BKR Ch 11

Early in the morning, cadets in uniform streamed into the Army Officer Academy.

Dohan entered the classroom and sat in his usual spot. As always, he placed his book on the desk and put on his earphones.

“Jihan!”

He heard a familiar name before he could start his music. Dohan glanced sideways. A tall, handsome cadet was entering the classroom.

It was Kim Jihan.

“Jihan, you saw that yesterday, right?”

“Dude, awesome. Wasn’t it a legendary match?”

As soon as Kim Jihan appeared, his classmates were eager to show their affection.

Even though they didn’t explicitly assign ranks, hierarchies always existed in the world of men.

If they were to rank themselves, Kim Jihan would undoubtedly be number one. The peaceful air surrounding him proved it. Even now, everyone was eager to express their fondness and familiarity.

“Really? What match was it?”

And Kim Jihan evoked such deference with only a smile and grace.

It was an attitude that only those with absolute confidence in their position could possess.

Dohan suddenly felt that Kim Jihan, unlike ordinary people, was raised for something more important. Like a crown prince rigorously trained to inherit the throne. Perhaps Kim Jihan’s status was much higher than he thought.

Having reached this thought, Dohan immediately looked away.

Click, he turned on his music. Classical music flowed into his ears. Dohan buried his eyes in his book.

But the letters wouldn’t come into focus.

His feelings were complicated. How did he end up in this awkward situation with such a guy? He could no longer stop him from coming to his house or force him to leave.

And why did he feel so strange looking at him?

Dohan was inwardly perplexed by his changed feelings. So he tried even harder to immerse himself in the book. He wanted to block out all external stimuli.

“Hey, hey! Awesome!”

At that moment, Cha Woohyuk appeared in the classroom, his face flushed with excitement. The gazes of his classmates, including Kim Jihan, focused on Cha Woohyuk, who had just arrived. Only Dohan, listening to music, didn’t react.

“Dude, it’s totally awesome!”

Panting, Cha Woohyuk rushed towards the group gathered in front of the whiteboard. One cadet snorted.

“We’re talking about that match right now.”

“No, damn it, it’s not that!”

Cha Woohyuk waved his hands dismissively. And he immediately addressed those who were puzzled.

“Yesterday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff sent beef and wine to my house in my name! Does this make sense? The sender was listed as the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff! Did anyone else here receive it?”

“……!”

His classmates’ eyes widened at the mention of receiving a gift from the nation’s highest military command.

Cha Woohyuk spread his hands wide, seemingly satisfied with their reaction.

“And it’s top-quality Korean beef, a huge amount! And the wine is super expensive!”

His stunned classmates stammered, “Crazy… Are you kidding?”

“No, we didn’t get anything…”

“What? Why would they send beef and wine…?”

Being sent under the name of the Joint Chiefs of Staff meant it was a gift from the highest-ranking generals in the military leadership. It was a gift that a prospective cadet, not even a formal officer, could only dream of.

“…….”

Kim Jihan simply listened without saying anything. Cha Woohyuk turned to him with a flushed face.

“Jihan, can I eat this? My family didn’t even touch it yesterday. My dad was so shocked that his hands were shaking.”

Many of the cadets here came from military families. Among them, Cha Woohyuk, the second son of a non-commissioned officer, spoke of his father, who was more afraid than happy about the extravagant gift his son had received.

A meaningful smirk spread across Kim Jihan’s lips.

“There’s someone here who can’t eat it even if it’s given to him.”

“……Huh?”

“Then give it to me. I want to taste some general-grade beef and wine.”

Cha Woohyuk blinked, then realized it was a joke and giggled.

“Nah, forget it. I’m going to eat it all.”

“Anyway, I’m envious. Receiving a gift like that.”

Although he knew exactly who sent it, Kim Jihan didn’t show anything and walked to his seat.

As he left, the other cadets also returned to their seats, as if the cornerstone of the conversation had disappeared. The group quickly dispersed.

Dohan was buried in his book. He hadn’t heard their conversation at all, focused only on his book and music. The earphones in his ears served as an excellent barrier against external stimuli.

Thud—!

