**Thud.**
My body slammed into the bathroom wall.
Cold tiles struck my back, forcing the air from my lungs. Pain shot from my shoulder down my spine before another shove nearly smashed my head against the ceramic.
Damn it… is he on his period or something today?
A punch landed in my stomach. I bent forward reflexively, holding my breath to avoid making a sound. Someone grabbed my collar and shoved me back against the wall.
"Still not gonna fight back?" one of them clicked his tongue in annoyance.
I didn't answer. I wiped the blood from my lips. A metallic taste spread through my mouth, warm and disgusting. I swallowed hard, suppressing the nausea.
A knee nearly smashed into my thigh, close enough to make my legs tremble. I forced myself upright, leaning against the wall so I wouldn't collapse.
Then—
"Stop." The bathroom door opened.
A blond-haired guy walked in.
Everyone froze and turned toward him. The laughter and mockery instantly died.
"Yo, isn't this the former student council president?" one of them sneered. "What are you doing here? Gonna defend him again?"
"You!" his voice rose. "How many times do I have to tell you, violence isn't allowed."
"Relax." One of them stood casually. "We're just giving him a farewell greeting. We're graduating soon, right?"
He stepped closer, patted the blond guy's shoulder mockingly, then walked past him. The others followed, leaving the bathroom with low laughter.
The blond guy frowned, watching their backs until they disappeared, then turned to me.
"Why don't you ever fight back?" he asked. "I know your physical ability is pretty good. Even if you can't win, shouldn't you at least resist so they stop bullying you?"
He reached out and helped me up.
It wasn't that I couldn't. I was confident I could beat them. I just didn't want to pay compensation for injuring them. Once, I accidentally broke someone's nose in a fight, and my wages for several months vanished to cover it.
Because of that, I didn't want to use violence for anything.
"Huff… forget it," he said. "It's not too late. I'll report this. I also have recorded evidence from previous incidents. If you're willing, we can report this and get them punished."
"Forget it," I replied. "And please delete the recordings."
"Why are you protecting them?" his tone hardened. "From the start, if you admitted you were being bullied, they'd be punished. Maybe even expelled. Stop protecting them and pretending nothing's happening."
I wasn't protecting them. I'd heard rumors about them—drunks, fighters, people who used blades. I'd rather get beaten here than provoke them and end up chopped to pieces in some alley.
"It's fine," I said. "We're graduating soon anyway. Don't complicate things."
He let out a long sigh.
"Huff… fine."
He stared at me for a few seconds before asking, "By the way, how did you end up here?"
"I was going to congratulate you," he said quietly. "When I reached your class, I heard you'd been taken away by them, so I rushed here."
He took a deep breath.
"Anyway, congrats," he continued. "I feel embarrassed calling you my rival, even though for two years I couldn't catch up to you at all."
I glanced at him. Disappointment was clear on his face. From the start, he'd chosen the wrong rival. No one could defeat me. Once I decided on something, I would become the best.
"Don't be discouraged. You did your best," I said. "By the way, what rank are you this time?"
He gave a bitter smile. "Fourth."
We walked together.
"By the way," he added, "I've formed a study group for the upcoming exam. Want to join?"
"I'll think about it."
He smiled. "Good. Let me know once you decide."
We reached a crossroads. He waved and headed in the opposite direction toward the cafeteria.
"See you."
---
After watching him leave, I opened my wallet—
and instantly froze.
Empty.
This morning's events flashed through my mind.
"Did they take my money again?"
Annoyance bubbled up. This wasn't the first time my sibling had stolen from me. Even if it wasn't much, it was still my last money for the month. I'd warned them countless times, yet nothing changed.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.
"Forget it," I muttered. "This is my fault for not locking my room."
Since I had no money, I changed direction and went to the school rooftop to spend my break.
The door creaked open.
When I arrived, I saw a girl leaning against the railing. She turned toward me. Her clothes were messy, her hair disheveled, and her face looked more tired than usual.
"Did you get beaten today too?" she asked.
"Yeah. As you can see."
I walked over and leaned beside her.
Her situation wasn't much different from mine. She was often beaten—not for grades, but for being ranked first on the school's beauty list. Quiet, withdrawn, rejecting nearly every guy who approached her. As a result, she was hated by the girls and avoided by the boys.
Since then, bullying had become routine.
We occasionally met on the rooftop when I had no money to eat. One day, she started talking, and I simply listened—strangely, I found it pleasant.
"Congrats," she said. "You got first place again. Your future must be bright."
"Yeah. I hope so."
After all, I still had to carry that useless family.
She fell silent for a long time.
Her gaze was empty, as if staring somewhere far away—too far for me to reach.
"You know," she said softly, "I actually have nothing in this world."
My eyes immediately focused on her.
"So I think… it'd be better if I just stopped."
She jumped, and in an instant, stood on the other side of the railing.
"Hey!"
I grabbed her arm reflexively. "What are you doing?!"
She turned, smiling faintly—a smile that made my chest feel uneasy.
"You've been listening out of pity, haven't you?" she said. "Not because you actually wanted to."
"No."
My grip tightened. "I listened because I wanted to. So stop saying that."
I tried to pull her back, but she resisted, fingers gripping the railing.
"I know you'll leave too someday," she whispered. "You won't always be here. Listening to me. After graduation… we won't meet again."
"You're wrong." Cold sweat soaked my forehead as I searched desperately for words.
I stared straight into her eyes. "I can still listen. We can still talk. Even if we can't meet, I can still listen through the phone."
Her eyes widened.
"Really…?"
"For how long?"
"I'll try to always be there for you," I said uncertainly. "So stop doing this, okay?"
I clutched her arm tightly, afraid of what might happen.
She smiled.
Then she suddenly hugged me—too tightly.
"Then," she whispered in my ear,
"you're mine, okay?"
I froze.
The next moment, I felt my body being pulled downward—
and the world seemed to lose its footing.
I closed my eyes, bracing for impact.
Pain exploded, then everything went dark.
My body felt cold. My vision slowly faded.
Is this the end?
Am I going to die like this? Trying to save a crazy girl?
Fragments of my life spun through my mind. There was nothing good left. I only felt pity for my younger self—when I knew nothing and could still smile freely.
Now I understood.
My life… was miserable.
Nothing to be proud of.
Nothing truly worth holding onto.
And somehow—
in that realization,
I felt relieved.
As if the weight crushing my chest had finally found its place.
Oh… so that's how it is.
Not because I was satisfied with my life.
Not because I felt I'd done my best.
From the very beginning—
I had only been waiting for one thing.
One reason that made sense.
One justification I could accept.
A reason to give up.