I was lying on the bed, staring out the window.
Maybe because it was the first day.
All the classes ended after light orientation sessions.
Thanks to that, today passed by peacefully, almost to the point of boredom.
Or so I thought.
But then.
Bang!
The door burst open, almost breaking, without a knock.
'What's going on?'
At first, I thought it was Jack barging in as a joke.
But the ones who came in were big white guys.
'I've never seen these faces before.'
As I lay there, staring at them.
"Are you Park Ji-hoon?"
I nodded.
"Where did you learn to be so disrespectful?"
"What?"
"What!"
Then, one of the big guys next to him chimed in.
"Can't you tell by looking? They're seniors!"
"Well, I still don't know."
"Get up."
I tilted my head.
This scene felt like something from an old movie.
You know, like those fights in Marljuk Street from the days when people wore black uniforms and learned military drills.
But does stuff like this happen in a prestigious school too?
"Come with us."
Normally, I would've asked, 'What do you think you're doing?' but…
Considering poor Peter, it seemed better to just follow them.
"This will be over before dinner, right?"
"What?"
"I'm hungry."
The big guy let out a scoff, as if he couldn't believe it.
They led me to the back of the school.
In movies, places like this are usually where you'd find a garbage incinerator or something.
Seniors would gather in groups, smoking cigarettes.
'Hmm.'
Maybe because it's a royal school, even the back alleys are decorated with elegant sculptures, ivy vines, and even a small pond on one side.
It's too pretty to be having a rough conversation.
Heh.
"You think this is funny?"
The big guy looked baffled.
I didn't care.
I scanned the faces of these so-called seniors.
There were seven of them in total.
Quite a crowd just to handle me.
But none of them seemed particularly impressive.
They probably worked out a bit, but…
Compared to sweating it out with the national reserve team, they seemed… just average.
"Are you scared?"
"Not sure."
"Don't worry. Nothing major is going to happen today."
That's a relief.
I'd be in trouble if something bad happened on the first day.
'Especially if it gets back to Grandpa.'
Just as I started to feel relieved.
"You guys are dead!"
A loud shout echoed from afar!
Then.
Thud-thud-thud!
Footsteps came charging toward us.
Huh, isn't that Jack?
But by the time I realized it was him, it was too late.
Bam!
Jack leaped like a panther going after its prey.
Slam!
He landed a flying knee right into the big guy's face.
"Huh?"
It all happened in an instant.
Even the seniors were too dazed to grasp what had just happened.
By the time they barely understood the situation.
"Kill him!"
One by one, they all rushed at Jack.
Jack didn't hesitate, no matter how many came at him.
On the contrary, he swung his elbow with the intent to obliterate anyone in front of him.
Smack!
Just grazing his blow was enough to cause chaos.
"Screeeeam!"
Cries of pain erupted from all sides.
When he sparred with gloves on, I hadn't realized it, but…
In this moment, Jack was a true warrior.
Like a soldier charging into enemy lines to save his comrade!
Even when the seniors somehow managed to surround him.
Whoosh!
Jack easily broke through their formation with a wrestling tackle.
Thud. Crack!
It was just as Jack lifted one of the big guys high into the air, about to make an example of him.
"Stop!"
I grabbed Jack by the shoulder and said.
"If you slam him down now, things will get out of hand."
Instead of responding, he just.
"Huff… Huff…"
Let out deep breaths.
The big guy who had been flailing in the air finally.
Thud.
Set his feet back on the ground.
"..."
The fight came to a temporary halt.
In the blink of an eye, four guys were down.
At least one of their noses looked completely broken.
'Well, this is troublesome.'
I approached the one who seemed to be their leader.
"It seems my friend misunderstood, but you guys weren't exactly in the right either. So let's just end it here…."
"What did you just say, you bastard?"
"Do you really want to keep going?"
"You crazy son of a…"
"If you really want to see this through to the end, go ahead and bring all your friends. Right now."
At that moment.
Snort, snort.
Jack began snorting furiously, full of rage.
A sign that he was ready to fight alongside me at any moment.
Maybe it was that beast-like appearance that spooked them.
The seniors started helping their injured comrades and prepared to leave.
Limping away.
After they disappeared into the distance.
"Are you okay?"
Was it even right for him to ask me that when he was the one who fought?
"How did you even know to come here?"
"I saw your roommate running down the hallway."
"Peter?"
"Yeah. From what I heard, he was on his way to tell a teacher, but he ran into me first."
So, a furious Jack chased after the seniors… and landed that flying knee kick out of nowhere…
'Still, I guess I should be grateful.'
I mean, he jumped in without a second thought to save me.
Although now things have gotten a lot more complicated in many ways.
But judging by those guys, it felt like it was only a matter of time before something happened… I guess it just happened a little sooner.
After sorting out my thoughts, I finally spoke to Jack.
"Didn't get hit once, huh?"
"Yeah, surprised me too."
"How about we grab something to eat?"