But someone shattered that barrier by hitting his desk.

“……?”

He looked up to see Cha Woohyuk. Dohan stared at his moving lips, then took off his earphones.

“Hurry up and give me… What, you didn’t hear?”

Dohan, finally able to hear, blinked blankly.

“Oh, man, fuck.”

Cha Woohyuk cursed abruptly and plopped down on the empty chair in front of him with a frustrated expression.

“I’m asking if you know about the end-of-semester party next week.”

“…….”

“Do you know or not? Why don’t you answer when I ask?”

Dohan glanced at Kim Jihan. Kim Jihan was sitting at his desk, working on his textbook. Dohan looked away from him and shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.

As if waiting for this, Cha Woohyuk immediately held out his hand.

“Now you know, so pay the fee.”

“…….”

“Hurry up, the professor told me to collect it.”

Dohan immediately took his wallet out of his inner pocket. He had no intention of going, but he wasn’t going to skip paying the fee.

But Cha Woohyuk snatched the wallet from his hand.

“What? You don’t have a language disability tag, so you’re clearly normal…”

Cha Woohyuk took out Dohan’s ID card from the wallet without permission and looked at both sides.

Dohan knew that Cha Woohyuk, the tallest in their class, was second in rank after Kim Jihan. If it weren’t for the unique existence of Kim Jihan, he would undoubtedly be the leader.

Of course, no one had officially determined this ranking. However, it was evident because Cha Woohyuk only acted meekly in front of Kim Jihan.

Cha Woohyuk flicked the ID card back at Dohan as if a club promoter was handing out business cards.

“Why don’t you open your mouth? Got some kind of die-if-you-speak disease?”

Of course, he acted recklessly towards those he considered lower in rank than himself. Just like he was doing to Dohan now.

Snatch—!

Dohan snatched his wallet back. He had no intention of being polite to someone who acted like this.

Cha Woohyuk’s eyebrows twitched as Dohan unhesitatingly took back what was in his hand.

In truth, Cha Woohyuk was completely unaware of how Kim Jihan treated Dohan, or how he approached him.

It was understandable. The two ate lunch together in the empty music room and never spoke in the classroom. So, not only him, but other cadets also had no clue about the subtle relationship between the two.

Dohan took out all the bills from his wallet and placed them on the desk. Then he signaled with his eyes.

‘Get lost.’

He had already received permission from the professors and instructors not to speak. Thanks to paying four years’ worth of tuition fees in advance, they were somewhat accommodating of his throat condition.

Even though he had gained weight, for some reason, his voice hadn’t improved much.

Were his vocal cords damaged?

Thinking about this made Dohan anxious. He was afraid he might lose his voice permanently.

In any case, he had no intention of letting someone he didn’t even want to talk to hear his hoarse and broken voice.

“Wow, this disrespectful bastard. Does he think I’m begging?”

A considerable amount of cash was spread out on the desk. Seeing this, Cha Woohyuk growled.

He picked up the money, took the necessary amount, and threw the rest at Dohan’s face.

“Since you don’t ask, you don’t even know how much it is.”

“…….”

“Idiot.”

Cha Woohyuk brought his face close to Dohan’s. His disapproving gaze swept over Dohan’s delicate features, which had filled out compared to before.

“I know guys like you. Just by looking at you, I can tell you’re working at a host bar. Your face gives it away.”

“…….”

“Be honest. You sell your body every night, don’t you? That’s why you’re always sucking down soy milk, recharging your cum. This money is all earned from doing that kind of thing.”

Cha Woohyuk sneered.

“Male prostitute.”

Suddenly, someone grabbed Cha Woohyuk by the back of his neck.

“Ugh—!”

Dohan’s eyes widened.

The person who had grabbed Cha Woohyuk by the back of his collar lifted him up and threw him to the back of the classroom.

Bang!

Cha Woohyuk, pulled by the tremendous force, crashed into the back wall and collapsed.

Kim Jihan, who had tossed him aside like a light package, strode towards him. Cha Woohyuk desperately called out to him as he reached for the floor.

“Ji…!”

