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Chapter 3: School Zone (1)
Kang Chan opened the wardrobe and chose a pair of jeans and a black cotton T-shirt to put on. Now, he needed money. Kang Chan suddenly recalled the money he had saved back when he was a mercenary. He wouldn’t be able to use it, but he had to look into it.
As soon as Kang Chan left his room, Yoo Hye-Sook stood up in surprise. She then handed him ten 10,000 won bills.
“Is this enough for me to get a haircut?”
“Of course, it’s enough. Since it’s been a while since you’ve gone out, you should treat your friends to some pizza.”
Kang Chan looked at Yoo Hye-Sook. Judging from the look in her eyes, she genuinely loved and cared about her son. But why didn’t she know about her son being bullied?
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’ll be back.”
“Okay, be careful and don’t be home too late. When you cross the road…”
Kang Chan had been walking out the door but at that, he quickly looked back. Yoo Hye-Seok jerked her head back.
“I’ll call if I’m going to be late.”
“Oh, okay.” Yoo Hye-Sook nodded twice. Kang Chan then left the apartment.
It felt strange. Being aware that someone out there was worried about him, that he had a mother who cared for him... such feelings were foreign to Kang Chan.
As soon as he left the building, the first thing he wanted to do was buy a pack of cigarettes and smoke it. After putting up with his cravings for quite some time, he had a strong urge to smoke. However, something else was the priority right now.
“Let’s get a haircut first,” Kang Chan muttered to himself, walking into a conspicuous hair salon.
“Oh my! If it isn’t Chan! I heard that you got hurt. Are you okay now? Your mother told me about it. You want to get a haircut?”
A woman in her early thirties welcomed him. She babbled so many words so quickly that even if she had rehearsed them, it wouldn't be odd if she ran out of breath.
“Sit here. How do you want me to cut it?”
“Please cut it short, like a military crew cut.”
“Oh? Chan, if you grow your hair out…”
“Just cut it, please.”
“Huh? Oh! Alright.”
The owner of the salon seemed astonished. She reached for the shaver from the shelf in front of her and began shaving his hair. As she did, little by little, Kang Chan started to like how he looked.
“Could you please cut it a little shorter?”
“Oh? Yeah?”
There was something sharper about his gaze. Now that he had his usual hairstyle back, he was at least starting to look like his old self. Kang Chan had finally gotten the style he wanted. The owner then proceeded to wash his hair and dry it.
“Do you have any hair gel?”
“Of course! What would you like to do?”
“Just give me some please.”
Kang Chan slicked his short bangs back using the gel the owner gave him.
‘Yeah! That’s Kang Chan right there!’
It had been a while since he had last smiled that contentedly. He was happy because, in the mirror, he could see the old him with the same look in his eyes.
After leaving the salon, Kang Chan went straight to the convenience store in the same building.
“One pack of Marlboro and a lighter.”
The young man at the counter appeared to be a college student. He glanced at Kang Chan.
“Please show me your ID.”
“What?”
“You have to show me your ID, or I can’t sell you any cigarettes.”
“Since when?”
The student, clearly a part-timer, hesitated.
“It’s been a while since I have been in a good mood. I’ll show it to you next time, so stop making a fuss and sell me the cigarettes and lighter.”
Kang Chan felt like he was slowly regaining his old self. The actual timbre of his voice wasn’t important—what made him glad was that he had found the right tone to match his personality.
The hesitant student glanced around the store as he quickly handed Kang Chan the pack of cigarettes and a lighter. After paying for the items, Kang Chan left the building and walked out of the apartment complex. He sat on a rock on a flower bed at one side, whipped out a cigarette, and leisurely put it in his mouth.
Chk chk.
“Hooo.”
It felt good. Kang Chan looked at the smoke dispersing and felt as though the past and present were properly coming together.
He had to take the bus to get to school. After smoking two cigarettes, Kang Chan took a taxi to Shinmuk High School. He was still unfamiliar with the buses and subway lines, and, more importantly, he felt that taking public transportation was inconvenient.
‘It feels like I’m on leave.’
He felt much better when he leaned against the backseat of the taxi. After about ten minutes, Kang Chan got off in front of the school and casually walked in.
‘But which class am I in?’
He was in a pickle. Even after walking through the main gate, he didn’t know where to go. Kang Chan looked at his surroundings before randomly walking toward a building.
“What kind of school has three buildings? It looks more like a business district. Does it even look like a place for students?”
Kang Chan strode towards the building in front of him. He could see a field covered in synthetic grass with lines drawn on it for the purpose of playing soccer, with goalposts placed at both ends of the field.
“What now?”
Just as Kang Chan stood in front of the building, agonizing over what to do…
Ding dong dang.
The bell rang and all of a sudden, it was as though the building had woken up from its slumber—the sound of chatter and noises from desks being dragged filled the air. Students wearing school uniforms came into view.
‘There are girls too, huh?’ Kang Chan stared blankly at the students.
“Yoo! Kang— Chaaan!”
