Chapter 25
The following morning, the school was noisy. It was because of the Ko Jun-Min incident.
"I heard he secretly took 2,400 pictures."
"2,400 pictures? Is he insane? Wow, that's so dirty."
The facts were all revealed in detail: the fact that Jun-Min became a demon, that Kim Jin-Seo used a miracle to kill Jun-Min, and that Jun-Min stalked Jin-Seo.
The students were all busy talking about the incident.
"But Jin-Seo is amazing, too."
"I know, right? Isn't she the only one who can use miracles in our year?"
Thanks to this, Jin-Seo became a celebrity. It was a remarkable feat for a student to defeat a demon. On top of that impressive feat, Jin-Seo had also used a ‘miracle’ to defeat the demon. It would be strange not to become famous after such an achievement. Everyone praised Jin-Seo's talent, envied her, and was jealous of her.
"There are a lot of strange things going on these days. The incident with the demonic beast was one thing, and the revelation post was another.”
"Hey, hey. He might hear us."
"I don’t care if he hears us. Why do we have to tip-toe around the perpetrator?"
Public opinion about me had not changed since the incident. It was because of a false disclosure posted the other day. I had yet to be cleared of the unfair charge of being ‘the perpetrator of school violence’ because the fact that Jun-Min was the one who posted the article had not yet been revealed.
Anyway, there was no way for me to explain the truth. Even if I explained it, people wouldn't believe me. I could only drown in my crippling depression while listening to the students' chatter.
"Don't listen to them," Jung In-Ah said.
She was sitting in the seat in front of me while glaring at the group of people talking about the rumors. There was venom in her gaze.
The group talking about me clicked their tongues with a look of displeasure and left the classroom.
"Who are they to click their tongues? I'm dumbfounded," In-Ah murmured in a low voice. She was always on my side. She trusted me without being swayed by such false revelations. I was thankful.
Koo Jun-Hyuk tapped me from behind and asked, "Were you really the perpetrator? It doesn't seem like you at all.” He didn't ask because he didn't know—he simply asked such a question to make fun of me.
"Of course not. What kind of question is that?"
When I answered bluntly, Jun-Hyuk pointed his finger at my face. "Hm. I agree. No matter how I look at it, you don’t look like the type of person to do such a thing."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you don’t look like the type of person to hit someone. Rather, you look like the type of person who gets hit by other people."
I had no idea what he meant by, ‘You look like the type of person who gets hit by other people.’ In any case, it definitely wasn’t a compliment. It was a little unpleasant. Still, Jun-Hyuk was one of the few people who trusted me, like In-Ah. He wasn’t particularly a likable person, but he was still somewhat loyal. Inwardly, I felt thankful.
"Good morning."
While we were chatting, Ha Ye-Jin came into the classroom. It was already time for homeroom. I hardly studied today because I was chatting with Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah.
"As everyone knows, there have been a lot of terrible incidents occurring these days. Always be careful. If anything happens, call me or any of the other teachers immediately, okay?"
"Yes~"
The students answered in unison. Ye-Jin then proceeded to announce some minor notices. Apparently, kidnapping incidents were occurring nearby, and the culprit had yet to be caught. Additionally, there was a chance that the culprit was not one person but rather an organized group such as a cult. Ye-Jin continued to explain similar details.
"Everyone be really, really careful! Please don’t ignore what I say, and don't forget either!" Ye-Jin raised her voice and asked earnestly. She was a person who cared for her students very much.
With that, homeroom concluded, and Ye-Jin left the classroom. Jun-Hyuk quickly walked across the noisy classroom and approached me.
"Our homeroom class is the only one that’s long. The other classes say they finish in ten seconds." Jun-Hyuk complained.
"She is worrying about us."
"It's good that she cares about us, but this is too much. We are not children."
"From the teacher's point of view, we all look like children. We're actually young."
I didn’t want to say this myself, but it was true that we were kids. Seventeen was a very young age.
Jun-Hyuk frowned at my words. "You sometimes talk like an old timer. Ah, are you that? Regression. Don’t tell me you’re a regressor?"
"Stop talking nonsense. And what’s a regressor? Are you talking about regression analysis or something?”
Regression analysis was a powerful statistical method that could be utilized to compare two or more variables of interest. That was the only definition of regression that I knew. [1]
"A regressor is someone who returns to the past. Don't just study all the time and read some novels and manga from time to time. And why are you suddenly bringing up regression analysis? What is the relationship between a regressor and regression analysis?”
