GBH 67

Heavy rain poured down, creating puddles on the field shrouded in a misty haze. A motorcycle crossing the field through the rain swerved in a puddle. Hong Jae-min abandoned the stalled bike and walked.

The downpour broke into white spray around the silhouette of Jae-min, his eyes bloodshot red. As he walked towards the school, he stopped abruptly upon seeing a group of students.

It was the path connecting the new building and the auditorium, roofed by an arched canopy. The students in gym clothes were heading to the auditorium, sheltering from the rain under the canopy. At the center of the cheerful atmosphere was Choi Se-kyung, a head taller than the others.

“Eek!”

A girl student looking up at Se-kyung with a smile was the first to spot Jae-min coming through the rain bare-bodied and screamed. Without warning, Jae-min grabbed Se-kyung by the collar and dragged him. Se-kyung furrowed his brow.

“Hey, hey! Hong Jae-min, what’s wrong with you? Are you crazy?”

The boys tried to restrain Jae-min, but couldn’t stop his reckless behavior. As Se-kyung, not resisting, was dragged away and quickly drenched, the other students couldn’t follow into the rain and just stamped their feet. Their panicked voices were drowned out by the loud patter of rain.

Around the middle of the field, Jae-min, still gripping Se-kyung’s collar, turned and swung his fist. Se-kyung’s head turned sideways, his black hair falling to cover his eyes, blood visible at the corner of his mouth. As Jae-min, still not satisfied, tried to strike again, Se-kyung dodged.

Missing his punch, Jae-min stumbled forward and grabbed Se-kyung’s waist. The puddle splashed violently, muddy water spraying everywhere. The sand, softened by water, acted as a cushion, and Se-kyung rolled away without impact. Jae-min, pinned underneath, kicked wildly in resistance.

“Eeek…!”

However, Jae-min couldn’t fight properly despite his initial aggression. Taking advantage of Jae-min’s pause due to the pain in his ribs, Se-kyung’s long legs pinned down Jae-min’s lower body. Jae-min, submerged in the puddle, panted in frustration.

Se-kyung’s rain-soaked bleached hair parted. His face, washed by the rain, was a mess of injuries. Se-kyung’s fist stopped mid-air.

Jae-min could barely open his eyes, his right eye swollen from a misplaced hit. Se-kyung stared blankly at the rainwater flowing like tears down Jae-min’s contorted eyes, then lowered his fist and stood up.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but there’s a limit to indulging your tantrums. Take it easy.”

Se-kyung brushed back his wet, clinging hair. His wet face, with the hair pushed back, showed no trace of his usual gentle demeanor, instead revealing his sensitive nature. With his hair no longer framing his eyes, his rain-sharpened gaze was cold.

His water-logged body felt heavy. As Se-kyung turned to leave, trudging through the wet sand, a clump of mud hit his back. Turning around, he saw Jae-min, now standing, throw more sand from his other hand. Splat, muddy water stained Se-kyung’s navy gym pants.

“You used Lee Geon-ho to get those guys to beat me up, didn’t you! Did you think I wouldn’t find out that you had those bastards beat me up so you wouldn’t have to get your hands dirty?”

This was news to Se-kyung. He was appalled at the excessive leap in logic.

“I never did that. And what’s your deal telling Geon-ho that my mother is the department store president?”

Jae-min only knew that Se-kyung’s family was connected to the S Department Store, not the specific information that his mother was the president. Hearing Se-kyung’s words, Jae-min sensed there was a misunderstanding, but he didn’t want to admit now that it wasn’t Se-kyung’s fault.

Jae-min just needed a justification. A justification to vent his anger.

“It was you! It must have been you! You hate me, don’t you! If you hated me that much, why didn’t you just push me out the window back then!”

Jae-min’s furious shouts tore through the rain.

“Did I do something so wrong? Can’t you give me one chance? Can’t you… can’t you just let it slide this once? If you give me one chance, I promise I won’t do it again, can’t you do that?”

Jae-min wiped his eyes with his forearm. He liked Song Yi-heon, was drawn to his rough kindness. He wanted to be close friends, to get along well, to be someone special. But no matter how hard Jae-min tried, it didn’t work. He had apologized, even confessed his feelings.

“You ruined Song Yi-heon’s life, and yet you only feel sorry for yourself until the end.”

“…”

“You’re blaming him for not giving you a chance without thinking about why Song Yi-heon didn’t give you one. How could he give you a chance? At least come back after pretending to be punished for bullying Song Yi-heon. Stop blaming others and admit your own faults.”

Se-kyung fell silent, wiping away the rainwater running down his face.

“And-“

He seemed about to say something, then closed his mouth again. His dark eyes, hidden under lowered eyelashes, sank deep in thought.

“Never mind. It’s not like talking will bring Song Yi-heon back.”

Se-kyung turned his back on Jae-min, not wanting to waste energy on a meaningless fight.

“That is Song Yi-heon!”

But Jae-min shouted, choked with resentment.

“Song Yi-heon is right there, why are you talking nonsense!”

While Choi Se-kyung realized that Song Yi-heon was an impostor due to his completely changed personality, Hong Jae-min was certain it was the same person based on his physical appearance. At first, he was confused by his drastically different personality, but soon Jae-min recognized Song Yi-heon. Although he had grown taller now, it was because of the physical characteristics he had at the beginning of the school year. His slender jawline and thin lips were the same as he had seen over the past two years, and Hong Jae-min recognized the unique impression given by his body proportions, such as the position of his elbows and the length of his calves.

There was also decisive evidence. Hong Jae-min’s teeth chattered as if he was shivering from the cold. His surging anger subsided momentarily.

