# Chapter 16
A week had passed since my unwanted, crazy encounter with psycho Jang Seoldam.
Feeling greatly disturbed, as if I’d become a zoo spectator, I had to run away, abandoning Oh Eundo and Jang Seoldam. But unlike me, those two guys with their extraordinary mental fortitude and hardcore my-way attitudes reportedly paid clean compensation to the restaurant for the demolished table and calmly disappeared. Well, considering it was mostly Jang Seoldam’s fault, that was only fair.
However, one thing that left me dumbfounded was that after that commotion, the restaurant’s sales skyrocketed to incredible figures. Hmm. Why does this strangely piss me off so much??
After finishing all classes, waiting for the closing homeroom.
I’m currently sprawled across my desk like a squid. Outside, rain was steadily falling. Though the cloudy sky and rain gave everything a dark feeling, the classroom was brightly lit with fluorescent lights. The chattering sounds of my classmates pleasantly resonated through the damp surroundings.
I used to really like this rainy atmosphere… but damn! I didn’t bring an umbrella.
I stared at the rain-soaked window with a gloomy expression. Shit. When I left home this morning, it was super sunny. Deathly hot. Who knew it would suddenly rain like this? And not just a shower but a persistent drizzle showing no signs of stopping. Weather forecast, my ass. From now on, it’s the Bullshit Forecast!
For the past week, my plan to escape the School Gang Association had been progressing smoothly.
The problem was… it was going too well.
First, I’d been diligently attending classes. Even when I felt dead tired, I took notes with indomitable will and focused on what teachers said. At first, teachers were shocked by my class participation, but now they looked at me with pride.
The reactions of my classmates had also changed significantly compared to the first day. Those who used to tense up and flinch whenever they saw me seemed to realize that I was just silently focusing on studying. Now, they had greatly reduced their special treatment and cringe-worthy behaviors because of my Apex position. Not that they’d completely disappeared, but still. Anyway, as I gradually started to blend in more normally, small changes were happening bit by bit.
At the same time, a persistent uneasiness kept rising from a corner of my mind.
As I said, the problem was that things were going too well. The reason was the trio’s rapidly changing attitude. They had seemed off since our meal last time, and their behaviors had become increasingly suspicious to the point where I couldn’t understand them.
The guys who always followed me around, constantly talking about useless stuff like gangs, hierarchy, and Devil faction nonsense, making me thoroughly annoyed—had they experienced some change of heart? They weren’t seeking me out often. Except for official matters like gang politics that I should know as Apex… or seeking my permission for things… they were very obviously trying to stay out of sight, as if avoiding me.
When they had no choice but to show their faces, they would force their lips into smiles so awkward it couldn’t be more uncomfortable… Fuck. Did they think I wasn’t dying of discomfort too? Those smiles lasted only a moment before all three would stiffen their expressions in exactly the same way, which confirmed my suspicion.
I think I’m really being disliked by the trio.
Right. It was obvious enough for even me to notice. An Apex trying hard to quit being an Apex. From the trio’s perspective, how irresponsible must I look? Yeah. Like the perfect example of a group project leader subtly trying to back out! Wow. I really am an asshole, aren’t I…?
Anyway, how should I put this—while those reactions were somewhat refreshing as I schemed to escape the gang, when I actually saw them avoiding me and freezing up at the sight of me, it also made me feel hurt and sad and just… This is complicated; people are fickle.
Having concluded that I was a potential outcast, I absently stared at the endless rain while nibbling on a supplement I’d gotten from the school nurse last time. The container was still a painkiller bottle, but it was too bothersome to change it. It was a moment of newfound understanding for the school nurse’s feelings.
Ah, I don’t have an umbrella—should I borrow one from the school nurse? Wait. That person left work precisely an hour ago, right? Damn. Should I just walk home in the rain?
“Closing homeroom will now begin.”
Why doesn’t that phrase sound as welcome as it usually does today? Because I don’t have an umbrella, that’s why. Sigh… Getting soaked in the rain will make me super drenched.
Rumble. I watched enviously as students excitedly rushed out through the front and back doors of the classroom, and finally got up unsteadily. On the first day, my bag didn’t even have a pen, but now it properly served its student purpose, filled with workbooks and pencil cases, making me look properly like a high school student. After neatly pulling in my chair, I trudged out to the hallway.
“Huff… huff… Apex! Apex Gu Haejin!!”
