I had no choice but to close my eyes.
It wasn't because a fist was flying at me. A martial artist would never close their eyes in that situation.
So why did I close them?
They say people close their eyes and reflect on their lives right before they die.
It might not be the perfect analogy, but I think I'm feeling something similar right now.
I cracked my eyes open slightly.
The two tattooed girls in front of me were so short they couldn't even shield my tall frame.
Thanks to that, the girl with sparkling blue eyes standing over there was staring at me, her eyes wide open.
"Oppa...?"
"What, oppa?"
"Mina, you know Sehwa?"
Aha. So her name was Mina.
As I listened to the noise of Jung Hyemin and Lee Souyoung grilling Mina, I sank into my inner thoughts.
You see, in our country, there's a saying: (Even if a tiger bites you, you'll survive if you keep your wits about you.)
It sounds like nonsense when you hear it, but it probably means something like grabbing the tiger's balls and crushing them while you're being mauled.
(Right. Let's be shameless about this. If I panic here, it's all over.)
All I saw when I closed my eyes was a darkness as deep as my future. I gave a slight smile and spoke as calmly as I could,
threatening my trembling eyes to smile along with me.
"Hello."
"Uh… hi? But why is oppa… wearing a school uniform?"
Mina tilted her head as she returned my greeting, clearly confused.
Meanwhile, my brain probably for the first time in my rough, fight-filled life started spinning to come up with an answer to her question.
"What are you guys talking about?"
"Pfft. No way, he's 18? You two met before but didn't even know each other's ages? Oh, his name's Ryu Sehwa, by the way."
(You damn bitches… shut up already.)
The tattooed duo cackled as they looked back and forth between me and Mina.
Mina, sensing something odd, paused to think before speaking.
"Huh? Then last time…"
I barely held onto my poker face, which was on the verge of cracking.
But what Mina did next made it impossible to stop the scream that erupted inside me.
"Pfft!"
(Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Shasha, you fucking bitch! Goddamn it!')
I felt my face heat up slightly. With my pale skin, any flush would be painfully obvious.
Mina, with her eyes curved prettily, covered her mouth with her hand and let out a cute laugh.
"Seriously, stop laughing like that, please."
"You sure you're not a lesbian? Sometimes I get scared when I'm around you."
Despite their teasing, Mina's crescent-shaped eyes didn't waver.
(Ugh.)
I'd hoped they'd just see me as a delinquent and think, (Yeah, that tracks.l
But with her reacting like this, all my efforts to keep a straight face were pointless.
I dropped my smile, let out a sigh, and walked over to Mina. Grabbing her slender shoulders, I leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"I'll explain everything later… just stay quiet for now."
Mina flinched slightly but nodded faintly.
When I looked at her face again, the playful glint was gone.
(Good. Crisis averted… for now.)
"Hey, what's going on with you two? Is there something between you?"
"You rejected every guy who approached you, but turns out you had a main chick? So jealous. King-God-Emperor Mina!"
(Why are you two starting again? Just shut up already.)
Ignoring the two girls who looked oddly offended, I went to my seat, sat down, and crossed my arms.
They were still pestering Mina with questions, but I tuned them out and tapped my foot up and down.
(If Mina's sitting next to me, I'll have a chance to clear up the misunderstanding. The heavens haven't completely abandoned me. Or… have they?)
Putting other things aside, if the kids found out I was crazy about booze and cigarettes, I'd be branded a total delinquent.
And here, a guy doing that kind of stuff is even more screwed. For now, it's just these two tattooed girls, but if other delinquents swarm me wanting to "hang out," it'll be a pain.
In my past life, I didn't mind hanging out with those kinds of kids. They couldn't mess with me, after all. Plus, they were kind of fun in their own way.
I never joined them in bullying anyone or doing stupid crap like that—just traded jokes occasionally.
But by this world's standards, if I acted recklessly… let's just say I'll keep that to myself.
(A 22-year-old getting caught up in delinquent games? I'd be too embarrassed to show my face.)
As I mulled over what excuse to give Mina, the bell signaling the end of the break rang out.
(God, that awful sound. It's been a damn long time since I heard it.)
Feeling the grating rhythm pierce my eardrums, I glanced around. The kids scattered around the room were hurriedly returning to their seats.
Mina, done with her conversation, quietly sat next to me, her bright eyes fixed on me.
"Pfft, ah, sorry. Seeing you again just makes me so happy for some reason."
"…Yeah, I'm glad too. You've been doing well?"
I felt a vein throb on my forehead as I watched Mina drag out her words with a smile.
