The Friend Who Came Back Beaten Up

After I finished brushing my teeth and returned to the bathroom, fifth period had already begun. The teacher who came in for the class looked a little surprised when she saw me, but quickly began the lesson. She had only known that a transfer student was coming, so it made sense that she would be surprised to see me for the first time. Class continued after that, but perhaps because I was in pain, I couldn't concentrate very well.

"Jia, are you all right?"

"Yeah... I'm fine. I took a painkiller this morning, so I'll be okay."

Sixth period was science, and we had to move to the science lab in the east building. However, Yuna disappeared somewhere as soon as fifth period ended, so I followed my classmates to the science lab.

"Jia, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Maybe because I didn't have a single muscle in my lower body, it was unbelievably exhausting. It was better than climbing from the first floor to the seventh, but... perhaps because those had been male legs, it hadn't been quite enough to kill me. Now, despite having a younger body, going down from the fourth floor to the first and then up to the third floor of the east building was a little... difficult. I felt eyes following me along the way, but since the whole class was moving together, that was understandable, and I decided to pretend not to notice because Jinwoo seemed to be timidly following behind me.

"Is this your first science class?"

"Yeah, it is."

A classmate named Yeji guided me to the science lab. I looked around to see whether Yuna had arrived first, but she was nowhere to be seen.

'She's not the kind of person who would skip class... Where did she go? Could it be Jihye?'

If Hwang Jihye was bullying Yuna again, it made sense that Yuna would be late for class. It would be difficult for me to go look for Yuna myself... What should I do? Come to think of it, I could no longer feel Jinwoo's gaze, either. Had something happened to him too...?

"The reason I called you to the lab today is..."

Before I knew it, the bell signaling the start of class rang, and the teacher came in. Huh? Yuna really wasn't coming? Had something serious happened? Jinwoo was nowhere to be seen either. It wasn't as though everything would be solved if I got involved, but... what on earth had happened that they were even missing class?

"I called you to the lab today for an experiment, and we'll be conducting it until the next science period, but..."

What was going on? Two students were absent, but why did the teacher seem unaware? Should I say something...?

"Hmm... We're missing two students. Aren't there supposed to be twenty, including the transfer student?"

"The transfer student is here~!"

Yeji grabbed my hand and raised it so I could make it clear to the teacher. She didn't have to go that far... It was embarrassing having everyone's attention focused on me...

"The transfer student is here... Then two of the original students are absent... Does anyone know who?"

"Huh? Yuna isn't here?"

"You're right. Wasn't she here until the previous period?"

Everyone looked around and realized that Yuna was missing. Yuna normally never showed any weakness, so they probably had no idea why she was gone... I couldn't say anything about it. It was Yuna's secret. At the very least, I should tell them that Jinwoo was missing too.

"Yeji, I don't see Jinwoo either..."

"...You're right."

After hearing me, Yeji looked around the classroom and confirmed that Jinwoo wasn't there before saying that.

"What? Jinwoo's gone too? Neither of them has ever been absent before."

The teacher seemed a little surprised as she said that. Yuna and Jinwoo must have both done fairly well during their first year. The teacher seemed that shocked, after all...

"I'll look for them after class, so you all pay attention and stay focused, okay?"

"Yes~"

When break time came and the students returned to Class 3 in the main building, the atmosphere was a little chaotic. Jinwoo didn't attract much attention from the other students, but Yuna apparently got along well with everyone in the class and talked with the girls often. That was probably why everyone was so flustered.

"......What's wrong with everyone?"

Just then, Yuna opened the back door of the classroom and entered.

"Y-Yuna..."

I was startled by Yuna's face—it looked as though Jihye had hit her. However, Yuna simply rubbed a bandage that seemed to have been put on in the nurse's office and quietly sat down in her seat as though nothing had happened.

"Huh?"

A male student made a noise when he saw someone enter through the back door. The student who had entered was Jinwoo... Had Jinwoo gone to help Yuna? He had a red mark on his cheek too.

'Did Jihye scratch his face with her fingernails...?'

When I'd seen Jihye yesterday, she hadn't seemed like the kind of student who would use that much force... What had happened? Could Jihye have been annoyed that I'd blocked the way yesterday, then called over students who followed her and had them beat Yuna? ...If so, that would make me partly responsible too. I hadn't stopped Yuna when she suddenly disappeared, and Jinwoo, who had wanted to become friends with me, had been beaten as well...

