Reality Quest: Questism

Y'ALL READ THE LATEST RQ CHAP?

I KNEW MY GOAT SUNJAE WASN'T A FRAUD. HE'S THE PEAK. HE'S THE STRONGEST. RAAAHHHH

Also how the fuck is Dowan that lucky. This is ridiculous at this point. Anyways, I digress. Back to the chapter.

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Eunsung's gaze locked onto me, sharp and unreadable. It wasn't just the kind of stare that made you uncomfortable, it was the kind that made your instincts scream at you to move.

I held my ground. My body was already tense, my muscles coiled, ready to jab or straight the second he made a move.

"There's a rule in the Bully Council that allows for… skirmishes between members," he said, his voice even, measured.

I tilted my head slightly, still gripping my right forearm. "Yeah, I know. Power seems to be pretty important in this district, at least."

He nodded once. "Exactly. Which is why I can take revenge on you for messing with Sillim-"

And then he pulled his fist back.

Shit.

I didn't hesitate… I ducked, backing up fast, ready to react-

Only for nothing to happen.

Eunsung's arm dropped back to his side, his face unreadable as ever. A faint flicker of amusement crossed his eyes, like he was testing me just to see how I'd react.

"-but I'm not actually interested in that kind of stuff."

I let out a slow breath, rolling down my sleeve as I straightened up. My heart was still hammering, but at least my hands were steady. "You scared me there, man. Thought I was about to die."

He didn't respond, just shifted his weight and slid his hands into his pockets.

But I could tell. He was watching. Good. That meant he was listening.

I exhaled through my nose. "Eunsung, do you know why I agreed to be Boramae's rep?"

That got his attention.

He stopped mid-step, his head tilting just slightly in my direction. Not a word, just a silent cue to keep talking.

"I was under the impression you had no choice," he finally said. "You may be a fighter, but you are not at the level of fending off the entire Council alone."

"Well… yeah." I scratched the back of my head. "But I have other reasons."

I hesitated for a second. Just a second. Then I met his gaze head-on.

"Do you know about my father?"

Something shifted.

Eunsung froze. Not just paused. Froze.

It wasn't obvious. Not to anyone else, at least. But I saw it. The way his shoulders locked up. The slight clench of his jaw. His fingers curling just a little tighter in his pockets.

I had never seen him react like this before.

I swallowed. This was it.

"He's dead," I said quietly. "He died a few years ago, and I know it has something to do with this Council… this gang, whatever the hell you guys call it." I took a breath. "And I need to know why."

Eunsung's fingers twitched. Just barely.

I clenched my fists at my sides. "Can you help me?"

For a moment, I thought he might actually hit me.

His jaw tightened. His fists curled in his pockets, his knuckles pressing against the fabric. His eyes, cold and emotionless as they usually were, had something behind them now. Something sharp.

Then, just as quickly, it was gone.

He let out a slow breath, his hands relaxing. His shoulders settling. The storm that had flickered across his face buried itself again.

"...Okay," he said.

I blinked. "...Okay?"

Eunsung met my gaze, voice calm. "Consider Sillim your allies from now. None of our members will mess with you."

And with that, without another word, he turned and walked out of the classroom.

Jesus fuck, I think I nearly pissed myself.

I exhaled sharply, my body finally unclenching now that Eunsung's presence wasn't suffocating the room. My legs felt like lead as I collapsed into my chair, rubbing a hand down my face. What the hell just happened?

Either way, the adrenaline crash hit hard. Sleep, which I'd forgotten about in the heat of the moment, crept back in. I let my head drop onto my desk, eyes sliding shut.

Just five minutes.

That turned into thirty.

I only snapped out of it when the classroom door creaked open again. Footsteps.

"Dowan?"

My eyes cracked open, blearily focusing on the familiar figure standing at the entrance. Messy brown hair, slightly oversized uniform, that usual mildly concerned expression-

Jihan.

I sat up, stretching with a yawn. "Yo."

