Chapter 41: Bad Relationship

Je Galhwarin’s kick was aimed at Kim Noeul’s solar plexus.

Kim Noeul tried to grab her ankle, but suddenly Je Galhwarin’s ankle twisted.

‘The ankle is rotating…?’

Looking ahead, Kim Noeul saw Je Galhwarin spinning around and kicking with her other foot.

The previous kick was a feint, and the spinning kick I’m seeing now was the real thing. Kim Noeul gave up on evading and raised her arms to block the kick.

The dirt and stones on the shoes roughly brushed past Kim Noeul’s forearm.

Kim Noeul frowned and took a step back. Je Galhwarin didn’t give her any openings.

“Keep running away!”

Je Galhwarin kicked forward again. Kim Noeul pondered while watching that kick.

‘Is this also a feint? Or is she using my psychology to her advantage and this time it’s real?’

While she was pondering, Je Galhwarin’s foot had already come close, and Kim Noeul eventually blocked it with her arm again.

Once again, the skin on her arm was scraped and scratched.

“What’s wrong? You were talking big earlier, but are you already scared?”

Je Galhwarin smirked as she looked at Kim Noeul, who was stroking her forearm. Kim Noeul observed Je Galhwarin, who was lightly bouncing in place.

‘A fighting style that manipulates the opponent’s psychology with footwork. It’s different from the fights I’ve been doing so far.’

Kim Noeul had won by simply overpowering ordinary bullies so far, but it’s different now.

In a fight with Je Galhwarin, one can only approach victory if one predicts how the opponent will act.

But Kim Noeul wasn’t confident in her fighting intelligence.

‘Fighting intelligence is also gained through experience from fighting many times, but I’ve lived more quietly than that woman….’

If she goes into a psychological battle, she’s bound to keep getting pushed back. Kim Noeul took a deep breath and clenched her fist.

An overwhelming force flowed into her fist.

‘Let’s not set our sights on an area I’m not confident in now. I just need to develop my own way.’

Kim Noeul, who had come to her senses, approached Je Galhwarin first this time.

Je Galhwarin flew her knee towards Kim Noeul’s face, who was honestly running straight ahead.

‘You stupid girl, she was just a strong gorilla.’

Just before Je Galhwarin’s knee kick reached Kim Noeul’s face, Kim Noeul stretched her leg forward and put it on the ground. Then Kim Noeul’s body, which had been leaning forward, suddenly stopped.

Je Galhwarin’s knee kick futilely split the air right in front of Kim Noeul’s face.

“What!?”

In the meantime of being embarrassed by Kim Noeul’s physical ability, which had offset the inertial force with a simple leg strength, Kim Noeul flew an uppercut towards Je Galhwarin’s lower jaw.

“Keuhaak!”

Je Galhwarin, whose fist was stuck in her jaw, fell backwards and stood up again with a backflip.

She felt blood coming out of the torn skin of her jaw and glared.

“This sh*t…! What kind of sly trickery!”

“That’s what you’re doing.”

Kim Noeul threw a fist straight ahead again. Je Galhwarin momentarily saw that fist as a huge hammer coming towards her.

As Je Galhwarin groaned and avoided the fist, this time Kim Noeul’s rapid-fire attack chased her abdomen. Je Galhwarin pulled her abdomen back as much as possible to reduce the impact.

“Keuheuk….”

Forcibly grabbing the fist stuck in her stomach, Je Galhwarin also kicked Kim Noeul’s stomach.

But Kim Noeul endured the pain and continued to hit Je Galhwarin’s face with her other hand.

Bang! Bang!

A roar that was hard to believe was coming from a person echoed. Even in the midst of that, Je Galhwarin continuously kicked Kim Noeul’s stomach, but the exchange ratio was too bad.

“Kyaak!”

Eventually, Je Galhwarin screamed and pushed Kim Noeul away with all her might. Kim Noeul fell to the ground and raised her guard in preparation for the continued pursuit.

But Je Galhwarin gave up on the pursuit and stepped back, rubbing her face with both hands.

Her entire face was burning. Each and every one of Kim Noeul’s punches felt like being hit with a steel ball.

“Sh*t…. My face…!”

Je Galhwarin’s gaze, whose cheeks were swollen, was fixed on Kim Noeul, who was getting up again.

Kim Noeul clutched her aching abdomen with one hand and bit her lip.

‘My stomach hurts so much. I can’t straighten my back.’

However, if she fought without straightening her back, she wouldn’t be able to properly take advantage of her greatest strength, her punching power.

In order to completely knock down Je Galhwarin, she had to convey the power of her waist and deliver a perfect straight.

“Die, you b*tch!”

Je Galhwarin rushed at her wildly due to the pain of her burning face. Kim Noeul watched the incoming kick to the end.

‘Yeah, let’s trust my physical.’

Kim Noeul gritted her teeth and took Je Galhwarin’s kick to her side. She was hit in the area where her liver was and her eyes went white for a moment, but it was a pain she had already prepared for.

