The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 12 - Cheongha High School (2)

 

 

Alias: Seo Jong-pil.

Real name: Seo Do-hwan.

 

He flew through the air, the words echoing in his head—

 

“He’s stronger than you.”

 

Seo Do-hwan had dismissed it as nonsense—but it wasn’t.

 

Sure, he hadn’t taken his meds in a few days because of a cavity and a wisdom tooth extraction. Still…

 

“Kgh!”

 

The same man who once ruled the world of The Weak Hunter was now flying helplessly through the air—only to slam, no, crash, into the chalkboard.

 

He hit the floor beside Kim Byung-chul, coughing violently.

 

The sound jolted Lee Yoo-seong back to his senses.

 

“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! I’m really sorry!”

 

If you’re that sorry, can I punch you just once?

 

Seo Do-hwan swallowed the words and forced a smile instead.

 

“It’s fine.”

 

It was not fine.

 

Drip.

 

Blood trickled from his nose, and Lee Yoo-seong went pale.

 

“Y-your nose is bleeding…”

 

Seo Do-hwan wiped under his nose with the back of his hand.

 

Yup. Real blood. A full-on double nosebleed.

 

“Teacher! I’ll take the transfer student to the nurse’s office!”

 

“Huh? Oh, uh, s-sure…”

 

Before Kim Byung-chul could finish his sentence, Lee Yoo-seong had already swept Seo Do-hwan up into a princess carry.

 

‘The f**k?’

 

Twenty-seven-year-old Seo Do-hwan was stunned.

 

“Yoo-seong…?”

 

Even Kwak Yoon-hoo, who had been walking toward Class 3-A, stopped dead in his tracks.

 

After all, the infamous returnee junkie was being carried like a princess by a mere nineteen-year-old kid. It was only natural to be speechless.

 

Lee Yoo-seong didn’t notice Kwak Yoon-hoo at all and hurried off to the nurse’s office.

Only Seo Do-hwan saw him. Under Kwak Yoon-hoo’s judging stare, he covered his face with both hands.

 

***

 

“Seo Do-hwan, are you okay?”

 

I came to the nurse’s office after hearing about what happened. The nurse who’d tended to his nosebleed was nowhere in sight.

 

Seo Do-hwan grumbled in response.

 

“Do I look okay to you?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Sure, he looked a little ridiculous with tissues shoved up both nostrils, but otherwise fine.

 

Still, he scowled.

 

“This looks okay to you?! Damn it, boss—you totally screwed me over!!”

 

“When did I screw you over? What did you even do to Yoo-seong for him to give you a double nosebleed?”

 

“I didn’t do anything!”

 

Seo Do-hwan insisted, but I wasn’t buying it.

 

I knew Lee Yoo-seong. That kid wouldn’t lash out unless someone did something seriously wrong.

 

“No, seriously—how the hell is he so strong? Is he on drugs like me or something?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Then what?!”

 

“Yoo-seong doesn’t need drugs to use powers from the world he possessed.”

 

“What? Why not?!”

 

“His case is different. The knowledge he gains—through studying, reading—it’s what fuels his powers.”

 

Lee Yoo-seong had possessed the book High School Seniors Are Too Strong.

 

At seventeen, he became the nineteen-year-old protagonist, Joo Si-hyun, and faced intense hardships and challenges.

 

His goals were brutal: top the mock exams in March, place first in school by June, dominate the national exam in September, and get a perfect score on the college entrance exam.

 

If he failed at any of them, he would die.

 

Naturally, he studied like his life depended on it—because it did.

 

And as he cleared each challenge, he earned powers and enhanced memory as rewards.

 

Those abilities helped him survive in the book’s world. And now, that world was behind him.

 

“Anyway, make sure you apologize to him later.”

 

“I told you—I didn’t do anything wrong!”

 

Seo Do-hwan kept protesting when—

 

“Um… excuse me…”

 

Lee Yoo-seong peeked his head in shyly. I stood up right away.

 

“Yoo-seong! What is it? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

 

“I, uh… told them I was going to the bathroom…”

 

He fidgeted nervously, clearly worried I’d scold him. I smiled warmly to reassure him.

 

“Were you that worried about Jong-pil?”

 

“Yeah… He got hurt because of me…”

 

He mumbled miserably. I elbowed Seo Do-hwan in the ribs.

 

“Wha—? What?”

 

This idiot. Can’t he see the kid’s blaming himself like he committed a crime? The least he could do is say something nice.

 

I spoke for him.

 

“Yoo-seong, Jong-pil’s totally fine. Right, Jong-pil?”

 

Seo Jong-pil—no, Seo Do-hwan—grimaced. His lips trembled.

 

“…Yeah, totally fine. Hey, Yoo-seong. I’m okay, really. It’s just a nosebleed—happens all the time. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

 

Only then did Lee Yoo-seong’s gloom lift a little.