"You should read some books, please."
Jun-Hyuk blinked. It was difficult talking to him. After all, we had completely different interests. Now that I think about it, it’s a miracle that we got this close in the first place.
"Why are you guys playing without me?"
In-Ah snuck up on me just as I was getting bored of the unproductive conversation I was having with Jun-Hyuk. She looked disappointed to be left out.
"Ah, In-Ah! I'm glad you're here. What would you do if you could regress?"
"Regress? Are you talking about regression analysis or going back to the past?"
"Go back to the past. But why does regression analysis keep coming out?"
Jun-Hyuk naively asked the question, and In-Ah looked at him as if he were pathetic.
"You should read some more books. Anyway, you were asking what I would do if I could return to the past, right?"
“Yes.”
In-Ah tilted her head. Despite the fact that it was a thoughtless question from Jun-Hyuk, she seriously considered it.
"Well, I... would probably play with my sister."
"Ah, that makes sense."
Jun-Hyuk nodded as if he understood. He also seemed to know that In-Ah's younger sister was missing.
The atmosphere became gloomy. In-Ah's eyes were filled with a vague sense of regret.
"Hey, why is everyone quiet all of a sudden? It’s awkward. Anyway, let's get out of here real quick. We'll be late."
In-Ah laughed to revive the subdued atmosphere. Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes were still filled with sadness.
We followed In-Ah out of the classroom and walked down the hallway. The next session was a training session which would be held at the training center.
"What kind of training did they say it will be again?"
"I think it was self-defense training. I heard it was suddenly organized today." In-Ah answered the question. Judging from the abrupt self-defense training, the school seemed to be conscious of Jun-Min's case.
Since the victim of the incident was none other than Jin-Seo, it seemed like they quickly squeezed self-defense training into the schedule in order to placate the chairman.
"Hey, but what if you were a regressor? What would you do if you could return to the past?" Jun-Hyuk asked while crossing the playground and heading to the training center.
I looked up at the clear blue sky that did not have a single cloud as I pondered for a moment.
If I could go back in time, I would make every effort to save my father and mother. But my father was already dead, and my mother was imprisoned. Going back in time was impossible, and it was meaningless to think about this in the first place.
"I wonder. Perhaps stocks or crypto?"
I came up with a generic answer that anyone would be able to predict.
"That's realistic."
"And you?"
When asked again, Jun-Hyuk looked at the ground endlessly and agonized. It was rare to see him with a serious expression. His eyes were too complicated to read. He sort of seemed sad, and he kind of seemed angry.
"I want stocks or crypto, too. Ah, and I would do the lottery too."
The answer that came out after much deliberation was surprisingly ordinary, contrary to my expectations.
Jun-Hyuk's smiling lips trembled slightly. His eyes looking down at the floor were empty.
"Yes."
I was a little curious, but I didn’t bother to ask further. It wasn't the right atmosphere to ask, and I didn't think he would give me an answer even if I did.
***
Thud!
A dull sound resounded from the training center. The demonstration partner standing before Kim Bok-Dong fell onto the mat and lay sprawled out.
"The move I just showed is not difficult to perform. Above all, it is easy to use in practice."
Bok-Dong, a self-defense training instructor, showed us a few skills that we could use to knock down or overpower an opponent. He performed those moves in a live demonstration because it was quicker to show it to us firsthand than to explain it in words. The techniques he showed us were primarily from judo or jiu-jitsu or some variation form of those two.
“So far, I have taught you a total of five different skills. You will now form groups of two and practice together. After practicing, you will demonstrate your self-defense techniques in front of me. I will evaluate the proficiency of your techniques and the quality of your demonstration and give scores accordingly."
After explaining, Bok-Dong immediately announced the group assignments.
Filtering the groups such that they only contained people I knew produced the following result:
"Group 2. Jung In-Ah, Seo Ha-Rin."
"Group 12. Bae Sung-Hyun, Koo Jun-Hyuk."
"Group 35. Do Sun-Woo, Oh Byung-Hoon."
I was in the same group as a kid named Byung-Hoon. He had eyes that were slanted, protruding front teeth, and half-shaved hair. He was in one of the groups who gossiped about me in the morning.
We were given fifteen minutes of total practice time. Within that time, not only did we need to become proficient in the five techniques, but we also needed to be in sync with our partner. We barely had enough time.
