# Chapter 27
“Shit… I don’t want to go to school.”
That was the first thing I instinctively mumbled as soon as I opened my eyes.
Feeling both irritation and utter annoyance at the sunlight aggressively pouring through the unnecessarily large windows, I reluctantly buried my face in my blanket. To think that I, a perfect student with a flawless attendance record, would come to hate going to school this much! Something I’ve only realized after 26 years…
“—to hell with everything, ARGH! I’m so pissed!”
After lying motionless like a dead rat for a moment, I got up from bed while kicking the blanket violently.
Why! Why am I the one kicking my blanket in frustration? Shouldn’t it be every other person in this world except me who should be writhing in agony over the dark history that will forever stain their lives?!
Yesterday’s shocking experience, which came to mind without fail whether my eyes were open or closed, generously gifted me with a mental breakdown sufficient to make my soul escape.
To think I’d witness such an unheard-of situation where so many people knelt down pledging their lives right before my eyes. Fuck. Even gangsters don’t do that! What’s even more ridiculous is that the damned person who caused this situation is, ironically, me. It’s me. Without my knowledge, my actions had been causing massive misunderstandings among those school gang guys, including the Trio.
Terminal illness? Insane. Are you kidding me?
Do I look like a pitiful guy with a deadly disease? The fact that carrying some medicine and going to the hospital for indigestion could be misunderstood as a serious illness… Wouldn’t normal people think it’s just a mild cold first? That’s what it actually was! Haah… how can a misunderstanding snowball like this when it’s not even gambling money? If they were suspicious, they could have just asked me! Now I see they’ve been letting their imaginations run wild and creating quite a spectacle.
Even the name of the disease is unnecessarily specific.
‘Cancer.’
Fuck. They act all tough with their ranks and hierarchies, putting on fierce airs, but they’re actually so pure-minded. The characters in this novel are high school kids doing things worse than gangsters, but then they show this stupidly innocent side, and the gap is so extreme it’s really hard to adjust to.
After yesterday’s absolute mess of events, I sincerely wanted to refuse going to school, but I couldn’t bring myself to actually do it. After burying my face in my pillow and spitting out a few curses accompanied by internal conflict, I was finally able to slowly get out of bed. Ah, I’m truly too diligent for my own good.
Dragging myself to the bathroom, I stood at the sink and stared blankly at the mirror. Even after nearly a month since my possession, I still couldn’t get used to seeing my face.
Pale white skin, jet-black hair covering my forehead, and pretty eyes with upturned corners…
…this kid. He’s so fucking handsome. No matter how I look at it, his appearance is luxuriously excessive for someone like me. His skin looks somehow fresh and fluffy even after just waking up, proving that I’m still a teenager. It feels like I’ve rejuvenated at age 26. A handsome face with clean skin, and while I’m a bit short, I’m still almost 180cm tall. It’s what you’d call blessed genetics. But they say he’s a school gang member. Ah, life… I’m crying, truly crying.
After finishing a clean shower and changing into my school uniform, the time was already 7:30. I headed to the kitchen while roughly drying my hair with a towel.
In novels, all successful men are handsome and rich… and so was I. Or more precisely, so was Gu Haejin. The richest one was Oh Eundo, but I was also a son from an equally wealthy family. Haejin was the only son of the president of one of the corporations that controlled South Korea—how annoying, all these descriptions are the same kind of exaggeration—and his wife, and the grandson of the chairman. He was living alone (emphasis on alone) in a massive 50-pyeong apartment. Wow, as expected of the smell of capitalism.
I sat down at the table, which was excessive and burdensome but still very much appreciated, prepared every morning by the housekeeper as if a magical cleaning fairy had visited. After finishing my meal, I left a note in the notepad saying “Thank you for the meal”—a habit I’d formed since my possession—then grabbed a bottled banana milk I’d bought recently from the refrigerator, stuck a straw in it, and left the house.
I got into the unnecessarily flashy elevator of this luxury apartment and stared at the descending numbers. Ding! With a cheerful sound, I arrived at the lobby and let out a small, bored yawn as I stepped out of the elevator, about to take a step forward when—
“Oh my! Oh my! What’s going on?”
