Reality Quest: Questism

A red-haired wacko with what could only be described as deeply rooted psychological trauma and/or a crippling inferiority complex about his speed. Track, fights, walking too slow in a hallway… you name it, he probably had an issue with it.

Honestly?

Bro shouldn't even be in school. He should be in therapy, or maybe some kind of government study to determine how one person could be so violently obsessed with running.

But considering how this district had a talent for attracting troubled teens like it was a specialist rehabilitation center for emotionally unstable delinquents, I couldn't even be surprised.

None of that mattered, though.

What did matter… was that he was a member of Bongcheon.

And that meant he was a way to get to Seokyoung Jeong.

How?

…Well, I didn't actually know yet.

But I was going to find out.

I met his gaze, keeping my expression neutral. "Hey, I don't really do that anymore… Seong-u, right?"

His eyebrow twitched slightly, like he hadn't expected me to know his name. Then he gave a small nod. "Oh. My bad. I didn't know."

"Don't worry about it," I said easily, then shifted gears. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something. You're in Bongcheon, yeah?"

That got a reaction.

Both his eyes widened just a little before narrowing again, like he was trying to figure out where I was going with this. "…You're in the…? Yeah, I am. You?"

"Boramae."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that. Apparently, you guys got a new rep or something."

"We did." I gave him a lazy smile, already shifting away. "Anyways, I'll talk to you later."

Before he could say anything else, I shot a quick glance toward Jihan and Ahrin, tilting my head toward the door.

They got the message instantly.

We were out of the classroom in seconds, and the moment the door clicked shut, Jihan practically exploded with questions.

"What was that about?"

"Why him?"

"Are you trying to make more enemies?"

Ahrin, raising a hand, added, "Also, are you actually going to eat the octopus or…?"

I sighed. "One thing at a time, please."

Jihan crossed his arms, not buying it for a second. "No. Explain. Now."

I scratched the back of my head, debating how much to say.

"…Let's just say I'm working on something."

"That's not an answer, Dowan."

I sighed again. "Look, I'll explain while eating, okay?"

Ahrin hesitated, then raised her hand like we were still in class. "Um… is this a private thing?"

Before I could even think of an answer, a blur of red appeared beside her.

A brown-haired girl in a red jacket grabbed Ahrin by the shoulders and dragged her down the hallway toward the cafeteria. Ahrin barely had time to react, eyes wide as she stumbled forward. Over her shoulder, she managed to mime something with her hands… either an SOS or "Eat the octopus". I decided not to interpret it.

Hallelujah for small miracles.

Jihan and I continued down the corridor, the faint hum of lunch chatter growing louder as we neared the cafeteria. He kept darting concerned looks at me, like a worried mother who had just found out their child had made a deal with the mafia.

I ignored it.

Unfortunately, our smooth entry into the cafeteria was cut short.

Just as we reached the door, a large, athletic-looking guy suddenly jumped in front of us, cutting ahead and blocking the entrance.

He turned, looking me up and down like he had already decided I was beneath him.

"Hey, you're in Year 2, right?" He didn't wait for an answer before steamrolling ahead. "I'm in Year 3, so you can eat after my friends get here."

His voice was loud, carrying over the hallway like he was making a public service announcement. And as if that wasn't enough, he turned toward the growing line of students behind us and repeated himself.

"And that goes for all of you too!"

The audacity.

His phone buzzed, and just as he reached to pick it up-

I batted it out of his hands.

Smack.

The phone hit the floor with a satisfying little bounce before sliding a few inches away.

A beat of silence.

Then the guy slowly turned to look at me, his expression shifting from casual arrogance to outright disbelief.

"What the hell was that?" His voice was quieter now, but not in a good way. More like the calm before a rage.

I crossed my arms, tilting my head. "My bad. I thought you were done talking."

Jihan muttered something under his breath beside me… probably a prayer.

The senior's eye twitched. "You got a problem, Year 2?"

"Yeah." I pointed toward the cafeteria doors. "You're in the way."

Murmurs rippled through the students behind us. No one said anything outright, but I could feel them watching, waiting to see how this would play out. Bastards.

The guy scoffed, cracking his knuckles. "You think just 'cause you got a little mouth on you, you can talk to me like that?"

I imitated his voice in annoyance. "And what? You think just 'cause you're a third year, you can cut in front? Eat during your own lunchtime you fucker."

Jihan sighed beside me, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Dowan-"

Too late.

"You cocky little—"

He reached out, probably to grab my collar or shove me back. His first mistake.

I sidestepped, letting his arm sail past me. Before he could react, I flicked my hand out and pushed.

