As Kim and Seo-joon made their way out of the cafeteria, their conversation faded into the background as they navigated the crowded hallways. Kim’s mind was still spinning with the injustice he had witnessed in the cafeteria, but Seo-joon’s words kept replaying in his mind, offering a small but steady source of reassurance. "We’ll make our own way," he had said. "We don’t need them."
They reached the main campus exit, the air fresh but carrying a chilly bite. The sight of the campus sprawling ahead of them—a place of wealth, power, and opportunity—felt both intimidating and alluring. Kim paused for a moment, taking in the view, wondering just how far he could go in this world that seemed so determined to keep him in his place.
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble. A roar of an engine cut through the air, deafening in its power, and before Kim could even react, a sleek black BMW shot around the corner, heading straight for them at breakneck speed.
Time seemed to slow. Kim’s heart slammed in his chest. The car was too close. The headlights bore down on him, and instinctively, he knew he had mere seconds to react. He shoved Seo-joon forward, pushing him out of harm’s way.
But in that moment, Kim was left standing frozen, paralyzed by the threat of the vehicle. He barely registered the screech of the tires as the car hurtled toward him, the engine growling like a beast preparing to strike.
With a final burst of adrenaline, Kim managed to leap to the side, just barely avoiding the front bumper of the speeding car. He lost his balance, crashing to the ground hard, his arm twisting awkwardly beneath him as he fell. Pain exploded in his shoulder, but it was nothing compared to the terror that still gripped him.
Seo-joon’s voice cut through the haze of pain. "Kim! Are you okay?!" He was already at Kim’s side, his hands on him, checking for injuries.
Kim winced, pushing through the pain in his arm as he slowly tried to sit up. His heart was still pounding in his chest, and he couldn’t shake the image of the car barreling toward him. He had never been so close to death in his life.
As his vision cleared, Kim saw the car slowly coming to a stop, and the door swung open. Han Jae-hyun, the wealthy student who had already shown him so much disdain, stepped out of the vehicle with a smirk plastered across his face.
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“Well, well, if it isn’t Kim,” Han said, his voice dripping with mock amusement. “I didn’t expect to see you here again. I’m almost impressed you managed to survive that.”
Kim could feel the anger building within him, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay calm. The last thing he needed was to escalate things further.
Seo-joon, however, wasn’t as controlled. “What the hell is wrong with you? You almost killed him!” he shouted, stepping forward, fists clenched in fury. “This is a warning. If you ever do something like this again, I’ll report you. You won’t get away with it.”
Han Jae-hyun laughed, a sound that was cold and dismissive. “Oh, please. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have bothered stopping. But honestly, you’re not even worth the effort. You’re just a nuisance.” He shrugged carelessly, looking down at Kim with disdain. “Consider yourself lucky. I’d hate to waste my time on someone as insignificant as you.”
With that, Han turned and got back into the car, slamming the door shut. The engine revved, and the car sped off, leaving a trail of dust behind it. Kim stood up slowly, still reeling from the close call. His arm throbbed with pain, but the adrenaline rush hadn’t quite worn off yet.
Seo-joon was right by his side, helping him steady himself. “You’re lucky. That was way too close.”
Kim nodded but didn’t say anything. His thoughts were clouded with anger, frustration, and confusion. How could someone be so careless, so willing to use their power and wealth to play with the lives of others? Han Jae-hyun had made it clear that he could do whatever he wanted without consequences, simply because he had money and influence.
And that realization struck Kim harder than anything else. This was the world he was trying to navigate—a world where the powerful could destroy the lives of those beneath them without a second thought.
As they walked to the campus health center to get Kim’s arm checked, the nurse there didn’t mince words. “Be careful around the rich students,” she warned, her eyes filled with quiet sympathy. “They think they can get away with anything, and they often do. If you cross them, they won’t hesitate to make your life miserable. And no one will stop them. Money buys power in this place, and power buys silence.”
Kim absorbed the nurse’s words, his anger now mixing with a growing sense of helplessness. How was he supposed to fight against this system when the very people in charge could easily crush him?
By the time they left the health center, his arm was in a sling, and his mind was filled with one question: How far was he willing to go to survive in this world? And more importantly, how much of himself would he lose along the way?
The path ahead seemed even more treacherous now, but Kim knew one thing for certain: he wasn’t going to back down. Not now. Not ever.