No More Thug Life, I’m Playing Music

Episode 41. The Madman Above the Runner (3)

Han Yeoreum and the entire Baekjung TV crew had withdrawn.
Left alone in this big, quiet house, I was reminded of old memories for a moment. Back then and now, my pseudonym has always been Baekjung. But the circumstances I’m in are vastly different.

“Anyway, what am I supposed to do about this…”

Until the broadcast ended, Han Yeoreum and I couldn’t clear up the misunderstanding that we were involved in some way. Choo Minji orchestrated it, and Han Yeoreum played along.
As a result, suspicions have only deepened.
While it doesn’t bother me much, I feel awkward about facing her mother, Professor Han Gwangsook, who is also my mentor.

“Well… I’ll just deny it, I guess.”

After all, Professor Han and I have an unspoken agreement. We each take what we need and give what’s due.
She might even welcome the idea of me being connected to her daughter.

“No, that’s not right.”

Come to think of it, this could all be part of Professor Han’s plan.
What other reason could there be for a classical music star like Han Yeoreum to act so boldly?

“Heh.”

Whatever the reason, I’m grateful if someone that beautiful is involved.
I’m no longer Baek Jinseong, who used to live on thin ice every day.
Now, I’m open to dating normal women. If the opportunity arises, that is.

As I opened YouTube and searched for “piano pieces women like,” Ducheol entered the house. He was with Junsoo and Kim Bom.

“I’ll shower first…”

Junsoo trudged upstairs with slumped shoulders.
It was a look he had when something really upset him, but I didn’t ask.

“Why are you here?” I asked Kim Bom, who was looking around the room.

“Where’s Han Yeoreum?”

“She left earlier.”

“How unusual… Anyway, see you tomorrow.”

“You’re leaving already? Have a drink or something before you go.”

“No thanks. You’re just going to give me barley tea again.”

“Yeah.”

With that, Kim Bom briskly left as if her business was done.

“So cold-hearted.”

I approached Ducheol, who was in the kitchen, gulping down a bottle of barley tea in one go.
He emptied it cleanly and let out a deep sigh.

“Phew… those damn bastards…”

“What happened?”

“Hyung…”

Ducheol, looking pitiful, asked me if he really looked like a criminal.

“Who said that? You’ve got a kind of cute look.”

“Really?”

Ducheol grinned and explained the incident that had just happened.
Junsoo, an unidentified student, and the misunderstanding that led the police to question Ducheol for something the student had done.
If Junsoo and Kim Bom hadn’t been there, he might’ve ended up in jail tonight because there were no CCTVs in the area.

“Junsoo used a low kick? In a real situation?”

“Yes, Hyung. It was worth training him in that technique.”

“But the other guy wasn’t fazed at all?”

“Yes, Hyung. That’s why Junsoo seems so disappointed.”

With a troubled expression, Ducheol gazed out the kitchen window.
In one corner of the yard lay the sandbag Junsoo used to train.

“I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow. By the way, Ducheol.”

“Yes, Hyung.”

“I don’t want to drink this anymore.”

I pointed at the barley tea sitting on the dining table.
‘Jeongga Barley.’
It’s something I’ve been holding during every broadcast lately—not because I’m paid to advertise it, but because it’s my father’s food company’s product.
Barely staying afloat, the company clings to this single beverage for survival.

“I’m sick of it. Really sick.”

“Hm, I’m fine with it. We stock only this in our gym.”

“Do you? But…”

When I trailed off, Ducheol’s expression turned serious.

“I’m sorry, Hyung. No updates on the safe yet.”

“Ahem.”

I told him not to rush, but it’s starting to get to me.
I didn’t expect it to take this long.

My father’s company is like a candle in the wind—teetering on the brink of collapse.
The only thing I can rely on is that safe, but I have no idea where it’s gone.

“Where on earth could it be…?”

Until I find it, I can support the family with living expenses, but I can’t improve the company’s situation.

“Oh, Hyung.”

“What?”

“That student we met earlier…”

“In the parking lot?”

“Yes. I just realized something—he kind of looked like you when you were younger.”

