The bathroom mirror glared back at him.
Logan Lee leaned forward, hands gripping porcelain so tight the sink creaked. The reflection staring back was nothing like the hulking "Buddha" that once made entire classrooms tremble. His cheeks were hollow, his jawline sharp, his eyes sunken but blazing with feverish intensity.
The grin was still there — but it looked different now. Crooked. Desperate.
He'd stopped eating. Stopped sleeping. Stopped everything but training, smoking, and replaying his failures. The memories seared him raw: Seong Min's cold dismissal, Crystal's unreadable stare, Daniel Park's stubborn defiance.
Every one of them had looked down on him.
Fine.
If muscles made him a joke, he'd burn them away. If fear wasn't enough, he'd take what the pretty boys had — looks, presence, something else.
He flicked his lighter, igniting a cigarette, smoke coiling between his teeth.
"New Logan," he muttered to the mirror. "Pretty Logan. No one laughs at me."
Comics Department
The comics department buzzed with its usual chaos — nerd chatter, slouched bodies, cigarette smoke sneaking past cracked windows. Then the door slid open.
A tall, lean figure stepped inside.
Heads turned. Conversations died.
His uniform hung loose over a wiry frame, his cheekbones sharp enough to cut. For a moment, no one spoke — until whispers ignited like sparks on dry grass.
"Who's that…?""Transfer?""…Wait. No. No way."
Jay-Gal Gong blinked from his desk, cigarette dangling loose. His jaw dropped.
"Logan…?"
Murmurs erupted.
"It is him.""Logan Lee?!""He looks completely different — like some idol trainee."
Girls stared longer than they should have. Boys muttered nervously. The weight of Logan's old reputation lingered, even if the body no longer matched.
Logan smirked at the attention, swaggering to the center of the room.
"Surprised?" he drawled, arms spread. "I shed useless weight. The weak version's gone. Now I'm faster, sharper, better."
But Jay-Gal didn't clap. Didn't cheer. His face twisted with betrayal.
"This… isn't my master."
The words cut the air sharper than a fist.
Logan's grin narrowed. "What did you say?"
Jay-Gal rose, fists trembling. "The Logan I followed wasn't some poser starving himself to look good. He was a monster. A real boss. You—" he jabbed a finger at Logan's chest — "you're just another wannabe pretty boy."
Gasps.
Logan's smile froze, then sharpened like broken glass.
"You think you can talk down to me?"
Jay-Gal clenched his fists. "I'll prove it. I'll show everyone you're not the same."
Desks screeched as students scrambled back.
Logan cracked his knuckles. "Fine. I'll put my dog down myself."
Jay-Gal lunged first, adrenaline pushing him past his fear. His punch landed — solid against Logan's jaw, snapping his head sideways. Gasps erupted.
Logan touched his lip, saw blood. His grin widened.
"Not bad, otaku."
Then he moved.
He weaved under Jay-Gal's next punch, ribs twisting, and buried his fist in Jay-Gal's stomach.
Wham!
Jay-Gal gagged but swung again, wild and desperate. "You're not the same Logan!"
Crack!
Logan's knee smashed into his gut, folding him in half. A hook followed, splitting his nose. Jay-Gal staggered but refused to fall.
The crowd roared in disbelief.
"He's fighting him!""Jay-Gal's holding on!"
Logan's grin faltered. Enough play. He twisted Jay-Gal's arm, slammed him against a desk, and drove a fist into his spine.
Jay-Gal crumpled, groaning.
Logan loomed above him, exhaling smoke.
"Pathetic. You thought you could stand against me? You're just like the rest — sheep."
But the whispers had already spread:
"He almost got him.""Skinny Logan's not invincible."
Logan heard it. Felt it. His jaw clenched.
A String of Defeats
The following days blurred into humiliation.
Logan stormed through the school, desperate to prove himself. He picked fights in hallways, classrooms, the courtyard.
But without his bulk, without raw intimidation, students didn't cower.
