Johan Seong

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___________The next day – school, late afternoon

Classes went on like usual. Pages turned, teachers droned on, and the clock ticked ever so slowly toward the end of the day.

But there was a hum in the air — not the kind you hear, but the kind you feel. A dozen whispers in the hallway. Side glances. Conversations that stopped just as Hyunwoo passed by.

"Did you hear about yesterday?""They said he took on the Black Bears...""No way, not alone, right?""He knocked out four guys like it was nothing—""I heard he fought beside Big Deal."

Hyunwoo said nothing. He just moved through it all like it didn't matter. Same as always.

He sat in class, took notes, answered when called. Never added anything extra.

By the time the bell rang, and students poured out of classrooms like birds freed from a cage, Hyunwoo quietly slipped his hands into his pockets and made for the front gate.

But as he stepped outside—

He stopped.

Right across the gate, leaning casually against the wall, stood Taegeun.

And beside him, the usual three — Min Dojin flipping a coin instead of his knife today, Nam Jihwan chewing on a snack bar, and Ha Yuri eyeing the crowd like she was tracking movement.

Taegeun caught Hyunwoo's gaze and raised a hand. "Yo."

Hyunwoo exhaled through his nose, barely hiding the sigh. "...Seriously?"

He walked toward them, steps slow but steady. "You guys don't have anything better to do?"

Taegeun pushed off the wall, shrugging. "You looked too cool walking off last night. Had to check if you'd float off the ground today."

"I didn't even say anything dramatic."

"That was the dramatic part."

Jihwan grinned. "We were bored."

Yuri added, "And you left without saying anything."

Hyunwoo looked between them. "That's usually what people do after saying goodbye."

Dojin flipped his coin again. "You always talk like that?"

Hyunwoo raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Like you're always half-done with the conversation."

Taegeun chuckled. "It's kind of your charm."

Hyunwoo blinked at them for a moment, clearly unsure what to say.

"...You came all the way here just to say that?"

Taegeun tilted his head. "Maybe. Or maybe we're just curious what you're doing after school."

"I'm going home."

"You always go home?"

"Yeah."

A pause.

"...Wanna go somewhere before you go home?"

Hyunwoo looked at him. "You mean hang out?"

"Yeah."

He hesitated. There was something oddly sincere in Taegeun's tone — not pushy, just... honest.

He glanced at the others. Dojin wasn't looking at him. Jihwan looked expectant. Yuri was quiet, watching, but not judging.

"...Fine," Hyunwoo said. "But just for a bit."

Taegeun smirked. "See? That wasn't so hard."

Hyunwoo shook his head. "I'm already regretting this."

But he followed them anyway.

A small, slightly run-down arcade nearby

The arcade was tucked between a laundromat and a fried chicken place, its neon sign half-lit and flickering.

Inside, it was noisy — old machines whirred and beeped, music from a rhythm game blared from the corner, and the air smelled faintly of plastic and cheap air freshener. The kind of place no one would expect a fight to break out — which is exactly why Taegeun brought them here.

Jihwan rushed to the punching machine the moment they stepped in.

"Hyunwoo, you gotta try this," he grinned, already rolling his shoulder. "Let's see if those fists actually hit hard or you just got lucky."

"I'm not doing that," Hyunwoo said flatly.

"Come on, just one hit!"

Hyunwoo watched as Jihwan took a breath and launched a heavy hook into the pad. The machine rattled and spat out a number. 847.

"Not bad," Taegeun nodded.

"Try beatin' that," Jihwan smirked.

Hyunwoo sighed, stepped forward, and casually threw a punch.

Thud.The machine blinked, processed, then flashed: 903.

The other three blinked.

"Damn," Dojin muttered, flipping his coin again. "Guess he wasn't bluffing."

"Wait, wait— one more!" Jihwan scrambled to insert another coin. "We go again."

"No," Hyunwoo said, turning away.

"What do you want to play then?" Taegeun asked, half amused. "We dragged you here, might as well enjoy it."

"...Nothing, really," Hyunwoo mumbled.

But his eyes wandered — toward a classic fighting game machine. The kind with two joysticks and six buttons per player.

Taegeun followed his gaze.

"...You play?"

"I used to."

"That sounds like a challenge." Taegeun smirked and headed over. "Let's go. Winner gets... bragging rights."

Hyunwoo hesitated, then walked over and took the second seat.

The screen lit up.

Rounds passed. Combos flew. Buttons clicked furiously.

By round three, the two were fully locked in — Taegeun leaning forward, Hyunwoo dead serious.

Jihwan and the others stood behind, watching like it was a championship match.

"I thought you said you used to play," Taegeun muttered.

Hyunwoo replied without looking, "I did."

"Then stop going easy on me—"

KO.

Hyunwoo leaned back. "That was me not going easy."

The group cracked up — even Dojin let out a rare chuckle.

"Man," Taegeun said, laughing, "you're stone cold even when you win."

"...I just don't like losing."

"Same."

The tension from before? Gone. Replaced by the easy kind of chaos that comes from shared noise and pointless competition.

________

The arcade was alive with noise — flashing lights, button mashing, and Jihwan yelling, "I swear that headshot landed!" as Taegeun calmly played beside him.

Min Dojin leaned back near the punching machine, flipping his butterfly knife lazily. He hadn't said a word in the last ten minutes.

Ha Yuri stood near the window, sipping on canned coffee. Her sharp eyes scanned the street outside, half-listening to the chaos behind her — until something caught her attention.

