Episode 15: No Way Out
Wednesday—the day test results were released.
I let out a sigh as I looked at my score sheet.
Seo Yuna: 10 points.
Kim Dohyun: 15 points.
Lee Jinyoung: 94 points.
Jinyoung, after checking his score, rushed over with a shocked expression.
“Hey, what’s with your score? You were doing fine when solving the practice problems.”
Why do you think? I didn’t want to get screwed over for not participating in the event.
“I just wasn’t feeling well.” I answered vaguely.
I glanced at my score again.
‘Even though I guessed every answer, I still got 15 points. So how the hell did Yuna end up with only 10?’
My head started to feel cluttered with thoughts.
Our homeroom teacher stood in front of the class and looked at the chart.
“Anyone who scored below 70, stay after school.”
*
After-School Supplementary Class
Yuna sat beside me, pouting as she stared at me.
“Hey, you suck at studying too. Why were you acting all high and mighty with me?”
Because of you, you damn idiot.
I swallowed my true thoughts and responded without turning my head.
“Yeah, whatever.”
Yuna’s eyes widened, and she nudged my arm.
“But hey, since we’re both stuck here, it’s not so bad, right?”
“Yeah.”
I answered halfheartedly and glanced around the classroom. As expected, it was filled with students who weren’t great at studying.
Some were playing with their phones instead of looking at their books.
Others were laughing and chatting in small groups.
And among them was a familiar face—Choi Kihoon’s gang.
My gaze landed on one particular guy.
‘That bastard?’
It was the same guy who had been sneaking glances at me last weekend in Hongdae.
He noticed me too and started whispering something to his friends with a sly grin.
Soon, a buzz-cut guy with a scratch mark shaved into his hair walked over.
“Did you two fail because you were too busy dating?”
A childish taunt.
I ignored him and turned away, but Yuna frowned and reacted.
“What?”
“Just ignore him.” I muttered.
The best way to deal with trash like him is to avoid them.
It’s not fear that makes you avoid shit, it’s because it’s disgusting.
But the buzz-cut idiot wasn’t done yet.
“You guys went on a date last weekend, right? Kihoon said he won’t let it slide.”
Before Yuna could respond, I spoke first.
“Judging by your ugly-ass face, I bet you have a hard time even meeting people, let alone going on a date.”
His face Instantly turned red.
“Pfft! Damn, he got you good, Choi Sung-hum!”
“Whoa—Kim Dohyun’s got a sharp tongue!”
“Well, to be fair, Sunghum is ugly.”
Even his own friends started laughing.
Some friends they are, huh?
Sunghum clenched his fists and cursed.
“The fuck did you just say, asshole?”
He looked ready to lunge at me, but at that moment, the teacher walked into the classroom.
“Everyone, quiet down! Class is starting.”
Sunghum gritted his teeth and sat down.
I smirked to myself and glanced at him.
‘Yeah, that’s how punks like him are supposed to act.’
*
As expected, the supplementary class was dull.
The teacher explained something with enthusiasm, but no one cared.
Some students continued whispering, while others were still glued to their phones.
I checked the clock and slid my phone into my desk drawer.
‘It’s about to happen soon.’
Ding—dong—dang—dong.
The bell signaled the start of break time.
Yuna, looking like she was in a hurry, immediately left for the restroom.
And the moment she was gone, Choi Kihoon’s gang started spewing filthy nonsense.
“Hey, isn’t Seo Yuna’s body insane? She’s got a killer figure.”
“No wonder Kihoon’s obsessed with her.”
“Girls like that are always the freakiest in bed.”
Disgusting words continued.
In the game, this was the moment when a choice appeared.
1. Ignore it.
2. Fight.
If you chose option 1, Seo Yuna would return from the restroom, hear their vulgar remarks, and be disappointed in the protagonist for doing nothing, causing her favorability to drop significantly.
If you chose option 2, Seo Yuna’s favorability would increase, but the protagonist would make an enemy of Choi Kihoon’s gang and receive disciplinary action from the academy.
To make matters worse, he would also get beaten up in a ridiculous manner.
‘A seriously shitty game design.’
A literal no-win situation.
At that moment-
“Kim Dohyun, did you sleep with her?”
A phrase that should never have been spoken reached my ears.
It was something that hadn’t even appeared in the original story.
Maybe because my relationship with Seo Yuna had changed, the situation had escalated much further.
Then, the jeering continued.
“Was she good?”
That one sentence shattered my already thin patience.
For a moment, the world seemed to freeze.
All other sounds faded away.
Only the mocking laughter and filthy words echoed in my head.
My hand was already off the desk.
“Hey.”
I shoved my chair back and stood up.
The laughter in the classroom gradually died down.
The bald guy looked up at me, still smirking.
“What, did that piss you off? Or did I hit the nail on the head?”
Before he could finish his sentence-
My fist landed squarely on his nose.
A sickening crunch of breaking bone followed as he tumbled backward.
“Argh! You crazy bastard! M-my nose!”
He clutched his face with both hands as blood poured out.
The classroom erupted into chaos. Shocked screams filled the air.