Huh?
Just as I was about to go down the stairs, a familiar voice shouting for me made me stop.
…Park Hanseo?
I think I unconsciously smiled with delight. Park Hanseo seemed to have discovered me just as I was about to disappear around the stairwell corner after running through the hallways, possibly having gone to my classroom first. He ran up to me and bent over, desperately catching his breath. Yes, that’s right. Take your time breathing. I waited patiently.
“An umbrella…! You don’t have one, right?”
“How did you know?”
“Huff huff… Earlier, Sunbae Ion mentioned that you probably didn’t have an umbrella, so Amin went out and bought one. But as you know, Amin is in charge of district and personnel management. He’s busy, so I came instead to deliver it… Whew. You almost left without getting it.”
As he said this, Hanseo flashed me a bright smile.
Ah, how long has it been since I’ve seen that kind of smile? Not only that, all three of them noticed I didn’t have an umbrella and went this far to care for me. I really thought I had become a complete outcast. An unexpected wave of emotion swept over me. You guys… are you trying to make your hyung tear up?
I had thought I’d have to walk home soaking wet, so I was incredibly grateful that I wouldn’t have to. I smiled more brightly than ever.
“Yes. Thank you so much.”
“Ah….”
“I appreciate it.”
With a face full of gratitude, I took the umbrella Hanseo offered. But he wasn’t saying anything. Huh? There it is again. That coldly stiffened face. He looked troubled. The atmosphere suddenly plummeted, and as I was considering what to do, about to awkwardly say goodbye, Park Hanseo beat me to it.
“Apex Gu Haejin!”
“Huh?”
“I…! I want to hold the umbrella for you until you get home!”
What?
I paused for a moment to process what he was saying. Not walking me home, but holding an umbrella for me? Letting go of my hand so you can hold it? Are you drunk?
“No, that’s okay.”
“No, sir. I want to hold it for you. No, I will definitely hold it for you!”
“Like I said, it’s fine. I have hands, so there’s no need to—”
“No!!”
Y-You startled me.
Did you eat a train boiler? Why make such a fuss over simply using an umbrella? When I continued to convey that it was unnecessary, Park Hanseo began insisting with unreasonable stubbornness.
“I’m sorry. To dare raise my voice at you, Apex… I know it’s crazy, but please let me do this. I have to… It’s the least I can do… I’m prepared to leave Devil if necessary.”
I was speechless.
I’ve never seen someone so extremely dramatic. He even mentioned leaving the gang. Isn’t leaving a gang scarier than death in their world? I was flustered by Park Hanseo’s earnest plea as he bowed his head at a 90-degree angle. His voice was trembling, and he spoke as if he was about to cry. I couldn’t bring myself to just say “Get lost,” so I nodded in agreement before I knew it.
“Thank you!”
…Okay.
Sure. I don’t know what you’re thankful for.
I regretted it.
What was I thinking when I allowed this? When he offered to hold the umbrella, I should have just said thanks and quickly taken off!
“The aura of the Devil Apex, unwavering even in the rain.”
“That person serving the Thousand-Year Prince is Park Hanseo, Devil’s strategist and staff member!”
I had forgotten that in this world, even the scene of two men walking under an umbrella is never normal. Especially if one of them is a School Gang Apex.
So my current appearance was like a chairman comfortably walking with a bodyguard holding an umbrella for him. No, more like a mob boss walking proudly with his right-hand man holding the umbrella… Fuck. Anyway, it was a scene that made me embarrassed in many ways.
“I’m sorry, but could I just hold it myself now?”
“No, sir. I’ll do my best to hold it for you.”
“Your shoulder is getting all wet.”
“This kind of thing is nothing compared to your sacred body! Don’t worry about someone like me.”
How could I not worry about it! Sacred body?! Do you think I’m some kind of king, you punk!
I was busy suppressing the boiling rage inside me. The gratitude I felt for him bringing the umbrella vanished in an instant. I knew these guys were ridiculous when they kept spouting nonsense about me being their king and pledging their loyalty, but I never thought they would use such terms.
Despite his uniform jacket becoming see-through from his soaked shoulder, Park Hanseo was determined not to let even a single raindrop hit me, meticulously calculating the angle of the umbrella according to the rain direction, struggling desperately. Thanks to him, my uniform remained perfectly dry despite the pouring rain.