"...Hey."

Everyone turned.

"What is it?" Taegeun asked, still tapping buttons.

Yuri didn't look away from the window. "Outside. Some middle schoolers. Looks bad."

Taegeun walked over, brushing dust off his hoodie. "Bullying?"

Hyunwoo came up behind them and peered through the smudged glass. Across the street, three kids in slightly oversized uniforms were circling a smaller one. One had grabbed the kid's backpack, another was poking his forehead with two fingers.

"Middle schoolers doing this in broad daylight?" Taegeun muttered. "Bold."

Jihwan cracked his knuckles. "I hated this kind of crap back then too."

Hyunwoo didn't speak. He just watched — expression unreadable, shoulders slightly tense.

Then, he walked out of the arcade.

No words. No hesitation.

"...Guess he's moving." Taegeun shrugged, following him out.

Dojin clicked his knife shut and slipped it into his pocket. Yuri sighed and walked with them, already predicting what would happen.

⸻

Outside the arcade

Hyunwoo stepped off the curb and crossed the street casually. No rush. No threat.

But his presence alone was enough to make the three middle schoolers freeze. One of them — the tallest — still held the smaller kid's bag. He looked up.

Hyunwoo's voice came quiet, almost bored.

"You done?"

"H-Huh?"

"You gonna give that back? Or do you need help?"

The tall one scoffed weakly. "We weren't doing anything—"

"Then you won't mind stopping."

There was no anger in his voice. Just a simple, steady pressure. Like a weight that made it hard to lie.

The boy looked at his friends. One of them had already taken a step back.

He shoved the backpack into the smaller boy's hands and muttered, "Let's go."

They turned and walked off quickly, not even daring to look back. The younger kid looked like he didn't know whether to say thanks or cry.

"You okay?" Taegeun asked, more gently.

The kid nodded, hugging the bag tightly.

Yuri crouched slightly, meeting his eyes. "Next time, avoid that alley. There's always trash hiding in corners."

Hyunwoo stepped forward slowly, his gaze lingering—not on the bruises or the fear. But the face.

A flicker of something passed through his eyes. Not recognition of someone he had met—but of someone he had read.

"...No way," Hyunwoo muttered under his breath.

Brown hair. Pale skin. That anxious look—like someone always expecting the worst.

That name started crawling back from the corners of his memory.

The white dog... the eyes...

He remembered reading about this kid in past life, in a webtoon he used to scroll through at night when he couldn't sleep.

A character.

No... a beast in disguise.

He spoke calmly.

"You. What's your name?"

The boy stiffened.

"M-Me?"

Hyunwoo nodded.

"...J-Johan. Johan Seong."

There it was.

He looked exactly how the webtoon described him at the beginning. Fragile. Quiet. Miserable. But Hyunwoo knew the truth. Or at least, the future.

He looked down and saw the little white dog peeking out of Johan's bag.

The same dog. The same name.

"...You always carry him around?" Hyunwoo asked.

Johan hesitated, then nodded. "He gets scared when I leave him alone."

Ha Yuri tilted her head. "The dog or you?"

Johan didn't answer.

Taegeun let out a breath. "Well, that was random. You okay now, kid?"

Johan nodded quickly. "Y-Yeah. Thank you..."

The kid looked rough — not just from the bullying.

His clothes were faded, the seams frayed at the sleeves. The bag on his shoulder was clearly old, patches on top of patches. It looked like it had been through rain, mud, and maybe worse.

And that smell — faint, but there. Like someone who hadn't had a proper place to clean up in days.

Hyunwoo narrowed his eyes slightly.

"...He's running from home," he thought. This is around that time, isn't it? That accident...

The kid held the dog tighter, like it was the only thing keeping him grounded. He hadn't said much after giving his name.

Johan Seong.

It felt surreal. Seeing someone who was just lines on a phone screen in another life, now trembling right in front of him.

Hyunwoo let out a quiet sigh and reached into his wallet.

He pulled out a folded stack of bills and held it out.

"...Here."

Johan blinked. "Huh?"

"Take it. Go get yourself some clothes. And a shower."

Johan didn't move.

Hyunwoo looked at him dead-on. "You look like you've been wearing the same thing for days. And that bag's about to fall apart."

The boy lowered his gaze, ashamed.

Taegeun raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. The others stayed quiet too.

"And if you're looking for something to do," Hyunwoo added, "go to Big Deal Street. Ask around. They might give you work. Or at least a meal."

Johan slowly reached out and took the money, hand trembling.

"...Why are you helping me?" he asked softly.

Hyunwoo didn't answer right away.

Then he just shrugged. "Because someone should."

He turned back toward the arcade. "Take care of the dog."

Johan stood there in silence as the group walked off, the bills still clenched in his hand.

Behind him, the white dog let out a soft bark.

"...Wait."

Hyunwoo glanced back.

Johan hesitated, then asked quietly, "What's your name?"

Hyunwoo looked at him for a moment, then answered simply,

"Hyunwoo. Hyunwoo Kim."

There was a beat of silence.

Johan nodded slowly. "Hyunwoo Kim..."

His grip tightened around the money, his voice low but firm, even if his hands still trembled.

"I'll remember that name. And someday, I'll repay you."

Hyunwoo didn't respond right away. Just gave him a small nod.

"Take care of yourself first," he said, then turned and walked off with Taegeun and the others.

Johan stood there under the arcade light, his white dog pressing close to his leg.

"...Hyunwoo Kim," he whispered again, almost like a promise to himself.