I ignored the noise.
Looking down at the bald guy on the floor, I spoke coldly.
“Just because you have a mouth doesn’t mean you should run it.”
The rest of his gang stared at me in shock.
Some, upon meeting my gaze, quickly averted their eyes.
“W-what the hell…?”
“That guy’s lost it…”
I kept glaring at the bald guy on the floor.
Even though my anger hadn’t fully subsided, I was about to hit him again when-
“Kim Dohyun! Stop!”
A voice called from behind, halting my actions.
Seo Yuna grabbed my arm.
“It’s okay. Really, it’s okay. Just stop now.”
The moment her hand touched my arm, my heart pounded.
The burning rage in my mind suddenly cooled.
Not long after, the teacher entered the classroom.
*
Park Youngha, 32 years old.
A five-year veteran teacher, she sometimes felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion despite being accustomed to her job.
Today was no different-she sighed, placing her coffee cup down.
‘Of all things, I get stuck with extra classes because of a stupid ladder game. Why is my luck always like this?’
She tried to shake off her frustration and focus on teaching, but soon, the staff room door burst open.
A student, panting heavily, shouted at her.
“Teacher! There’s a fight in the supplementary class! Kim Dohyun and Choi Sung-hum!”
For a moment, Park Youngha’s mind went blank.
A fight? In remedial class, of all places?
She sighed internally but kept a composed expression.
“Got it. Let’s go.”
When she opened the classroom door, she was shocked by how serious the situation was.
Choi Sung-hum lay sprawled on the floor, nose bleeding as he wailed in pain.
Kim Dohyun stood over him, his gaze icy.
The other students murmured in confusion and fear.
“Everyone, quiet down!”
Park Youngha’s shout echoed through the classroom. Only then did the students hold their breath, and she quickly began sorting out the situation.
“Kim Dohyun, what do you think you’re doing?”
Kim Dohyun looked at her with an expressionless face.
“Choi Sung-hum, are you okay?”
Choi Sung-hum clutched his nose, sobbing.
“Teacher, he just suddenly hit me!”
One of Choi Sung-hum’s gang members chimed in.
“I saw everything from the beginning! Kim Dohyun just lost it and punched Sung-hum out of nowhere.”
Even as she listened, Park Young-ha couldn’t shake off her doubts.
She knew that Kim Dohyun wasn’t the type to resort to violence so easily.
“Kim Dohyun, is that true?”
“Yes. I hit him.”
Kim Dohyun admitted it briefly, but there was no hint of regret or guilt in his voice.
Park Youngha sighed, looking at both students.
“Alright, follow me to the faculty office. This isn’t something that can be settled here.”
Inside the faculty office, she alternated her gaze between the two students.
“I’ll ask again. Why did this happen? What’s the reason?”
Kim Dohyun remained silent. As his silence dragged on, Seo Yuna, unable to hold back, raised her voice.
“Teacher! They were making disgusting sexual remarks about me. Dohyun couldn’t take it and reacted!”
Choi Sung-hum let out a mocking laugh and shook his head.
“Sexual remarks? What are you talking about? Teacher, she’s just trying to twist things to defend her boyfriend.”
Park Youngha inwardly clicked her tongue at his shameless attitude.
Choi Sung-hum was already notorious as a troublemaker, and his gang had a bad reputation throughout the school.
However, in a fight between students, it wasn’t easy to take sides without clear evidence.
Then, Choi Sung-hum, still sniffling, spoke up.
“Teacher, this is clearly assault! According to school rules, shouldn’t he be facing forced transfer?”
Park Youngha rubbed her forehead.
He wasn’t wrong. Since Kim Dohyun had initiated physical violence, school policy dictated that he couldn’t escape punishment.
At that moment—
Kim Dohyun quietly pulled out his smartphone and placed it on the desk.
Then, he spoke in a firm voice.
“I have proof.”
As he played the recording, the faculty office fell into complete silence.
The voices from the recording were unmistakable.
—Hey, isn’t Seo Yuna’s body insane? She’s got the perfect figure.
—No wonder Choi Kihoon is obsessed with her.
—Hey, Kim Dohyun, did you sleep with her? How was it?
The crude laughter and filthy remarks continued.
The atmosphere in the faculty office turned ice cold in an instant.
After listening to the entire recording, Park Youngha slowly lifted her gaze and stared directly at Choi Sung-hum.
“Choi Sung-hum.”
His face had stiffened completely.
“This is what you meant when you said there was no evidence?”
Her voice was calm, but the underlying anger was so palpable that even the dullest person could sense it.
Choi Sung-hum opened his mouth but quickly closed it again.
“T-Teacher… That was just… a joke. I mean—”
“A joke?”
Park Youngha let out a cynical laugh.
“If it was a joke to you, do you think it was a joke to the person who was hurt?”
She took a deep breath, looking at both students.
“This is beyond something I can handle on my own. The school disciplinary committee will decide the punishment for both of you.”
With that, she rose from her seat and delivered the final verdict.
“Kim Dohyun, Choi Sung-hum. You are both suspended until a decision is made. Go home immediately.”