Chapter 3: “Friends, Flies, and Fire”***

**"Most people want to be known.

Some want to be feared.

Me?

I just want to be left alone.

But if you can't do that—

Then you'd better be ready to disappear."**

— Seo Jungho

---

### ***\[1] — The Quiet Weeks***

After the fight club incident, the city started buzzing.

I became a ghost story.

A name whispered in the same breath as Daniel Park, Johan Seong, and Eli Jang—even though I had nothing to do with their world. I didn't belong to any crew. I wasn't part of the hierarchy.

I was just *there*.

Still.

Watching.

Destroying only when poked.

The rest of the time?

I skipped school sometimes, spent afternoons napping in old manga cafés, or just sat on the roof of my apartment building drinking banana milk.

I hated attention.

But trouble kept coming to me like flies to rotting meat.

---

### ***\[2] — Daniel's Dilemma***

Daniel's life was changing fast. Fame, fights, fake friends.

He had gotten involved with more than one crew. And I watched from a distance.

Not to help.

Not to interfere.

Just observing.

Until one day, our paths crossed again.

---

### ***\[3] — The Suck-Up***

I was in the school courtyard under a tree, head leaned back, eyes half-closed.

Then I heard them.

"Yo, Daniel Park, right? You think you're hot shit now with your new body?"

Three seniors surrounded him. Not the kind that followed Vasco's rules. These guys were wolves in sheep's uniforms.

Daniel tried to talk it out.

"I don't want to fight—"

They shoved him hard.

His friends weren't around.

I didn't move.

Not until one of them pulled out a lighter and flicked it, letting the flame hover near Daniel's cheek.

That sound—

*Click. Fffsshhh.*

Fire.

That was my trigger.

---

### ***\[4] — When Maniacs Burn Brighter Than Fire***

I stood.

The courtyard went silent.

Even Daniel looked surprised.

I walked over, hands still in my pockets, and stopped just beside the senior holding the lighter.

He looked at me sideways. "What? You his boyfriend or something?"

I didn't answer.

I stared at the flame.

Then, in a flash, I grabbed the lighter and *crushed it in my fist*. Metal cracked like cheap plastic.

The senior blinked.

Too late.

My other hand shot out and jabbed into his throat—not enough to kill, just enough to make him choke violently.

He collapsed, gasping.

The second senior screamed and swung a wooden kendo stick from his back.

I caught it.

Snapped it over my knee.

One kick later, he was out cold against a tree trunk.

The last one froze, trembling.

I walked past him.

He ran.

Good choice.

---

### ***\[5] — A Word from Daniel***

Daniel caught up to me as I headed toward the vending machines.

"Hey! Jungho!"

I turned slightly.

He scratched his head. "You didn't have to do that, but… thanks."

I shrugged. "Didn't do it for you."

He tilted his head. "Then for what?"

"…I don't like fire," I said.

And walked away.

Daniel stared at my back for a long time.

"…That guy's scary as hell."

---

### ***\[6] — Suhyeon's Warning***

Meanwhile, Kim Suhyeon sat in his room, scrolling through his system.

**\[Threat Levels in Local Districts: Updated]**

* Daniel Park: High

* Vasco: High

* Johan Seong: Severe

* Eli Jang: Moderate

* Seo Jungho: *Unmeasurable*

He tapped the screen.

Nothing.

No analysis. No stat sheet. Just static.

Suhyeon muttered, "He's not a player. He's not even a boss. He's… something else."

His system gave a warning.

**\[Do not engage Seo Jungho directly.]**

**\[Target does not follow game rules.]**

That made Suhyeon sit up straighter.

"…Even the system's scared of him?"

---

### ***\[7] — First Real Friend***

I didn't intend to make friends.

But sometimes life doesn't care what you intend.

It was after school. Rain was pouring. I forgot an umbrella.

I stood beneath the school gate, thinking about whether I should just walk through it.

Then, a tiny hand reached up beside me and held an umbrella over my head.

I looked down.

It was a small first-year girl.

Round glasses. Huge backpack. Shy eyes.

"You forgot yours… right?" she whispered.

I didn't answer.

She didn't leave.

So I walked.

She followed beside me, holding the umbrella steady over both of us.

Not saying a word.

Just walking in sync.

We reached my apartment.

I turned.

She looked down, bashful.

"I-I'm not stalking you… I live in the building next door."

I nodded.

Then went inside.

Next day, she left a red can of coffee on my desk and ran away.

---

### ***\[8] — Weakness?***

The school's social media was on fire that week.

People speculated.

"Seo Jungho smiled at a girl."

"She gave him coffee!"

"Is that his weakness?!"

A few morons decided to test it.

Bad idea.

One tried to bump her in the hallway.

I caught his wrist mid-air—again—and bent it until he screamed like a pig.

Didn't even say a word.

Just stared until he pissed himself and ran.

After that, they stopped trying.

I wasn't protecting her.

I just didn't like flies.

---

### ***\[9] — Quiet Moments with Daniel & Suhyeon***

One Friday, I found myself sitting on the roof during lunch.

To my surprise, Daniel joined me.

He had two cans of soda. Tossed me one.

"You know, we're not that different," he said, cracking his open.

I didn't reply.

He took a sip.

"I mean… we both got dropped into something we didn't ask for. Yours might not be a second body or a system, but… you didn't choose this life either, right?"

I looked at the city skyline.

"Didn't choose it. But I don't regret it."

He smiled.

"I envy that."

A few minutes later, Suhyeon showed up too.

Of all people.

He sat silently.

Didn't pull his system screen. Didn't act smug.

Just… sat with us.

Three monsters under one sun.

No words.

No need.

---

### ***\[10] — Next Boss Arrives***

That weekend, I got a call on a burner phone I never used.

I picked up.

Silence on the line. Then—

**"You're not like the others."**

Deep voice. Young. Confident.

**"I've been watching you, Seo Jungho. You don't follow their rules. And that makes you a problem."**

I sipped my drink. "Who are you?"

**"You'll find out soon. I want to test you. Let's see if the rumors are true."**

Click.

I didn't know the name then.

But soon, I would.

**The final boss of this arc had entered the game.**

And I was the *glitch* they never accounted for.

---

🪷