April 8, 2006
Ko A-young stayed home as Gamamusa instructed. While knitting, she suddenly recalled the first thing she ever stole. At the orphanage, she had seen a family come to adopt. She watched the mother dress her young daughter, younger than Ko A-young, in a sweater, and felt jealous. While the girl was bathing, Ko A-young slipped the sweater under her clothes and ran off. The girl, unable to find her sweater, ran crying to her parents in just her underwear. Thinking back, Ko A-young felt guilty.
“Phew… I wonder if that girl’s doing okay… I feel bad all of a sudden…” She felt a pang of remorse for what she did. But back then, if she hadn’t done it, she would’ve kept envying her. Just then, the house phone rang. It was her mother, who worked at the market. Afraid she’d been caught skipping school, Ko A-young answered nervously. “Hey! Ko A-young! Are you okay? Where are you right now?” Guilt washed over her. Attending school in Seoul was only possible because her poor adoptive parents paid her tuition. She’d been deceiving them and feared they’d discover her thefts. “…Mom, what’s wrong?” Hearing her voice, her adoptive mother gasped in relief. “Oh, thank God! You’re alive! Thank you, Lord!” Ko A-young felt a bad omen. “…Mom, what do you mean? Did something happen at school?”
“…So, you’re saying you didn’t commit school violence?” The homeroom teacher looked at Gamamusa and the surrounding delinquents. There were over ten of them. “Teacher, we saw it with our own eyes. This guy pulled out a taser and zapped Woo-jin!” Gamamusa sat expressionlessly, saying nothing. “…Hey, Gamamusa, was it? If you don’t say anything, I have no choice but to believe the others. Did you do it?” Gamamusa shrugged. “…I told you, show me evidence. There’s no CCTV there. How can you just believe ‘some crazy student tasered another’ without proof? It’s more believable that a group of boys dragged a girl into the boys’ bathroom and assaulted her.” The boys flinched but glared at Gamamusa. He picked his nose and flipped them off. “If you’re so wronged, find evidence. I’m exercising my right to remain silent. Call my lawyer.”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Gamamusa was lightly let off. He opened the door to the teachers’ office. The delinquents, grinding their teeth, shoulder-checked him as they passed. “…Just you wait. You used a taser, so we’ll fight you with clubs.” Gamamusa took the shoulder checks from all ten boys before leaving. Before closing the door, he turned to the teacher. “By the way, you’re heading home after afternoon classes, right? Watch the news later. I’ll be going now…” Gamamusa gently closed the door.
The afternoon classes were sleepy. The delinquents had all faked illnesses to leave early, but many students remained in the classroom, busy preparing for the final middle school mock exam. After this and the final exam, they’d have a shot at elite high schools. Naturally, the top students were focused, with no time to think about Ko A-young. But the humid, muggy weather made it hard to concentrate, and some students were even dozing off. “…Teacher, can I step out to get some water?” The teacher silently pointed to the door. Jung Min-ju hurried out to the hallway, searching for a water fountain. She filled a paper cup and gulped it down. “…Phew, I’m saved. Thought I was gonna die…”
Turning to head back, Jung Min-ju noticed white gas seeping through the classroom door’s crack. Her body froze in panic. “…W-What’s that…?” She considered opening the door but lacked the courage. Soon, smoke began spreading across the entire hallway. Other classrooms were emitting smoke too. Trembling with fear, Jung Min-ju froze. Bang! A student burst out of another classroom, covering their mouth and nose, ran past her, and collapsed in the hallway. Jung Min-ju stared at her classroom in horror. The students inside were all unconscious, sprawled out. “Kyaa!” Screaming in terror, she sprinted down the hallway. But she soon reached the stairs, where gas was rising from below. Overwhelmed by despair, she collapsed, unable to hold out.
