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Chapter 05
아침부터 학교는 축제와 체육대회로 떠들썩했다.
From early morning, the school was already buzzing with excitement because of the festival and the sports day.
운동장은 반 대항 시합을 응원하는 아이들의 목소리로 떠나갈 듯했고, 교내 이곳저곳에서 펼쳐지는 축제 행사로 아이들의 웃음소리는 끊이지 않았다.
The playground was almost shaking from the loud cheers of students supporting their classes in the competitions.
All around the campus, festival events were taking place, and the sound of laughter never stopped.
“지루해.”
“I’m bored.”
그리고 이런 아이들의 모습을 마치 왕처럼 옥상 난간에 기대 심드렁한 표정으로 내려다보는 아이.
And there was one boy watching all of this from the rooftop, leaning against the railing like a king, staring down at the students with a bored expression.
바로 민준이었다.
It was Min-jun.
그리고 그 옆에는 언제나 그랬듯 호위 무사처럼 성호, 동건, 형진, 진우가 있었다.
And beside him, just like always, stood Seong-ho, Dong-geon, Hyeong-jin, and Jin-woo, like loyal bodyguards.
“카- 퉤! 아, 씨발 안 맞았네.”
“Ptui! Damn, I missed.”
Dong-geon spat down toward the students below while smoking, then complained in disappointment.
“새끼, 더럽게. 근데 애들 엄청 재밌어 보이는데 우리도 내려갈까?”
“유치한 새끼. 저게 재밌어 보이냐? 야, 그냥 PC방이나 가자.”
“That’s disgusting, man. But the kids down there look like they’re having fun. Should we go down?”
“You’re childish. Does that look fun to you? Let’s just go to the PC café.”
진우가 난간 아래를 보며 몸을 들썩거리자 성호가 그의 뒤통수를 가볍게 때렸다.
Jin-woo leaned over the railing excitedly, but Seong-ho lightly smacked the back of his head.
성호가 고개를 까닥하자 옆에 있던 동건과 형진이 동시에 담배를 발로 비벼 끄고 가방을 둘러멨다.
When Seong-ho tilted his head, Dong-geon and Hyeong-jin immediately crushed their cigarettes under their shoes and picked up their bags.
“민준아, 뭐 해, 빨리 가자.”
“Min-jun, what are you doing? Let’s go.”
“가긴 어딜 가! 아직 그 새끼 안 왔잖아.”
“Go where? That bastard isn’t here yet.”
형진의 말에 민준이 담배를 바닥에 던지며 짜증 섞인 목소리로 소리쳤다.
At Hyeong-jin’s words, Min-jun threw his cigarette on the ground and shouted angrily.
요즘 마치 자신이 리더인 것처럼 행동하는 성호의 말을 들어줄 생각도 없었고 무엇보다 동규를 보기 전까지 이곳을 떠날 생각이 없었다.
He had no intention of listening to Seong-ho, who had been acting like the leader lately.
More importantly, Min-jun had no plan to leave until he saw Dong-gyu.
“담배 없으면 내 거 줄 테니까 담배는 내일 받고 오늘은 그냥 가자.”
“If you don’t have cigarettes, I’ll give you mine. Just bring them tomorrow. Let’s go today.”
성호가 장난기 어린 얼굴로 민준의 팔을 잡아끌었다.
Seong-ho pulled Min-jun’s arm playfully.
“새끼, 누굴 거지로 아나.”
“Do you think I’m some kind of beggar?”
Min-jun angrily shook off his hand.
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
The boys quietly put their bags down again and watched Min-jun carefully.
“오늘 내가 아주 이 새끼 버릇을 고쳐놔야겠어.”
“Today, I’m going to teach that bastard a real lesson.”
끼-이익-
At that moment—
The rooftop door slowly opened.
동규가 고개를 빼꼼 내밀었다.
Dong-gyu carefully peeked his head inside.
“아- 표정 왜 저래.”
“Ah… why does he look like that?”
As usual, Dong-gyu first checked Min-jun’s expression.
A small sigh escaped his mouth.
‘분위기는 또 왜 이래.’
Why does the atmosphere feel so strange again?
The tense silence among the boys made his heart sink.
Something was clearly wrong.
His feet froze in place.
“이동규, 이 개새끼야. 빨리 안 튀어와!”
“Lee Dong-gyu, you bastard! Get over here right now!”
Min-jun’s angry voice echoed across the rooftop.
But the loud cheers from the playground below swallowed the sound almost immediately.
“어… 미안….”
“Uh… sorry…”
Running away wasn’t even an option.
So Dong-gyu tightly shut his eyes and forced his shaking legs to step onto the rooftop.
“너 이 새끼 내가 몇 시까지 오라고 그랬어! 어!”
“What time did I tell you to come here?!”
Min-jun shouted while checking the time on his phone.
“늦어서 미안… 파는 곳이 없어서 다른 동네까지 갔다 오느라 좀 늦었어.”
“Sorry I’m late… I couldn’t find a place selling it, so I had to go to another neighborhood.”
“미리 사놨어야지! 야! 기어 오냐? 빨리 와!”
“You should’ve bought it earlier! What are you doing, crawling? Hurry up!”
“어… 미안… 아—”
Dong-gyu hurried forward while holding a black plastic bag.
But when Min-jun suddenly shouted—
he panicked.
His steps tangled.
And he fell hard onto the ground.
“하하하! 하하!”
“Hahaha!”
The boys burst into laughter.
