She was no different from a beast

Chapter 29

—–CROW—– 

What is this? What’s going on? Is this a dream?

Big Buzz-cut…no, Heo Young-sim, the self-proclaimed tough guy of Ulleung Elementary, couldn’t comprehend his current situation.

Was it because he was stupid? Or because he was a delinquent full of vanity, living up to his name?

Those might be factors, but even other boys his age wouldn’t be able to calmly accept this situation.

*Scrape. Scrape…*

“Where are you~?”

“*Hiccup! Sob!*”

The creepy scraping sound of wood against the uneven ground, and a clear, pretty…girlish voice filled with laughter.

But our Young-sim was curled up like a caterpillar next to a trash can in an alley, trembling and whimpering, unlike his large size.

He was known as the “Second Boss” among the sixth graders, the second-best fighter in school. This nickname inflated his ego and filled him with confidence.

He was bigger than other kids and had learned Taekwondo, so he was simply stronger. He enjoyed being the leader of his group, and there was nothing more exhilarating.

During this turbulent time of his life, when bossing kids around, extorting money, and acting tough was more fun than studying, his mom nagged him to learn from a good tutor she’d found.  Grumbling, he headed to the Taekwondo dojang.

And that day…buzz-cut Heo Young-sim fell in love.

Soft, straight black hair swaying gently, a sweet and cute voice, an affectionate approach…and so on.

Well, she was just so cute and approachable, unlike other kids who were wary of him, that he fell head over heels.

And she never got angry at his teasing, always smiling when they met.

Smart, pretty, kind.

She possessed all three qualities, which were hard to find in one person. How could he not fall for her?

So, he threatened his younger brother. Yuna is mine!  Don’t you dare go near my girlfriend.

And today…he finally managed to lure her with tteokbokki and confessed.

Just like the male lead in his mom’s favorite drama, coolly in front of everyone.

Until that moment, he was brimming with confidence. “I was so cool. She has to accept!”

That was until he saw the metal chopsticks bending and creaking in her small, delicate hand.

Until he pulled out a 1,000 won bill from his pocket and apologized to the snack bar lady for breaking the chopsticks…

‘S-she’s not human…’

She grabbed him by the collar with her small body, dragged him out of the snack bar, threw him in front of the kids going home, and then approached him with a thick wooden stick. He instinctively knew.

Oh, I’m going to die.

“Hmm~? I’m sure I saw you go this way~?”

“*Gasp!*”

She’s still here?! Damn it…damn it…

Please just go away.  I’m already digesting my lunch, my stomach hurts, and I think I need to pee!

As soon as Yuna leaves, I’m going to run away, find a bathroom, and cry.

But I’m the Second Boss…

The second-best fighter in school!

Damn it! Damn it!

‘I won’t let her get away with this.’

The fear he felt towards the small, pretty girl who looked like she’d cry if he hit her turned into anger.

How dare she embarrass me like this and reject my confession? I’ll have the other kids bully her at school and make sure she can’t even set foot in the Taekwondo dojang.

Just wait until tomorrow…!!

*CRASH!!!*

“…?”

The large trash can that had been hiding him was crushed by the thick wooden stick.

Huh? This is a really sturdy trash can. Why is it crushed?

The long, rectangular wooden stick that had crushed the trash can knocked it aside.

With a loud clang, the large, sturdy trash can that had been hiding him fell over, and in front of him…

“Here you are~?”

“Kyaaaaa!!!”

*Pffft, squirt, trickle, trickle*

“…Disgusting.”

I finally understood what the teacher meant by “social death.” Damn it.

He came back to his senses as the unpleasant yet familiar smell hit him, his pants soaking and bulging.

Ugh, what is that? He didn’t just wet himself, he did *both*. Wow. Crazy.

Huh? Don’t men only have one hole?  Men have a hole in their pillar too!

How else would pee come out of the urethra?

People usually imagine something yellowish when they think of lemonade, but ugh, this is… It’s too disgusting to describe. I can’t handle it.

Anyway, my reason returned and slammed on the brakes, telling me to stop here.  I tossed the wooden stick into the overturned trash can and dusted off my hands.

You’re lucky, Big Buzz-cut.

If you were really unlucky, I would have pulled out every single hair on your head until your buzz cut became a bald head.

It’s better for me to end it here.  If I hit him, I’ll have to give my pregnant mom bad news and make her worry.

