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Chapter : 21
Arrogant Lee Yusin
How the hell should I deal with this bastard?
“If you like her, confess like a man. Don’t harass her with childish, weird pranks.”
What the hell does he know to say something like that?
I should have smashed that shiny face of his.
Damn it, relying on just one older brother to act cocky…
Isn’t there a way to flatten his nose?
“Hey, Hwang!”
Swallowing the rising irritation, Inwoo dragged his slippers and headed toward the cafeteria, ignoring Baek Yeongseop’s call.
“Something wrong? ‘Annoyed’ is written on the back of your head,” Kim Heerok asked.
“Looking at his face, it says he’s in a shitty mood. Better not touch him,” Yeongseop mumbled as he walked a bit behind.
“Is your love life going badly? What’s so great about Jang Sejin…!”
“Shut your mouth, will you?”
When Inwoo glared at him, Heerok quietly slinked back.
“Yeah… fine, he’s good-looking. Just a pain in the ass personality-wise.”
“Sigh…”
“Alright, alright. What happened that you’re so down?”
By the time they reached the cafeteria, the line extended all the way down the hallway.
This week, Class 3 ate first, so Class 1 had to wait at the back.
But no matter who ate first, it didn’t matter to Hwang Inwoo.
At this school, the rule was that he could eat in whatever order he wanted. Even the teachers tolerated it.
“Inwoo! Over here!”
A student from Class 3 waved him forward.
Each class had someone to hold a spot for him.
Inwoo leisurely walked forward and took his tray.
The savory smell of meat hit his nose.
He piled his tray high with rice and meat, and from behind, someone asked,
“Who do you think you are, cutting in line?”
A deep, masculine voice exuded authority.
Turning around, he saw Lee Taeshin.
He looked natural in the same uniform as the other students, except for his unusually tall height and broad shoulders.
The clattering of utensils and chatter of people stopped all at once.
Inwoo let out a disgusted sigh and irritably ran a hand through his hair.
“Ah, you must be new here, don’t know the rules. I’m older than you guys. Well, only by a few months. Oh, you’re older than me, so should I let you go first?”
The students glanced back and forth between the two of them, trying to gauge the situation.
Taeshin, hands in his pockets, walked toward him with long strides.
A sudden tension filled the cafeteria.
Damn it.
Inwoo grimaced but swallowed dryly.
He was already in a shitty mood because of Jang Sejin—did he have to have his meal interrupted too?
Up close, Taeshin was much larger than expected and exuded an aura that could overwhelm just with his gaze.
Now Inwoo understood why Heerok hadn’t dared make a sound.
Even among gangsters who were used to fighting, few had this kind of presence.
Maybe only his uncle, Choi Mugwang.
His uncle scared people because there was no fear in his eyes.
And this man… was the same.
Taeshin’s gaze was deep, dark, and confident.
He didn’t need to show his strength physically—the look in his eyes was enough to dominate.
His uncle always said that winning a fight begins with understanding your opponent’s strength.
So just how strong was this man?
Judging by his build, he wasn’t overwhelmingly superior.
His muscles looked firm, but his body was relatively lean, so maybe his power wasn’t immense.
Time to test it.
“Stand in front of me. I’ll let you eat first.”
Inwoo grinned faintly and gestured for him to take the front.
As Taeshin took a step forward, Heerok and Yeongseop stepped back.
Inwoo planted his legs firmly.
A fight is about momentum, and if you lose that, it’s over.
“Can’t you see everyone waiting their turn? Step back.”
Damn it.
“Who the hell are you to tell me to step back? What if I don’t? Huh? What’re you gonna do?”
Inwoo narrowed his eyes and stepped close to Taeshin.
After class, when returning to the third-year teachers’ office, a second-year teacher who had come to eat first asked,
“Teacher Iseol, how’s the new returning student? Is he adjusting well?”
“Yes, he seems to be managing okay.”
“Good. I heard the class atmosphere has improved?”
“Yes. Things seem more organized. I’ll go eat first.”
“Alright. Enjoy your meal.”
Today, she hadn’t seen Taeshin at all.
No, she had deliberately avoided him.
She couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye.
She arrived forty minutes early in the morning and, luckily, Class 3 had no lessons.
“Why are you out so early today?”
“Ah, I have a lot of work.”
“You went to bed early last night. Did you have fun?”
“Yes, it was okay…”
“Why is your face red?”
“Ah… isn’t it a bit hot this morning?”
Iseol rubbed her cheek, blaming the weather.
“Something’s suspicious.”
“Suspicious? I’m just going to eat.”
She left the health office quickly, fearing continued conversation would set her face on fire.
Sigh…
The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt.
Thinking of how she had mistaken her hair tie for a cockroach and clung to Taeshin’s chest, she wished she could just bite her tongue.
She wasn’t a child—what had she been thinking?
How ridiculous she must have looked.
If only she could turn back time and behave more gracefully, more like a proper teacher.
Why did I do that…?
Sigh.
But it was already over.
No use regretting it now.
As she passed in front of the gym, the sound of a basketball bouncing echoed.
She assumed it was a student, and it was Junpil.
He dribbled the ball, jumped into the air, and easily scored.
She had completely forgotten about Junpil while thinking about yesterday with Taeshin.
Since being awkward with a senior was uncomfortable, she should apologize first.
She entered the gym.
When Junpil saw her, he turned away, clearly uninterested, bouncing the ball again.
He took a three-point shot from afar; she intercepted the ball after it bounced off the hoop.
Only then did Junpil look back.
“Senior.”
No response.
She approached him with the ball.
“If you were in the same danger, I would have worried too. I was thoughtless. I’m sorry.”
“…”
“Yesterday, Kim Heerok asked some weird question about why you don’t have a boyfriend…”
“That rude bastard dared to ask someone that…!”
Junpil snapped.
“I was too sensitive. So please stop being mad.”
“…I’m not mad, just disappointed. I wondered if our relationship is really only that shallow.”
Iseol nodded and handed him the ball.
“So you’re forgiving me?”
“There’s no forgiveness in our relationship.”
Good.
She really didn’t want to be awkward with Junpil.
“I have to leave the island tomorrow, so shall we have a drink tonight? I’ll buy as an apology.”
“Sure.”
“We should call Senior Naeun too, right? She’d make a fuss if she’s left out.”
The three of them were the only remaining unmarried twenty-somethings at school, graduates of the same university, and often drank together.
“Of course.”
Though she said that, her expression wasn’t very happy.
“Lunch today is bulgogi, your favorite. Aren’t you eating?”
“I can’t resist bulgogi. Let’s go.”
Junpil shot the ball into the hoop and followed Iseol with a lighter step.
When they arrived at the cafeteria, a crowd of students had formed near the entrance, and in the middle, Taeshin and Hwang Inwoo glared at each other.
“What’s going on?”
She asked a nearby teacher, worried it might escalate into a fight.
As usual, Hwang Inwoo had cut in line, and the returning student had told him to go to the back.
“Shouldn’t someone intervene?”
“Let’s just watch for now.”