 

“Alright then, I’ll get going.”

 

“Oh, okay! Goodbye, teacher!”

 

He gave a polite bow. I waved back and turned to Seo Do-hwan with a meaningful look.

 

‘Watch over Yoo-seong.’

 

Seo Do-hwan nodded.

 

I wasn’t sure if the bastard understood exactly what I meant—but I decided to trust him anyway.

 

With that, I stepped out of the nurse’s office.

 

“Teacher Kwak Yoon-hoo!”

 

“Teacher Choi Seung-hye?”

 

The school’s math teacher called out to me in a flustered voice.

 

“You need to get to the teachers’ office—right now! It’s chaos in there!”

 

Chaos? What kind of chaos could make her look this panicked?

 

‘Did someone from the Board of Education show up for a surprise audit or something?’

 

I tilted my head and started walking toward the office.

 

*

 

“Where is that teacher right now?!”

 

“Ma’am, please, calm down…”

 

“You expect me to stay calm?! That teacher falsely accused my son!”

 

Forget the Board of Education audit.

 

Inside the teachers’ office, Kim Jeong-hye—mother of Lee Jin-hyuk and aunt to Lee Yoo-seong—was causing a scene.

 

From what I could gather, she had come to the school because of something Kim Byung-chul did a few days ago.

 

And just my luck—right then, I made eye contact with Kim Byung-chul, who was desperately trying to explain himself in front of her.

 

“Teacher Kwak Yoon-hoo!”

 

That bastard definitely called out to me on purpose.

 

Sure enough, Kim Jeong-hye turned to look at me sharply.

 

“So it’s YOU?! You’re the one who reported my son for bullying Yoo-seong?!”

 

It seemed she’d forgotten we’d met at the department store.

 

More importantly—when the hell did I ever report anything?

 

I stared silently at Kim Byung-chul, who quickly looked away.

 

He must’ve thrown me under the bus to save himself. Completely unaware of that, Kim Jeong-hye pointed a finger at me and shouted,

 

“Why would my son bully Yoo-seong?! They’re as close as brothers! They’re cousins, for god’s sake! Don’t you know that?!”

 

“I’m aware.”

 

“You’re aware, and you still spread lies and got my son into trouble?!”

 

As if he needed any help getting into trouble.

 

She took my silence as guilt and raised her voice even more.

 

“Where’s the principal?! Bring him here! Why are you even calling someone like this a teacher?! Get the principal out here now!”

 

If she wanted to see him that badly, she could’ve gone to his office instead of screaming here.

 

“Mrs. Lee!”

 

That’s when the Head of Academic Affairs rushed in.

 

“I’ve heard what happened. Teacher Kwak—what are you doing? Apologize immediately!”

 

Apologize? For what?

 

I let out a short scoff.

 

“No. I’m not apologizing.”

 

“Teacher Kwak Yoon-hoo!”

 

The Head of Academic Affairs looked shocked. Kim Jeong-hye let out a mocking laugh.

 

“Let’s see how long you can keep that attitude.”

 

She pulled out her phone.

 

“Hello? Is this Ji-ye’s mother? Hi, it’s Jin-hyuk’s mom. Sorry to bother you—I know you must be busy, but there’s something I wanted to talk to you about…”

 

Ji-ye’s mom…

 

She was probably referring to Kim Ji-ye, the class president of 3-A. If I remembered right, her mother was also the president of the parent association at Cheongha High School.

 

‘So she’s trying to drag in the PTA president to get me fired, huh?’

 

I couldn’t help but laugh at how transparent she was.

 

“Oh, you think this is funny?!”

 

“Ah, my apologies.”

 

I cleared my throat and gave a polite smile.

 

“Head Teacher, I’ll be heading to the principal’s office. I believe this matter is best discussed directly with him.”

 

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?!”

 

“As I said, I’m heading to the principal’s office, Jin-hyuk’s mother.”

 

I gave her a slight nod and walked out of the teachers’ office. She yelled after me, asking what kind of teacher behaved like that, but I ignored her completely.

 

Ring!

 

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

 

“Yes, this is Kwak Yoon-hoo.”

 

—Young master, the transfer of ownership for Cheongha High School from Cheongha Group has been completed.

 

“Good work. Proceed to the next step.”

 

—Yes, understood.

 

As I ended the call, I noticed a group of students crowding the hallway. They’d probably come to watch the drama unfold in the teachers’ office.

 

But Lee Jin-hyuk was nowhere to be seen.

 

***

 

“Hey, I heard your mom’s making a scene in the teachers’ office?”

 

“You wanna die? Watch your mouth.”

 

Lee Jin-hyuk snapped.

 

He had no idea how the apology he gave to Lee Yoo-seong had made its way to his mother’s ears.

 

“Damn it. This is all Lee Yoo-seong’s fault.”