Honestly, it would be self-defense, but I feel a little sorry for him.

“Excuse me?”

“*Hiccup! Sob! Whimper…!!*”

“You should answer me.”

“Y-yes…!!”

“Are you talking down to me because you think I’m young?”

“N-no…”

Good.

As I thought, young kids learn manners when they experience a difference in power.

Look at him now. The delinquent who was acting all high and mighty and trying to lure a young girl with food is suddenly speaking politely after I showed him my strength!

When I was tutoring him for the finals, I was getting paid, so I couldn’t hit him or get angry, but now it’s different.

I already got paid, and I told him we should go our separate ways, but he picked a fight with me and even confessed!

It was so creepy that I got goosebumps all over and almost developed a trauma!

If it were a cute kid like Yuri or a calm kid like Jeongwoo…no, even if it were the slightly less annoying Mini Buzz-cut, I would have laughed it off and said he’s too young for that. But a 13-year-old doing that is crossing the line.

Shouldn’t he think before he acts?

If he had just confessed honestly somewhere private, like, “I have a crush on you~,” I might have been creeped out, but I wouldn’t have gotten angry.

I would have just politely rejected him and ended it there.

Then we wouldn’t have ended up in this disgusting situation, even if things got awkward!

Well, since this happened, he probably won’t confess to me again, so let’s move on.

“Why do you live like that?”

“…Huh?”

“Huh? is informal.  Why do you extort money from others? Wouldn’t you feel bad if I took your money for no reason?”

One of the types of people I really hate are those who bully and steal from others because they’re stronger.

Being strong? It’s good.  No one looks down on me, so it’s definitely good.

I understand wanting to show off your strength.  Even adults feel good when they’re more capable than others, let alone kids.

But I can’t tolerate people who belittle and look down on others just because they’re stronger.

“Don’t live like that. If I hear that you’re stealing money from or bullying your friends at school, I won’t let you get away with it.”

“…”

“Answer me.”

“Y-yes…”

I don’t know how effective these few words will be, but it’s better than nothing.

“Then I’ll be going home now. Ugh, the smell… I’m going to throw up the tteokbokki I just ate.”

Ugh, seriously. I was just going to eat some free tteokbokki and go home, but look what happened.

Is Mom worried?

It’s time for her daughter to come home from school, but I’m nowhere to be seen.  Mom, who gets lonely easily, must be pacing back and forth.

I need to hurry home and reassure her that it’s nothing serious, just a strange incident that made me late.

“Mom, Dad. I got a confession today.”

“Huh?”

“Wh-what?”

Dad was home, so we were having a nice family time in the living room, eating fruit, when I cautiously explained why I was late.

“W-who?  Jeongwoo? Oh my. Oh my.”

“…No, why would you experience something I didn’t even do until I met your mother?”

“Not Jeongwoo, but the kid I tutored at the Taekwondo dojang… He’s in sixth grade. Fat, ugly, and smelly.”

“???”

“Wow. Of all people, she got a confession from that kind of kid… Ouch!!”

“Honey, watch your language!!”

I giggled as Dad clutched his forehead and then got smacked on the back by Mom.

Yeah, of all people, that kind of kid.

Mom kept hitting Dad’s back, then glanced at me, curious about what happened next, and asked what I did.

“Honey, come on.  Do you really think Yuna would accept, after saying that?”

“W-well, of course not. Right?  But I’m still worried. Our Yuna is so pretty, just like her mom and dad. What if she gets a boyfriend? Oh dear.”

“I’m not going to get a boyfriend. And…of course, I rejected him! But seriously, it was so creepy! He dragged me to the snack bar, saying he’d buy me tteokbokki, and then embarrassed me in front of everyone by saying we’re dating!”

So I flipped the table!

And chased him down the alley with a wooden stick and taught him a lesson until he peed and pooped his pants!

“…?”

“…Wow.”

So don’t worry!

No one will dare confess to this amazing daughter, Han Yuna, anymore!

I smiled, put my hands on my hips, and puffed out my small chest.  Mom looked bewildered, and Dad was impressed by my mature handling of the situation.

“…You didn’t kill him, did you?”

“Honey, if he peed and pooped his pants, he’s probably still alive.”

“I-is that so?”

“?? Hello?”

Why are you worried about the buzz-cut kid?

—–CROW—– 

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