# Chapter 32
The first piece of bad news that Jung Ion relayed was roughly this.
After Apex Jang Seoldam had vanished, Coup d’état’s activities had noticeably quieted down.
Oh, what the hell. I thought he’d actually evaporated or something. If more than a thousand students disappeared across the country, that would really be a case for “I Want to Know That.”
Anyway! Given the nature of the Iljinhoe, conflicts were unavoidable, and that applied not only to the Apexes but also to the lower-ranking gang members, so skirmishes and fights broke out from time to time. I suppose you could call it the natural order of gang life. I mean, I get it—teenage boys with blood running hot, having nothing but ridiculously high self-esteem.
If it were me, I’d have just picked my nose at this news, but the problem was that for these kids living in this damn system called Iljinhoe, this situation was extremely suspicious.
Known for his psychotic personality, Jang Seoldam led Coup d’état, a faction with strong lunatic tendencies. Normally, even though they were ranked 4th, whenever there was conflict with other Iljinhoe factions, they’d cause as much chaos as Focus, according to what I’d heard. But recently, they’ve been unusually quiet—suspiciously so. They weren’t picking fights, and when provoked, they just ignored it. They were essentially treating other Iljinhoe factions as if they didn’t exist. It’s like the entire atmosphere of Coup d’état had shifted from being wild colts to becoming cold and calculating, all three of them nodded vigorously in agreement.
As they say, a crazy person is scarier when they’re quiet, and Devil as well as Focus and Choigang gangs were all keeping a close eye on Coup d’état. Of course, they were most vigilant about Apex Jang Seoldam.
At any rate, the three other Iljinhoe factions were on high alert, not knowing what Coup d’état might be plotting.
And the biggest reason was that although Coup d’état was currently ranked 4th, unlike Focus, Devil, and Choigang which were established two years ago, Coup d’état was a newcomer that had been formed within a year, centered around Jang Seoldam who was only a first-year at the time. If they had appeared at the same time as the others, they might not have been ranked 4th—Jang Seoldam’s existence was that much of an enigma.
Shit. There was a reason I felt he was the final boss the moment I saw him.
Still, I maintained a relatively relaxed attitude so far. Honestly, all this talk didn’t really hit home for me yet. Oh, right. So Coup d’état is quiet. Is that all?
“Hah. The second piece of news is.”
Right. There was one more. He definitely said it was even worse than this.
Jung Ion, having apparently exhausted his energy after telling me the first piece of bad news, dragged his words while frowning deeply. Then he suddenly passed the baton to Park Hanseo who was tensely standing next to him.
“Hey. You tell him.”
“Huh? Me?!”
“Yeah. Shit. I just can’t say it myself.”
“Urgh… Number Two.”
“What’s with all the drama?”
“Well… please don’t get upset, Apex. Okay?”
What could be so awful that they’re acting like this?
After I nodded as if I understood, Hanseo sighed as if he wanted to dig himself a hole and crawl into it.
“The worse part is on our side.”
“Our side?”
“Yes. We were already on edge because of Coup d’état, but now we have problems on our side too…”
Fuck… he muttered through clenched teeth.
I flinched at Hanseo’s rare cursing. Glancing at Jung Ion and Shin Amin, I saw their expressions were just as coldly frozen. Wow.
“Our Iljinhoe is being shaken.”
“Huh?”
…Surely they don’t mean an earthquake?
“Gang members belonging to Devil across the metropolitan area and other regions are defecting. At first, it wasn’t many, so our executives didn’t think much of it—we just needed to beat up those few. But the numbers have been increasing to the point where we can no longer control it.”
In other words.
“To put it bluntly, those fucking bastards betrayed us. How long has it been since the news about the Apex’s terminal illness spread, and they all swore loyalty, saying they’d risk their lives here together! After just one month, all those fuckers have betrayed us. It’s already over 500 of them.”
“……”
“How dare they betray Haejin. They want to die!!”
BANG! Unable to contain his anger, Jung Ion kicked the desk.
Damn. Be surprised. In the silent classroom, the other students were trembling and holding their breath. The first period bell had rung long ago, but due to the ominous atmosphere created by the trio, the teacher declared self-study and fled to the staff room. Well, there goes studying for today.
Indeed, even in this goddamn impenetrable Iljinhoe, traitors existed. But was this part of the plot…? Well, I wouldn’t know since I threw the novel in the trash without reading it.
In web novels, betrayal routes typically lead to death—that’s the formula.
But 500 people is pretty serious. As expected, this author had a scale beyond my imagination. How does this Apex guy manage the Iljinhoe anyway?
