Chapter Text
“Fucking come on! This guy is really asking for it!”
Thwack! Slam! Wham! Whack! Thud!
Silence followed.
When he woke up, Kim Dokja found himself once again in the infirmary bed, covered in even more bandages than the last time. This was the fifth time this week. And it was only Wednesday.
Groaning, he sat up and rubbed his cheek—swollen again. His wrists were wrapped tightly in gauze, his neck ached, and there was a sharp pain in his stomach. He figured he might need to skip school for the next day or two. But instead, he stood up and quietly decided to return to class.
“Are you alright, Dokja-ya?”
A soft voice called out. It was Lee Seolhwa, the school nurse, sitting at her desk.
“Ah, yes. I’m fine now, Miss. Thank you for taking care of me,” he replied politely.
She looked at him with eyes full of pity—and that made him feel even worse. He hated that look, even if he knew she was genuinely concerned. But no matter how much he loathed being pitied, he couldn’t bring himself to blame her.
“Dokja-ya... I’m getting really worried about you,” she said. “You know this is the fifth time this week, right? If this keeps going, I’ll have to speak to the principal—and contact their parents. I can’t just stand by and let you get hurt like this.”
“It’s alright, Miss,” he said with a practiced smile. “I’m sure they’ll reflect on their actions soon. There’s no need to involve the adults. I can handle this.”
She sighed deeply. She knew he wasn’t telling the whole truth—but she also knew he wouldn’t budge.
Dokja knows that this won't end with just calling their parents, and it'll continue like always, or maybe even worse because he report them. He can just put up with this right? It's only a matter of time until summer break, he'll be just fine. He's used to handling this.
“If you ever change your mind... I hope you’ll tell me.”
“I will. Thank you. Have a good afternoon, Miss.”
“You too, Dokja-ya.”
As soon as he left, his smile faded. His body hurt all over, and he was exhausted. But still, he walked back to class.
The bell rang.
Kim Dokja sat down at his seat in the very back of the classroom, eyes drawn to the cloudy sky outside the open window. He didn’t hear the teacher call his name at first.
“Kim Dokja! Stop daydreaming and focus in class!”
Startled, he blinked. All eyes turned to him. He didn’t like being stared at—he felt like a bug under a microscope.
Sighing, he looked back outside. Below, students from another class were doing P.E.
The teacher clapped his hands loudly. "Alright, let me make this clear. I expect everyone to remain quiet and be as welcoming as possible. We have some exchange students from Royale Blanc High joining us. They’ll be studying here with us until the winter break, so I hope you’ll all get along well."
The classroom buzzed with noise, naturally. Royale Blanc High, the most prestigious institution in all of Korea. A school with an exorbitant tuition fee, attended solely by the wealthiest of the elite. Beyond that, exceptionally gifted and intelligent students were granted full scholarships by the school itself.
“Do you think he’s with them?”
“Eeee! I hope so! He’s like, every girl’s dream guy!”
"Tch. All these girls just can't stop talking about that guy. Ugh, just picturing his face makes me want to punch him."
"Relax, man, didn’t you hear? He won over 30 gold medals in taekwondo. I wouldn’t mess with him if I were you."
“Isn’t he also a pro gamer? Let’s ask him to join our guild!”
“I saw him near the teacher’s lounge—he looked so deadly handsome from the side, ugh!”
“That guy—”
“Isn’t that guy—”
Now this sparked Dokja’s curiosity. Who was this individual everyone kept mentioning? Dokja wasn’t the type to follow trending gossip or anything of that sort. It probably wasn’t all that important, he figured.
“Then, I ask you all to give a warm welcome to our three exchange students.”
The door swung open—and chaos erupted. The entire class screamed at the top of their lungs. Quite literally. Kim Dokja couldn’t even catch a glimpse of their faces; the noise was so deafening, it made him squeeze his eyes shut.
“SILENCE, EVERYONE!”
At last. His ears could finally breathe. What in the world is so fascinating about these exchange students—
And oh.
Oh.