It wasn't a full-force shove. Just enough to move him. To make a point.

He caught himself, staggering back a step before whipping around, eyes wide with disbelief.

"What the-?"

I didn't stop walking.

Jihan, ever the loyal companion, sighed and followed as I pushed open the cafeteria doors. I could already hear the guy sputtering behind me, too shocked to even yell properly.

"You-did you just-?!"

The second I stepped into the cafeteria, I felt it. That shift in the air. The kind that meant someone had just made a very bad decision.

Footsteps. Rushed, heavy… coming straight at me.

I turned just as the guy lunged, his arm swinging wide in a sloppy, rage-fueled punch.

Idiot.

I stepped in, cutting off his momentum before his swing could even reach full force, and slammed my shoulder into his chest.

A choked grunt left him as the impact drove the air from his lungs. He staggered back, barely catching himself on a nearby table, knocking over a tray of untouched food in the process.

The cafeteria froze. Conversations cut short. Heads turned.

I sighed, rubbing my temple. Why did people always want to escalate things?

The guy wheezed, eyes wide with shock, like he hadn't expected me to actually do something. But then his face twisted, hands curling into fists.

The guy shook off his daze and lunged again, his fist snapping toward my face.

I twisted my body just enough for it to graze past my cheek. His momentum carried him forward, and before he could correct himself, I brought my arm up, slapping his arm downward.

He stumbled, off-balance.

Another punch. This one aimed low. I stepped back. His fist hit nothing but air.

Frustration twisted his face, his movements getting sloppier.

He threw a wild hook. I raised my arm. His knuckles slammed into my forearm instead of my jaw. A sharp wince crossed his features. That one hurt, huh?

I sighed. "Are we done?"

His eyes darted around, he knew he looked stupid. He had tried to swing on me twice and ended up losing to his own aggression.

The cafeteria was watching. Waiting.

I let my hands drop, making it clear I wasn't going to hit back. "Go get your phone, man."

His jaw clenched. A second passed. Then another.

Finally, with a frustrated huff, he turned on his heel and stormed off.

The tension in the cafeteria snapped. Conversations restarted. People went back to their food. Just another fight that didn't go anywhere.

Jihan exhaled. "Could you not get into fights for one day?"

I rolled my eyes. "Tell that to him."

***

Jihan chewed thoughtfully. How he managed to do that, I don't know. S+ intelligence was really something else. 

"So you're in a gang, you want to make friends with another executive in this gang to get something. And to do that you need to be friends with Seong-u?"

I pecked at my food with my chopsticks. "Basically yeah."

"Dowan… I feel like I ask this way too much with you but… why?"

"Too vague."

"Okay, why Seong-u?"

"He's part of the executive's gang sub-division I guess."

"Sub-divi… you know what? Okay. But Seong-u's a wacko! Even by wacko standards!"

I pointed my chopsticks at him. "Wacko though he may be, traumatised he has been since three!"

"Three?"

"Dunno, had to make it rhyme."

After a moment, he sighed. "Fine. Let's say you do befriend Seong-u. What then?"

I leaned forward, lowering my voice. "Then, I use him to get to Seokyoung."

Jihan blinked. "You're planning on… using him?"

"Not in a bad way," I said quickly. "I mean, kinda? But not in a bad way."

His expression didn't change.

I sighed. "Look, I just need a way in. He's my best bet."

Jihan shook his head. "I think you're severely underestimating how unhinged Seong-u is."

Eventually, lunchtime ended, Jihan and I had managed to change the subject to the fact that he'd attended well over 30 cram schools as a child.

Apparently they were all part of a larger cram school, all afterschool as well. It all seemed crazy to me, especially the fact that I couldn't even find it online. Maybe it was for rich people or something.

Anyway, the day went on, and I'd managed to squeeze in a few more conversations with Seong-u. Somehow, he'd bought the excuse that I wanted to leave Boramae because it was too boring, which led to a stroke of insane luck. He promised to take me to the Employment Agency after school.

Their profit model.

A direct way into Bongcheon's system.

New Main Quest!

Befriend Seokyoung Jeong. [0/1]

Reward: 1 Gold card

The fact that he still didn't know I was Boramae's rep? Absurd. But hey, I wasn't complaining.

When school ended, Seong-u was already waiting at the gates, chewing on something. As I got closer, I noticed the way the bottom of his bag bulged out, not just stuffed, but stacked. A tessellated cuboid pattern. Boxes?

I didn't ask.

He nodded when I reached him, and without another word, we started walking.

Now…

…how the hell do you befriend a Representative?