Chapter 16

Two weeks had passed, and a lot had happened in that time. First and foremost, the pestering by Nabi and Jiwoon had ceased completely and instead, they were now the ones being bullied by their own friends, and Katsumi and her friends were unaware.

Nabi and Jiwoon had become slaves to their buddies, and Chunghee had taken on the role of "leader" of the gang.

The procedure for imprisoning Chunghee has taken longer than expected. To arrest someone, they needed to follow proper procedures. First, the police must investigate the crime.

Second, the officer must have reasonable grounds that the suspected individual, Chunghee, committed a crime. Fortunately, they had discovered clear evidence—the most important evidence to put Chunghee in prison—so this was crossed off the list.

However, this is insufficient to arrest him. It then leads to the final procedure: the police must receive an arrest warrant from a judge.

Normally, this stage of the procedure takes a week to complete, but because they have probable evidence, it will only take hours.

Finally, Subin had been released from the hospital! To commemorate the occasion, the buddies went to his home and ate the famous spicy noodles that they have always wanted to try.

Auntie Kim had brought the cooked noodles to Subin, who had set the plates and utensils on the living room table.

The twins were eager to eat this well-known Korean hot noodle. They'd heard of it but hadn't tried it, and being the spicy fans that they are, it piqued their interest.

"Here you go!" Mrs. Kim exclaimed joyfully as she set the large bowl of spicy noodles on the table. "The milk is right next to Subin, in case you need to wash off the spice; enjoy!"

"Thank you, mom!" Subin exclaimed as he took a seat on the floor.

Yejoon was terrified only by gazing at the scarlet sauce. He wasn't fond of spicy food, but for some reason, this noodle was the only one he thought was tasty. Although It was extremely spicy.

"Let's eat!" exclaimed Namgyu eagerly. They all picked up their chopsticks and dug in with dread. They know it will hurt once they eat even a single noodle, but it was too delicious to resist.

Yejoon blew on the food even though it was cold, knowing it was spicy, before devouring the fire. The rest followed after and began the disaster within their mouths.

"Shoot," Subin said quietly, taking in air with his jaws clenched.

"This happens every time; I know it will hurt me, but I still eat it," Yejoon sobbed.

Namgyu turned to look at the twins, knowing it was their first time eating this food. Despite the fact that they were heavily sweating and crying from agony, they continued to eat, forcing the noodles into their mouths.

"Slow down! You're going to choke!" shouted Namgyu, frightened.

"Does it taste that good?" Subin inquired, chuckling.

The twins laughed as they nodded in unison.

"It's spicy but delicious!" Katsumi said, as Kento nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it!" Subin gushed.

When the twins saw the boy's contagious smile, they smiled back. How long has it been since Katsumi had an experience like this? Katsumi was having the time of her life eating noodles at her friend's house while they talked all day.

Namgyu kept noticing the striking resemblance between Katsumi and Kento while they were eating. All he knew was that they were from the same country but had never met before meeting at school.

"You both look like twins," he blurted out, not realizing that they were twins.

Everyone, especially the twins, was taken aback by what Namgyu said. Their hearts were pounding with fear, believing that their secret had already been revealed.

"I've said that before, during their first meeting," Yejoon pointed out.

"I suppose doppelgangers exist in different genders," Kento replied calmly.

They boys believed him and Katsumi understood why. She and Kento were in sync only a second ago. For the last few weeks, the twins had kept their secret hidden, and their expressions and behaviors were revealing their secrets.

However their secret has not been revealed to millions, it remains private. To keep their identity hidden, they must be more conscious of what they are doing and take it seriously.

Subin was given permission to attend classes the following day. His doctor instructed him to maintain the cast on his head for another week to ensure the stitches healed completely. His companions were also instructed to keep an eye on him and ensure that he did not move his head aggressively.

Kento and Katsumi had just arrived at the school campus and jumped out of the car as soon as it was parked. They hadn't seen Subin in school in a month, so they were looking forward to his return.

When they exited, a voice that sounded similar to Subin's yelled Kento's name. He was tall and easily visible. Katsumi's heart rate fell nervously as she saw the boys approaching them, and she was eventually seen.

"Katsumi's here, too!" Yejoon exclaimed joyfully to the others.

The girl didn't have a choice, so she greeted him with a wave and a smile, her shoulders relaxed as if she weren't hiding anything.

"Good morning!" she exclaimed.

"It's great to see you back in school, Subin," Kento added.

"It's great to be back!" he exclaimed. "Let's get going!"

The hallway was full of student conversation as they entered the school building. They were all enthusiastic for the founding anniversary next month and had heard there would be a variety of activities planned for the entire first week.

Something new that was mentioned was that students could now choose to participate in the booth activities in groups with their friends or classmates, or simply not participate at all.

Nabi and Jiwoon, who were standing in front of them, abruptly blocked the hallway. The lads expected them to bully them once more to celebrate Subin's return, but the twins discovered that wasn't the case.

They appeared apprehensive to approach them and wore the polar opposite of a disdainful demeanor. Katsumi was about to walk forward to act as a shield when Kento grabbed her arm. He shook his head, telling her she should leave this to the three instead.

The twins stood in the back, observing the boys. People expected them to hunch in dread, but to their amazement, they did not. Their backs straightened, and their gazes were fixed on Nabi and Jiwoon. In their eyes, they had grown braver.

"If you have nothing to say, can you move out of the way?" Namgyu asked, making Nabi and Jiwoon stare at each other with concern.

It took a few seconds before they bowed and stated, "We're sorry."

It's not every day that known school bullies have the courage to apologize in front of other students. The students nearby were in disbelief at what they were witnessing, but the victims were nonchalantly gazing.

"We've hurt you, taken our rage and jealousy out on you, and done many disgraceful acts," Nabi remorsefully shifted to Subin, "even dangerous ones."

"I know what we did was unforgivable, and we won't be forgiven easily or at all, but... we truly regret what we did, especially to you three, and will accept full responsibility for our wrongdoings, whether suspension or expulsion," Jiwoon continued shakily. "We're very sorry." They bent even more deeply, their eyes clenching shut.

The boys were speechless and had not expected such an apology from them. Nabi and Jiwoon realized they were in the wrong, admitted it, and accepted full responsibility for their conduct. It was as if they had met a completely different person, and their sincerity struck their hearts.

Even people who are recognized as evil can change. If they were willing to change, they would prove it, and Nabi and Jiwoon did just that.

"At least you're aware of your wrongdoing," Namgyu replied calmly, approaching Jiwoon and intimidating him. It was the first time he had felt this nervous being approached by Namgyu, and time seemed to have slowed.

Jiwoon was expecting a punch, but Namgyu went past him after pausing, giving him a calm look.

They expected to be unforgiven, but they never expected the anguish of disappointment to be so severe. They wanted to be forgiven; they wanted to be on good terms, but how could they when all they had done in the past hurt them? They would not forgive themselves easily if it were in their situation.

Nabi noticed Jiwoon's sadness. She knew the boy hoped even a little for their forgiveness. "Let's go. Homeroom's about to start," she stated quietly.

Jiwoon responded with a nod and a hum. He took a deep breath and smiled proudly. It was unfortunate that he was not forgiven, but it was to be expected, and he should be grateful that he was able to apologize to the boys.

It was a start toward doing something that many individuals do not achieve because they are afraid of being rejected. And he overcame that fear, moving one step closer to the life of optimism he craved.