“The, the cigarette burn I put on his side is still there…”

“Ah, cigarette-.”

Se-kyung looked up at the sky, his chest heaving. After regaining some composure, he strode over. Se-kyung, who had been patient with Hong Jae-min’s actions until now, swung his fist at Jae-min’s cheek. He grabbed the collar of the staggering Jae-min, forcibly lifted him up, and repeatedly punched the same spot. When he threw him by the collar, Hong Jae-min collapsed and couldn’t get up.

Sobs mixed with the sound of heavy rain hitting their ears. Even in the fierce downpour where they couldn’t see an arm’s length ahead, the crying couldn’t be hidden.

“Damn it, I know I did wrong…”

Any excuse would be pathetic. The heavy rain struck down on Hong Jae-min as if admonishing him.

“I know I did something unforgivable to him…”

The raindrops fell relentlessly on the playground. The tears that formed and fell below Hong Jae-min’s chin created stronger ripples than the rainwater.

* * *

The PE teacher in charge of the third-year students dragged Choi Se-kyung and Hong Jae-min from the playground to the staff room and made them stand in a corner. He rummaged through the cabinet, found new towels ordered for the school anniversary, took out a bundle, divided them equally, and clicked his tongue.

“Well done, well done. You’re about to become adults in a few months, and here you are fighting like children.”

Water dripped from them, forming shallow puddles at their feet, as they had been rolling around fighting on the playground shamelessly while it was pouring rain.

“I can understand Hong Jae-min, but you too, Choi Se-kyung?”

He scolded them, disappointed that Se-kyung, a model student, had joined in the fight instead of stopping it, unlike Hong Jae-min who was known for causing trouble. Although he could have felt unfair being scolded alone, Se-kyung kept his head down and silently listened to the lecture.

“…I’m sorry.”

Se-kyung’s deeply wet hair and long eyelashes beaded with droplets created a sorrowful atmosphere against his pale complexion. A female teacher passing by to make coffee took Se-kyung’s side.

“Why are you only scolding Se-kyung? I heard Jae-min grabbed him by the collar. Even if Se-kyung did something wrong, they should resolve it through conversation, not fighting.”

“Right, you two. Let’s try to resolve this through conversation. Why on earth did you fight?”

“…”

Given the nature of the incident, the attention of the teachers in the staff room was focused on them. However, the two stubbornly kept their lips sealed.

“Hong Jae-min, Choi Se-kyung!”

The flung-open staff room door vibrated as it hit the wall. With his bald head flushed red, the principal frantically looked around for the students who had fought. Jung Eun-chae, who had been called during class and informed of the situation, also ran in, suppressing her heavy breathing.

“Teachers, the kids are here.”

The PE teacher raised his hand to call them over. The principal, who had rushed in breathlessly, first checked if they were injured. While their uniforms being crumpled and stained with mud could be explained by rolling around on the playground fighting, the red and purple bruises on Hong Jae-min’s arms were clearly signs of assault.

“Hong Jae-min. Why do you look like this? Lift your face.”

The principal forcibly lifted Hong Jae-min’s chin. He brushed the wet hair back from his forehead and examined every corner of his face. The right eye that was too swollen to open properly and the bruised temple were not injuries that would result from a fight between students. As his heart sank at the chilling discovery of a child exposed to indiscriminate violence, the principal, forgetting about Choi Se-kyung’s family background, confronted him.

“Choi Se-kyung, did you do this? Is this why Hong Jae-min started the fight?”

At least in areas that should be minimally guaranteed, all students should be treated equally regardless of their family background. As the principal was about to impose severe punishment, the PE teacher calmed him down while examining Jae-min’s injuries.

“I don’t think Se-kyung did this. These aren’t injuries caused by one person. And they’re not recent either. They’ve been swelling for about a day.”

“Let’s take him to the hospital first. I’ll take him.”

“No, Jung. I’ll go. Jung, you talk with Choi Se-kyung. And contact their parents.”

The principal stopped Jung Eun-chae, who was about to grab her car keys, and fumbled in his pocket for his own keys. As he found his car keys in his pants pocket and was about to leave with Hong Jae-min, Jae-min didn’t follow.

“What are you doing? Come quickly. You need to go to the hospital.”

Despite the principal’s urging, Jae-min stood firm like a rock. With his chin released and his head bowed low, he broke the silence.

“I did it.”

No one understood the sudden, out-of-context confession.

“What?”

“I… I bullied Song Yi-heon.”

The teachers who had been busy trying to resolve the situation froze. Even the teachers who had been doing their work, thinking it was just a simple quarrel, dropped what they were doing. In the staff room filled with silence, only Jae-min’s voice echoed.

“From our first year, continuously, I hit him, extorted money, and made him drink alcohol.”

Without omitting any detail that only the perpetrator would know, Hong Jae-min confessed to his misdeeds over the past two years. Even when mentioning atrocities that were hard to believe a minor could commit, Hong Jae-min bit his lips and trembled but didn’t retract his confession. He truthfully revealed everything he had done until the end.

“With the kids I hung out with…”

Hong Jae-min recited their names one by one. They were the guys he had been hanging out with since entering high school. The names of the guys who had proudly talked about bullying Song Yi-heon in the past were listed without omission.

“There’s evidence. On my phone, and their phones…”

Hong Jae-min took out his phone from his pants pocket. With trembling fingers sliding on the rain-wet screen, Jae-min unlocked it after a few failed attempts. He opened the gallery and handed it over. Jung Eun-chae, who received the phone, covered her mouth with her palm.

“Ah…”

The phone was filled with photos and videos taken while bullying Song Yi-heon over the past two years.