"H-He actually cut it…!"
"That was his only good feature…" Suwon whispered in disbelief.
Park Dong swallowed frowning. "Can he really do that…?"
Yoon Seojin muttered flatly, "Sometimes I think the teachers are here just to make student life miserable."
More murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"His sideburns are gone…!!"
"If I had to live looking that hideous, I'd rather-"
"Not done yet."
The place went silent hearing Sseuri hyung say this making the teacher more angrier.
"What?" Buchaekkol snapped.
Sseuri-hyung tilted his head back slightly, fingers brushing the back of his long hair.
A single tear slid down the corner of his eye but his voice didn't shake.
"My pride is in the back of my hair," he said quietly. "Take that into consideration."
Shock rippled through the students.
He's… still not backing down?
Buchaekkol's grin stretched wider.
"Alright. Fine!!!"
His voice rose with manic satisfaction. "Then today's the last day for your precious pride!!"
Snip. Snip.
More hair fell.
Im Yongjin burst out laughing. "PWAHAHA! Sseuri-hyung can't even talk back to us, but he's a beast against teachers!"
Kang Hyuk stared, horrified."…He's been growing that back hair for almost a year…"
The scissors were gone now.
Buchaekkol grabbed a razor instead.
Kang Hyuk clenched his fists."…Even so this is too much."
Finally, another teacher rushed forward, grabbing Buchaekkol's arm.
"Sir calm down! He's still just a kid!"
Buchaekkol jerked his arm free, breathing hard.
"What did I do something wrong?! This delinquent little bastard!"
"Still… isn't this a bit too much?"
"They're getting a full shave anyway, so what's the point?!"
Sseuri-hyung's hair once wild, dramatic, almost like Super Saiyan 3 was gone.
Now it was closer to Krillin.
Both sideburns erased.
Even the hair at the back, the part that once brushed past his neck gone without mercy.
Everyone could feel how he feel right now.
The one thing that made him stand out.
The one thing people remembered him for.
Was no more.
Murmurs spread through the auditorium.
"This is too much…"
"Is growing your hair really that big of a crime…?"
On Seol Hyorim's side, the girls watched uneasily.
Jinkyung whispered, "It feels like we're being treated like criminals…"
Seolhyo clenched her jaw. "We're not even adults yet…"
Irina shook her head. "This is insane. Seriously."
At the back, Im Yongjin let out a dry laugh."…This is so fucked up, lol."
Kang Hyuk nodded grimly. "Yeah. You're not wrong."
Meanwhile, Seojin was patting his pockets, frowning.
"…Damn it. I forgot my snacks."
Suwon and Park Dong turned toward him at the exact same time, eyes wide.
That's what you're focusing on right now?!
Sseuri-hyung finally dropped his head.
"…Grow your hair a little," he muttered hoarsely, "and suddenly you're a thug…"
He lifted his gaze slowly.
"Then what does that make teachers like you?"
Buchaekkol, still being restrained by another teacher gripping his shoulder, thrashed violently.
"Shut your mouth!!"
"Sir, calm down calm down!" the other teacher pleaded.
But Sseuri-hyung straightened, spreading his arms wide.
"Teachers who swing fists before speaking aren't they the real thugs?!"
The irony hung heavy in the air.
Enraged and unable to reach him, Buchaekkol lashed out his foot slamming into Sseuri-hyung's shin.
Sseuri-hyung crumpled instantly, crashing to his knees, clutching his leg.
His forehead hit the floor with a dull thud.
"Fine then, you bastard!" Buchaekkol roared. "I'll show you what a real thug looks like! Get up! Stop whining!!"
The other teacher struggled desperately, arms wrapped tight around Buchaekkol's chest, barely holding him back.
The disciplinary teacher finally stepped in, positioning himself directly behind Buchaekkol.
"…Sir."
Buchaekkol shot him a glance. "Huh?"
The man's voice was low but firm. "The principal is watching. Is this really how you intend to treat a student?"
Buchaekkol's eyes flicked toward the side of the stage.
There stood the principal his bald head gleaming under the auditorium lights, gaze fixed, sharp and unblinking.
The disciplinary teacher met Buchaekkol's eyes, his stare almost murderous. "You really want to escalate this?"
Buchaekkol swallowed, sweat forming at his temples.
"N-No. That's not what I meant… geez."
Just as the tension began to loosen
Sseuri-hyung suddenly pushed himself upright.
His voice exploded through the auditorium.
"WE!!! FOR THE CRIME OF BEING STUDENTS!!!"
Dead silence.
You're still not done yet?
Is he really tired of living..?
He look like a dork but he's kind fine now...
Every head snapped toward him even the students sitting onstage, tears still streaking their faces as clumps of hair lay at their feet.