“Ugh. It’s really scary to go outside these days.”
“What’s with those students?”
“I wonder if we’ll be in trouble if we go out, I don’t know.”
Murmuring all around.
Several residents of this apartment were gathered in front of the common entrance, each with serious expressions. They seemed afraid to go outside, standing at the entrance as if it were the last line of defense, whispering anxiously. There were so many residents that I couldn’t even see outside properly.
Hmm… so…
“Excuse me… sorry, but I need to go to school.”
I was completely nonchalant. With the sole intention of going to school, I pushed through the people and walked toward the entrance. I could tell something had happened just from the expressions of the gathered people, but I was able to pass by indifferently because, well… I thought it had absolutely nothing to do with me. Plus, I was particularly uninterested in other people’s business.
*Slide*
And today, I—
“It’s Apex Gu Haejin!”
It seems I’m being punished for my indifference all this time.
“Thousand-Year Prince, did you sleep well?!”
Fuck.
I turned around on the spot and went back inside the apartment. No. I must have seen wrong. What I saw was a dream. What I heard was bullshit…
“Oh my… was this student the cause?”
“I thought they were gangsters.”
“What’s going on? What on earth?”
No, it’s not. I don’t know those bastards either. Fuck. I don’t want to know them…
As soon as I came back inside, sharp gazes filled with various meanings pierced me, making my face burn intensely. All I could offer in response was a sad smile filled with despair.
Ahahaha… hahaha. Goddamn. Just kill me now.
It wasn’t even 8 o’clock yet. A morning with birds chirping. Yes, morning!
But what’s with all these crazy kids loitering around since the morning?!
At first, I didn’t think much of the crowd of uniformed students gathered a little distance from the apartment entrance. I thought the residents might be scared because they were standing in such formal lines, but as soon as I made eye contact with one of them, he started shouting at me, delivering cringe-worthy lines and roaring out what was supposed to be a greeting.
The impact was so strong that even passing birds might hiccup. Outside the building, people were busy watching the school gang members and murmuring, wondering what was going on. Ah, those crazy bastards. They seemed familiar—they were Devil members from Shinju High and other schools, with all kinds of different uniforms. Even at a glance, there must have been more than 50 of them. What the hell is going on?! It’s a fucking bumper crop. Damn it…
I forgot that things here always exceed my imagination.
Why do I keep forgetting and repeatedly experiencing soul-leaving and death by embarrassment when nothing has ever gone normally here? Let’s solve this chaos first, then think about this question again.
“Student, please do something about this quickly! I’m really scared to death…”
*Sob sob* Ma’am, I can’t live like this either. I might die from stress soon. These idiots already mistakenly think I have a terminal illness, and thanks to them, I might really go to heaven. Damn it.
While I was feeling dazed and unable to regain my senses, the school gang members began stirring because I went back inside, and one person came out from among them. At the same time, my phone in my pocket started ringing loudly.
“Haa… hello?”
– Apex, why did you go back inside?
Fuck. Do you really need to ask? It’s because of you, you damned bastard!
The guy who approached the entrance with determined steps was Shin Amin. And the one who called was also Shin Amin. The common entrance was locked with a door lock for security, so naturally, he couldn’t open it from outside. And of course, I absolutely wouldn’t open the door from inside. The moment I opened the door, he’d grab my collar. Since I’m the Apex, he’d surely grab my collar!
So the two of us were talking on the phone while facing each other through the glass door. I could feel the people beside me treating me like a complete idiot with their gazes. Even though I didn’t look like it, they were thinking I’m a weirdo just like them. I felt a surge of anger.
“What the hell. Why are you standing in front of my house? Is there a war? I’m asking if there’s a war! Since when have you been standing here? Are you crazy? Huh?”
*Grind* After grinding my teeth, I glared at Shin Amin as if I could pierce through him and fired words like a machine gun.
I’m seriously too embarrassed to live. Whether he understood my feelings or not, Shin Amin maintained his usual calm, expressionless face and answered calmly.
– We came like this under the orders of Number Two Sunbae Ion to protect the Apex from hostile forces. You heard us say yesterday that we would protect you, right? It’s not a war yet, but if other forces attack, we won’t hesitate to go to war. To protect Devil’s Apex.