At my suggestion, Jack nodded enthusiastically.
***
The school was in an uproar.
Of course, it was.
Four second-year guys had their noses fractured—if that didn't cause chaos, that would've been the real surprise.
The only saving grace was that there was a hospital on campus, so they got immediate treatment.
The worst part was that, since they were treated at the school, rumors spread quickly.
And as usual, the rumors grew with each retelling.
The rumor spread quickly: something about a junior provoking the seniors first.
Some said there were only four fractures, but over ten people were injured, big or small.
As a result, the second-year student council president was reportedly fuming.
It had only been a few hours since the fight, but all kinds of stories were already going around.
"Do you think you'll be okay?"
"Who knows."
I answered Peter, who looked terrified.
"It's my first time, so I'm not really sure."
"But your face… you don't seem worried at all."
"Really?"
He nodded.
Why wouldn't I be calm?
If I were really seventeen, I'd be shaking with fear by now.
'But I've seen too much of the world for that.'
If I can't handle it on my own, I'll report it to the teacher.
And if that doesn't solve the problem, I can just call the police.
At that moment.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked lightly on the door.
"Eek!"
Peter jumped in shock.
He must have thought the seniors were back to harass us again.
But the person who opened the door was completely unexpected.
***
At the same time, in the second-year student council room.
"A first-year picked a fight with the seniors?"
"…Yeah."
"Really?"
"I-I'm telling you, it's true."
Carl Bernstein lifted the corners of his mouth into a smirk.
"Rebellion against their seniors, huh…"
This gave him a perfect excuse.
No one would dare mock him now with remarks like, 'You're just picking on Park Ji-hoon because you're afraid of the Grosvenor family.'
Grin.
The only task left was figuring out how thoroughly he could crush that Park Ji-hoon kid.
"Shall we go right now?"
"Don't be stupid."
"…?"
"You know he knew they were seniors, but still acted all defiant, right?"
"…."
"With a temper like that, he's bound to clash with Tennessee Grosvenor too."
"Y-yeah, I guess so."
"And when we step in and take care of him then?"
"We'll be able to stay on good terms with Tennessee Grosvenor too?"
Carl nodded.
"Ahh, I get it now!"
Get what?
This worm only thinks when someone spoon-feeds him the idea.
Feeling satisfied, Carl Bernstein finally rose from his seat.
***
The person who entered the room was, surprisingly, Olivia.
Had she heard the rumors?
There was a hint of concern on her face.
But after checking my condition, she gave a small smile and said.
"I heard seven guys jumped you, but you look fine?"
"I wasn't the one they fought."
"Then?"
"My friend fought in my place."
She glanced over at Peter.
Peter waved his hands frantically, as if to say it wasn't him.
"Not me… there's someone named Jack."
"Really?"
"A-anyway, should I give you two some space?"
"No, we'll leave."
She looked over at me.
"Want to go for a walk? Or are you still shaken up by those thugs?"
"Not at all."
Olivia and I headed outside the building.
The night had already darkened.
A crescent moon hung precariously over the dormitory.
Fortunately, the campus had streetlights everywhere, so walking around wasn't a problem.
"Were you scared?"
"Why would you think I wasn't?"
"Just a feeling."
Olivia thought for a moment before continuing.
"A leopard wouldn't panic just because it ran into a pack of stray dogs."
I chuckled.
"If the fight gets tough, you can always climb a tree."
I responded with a quiet smile instead of words.
"Need help?"
"No."
"I figured."
Olivia continued walking with a calm expression.
Maybe it was because she had weathered enough storms in life.
She didn't seem like the type to waver in the face of danger.
"Not worried anymore?"
I nodded.
"Good, then that's settled."
She glanced back at me and said.
"I heard something interesting from my dad earlier."
"…?"
"He said you own a pretty big business. Not something you inherited from your parents, but something you built yourself."
"…."
"But I was curious. Why didn't you mention it to me? So, I came up with my own theory."
She continued with a playful look on her face.
"My conclusion is this: you're not the type to brag about things like that. Plus, you probably planned to tell me when we got closer. How's that? Am I right?"
Instead of answering, I asked her.
"What did you think when you heard I run a business?"
"It was surprising."
"That's it?"
"I also felt a bit sorry for you."
Sorry?
"I got all kinds of flak just for winning a single contest. Imagine running a business at a young age—how many people must have had something to say?"
Was that why?
Normally, if someone hides something from you, you'd feel hurt first.
'Instead, she tried to understand me, even came up with her own reason for it?'
And it was a reason that cast me in a positive light…
Did she sense my thoughts?
"People are going to speculate about you no matter what. There's no need for me to add to it, right?"
Olivia added a brief explanation.
I smirked.
'Thanks.'
At that moment.
"Why are you smiling?"
"I'm not."
"You are. Your lips are curling up."
"My lips just happened to move."
"That's still smiling!"
We walked around the campus for a while.
The night air was chilly, but not too cold.