Chapter 3: Unexpected Intervention

“So…”

“Exactly. That bastard…”

They lowered their voices, whispering as if discussing something gravely serious.

Kim Youngseok and Park Hyungtae, the two boys who used to hang around Im Namwoo, were still inseparable. Even with Im Namwoo gone, their dynamic remained unchanged. The only difference was that they hadn’t bothered me once since the transfer incident.

They hadn’t picked a single fight. Even if Im Namwoo had been the instigator, they had tormented me just as relentlessly.

‘Are they not bothering me because Im Namwoo isn’t here? That’s not like them.’

But that wasn’t all. The classroom atmosphere felt off as well.

Just like now.

“…”

With a soft creak, the door would open, and simultaneously, the entire room would fall silent. Even if they were chattering, the sound of the door alone would instantly hush them.

Some students would whisper amongst themselves, as if sharing a secret. For a brief moment, only the distant sounds from the hallway or other classrooms would echo through the room, before the quiet gradually gave way to a slow return of noise.

‘Did something happen to the whole class?’

This strange scenario had, in fact, repeated several times already. It was too distinct to simply dismiss as my imagination.

At first, I thought they might be mistaking someone for a teacher, but I’d never seen such behavior before. It was genuinely peculiar.

No, ‘peculiar’ wasn’t quite enough. It was unsettling.

The strangely subdued classroom atmosphere felt like the sky just before a typhoon. It was a dark, gloomy sky, where a sudden downpour wouldn’t be surprising.

Yet, no rain could be heard; only a profound stillness hung in the air.

“It’s swapped with fifth period. Third period is PE.”

The class president, entering through the front door, wrote ‘PE’ in large letters on the blackboard. Cheers erupted from various corners of the classroom at the sudden schedule change.

At my previous school, PE time was for self-study, but here, even third-year students preparing for college entrance exams were compelled to go out to the field.

Since the PE teacher usually just told them to be quiet and then left, hardly anyone disliked PE class. It was the only time they could truly breathe during their stifling exam preparations.

Conversely, I detested it.

Im Namwoo used to run rampant during PE, especially when the teacher wasn’t around. Even if I hid in a corner of the field, he would always find me and pick a fight.

He would always hit me a few times.

Still, with Im Namwoo gone and Kim Youngseok and Park Hyungtae keeping quiet, I thought it might be fine. I slowly changed into my PE uniform.

“Cough…”

As I bent my head to change clothes, a small cough escaped me. My throat felt ticklish.

It seemed my cold hadn’t fully recovered yet. I forcibly swallowed my cough and finished putting on my PE uniform.

I also slipped my English vocabulary book into my pocket. I should at least memorize these words outside.

Walking alone amidst the groups of children emerging in threes and fours was something I was accustomed to. I had never had friends, not even before.

It wasn’t just now; it had always been that way. Shuttling between school and the study room left me no time to make friends, and no one ever approached me first.

After all, I didn’t exactly have an approachable demeanor.

“…”

Suddenly, a question surfaced in my mind. I considered Lee Sunwoo, my older brother, to be utterly worthless, yet even he had friends.

Even someone like Im Namwoo had friends. Everyone else seemed to make friends so easily, so why didn’t I have any?

“Go in when the bell rings, don’t wander around. You’ll get in trouble.”

The PE teacher, as usual, uttered a perfunctory remark from the stands before disappearing. I immediately headed to a corner of the stands.

Sitting in the shade, I stared blankly at the sports field. Unlike me, the other students clustered together, kicking balls or chatting.

Watching them, my spirits sank once more. A worry I’d never experienced before unnecessarily muddled my thoughts.

‘What a truly pointless worry.’

I’d be better off studying one more character in this time. Dismissing such uncharacteristic worries, I pulled out my vocabulary book from my pocket.

Thwack—!

“…”

Suddenly, something struck the side of my head with considerable force and then passed by. Bouncing with dull thuds, a soccer ball rolled a good distance away.

For a moment, my vision went stark white. The pain arrived belatedly. My shock outweighed the physical discomfort.

Before I could even gather my wits, a harsh voice struck my back.

“Having a blast, aren’t you? Happy that Im Namwoo transferred?”

Kim Youngseok sneered from a distance. Park Hyungtae was nowhere to be seen, leaving Kim Youngseok to swagger alone.

He held two balls in his arms. It was obvious what he intended to do with them.

‘Right here, in front of everyone? …He must be insane.’

My mind froze, overwhelmed by the blatant malice directed at me, compounded by a surge of shame. I never imagined he’d go this far, especially with the entire class watching.

More than the pain, I felt an intense humiliation. Being hit like this was a regular occurrence, but this felt particularly degrading.

“What, are you pissed off?”

Kim Youngseok kicked another ball. It struck my shoulder and bounced behind me.

I bit my lip hard to stifle a cry, but lost my balance and tumbled forward. My knees felt as if they were scraping against the hard concrete ground, the pain excruciating.