“저 새끼 캐릭터 진짜 일관성 있지 않냐?”
“Isn’t that guy’s character incredibly consistent?”
The tension disappeared instantly.
“미안….”
“Sorry…”
Dong-gyu painfully stood up and quickly gathered the cigarettes that had fallen on the ground.
It was humiliating.
So humiliating he wanted to die.
But even the thought of fighting back was crushed by fear.
“너 내가 그런 표정 짓지 말라고 했지!”
“Didn’t I tell you not to make that face?!”
THUD!
Min-jun’s merciless kick slammed into Dong-gyu’s stomach.
“아—!”
Dong-gyu collapsed again with a short cry.
The boys laughed loudly.
To them, someone else’s pain was just entertainment.
“왜 늦었어. 내가 일찍 오라고 했어 안 했…”
“Why were you late? Did I tell you to come early or not—”
“사… 살려줘… 아니… 살려주세요!”
“P-please… spare me… no— please save me!”
Dong-gyu screamed desperately while trying to block Min-jun’s kicks.
“살려주세요! 살려주세요!”
“Please save me! Please save me!”
But the joyful cheers from the playground swallowed his screams again.
Inside the car
The atmosphere inside the car felt awkward and heavy.
If it wasn’t for the radio playing softly, the silence would have been unbearable.
“이렇게 셋이 차 타고 가는 것도 오랜만이죠?”
“It’s been a while since the three of us rode in a car together, right?”
In-hye spoke first.
They were on their way to the school.
They were looking for the student who sent the mysterious letter.
But the conversation inside the car slowly shifted.
“대학 안 갈 거예요.”
“I’m not going to college.”
Chaerin said calmly while staring outside the window.
“뭐? 대학을 안 가?”
“What? You’re not going to college?”
Chief Choi turned around in shock.
Both adults were stunned.
They had watched Chaerin grow up like their own child.
But Chaerin’s voice remained calm.
“가고 싶지 않아요. 가고 싶은 과도 없고.”
“I don’t want to go. There isn’t any major I want.”
The air inside the car became heavy again.
“잘 아시잖아요. 제가 왜 이러는지….”
“You both already know why I’m like this…”
Her quiet words made the atmosphere sink into silence.
Back on the rooftop
Min-jun continued kicking Dong-gyu violently.
“살려…줘….”
“S-save… me…”
“뭐? 살려줘?”
“What? Save you?”
Min-jun laughed angrily.
“지금 네가 해야 할 말은 그게 아니잖아!”
“That’s not what you’re supposed to say!”
Kick.
Kick.
Kick.
Dong-gyu groaned in pain.
“너 이 새끼 오늘 진짜 죽여버릴 거야.”
“I’m really going to kill you today.”
Min-jun looked like he had completely lost his mind.
Even the other boys started to look nervous.
“야… 말려야 하는 거 아니야?”
“Shouldn’t we stop him?”
“저러다 진짜 죽겠다.”
“He might really die like this.”
But none of them stepped forward.
They all knew Min-jun’s temper.
“살려…줘…”
“Save… me…”
Suddenly Min-jun stopped kicking.
His eyes burned with rage as he looked around the rooftop.
Then he walked toward a pile of construction scrap.
And picked up a thick iron pipe.
“넌 오늘 뒤졌어. 새끼야.”
“You’re dead today, bastard.”
“야! 미쳤어? 그만해!”
“Are you crazy?! Stop!”
The boys rushed forward to stop him.
“놔! 오늘 저 새끼 죽여버릴 거야!”
“Let go! I’m going to kill him today!”
But Min-jun had already lost control.
Suddenly—
THUD!
Min-jun screamed and fell to the ground.
Seong-ho had punched him directly in the face.
“그만하라고 했잖아.”
“I told you to stop.”
Blood trickled from Min-jun’s mouth.
His eyes burned with fury.
“불쌍해서 놀아줬더니 감히 나를 때려?”
“I pitied you and let you hang around me… and you dare hit me?”
The atmosphere exploded.
Min-jun grabbed the iron pipe again.
And charged at the boys.
Chaos
It became complete chaos.
Punches flew.
Kicks landed.
Everyone fought wildly.
Dong-gyu could only lie on the ground and watch.
He felt powerless.
No—
It felt like he didn’t even exist.
No one cared about him.
Suddenly—
CLANG!
The iron pipe rolled across the ground.
It stopped right in front of Dong-gyu.
He looked up.
The boys were still fighting each other.
None of them noticed.
Then—
Jia’s voice from yesterday echoed inside his head.
“저런 놈은 그냥 없어졌으면 좋겠어.”
“Someone like him should just disappear.”
“저런 놈은 없어져야 해.”
“Someone like him shouldn’t exist.”
Something hot woke up inside Dong-gyu.
Anger.
Pure rage.
Before he realized it—
the iron pipe was already in his hand.
He slowly stood up.
And shouted.
“야, 이 김민준 개새끼야!”
“Hey! Kim Min-jun, you bastard!”
At the school festival
Chaerin, In-hye, and Chief Choi arrived at the school.
The festival was in full swing.
Students filled the stands while the final relay race was about to start.
“하나.”
“One.”
“둘.”
“Two.”
“셋.”
“Three.”
BANG!
The starting gun fired.
But at the same moment—
THUD!
A heavy, dull sound echoed.
Then—
Screams.
“꺄아악!”
“Aaaah!”
Students began screaming in panic.
At the center of the chaos—
A student lay on the ground.
Blood spreading beneath his body.