Crazy. Are they really going to war?
– Ah. And since we didn’t know exactly when the Apex would come out, we’ve been standing here since 5 AM. Um. If we’re crazy, wouldn’t it be crazy for you, Apex? That’s correct.
Damn it, don’t answer each question so sincerely and diligently. It makes me even more pissed off!
I clicked my tongue at Shin Amin’s attitude, speaking such cringy words so naturally. Come to think of it, he seems to be the best at saying the most cringeworthy things. Thaaaank you so much for marking it as correct. If making me want to turn my stomach inside out is correct, then yes, it’s correct, you bastard.
“Fine, but don’t ever stand in front of my house as a group again. It’s a nuisance to other people!”
– But Sunbae Ion told us to protect the Apex…
“I am Devil’s Apex! Is Jung Ion that bastard the real power?!”
– ……
Aaack! What blasphemy have I spoken!
I immediately covered my mouth. Shin Amin just stared at me silently. Ah, I’m ruined. Ruined! I had to offer my deepest condolences to myself at the sparkle in his eyes.
– Yes. Devil’s king is of course… Apex Gu Haejin. I am moved.
*Whisper whisper*
I wonder if this is how idols with hundreds of thousands of fans feel. All the way to school, I was too embarrassed to raise my face due to the countless stares and whispers pouring down on me.
Since I had to go to school no matter what, I went outside, but I had to head to school with Shin Amin, who wouldn’t leave my side, leading the way and (fuck) more than 50 uniformed Devil members following behind. I could only sigh deeply, wishing the ground would swallow me up, as ordinary people stopped to stare at us like we were monkeys in a zoo, and middle and high school students created a commotion by taking pictures with flashes. Being an idol was truly an extreme job. I’m sorry for ignoring that fact before. I respect them from now on.
What bothered me was that every one of those noisy middle and high school students kept repeating “Oh no! Oh no!” when they saw me. And they all had this longing look in their eyes as if they were about to cry. Even though I tried not to listen, I could hear voices saying things like they couldn’t believe I was dying, or asking if I looked thinner, or saying they were tearing up, or begging me not to die—all sorts of nonsensical bullshit that made me want to scratch my ears.
What the hell, what kind of absurd rumors are spreading? Don’t tell me that misunderstanding wasn’t just confined to the Devil faction?
“Shin Amin.”
“Yes, Apex.”
“Do you still believe I’m seriously ill?”
“……”
“Do you think I’m dying? Really?”
“…You don’t have to keep hiding it. We all know now.”
“I’m not dying. You guys are misunderstanding, okay?”
“Don’t worry. Devil will never fall.”
“Ha. No, I mean, it’s a total misunderstanding. I’m not going to die! I won’t die! I’m not sick!”
“Apex… are you in denial now? Of course, I understand your feelings, but…”
Shin Amin looked at me with sympathetic eyes.
AAAARGH! Who the fuck brainwashed you? Come out. I’ll beat the shit out of you! What’s the use of me screaming that it’s a misunderstanding? Fuck. They’re not even listening. Ah, I don’t know. I don’t know. Do whatever you want. I clearly said I’m not. You guys can play your little games all you want. Fuck, how wonderfully merry this is. Shit.
“…Sigh. Don’t tell me that story has spread elsewhere too?”
“Yes.”
“To… other school gangs too?”
“Not just to the four major school gangs, but nationwide. The fact that the Apex is terminally ill.”
Oh my god, OMG…
“How did that happen?!”
“Through the HioIl community. After the Grand Assembly yesterday evening, the information was made public by our intelligence sources.”
…HioIl community.
Damn it. I forgot that existed. That cringe-inducing site where the four Apexes, including me, are idolized like celebrities! Shin Amin tapped his phone a few times and then showed me the screen that appeared.
[URGENT] Devil Apex Gu Haejin diagnosed with terminal illness.
What urgent nonsense. Damn, this is ridiculous. After reading that cheap-looking post carefully, I raised my trembling lips.
Ah, my blood pressure.
The saying that the world has gone mad these days must be true.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
