御书房文学网

Chapter 26

If someone asked him about his middle school days, Oh Byung-Hoon would answer like this without hesitation: "It was just ordinary."

Or, "I used to play around every day. I was immature.”

Yet, his middle school life was far from ordinary. He would get beaten up, and his money would get stolen for no particular reason. There was a time when he fainted after being forced to bite a cigarette.

One time, he even vomited for three days straight after forcing himself to drink alcohol mixed with all kinds of foreign substances. To be specific, the foreign substances included the perpetrators\' saliva, cigarette butts, cigarette ash, and leftover food.

Even until graduation, the perpetrators never received punishment. Ultimately, Byung-Hoon could not take revenge on any of them and enrolled in Florence Academy as if he had fled.

That had always been one of his greatest regrets.

"Hey, I heard there was a bully in our school?”

"The student Do from the Class of Charity? That’s obviously Do Sun-Woo. They’re just blatantly attacking him at this point."

"Huh? The guy from my class? He doesn\'t look like that."

According to the revelation, Sun-Woo was a school violence perpetrator in middle school. Sun-Woo simply denied the fact without a proper explanation. The perpetrators never remembered they did. It was always the victim who carried that memory and suffered from hellish nightmares as they tossed and turned every night.

Byung-Hoon knew this better than anyone else. Why? Because he experienced it himself.

Therefore, Sun-Woo also could not remember what he had done. So Byung-Hoon hated Sun-Woo even more. Whenever he saw Sun-Woo walking around shamelessly with his head raised despite being the perpetrator, he felt disgusted.

Now, he had the perfect opportunity to screw Sun-Woo over.

"Do Sun-Woo. Resume the demonstration." Bok-Dong urged. Sun-Woo couldn\'t do anything but look at Byung-Hoon with a perplexed face.

Sun-Woo tried to knock Byung-Hoon down using his technique, but Byung-Hoon had no intention of falling easily. Instead, he clenched his teeth and endured Sun-Woo\'s technique.

‘I\'ve become strong.’

He came to Florence Academy and trained so hard to the point of death. He exercised and practiced divine power every day. He also learned martial arts in his spare time.

\'Now, I am no longer afraid of you guys.\'

Byung-Hoon wanted to prove it. He wanted to prove that his weak self, who used to get bullied in middle school, had grown strong enough to not get intimidated by bullies after entering Florence Academy.

In Byung-Hoon\'s seventeen years of life, this was the biggest and most significant challenge he had ever faced.

‘I will never fall to Sun-Woo. I’ll hang in there and prove that I’ve gotten stronger.’

After such a promise, Byung-Hoon\'s body fell to the floor.

Thud!

The back of his head and his back ached.

‘What just happened? Why am I lying down?’

He didn\'t understand the situation. Byung-Hoon\'s sight was filled with only the white ceiling of the training center.

"Oh. That was too strong."

When Sun-Woo said so as if it was not a big deal, Byung-Hoon finally understood the situation.

He had lost again.

Sun-Woo’s strength was beyond imagination. No matter how much power he put into his legs and held out, it was useless in front of Sun-Woo\'s superhuman strength. Byung-Hoon had been determined never to lose, but the opponent’s overwhelming strength overshadowed his determination, and he collapsed.

At the same time, Byung-Hoon\'s heart also shattered into countless pieces.

"Oh."

Byung-Hoon lay stretched out on the mat as he sighed.

Tears ran down his cheeks.

* * *

[It must have been so painful that he couldn’t help but cry. You did throw him extremely hard, after all.]

I slammed Byung-Hoon onto the floor with Bossou’s power. He lay sprawled out on the mat while shedding tears. The students looked at him with pity.

Bok-Dong rushed out and examined Byung-Hoon\'s condition.

"Byung-Hoon! Byung-Hoon! Are you okay? Did you hurt your back?"

“...”

Byung-Hoon just shed tears without answering.

[Refrain from using your power against students. One wrong move, and they might get hurt.]

