# Chapter 15
“Kyaaaaah! A f-fight…!”
“A clash between Apexes has begun!”
Someone screamed.
The elegant restaurant with pleasant jazz music playing in the background instantly turned into chaos. The many patrons fled toward the door like a flock of crows.
But that’s not the issue.
Sigh…
I could only stare endlessly at the devastated ruins.
Is what I’m seeing right now really real…?
Above all, what pained my heart the most was that glorious sea bream steak I never even got to taste… I had to close my eyes at the sight of it, now mashed beyond recognition.
Ah… it’s gone. The dazzling sea bream has vanished.
It’s gone away.
“Ah! My mistake.”
What the hell?
An unbearable anger began to rise at that annoyingly cheerful voice.
Mistaaaake?? Did you just say mistake?! After turning my sea bream steak into a miserable pulp, you call it a mistake, you bastard!! Sounds like a joke. That was 100% intentional! I remember your leg forcefully kicking the table! I’m going to kill you, you shameless bastard.
BAM!!
There was someone else at this table who felt exactly the same way as I did.
“Fuck. Jang Seoldam, do you want to die?!”
Go ahead! Go ahead! Turn him into mincemeat just like my sea bream!
Oh Eundo planted his fist into Jang Seoldam’s face. For the first time since coming here, I felt like cheering for someone. That’s right, Oh Eundo. Are you also upset because you couldn’t eat your sea bream? Yes, yes! I understand how you feel. How dare he smash the divine sea bream. That heaven-cursed bastard!
It seemed ranking wasn’t just a number for show, as Jang Seoldam stumbled significantly from Oh Eundo’s flaming fist of fury. Oh Eundo glared at him with murderous intent, breathing heavily. Not to be outdone, I narrowed my eyes alongside him.
“Pfft.”
Pfft? Did I hear that wrong? I doubted my ears.
I thought he’d be cowering after getting hit by Oh Eundo, but did he just laugh?
“Puhahahahaha!! Puhohohoho!!”
Mom, what’s wrong with him?
As Jang Seoldam suddenly seemed possessed by the god of laughter, tilting his head back and cackling like a madman, Oh Eundo and I locked eyes in mid-air. Eundo cursed, saying “crazy bastard…” as if he had expected this. If a character in this novel calls someone crazy, they must really be crazy.
After laughing maniacally for a while, Jang Seoldam suddenly changed his expression and grinned.
“Ah, really. Hyung Eundo, that really hurts~.”
Why don’t you spit on your words before speaking?
I clicked my tongue at the shamelessness of Jang Seoldam, who was making a pitiful face that clearly showed it didn’t hurt at all. He fingered his slightly split lip and twirled what appeared to be the knife he had pointed at my neck earlier.
Among the four Apexes, Jang Seoldam was the only first-year high school student. So he’s a year younger than the three of us, including Kim Pyeonghwa.
In the hierarchy system, third-year students step down for the surprisingly wholesome reason of being college entrance exam candidates, so the school gang’s core is mostly made up of first and second-year high school students. Among them, Apexes are usually second-years, but Jang Seoldam was said to be exceptional for becoming the Apex of the Coup d’état faction as a first-year. Of course, I snorted out loud while reading this part.
Oh Eundo growled, looking like he might pounce on Jang Seoldam at any moment.
“Want to get beaten up more? Guardian of Darkness!”
Everything else is fine but… why bring up that title?!
“Hmm. I’ll pass on that. Warrior of Blood Fragrance.”
Please just shut up.
Jang Seoldam gave a leisurely smile with a relaxed expression, then suddenly stopped twirling his knife and pointed it in my direction.
“Thousand-Year Prince, I’m disappointed.”
“Ha… what?”
“How can you, who’s supposed to be cold and haughty, be fraternizing with the Choigang Apex in a place like this? I was truly saddened when I saw the post on HioIl. To think that the Devil Apex, who was as cold as ice, would be laughing and chatting with another Apex! And that it wasn’t me… I couldn’t bear my anger. That’s why I personally came to find you!”
…Oh my God. I think we’ve found a record-breaking idiot.
My expression crumpled beyond description.
HioIl. Short for History of Iljinhoe (fuck), an information community about the School Gang Association.
It was the largest anonymous community for South Korean teenagers in this novel, where updates on the four Apexes or information about the school gangs were shared. The Apexes were idolized like celebrities there.
Yeah, me too!
Damn. I never thought the 4th-ranked would be the final boss. Is this revenge for me not finishing the novel because it got too unbearable? Writer, come out here! Bang bang!
“…But are you on a date with Hyung Eundo?”
Jang Seoldam instantly changed his expression and began approaching me, knife in hand. What? Why are you coming over? Don’t come! Don’t come, you lunatic! I unconsciously stepped back.
Oh Eundo, save me!
“Did you rush over here in one go because you were jealous? Even so, Gu Haejin doesn’t belong to just you—he belongs to everyone!”
That’s not it, you idiot Oh Eundo!!
I was wrong to believe him even for a moment! Unable to back up any further, I had to desperately despair at the feel of the wall behind me. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Jang Seoldam, you bastard. Aren’t you going to put that knife down? Brandishing a weapon like this, that’s attempted murder, isn’t it?! I was genuinely terrified.
“You seem different from before.”
“You… you!”
“Usually, from the moment I pointed this knife at your neck, I would have been half-dead already… Huh. Of course, it was that bloodless, tearless coldness that attracted me even more.”
“K-knife…!”
“Ah, this?”