"Oppa, are you really glad? Your face is as cold as ever, then and now. So sad~"
"My face is just like that. Also, you can drop the formalities."
"No, no, I'm good with this. It reminds me of a certain intense memory."
That memory's probably what I'm thinking of, right?
(Goddamn it.)
And the old me, trying to be considerate to a student and messing things up.
Mina, teasing me while gauging my reactions, leaned in closer with a curious look and whispered.
"So… how'd you end up here?"
"There was a bit of a mix-up. In Russia, I was considered an adult. But with Korea's damn age system, this is what happened."
I sighed as if I had no choice, and Mina let out a small laugh, as if she'd expected it.
"Pfft, really? Still, the uniform suits you. Wow, you even covered up all your tattoos. Not your eyes, though."
"Yeah, well… gotta go to school."
"Hard to see you as the cool oppa who downed soju in one shot back then. You smoked so well too. What was it you said? Something about minors?"
Mina pretended to ask seriously before veering back into teasing.
That small, pretty face now looked like a little devil, and it was driving me up the wall.
(Telling her to stop teasing feels too pathetic.)
As I watched her red lips move, I felt my body heat up and, without thinking, took off my outer shirt.
Left in just a T-shirt, I took a deep breath.
I had no choice but to get to the point.
---
_____
I was so shocked at first.
When I came back from the nurse's office, there was that tattooed oppa wearing our school uniform.
For a second, I thought it was some kind of hidden camera prank. I rubbed my eyes and looked again, and it was definitely him.
(What the…? Why's he here?)
When I realized he'd become a student here, I couldn't stop laughing inside.
Did I laugh a little on the outside too?
Pfft.
By the way, his name's Ryu Sehwa, right?
Anyway, seeing Sehwa in a school uniform was like watching a ferocious beast chained up and dragged along it was hilarious.
His sharp, pretty eyes trembling with panic the moment he saw me was kind of cute too.
So, I kept teasing him, wanting to break that cynical expression he was trying so hard to maintain.
(Kust a little more, and I might see his face turn red… just a bit more…)
I don't know why I wanted to see that, but maybe it's some kind of conquest instinct? If I could make that face blush with embarrassment, I'd probably be the first.
So I leaned in closer, kept bringing up old stories, and finally, Sejwa gave me a resigned look.
I thought I'd finally hear him admit defeat from those blood-red lips.
But then he… took off his jacket.
I felt my words catch in my throat as I saw Sehwa in just a short-sleeved T-shirt.
(Is this his counterattack? No way, even if he hates losing, taking off his clothes…?)
Mina's head creaked like an un-oiled robot as her gaze drifted to Sehwa's chest.
That distinctly masculine, straight-lined chest.
The T-shirt he was wearing wasn't baggy it was snug, showing off his toned chest in a way that was almost too provocative.
Even if you're not interested, it's like a woman's genes are programmed to notice a guy's body.
Mina hurriedly whispered to Se-hwa.
"Oppa, put your jacket back on… your figure's showing…"
Sehwa found it odd.
(A short-sleeved shirt's fine, isn't it? That's what I thought.)
"Why? It's cool like this. Don't tell me guys here have to wear long sleeves or something?"
Mina felt frustrated by Sehwa's clueless response.
The biggest issue was his body.
At this rate, she felt like she'd get swept up by this sly fox.
(I shouldn't have teased him… God, I'm done for. Where'd he learn to do that? No wonder he gave off weird vibes from the start.)
Mina frantically scanned Sehwa with her eyes, searching for a way out, then hurriedly said.
"Oh! Oppa, your tattoos are showing! Weren't you trying to hide them?"
"You're right. Thanks."
Sehwa put his jacket back on, covering the tattoos on his collarbone.
Watching his leisurely movements, Mina squinted and said.
"So, didn't you have something to say, Se-hwa oppa?"
"Oh, right. Just… keep it a secret that I did stuff students shouldn't. I've come too far to quit now."
"Of course I'll keep it a secret. If a guy does that kind of stuff, people look down on him. And honestly, I do it too, so don't worry about it."
At Mina's words, Sehwa mumbled something with his lips.
Puzzled by what he said, Mina suddenly let out a sigh.
"Oh! Oppa, do you have a job right now?"
"Nope. I'm unemployed."
What does "unemployed" mean for a student? Mina, finding it funny that a high schooler would call himself unemployed, said in a bright tone.
"Then, are you good at fighting?"
Sehwa smirked, as if she'd asked something obvious.
"Hell yeah."
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Translated by Reversalmanhwa.web.id
/ Reversalnovel.web.id