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Chapter 04
어느 평범한 고등학교의 아침 시간.
It was a morning at an ordinary high school.
“야! 이동규.”
“빨리 안 튀어와!”
“새끼! 느려터져 가지고. 빨리 오라고!”
“Hey! Lee Dong-gyu!”
“Hurry up and get over here!”
“You idiot! Why are you so slow? Move!”
But the conversation between the students was far from ordinary.
“어… 어… 지금 가…고 있어.”
“Uh… I… I’m coming…”
With his head lowered, Dong-gyu walked toward the back of the classroom.
His expression looked like a cow being dragged to a slaughterhouse.
“기어 오냐? 빨리 오라고, 병신아!”
“저 새끼 표정 봐. 쫄아가지고. 졸라 웃겨.”
“진짜 노답 아니냐? 어쩜 저렇게 찐따 같냐.”
“Are you crawling or what? Hurry up, idiot!”
“Look at his face. He’s scared to death. So funny.”
“Seriously hopeless. How can someone be such a loser?”
“아-우, 그냥 보기만 해도 짜증 나.”
“하하하. 하하.”
“If I were him, I’d just die. Why does he live like that?”
The students laughed and mocked him without a single hint of guilt.
But among them, one boy simply stared at Dong-gyu with cold eyes, without laughing.
Is he angry?
Right now Dong-gyu couldn’t see the other students.
Only one person.
Min-jun.
The first words that came out of Min-jun’s mouth would decide how Dong-gyu’s day at school would go.
Well… not really.
It was only the difference between getting cursed at during morning assembly or after the first class.
“사 왔어?”
“Did you buy it?”
That was Min-jun’s first question.
“민준아. 정말 미안한데 못… 사 왔어. 아니, 그런데… 내가 왜 못 사 왔냐 하면은…”
“Min-jun… I’m really sorry, but I couldn’t buy it. The reason is—”
“못 사와?”
“You couldn’t?”
Min-jun shouted before Dong-gyu could finish speaking.
The classroom echoed with his voice.
I’m screwed.
Today Min-jun looked especially sensitive.
Dong-gyu felt his vision go dark thinking about how he would survive the day.
“I mean… I… uh…”
Under Min-jun’s murderous stare, Dong-gyu couldn’t even finish his sentence.
“병신아. 더듬지 말고 말 똑바로 하라고!”
“Idiot. Stop stuttering and speak properly!”
One of the boys nearby shoved Dong-gyu’s shoulder.
“미안해.”
“Sorry.”
Dong-gyu lowered his head automatically.
He didn’t even know why he was apologizing.
He had done nothing wrong.
But his body was already used to this situation.
“이 새끼는 맨날 미안하대. 미안— 미안해— 하하하.”
“He always says sorry. S-sorry— sorry— hahaha!”
The students mocked him again.
Every action of Dong-gyu was just another reason to laugh.
“야. 시끄러워!”
“Hey. Shut up!”
With that single irritated command from Min-jun, the laughter instantly stopped.
Min-jun was the only son of a powerful business family, and his mother was the chairwoman of the school board.
Even teachers and the principal watched his mood carefully.
“내가 말하라고 하기 전까지 한 마디도 하지 마.”
“Don’t say a single word until I tell you to.”
Min-jun pointed at the other students.
He stood at the top of the school’s food chain.
Inside the school, he had already built his own little kingdom.
“동규야.”
“Dong-gyu.”
Suddenly Min-jun spoke in a gentle voice.
“어… 어.”
“Uh… yeah.”
Why was he suddenly acting like this?
“내 친구 이동규 씨!”
“My friend, Lee Dong-gyu!”
Dong-gyu felt terrified.
“너 내 친구지?”
“You’re my friend, right?”
Friend?
Since when did the word friend mean hitting someone, insulting them, stealing their money, and forcing them to run errands?
“…어.”
“…Yeah.”
That was the only answer he could give.
“그럼 친구 사이에는 부탁 같은 것도 들어줄 수 있는 거잖아, 그치?”
“Then friends can do favors for each other, right?”
“…어.”
“…Yeah.”
Maybe Min-jun’s mood had improved?
There were rumors he was receiving treatment for bipolar disorder because of stress from his strict mother.
Maybe that explained this strange behavior.
“그럼 내 부탁을 들어줬어야지. 담배 하나 사 오는 게 뭐가 힘들다고.”
“Then you should’ve done my favor. What’s so hard about buying a pack of cigarettes?”
“아니, 내가 사 오려고 갔는데… 그 가게가 애들한테 담배 팔다 걸려서…”
“I tried to buy it, but the store got caught selling cigarettes to minors…”
But the calmer Min-jun acted, the more terrified Dong-gyu became.
This felt like the calm before a storm.
“문을 닫았다? 그래서 못 구했다….”
“So the store closed… and you couldn’t get it…”
Min-jun stared silently.
The short silence felt like torture to Dong-gyu.
THUD!
A heavy sound broke the silence.
“Ah!”
Dong-gyu cried out as Min-jun slapped the back of his head hard.
“동규야. 이런 작은 부탁 하나 안 들어주면 어떻게 우리가 친구라고 할 수 있겠어?”
“Dong-gyu, if you can’t even do a small favor like this, how can we call ourselves friends?”
Min-jun smiled again as if nothing happened and wrapped an arm around Dong-gyu’s shoulders.
Dong-gyu felt like a mouse trapped in a cage.
There was no escape.
“그래서 나도 어떻게든 사보려고 여기저기 알아…”
“So I tried asking around to buy—”
“아 씨발! 너 내가 그런 표정 짓지 말라고 했지!”
“Hey! Didn’t I tell you not to make that face?!”
Min-jun suddenly exploded again.
“누가 보면 내가 너 괴롭히는 것 같잖아!”