…Come to think of it, that would be me. Damn it.
“We tried to handle it at the executive level as much as possible, but as the number of defectors increased, information leaked through our intelligence network… The atmosphere has become chaotic and unsettled. This is clear evidence that our power is being shaken.”
Amin added. I could feel cold sweat running down my back at the serious looks from the trio.
To be honest, my first thought was “So what?” I’m just a 26-year-old job-seeker and unemployed person who’s possessed this body. I’m not good at fighting, nor do I have a charismatic personality. Maybe the original Haejin was like that, but what can I do now?
“What’s even more infuriating is that it’s just us. Focus and Choigang are standing firm, but Devil, ranked 2nd, is the only one shaking like this. As if someone is deliberately causing it.”
“Right? No matter how I think about it, it feels fishy. Isn’t it also strange that Coup d’état is quiet at this particular time?”
“Are those bastards up to something?”
“Even so, is it possible for over 500 people to betray us around the same time?”
“Fuck. How the hell are we supposed to figure this out!”
When Park Hanseo and Shin Amin each expressed their doubts, Jung Ion, unable to contain himself, nervously ran both hands through his hair.
The situation is certainly peculiar. Devil starting to shake just as Coup d’état disappears. Why did Jang Seoldam vanish? Arghhhh. Why do I have to investigate in a web novel about school gangs!
“Apex Gu Haejin. I’m saying this just in case…”
“Yes?”
Park Hanseo speaks with a hardened face.
“I hope you’ll be careful. Everyone knows that Apex is strong enough to never lose to anyone else, but still, there’s always that slim chance.”
“What do you mean, Park Hanseo?”
“If Coup d’état, if Jang Seoldam is plotting something, you’re most likely the target.”
Me? Why?!
My expression contorted strangely at Jung Ion’s words.
“It keeps bugging me.”
“What does?”
“Just. This timing…”
As Jung Ion sank into serious thought, I just kept my mouth shut. Haha. Surely nothing too idiotic is going to happen… right?
“…Apex. What should we do?”
The guys seemed worried about how the cold and icy “Apex Gu Haejin” they knew would react, so they cautiously exchanged glances while waiting for my decision.
I had to think for a moment. What would the real Gu Haejin have said? It feels like all this complicated mess is somehow my fault. When you think about it, isn’t this all because of that damn terminal illness misunderstanding? Ugh. This is so unfair.
And even for someone like me, this is kind of annoying. How can they have so little loyalty? Those fuckers who once swore to risk their lives for me are now speaking with forked tongues. You call yourselves gang members?!
“Well… just tell them I’m fine.”
Ah. Shit. It’s so hot. I turned the fan back on. With a whirring sound, the cool breeze fluttered again.
My fingertips were still stinging.
“Now go. I need to attend class.”
With Haejin’s shooing gesture, the trio had no choice but to leave the classroom. The hallway outside was filled with even more stifling heat. The expressions of Ion, Hanseo, and Amin were all uniformly hardened. The atmosphere was so savage and cold that it gave them goosebumps despite the summer heat.
“He’s lying.”
Hanseo muttered, covering his face. Ion and Amin didn’t respond, but their rigid expressions showed they agreed with his assessment. No, actually, those were sad expressions.
More than the suspicious movements of Jang Seoldam and Coup d’état.
More than our parent organization, Iljinhoe Devil.
Right now, the most important thing is…
“The worst thing for us… is none other than your condition.”
Thud. Ion struck the wall. His fist was trembling. Amin quietly lowered his head with his hands in his pockets.
‘Well… just tell them I’m fine.’
Gu Haejin is a liar.
From their position of watching him closely, they felt like they were dying of concern for Haejin. The way he so openly pretended everything was fine, smiling and lying about being okay—he was too deep. As if telling them not to worry about him. That he’s alright.
Normally, he would have immediately ordered a gang mobilization and captured all the betraying gang members, beating them half to death without mercy. He would have stood there nobly, declaring that betrayal meant death. That was the Gu Haejin they knew.
They couldn’t understand why he was being so kind at a time like this. We’re ready to follow Haejin’s orders at any moment. We would go anywhere and do anything at your command. You used to be so intimidating. Strong enough to earn the title “Thousand-Year Prince”…
That… must be evidence that you’ve weakened?
“Those bastards.”
The trio couldn’t forgive the gang members who had betrayed the beautiful, angel-like Haejin for no reason after just one month—those who had once used the name Devil as Haejin’s subordinates. Above all, with the ranking system in turmoil due to Coup d’état’s presence, they had only one job to do.