Vasco brushed him aside with a single shove.Zack ducked his punches and countered clean, dropping him in seconds.Even Vin Jin got his petty revenge, kicking him around while sneering.
Each fight ended the same: Logan beaten, mocked.
Rumors spread faster than fists.
"Skinny Logan's a joke.""He's not scary anymore.""Jay-Gal almost beat him—"
The laughter stung deeper than the bruises.
Courtyard Clash
One afternoon, Logan stormed into the courtyard, teeth grit. His eyes locked on Daniel Park's perfect body leaning against a bench.
Girls hovered nearby, whispering and giggling.
Rage consumed him.
Logan's shadow fell across Daniel.
"Pretty boy," he growled, cigarette dangling. "You're everything I hate."
Daniel blinked. "Excuse me?"
Logan stepped closer, eyes blazing. "Girls following you around. Acting like you're special. You think they like you? No. They like that face. Just like her—just like the bitch who left me for some pretty bastard."
Gasps rippled through the courtyard.
Daniel's chest tightened. He remembered the hatred Logan had once spat at his old body.
"You want to fight me?" Daniel asked quietly.
Logan's grin turned savage. "No. I'm going to break you."
He lunged.
Daniel vs. Logan
Logan's fists shot fast, sharp — but Daniel's body flowed on instinct. He sidestepped, blocked, countered.
Crack! His counterpunch clipped Logan's jaw, staggering him.
The crowd roared.
"Daniel's holding his own!""He's even faster than before!"
Logan snarled, rushing again. His flurry was wild, desperate. Daniel ducked and weaved, his fear twisting inside him — but this time, he didn't freeze.
Wham! A jab snapped into Logan's nose. Blood sprayed.
"You bastard!" Logan howled, swinging too wide.
Daniel ducked under, drove his fist into Logan's ribs, then another into his gut. Logan wheezed, collapsing to his knees.
"He dropped him!""Daniel Park's winning!"
at the j high school second-floor there she was.
From a second-floor window, Crystal Choi watched, phone in hand. Her classmates buzzed, shoving for a better view.
Crystal's brows furrowed as Logan staggered. Her lips curled faintly.
"So this is the monster everyone feared?" she murmured. "Pathetic."
Beside her, someone whispered: "Daniel's amazing — he's untouchable."
Crystal's eyes narrowed. Her voice was cool, almost careless:
"If someone wants to matter… they should at least be comparable to him."
The classmate assumed she meant Daniel. They nodded eagerly. "Yeah… he's really something."
But Crystal's gaze didn't linger on Daniel. Her words weren't for him at all. Quietly, sharply, her thoughts echoed toward someone else.Comparable to him. To Seong Min.
Down below, Daniel froze mid-stance. He'd heard it.
His fists trembled—not with fear, but with something sharper. Expectation. Recognition.
His chest tightened. Not with shame. With resolve.
He set his stance again, fire kindling in his eyes.
The words left her lips sharp, casual. But they carried weight.
His fists trembled — not from fear, but from something sharper. Expectation. Recognition.
His chest tightened. But not with shame. With resolve.
Logan staggered up, blood dripping. "I'll kill you!"
He charged.
Daniel pivoted, planted his foot, and drove a hook into Logan's jaw.
Crack!
Logan hit the dirt, sprawled on his back.
Silence.
Daniel stood tall, chest heaving, fists steady. His fear hadn't vanished, but it had shrunk. Controlled.
"Who are you?" he whispered.
Logan groaned, trying to rise — but his body refused.
Students whispered in awe:
"Daniel beat him easy.
""Skinny Logan's nothing.""Guess the Buddha really is gone."
Crystal locked her phone and stood. She didn't smile — but her eyes flickered. First at Logan, broken in the dirt. Then at Daniel, standing tall.
Recognition. Judgment.
Daniel felt it.
And Logan saw it too.
Her eyes weren't on him.
Not anymore.
✨ End of Chapter 72 ✨