Legba was absolutely right. No matter how weakened it was because there was no Altar, Bossou’s power was overkill against students. If it had been a bare floor rather than a mat, Byung-Hoon\'s back would have been broken. I should be careful next time.

"Your condition seems fine, but you should go to the infirmary just in case. Group 35’s demonstration is over!"

Bok-Dong called up a student to support Byung-Hoon. Byung-Hoon, who could barely stand up with another student\'s help, wiped away his tears and left the training center.

I expected him to have a rough personality because of his half-shaved hair and slanted eyes, but he seemed to have a softer heart than I initially thought. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

[He was the one who picked a fight first.] Legba said so, but I still felt uncomfortable.

Afterward, the demonstrations continued. Groups 36 to 50 all completed their demonstrations without any problems. Bok-Dong stood up after writing something on the score sheet.

"Everyone gave a brilliant demonstration. Although the training was suddenly organized today, all but a few very unsatisfactory groups will be given full marks. Good job, everyone. You may go back to the classroom now."

The students rushed out of the training center. He was probably referring to our group when he mentioned ‘a few very unsatisfactory groups.’ I swallowed my bitter feelings and stepped outside.

"Wait. Do Sun-Woo, you stay."

Then, Bok-Dong called me up. In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk, who were next to me, stared at me as if they were surprised.

"You guys go ahead." I sent them away with a smile. After confirming that In-Ah and Jun-hyuk had left the training center, I went to Bok-Dong.

Bok-Dong stared expressionlessly at me.

"Do Sun-Woo," he said in a cold tone.

"Yes?"

"I’m aware that Byung-Hoon did not cooperate during the demonstration."

"Yes?"

However, contrary to my expectations, Bok-Dong did not scold or criticize me.

"I think it was inevitable that Byung-Hoon got hurt. The saying \'you reap what you sow\' describes it perfectly. As a teacher, I probably shouldn’t be saying this, though."

"Ah."

"Anyway, what I mean is, I understand your feelings too,” Bok-Dong laughed softly. This was the first time that Bok-Dong showed a smile. As far as I knew, he always had a stern, firm, and serious face.

"I can’t praise your behavior though."

His smile disappeared.

"Sun-Woo. You have much better talent than others. That\'s why you have to endure it more than others. No matter how angry you are, you shouldn\'t smash your friend onto the floor like that."

"Ah, yes. I understand."

"I hope you will use that talent for something worthwhile."

Bok-Dong jumped out of his seat. Looking at him more closely, he looked much larger than I thought.

"I want you to become a paladin."

"Huh?"

"What I mean is, you should join the Department of Paladins. As far as I know, you haven\'t decided on your desired specialization yet, isn’t that right?”

"Yes, that\'s right, but..." I stuttered. I couldn\'t speak well because of my shaky voice.

Indeed, it was true that I hadn’t decided on my desired specialization, but that didn\'t mean I was considering joining the Department of Paladins. Paladins were famous for their low salaries and poor benefits.

Since the Holy See did not provide support, there were even rumors that people had to purchase equipment out of their own pockets.

"Of course, paladins are underpaid, and the benefits are also bad. The Paladin Order is corrupt, and the paladins often neglect their duty. It\'s a waste for a talent like you to enter the ranks there."

Bok-Dong laughed bitterly. Despite carrying out public duties in the name of God, there was a strong perception that the Paladin Order was a corrupt organization. This was because the paladins didn\'t work and just played around all the time.

It was one of the reasons why I didn\'t want to enter the Department of Paladins.

"That\'s why I want you to become a paladin. With your talent, you\'ll be a role model for all the other paladins. You will become a stimulus for the lazy paladins, and like holy water, your existence will purify the corrupt paladins."

"I don\'t think I’m that great....”

"It may sound a little daunting, but it\'s true."

It wasn’t just a little daunting. It was very daunting. I had no talent for this kind of thing in the first place. I only look talented, thanks to Bossou’s powers.