Kim Jihan kicked Cha Woohyuk in the chest. Cha Woohyuk, who was trying to get up, crashed into the wall again.

Kim Jihan immediately approached him and raised his fist.

Bam! A fist as hard as a rock landed squarely on his face.

“……!”

Cha Woohyuk’s vision went white. His nose was instantly broken.

Before he could regain his senses, another large fist flew towards his face with terrifying speed.

“What, what’s going on!”

The cadets in the classroom jumped up from their seats at the sudden commotion.

“Ugh!”

Having lost the will to fight back from a single blow, Cha Woohyuk instinctively raised his arms to protect his head.

Thud, thud—! Whack!

Fists like falling rocks rained down on him. Kim Jihan grabbed Cha Woohyuk’s collar with one hand and mercilessly pounded on his arms, which were covering his head.

“Ugh… uh!”

Nevertheless, Cha Woohyuk desperately protected his head. Despite the pain of his arm bones shattering, he shielded his head. It was a survival instinct to protect his vital points.

Then Kim Jihan struck his exposed side.

“Gasp—!”

Pain as if his internal organs were rupturing filled him. Cha Woohyuk groaned and involuntarily lowered his arms.

A fist immediately landed on his exposed face. His intact teeth were broken in an instant. His jaw shattered, and the area around his eyes caved in. His eardrums ruptured, and his skin tore.

“Gaaaah!”

Bright red blood spurted from Cha Woohyuk’s mouth. It also streamed from his nose and ears.

This wasn’t a fight.

It was a one-sided assault. There was no warning, no provocation. And it was endlessly merciless. It was literally pure murderous intent, devoid of any human compassion.

“Hey, hey! Stop it!”

“Fuck, someone stop him!”

Unable to watch any longer, the other cadets rushed forward to pull Kim Jihan away from Cha Woohyuk, whom he seemed intent on killing.

Suddenly, Kim Jihan picked up an empty chair.

“Gasp!”

The cadets recoiled in fear, thinking he would swing it at them.

“Ha…”

Kim Jihan scanned them, frozen in fear, while holding the chair leg in one hand.

His hazel eyes blazed menacingly. His clean face and uniform were stained red. Blood, not yet dry, dripped from his fists.

Seeing this, the cadets shivered, chills running down their spines.

Was this really Kim Jihan? Was this really the same person who always wore an angelic smile and exuded an extraordinary grace?

“…….”

Dohan also stared at this scene in astonishment.

Kim Jihan turned his gaze back to Cha Woohyuk, who was sprawled out on the floor. Then he pressed his boot down on his chest.

A faint groan escaped from the bloodied Cha Woohyuk’s lips.

Screech—

Unable to bear it any longer, Dohan pushed back his chair and stood up.

Everyone’s gaze turned to him. Kim Jihan’s eyes as well.

“……!”

A strange crack appeared on Kim Jihan’s face for a moment as he met Dohan’s eyes.

Confusion replaced the murderous intent in his eyes.

Kim Jihan hurriedly looked down at himself. His blood-splattered uniform, the chair he held in his blood-soaked hand, and Cha Woohyuk lying half-dead beneath his feet.

“Ah…”

As if regaining his lost senses, Kim Jihan stared down at his own state in astonishment.

He removed his foot from Cha Woohyuk’s chest. He also let go of the chair.

Thud— The chair fell to the floor with a dull sound.

Kim Jihan looked at the cadets in the classroom again. Countless gazes, from which he couldn’t escape, were fixed solely on him.

Ha, Kim Jihan’s lips twisted in disbelief.

As if he couldn’t believe the situation he had caused.

Then, as if struck by a thought, he abruptly lifted his head and stared at the ceiling. His rapidly moving eyes seemed to be desperately searching for an answer.

Lowering his head, Kim Jihan looked at the collapsed Cha Woohyuk again.

“Woohyuk.”

A lower, deeper voice penetrated everyone’s ears.

Cha Woohyuk, whose face was barely recognizable, trembled like a leaf.

“Do my words not sound like words to you?”

As if this sudden outcome was perfectly justified, Kim Jihan pulled a chilling smile across his lips.

“I told you not to speak vulgarly.”