broken…
His gaze lingered on his eyes.
Unharmed.
Out of place compared to the rest of his battered face.
A small, bitter relief flickered within him.
At least… I protected my eyes.
He exhaled shakily.
I was lucky… I got away while they were distracted by Hyorim…
The memory of those two flashed in his mind.
His body began to tremble.
I was so scared…
Do I even have a chance to get near Hyorim at this rate…?
If not her brother…
hen her boyfriend might really kill me.
He resumed walking, limping forward.
Should I report it…?
If I'm giving up on her… I should at least make her brother suffer…
He hesitated.
But…
what if her boyfriend comes after me because of that…?
A single tear slipped down his face.
-
Meanwhile, Seol Minsu and Seojin walked down the street, a few steps apart.
Neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of their footsteps filled the heavy silence between them.
Seojin could feel it the pressure of Minsu's presence, the occasional glance that felt more like a glare.
He finally let out a small breath.
"Uh… hyung, I think I'll go look for Seolhyo somewhere else."
Minsu glanced at him, taking a slow drag from his cigarette before speaking.
"Call me. So I'll have your number."
Seojin immediately pulled out his phone.
Minsu recited his number, and Seojin dialed it without hesitation.
Minsu's phone vibrated.
He glanced at it briefly, then took another drag before exhaling.
"Call me when you find her."
Seojin nodded.
He then lifted Seolhyo's bag and her cracked phone slightly.
"Do I take these with me, or…?"
Minsu took them without a word, his expression unreadable.
The cracked phone screen faintly reflected his face.
Just as Seojin turned to leave, he paused for a moment.
Then, quietly
"Hyung… protecting her wasn't wrong. But too much can do more harm than good."
Minsu didn't respond.
He only watched Seojin walk away toward another street.
But his hand tightened slightly around the strap of Seolhyo's bag.
Seojin headed toward the sauna where he knew she would go.
Behind him, Seol Minsu stood still under the streetlight, watching his figure disappear into the distance.
After a while, he turned and walked home slowly, carrying his sister's bag and broken phone in one hand, the cigarette in the other slowly burning out.
Meanwhile, at the public basketball court, Suwon was dribbling lazily when he spotted someone approaching from the other side.
"Jinkyung! Over here!" he called, waving.
"Oh, Suwon," she greeted with a small smile as she walked toward him.
"You're working out here? Do you live in this apartment?"
Suwon shook his head with a grin.
"Nah, I just use the facilities, hehe. No one's here at this hour anyway."
As she got closer, he took a moment to look at her.
An all-pink sweatshirt with the hood up.
Matching pink sweatpants.
He blinked.
Did she… dress up a little today?
"What about Seojin?" Jinkyung asked, stretching her arms.
Suwon shrugged.
"He should be here around this time… maybe he's not coming."
Jinkyung's face flushed slightly.
"W-what about Oh Inho?"