Someone called out to him as they approached him. Judging from the way the guy placed his hands in his pockets and his condescending body language as he walked, it was evident that he was up to no good. The other students were cautiously steering clear of the guy approaching Kang Chan.
“You’re not wearing your school uniform, and you’ve done your hair like that on top of it. You out of your mind?”
The guy standing in front of Kang Chan placed his right index finger by his head and twirled it. The students in the building peeked out their heads to watch, while those who were at a distance away from Kang Chan and the guy also stopped to watch.
Kang Chan recognized his voice immediately. Still, he felt he should at least confirm the identity of the enemy before engaging in combat.
“Lee Ho-Jun?”
“Yeah, you bastard! I'm Lee Ho-Jun, the guy who had to personally get his own cigarettes and lunch because of how utterly inattentive you’ve been. Have you finally come to your senses now?”
Smack!
The whole place instantly became quiet. It was as if someone had silenced the commotion. Kang Chan didn’t want to drag this out; he didn’t fancy being insulted by a nobody like Lee Ho-Jun, much less wasting his time to educate him.
Smack. Pow. Pow. Pow. Pow. Pow.
Kang Chan slapped Lee Ho-Jun on the other cheek, and then openly struck him in the neck, chest, and stomach.
“Cough! Huuuuff.”
It seemed that Lee Ho-Jun couldn’t breathe—he bent his upper body over and opened his mouth in an unsightly manner. Nevertheless, since Lee Ho-Jun was fairly tall, his head was at Kang Chan’s waist level.
Kang Chan grabbed Lee Ho-Jun’s hair.
‘Are you watching this? I don’t know where you are, but take a good look at him getting beaten up and feel better.’
Smack. Smack. Smack. Smack. Smack.
Quite a lot of blood had already dripped onto the lower half of Lee Ho-Jun’s face, but Kang Chan didn’t stop hitting him.
SMACK!
Kang Chan landed a hard final blow on Lee Ho-Jun’s cheek and grabbed him by the hair. He then looked at Lee Ho-Jun’s swollen left eye and cheek, as well as his mouth, before tilting his head to the side.
‘Is it because this isn’t my body? Judging from this, he still has some defiance left, huh?’
Kang Chan held Lee Jun-Ho’s head down and struck him hard on the cheek five more times.
“Hey, you!”
Kang Chan heard someone yelling, and a middle-aged man passed through the crowd and stopped in front of him.
“You punk! What do you think you’re doing?”
Kang Chan looked at the man and guessed he was a teacher.
“This bastard has been ordering me to get cigarettes for him and taking my money from me. I’m finally standing up for myself after keeping silent for so long, are you punishing me for that?”
“What? You bastard! Who do you think you are talking to me like that!” The teacher bellowed.
Kang Chan suddenly flew into a rage. “Watch your language! Why? Do you want to get beaten up too? Are you sure you can do it?”
As soon as Kang Chan jerked his left hand loose, Lee Ho-Joon sprawled out on the floor. Kang Chan took a step forward and walked up to the teacher. He emitted the malicious aura he normally had whenever he fought in its full glory, and the teacher couldn’t look him in the eye.
“Give it a rest. I have all the evidence of that bastard extorting money from me, as well as how much he has bullied and put me through, so don’t bother taking his side.”
“You little…punk. Do you want to get expelled from school?”
“Do whatever you want. I still have matters to attend to, so leave us alone now.”
Lee Ho-Jun had barely managed to wipe the blood dripping under his nose with the back of his hand when Kang Chan grabbed him by the hair once again. The girls gasped in shock, but Kang Chan didn’t hesitate.
“Lee Ho-Jun. I’m not done with you. Shall we have a little chat?”
“Huh? What?”
“You said you were inconvenienced because I didn’t get you cigarettes and lunch, right? Since you told me to come, there must be more things you want to say to me, no?”
At that moment, the petrified Lee Ho-Jun grabbed Kang Chan’s wrist and started flailing about. The teacher then grabbed Kang Chan by the waist.
“Why are you doing this? If you continue, you really won’t be able to attend school anymore. Stop this right now!”
Kang Chan suddenly turned around to look at the teacher, only to see a look of sincerity in his eyes. Kang Chan wasn’t afraid of being expelled from school—he just didn’t want to be disrespectful to a teacher who was sincere.
He let go of Lee Ho-Jun’s hair and took a deep breath.
“Okay, I get your point, so please let go of me.”
The teacher’s face twitched as he glanced at Kang Chan, then propped Lee Ho-Jun up and helped him into the building. The students were still surrounding Kang Chan from a distance, as if there was still some show to look at. Every time Kang Chan turned his head around, they would look away and avoid his gaze.
Kang Chan slowly left the building and made his way right to the top of the grandstand facing the field, and sat down.
‘Why did it have to be at lunchtime? Tsk. I should’ve come after school ended.’
He felt unsettled; it was as if he had left something unfinished. His mood took a turn for the worse as he thought about the subordinates he couldn’t protect.
As he was staring at the field and spacing out, a couple of shadows appeared around him.