“Oh, so he was that handsome?”

“I’m talking about Jinseong-hyung.”

“…I’ve made women cry, you know.”

“Sorry? You, Hyung? The one who’s been secluded from ordinary women for 35 years? Surely you don’t mean that literally… Wait, did you secretly hit women?”

Ducheol’s lips twitched as if suppressing laughter.
His attitude toward me has changed a lot, just like this.

Even after spending a long time together, the subtle sense of distance between us had started to fade.

“Ducheol, how’s it going with the nail salon owner?”

“……”

“I overheard you talking with Choo Minji. She said she got married to another guy?”

“……”

“Ha, what are you going to do about the tattoo on your butt now?”

“Hyung, I wasn’t going to bring this up, but…”

“Then don’t.”

“Ever since you became Jung Seojoon, you’ve been holding grudges a bit…”

“Grudges? I don’t know about that. If anything, I’d call it sensitivity.”

****

Lunch break at school.
The rooftop overlooked the entire field below.
Eom Deokgu, leaning against the wall, twisted his ankle and scowled.

“Hah, this is ridiculous.”

Ever since he blocked a low kick from some model student yesterday, his leg had been sore.
If even a goody-two-shoes packed that kind of punch, he was curious what kind of place Poonggwang High was.

But high expectations often lead to disappointment.

“What kind of school is this peaceful?”

It was his first day after transferring to Poonggwang High.
This was his fifth transfer, and he had no intention of behaving here either.
He planned to cause an even bigger incident this time—one his father couldn’t fix.

He’d arrived late on purpose and headed straight for the rooftop.
Usually, this was the kind of place where troublemakers hung out, perfect for stirring up conflict.
But the rooftop was nothing like that.

Colorful flowerbeds lined the area, and the center featured canopies and benches.
It looked more like a rooftop garden than a potential trouble spot.

“Guess this isn’t it…”

He’d heard online that a video filmed on Poonggwang High’s rooftop had gone viral, but it seemed he’d been mistaken.

“Damn it…”

He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth. Just as he was about to light it, the rooftop door slammed open, and a group of students entered.

They were an ordinary-looking mix of boys and girls.
Laughing and chatting, they froze when they saw Deokgu.

“Huh?”
“Oh, uh…”

Deokgu smirked.

“What are you staring at, you punks?”

He assumed they’d avoid eye contact and retreat, like all the others before them.
But their next actions were entirely unexpected.

“You can’t smoke up here.”
“What if the president sees?”
“Oh, that’s the new transfer student from the next class.”

They promptly lost interest and moved under the canopy, chatting amongst themselves.

‘…What the hell?’

Their pure, naive reactions caught him off guard.

One by one, more students poured onto the rooftop.
They all glanced at Deokgu briefly before returning to their lively conversations.

“……”

Feeling out of place, Deokgu shoved the cigarette back into his pocket.
It felt like he’d wandered into a space he didn’t belong.

Eventually, he left the rooftop without a word. That’s when he noticed the writing on the door.

– Access restricted to orchestra club members.
– Student Council Jung Seojoon.

“What the hell is this?”

The word “orchestra” jogged his memory of what the prefect teacher had said earlier.

“We’ll accept you on the condition that you join the orchestra club. After school, go see Teacher Seo Sooji.”

What’s the big deal about this orchestra club?
And who is this Jung Seojoon?
Does the student council here actually enforce discipline?

Deokgu grabbed a male student passing by.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

“Where do kids smoke around here?”

“What? Why would anyone smoke at school?”

“……”

The boy’s matter-of-fact tone left Deokgu speechless.

“Hah… Fine, then what’s the orchestra club? Who’s Jung Seojoon?”

The boy’s expression shifted at the mention of Jung Seojoon.
Someone who hadn’t flinched at Deokgu’s presence was now visibly uneasy.

“W-Why are you asking about him?”

“Just shut up and answer.”

“Try the auditorium…”

The fear in the boy’s eyes was unmistakable, as if he were recalling someone untouchable.
Deokgu knew that look well—it was the same one people had when they faced his father.

‘Who the hell is Jung Seojoon?’