"Yuna, what ha..."

"Don't ask. I have no intention of talking about it."

"Yuna..."

Even when I asked her, Yuna cut me off and firmly said that she wouldn't tell me. Should I ask Jinwoo instead? As I thought that and tried to turn around, Yuna grabbed my shoulder and shook her head. Being bullied must have been painful... But did Yuna hate letting the other students in the class find out even more than she hated the bullying itself?

'Or is she acting like this because she remembered how she acted spoiled around me...?'

Regardless of the reason, this kind of violence couldn't be left alone. I made up my mind and stood up, but Yuna silently grabbed my arm. She must have been telling me not to inform the teachers. If she was being this adamant, my attempt to help her would only... hurt Yuna.

"I need to use the bathroom, Yuna..."

"Don't go anywhere else."

"Okay, I understand."

I didn't want to see someone who had helped me so much get hurt because of me. For now, I just needed to go to the bathroom and come back...

*

Haa... This is driving me crazy. How did a delinquent like that turn up in our second year...? If even one student had told us in the faculty office...

"Mr. Seo Seongjin, is something wrong?"

"Ah, Ms. Lee Mina."

"It's because of Jihye, right?"

"Yes... That student is giving me such a headache. She caused some trouble at the beginning of the semester too, so I warned her... You have no idea how shocked I was when you told me about it last time."

Ms. Mina, the Class 3 homeroom teacher, had told me about the incident Jihye caused just yesterday. She had only done what any teacher should, but... As the homeroom teacher of Class 8—the class Jihye was in—I was going crazy.

"Ms. Mina..."

Just as I was about to call out to the Class 3 teacher, the faculty-office door flew open, and the teacher who was supposed to be teaching Class 3 came in.

"Mr. Minseok? You're supposed to be teaching Class 3 right now..."

"Class 3 is in session, yes, but it seems that two students from Class 3 were beaten by Jihye."

"What?"

"What did you say???"

Ms. Mina was briefly startled, but I nearly fell backward. The problem student in my class, Jihye, had caused another incident. This time, she had even laid hands on someone...

"Ah... Mr. Minseok, should I just quit? Jihye is driving me crazy."

"First, we need to call Jihye in and talk to her..."

"Understood. I'll bring Jihye from Class 8, so Ms. Mina, please bring the students who were beaten."

Haa... Jihye, please don't ruin a teacher's life... How much trouble do you have to cause before you'll be satisfied...? Sighing, I got up from the faculty office and entered Class 8, only to be left stunned.

"Haa... Jihye, what are you doing right now?"

"I'm just borrowing some things from my underlings."

"Come out, Jihye. We're going to the faculty office."

Jihye was taking money from the wallet of a student who helped her. So she was doing it openly in the class now... The other students in Class 8 seemed to have given up too. I finally lost my temper. Although the school had a designated police officer, I called in the police anyway and brought Jihye and the other students to the counseling room.

"Yes, Ms. Mina. I've gathered Jihye and the students who were her accomplices in the counseling room."

[I'm also bringing the two students Jihye hit and the student she nearly hit yesterday—three students in all.]

"Now that we've called the school liaison officer, the students won't be able to stay silent."

Jihye seemed a little startled when I mentioned the police, but I had no intention of showing her any more leniency. If I kept letting her off, things could reach the point where I was transferred for failing to do my job as a teacher.

"What? The police??"

"Yes. I looked for some of the other students you victimized, Jihye, and they came out of the woodwork. You'll be suspended at minimum."

At the word suspension, Jihye clammed up. A few minutes later, Ms. Mina entered the counseling room with three students... two students who had attended school diligently without missing a single day, and the special transfer student...

'Ah, should I really quit teaching? The principal and vice principal had been treating that transfer student with such respect...'

People who normally had little occasion to treat anyone with such deference at school had treated the transfer student that way, which meant someone was looking after the student to some extent, whether or not the student knew or intended it. And that transfer student had nearly been beaten and verbally abused by a student in my class...? Maybe quitting teaching and running away really would be best.

"You're Mr. Seo Seongjin, right? I'm here. Haha..."