But I hate this because it’s uncomfortable! Everyone is looking at us like we’re gangsters! My image… my reputation… It saddens me more that by my standards, it’s already completely ruined. Fuuuuuck…
“Gasp.”
As we were walking, Park Hanseo suddenly stopped as if startled. Seeing his pupils shake like there was an earthquake, I irritably looked ahead thinking “What now!”
“Whoa.”
And I also made a similar sound like Park Hanseo.
Silver hair, walking majestically at the front of over twenty gang members marching on the street across from us. What’s this? Why does it feel so familiar? That silver hair looks extremely recognizable!
Park Hanseo and I looked at each other. Then we looked ahead again. The silver-haired person was getting closer to us. The loud sound of rain—shaaa—continued to strike our ears sharply.
“The Focus Apex… The one who started the School Gang Association. The King of Destruction who signaled the beginning of brutal fighting. The Creator of Cruelty… Ranked #1, Kim Pyeonghwa.”
Kim Pyeonghwa. Kim Pyeonghwa. Kim Pyeonghwa.
The name that Park Hanseo muttered almost instinctively echoed in my ears.
I was turning into a chicken. Ah… I’ve become a chicken. I couldn’t handle this level of cringe that made my hands and feet feel like they were transforming into chicken feet…
“Devil Apex. It’s been a while since then.”
Why are you stopping in front of me instead of just quietly passing by? With the name “Peace” but doing the least peaceful things, sir. What do you mean, “it’s been a while”!
“This is the first time I’m seeing you today.”
“What?”
“I said, this is the first time I’m seeing you today.”
At my words, Kim Pyeonghwa’s face crumpled like a piece of paper.
“You’re saying this is the first time?”
“Yeah.”
“Your memory has gone bad now.”
Gone bad?! At least from what I can see, what’s gone bad is this fucking world. Damn it!
Oh, wait a second. I blinked once. Hmm. No matter how I look at it, I don’t think I’m mistaken…?
“You. No, Kim Pyeonghwa, not you. Behind you… that young lady?”
Kim Pyeonghwa was already out of my mind.
What caught my attention was the only female gang member on the Focus side behind him.
Looking at that face, I felt extremely familiar with it, unlike with the Four Apexes. This feeling came when a character described in the novel appeared. Damn. Who was it again? Had my memory really gone bad as Kim Pyeonghwa said? It was on the tip of my tongue.
“How the fuck do you know Choi Marine?”
“Ah, that’s right! Yes, Choi Marine!”
Kim Pyeonghwa, thank you.
That’s right. “Choi Marine.” Light brown straight hair and a pretty face.
The prototype of a common female lead who, unlike her friend who knows everything about the School Gang Association, plays the “I don’t know anything” card and probably frustrated countless readers across the country. With that clueless personality, she tactlessly provokes the male lead ranked #1 and then falls in love…
In “Those School Gang Guys” that I possessed, Kim Pyeonghwa was the male lead, and Choi Marine was that stereotypical ditzy female lead.
Huh? But why is Choi Marine with Kim Pyeonghwa’s gang members in the Focus faction…? Choi Marine was portrayed as a model student far removed from gangs, despite being a bit clueless. Why!
Until then, I hadn’t realized how terrifyingly savage Kim Pyeonghwa’s demeanor had become. I definitely had a strong feeling that some content had changed since I possessed this body. No, why is the female lead in the School Gang Association in the first place? No matter how I look at it, something’s off.
“Kim Pyeonghwa, let me ask you one thing. That Choi Marine… over there? Isn’t she your girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend? You’re insane.”
“Then what is she?”
“Choi Marine is a Focus executive gang member and my ‘cousin’.”
??
Cousin? Couuuusin? You mean that blood-related cousin I know about?
That can’t be right. The face described in the novel and that Choi Marine look exactly the same! Someone so pure-looking is your cousin, Kim Pyeonghwa? Not a stranger!? How is this possible! She was definitely portrayed as the female lead!!
Huh… huh…. I froze like a statue with my mouth open. My thought process completely halted at this early-stage plot twist, almost on the level of “The Sixth Sense.”
Kim Pyeonghwa said Choi Marine is his cousin, so they can’t be dating.
……
Wait, if that’s the case.
Then Choi Marine can’t be the female protagonist of this novel.
Which means….
Fuck. This was supposed to be a romance novel. Then who’s having a romance with whom now…?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
you ARE having a ROMANCE with the THREE apexes baby