But before I could even get up, the ball struck me again and rolled past.

“Ugh!”

I finally let out a groan. My mind was still utterly blank, unable to process anything.

Perhaps it was the shock, but my head felt completely empty. Even so, I never thought he’d do this with everyone watching.

Before, when they bullied me, they at least made an effort to drag me to a corner.

‘Wh-what do I do…?’

My vision swam. What should I do in a situation like this?

Involuntarily, I scanned my surroundings, searching for someone to help me. I had no idea how to handle this alone; I desperately wished someone would help.

Was there really no one who would help me? If only someone would help…

Then, my eyes met countless gazes. Everyone on the field was focused on me.

However, the emotions they held weren’t pity or sorrow. Only curiosity filled their eyes.

The moment I realized that, a hot surge rose in my throat. My efforts to ignore it were futile.

Perhaps everything I had suppressed until now had finally burst forth.

‘This is too much, really.’

Then again, if there had been anyone to help, I wouldn’t have suffered under Im Namwoo for the past month. For the first time in a while, the question ‘why’ echoed in my mind.

I couldn’t understand why everyone was doing this to me. Not just Im Namwoo’s group, but… all the kids in our class.

If they weren’t going to help, I wished they wouldn’t stare as if watching a spectacle. A fire flared in the center of my chest, only to extinguish just as quickly.

My strength drained from me in an instant.

‘When has anyone ever helped me? …It’s always the same, isn’t it?’

No one had ever helped me, regardless of the size of the trouble I faced. This wasn’t just about what happened at this school.

It had always been this way. Throughout my entire life, not a single person had ever offered me help.

So, I’m fine. I’m truly fine. I have to be.

‘Let’s pretend I’m fine even if no one helps. Ignore them and go back to the classroom. Yes, that’s what I’ll do…’

However, my legs simply wouldn’t obey; I couldn’t find the strength to stand. Kim Youngseok shouted to someone off to the side, “Hey! Throw me another ball over there!”

My desire to escape grew more desperate, yet my body refused to move. It felt as though all the blood had drained from my feet.

It was at that very moment.

Suddenly, my upper body was gently lifted upwards. Someone had helped me to my feet.

A gentle voice, one I had never heard before, cascaded down onto my bewildered head.

“Are you alright?”

The moment I lifted my head, my mind became an even blanker slate than before.

“…”

Half of his face, bathed in sunlight, shimmered with a fractured, wave-like whiteness. The lines of his cheeks seemed to be meticulously drawn, like a work of art.

His slightly downturned eyes blinked as they gazed down at me. His pupils sparkled like jewels.

And as if accustomed to such scrutiny, he simply spoke his mind.

“Are you hurt?”

His question felt almost persistent. As if, at that moment, nothing else in the world existed but me.

He paid absolutely no attention to the gazes of those watching the scene unfold. I scanned the stranger from bottom to top.

The thought of being rude didn’t even cross my mind. He was so tall that it took a while just to take him in.

First, I noticed his perfectly ironed trousers, followed by his summer uniform shirt, neatly buttoned all the way to the neck. Finally, my gaze landed on the name tag pinned to his chest.

Yoon Heesung.

It was a familiar name. I repeated the name in my mind, savoring it once more.

Yoon Heesung, where had I heard that before? No sooner had I thought this than a phrase followed like a tail.

Yoon Heesung, the youngest son of the villa family. It was the name my mother had told me to befriend.

While I was busy retrieving my memories, he arbitrarily drew a conclusion.

“You must be hurt…”

His tone was tinged with what sounded like pity.

“No. I’m not hurt.”

I hastily shook my head. Then, I flinched, startled by a touch on my knee.

He had crouched down in front of me and was brushing the dirt from my knee.

‘What… what is he doing right now?’

My heart pounded for a different reason now, at this unbelievable sight. My face burned with heat.

Being treated like a child for the first time in my life was disorienting. This moment was even more shocking than being intentionally hit by the ball just now.

His actions were so unfamiliar, so astonishing, that I took a step back. Then, feeling awkward, I turned my head.

My eyes met Kim Youngseok’s, who was standing a short distance away. It was then that I belatedly realized something was terribly wrong.

Because Kim Youngseok, who had been raging just moments ago, was now astonishingly silent, as if his outburst had never happened.

“…”

He wasn’t just quiet. The moment he shut his mouth, his face turned a murky, dark shade.

The same guy who had been ‘playing’ by hitting me with a ball moments ago now stood perfectly still, like a dark, imposing statue.

The other students were the same. They were still watching me, but their gazes were distinctly different from the curiosity-filled ones from before.

As I struggled to discern the emotion meticulously filling their eyes, I suddenly, as if mesmerized by a gaze that felt like it could pierce my skin, straightened my head.

Then, I met a sharp gaze.

“…”

The villa family’s son, Yoon Heesung, who had captured everyone’s attention, was looking only at me.

As if no one else was around, only me.