Chapter : 22
“Seriously. You’re not even a teacher, and yet you’re telling me what to do.”
Inwoo grinned slyly, testing the waters.
If he backed down now, his pride would be completely ruined.
He couldn’t allow himself to be humiliated in front of all the third-year students watching.
“The kids are giving way because they want to, so why are you making such a fuss?”
A few of the students nodded nervously.
“Hey guys, do you want me to go to the back of the line?”
Some shook their heads.
“See? Nobody’s complaining.”
“Don’t you hear me telling you to go to the back?”
Taeshin spoke again, his voice low and firm.
He was clearly determined not to back down.
“If you really want me at the end, then go ahead and try.”
Inwoo lifted his chin, provoking him.
The tension was so thick it felt like something could explode at any moment, capturing everyone’s attention.
Even an older returning student couldn’t just attack someone in front of the other students.
This fight was in Inwoo’s favor.
With so many eyes on him, adrenaline surged through his body.
Yet the man’s eyes held a faint, mocking smile.
As if to say he was ridiculous.
As if to say Inwoo was nothing.
Inwoo narrowed his eyes and closed the distance toward him.
“What, do you want to hit me? Come on, hit me. I said hit me!”
Despite the brazen provocation, the man didn’t react.
Of course.
Who did he think he was, ordering people to line up?
“See? I knew you wouldn’t…”
Just as he thought that, the man suddenly twisted Inwoo’s arm behind his back.
“Ugh!”
It happened so fast that Inwoo couldn’t dodge or defend.
Extreme pain surged through him.
The man held his shoulder with one hand, his arm with the other, and Inwoo couldn’t move.
It was like being trapped in solid iron bars.
The technique itself was impressive, but the sheer strength was incredible.
No matter how big he was, how could a human body generate that kind of force?
“Let go! Are you not going to?”
Taeshin lightly twisted Inwoo’s arm against his back and pushed him forward, sending him stumbling.
Inwoo tried to brace with his legs, but the overwhelming strength left him helpless.
He had never been overpowered by force before.
The harder he struggled, the tighter the grip felt.
He had never felt such helplessness in his life.
“Let go of Inwoo! Who do you think you are…!”
Yeongseop and Heerok tried to intervene, but Yushin blocked them.
“You two stay out of it if you don’t want to get hurt.”
Everyone was stunned, mouths agape.
No one tried to stop him.
The students gathered nearby made way.
Taeshin pushed Inwoo all the way out of the cafeteria, letting go of his arm only after he was outside.
Inwoo collapsed to the floor.
“If you want to eat, wait your turn next time.”
And then he walked back inside.
“Hwang Inwoo, are you okay?”
Heerok and Yeongseop reached out to help him up, but Inwoo brushed their hands away and stood on his own.
“That bastard… I won’t forget this.”
As Inwoo’s eyes blazed and he tried to storm back inside, Yeongseop grabbed him.
“Don’t act on your emotions. Calm down. If you get this worked up, you won’t win even if you fight again. You know that.”
“Let go!”
The two held him back from either side as his eyes rolled with rage.
“Your uncle told you to be careful not to get involved in school violence, right? You want to ruin your chances at college?”
If he got on the wrong side of his uncle, who provided his living expenses, he wouldn’t get any money and his college plans could be jeopardized.
His uncle wanted him to go to college.
If he went, his uncle would cover all costs until graduation, but if not, he’d have to earn his own way.
College itself didn’t matter much to him, but losing support would be a problem.
Inwoo clenched his teeth and swallowed his anger.
It was infuriating, but he had no choice but to retreat quietly for now.
He glared daggers at Taeshin’s calm, carefree back, rubbing the arm that had been twisted.
It hadn’t even felt like much force, but it seemed as if his bones had been crushed.
Today he had underestimated his opponent.
Next time, properly prepared, he would not be humiliated like this.
“Wow, that guy’s strength is unreal. I never imagined anyone could take Inwoo down in one move.”
Yeongseop shook his head in disbelief.
“He looked strong, but I didn’t expect that. And he was so fast—his hands were a blur.”
“Exactly. I thought Inwoo could handle him, but no chance.”
Heerok muttered to himself.
“What the hell? That guy…”
“No, I mean, we’re still high schoolers, and that guy has seen it all, so of course…”
“Shut up. He only got caught because he let his guard down.”
“Yeah, he underestimated his opponent’s strength.”
“Argh! Damn it!”
Kicking a can rolling toward the incinerator, Inwoo let out a shout of frustration.
Just wait.
He would make sure to get revenge for this humiliation.
Among the crowd, Jang Sejin must have seen everything.
Thinking that she witnessed it all made his blood boil even more.
“What about checking out who those guys were?”
Once he calmed down a little, he asked Heerok.
“Couldn’t find anything online. Since he’s an outsider, nobody around knows him either.”
“Honestly, what could a high schooler like us even find out?”
Yeongseop shrugged cynically.
Heerok continued.
“One thing’s certain—he’s not an ordinary person. Either a gangster or a cop. One of the two.”
“A cop?”
“Undercover, or something?”
“This guy watches too many movies. What could a cop learn in some remote island to go undercover?”
Yeongseop scoffed, but Inwoo was lost in thought.
A gangster wouldn’t care about etiquette or cutting in line, so a cop or intelligence agent seemed more likely.
If he really was a police officer, that could be a problem.
He didn’t know why he was here, but he would be a hindrance to his uncle’s current work.
If he were undercover, all information would be hidden, making it even harder to uncover his identity.
Damn, this is troublesome.
If he just did nothing, things wouldn’t turn out well.
He had to take some kind of action.
Later that afternoon, Inseo received a message from Taeshin:
[Let’s meet briefly at the library. Or I can come to the faculty office.]
Inseo immediately replied:
[I’ll come, so don’t come.]