“Someone might think I’m bullying you!”
“민준아, 미안…”
“Min-jun… sorry…”
It had begun.
The storm he couldn’t avoid.
Since entering school, Dong-gyu’s life had been an endless cycle like a Möbius strip.
Help me.
He looked desperately at his classmates.
But their eyes were cold and indifferent.
Perhaps it wasn’t indifference.
Perhaps it was fear.
If they stepped in, they might become the next target.
No one would help Dong-gyu.
No one.
“안 되겠다. 너 따라와.”
“Alright. Come with me.”
Min-jun grabbed Dong-gyu by the collar and started dragging him out.
Just then—
“야, 김민준! 너 그 손 안 놔!”
“Hey, Kim Min-jun! Let go of him!”
A girl’s sharp voice stopped him.
“김민준, 너 계속 동규 괴롭힐 거야? 나 학폭으로 신고한다.”
“Kim Min-jun, are you seriously going to keep bullying him? I’ll report you for school violence.”
It was Jia, the class president.
Her eyes were fierce and determined.
Unlike the other students, she stood directly against Min-jun.
Even Min-jun couldn’t completely ignore her because she also came from a powerful family.
“학폭이라니. 지금 그냥 동규랑 장난치는 거잖아.”
“School violence? I’m just joking with Dong-gyu.”
“헛소리하지 마.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Min-jun released Dong-gyu’s collar with a sly smile.
“야, 네가 말 좀 해봐.”
“Hey, you tell her.”
He pressed Dong-gyu’s shoulder.
“너 때문에 지아한테 괜히 나만 나쁜 놈으로 오해받잖아.”
“You’re making Jia misunderstand me.”
“…어… 맞아. 장난친 거야.”
“…Yeah. We were just joking.”
The word No reached Dong-gyu’s throat.
But a different answer came out.
He knew what would happen if he told the truth.
“봐. 맞잖아.”
“See? I told you.”
Min-jun grinned proudly.
“재수 없어.”
“Disgusting.”
No one believed him.
Just then—
The classroom door slid open.
A strict-looking homeroom teacher in his late forties walked in.
“거기 뒤에 노닥거리지 말고 빨리 자리에 앉아.”
“Stop fooling around in the back and sit down.”
“Tomorrow is the sports festival and school fair, so listen carefully.”
The teacher quickly separated the three students.
He had already guessed what happened.
But he pretended not to know.
Recently he had seen another teacher forced to kneel and apologize to Min-jun’s mother for scolding him.
He didn’t want that humiliation.
“네.”
“Yes.”
Min-jun answered louder than anyone.
Then he coldly stared at Dong-gyu across the classroom.
It was a long day.
Or rather, it was terrifying because nothing happened.
“자, 그럼 축제 준비 잘하도록.”
“Make sure you prepare properly for the festival.”
After the teacher left, the students rushed out of the classroom.
Actually…
They were escaping.
They all knew what would happen next.
Dong-gyu remained seated alone.
Soon Min-jun and several boys returned.
They surrounded him.
The smell of cigarettes filled the air.
“내일까지야.”
“You have until tomorrow.”
Min-jun squeezed Dong-gyu’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.
“If you don’t bring it tomorrow… I’ll really kill you.”
Dong-gyu barely held back a groan and nodded.
“아, 이 찐따 새끼 진짜.”
“What a pathetic loser.”
Min-jun tapped Dong-gyu’s head and left laughing.
“휴…”
Dong-gyu sighed.
How much longer could he survive this hell?
Then someone gently touched his shoulder again.
“아! 내일 진짜 갖고 올게!”
“Ah! I’ll really bring it tomorrow!”
Thinking Min-jun had returned, Dong-gyu covered his head in fear.
“괜찮아?”
“Are you okay?”
It was Jia.
“어… 괜찮아.”
“Yeah… I’m fine.”
His face turned red with embarrassment.
“I can’t watch this anymore. I’m telling the teacher right now.”
“No, don’t—”
Without thinking, Dong-gyu grabbed her hand.
He quickly let go, shocked.
His face was burning red.
“Then stop just taking it. Fight back at least once.”
Jia sat beside him angrily.
“….”
Dong-gyu only gave an awkward smile.
“They say Min-jun can’t even fight. He just acts tough because of his mom.”
She frowned.
“If his mom is the board chair, so what? I wish someone like him would just disappear.”
But Dong-gyu only packed his bag silently.
He felt ashamed of his helplessness.
“I’ll go first.”
Dong-gyu waved awkwardly and opened the door.
“Okay. See you tomorrow.”
But before leaving, he turned back shyly.
“What? Do you want to say something?”
“…Earlier… thank you.”
Inhye’s clinic.
“부탁할 일이요?”
“You have a favor to ask?”
Chaerin and Inhye looked confused.
It was rare for Chief Choi to come to the hospital unless something serious happened.
“Did I make it sound too serious?”
Chief Choi laughed.
“It’s nothing big. Don’t look so shocked.”
“Chaerin, you go to Ui-hyun High School, right?”
“Yes… but why?”
Chaerin tilted her head.
“Do you have a student named Kim Min-jun? Second year?”
“How do you know that?”
Everyone at school knew Min-jun.
“What kind of kid is he?”
Chief Choi asked directly.
“I don’t know him well… but his reputation isn’t very good. Why?”
Chief Choi took several letters out of his jacket.
“They’ve been sent to me lately.”
The envelopes had Ui-hyun High School printed on them.
But there was no sender name or address.
Only one line written on the front:
To Chief Detective Choi Chung-beom.
“What is this?”
Inhye opened the letter.
Her face suddenly froze.
“What kind of letter is it that—”
Chaerin stopped speaking when she saw the message written in the middle of the blank paper.
[살려주세요.]
[Please save me.]
