my escape • study group x reader

chapter twenty-one • episode 6

We ended up in a cafe. Ji-woo, Hee-won, Se-Hyeon, and I were separated from Ms. Lee, Gamin's mother and Ga-min, being told my Ms. Lee to sit at the next table over. We tried to listen to their conversation but we were too far away to hear exactly what was being said.

"Nobody has cried or begged so it looks promising," I whispered.

"It might go much better than we expected," Hee-won nodded.

"I really hope that's true," Se-hyeon mumbled. After a few more moments of trying to listen, Gamin's mother looked over at us, then back at Ms. Lee before grabbing her purse and beginning to stand.

"Oh? Is she leaving?" I asked.

"Oh no," Ji-woo mumbled and cursed under her breath. There seemed to be a long moment where Ms. Lee tried to convince Ga-min's mother to let Ga-min stay. Ms. Yoon seemed to truly take whatever Ms. Lee said into consideration, until suddenly, the door to the cafe was kicked open and all of our attentions were pulled to it. A herd of guys with bandanna's covering their mouths entered, yelling at the other customers to get out and that the cafe was closing early. I couldn't help but let my eyes get drawn to metal bats that they held. We all stood from our seats and Se-hyeon stepped in front of Hee-won and I while Ji-woo stepped in front of him.

Ma Minwhan stepped in behind them, directly one of the boys to lock the door. I had never met him before but I knew of him, he was one of the infamous gang members that roamed our halls and was rumored to carry a gun everywhere he went. Now, I saw the gun in his hand. "Hey! My study group friends," he smiled to us but ended up turning his attention to Ga-min. "I don't need them."

Minwhan pulled a seat from our table and sat down in it, focusing his attention on Ms. Lee. "Lee Han Kyeong, let's talk."

"Hey, Lee Han Kyeong? How dare you talk to her like that?" Ji-woo yelled. I reached forward to hold her back.

Se-hyeon grabbed her as well. "Ga-min's mother is still here," he whispered.

"I don't know who you guys are, but I'm speaking to a parent right now. Wait outside," Ms. Lee said calmly, her expression never once resembling fear.

"Okay!" Minwhan yelled loudly, standing to his feet. He walked away silently before grabbing a class from a nearby table and shattering it onto the ground. "Fucking hell! I almost left because you scared me!"

Ga-min stood and so did Ms. Lee, both of them facing Minwhan. Ms. Lee bravery stepped up to him. "Is this because of Pi Han Yool? Because I released a petition with the education department?"

Minwhan smiled. "That's probably why."

"Guys," Ms. Lee looked at the boys lined up behind Minwhan. "If you want to ask for a person's time, you request it politely, not threaten them."

Minwhan sighed. "So you won't come with us? Yeonbaek Gang will cover everything that happens here. Let's go, guys." The boys surrounding him started to move, but instead of leaving they came closer to us. Ga-min pulled off his glasses as one approached him  and just as he was about to land a punch in the boy's face, Ga-min's mother stepped forward and time seemed to slow. Ga-min's mother landed the cleanest kick I'd ever seen on the boy, sending his baseball bat flying through the air as well as the boy himself.

"I'm a very unhappy parent, you bastards." Ga-min's mother sighed. "I need to teach you guys a thing or two, but don't go home and tell your mothers. It'd be a shame for parents to fight."

"His mother is that good?" Ji-woo asked.

"Did she train Ga-min? What's happening right now?" I asked, reached for a hand and ultimately finding Se-hyeon's. He pushed me back as all hell broke loose. It was practically impossible to keep up with the scene that was happening in front of us so we ended up focusing on the one guy that came for us instead of the others. It took all three of us to pin him to the ground, one being Hee-won who slammed her weak fists against him to keep him occupied enough for Se-hyeon and I to call the police while still pinning him to the floor.