Kim Noeul grabbed Je Galhwarin’s ankle with one hand. Je Galhwarin, whose ankle was grabbed, was flustered because her balance was shaken.

“Let go!”

Kim Noeul ignored those words and straightened her back. After enduring the pain, she twisted her waist to turn her body and then threw a punch again.

Kim Noeul’s fist, which had fully conveyed the rotational force of her upper body, was stuck in Je Galhwarin’s cheek.

“…!”

Je Galhwarin couldn’t even scream and floated sideways, hitting her back against the alley wall.

The bicycles that were placed against the wall fell on Je Galhwarin’s body. Je Galhwarin flinched and kicked a few bicycles.

“A damn b*tch… like you…”

There was no longer a face that was rumored to be like a haughty cat like Je Galyeonhwa. It was a face covered in blood that had been beaten by Kim Noeul.

Even though her face was wrecked, she staggered and stood up, then put her hands on her knees to maintain her breathing.

“Aren’t you tired of this…. Stop it now.”

Kim Noeul bent her aching abdomen and suggested to Je Galyeonhwa. But Je Galhwarin didn’t even pretend to listen.

“Keu, Keuheuheuh…. Stop it? If I quit here, I’m really f*cked, you know?”

If she fails this time as well, she will really be ‘educated’ by her sister. It won’t end there, and she will be thoroughly broken at the upcoming Ojakgyo end-of-semester meeting.

“F*ck, it’s because of you. If you hadn’t suddenly appeared and made a mess…! There wouldn’t have been a reason for me to be like this…!”

“…Think about the evil deeds you committed. Retribution is inevitable.”

“What does that mean, you shibal (damn b*tch)!”

Je Galhwarin squeezed out the last of her strength and approached Kim Noeul. Kim Noeul tried to grab her foot aiming for her abdomen, but the ankle rotated and she missed.

‘That’s right, a feint!’

Kim Noeul was slow to recognize the feint due to the pain in her stomach. Je Galhwarin successfully planted the second spinning kick in Kim Noeul’s chest with a satisfied smile.

“Kyaak…!”

Excited by Kim Noeul’s expression, which was distorted for the first time, Je Galhwarin headbutted her face. Warm blood was felt from the top of her head.

“Kkeueup!”

As Kim Noeul blocked her nose with her hands and stepped back, Je Galhwarin stuck to Kim Noeul like a crazy person. Even after sticking to her, she continued to hit her stomach with knee kicks.

“Die! Die!”

“Keueok! Kkeu, Kkeuaaa!”

Kim Noeul grabbed Je Galhwarin’s waist with both hands and spun around. The expression disappeared from Je Galhwarin’s face, who was floating in the air for a while.

‘What kind of power….’

Kim Noeul shouted and threw Je Galhwarin. Je Galhwarin, who had crashed into the wall again and was buried in the trash, couldn’t get up.

“Kim… Noeul… shibal b*tch….”

She convulsed intermittently and tried to move her body, but it was not enough. Je Galhwarin closed her eyes as the stench of the garbage dump confused her mind.

That was the end.

Je Galhwarin lost.

The Haneul High disciplinary department members, who had been pushed back due to lack of numbers, witnessed that scene.

“Ki, Kim Noeul beat Je Galhwarin! Your leader is knocked out!”

“Haneul High caught Je Galhwarin!”

At the disciplinary department members’ shouts, the Hankook High gang stared at the trash dump with a dumbfounded face.

There was Je Galhwarin, who was unconscious without moving, and Kim Noeul, who was silently glaring at them.

Kim Noeul wasn’t in good shape either.

The tie was drooping and looked like a belt, and the dress shirt was stained with Je Galhwarin’s footprints. She also had a nosebleed on her face, and her glossy long hair was disheveled.

But the Korean High students were terrified by her face, which was injured but still standing arrogantly and glaring.

“N, now we have no choice but to trust SC.”

“That’s right, Yu Hana is there….”

The Hankook High gang tried to have hope, but that hope was shattered by Kim Maru’s words approaching Kim Noeul.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve already taken care of that place too.”

“…What?”

Kim Maru took a picture of Je Galhwarin buried in the trash dump.

‘I have to send it to Veritas and ask them to write it as an article.’

After taking the picture, he continued to speak.

“That Yu Hana or whatever her name is will be like Je Galhwarin too.”

“What does that mean….”

Leaving behind the Hankook High student who was muttering in vain, Kim Maru received a call. Kim Maru deliberately answered with the speakerphone on.

[Maru-hoobae? This is Han Doa.]

[Yeah, it’s roughly settled.]

The Hankook High students’ faces darkened at Han Doa’s calm voice flowing from the phone.

[The helper that Maru-hoobae mentioned came, but this….]

“Don’t worry. She doesn’t intend to harm us. We’ll go there too now.”

[Okay. That….]

“Why?”

[Are you hurt anywhere?]

“…Yes, I’m okay.”

[Ah…. That’s a relief….]

Kim Noeul narrowed her eyes at Han Doa’s voice, which had become delicate instead of her usual strong tone.