Just as I was racking my brain and wondering what to do, Shin Junhyuk, the school liaison officer, entered.

"Ah, Officer!"

I was so happy to see the officer. He looked like someone who could help me—someone who could save my neck. If it weren't for the special transfer student, I might not have needed his help... But now that the special transfer student had been harmed by a student in my class, I had no way to get through this on my own.

*

When I returned from the bathroom and opened the classroom door, a teacher was inside even though it wasn't class time. What was going on? Had I been late to class...?

"Oh, Jia's here. Could you come with me for a moment?"

"Yes...?"

"As you know... there's a student who was a victim of school violence in Class 3, right? I heard you were attacked yesterday too..."

"I wasn't attacked. I went to help the victim..."

"Even so, could you come with us and give a statement?"

It seemed the school had noticed what was happening and was preparing to do something. I nodded, then left for the counseling room with the teacher, Yuna, who had lowered her head, and Jinwoo, who looked at Yuna worriedly.

'The counseling room... They must have gathered the perpetrators there...? They shouldn't put the perpetrators and victims in the same place...'

As I worried about that while heading to the counseling room, I happened to see a police officer entering it. Ah, if a police officer was there, the perpetrators wouldn't be able to act recklessly. Later, in a counseling room separate from the perpetrators, Yuna and Jinwoo gave their statements to the school liaison officer, Ms. Mina, their homeroom teacher, and the Class 8 homeroom teacher, while I also had to give a statement about what happened yesterday.

"T-Teacher..."

"Hmm? Jia, what's wrong?"

The teacher paused after saying that, then nodded as though she understood. She must have realized that I had finished giving my statement and no longer needed to remain in the counseling room.

"Then, Jia, you may go home."

"...Is that all right?"

"The final period is almost over, and there won't be anything left except the teacher's closing remarks."

Since the teacher said so, I nodded, rubbed my aching stomach, and headed to the nurse's office.

"Nurse... Do you have something like a hot pack...?"

"Oh my, Jia's here. Are you all right?"

"I was fine before, but there was a school-violence incident today, and after giving a statement, my stomach started..."

"Yes, mental strain can affect the body too. This hot pack lasts for an hour, so take it off after an hour, all right? And don't apply it directly to bare skin."

"Yes, thank you."

I was in a lot of pain, so I was glad I could at least use a hot pack. Afterward, the nurse asked, 'It must be hard to get home alone. Is there someone who can come pick you up?' I nodded, left the nurse's office, and called Mr. Minsu.

"Mr. Minsu... Please help me..."

[Are you in pain?]

"Yes... Actually, I was fine just thirty minutes ago, but something happened..."

[I'll be there soon. I'll drive into the school grounds, so please wait in front of the building.]

"Yes, thank you..."

I was saved... At least, if I took a car, I'd get home quickly and could keep heating my stomach, so I would feel a little better. Using a hot pack for too long wasn't good either, but... Not long afterward, Mr. Minsu arrived in his car and took me home. With his support, I took a quick shower and lay down on my bed.

"Ugh..."

"What happened?"

Mr. Minsu asked as he brought me warm tea and set up a hot pack.

"Well, yesterday, it looked like a classmate was being bullied, so I went along to help. There was a bad student who had been bullying that friend since last year, so I protected my friend, but..."

"So your condition worsened while you were giving a statement about the incident today?"

Mr. Minsu nodded and looked at me worriedly.

"Yes... There was an incident of violence today. The friend I protected yesterday was beaten, and the male student who tried to protect her was beaten too..."

"If anything happens, contact me immediately. I won't let anyone who lays a hand on you get away with it."

“Thank you, Mr. Minsu.”

I said that with my eyes closed and a hot pack pressed to my stomach.

"...And that perpetrator had gone after you too, Ms. Jia."

"Yes... She didn't hit me, but..."

"Even so, if there's someone threatening you, tell your homeroom teacher first. If you think the situation is serious, contact me immediately."

"Thank you, Mr. Minsu... I think I need to sleep..."

My stomach had already been hurting continuously. After going through something like that, it had been difficult to endure, but I had made it home, and perhaps I felt reassured because Mr. Minsu was taking care of me. I ended up falling asleep just like that. Mr. Minsu seemed to be saying something, asking whether I was all right, but I didn't have the strength to wake up.