He looked directly at Tae.

“Make sure everyone understands who Tiger Gang truly belongs to now.” 

“Good night, my son,” Tae’s father said with a soft smile before finally letting him go upstairs.

Tae quietly nodded before turning away and walking toward his room.

The warm water from the shower slowly washed away the exhaustion clinging to his body, but strangely—

His thoughts still remained stuck on Yun.

The bruise on his cheek.

His trembling fingers.

And that disappointed expression he made before getting out of the car.

Tae lay down on the bed while staring silently at the ceiling.

For some reason, the image of Yun refusing to look at him kept replaying inside his mind again and again.

After a few moments, Tae suddenly grabbed his phone.

He opened the group chat with his friends and typed shortly.

Take care of Yun for two days.

A few seconds later, another message appeared.

If anyone messes with him, message me immediately.

The group chat instantly became noisy.

What the hell?

You’re seriously acting strange these days.

Since when did you start caring about people?

Tae ignored every message before locking his phone.

Soon afterward, he slowly closed his eyes.

And while thinking about Yun—

For the first time in a while, Tae fell asleep peacefully.

The next morning, several black cars quietly left Seoul heading toward Busan.

Before leaving, Tae called Kim Joo.

“We’re taking Kim Hyuk with us.”

Kim Joo slightly paused after hearing the name.

Kim Hyuk was one of the men who had worked under Tae’s father for years.

“…Understood,” Kim Joo replied calmly.

But somehow—

A strange feeling settled heavily inside his chest.

Like something bad was about to happen.

Inside the moving car, silence filled the atmosphere.

After a while, Kim Hyuk casually leaned back against the seat.

“So where exactly are we going?” he asked.

Kim Joo glanced at him briefly before answering calmly,

“Busan. Small business work.”

“We’ll return tonight after finishing it.”

Kim Hyuk nodded without suspecting anything further.

Meanwhile—

At college, Yun quietly entered the classroom building while holding his bag tightly against his chest.

Knowing Tae wouldn’t come today made the campus strangely feel emptier.

As he walked through the hallway, he suddenly noticed Tae’s friends standing near the classroom entrance.

It looked like they were waiting for someone.

Yun lowered his head slightly and tried walking past them quietly.

Then suddenly—

“Hey.”

One of them waved lazily at him.

Yun stopped awkwardly before giving a small nod back.

At that moment, Jun casually walked toward him and threw an arm over Yun’s shoulder.

“Where’s Tae?” he asked casually.

Even though they already knew the answer—

They still wanted to see whether Tae had personally told Yun or not.

“He went on a business trip,” Yun replied quietly. “He said he’ll come back in two days.”

For a brief second, the group became silent.

Then Jun suddenly laughed under his breath.

“Hah…”

He glanced toward the others.

“We found out two days earlier than him.”

The others quietly smirked.

Yun slightly lowered his gaze, not fully understanding what they meant.

Then suddenly, Jun stretched his shoulder dramatically.

“Ah… my shoulder hurts.”

Before Yun could react, Jun pushed his backpack toward him.

“Carry this for me.”

Yun instantly understood Jun was doing it intentionally.

But not wanting to make things awkward, he quietly took the bag without arguing.

Together, they entered the classroom.

Jun and the others sat near the back before motioning for Yun to sit beside them.

Yun hesitated.

“I’ll sit over there—”

Before he could finish speaking, several of them silently stared at him.

The pressure alone made Yun unable to refuse.

Quietly, he sat beside them.

As class started, Yun focused seriously on the lecture while writing notes carefully.

Meanwhile, Jun lazily watched him from the side.

“Why are you listening so seriously?” he whispered. “Can’t you relax and talk with us?”

Without lifting his eyes from the notebook, Yun quietly replied,

“I’m a scholarship student. I need to maintain my grades.”

Jun leaned back in his chair with a bored expression.

Another guy suddenly leaned forward slightly.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

Yun shook his head lightly.

“No.”

“Then should we set you up on a date?” another one joked while laughing quietly.

Yun immediately shook his head again.

“No, thank you.”

A few of them exchanged amused looks.

Then suddenly—

Jun frowned slightly before sniffing the air.

“…Do you guys smell something?”

One of them looked around casually.

“Hm?”

Jun slowly covered his nose.

“It smells weird.”

Another guy glanced toward Yun before quietly smirking.