When I couldn’t continue speaking, Jang Seoldam looked at his knife once and then released his grip. Clang! With a sharp sound, the knife fell to the floor. I glanced at it, then looked up at him again. Jang Seoldam was the youngest of the four, but at 192cm, he was the tallest.
“Don’t worry. It’s fake. And the Guardian of Darkness is famous for being a weapon collector, right?”
Don’t use third-person like it’s someone else’s business!
He licked his upper lip and stared at me persistently like a snake. Fuck. This is unbearably uncomfortable. Huuung…
“You’re really strange. Like a completely different person.”
“Move, you bastard!”
“Could it be that you’re scared? The great Gu Haejin? Ahhh… what should I do? I said I was attracted to your bloodless, tearless coldness, but I never knew you had this charm that makes me want to protect you. I can’t stand it. Hyung, can I just kiss those lips once?”
…What the hell is this perverted psycho babbling about!!
I thought his speech was getting stranger as I listened, but now he’s talking about a kiss. A kiss!! This wasn’t supposed to be that kind of story. Sure, it’s cringeworthy content with school gangs, but I never heard it was BL! Arghhhh!!
“You fucking bastard. Jang Seoldam, did you just say ‘kiss’?!”
While I was losing my mind over the word “kiss,” Oh Eundo, who must have heard it, grabbed Jang Seoldam by the collar. Though he was 186cm, much taller than me, he was slightly shorter than Seoldam. Yet Oh Eundo’s arm strength was tremendous, effortlessly grabbing him. His face had hardened frighteningly. This time, I truly believed in Oh Eundo.
Yeah, do something about this guy!
“Don’t jump the line. Respect the spirit of fair play.”
…
Can I seriously kill this guy?
My expression turned sour at Oh Eundo’s bullshit, which instantly betrayed my trust.
Fuck. I really want to beat these guys up.
Regardless, Jang Seoldam grumbled, “Hyung Eundo, you even went on a date with Hyung Haejin…!” as if displeased, then turned his head back to me.
Don’t look at me. I want to punch you in the face.
“The Devil Apex has become gentler than before… If anyone heard this, there would be enough uproar in the School Gang Association to make them drop dead in shock.”
“……”
“Ah, what a waste. I had a chance to taste you. Hyung, why don’t you just marry me?”
Fuck. I won’t tolerate this anymore. No, I can’t.
What kind of nonsense is this striped-nosed bastard spewing so eloquently? I want to punch him right now…!!
BAM!!
THUD-!
Huh? Bam? Thud?
I froze in place.
Feeling an unfamiliar stinging pain, I looked at my clenched fist. Gasp. What? And suddenly, with my vision clearing, I shifted my gaze to see Jang… Seoldam collapsed on the floor, clutching his abdomen with a groan.
Damn. I was just thinking about it, but did I actually hit him?
I was more surprised than anyone. What the hell? Why did my body move on its own? Is this instinct or what!
“Ugh… cough… cough…”
Hey. If you act like you can’t breathe, it makes me more anxious. You were fine when Oh Eundo hit you, so why are you on the floor after I hit you…?
My face filled with dismay. What’s going on, Gu Haejin? Weak with alcohol, getting indigestion, acting like you’re physically weak, but suddenly you’re strong enough to make Jang Seoldam whimper? Wow, damn. This is really confusing. Is this what being ranked 2nd means?
That’s incredible.
“Haha… as expected of the Devil Apex. I take back what I said about you becoming gentle.”
“Gu Haejin, don’t you know he’s on par with Kim Pyeonghwa? You and I are nothing compared to them, you crazy bastard.”
Oh Eundo berated Jang Seoldam, who was struggling to get up, with a look of contempt. I hesitated a bit, then carefully asked.
“Hey. Does it hurt that much?”
“Isn’t that obvious? I almost died from that punch. Please remain that noble flower of the school gangs. I’ll definitely conquer you someday.”
“…Want to get hit again?”
“Ah, come on, no way.”
His hissing laughter mixed with his pained expression was not very pleasant. I felt a little… sorry?
Gu Haejin’s strength was more formidable than I thought. I had dismissed this as just a novel, but what a twist. Then how strong is the 1st-ranked guy? I haven’t met him yet, but I immediately felt a strong urge to avoid him. What if he’s a psycho like Jang Seoldam? — I don’t remember meeting Kim Pyeonghwa before because I blacked out then. —
The table was already destroyed. The sea bream had long since flown away.
Thinking about it made me angry again. My sea bream… drip, drip… Haah… I sighed. Staying here would only increase my irritation, so I decided to leave the restaurant.
Click-
Huh? Click…?
I looked toward the door with dread. Please don’t let what I’m imagining happen. But as always, my faith is gloriously betrayed! I sincerely cursed at the scene before my eyes.
“Breaking news! As expected of the 2nd-ranked Devil Apex. He subdued the 4th-ranked Coup d’état Apex with a single blow!”
“That’s so awesome… so cool! Gu Haejin… Thousand-Year Prince-sama…”
“He’s someone who illuminates the world with his very existence.”
“I’ll definitely join the Devil faction as a staff member!”
“To see the Warrior of Blood Fragrance, Guardian of Darkness, and Thousand-Year Prince in one place, in a real-time live. I’m swooning.”
Whether they had heard rumors or something, the restaurant entrance was swarming with middle and high school students. They were all holding up phones, taking pictures or videos with constant clicking sounds that rivaled a celebrity press conference, and I held back tears from the Hollywood-level flashes.
I swear I’ll dig a tunnel if I have to, just to escape this place.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