"I’m not forcing you. It’s just a recommendation. Take your time and think about it. You can go back to class now."

"Yes, sir."

I bowed to him and left the training center. I was still in a bad mood. Despite having no intention of becoming a paladin, I started contemplating after listening to Bok-Dong’s words. My steps felt heavy as various thoughts clouded my mind.

When I exited the training center, In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk were waiting for me.

"What’d he say?" In-Ah asked as if she was worried.

"He must have been scolded a lot. Look at his face. He looks like he aged ten years. To be fair, he already had an old man’s face....”

"You, can you speak nicely?!" In-Ah criticized Jun-Hyuk, who was joking around.

"He didn’t say much. He just said something along the lines of, be careful from now on,” I said with a smile as if indicating that it was not a big deal. I didn\'t bother to say that I received a recommendation to join the Department of Paladins. It seemed unnecessary.

"That\'s a relief. Is it Byung-Hoon? Is it because of him?"

"Yes."

"You threw him too hard. It must have hurt a lot. Um, I’m not saying that you were in the wrong, though."

"It\'s my fault. I\'ll be careful from now on."

If even In-Ah said something like this, I guess I must have gone too far this time. From now on, it seemed like a good idea to not use Bossou’s power in practice or training until I got better at controlling my strength.

"It was pretty satisfying. Byung-Hoon, that bastard held out so as not to fall."

"What? You knew?"

"I can see it all. Can you call me... God\'s Eye, Koo Jun-Hyuk?"

Jun-Hyuk pointed to his eyes and said some random nonsense. I knew he had good eyes, but I didn\'t want to acknowledge it for some reason.

"You\'re crazy."

"Is it a compliment?"

"Nope."

When I spoke firmly, Jun-Hyuk chuckled. During the self-defense training demonstration earlier, Jun-Hyuk was able to knock Sung-Hyun over. Maybe that\'s why he looked so delighted today.

"Byung-Hoon held out so as not to fall? So that\'s why... I\'m sorry," In-Ah, who had been listening to the conversation next to us, apologized. Her face became gloomy. She seemed to have become depressed while listening to us.

"Come on, there\'s nothing to be sorry about."

"Still, I just said all that without knowing anything."

"It\'s not like that."

No matter how much I waved my hands and said no, In-Ah\'s mood wouldn’t seem to improve. Oftentimes, In-Ah would get quickly discouraged by a minor slip of the tongue. In this case, it wasn’t really a slip of the tongue since it really was my fault. The truth of the matter was that I hurt Byung-Hoon because I couldn\'t control my strength.

"Hey, In-Ah. Apologize to me as well. My shin hurts because of you, and I couldn’t sleep at all last night—"

"Hey, did you see Sun-Woo?"

At that moment, the sound of someone’s voice interrupted Jun-Hyuk. We all held our breath as if we had planned it. The voice seemed to come from the path located behind the training center.

"I saw it. I felt sorry for Byung-Hoon."

"He just savagely tossed him onto the floor. It was just a demonstration. Shouldn’t he have controlled his strength?”

"He has a habit of beating kids in middle school. That kind of habit is not just going to disappear, right? I reckon his old habits resurface whenever he gets a little upset."

"I really dislike him. Why does he even attend F.A.? He should go somewhere else and extort money from people like he always does."

It was gossip about me.

"Those kids. They’ve been doing that since this morning...!"

"Let\'s just go."

I stopped In-Ah, who was about to run out.

"Those students will talk more when you stay still. The students spread rumors without knowing anything. You have to go tell them yourself.”

"It\'s alright."

"You always say it’s alright! Aren\'t you angry?" In-Ah asked as if she was frustrated. Her face was flushed red. The way she spoke was sharp, but she was only saying it for my sake.

"Of course I\'m angry," I answered calmly.

"Then go and say something, or you could swear at them."

"The rumors will only grow."

"Then what are you going to do? Are you going to let them say whatever they want?"

"Yes, I will."

"...Why?"