“Maru is protected by Kim, No..Eul, so don’t worry.”

Kim Noeul suddenly cut into the call and spoke to Han Doa.

[I didn’t ask.]

“Maru is protected by me….”

“I’ll hang up.”

I hung up the phone right away. Kim Noeul was looking at the backs of the Hankook High students, who had run away in a hurry, and then sat down on the ground.

“Can we rest for a bit…?”

“Yeah. You worked hard.”

Come to think of it, this was the first time Kim Noeul had properly fought a main-level character. I patted her head because I was proud of her.

“What?”

“You’re patting me? You do that to me often.”

“…It feels strange to receive it in reverse.”

It was unfamiliar to see Kim Noeul’s voice becoming delicate and shy like Han Doa from earlier.

So I immediately let go of her hand. As soon as I let go of her hand, she raised her head and looked up at me with her eyes twinkling like a puppy.

“Why are you stopping?”

“Just because.”

“If you do it more, I think I’ll get better quickly….”

“…….”

I looked at the disciplinary department members around me. They seemed to have read the atmosphere, as they took their eyes off us and focused on their work.

‘Yeah, she worked hard.’

As a way of encouraging her, I fiddled with her long hair. Kim Noeul quietly closed her eyes and focused on that feeling.

“Hana, is that her?”

One of Yu Hana’s group approached Yu Hana and pointed to where two women were.

There was the face of Jeong Soyeon, whom Yu Hana had wanted to see so much, and a woman who covered her face with her bangs.

“That’s right, you shibal (is a very strong Korean curse word) b*tch. Let’s go right away.”

Yu Hana led her gang and blindly followed. No one stopped them.

Because the passersby, who had read their fierce appearance on the street, avoided them on their own.

As the atmosphere around them became strange, Jeong Soyeon and Na Yuna also noticed something strange.

Na Yuna turned around and pretended to be surprised.

“So, Soyeona…? The people behind us…!”

“Huh?”

Jeong Soyeon listened to Na Yuna’s words and turned around.

And her eyes met hers.

An old nemesis (A long-time enemy, rival, or opponent).

The enemy of my younger sibling.

A woman she wanted to meet and at the same time didn’t want to meet.

“Yo, Jeong Soyeon. Living the good life?”

“…Yu Hana.”

Na Yuna swallowed hard as she heard the dry voice flowing from Jeong Soyeon’s mouth. It was because the atmosphere was so different from the usual Jeong Soyeon.

“How can you live so well after sending a person to a juvenile detention center? Shouldn’t you be suffering from guilt and locked up in your room?”

“Don’t spout nonsense just because you have a mouth. Sohae still can’t get up because of you.”

“No, shibal b*tch. Why is that my fault? I didn’t do it directly?”

“You ordered it! You were the ringleader!”

“It’s no fun if we just talk to each other like this, right? Guys, let’s just make them quiet for a bit.”

“Yo, you guys, this is a place where a lot of people are watching. Can you handle it?”

Na Yuna mustered the courage to stand in front of Jeong Soyeon. Yu Hana scanned Na Yuna up and down and sneered.

“Some loser girl can’t read the atmosphere…. Handle it? Hakdo is eaten by Ojakgyo, right? I’m siding with Ojakgyo and doing this right now?”

“Wh, what?”

Na Yuna pretended to be embarrassed and calmly bought time.

“Hakdo is a really good place. Because it’s a student self-governing district, even if we cause a mess like this, society can’t openly intervene. Should I transfer here too?”

“…There’s no place for a convict like you in Hakdo.”

Yu Hana, who was scratched by the word “convict” that Jeong Soyeon said, twitched her eyebrows.

“Jeong Soyeon. Don’t ask for a beating. Thinking about you and your moronic younger sibling ruining my life makes me feel like sh*t.”

“Why, should I make your life more sh*tty?”

Just when the conflict between Jeong Soyeon and Yu Hana was at its peak, there was a group coming towards Yu Hana’s gang.

The female student standing in front of that group was wearing an armband with the word “Disciplinary” on her arm.

Yu Hana guessed their identity because she had heard information about them in advance.

“Ah, are those the disciplinary department? Students imitating the police?”

The disciplinary department, which had approached Yu Hana’s gang, stopped walking. Han Doa, who was standing at the head, called Jeong Soyeon and Na Yuna.

“The two of you step back. We’ll take care of the rest.”

“We’re guests who came to Hakdo, is it okay to do this?”

“You guys chose the wrong place.”

Han Doa continued to speak while pulling out her wooden sword.

“This is a student self-governing district. Unlike society, even if we punish you, there is no particular sanction.”

“Aigoo~. I’m scared~. If you put it that way, isn’t it the same for you guys? You’re saying that there’s no place for us to complain even if we get beaten by you?”

“The words are too long. Hurry up and come at me.”

“I’ll take care of that girl with the wooden sword! Beat them all up!”

Yu Hana’s group and Han Doa’s disciplinary department collided.