 

I wanted to grab him by the collar right then—or punch him square in the face.

 

“Where’s Yoo-seong?”

 

“He said he was going to the bathroom during class, but he hasn’t come back yet.”

 

“What, did he fall into the toilet and die?”

 

“Eww, gross!”

 

His friends burst out laughing.

 

“Maybe he went to see the transfer student? Didn’t Yoo-seong knock him out earlier?”

 

“Then he’s probably in the nurse’s office right now.”

 

At that, Lee Jin-hyuk stormed out of the classroom.

 

“Hey, where are you going? The bell’s about to ring.” 

 

“Who cares? It’s just the homeroom teacher for the next class anyway. Our teacher won’t even show up because of my mom.”

 

A sneer twisted his face.

 

‘You’re dead, Lee Yoo-seong.’

 

He made his way to the nurse’s office.

 

“Hey! Lee Yoo-seong!!”

 

Noticing the nurse was gone, he began yelling without restraint.

 

“I know you’re in here, you bastard! Come out, you little shit!”

 

But there was no sign of Lee Yoo-seong. He had to be hiding somewhere.

 

‘That little bastard…’

 

Just as Lee Jin-hyuk’s expression twisted in frustration—

 

“Ugh, what the hell. Why’s it so noisy?”

 

A man lying in the corner sat up. Meeting Lee Jin-hyuk’s gaze, he tilted his head and muttered,

 

“Uh… so…”

 

He paused for a moment, as if choosing his words, then asked,

 

“Are you… Mama’s Boy? The one whose mom’s throwing a tantrum in the teachers’ office?”

 

“You wanna die, asshole?!”

 

Lee Jin-hyuk shouted in rage.

 

“What the hell did you say, you gangster-looking bastard?!”

 

Seo Jong-pil, who did indeed look like a gangster, smiled smugly.

 

That calm, self-satisfied grin only fueled Lee Jin-hyuk’s fury.

 

‘The nerve of this guy… after getting his ass beat by Lee Yoo-seong!’

 

Screw it.

 

“Where’s Lee Yoo-seong?”

 

If he couldn’t find him, he’d just beat this guy to a pulp instead.

 

Even with Lee Jin-hyuk grinning threateningly, Seo Jong-pil answered smoothly.

 

“Why’re you looking for my seatmate?”

 

“Because before he was your seatmate, he was my punching bag.”

 

“Oh, so you’re saying you wanna beat him up again?”

 

“Exactly, you damn Yankee. So either tell me where he is, or get ready to take his place.”

 

Despite the clear threat, Seo Jong-pil didn’t flinch.

 

He calmly looked Lee Jin-hyuk in the eye, smiled, and said,

 

“My boss gave me a simple order.”

 

Crack, crack.

 

Seo Jong-pil rolled his shoulders and continued,

 

“Anyone who tries to mess with Lee Yoo-seong… I beat them down.”

 

“What kind of bullshit—”

 

Before Lee Jin-hyuk could finish—

 

Thwack!

 

A fist smashed into his face.

 

***

 

Boom!

 

The ground trembled, and dust fell from the ceiling.

 

“Wh-what was that?! Was that an earthquake? I’m not the only one who felt that, right?”

 

“I felt it too!”

 

“Same here!”

 

Other parents, led by the head of the PTA, began speaking up.

 

“Principal, if that wasn’t an earthquake, then the Cheongha High School building is literally shaking…”

 

“We’ll bring in an expert immediately to investigate.”

 

“Well, that’s the least you could do.”

 

The PTA president adjusted her glasses and turned to me.

 

“Teacher Kwak Yoon-hoo, how can you be so calm? Earthquake or not, the building’s shaking.”

 

Well, that’s because I already know why.

 

But I just smiled pleasantly and feigned ignorance.

 

“I was quite surprised myself. Seems you’re not satisfied, ma’am.”

 

“Teacher Kwak…!”

 

“Teacher Kwak Yoon-hoo!”

 

Before the Head of Academic Affairs or Kim Byung-chul could scold me, the principal of Cheongha High stepped in.

 

“Watch your tone in front of these parents. Do you even know how much they’ve donated to support this school?”

 

How much could it possibly be?

 

“Over a billion won!”

 

…So, not that much.

 

“These parents are making contributions you couldn’t even dream of!”

 

“Excuse me, what?”

 

“Wh-what?! What did you just say?!”

 

Oops. My bad.

 

I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. It just slipped out.

 

“Teacher Kwak Yoon-hoo! Did you not hear what I said?!”

 

“I heard you perfectly well, Principal.”

 

That’s the problem—I heard it a little too well.

 

“So let’s get to the point—we shouldn’t waste the valuable time of parents who’ve contributed so generously to the school.”

 

The principal and the parents all stared at me in disbelief.

 

I was the only one smiling in the room.