pulling on cosmic strings ꩜ pi hanwool, study group

9. the now first-ranked student

She watched as the sunlight hit his back, forming a silhouette of his form. Soon after, loud crashes sounded, bricks flew into the room from outside, and shards of glass scattered from behind him, the windows now shattered.

"Yoon Gamin! Get down here!" a student from the ground below shouted. Other resounding threats from a mob followed.

Hanwool faced Gamin, "If you think you could mess up our system without bearing the consequences, you're wrong. You beat up a bunch of second years in the student council room, I heard. The unspoken rule of no fights between students of different grades was broken by you. They're after you now."

Without another word, Minju watched as he disregarded the commotion and walked out the door. As he turned his back to leave, she stared at the debris from the shattered glass on the fabric of his blazer.

"Hey! Do you hear me? Get down here!"

"How dare you challenge the upperclassmen?!"

Minju and the others ran to the broken windows. Their heads protruded out the makeshift holes, looking for the perpetrators. A bunch of second year students who were highly ranked in the fighting system stood with several bricks at hand.

One of them sounded, "Because of you beating up whoever you want, the freshmen are starting to challenge us!"

Another added, "Get down here so we can beat you up!"

Out of a crowd of second year students standing there shouting profanities, Kang Taeo walked in straight and center, "Yoon Gamin! Let's end this bullshit, get your ass down here now!"

Threatened by the whispers of Gamin rising in the ranks of the first years, Taeo, the highest ranking freshman, decided he would settle the rumors once and for all. Of course, with himself at the top.

To the crowd's utter disbelief, Gamin replied calmly, yet loud enough for them to hear, "I'm not going to fight you."

"Did I hear this motherfucker correctly? Who do you think you are?"

From beside him, another one of the freshmen was dragged against his will to the front. He had short, red hair.

Taeo laughed, "Look at this son of a bitch, kept causing a ruckus saying he'll change Yusung High. Know what I saw him fill in today? An application to join your stupid club!"

He held up the application form to show Gamin, then slowly tore the page in half, "He was a bold punk, but now, because of you, he's turned into a coward. I'll destroy whoever dares to hold this paper in their hands, do you hear me?"

At that motion, Gamin leapt out of the second floor window, his leg reaching out in slow-motion before it threw Taeo off his feet. Gamin was positioned on top of him, his wrist grasping the application form tightly.

Taeo flung Gamin off himself, recollecting himself quickly to strike back. Only, he found Gamin sitting cross-legged, back to him, quietly mumbling while reading the redhead's application form thoughtfully.

The redhead's name, 'Lee Jun,' was scribbled on the paper.

"Hey! Don't turn your back to me in the middle of a fight!" Taeo shoved Gamin's head forward, causing his glasses to fall onto the gravel. He continued, "There's three ranked students watching, so that makes it an official fight at Yusung High."

"I said I'd destroy whoever held that paper, and you're holding it now. Looks like you're looking for a fight," he mocked.

Without a second to spare, Gamin lunged and punched Taeo hard in the face. His goading expression disappeared, leaving him staggering on his two feet before fainting, flopping on the ground.