He headed straight for the auditorium, but on the way, he stumbled upon a secluded area.
Delighted, he stepped in, only to find the prefect teacher watering plants there.

“Tut-tut, judging by the look on your face, you came here to smoke, didn’t you?”

The teacher clicked his tongue and mimicked smoking with his fingers.
Unfazed, Deokgu mirrored the gesture.

“Yeah, where should I go?”

“Hah, this crazy kid… Hey, brat. With a father like yours, shouldn’t you be setting a better example?”

At the mention of his father, Deokgu bristled.

“Oh, come on! Why are you bringing up my dad here?”

With a rebellious gleam in his eyes, the student council teacher scoffed.

“Ugh, what a punk. Just go to the auditorium.”

Without a word, Eom Deokgu turned around. He made a show of pulling out his cigarette and headed toward the auditorium.
As he walked, a question arose in his mind.

There were plenty of students in the school and on the field, so why was this area so eerily deserted? Why were all the windows in this part of the building covered so tightly?
It felt as though this place was isolated from the rest of the school.

Then he saw her.

“Oh…”

A familiar girl passed by. It was the female student he had encountered in the underground parking lot yesterday—Kim Bom, if he remembered correctly.
Her striking appearance had left a strong impression.

“She’s insanely pretty.”

He remembered how Kim Bom had reported him yesterday, which led to a scolding from his father. That was all, though—no legal consequences followed.

 “Welcome!”

Kim Bom walked into the auditorium, greeted by someone’s enthusiastic voice.
Deokgu followed her to the entrance of the auditorium, where the door was firmly shut.

A large male student stood idly in front of it. Judging by his appearance, he seemed like one of the delinquent types Deokgu had been looking for.

“Wow, you’ve got some scale here. Is the auditorium your hideout?”

“Who are you?”

“Who am I? Move if you don’t want to get your ass kicked.”

Unexpectedly, the boy didn’t retaliate with insults or aggression. Instead, he just smiled faintly.

“Oh, so you’re the new transfer student?”

“…Yeah.”

“Alright, I’ll move. But first, could you sign this?”

The boy pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Deokgu.

Without examining it too closely, Deokgu gathered that it was a non-disclosure agreement.

“Don’t reveal anything that happens inside?”

“Yep.”

“All of it?”

“That’s right.”

“Damn, I’m actually grateful for that.”

Deokgu scrawled his signature with the pen provided and handed it back.
The boy opened the door for him.

From inside came the sound of groaning and unpleasant instrumental noises.
As Deokgu stepped in, he was hit by the strong scent of chamomile.

Simultaneously, dozens of eyes turned to him.

“Heh.”

In the large, air-conditioned auditorium, there were about thirty male students.
They all exuded an air of delinquency, unmistakable even at a glance.

The students were split into two groups.
One group was performing synchronized sit-stands with their arms around each other’s shoulders, while the other was seated at desks, flipping through books.

“What is this…?”

As Deokgu stared in bewilderment, one of the students approached him. Judging by his name tag, he was a third-year.

“Transfer student?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, you’re really tall. Anyway, you’re here to register for the orchestra club, right? Grab a form and head up to the second flo—”

“No.”

Deokgu interrupted, grabbing the third-year by the neck.

“Guh…”

“I’m here to beat the crap out of you.”

 Murmurs.

The scattered students rose and began gathering around.
Deokgu glanced around, counting their numbers, and froze.

Their eyes didn’t show anger.
Instead, they were filled with a faint sense of anticipation.

“…What’s with you guys?”

One of the students in the crowd casually said, “Just get it over with and go to the second floor.”

“Second floor?”

“Yeah, go meet Jung Seojoon.”

“Oh, Jung Seojoon.”

Deokgu smirked and looked up at the second floor, where he saw Kim Bom entering a room.

“Oh, so she’s like Jung Seojoon’s girlfriend or something?”

He turned his gaze back to the third-year he was holding by the neck. Letting go, he muttered:

“But why should I go up? He should come down.”

Smack!

Deokgu lashed out with his leg, striking the boy on the side of the head.