I,A Gangster, Became a High School Student

Kim Deuk-pal dragged Hong Jae-min to the incinerator, not the cafeteria. It was lunchtime, so the cafeteria noise was faintly audible, and the deserted incinerator felt like a walled fortress.

“Hey!”

As soon as Hong Jae-min cleared his throat, Gil-gil ran. He stuck out his bruised neck, angry that he’d been dragged along by skill rather than strength, but Kim Deuk-pal only gave him a pathetic glance.

“Son of a bitch, don’t you see the marks?”

“Jae-min, don’t swear when saying pleasant things.”

He fumbled in his pants pocket. When he found the candy he’d kept as a cigarette substitute, he reluctantly opened the wrapper with a sincere heart. On the other hand, when Hong Jae-min took out a cigarette, he felt uncomfortable.

“Don’t smoke.”

“Fuck it.”

‘He snatched the cigarette away from me as I tried to light it with my lighter and broke it. The white cobbler fell to pieces. Hong Jae-min’s eyes sparked.’

“Son of a bitch, kuck!”

Song slammed his forearm under Hong’s chin. He bit his tongue and pushed him up against the wall, pressing his forearm against his throat. The bony forearm was thin enough to be intimidating, but the pressure made him gurgle, gag, and struggle. Hong Jae-min kicked his opponent’s shin to free his forearm, but Song Yiheon locked his lower body together to immobilize him.

It all happened in a blink. As Hong Jae-min scratched Song Yi-heon’s forearm as his oxygen became scarce, Kim warned him.

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“Jae-min, listen to me.”

“Pfft, Pfft……!”

Hong Jae-min’s reddened face was covered in tears and snot. Saliva leaked from his painfully gaping mouth, but as Hong Jae-min insisted, Kim Deuk-pal put his weight down. The pressure was intense. As Hong’s whites approached the limit, they threatened to flip over. The sneakers that had pounded the floor stopped and twitched.

“Pfft, Pfft……!”

But Kim Deuk-pal was undeterred. He kept his breathing even and applied equal force. Feeling threatened with his life, Hong Jae-min barely nodded as he poured out a stream of fizzing bubbles. The shackled arms, which could not be loosen no matter how much he resisted, were released like a lie at the slightest nod.

“Heh… Heh, heh, heh…….”

Hong Jae-min slumped against the wall, desperate for oxygen. His panicked chest swelled and shrank, unable to contain his bloodied groin. For the first time in his life, Hong Jae-min could not look at Song Yi-heon properly. Instead, he glared at his feet and gathered his shattered pride.

“You, you… You’re not Song Yiheon, are you……?”

Kim Deuk-pal laughed bloodily. Hong Jae-min’s suspicion was not a threat. If he was a simple, impromptu brawler, he could just beat him up and take him away from Song Yi-heon’s side. But Choi Se-kyung is different. Apparently, the original Song Yi-heon was quite fond of him, and if his spirit returns someday, he might want to meet him. As it turns out, he was the last person Song Yi-heon saw before dying.

And that fox-like bastard belonged to the dangerous category because he wouldn’t be cleaned up and you never know what he might do.

Stumped, Kim Deuk-pal searched his pockets for a cigarette. He discarded the one on the ground and took out another one, tossed it to Hong Jae-min, and popped it into his mouth. The lollipop’s savory flavor spread across his tongue.

“Hey, what kind of guy is Choi Se-kyung?”

When Hong Jae-min calmed down, Kim Deuk-pal kicked him with his sneakers. Hong Jae-min instinctively flinched, embarrassed that he’d been taken advantage of by Song Yi-heon, and muttered an insult under his breath. He couldn’t believe he was being beaten up by the diminutive bastard who’d been doing his dirty work. However, he didn’t want to admit that the tables had turned.

“…Why do you ask me that, am I gay?”

It was a world-weary teenager’s reckless bravado.

“Jae-min.”

Kim Deuk-pal called him lazily. That damn Jae-min. Hong Jae-min averted his gaze, raising his arm to touch his head if he got hit again. A low, knowing chuckle made his cheeks burn, but he didn’t lower his hand.

“Hey… I mean, why did you hit me? Did I do something wrong?”

“…….”

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“I hit you because I liked you. Don’t give me some perverted reason.”

“Are you crazy? Who the fuck would send a jerk like you to……!”

Hong Jae-min snapped and lowered his arm. Before he knew it, Song Yi-heon was squatting in front of him. As he watched with interest, his candy-colored cheeks bulging, Hong Jae-min gritted his teeth and turned his head away.

“No reason?”

“My mom doesn’t know much about him, but she says he’s a big businessman, so he’s got an impressive house, an excellent school, and an excellent principal. Rumor has it that he’s tutored by a tutor for all subjects, Daechi-dong Ilta, so it’s no wonder he can’t study. Anyway, he got into the school and ranked first in the whole school. If you look at the mock exams, they all rank first.”

“Oh…….”

He was tutored by the same tutor in Daechi-dong, but when Kim Deuk-pal, an all-around student with an average grade of 7, exclaimed, Hong Jae-min’s mouth turned rough.

“He looks like a parasitic oraby, and he squeaks that he likes girls, so when he passes by, bitches, shut the fuck up.”

“What’s a bitch, you fucking asshole?”

Kim Deuk-pal didn’t tolerate the obnoxious remarks and slapped Hong Jae-min across the mouth. As the leader of a macho society, he was more comfortable with men than women, so he treated them badly. Hong Jae-min nervously swatted his arm away.

“Mr. Choi, don’t blame that bastard for looking like that. He’s so embarrassing in front of people.”

“He’s a fox.”

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Kim Deuk-pal retorted nonchalantly, sucking on the candy that rolled on his tongue. Kim Deuk-pal felt the same way and agreed, but Hong Jae-min chuckled like he finally made sense.

“I don’t like it.”

Song Yi-heon liked it, but not Kim Deuk-pal. In response, Hong Jae-min stifled the clown who wanted to sneak up on him and took the same stance as Kim Deuk-pal. He leaned his back against the wall, resting his outstretched arms on his knees and casting his gaze far away. The shouts from the gymnasium pierced the blue sky, and a calm breeze brushed his forehead.

“There you are. You weren’t at the concession stand.”

At that moment, In-chuck popped out of the wall he was leaning against. The peaceful moment was interrupted, and Hong Jae-min glared at the intruder.

“What?”

Se-kyung, who had changed into his school uniform, smiled kindly at Hong Jae-min, seemingly unaware of his hostile attitude, and told him his purpose for coming.

“To meet Yi-heon.”

“With me?”

Kim Deuk-pal dusted himself off and stood up. He didn’t want to sit across from Se-kyung and eat. He had to eat in peace, and it would be easy to get sick if he took in food while arguing with the fox cub. Better Hong Jae-min, who could squeeze her if she fussed, so Kim Duk-pal nudged the squatting Jae-min.

“I’m coming to eat with him.”

“Uh, I’m supposed to eat in the canteen. You should eat with your friend.”

Hong Jae-min shrugged as he followed behind. Se-kyung’s eyes narrowed as if he gauged the distance between them, but only for a moment. He scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

“Oh, yeah…? I thought my friends would have finished eating by now if they walked to the cafeteria first…….”

Kim Deuk-pal flinched. Se-kyung had driven a wedge into his heart.

“What should I do? Eat alone…….”

Se-kyung shook his shoulders pitifully. His dark, fine hair fluttered along with it. Kim Deuk-pal made a painful sound. He knew it was an act, but it was crazy to be tricked.