"You really want to die that badly, Min-Jae?"
Choi Min-Seok waved the exam paper in front of him, the 98 impossible to miss, his lips curling as he spoke. The wind on the rooftop caught the edge of the paper, making it flutter slightly between them.
"First in class. Second in the whole school."
He folded it until it turned stiff, then smacked it against Min-Jae's face, the sound sharp in the open air near the fence behind him.
"Didn't we tell you something last week?"
They stood loosely around him, leaving the railing at his back as the only space left, like it didn't even matter if he stepped too far.
It wasn't Seo Min-Jae who answered.
Lee Kang-Hyun did.
"Pretty sure we did."
Min-Jae remained where he was, back against the cold metal, hands clenched at his sides. His head stayed lowered, hair falling over his eyes, hiding them completely.
If someone had pushed that hair aside, they would have seen it clearly; bruised skin around his eyes… and beneath it, a glare that didn't match the way he stood there.
"Score lower. Didn't we say that?"
The paper struck his face again. Harder this time.
"Hah. Look at this bastard."
"Climbs to number one, then starts acting like he's above us?"
Kang-Hyun let out a short laugh and stepped closer, but before doing anything, his gaze shifted slightly to the side.
Park Jae-Sung stood there, a step apart from the rest, watching.
Calm. Unmoved.
Seeing no reaction from him, Kang-Hyun's expression tightened faintly before he turned back.
His hand moved first.
A sharp slap cracked across Min-Jae's face, snapping his head to the side. His fingers twitched for a moment, tightening further, but he didn't raise them.
"Tch. Annoying."
That was all it took.
Min-Seok stepped in next, and the following hit wasn't a slap.
A punch drove into Min-Jae's stomach, forcing the air out of him. His body folded slightly, breath catching, but it didn't stop there. Another punch followed, then a kick that sent him off balance.
The hits came faster after that.
Blows landed one after another, dull and heavy, echoing across the rooftop. Min-Jae staggered once before dropping, his body curling instinctively as the kicks continued, each one digging deeper than the last.
Pain spread quickly, sharp and suffocating, but he forced it down, jaw tightening as he endured it, his body tensing with each impact.
Above him, their voices blurred together, mixing with the wind, until—
"Enough."
Park Jae-Sung raised his hand, and the beating stopped immediately.
He stepped forward without haste, then crouched down in front of Min-Jae. His fingers latching into his hair, gripping it without care before yanking his head up.
Blood trailed down Min-Jae's face, smeared across his lips and chin, dripping in slow, uneven lines. His breathing was rough, uneven, but his eyes—
Still glaring.
That look didn't change.
It never did.
That same defiant, insolent look. Like he still didn't understand his place. Like he refused to.
Jae-Sung watched him for a moment, his expression flat, almost bored. There was something faintly irritating in it, though not enough to truly matter.
He leaned in slightly, bringing their faces closer.
"So what is this supposed to be, Min-Jae?"
His gaze lowered just enough to meet his eyes directly, cold and distant, as if looking at something beneath even an insect.
"A joke…?"
"Or are you trying to slap us in the face?"
Min-Jae said nothing.
He already knew there was no answer that would matter, nothing that would change what came next.
Jae-Sung held his gaze for a second longer, then clicked his tongue softly and let go, tossing his head aside as he stood back up.
For a brief moment, something crossed his mind.
Baek Sujin's expression when the scores had been announced.
That small, unmistakable gloominess.
His eyes flicked toward Min-Seok.
"Give it."
Min-Seok handed over the paper without a word.
It was crumpled badly, the creases running deep across it. Jae-Sung smoothed it out with one hand, though it barely helped, the numbers still visible enough.
98
His gaze lingered on it for a second before lifting back to Min-Jae.
"You study so hard. What for?"
"Even if you get into a good university… you'll still end up working for someone like me."
A faint scoff slipped from him, almost amused.
"Min-Jae, everything is decided the moment we are born."
"And you—"
He paused, his eyes dragging over Min-Jae with open ridicule before he continued.
"Being fatherless… you already failed at the starting line."
With a slight tilt of his head, he pressed on.
"Can you not understand that?"
Min-Jae, his body aching, clenched his teeth at those words — the ones he hated hearing the most.
The ones that reminded him there was no one left to stand behind him.
Jae-Sung caught the shift in his expression, and his mood lifted, if only slightly.
But it wasn't enough.
He tore the paper apart and tossed the pieces at him, the crumpled scraps scattering across his bloodied clothes before he waved his hand.
That was all it took.
The beating resumed.
By the time their arms began to ache and Min-Jae's body had gone half-numb, his groans fading into shallow breaths, Kang-Hyun suddenly paused.
Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he grabbed Min-Jae by the collar and shoved him back against the fence.
A sharp clang rang out.
A wicked gleam flickered in his eyes.
"Should we just drop him?"
Min-Seok stiffened, hesitation flashing across his face, but Jae-Sung only raised an eyebrow before giving a small, indifferent motion of his hand.
Go on.
Up until now, Min-Jae hadn't resisted.
He hadn't fought back, because he already knew how it would end. Fighting would only make things worse. One wrong move, and everything, even his place in school, the only thing he had left, could be taken from him.
So he endured.
Held onto his grades.
Held onto that one thing.
But this—
This was different.
The moment his life was on the line, his body reacted before his thoughts did.
He struggled.
Not to fight.
Just to survive.
But that resistance only twisted Kang-Hyun's expression further. His grip tightened, irritation flashing across his face as he shoved him harder—
Too hard.
Min-Jae's footing slipped.
For a single second, there was nothing beneath him.
Then he was gone.
What was meant to be a joke… became real.
Silence fell over the rooftop.
It pressed in, sudden and heavy, broken only by the word that slipped from Kang-Hyun's mouth.
"…Shit."
Min-Seok's face went pale, panic rising instantly, but Jae-Sung—
Jae-Sung remained calm.
His gaze moved between the two of them, steady, controlled.
"We didn't push him."
"…He slipped."
"…Right." Min-Seok let out a strained laugh, nodding quickly.
Kang-Hyun followed, his movements slower, absent, but he nodded all the same.
Jae-Sung watched them for a second longer, then turned without another word.
"Let's go."