The abandoned factory had echoed with ugly sounds since early morning.
Lee Dae-hyun sent a third student sprawling to the concrete floor to join the other two on their knees.
“Didn’t I tell you to bring me two hundred thousand won? Each,” he snarled. “Didn’t I? What, you won’t answer? Are you ignoring me?”
“Just a moment… Please!”
Lee Dae-hyun’s boot snapped up, catching the student under the chin.
The boys groaned and curled inward like turtles, trying to shield themselves as the beating continued.
“Are you blocking me? Huh? Look at me.”
The gang members leaning against a rusted wall, cigarettes dangling from their lips, chuckled as Lee Dae-hyun grabbed one of the boys by the hair and slapped him hard across the cheek. Their laughter was a performance; beneath it, a current of fear ran cold. They knew his brand of mercilessness all too well.
“Of course, it’s Lee Dae-hyun. He doesn’t even spare the nerds.”
“Even the seniors from other schools are scared of him.”
“Just remember, never get on his bad side. No matter what.”
At 185 centimeters, Lee Dae-hyun was enormous for a second-year middle schooler. His size gave him an overwhelming dominance among his peers, and his fighting prowess was infamous even among older delinquents.
“Motherfuckers,” Lee Dae-hyun seethed, turning from the crumpled students. “I was going to buy my motorcycle with the money I was supposed to get today, but you useless pricks haven’t been any help at all.” He rounded on his crew.
“Hey. Any of you bastards got cash?”
“I’ll definitely pay you back next month.”
The gang members shifted uncomfortably, each one finding a sudden interest in scratching the back of his head.
“Sorry… I don’t really get much of an allowance.”
“I don’t have any money either. Haha…”
Despite their polite refusals, Lee Dae-hyun’s face twisted into an ugly sneer.
“Useless bastards. Maybe I should just squeeze you all dry?”
“Yeah, you shits. If you can’t even lend me money, what’s the difference between you and these gofers?”
Lee Dae-hyun’s fury was genuine, and his followers quickly bowed their heads, mumbling apologies.
“Sorry, we couldn’t help…”
“I’ll try to save some from my allowance to help with the motorcycle…”
“Forget it,” he spat. “Allowance? How much are you going to save from that, you idiots?”
Frustrated, Lee Dae-hyun spun around and kicked one of the students lying motionless on the ground.
“If these brats had just brought the money on time, none of this would be happening!”
He only stopped stomping when it was clear the students were too broken to even groan. They lay limp on the dusty floor.
“Ugh, fucking scum! Get lost!”
Lee Dae-hyun spat on the ground and then jabbed a finger at his crew.
One of them scrambled to offer him a cigarette.
After taking a long drag and exhaling a plume of smoke, Lee Dae-hyun turned back to the others.
“Hey. Where can we get some money?”
“Money? You mean, like, right now?”
“Yeah. We need it, no matter what.”
They rubbed their chins, deep in thought, as if the problem were their own. They knew that if they didn’t come up with something, they’d be next.
“What about robbing a convenience store?”
“You want to go to juvie?”
“Or we could shake down the homeless guys who beg near the station.”
“Those bums barely have anything. What’s the point?”
“How about we find some other students on the street and rough them up?”
“That’s probably the most realistic idea.”
“But where are we gonna find anyone at this hour? It’s vacation. Most of them are stuck at home.”
“We could check the PC bangs or a karaoke place.”
“Too many security cameras these days. It’d be tough.”
“We’d just have to cover our faces and be careful.”
As they casually plotted their next crime, one of the gang members suddenly spoke up.
“Oh, hey, Dae-hyun.”
“Why didn’t you call that gofer from our class?”
A cruel smile stretched across Lee Dae-hyun’s lips.
“I was going to call him today anyway. He’s due for a beating as a New Year’s gift.”
“What if he doesn’t show up?”
“Don’t worry. I know where he lives.”
“We can always just go to his place.”
As the others nodded in agreement, Lee Dae-hyun shook his head.
“That guy’s dirt poor. I don’t think he can even afford cup ramen.”
“You think I’m making this up?”
“But how poor can he be? He lives in Busan.”
The gang looked puzzled, and Lee Dae-hyun shrugged.
“I don’t know either. But he’ll take a beating without coughing up a single coin, so he must be genuinely broke. He lives in some old, run-down shack, too.”
“Still, it’s weird, isn’t it? How does he go to school in Busan if he can’t even afford to live? Are his parents crazy?”
“His parents are dead,” Lee Dae-hyun said. “Car accident. Lives with his older brother.”
Any flicker of sympathy was instantly extinguished by snickers that spread through the group.
“Fuck, haha… his life is pathetic. No parents. Hahaha.”
“So that’s why he’s so fucking poor. Hahaha.”
Their mockery soon spiraled into a new theory.
“Hey, Dae-hyun. You know, I don’t think that bastard is really poor.”
“I was thinking the same thing. He must have gotten an inheritance. Why wouldn’t he be using it?”
“Even orphans get a ton of welfare benefits these days. They actually live pretty well.”
“That’s right. I bet he’s just pretending to be poor so we won’t shake him down.”
“He’s probably off somewhere eating a fancy steak the second he’s away from school.”
Their argument was convincing enough that Lee Dae-hyun’s face began to flush a deep, angry red.
“That bastard dares to mess with me? I’ll call the guys and we’ll kill him right n—”
He was pulling out his phone when he suddenly froze.
“Wait.” Dae-hyun held up a hand. “Hear that?”
The jeers died. Into the silence of the cavernous factory crept the sound of footsteps. Not just one person. Two.
Soon, two figures emerged from the shadows and stood before the assembled delinquents.
One of them was a very familiar face.
It was Park Si-woo, the very subject of their conversation.
Dae-hyun let out a long, slow breath.
His tension bled away, replaced by amusement.
“Well, speak of the devil,” he drawled. “Or in this case, the stray dog. Who’s this with you, Park Si-woo? Your new bodyguard?”
The taunts rained down, and Park Si-woo immediately flinched, his eyes wide with fear.
While Dae-hyun felt a flash of satisfaction at the familiar reaction, it was spoiled by a prickle of annoyance.
The other man’s expression hadn’t changed at all.
“Didn’t I ask you a question? Who the hell is this punk you brought with you?!”
Before Park Si-woo could manage a word, Park Jin-ho stepped forward.