my escape • study group x reader

chapter three • episode 1

"Ms. Lee!" I yelled, catching her attention just as she was about to enter. "Is Se-hyeon in there?" I showed her my phone.

"I was just about to go in—"

"Let me," Ga-min stated. "Se-hyeon is a future member of my study group."

I was too worked up to be annoyed by the statement.

"Hey, get up." I heard the voices from inside the storage building and then the echo through my phone. "Do you want your girl to see you give up that easy?"

I hung up the phone and as soon as I heard one the delinquents say, "Huh, she hung up," Ga-min entered the building, his face now hidden by a wielders mask. I entered behind him and grabbed the nearest object to me, a fire extinguisher. As Ga-min ran in, i sprayed the extinguisher around the room, blocking the eyes of everyone inside and giving Ga-min a clear opportunity to grab Se-hyeon and run. I followed them out and around the building where Ga-min carefully dropped Se-hyeon onto the ground.

I slid down next to him. "Are you okay? Se-hyeon?" but Se-hyeon's eyes were stuck in Ga-min.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked, his voice full of pain.

"What?" Ga-min asked.

"We told you to leave us alone, why are you doing this?"

I grabbed Se-hyeon's arm and got his attention. "I asked him for help. They were going to put you in the hospital—"

"They were almost done," he looked at me. "but I ran away. Now, what? I've put a target on my back and will keep getting bullied and beaten." He looked at Ga-min. "Studying? It sounds nice. I wish I could talk about studying, too. But this, this is a matter of life and death. It's more crucial than studying." Se-hyeon took a painful breath and started to move to stand. I grabbed his arm instinctively to try and help but he pulled his arm away from my grasp.

"Can I look at your wounds first, please—"

"Go home, it's not like you're my mother." With those words, he limped away, leaving me standing there with Ga-min.

Ga-min looked at me and repositioned his glasses. "How did you get him to be your friend? How can I help—"

"You can't," I said, meeting his eyes. "It's not my place to explain him to you, just leave him alone." I left in a jog to catch up to Se-hyeon but it didn't take me long to find him standing face to face with Hyeon-wu.

I sighed and tried to wipe the frustration out of my eyes. "Hey," I started, gaining both of their attention. "Don't you think you've done enough? He can barely stand."

Hyeon-wu smiled and waved me forward with his two pointed fingers. I stepped forward, trying my best to hide the fear building up in my chest but Se-hyeon grabbed my arm and pulled me back, placing himself between me and Hyeon-wu. It didn't take long for Hyeon-wu to decide what to do next. He landed a kick at the center of Se-hyeon's chest, sending him flying backwards and falling to the ground. "That guy in the mask, who was he?" Hyeon-wu looked at me.

I shook my head. "He's just a random guy I asked to help me, I—" Hyeon-wu landed a punch straight across my jaw and I stumbled backwards, holding the place where the pain was shooting through.

"Let me ask you again," Hyeon-wu stepped closer to me and Se-hyeon struggled to his feet to pull me back. "Who is he?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't get a good l—"

Hyeon-wu raised his hand, and in it was a wooden block. Se-hyeon moved quickly so that his body shielded mine and we both winced, waiting for the impact of the wood but instead all that landed in our hair was splinters. I lifted my head to look over Se-hyeon's shoulder where Ga-min now stood in a martial arts formation. Had he just shattered that wood with his leg? Se-hyeon pushed his back against me so that I would stagger backwards. I held his arms and watched cautiously at the scene in front of me.