“Maybe it’s coming from him.”

A few quiet laughs spread immediately.

Yun froze slightly.

Confused, he subtly smelled the sleeve of his hoodie beneath the desk.

But there was no strange smell at all.

Meanwhile, one of them quietly moved his chair farther away while laughing under his breath.

The others didn’t openly say much after that—

But the occasional glances, whispers, and suppressed laughter were enough.

Yun’s fingers slowly tightened around his pen.

His chest started feeling tight.

His breathing became uneven.

That familiar feeling slowly crawled back into his body again.

Humiliation.

Fear.

By the time the morning classes ended, Yun could barely focus anymore.

Since there were no afternoon classes that day, he quickly grabbed his bag and left the classroom without saying anything.

The moment he arrived home, he threw his backpack carelessly onto the floor before walking straight toward the bathroom.

Cold water poured endlessly from the shower above him.

At first, Yun tried holding everything in.

But eventually—

He broke down.

“Why…” his voice cracked weakly beneath the sound of falling water. “Why is this happening to me…?”

His shoulders trembled violently.

“I thought things were finally getting better…”

Tears mixed with the water running down his face.

“Why is my life always like this…?”

Yun covered his mouth with one trembling hand, desperately trying to stop himself from crying louder.

But he couldn’t.

“I also want to be happy…”

His breathing became shaky and uneven.

“I just want to live normally like everyone else…”

Slowly, Yun slid down against the bathroom wall beneath the running water.

And alone inside the small bathroom—

He cried until evening came.

Later that night, Yun forced himself to go to the convenience store for work despite his exhausted condition.

His body still felt weak, and his eyes looked slightly swollen from crying.

The store remained quiet for a while.

Then suddenly—

The entrance bell rang loudly.

“Welcome—”

Yun automatically lifted his head.

And instantly froze.

A group of familiar faces entered the store laughing loudly among themselves.

His former school bullies.

The moment they noticed Yun, their expressions slowly changed.

“…Oh.”

One of them laughed quietly.

“Isn’t this Lee Yun?”

Another guy smirked while looking around the convenience store.

“He works here now?”

“Still looks pathetic.”

The laughter surrounding Yun instantly dragged him back into old memories.

Dark classrooms.

Cold water.

Mocking voices.

Locked rooms.

His breathing immediately became unstable.

The group slowly walked closer toward the counter while staring at him openly.

Then finally—

Kangsoo stepped forward.

The leader of the group.

He stared at Yun for a few seconds before laughing quietly.

“What?” he asked mockingly. “You still scared of us?”

Yun’s vision slowly blurred.

The fear buried deep inside his body started returning all at once.

His hands trembled violently.

Then suddenly—

Everything went black.

THUD.

Yun collapsed onto the floor inside the convenience store.

For a second, the group stared at him in surprise.

Then one of them burst out laughing.

“This crazy bastard passed out after seeing us?”

“I think he still remembers everything.”

More laughter filled the store.

Kangsoo crouched beside Yun before roughly nudging his shoulder with his foot.

“Hey,” he mocked. “Wake up.”

But Yun didn’t respond.

Just then—

The back door of the store suddenly opened.

A woman quickly stepped out after hearing the noise.

The moment she saw Yun lying unconscious on the floor surrounded by several men, her expression instantly darkened.

“What the hell are you doing?”

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

“Are you leaving,” she asked coldly, “or should I call the police?”

Kangsoo immediately raised both hands casually.

“Relax. We’re leaving.”

The group soon walked out while laughing among themselves.

The moment they disappeared, the woman quickly knelt beside Yun.

“Yun?”

She gently lifted his head onto her lap before lightly tapping his cheek.

His body felt burning hot.

“…He has a fever.”

She quickly grabbed water and carefully helped Yun wake up.

After several weak attempts, Yun slowly opened his eyes.

But even awake—

His body continued trembling badly.

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “You’re safe.”

Later that night, she helped Yun return home.

After making simple porridge for him, she quietly waited until he finished eating a little.

Then she prepared his bed properly before forcing him to lie down and rest.

Yun looked half-asleep already from exhaustion and fever.

Only after making sure he finally fell asleep—

Did she quietly leave the house.

Outside, the cold night wind brushed past her face.

She stared down at her phone silently for a moment before opening Tae’s contact.

Then finally—

She sent him a message.

Something happened to Yun at the convenience store tonight.