New School

That night, the sky over Seoul remained gray, but the drizzle that had adorned the afternoon had given way to a bone-chilling cold. Kang Joon-woo walked through the narrow streets of the Gangnam district, though his mind was still full of the memories of that afternoon's incident. Every time he recalled Mi-rae's frightened face, his chest burned. He didn't regret what he had done, but he knew the problem wasn't over yet.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. Joon-woo stopped for a moment and pulled it out, seeing the name "Dad" on the screen. Without hesitation, he answered the call.

"Joon-woo, where are you?" His father's voice was cold and straight to the point, as usual.

"I'm on my way home," Joon-woo replied, his voice flat.

"There's something we need to talk about when you get home."

Joon-woo felt something was wrong. His father's tone indicated that he knew what had happened at school. But Joon-woo said nothing else, only responded briefly, "Alright."

The call ended, leaving Joon-woo back in the silence of the night. He continued his journey, thinking about what he would face at home later. His father wasn't the type to tolerate violence, even if it was done for reasons that Joon-woo believed were justified.

When he arrived home, Joon-woo was greeted by a familiar sight a large house with modern architecture, big glass walls, and a spacious yard. But tonight, the house felt colder than usual.

He opened the front door and walked in, his footsteps echoing on the marble floor. He headed straight to the living room, where his father usually waited for him after incidents like this. Sure enough, his father, Kang Dong-ho, was sitting on the sofa with a serious expression, his eyes sharply watching Joon-woo as he approached.

"Sit," Kang Dong-ho ordered curtly, pointing to the chair across the table.

Joon-woo obeyed, sitting quietly even though he knew what was coming. He saw his mother, Yoo Hye-jin, standing near the window, looking anxious but saying nothing.

"What were you thinking, Joon-woo?" his father asked, his voice calm but filled with a tone of disappointment.

Joon-woo looked into his father's eyes without hesitation. "I did what I had to do," he replied, his voice steady.

"Did what you had to do?" Dong-ho repeated the words with a hint of sarcasm. "Do you think beating up seven people until they're hospitalized is the right thing to do?"

"They deserved it," Joon-woo replied coldly. "They tried to harass Mi-rae. I couldn't let that happen."

Dong-ho took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "Joon-woo, there are other ways to handle situations like that. Using violence only makes things worse. You know what's going to happen after this, right? Our family name will be dragged into this, our reputation will be ruined."

Joon-woo was unmoved by his father's words. To him, reputation wasn't important. "I don't care about reputation. What matters is that Mi-rae is safe."

His mother, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, her voice soft but filled with concern. "Joon-woo, we know you did it to protect Mi-rae, but there are better ways. Didn't you think about the consequences?"

"Consequences?" Joon-woo smirked slightly. "The consequence is that they'll never dare to go near Mi-rae again. That's enough for me."

Dong-ho shook his head, disappointed in his son's attitude. "You're too impulsive, Joon-woo. The world isn't that simple. You need to learn to control yourself."

Joon-woo clenched his jaw, holding back from responding to his father's words. He knew that arguing further would get them nowhere. His father would never understand why he had to act that way. For Joon-woo, this wasn't about controlling himself, but more about the principle that no one should hurt a girl he knew.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Joon-woo finally asked, trying to end the conversation that was starting to make him uncomfortable.

His father took a long breath before answering. "I've spoken with the principal. You won't be expelled, but you'll be transferred to another school. It's the only way to keep this from getting more complicated."

"Another school?" Joon-woo repeated, slightly surprised. He didn't expect his father to go to such lengths.

"You'll be going to Haneul High School," Dong-ho continued, looking at his son seriously. "It's not as prestigious as your current school, but maybe this will teach you a valuable lesson."

Joon-woo was silent, processing this new information. Haneul High School the name sounded unfamiliar to him, but he knew the school had a bad reputation. However, he didn't show any objection.

"Alright," he finally replied. "I'll go to that school."

"I hope there you can learn to control yourself," Dong-ho said coldly. "This is your chance to improve."

Joon-woo didn't respond, only nodding slowly. For him, this was just a new chapter in his life, and he had no choice but to face whatever lay ahead.

The next day, Joon-woo stood in front of the gate of Haneul High School, his new school. The school building looked old and neglected, a stark contrast to the luxurious Cheongwon High School. He could sense a different atmosphere here harsher, gloomier.

The students who passed by stared at him with curiosity, some with mocking glances, as if they knew he was the new kid who would experience a 'rough' introduction. Joon-woo ignored them, stepping into the school with a steady stride. He didn't care about what others thought; he was here for one purpose to survive.

As he walked through the corridor, he saw a group of students gathered in a corner, some of them casually smoking inside the school building, something that shouldn't be allowed. Others were laughing and talking loudly, clearly indifferent to the rules.

"Look, a new kid," one of them grinned and pointed at Joon-woo. The others joined in the laughter, but Joon-woo showed no reaction. He kept walking, ignoring them.

However, one of the students from the group, a young man with short hair and a tattoo on his neck, walked over and blocked his path. "Hey, new kid. Do you think you can just walk by without greeting your seniors?"

Joon-woo stared at the young man coldly. "I'm not here to deal with you guys. So, move."

Mocking laughter echoed from the group of students, but the tattooed young man didn't back down. "You've got guts, huh? But here, you need to know your place."

"I know my place," Joon-woo responded without hesitation. "And it's not beneath you."

Before the young man could respond, a girl suddenly emerged from the crowd. She walked closer, her face showing indifference, but her eyes sharply focused on Joon-woo. "That's enough, Tae-min. Let him pass."

The tattooed young man, Tae-min, looked like he wanted to argue, but after seeing who had spoken, he changed his mind. "Alright, but he needs to know who's in charge here," he said with a threatening tone before finally stepping back and letting Joon-woo through.

Joon-woo glanced at the girl briefly, saying nothing, before continuing on his way. He realized that this was the beginning of something new a tougher school, with rules set by those who had power, not by written regulations.

However, one thing was certain in his mind in this school, he had to remain strong, because weakness would only make him prey. And he would never become prey.