— — — [System] — — —
Choi Changdong fell to his knees, hands between his legs. His followers stared at him, mouths agape.
— — — — — — — — —
I took advantage of those seconds to step forward. To the center of the stage.
"I'm not yesterday's Suhyeon," I said, smiling as I raised both arms.
And then... I committed the final act of madness. I turned toward Chaerin with a crooked smile, my cheek still red and swollen.
"So what do you say, princess? Does that count as a kiss attempt... or do I still need to do more?"
She looked at me like I had just broken the logic of the universe.
She said nothing. But she didn't look away. For the first time, her face didn't show contempt. There was curiosity. And just as I thought the system would reward me with an avalanche of cards...
"RAAAAAAH!"
Changdong rose like a bull.
"YOU'RE GOING TO DIE, KIM!"
He threw a punch at me like a wrecking ball. No time to dodge.
CRACK!! PHAAD!!
The pain was like an explosion in my nose. I crashed to the ground among blood and screams. Chaos grew.
And yet... I laughed like I had never laughed before, because I hadn't been killed. And this time... everyone had seen it. The punching bag had stood up.
My body hurt like hell. My nose was broken, vision blurry, and probably a couple of loose teeth.
I spat blood to the side and, between gasps, spoke in a low voice:
"First lesson in this world... there is no respect without war. And I've already started mine."
The ringing in my ears remained. My cheek burned, my jaw ached from the impact. I was still against the wall, my body trying to regain balance. My pride... wavering, but alive.
"Now you think you're strong?" spat Choi Changdong, shaking his hand as if he had just hit something dirty.
His friends laughed under their breath, glancing around, searching for social approval. But all they found was silence.
Not respect, but expectation. Those nearby said nothing, but their eyes were fixed on me. On what I would do.
"The old me... would have backed down. Would have apologized through tears. Would have lowered my head without resistance. But I'm no longer like that... bastards like you deserve a lesson," I thought, clearly angry and thrilled at the same time.
The contained rage and calculation toward Choi Changdong. It was that second before instinct forces you to move. I lifted my head and looked at him seriously.
"Are you done?" I asked, staring straight into his eyes.
The laughter died. Changdong frowned, unaccustomed to receiving gazes that didn't drop to the ground.
"What did you say, little shit?"
"I asked if you're done," I repeated, slow, clear, each word marked like a drumbeat.
— — — [System] — — —
Defeat Choi Changdong [0/1]
Reward: 1 silver card and 1 bronze card.
— — — — — — — — —
I felt a tingling at the back of my neck.
There it was again. The system. Silent, but present. Like a referee that only speaks when necessary. As if waiting for me to decide.
"Just when I least expected it, my God," I whispered.
The students started murmuring again. I saw some of them pull out their phones, not to help but to record how Suhyeon was about to be destroyed.
The show was about to begin.
Baek Chaerin kept her distance. She only watched from afar, arms crossed, her blouse still stained from the kimchi accident. No expression, no support, no anger. Just attention.
But there was something in her eyes that hadn't been there before: a hint of doubt. As if she no longer knew exactly who the boy in front of her was.
"It's like he's someone else..." thought Chaerin.
I pushed myself off the wall, shaking my arms lightly as if to shake off the weight of the blow, while smiling at the cameras pointed at me.
"Changdong," I pronounced his name as if savoring it in my mouth. "This hallway has good acoustics, doesn't it?"
"What?"
"I mean... when I knee you in the stomach, I want everyone to hear it clearly."
The reaction was immediate. Nervous laughter. "What did he say?" The tension ran through the air like electricity.
Changdong turned red.
"Are you mocking me, trash?"
"No. I'm warning you," I replied, stepping toward him.
And this time I didn't look away, I didn't back down. Because maybe I didn't have cards yet. Maybe I didn't have strength. But I had something no one else in that hallway had:
"Knowledge of the future. And that, today... would be enough."
Changdong charged first.
With a roar fueled more by ego than strength, he raised his arm to throw another right hook at my face. He lunged with his whole body, clumsy, like a bull without technique... but with weight and brutality.
And yet, I saw it coming. Not with surgical precision. Not like a martial arts expert. But like someone who had seen this scene before.
I ducked, his fist flying over my head, and his momentum threw him off balance. I shoved his side with my shoulder, just enough to make him stumble. Not fall, but step back.
The murmurs grew.
"Is that Suhyeon...?"
"What's happening?"
"Suhyeon is actually cool!"
Changdong came back, more enraged. This time he shoved me with his whole body. He slammed me against the lockers, making my vision go dark for a second. Knocking the air out of me.
My sight spun, but I didn't fall. I clenched my teeth hard.
"I... have to keep going. I can't stop, and I never will," I told myself, trying to stay conscious.
I kicked low. Something strong, but precise: at his knee. I threw him off balance again, and seized the moment.
I lunged at him. Hit him with my right fist. Then my left. I didn't know how to fight. I had no technique. But I had rage. And each blow was a scream I couldn't express in words.
Pah!
Pah!
Pah!
One after another, Changdong tried to cover himself, but I didn't let him. I shoved him again, kicked his thigh when he dropped his guard, and grabbed his collar to headbutt him.
Maybe it hurt me more than it did him. I felt him slacken.
One last punch to the face, with everything I had left. And then he fell.
The hallway fell silent. Choi Changdong, the toughest bully, was on the floor. Suhyeon Kim... had taken him down.
I stood still for a second, breathing like a wounded, bloodied animal.
"I FINALLY DID IT!"
My body trembled. My vision was blurry. My back, ribs, and knuckles ached. My heart pounded as if it wanted to burst out of my chest.
But I did it, I completed my mission. I raised my foot and planted it firmly on Changdong's chest, who was barely breathing.
"Remember this..." I whispered hoarsely. "Here you fell... Choi Changdong."
In an instant, everything went black. My eyes shut and my body collapsed in on itself. I felt the floor rush up, muffled screams, and the chaos unleashed in the hallway.
Before losing consciousness, I had one last thought:
"I won. But it wasn't free, haha."
— — — [System] — — —
Mission completed.
— — — — — — — — —