"Looks like we’re in the same group. Let's do well."
Before the start of the practice session, Byung-Hoon proactively extended his hand for a handshake. His tone was amicable. Was this really the same guy who bad-mouthed me in the morning? He felt like a completely different person.
"Yes, let's make it happen."
I accepted the handshake. While shaking his hand, I felt significant pressure in my hand. Byung-Hoon was gripping my hand as if he was trying to crush it. There was a nonchalant smile on his face, but his jaw muscles were rigid.
"Can you let go now?”
"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have been a little too nervous. Ha ha."
Only after I started indicating my discomfort did Byung-Hoon finally release my hand. My hand, which had been in his grip, was sore. There was a red mark on the back of my hand.
It was a bit excessive to attribute it solely to intimidation. I was worried if we could practice properly like this.
"I reckon the person who gets caught in the technique should relax their body. Also, the person executing the technique should properly support the back of the other person’s head. Let's do it like that."
"Oh, sounds good."
"After all, the purpose is to demonstrate the techniques, not to fight amongst ourselves."
However, contrary to my worries, the practice went smoothly. Byung-Hoon was nicer than I thought, and we were in good harmony. We still had six minutes left, even after we finished the practice perfectly.
Unlike us, Sung-Hyun and Jun-Hyuk from Group 12 were still struggling.
It was not long before the practice time was over. Each group started their demonstration after Bok-Dong called them.
"Group 2. Jung In-Ah, Seo Ha-Rin."
Group 2, the group that In-Ah belonged to, successfully completed the demonstration without any problems. To put it nicely, it was standard. To put it badly, it was plain. In any case, In-Ah got a high score.
"Group 12. Bae Sung-Hyun and Koo Jun-Hyuk."
Group 12 seemed to be engaged in a duel rather than a demonstration. Sung-Hyun and Jun-Hyuk tried their best to knock each other down.
Thud, bang, crash. Dull sounds reverberated throughout the training center. By the time the demonstration ended, Sung-Hyun and Jun-Hyuk were groaning in pain while holding their backs.
"Excellent."
Bok-Dong applauded while saying that it was a rather thrilling demonstration. As a result, they both got high scores.
"Group 35. Do Sun-Woo, Oh Byung-Hoon."
Our turn soon arrived. With confident steps, we both stood in front of Bok-Dong. As we discussed in advance, the self-defense demonstration would begin with Byung-Hoon knocking me down.
Thud!
However, contrary to our plan, Byung-Hoon threw me to the floor much more violently than anticipated. My head and my back started aching as a result.
Byung-Hoon looked down at me with a grimace as if to say he was sorry.
"Oh, man, I'm sorry. I was on edge.”
“...It’s fine."
Fortunately, it seemed like it was not intentional. I had a headache, so my consciousness was fuzzy, but I somehow managed to gather my senses.
Next, it was my turn to knock down Byung-Hoon.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
But Byung-Hoon did not fall.
According to the plan we discussed, Byung-Hoon was supposed to have relaxed his body by now. Instead of relaxing, his body was trembling due to the strength that he was exerting.
[Looks like he was planning to screw you over from the beginning.]
Legba was correct. Byung-Hoon seemed to have intended to screw me over from the beginning. As proof, he was smiling at me.
"What's going on? Do Sun-Woo, resume the demonstration."
Bok-Dong was watching us with his arms crossed, and his words were adding insult to injury. Bok-Dong urged me to resume the demonstration. However, Byung-Hoon had no intention of cooperating with me. I’d describe this situation as being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Now that I was stuck in this situation, there was only one way out. I wanted to avoid using this method, but I had no other choice.
“Bossou,” I murmured. I spoke quietly so that no one else could hear.
[Bossou says that ten seconds is the limit because there's no Altar. Is that enough?]
I nodded softly. Soon, I felt a painful burning sensation in my muscles. My blood boiled, and my whole body felt hot. So much strength had poured into my body that I felt like I was going to explode. I activated Bossou’s power, ‘superhuman strength,’ and approached Byung-Hoon in that state.
I was going to use this superhuman strength to knock him down forcibly. I didn't even need ten seconds.
Two seconds.
Two seconds was enough.
1. In Korean, regression can mean ‘return home.’ In the Korean localization, the main character thinks that Jun-Hyuk is talking about salmon returning home against the river during the spawning season when he says regressor. ?
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