She looked at me with a face that indicated that she just didn\'t understand.

‘The best move is to stay still.’

When my father was still alive, he would often say those words from time to time.

Back when the Holy See was manipulating the public’s opinion, my father did not give an explanation to correct the situation. I could still vividly remember my father optimistically saying that everything would pass as long as we waited long enough.

"If we wait long enough, it will calm down."

"You, what? Ha..."

In-Ah let out a bitter laugh as if she was dumbfounded. She looked extremely frustrated.

"It\'s alright. It\'ll calm down soon."

As long as we wait, as long as we wait... My father waited like that and died during the Holy War.

Therefore, the phrase \'the best move is to stay still\' was the phrase that I hated the most.

I never stayed still. Instead, I was merely waiting for an opportunity. I was only waiting for the best time to quell the rumor. If I gave an explanation at an awkward moment like this, I would only end up fanning the flames of the rumors. They would say that I’m brazen and that I don\'t have proof.

"Hey, Sun-Woo. You\'re really amazing. I want you to vouch for me later."

While I was trying to control my anger and calm my heart, Jun-Hyuk said something casual. Amidst all this, he was still trying to make fun of me.

His consistent laid-back manner made me laugh.

***

"Hey, what’d you say? This fucker. Say it again. Say it again!"

Bash, smack, smack—!

After school, a dull beating sound rang out in the dark, dirty alley.

"Va-Van Gogh. It\'s Van Gogh!"

"You son of a...! You dare to open your mouth? Still?”

Bae Sung-Hyun was furiously landing a barrage of kicks on a child that was crouching on the floor. Nevertheless, the crouching child didn’t get discouraged and spoke up firmly.

Sung-Hyun injured his left ear during the demon beast incident. He was almost healed, but the scar still remained.

The crouching child made fun of Sung-Hyun by calling him ‘Van Gogh.’ Vincent van Gogh was an unfortunate painter who was unable to resist madness and ended up cutting off one ear with a razor. He was famous for his self-portrait with a bandage on his ear.

"You know what? Just don\'t walk starting today. I\'ll let you just crawl around. How about that, huh? Just like a dog."

Sung-Hyun used the intermediate blessing of muscle strengthening. A light of blessing wrapped around his leg. He even used the blessing of superhuman strength at the same time. Then he kicked the wall of the alley as a test.

Bang!

With a loud noise, the surface of the wall caved in deeply. Cracks also formed in various places. Sung-Hyun tried to crush the child\'s knee with his power which contained a force that could easily break even concrete walls. A person\'s knee joints would be crushed like a sheet of ice.

If that happened, the crouching child might not be able to walk for the rest of their life. Even though he was in front of a defenseless child that was trembling with fear, Sung-Hyun did not stop. Anger clouded his reasoning.

"S-stop!"

Just before he could trample on the child\'s knee, a voice from somewhere rang loudly in the alley.

Sung-Hyun turned his head, revealing his face that was contorted in anger.

"Who the hell are you?"

The person had a half-shaved head, slanted eyes, and protruding front teeth.

It was Byung-Hoon.

He was also in the Class of Charity, and because of his distinct appearance, Sung-Hyun had remembered his name.

"What the fuck, is this a stop campaign or something? Stop shouting ‘stop,’ you dipshit." Sung-Hyun muttered curses.

"Oh? Oh Byung-Shin? Isn\'t it Oh Byung-Shin[1]?" A member of his gang suddenly broke into a happy expression. On the other hand, Byung-Hoon\'s expression slowly distorted and turned foul. Even his pupils started to quake nervously.

"Oh Byung-Shin? Oh Retard? What are you talking about?"

"This guy’s name is Byung-Hoon. So that’s why we call him Oh Byung-Shin."

When Sung-Hyun asked, the gang member answered excitedly. Sung-Hyun\'s reasoning, which was paralyzed by anger, gradually returned to normal. Sung-Hyun laughed bitterly after finishing a series of calculations.