He frowned as he walked over. "Why're you here so early? And why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

I snorted, leaning back in my chair. "Ah… well, he's not dead. Pretty sure he's very much alive. I, on the other hand, nearly died."

Jihan just stared at me, unamused. "You… what?"

I waved a hand, shaking my head. "Don't worry about it." Not like he'd just accept 'Eunsung Han almost tested my durability against a classroom wall' without grilling me for details.

His frown deepened, but he let it slide. "If you say so…"

There was a pause. He glanced at me again, like he wanted to ask something but decided against it.

Instead, I changed the subject. "How's your mom?"

Jihan's expression softened. "She's better than last time. Just… not by much."

I nodded. "You gonna see her again tonight?"

"Yeah." He sighed, rolling his shoulders. "I want to spend more time with her before exams."

I hummed. "Good."

Jihan gave me a curious look. "You're not gonna make a dumb joke?"

I laughed. "Nah. I'm too tired. Also, I think I've met my near-death quota for the day."

He huffed, but there was amusement in his eyes. "That bad, huh?"

I just groaned and let my head drop back onto my desk.

***

The periods blinked by as I waved in and out of sleep. It's not like I needed these lessons anyways, I basically knew most of the content and we wouldn't start new content until after the midterms which was basically ages away.

The periods blinked by as I drifted in and out of sleep, my body fully committed to resisting any and all attempts at productivity.

It wasn't like I needed these lessons anyway. Most of the content was stuff I already knew, and we wouldn't start anything new until after midterms—which was practically a lifetime away.

Of course, Jihan was diligently taking notes, scribbling away like a model student. What a guy. I admired his dedication for all of two seconds before yawning for what felt like the sixteenth time.

The next time I woke up, it was lunchtime.

A hand was shaking me.

"-not planning on sleeping through lunch, right?"

Groggily, I blinked. Just as I was about to answer, a shadow fell over my face. Someone was standing in front of me. Huh?

I squinted up at the figure. Pretty, dark-haired, kind-eyed… oh.

Ahrin.

I'd completely forgotten about her.

"You're not playing games today. Here!"

I blinked blearily. "Huh?"

Jihan, ever the observer, tilted his head. "Hmm. Is she your friend, Dowan?"

I rubbed my eyes, finally waking up enough to process what was happening. Ahrin was standing there, holding out a very fancy-looking purple gift box, the lid wrapped with a ribbon shaped like a flower.

I pointed at it. "What's that?"

She beamed and sat down across from me. "Ah! I felt bad for not thanking you properly for last time, so I brought you a gift! It's nothing much, just a small token of appreciation."

"Oh, that's so nice." I smiled, touched by the gesture. "Thanks, Ahrin, really-"

I took off the lid.

…

I stared at the glimmering sheen of tentacles inside the box.

It wriggled.

I flinched. It moved.

My brain tried to process what I was looking at while my body was already gearing up to throw hands. "Ahrin… this is an octopus."

"Yeah!" She nodded enthusiastically. "You got pretty hurt that day, and I heard that raw octopus is good for regaining energy!"

I turned to Jihan for backup, hoping for some kind of logical intervention.

He, however, just made a thoughtful noise. "She's… not wrong."

Not wrong?!

"It's not just raw, though." I pointed at the box, voice flat. "It's still alive."

The octopus, as if insulted, wriggled again.

"Exactly!" Ahrin clapped her hands together. "I heard it's most effective when you eat it while it's still alive! You should hurry and eat it before it stops moving!"

My eye twitched.

"… Now?"

She nodded. Jihan, ever the scholar, looked contemplative.

And then a phone dropped down onto the table. 

I sent a quick pair of thanks to whatever gods had decided to intervene and then quickly turned to see the owner of the phone. Basically my height, black hoodie, messy red hair… he looked like a delinquent. A quick peek at you basically confirmed my suspicions.

He spoke. "Hey. Play a game for me."

Perfect. 

Now phase two of my plan to get that video could begin.