He never imagined he’d come across someone who matched a description so flawlessly. Three individuals stood in front of the class: two girls and one guy. But it was the guy who caught his attention. How could someone be this flawless? Wasn't it almost sinful to be this ridiculously handsome? Kim Dokja found himself so captivated that he was left staring, not even realizing it.
"You three may introduce yourselves."
"Hello everyone, I’m Yoo Sangah. I’m seventeen years old, my hobby is cooking, and I’m part of the student council. I hope we can all become good friends!"
"I’m Han Sooyoung, also seventeen. I like writing."
"Yoo Joonghyuk, eighteen. My hobby is gaming. I’m the leader of the taekwondo club and the vice president of the student council."
Kim Dokja was so engrossed by the trio. They were from a different world than his, a whole different status. He hadn’t even realized he was staring at Yoo Joonghyuk until their eyes met by accident, and he quickly looked away, flustered. Yoo Joonghyuk frowned at his reaction.
"You three can sit in the back."
Kim Dokja gazed out the window, purposely distancing himself from the trio. He couldn’t imagine what sort of trouble might come his way if he got tangled up with them. He wasn’t looking for more complications.
Still, there was something oddly familiar about the three of them, and a strong sense of recognition washed over him when he looked at Yoo Joonghyuk. He couldn’t place it, but as soon as their eyes met, he felt an unexpected sense of ease. A strange mix of yearning, loss, and déjà vu stirred in his chest.
Kim Dokja had been dozing off the entire time, his gaze fixed out the window. When the bell rang, signaling break time, he jolted awake and glanced at the clock. It was time for a break. The three exchange students—Yoo Sangah, Han Sooyoung, and Yoo Joonghyuk—were conversing, though it was surprising that no one had gathered around them despite the apparent excitement.
Two guys stood near the door, while another leaned against the wall. All three were eyeing Kim Dokja, and he could tell they were looking to cause trouble.
"Hey, Kim Dokja! Get over here, you bastard! We’re not done with what we started last time."
Yoo Sangah gave him a concerned look, while Han Sooyoung appeared irritated. Then there was Yoo Joonghyuk, who seemed both bothered and agitated.
Kim Dokja stood up and walked toward the door. One of the guys draped his arm around his neck and yanked him away.
Inside the classroom, the three watched.
"Look, I know this isn’t our place, and we just got here... but shouldn’t we help him? His wrist’s already wrapped up with bandages," Yoo Sangah said, concern in her voice.
Han Sooyoung glanced over at Yoo Joonghyuk, a slight frown on her face. "What do you think, Mr. Taekwondo?"
He didn’t respond immediately, his irritation clear, but after a beat, he gave a short nod.
This time, it was worse.
Kim Dokja could feel himself on the brink of collapsing again. He wasn’t sure what he had done to provoke these guys this much. Normally, he’d just get a few bruises that would fade after a few days, but this time, it was different. He was coughing up blood, his nose bleeding. It was far worse than usual.
"Well, look at that. This pretty face is ruined now. You should thank us, really. We’re doing you a favor," one of the guys taunted, kneeling down and gripping Dokja by the collar. There weren’t just two guys—there were five.
Just then, the locked bathroom door was slammed open. Yoo Joonghyuk was the first to step inside, followed by Yoo Sangah and Han Sooyoung.
"Oh my god—"
"What the fuck." Han Sooyoung muttered, wide-eyed in shock.
Yoo Joonghyuk, however, stayed calm. His eyes quickly assessed the situation, focusing on the blood pooling around Kim Dokja. This wasn’t just bullying anymore; it was straight-up attempted murder.
"I swear, it's our first time here and someone's getting killed?" Han Sooyoung hissed, clenching her fists as her anger surged.
Twice today. Kim Dokja had passed out twice, and he wasn't exactly proud of it. When he regained consciousness, he noticed the three of them sitting on the bed next to his. He immediately felt embarrassed.
"Awake now, pretty boy?" Han Sooyoung teased.
"How are you feeling? Is anything hurting?" Yoo Sangah asked gently.
Kim Dokja, startled, quickly sat up on the bed.