"Really? Then bring him too."

"Our good old friend Oh Byung-Shin, come here."

At Sung-Hyun\'s orders, the gang member gestured toward Byung-Hoon, and he entered the alley. His legs quaked nervously, causing his gait to be unstable. His jaw trembled, and his teeth clattered. It was due to the psychological trauma that developed after being bullied for three years in middle school.

Sung-Hyun stood in front of Byung-Hoon, who was nervously keeping his head down due to fear. Sung-Hyun violently stroked Byung-Hoon\'s short hair. Byung-Hoon shuddered.

"Wow, your hair feels good."

"Oh Byung-Shin went into Florence and shaved his head? Is this for study?"

Whack.

The gang member hit Byung-Hoon on the head. Byung-Hoon\'s body shook wildly. Fear loosened his legs, and he didn\'t even have the strength to hold himself.

Sung-Hyun kept smiling while looking at Byung-Hoon. He was scarier than when he was expressionless.

"Byung-Hoon."

Byung-Hoon was silent, with his gaze pointing to the floor.

"Answer me, Byung-Hoon."

"Ye... Yeah."

"Yeah is informal, Byung-Hoon.”

“...”

When there was no answer, Sung-Hyun placed his hand on Byung-Hoon\'s shoulder. Byung-Hoon tensed his body slightly.

Smack!

Sung-Hyun\'s palm struck Byung-Hoon\'s cheek, making his body tilt. Sung-Hyun continued to slap his face until Byung-Hoon\'s cheeks were swollen.

"Jun-Hyuk and this guy. Why are there so many annoying bastards today?"

"S-stop...” Byung-Hoon said. As a result of his lips being cracked, his voice came out slurred.

"Oh."

Sung-Hyun stopped after a short exclamation.

There was a deep silence as if time had come to a stop.

"I thought of something interesting. Now, Byung-Hoon. Stop!" Sung-Hyun said with a smile. Byung-Hoon stood still.

"Now sit down."

Byung-Hoon stood still. Sung-Hyun\'s expression distorted.

"I said, sit down."

Smack.

Sung-Hyun slapped his face. Blood drops scattered from Byung-Hoon\'s burst lips.

"Sit down."

While trembling, Byung-Hoon sat down.

"I told you to stop."

Smack.

Another slap on the cheek. Blood drops scattered once again.

"Sit down. Stop. Huh? This guy keeps failing to understand what I\'m saying."

He would hit him if he sat down because he didn\'t stop. He would hit him if he stopped because he didn’t sit down.

Whatever he did, Sung-Hyun slapped Byung-Hoon on the cheek. Byung-Hoon was hit no matter what, and fear was imprinted into his brain. Byung-Hoon just trembled whenever Sung-Hyun opened his mouth.

"Sit down."

Byung-Hoon sat down. Sung-Hyun laughed.

"Yes. Now you seem to understand."

Byung-Hoon was puzzled when Sung-Hyun suddenly showed mercy because Sung-Hyun kept hitting him no matter what he did.

There was relief before humiliation and shame. He didn\'t even have time to feel anger. He was just grateful that he didn\'t have to be slapped.

That\'s how Byung-Hoon became a dog. Sung-Hyun once turned five people into dogs in the same way.

"Now, again, get up!"

Satisfied, Sung-Hyun gave instructions once again.

"Just sit down and rest. Don\'t listen."

Byung-Hoon was just about to get up when someone told him to sit down again.

"Oh, what the—"

Sung-Hyun, who was turning his head and cursing, suddenly stopped talking.

Crunch.

Sung-Hyun gritted his teeth as his face twisted in anger. His eyes were bloodshot. It was because he spotted the familiar face of an uninvited guest. He was the one who dug up and pulled out the inferiority complex buried deep in Sung-Hyun\'s heart.

"You don\'t know moderation."

There was no expression on his face when he said so.

1. Byung-Shin means retard. Basically, Byung-Hoon’s name sounds like ‘oh retard’. ?