Seojin: "Okay, from tomorrow, we're going to study together. Both of you better pass with good scores!"
Jin Wook: "Alright, I'll try my best."
Jae Hoon: "Just let me pass the exam. I don't need anything more than that!"
Seojin: "You should at least try to get the highest marks."
Jae Hoon: (Looks at her, baffled)"Huh?? Do you really expect me to get the highest marks in the whole class?"
Seojin: (Rolls eyes)"I'm not expecting you to top the class, just to get the highest marks you have ever gotten."
Jae Hoon: (Suspiciously squints)"Wait… is that an insult or an inspirational speech?"
Jin Wook: (Chuckles, watching them bicker)"You two are really a good match for each other."
Seojin: (Freezes, then turns sharply)"…What did you just say?"
Jae Hoon: (Covers his mouth, laughing)"Oh man… Jin Wook, I'm sorry for you."
Seojin: (Huffs, crossing her arms)"Let's just go home."
Jin Wook: (Confused)"Did I… say something wrong?"
Jae Hoon: (Patting Jin Wook's shoulder with a smirk)"You'll get it soon, buddy. You'll get it soon."
(With that, the three of them walk in silence before finally parting ways to head home.)
(As Jin Wook walks home, the quiet evening air is suddenly broken by the sound of struggling. His sharp senses pick up distressed voices from a dark alleyway nearby.)
Gangster 1: "Heh, let's just take her with us. We'll have fun all night."
Girl: (Struggling, her voice trembling)"Please… someone help me!"
Gangster 2: (Laughs cruelly)"No one's gonna help you. So just be a good girl and—"
Jin Wook: (Steps into the alley, his face calm, his presence unnerving)"I'd step away from her if I were you."
(All heads turn toward him. The girl's eyes widen in recognition.)
Jin Wook: (Glances at her, his mind racing)("It's her… the girl from the café.")
Girl: (Thinking, equally shocked)("It's him… the guy I saw that day…")
Gangster 3: (Scoffs, cracking his knuckles)"Hey kid, be smart and walk away. This ain't a place for little brats like you."
Girl: (Panicked, whispering)"You should go… they'll hurt you too." *("I don't want someone else to get caught up in this because of me…")
Jin Wook: (His expression doesn't change, but something in his eyes darkens.)("Even in this situation, she's worrying about others ? …And she thinks I can't handle them?")
Gangster 1: (Smirking)"Didn't you hear her, kid? She doesn't want you getting involved. So why don't you just run home before you get hurt?"
Jin Wook: (Exhales, shaking his head slightly)"Then maybe next time, she shouldn't call for help if she doesn't want her savior to get hurt."
(His voice is eerily calm, sending an unexpected chill down the gangsters' spines. For the first time, a flicker of doubt crosses their faces.)
Girl: (Desperate, her voice trembling)"Just go… otherwise, they'll hurt you too… Mom… Dad… I miss you…"
(The moment those words reach Jin Wook's ears, something inside him sharpens. His eyes darken, and an amused smirk tugs at the corner of his lips—cold, merciless.)
Jin Wook: (Scoffs, his voice chillingly calm)"If you miss them that much… you should go meet them. Because I'm not the kind of guy who leaves a girl in trouble."
(Before anyone can react—)
BAM!
(Jin Wook moves. Fast. Too fast.)
(His first punch slams into the gut of the nearest gangster, sending him flying back as if he were weightless. The second thug barely has time to register what's happening before Jin Wook grabs him by the collar and smashes him into the alley wall. Blood sprays from his mouth as his body goes limp.)
(The third one stumbles backward, coughing up blood, his knees buckling in terror. But the fourth… desperate and cornered, he does something reckless—grabbing the girl and pressing a knife to her throat.)
Gangster 4: (Panting, voice shaking)"D-Don't move! Let me go, or I'll kill her!"
(The girl freezes, her breath hitching. But Jin Wook? He doesn't even blink.)
Jin Wook: (Steps forward, his voice dropping to something cold, deep… terrifying.)"Try it. See if you can."
(The gangster stiffens. His body—paralyzed. His grip on the knife trembles. His breath shortens. The overwhelming presence in front of him… it's not human. It's something else. Something… monstrous.)
(Jin Wook moves again—this time slow, deliberate. He grips the gangster's wrist, twisting it effortlessly. The knife clatters to the ground. In the same motion, Jin Wook yanks the girl away from the man's grip and pulls her behind him.)
(The girl stares at him, completely stunned. His strength. His speed. His overwhelming coldness. Was this really the same guy from the café?)
Jin Wook: (Grabbing the last gangster by the hair, his voice low and merciless)"Listen well. If I ever see your face again…"(He leans in, his words like death itself.)"You won't even have time to regret it."
(The man's body shakes violently. His knees buckle. And then… he loses control. A dark stain spreads across his pants as sheer terror overtakes him.)
Jin Wook: (Lets go, watching as the man collapses onto the ground.)"Take your trash and get lost."
(Without another word, the thugs scramble away, dragging their unconscious friends, too terrified to even look back.)
(Jin Wook exhales, shaking off the adrenaline. He turns to the girl—only to find her still frozen, staring at him with wide, unreadable eyes.)
Jin Wook: (Tilts his head slightly, his voice softer now.)"You okay?"
(The girl flinches as she comes back to her senses, her hands trembling slightly.)
Girl: (Softly, still shaken)"Y-Yes… and… thank you. Really, thank you for saving me."
(Jin Wook watches her for a moment, then exhales, his expression unreadable.)
Jin Wook: (Shrugs, voice calm but firm)"Don't mention it. If it were any other girl, I'd still help her."
(The girl looks up at him, eyes filled with gratitude.)
Girl: (Shaking her head)"But still… I really want to say it. Thank you… for saving me."
(Jin Wook glances at her, then sighs, rubbing the back of his neck as if he doesn't know how to handle her sincerity.)
Jin Wook: "You should head home now. I'll walk with you—just in case."
Girl: (Surprised, then smiles faintly)"Thanks…"
(The two start walking together under the dim glow of the streetlights, their footsteps echoing in the quiet night. Neither of them speaks, but somehow, the silence feels… comforting.)