Sseuri's voice rose higher, trembling with rage and absurd, burning conviction.
"IN A PRISON CALLED SCHOOL!!LOCKED IN CELLS CALLED CLASSROOMS!!OUR NAMES WRITTEN ON AN INMATE LIST THE ATTENDANCE BOOK!!"
He yanked off his uniform jacket, crumpling it in his both hands left standing in a red shirt with a strange, chaotic design.
"WEARING PRISON UNIFORMS CALLED SCHOOL UNIFORMS!!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Before he could continue, Buchaekkol snapped, shouting over him, his voice cracking with fury.
"THEN IS STUDYING THE PUNISHMENT?! AND GRADUATION THE RELEASE, HUH?!"
Sseuri-hyung stared at him for a beat, clutching his crumpled uniform.
Then awkwardly, almost gently he smiled.
"…Correct."
The next moment.
TWACKH.
The razor flew.
It struck Sseuri-hyung square in the mouth,
He pressed his lips tightly together, head bowed.
.
"You lunatic!!" Buchaekkol roared.
"What the hell are you doing?!" the disciplinary teacher barked, patting Sseuri hyung shoulder.
Buchaekkol dragged a hand through his hair, sweating realizing what he did."…I couldn't stand it. I threw it before I even realized."
The auditorium erupted into shocked murmurs.
"He threw the clippers at his face"
"Fuck this, we're reporting it. For real."
"This has gone way too far…"
The disciplinary teacher hurried forward and crouched beside him. "Hey you hey, lift your head, he-"
He froze.
His eyes widened.
Buchaekkol stepped closer then stopped dead as well.
"…Huh?!"
Sseuri-hyung slowly lifted his head.
His uniform lay crumpled on the floor, dark red spreading across the fabric. Blood dripped steadily from his split lip, streaking down his chin.
His hands were smeared with it, shaking slightly as he stared at them.
"…Whoa."
A crooked laugh escaped him. "Haha… I'm bleeding."
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing the red even further, then looked up at the teachers eyes sharp, burning.
"Sir," he said hoarsely, "is this… education too?"
Behind him.
Nearly every student had their phone out now, screens glowing, cameras rolling.
"Record everything."
"We're reporting this."
"This school's finished no way they can cover this up."
Buchaekkol spun toward them, face twisting with rage."You-You little brats…!!"
"Record everything!"
"Film this shit, don't stop!"
Buchaekkol panicked, roaring over them. "Put those phones away!! Put them away, I said!!"
But no one listened.
Buchaekkol's face finally cracked nervous sweat beading along his temples.
"H-Hey!! I'm confiscating all of them! Now!!"
The disciplinary teacher didn't even move
.…It's over
The principal stepped in at last, voice tight, eyes darting between the stage, the students, and the raise phone of each students.
Faced with the rising wave of complaints, the madness was shut down on the spot
On the stage, white cloths still draped over them, boys sat frozen with fresh buzz cuts.
Girls stared numbly at the floor, their hair cut just past their ears.
The damage had already been done.
What about us…
Should've acted tough and stepped up sooner.
Fuck…
-
Outside the school.
Sseuri-hyung stood near the steps, Hong Aera beside him but still a small, awkward gap between them.
Her voice came out softer than usual."…What are you gonna do about your hair?"
He ran a hand over his head, fingers brushing the uneven stubble. "What else? Might as well go bald now, lol."
"You're bleeding from where you got hit."
His split lip had already been cleaned and taped by the nurse.
He shrugged. "Honestly, I don't even care. Thinking about how freaked out Buchaekkol must be right now kinda makes me feel better. HAHA."
She ask."…Are you really gonna drop out? Wouldn't transferring be better?"
Sseuri-hyung took a step forward, hands buried in his pockets. "Transferring won't change anything. How am I supposed to survive school life without my back hair? That was my whole brand. Lol"
Aera stared at him, confused.
Why does that even matter…?
"…Did you get busted too?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'm getting sent to the no-smoking school."
He nodded once, then started walking away. "Yeah… good luck with that. I'm outta here."
She watched his back retreating, uncertainty twisting in her chest. S
he scratched the back of her head, then.
"Oppa!"
He stopped.
Turning around, a faint blush crept up his ears."…Since when did you call me oppa like that?"
Something violet flew toward him.
He caught it instinctively.
A lighter.
"A dropout gift," Aera said.
He looked down at it, then back at her, chuckling."…Aren't you supposed to give, like, a cool lighter or something?"
She was already walking away, not looking back.
She lifted her hand raising her middle finger. "Then don't take it. Or just throw it away."
Sseuri-hyung smirked, closing his fingers around it.
"…Take care."
"Bye now."