Hanseo spoke with a decisive voice.
“No matter what happens, we must protect the Apex.”
“Yes.”
“We must protect our Apex, who has been exposed to the national rankings as having a terminal illness, from being touched by any other gang bastards.”
“……”
“Even if a second national gang war were to break out…”
Hanseo closed his eyes as if it was too terrible to contemplate and let his words trail off, then Amin continued for him.
“Since the Apex cannot fight.”
No, to ensure that the sick Haejin wouldn’t have to fight.
“Contact all the action leaders in the metropolitan area and regions who haven’t betrayed us and gather them all. We’ll protect Haejin.”
“Yes!”
“Yes.”
We need to become stronger.
The trio left the school with determined steps.
***
“Shit… it’s hot as hell.”
After July passed, the scorching midsummer had arrived. Crazy. This is murderous heat where it wouldn’t be strange if I dried up and died.
“Apex, it’s very hot, isn’t it…?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s no use even if you have it now. Haha.”
Dajin smiles regretfully beside me.
For some reason, after Kwak Dajin first brought me to school, we’ve continued commuting together. It’s been over two weeks now. We’ve become close enough to chat comfortably. He’s probably the Devil gang member I’m closest to after the trio. This guy doesn’t seem to mind coming to our school every day even though it’s really far from his own and in the opposite direction. You must be quite the Apex fanboy.
I got scared about that once. As usual, when I jokingly told him that I’d gotten slightly cut by the fan blade on the first day, he knelt down in the middle of a busy street filled with commuters.
Holy shit… Hey, that’s going too far. I seriously almost died of embarrassment.
The portable fan he gave me had been very useful to me. It couldn’t be more refreshing, but as it gets hotter, even that seems as helpless as a leaf tumbling in the wind. Sigh. What can I do about this damn heat where even with the fan on, it feels like hot air is blowing?
Life was miserable. Aaaaargh. Please, summer, just die.
“Should I go buy you some ice cream?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“There’s a convenience store right there. I’ll go get some! What would you like?”
“Hmm. Then I’ll have a popsicle.”
“Pop… Gasp. Okay!”
“You’re just going to leave? I’ll give you money.”
“It’s fine. I want to buy it for you. Just wait here for a bit!”
Dajin ran off to the convenience store before I could even respond. He must be really hot too, yet he keeps smiling brightly. Feeling a bit embarrassed but grateful, I scratched my temple and moved to the shade to quietly wait for him to return.
After learning about the two pieces of bad news and getting a grasp on the Iljinhoe situation, I decided I shouldn’t act out these days. I was keeping a low profile. Leaving myself aside, the trio definitely seemed to be taking things seriously. And indeed, they appeared extremely busy. I wasn’t sure exactly what they were doing, but it seemed they were running around trying to restore Devil to its original state.
But despite their efforts, strangely, the number of traitors continued to grow.
As a result, Devil’s standing gradually narrowed, and the atmosphere was nothing short of chaotic. Even some executive-level Action Leaders had betrayed them, significantly reducing their strength. Devil was no longer the 2nd ranked Iljinhoe faction.
It was only because I was the Apex that they still existed as an Iljinhoe faction… probably.
Yet the trio reassured me not to worry. But even someone like me could read the room. The situation was deteriorating.
“Apex, here.”
“Thanks. Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
I headed to school eating a popsicle under the blazing sun.
To make matters worse, as Devil began to crumble, cracks started to appear in Focus and Choigang as well. We thought it was just us, but actually Devil was just the first—the other two Iljinhoe factions were also gradually experiencing betrayals.
So where did these betraying gang members go? Coup d’état remained quiet, and Jang Seoldam was still missing, so nothing was certain, which was the problem. There was circumstantial evidence but no physical proof.
I wonder what Kim Pyeonghwa and Oh Eundo are doing now. They must be busy too, but since we don’t meet or contact each other, well… I’m sure they’re managing fine since they’re originally from this world.
Ah, I don’t know. Damn it. The more I see, the more annoying it gets that things are suddenly developing in strange directions. The “Those School Gang Guys” I read was a childish romance novel, not a war novel, right? Shit. If all this chaos is happening because I possessed this body, I’ll sue that damn author!
Just as I was about to step into Shinju High after Kwak Dajin finished his duty and left, it happened.
“Who are you?”
And then, from near the main gate wall, smoothly emerging—
“Hello, Ice Prince.”
It was Jang Seoldam, who had been missing for almost two months.
“Did you miss me?”
…This crazy bastard.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