"Ah- I’m really sorry you all had to see that. Thank you for taking me to the infirmary."
He bowed his head in apology.
"No, no. It's nothing to apologize for. We were just worried since they treated you that way..." Yoo Sangah reassured him.
"She’s right. Those assholes should be behind bars. How long has this been happening? Why haven’t you told anyone?" Han Sooyoung asked with a sharp edge in her voice.
Kim Dokja just smiled faintly at her, the expression both apologetic and resigned.
“There’s no need for you three to worry about me. I’m sorry for today. You all should head back to class and—”
“Don’t brush us off when we’re trying to talk to you.”
Startled, Kim Dokja quickly looked away to avoid making eye contact.
“It’s really nothing. You all shouldn’t get involved in other people’s problems.”
He flashed a smile again.
Yoo Joonghyuk felt an urge to punch the guy in front of him. Why is he acting like this?
“We just wanted to help, you know? Maybe we could be friends if you'd feel more comfortable—”
Yoo Sangah was interrupted.
“Look… I really appreciate what you’ve done, but please don’t get involved any further. I’m begging you, just… just don’t. It’ll only make things worse.”
“What will happen if we get involved then? Are you saying they’ll target us?” Yoo Joonghyuk asked again.
Kim Dokja wanted to say ‘it’s not that’ but couldn’t bring himself to. He really didn’t have a choice, did he?
“You don’t need to worry about those jerks around you. You also don’t need to worry about us. We chose to help, so it’s our decision. How about starting as friends?”
Yoo Sangah urged him.
“I can’t—”
“Why? Because those guys will come after you again? No big deal. We’ll take responsibility if they try anything. I mean, we’ve got Mister Taekwondo here, so don’t worry, pretty boy.”
Han Sooyoung said with a proud smile, as though she were the one who had saved Kim Dokja.
“I don’t know if I deserve friends like you guys. It just seems impossible.”
“Well, since we helped you out this time, repay us by being our friends! Right, Yoo Joonghyuk?”
Yoo Joonghyuk gave a brief nod but there was a hint of happiness in his expression.
“..Thank you…”
This time, his smile was genuine, not forced or fake. For the first time in his life, Kim Dokja felt safe, and reassured.
In the infirmary before Kim Dokja regained consciousness.
“I’m not entirely sure, but from the moment we stepped into class, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. It’s like some kind of instinct. He just… feels strangely familiar,” Yoo Sangah said quietly.
“It’s not just you,” Han Sooyoung added. “I felt it too. There’s this strange sense of connection. Like I know him from somewhere, but I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
The three of them exchanged a look, an unspoken understanding passing between them. Joonghyuk was quiet for a moment before speaking.
“For me... it felt like I’d found something I lost. A missing piece. When I saw his bandaged wrists, I felt this deep ache. I was angry. Sad. I don’t know why.”
Yoo Sangah and Han Sooyoung stared at him, taken aback. It was rare to hear Yoo Joonghyuk speak this much, let alone express what he felt.
“What about when we found him in the bathroom?” Sooyoung asked. “You were calm, but you went off on them.”
Joonghyuk’s eyes narrowed.
“Rage,” he said simply.
Silence fell over the room again.
Then Han Sooyoung muttered, “y’know, with my writer’s intuition… when you feel something that strong toward someone you’re sure you’ve never met, it usually means there’s some kind of deep connection—maybe from a past life.”
She lifted her chin, proud of her insight.
“Utter nonsense. Who even believes in reincarnation? That’s just fantasy talk,” Yoo Joonghyuk shot back flatly.
Han Sooyoung looked deeply offended. “Excuse me, Mister Know-It-All, I stand by my author instincts. I respectfully decline your skepticism. Yoo Sangah agrees with me, don’t you?”
Yoo Sangah nodded gently. “Whoever he is, I think he’s a good person. I hope we can get to know him better. Whatever this strange feeling is—it might be a sign, or maybe… a second chance not to lose him.”
They all turned to look at Kim Dokja, lying unconscious on the bed, quietly waiting for him to wake up.