“Oh? This motherfucker looks crazy, huh?”
Kang Chan turned his head around and smirked. The corners of that student’s eyes and face looked intimidating, but there was a sloppy vibe to him that couldn’t be overlooked.
Six. One of them has something in his pocket. A utility knife?
Kang Chan smirked.
“This bastard is smiling after beating up an idiot huh?”
Kang Chan slowly got to his feet. Since he had been sitting at the top of the grandstand, he ended up being one step below the guys that appeared. He clenched his fist, but straightened out his thumb and placed it on top of his index finger. One hard jab with that hand and the weaklings around him wouldn’t be able to get back up.
Jab.
Kang Chan suddenly jabbed the outer thigh of the guy standing right in front of him with his right thumb, right in the middle.
Jab! Jab! Jab!
Before the guy could react, Kang Chan had already jabbed him in the ribs, the solar plexus, and last but not least, his Adam’s apple.
“Cough!”
The guy shrieked in pain and collapsed. Meanwhile, the rest of the guys charged at Kang Chan.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Punch! Smack!
Going up against their feeble fists was such a piece of cake that it almost made him yawn. Kang Chan deflected their punches with his palms, then knocked them to the ground by striking them in the abdomen or their Adam's apple, one by one.
Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!
It all happened in the blink of an eye. By the time the students on the field went ‘Huh?’ the six boys were already rolling on the ground.
Kang Chan reached out his hand towards the boy he thought had a utility knife. In the pocket of the boy’s pants, he indeed discovered a thick knife.
Rip.
“Bastard. Why are you carrying this around with you?”
Kang Chan grabbed the edge of the boy’s pants, lifted him up, and walked down the grandstand, dragging him along.
“Ah! Agh! Aaaaagh!”
The boy, whose head was hitting the cement stairs, let out a shrill scream.
Pow.
Kang Chan got down to the field and kicked the boy in the abdomen as hard as he could. As soon as he walked back up the grandstand, the boys he had knocked down tried to scurry away, even as they were still on the ground.
“Who was the first guy that cursed at me?”
There was no way he would forget what an enemy looked like. One of the boys was shaking his head. Kang Chan grabbed him by the hair; as he fell over, Kang Chan dragged his body with him as he ran down the grandstand.
Thud thud thud thud.
“Ack! Agh!”
Blood seeped through the torn part of his school uniform.
“Oy, you over there. Come here quickly!”
“Fuck you!”
Kang Chan chuckled. Firstly, it would be troublesome if this guy were to run away. He mercilessly struck the nape of the guy, whose uniform was now completely torn apart at the front, with the edge of his hand
Bam! Thud!
Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!
Kang Chan’s movements were truly swift. Kang Chan’s body looked as though it was floating as he went up the stairs two steps at a time.
“Care to repeat yourself?”
The other boy hadn’t expected Kang Chan to come up that quickly. Kang Chan grabbed the boy’s head.
“Ah! Ah!”
Kang Chan paid no attention to his screams. He beckoned to the three remaining guys under the grandstand with a nod. As soon as the malicious boy squirmed and screamed, the three of them went down with frightened looks on their faces. How would they be able to escape the clutches of Kang Chan, who used such an insane, cruel, and high-level technique?
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
The sounds of the smacks bounced off the walls around the field. It was lunchtime, so the other students had already come outside and surrounded him, but all that was heard was the unbelievably loud sounds of Kang Chan hitting the wannabe bullies.
Kang Chan lifted up the head of the guy he was holding.
“Oh my…”
As soon as the guy struggled to regain consciousness, his saliva mixed with blood dripped down from his mouth.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
It was a terror tactic. If the opponent had other allies, Kang Chan would have to prevent either of them from acting up by teaching one of them a lesson as deterrence. By this point, the person who was struck would not feel any pain. Instead, their will would be broken from then on.
Kang Chan could sense from the hand grabbing the boy’s hair that the latter was losing strength in his legs.
“Shall we stop now?”
Bam.
Kang Chan kicked the boy in the abdomen and he fell forward. Kang Chan then made his way down the grandstand while dragging him along. Some of the girls screamed, but it didn’t drown out the sound of his body grinding against the cement.
Thud!
When Kang Chan got to the ground, he flung the boy aside, as though he was tossing out something dirty.
‘Whew. I do feel kind of bad when I think of your parents, though.’
Looking at his surroundings, he realized it was too late to salvage the situation. Kang Chan felt as though he had paid off his debt to the previous owner of his body. Wasn’t it better to get expelled from school rather than murdering people or committing suicide?
“Since things have already gotten to this point, I should wrap it up properly huh?”
Wasn’t the ending the most important thing?
Kang Chan slowly scrutinized the three boys drenched in blood, as well as the three other terrified boys standing across from him.
Three middle-aged men hurriedly walked over, as if they had been waiting for the situation to calm down.
‘They must be teachers.’
Kang Chan glanced over at the teacher in the middle. Judging from the way he walked, Kang Chan could tell that the teacher had received special military training.