Mind Games - Night has come

02

Min-ji followed Jun-hee's steps, her confusion shifting to surprise as she absorbed the scene. Her attention gravitated towards Da-beom, positioned on all fours beneath the basket, while Kyung-jun, Seung-bin, and Jin-ha stood before him, a basketball on the ground to his right.

"Hey!" Jun-hee bellowed, his usual calm demeanor evaporating as he advanced towards them, anger burning in his eyes. "What are you guys doing?" he demanded, his tone menacing, halting in front of Da-beom.

Addressing Da-beom, Jun-hee sternly commanded, "Hey, Jin Da-beom. Get up."

Min-ji, still in shock, stood behind Jun-hee, her fury building as she observed the amused expressions on the trio's faces.

"I said get up," Jun-hee repeated, his gaze fixed on Da-beom, who complied, slowly rising to his feet.

Min-ji's eyes widened at the sight of Da-beom's bloody nose, her entire body tensing with the effort of restraining herself from wiping the smile off Kyung-jun's face.

"Seriously, what the heck is wrong with you guys?" she said in disgust, her gaze shifting between them.

Kyung-jun responded with a maniacal laugh, hands in his pockets as he took a few steps toward Min-ji. Quickly, Jun-hee positioned himself in front of her, facing Kyung-jun.

"Hey, Yoon Min-ji. Don't act like you're any better," Kyung-jun dismissed Jun-hee's presence, looking directly at Min-ji with a serious expression, malevolence gleaming in his eyes.

Min-ji maintained eye contact but visibly flinched at his words.

"Your pranks are going too far," Jun-hee asserted, his tone low, aggressive, and threatening.

Kyung-jun's gaze shifted as Jun-hee stood before him, the height difference evident. "Prank?" he replied with a chuckle, then turned deadly serious, saying, "I'm fucking serious right now."

Jun-hee sighed in disbelief, tilting his head to the side before meeting Kyung-jun's intense gaze again. "Da-beom agreed to help with the event tomorrow," he began, reaching for Da-beom's arm. "I can take him with me, right? We're leaving," he added, turning around and starting to walk, pulling Da-beom alongside him.

"Assholes," Min-ji muttered under her breath loud enough for them to hear. She shot them a last disgusted glance before turning around and walking behind Jun-hee. Kyung-jun raised his middle finger at her as soon as she turned away.

Once outside the basketball court, Min-ji's expression shifted to concern as she examined Da-beom's face. Though his nose had stopped bleeding, there were still traces of blood on his nose, mouth, and uniform. Jun-hee released Da-beom's arm.

"Are you okay?" Min-ji gathered the courage to ask, realizing the rarity of their interaction. "I'll go get some paper," she added, turning to Jun-hee and ready to rush to the gym hall for paper rolls.

"No need," Da-beom replied, not even glancing her way. "I'm fine," he added, walking away with an unapproachable demeanor.

Min-ji's eyebrows furrowed at his behavior, left momentarily speechless by his dismissive tone after her offer of help.

"He's probably just in shock," Jun-hee's soft voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Let's go for your phone," he suggested, slowly moving and waiting for her to join him.

She nodded slowly before walking alongside him.

After retrieving Min-ji's phone, they headed back upstairs. A few hours had passed and students started to occasionally ask Jun-hee about the homeroom teacher's whereabouts, but with no sign of him, Jun-hee decided to investigate himself.