Fear.

  No one in the world would be unfamiliar with fear. You can feel fear just by watching a scary movie.

  But that kind of fear could not be compared to what Jihyuk was feeling now.

  Jihyuk was currently experiencing a fear incomparable to anything in the world. This was natural, as there is no greater fear than a threat to one's life.

  They were of the same age, but the kids around him, wearing the same uniform, were by no means friends.

  They were the so-called delinquents and the source of the nightmare that had recently terrorized Jihyuk's friends.

  No one knew how badly they would be injured if they got caught by these guys. No, it would be fortunate if it ended with just injuries.

  All sorts of terrifying rumors were circulating, starting with the story of a student in a certain class who was beaten badly enough to be hospitalized. Since there were actual victims, it was only natural to be terrified.

  His heart was pounding as if it would burst. Of course, he would be afraid when he didn't know what might happen.

  "Are you scared, you little punk?"

  One of the guys dragging him along said that and violently slapped him on the head. For a moment, his head started spinning along with the pain.

  But he couldn't even make a sound. Terrified by their sneering, Jihyuk could only follow along.

  He was dragged along, not knowing where they were going. Then, he was abruptly pushed against a wall.

  "Sorry, but even if you give us everything you have today, we won't let you off easy, okay?"

  The guy who shoved Jihyuk against the wall said that and laughed again.

  It was a typical action.

  A trashy behavior of feeling satisfied by proving their strength.

  Pleased with Jihyuk's terrified expression, they raised their fists to hit Jihyuk.

  "Hey, what are you doing to my little brother?"

  Would this be what it felt like if a lifeline descended from the sky? Jihyuk knew who the voice belonged to.

  It was his older brother, Jihyeon.

  "H-Hyung?"

  Jihyuk stammered in fear, but he couldn't help the tears that welled up, knowing his brother had come.

  "What is it?"

  The delinquents were flustered by the unexpected guest. But perhaps thinking they could easily overpower him if he was alone, their expressions were still confident.

  "We can beat up both of them. An adult must have money, right?"

  "Yeah. It would have been too little just beating up one guy, so this is good."

  "Idiot. Why did he follow us? Worried about his little brother? Trying to show off his greatness."

  The delinquents said that and approached Jihyeon. There were ten of them, and no matter how capable Jihyeon was, it seemed difficult to deal with all of them.

  However, Jihyeon showed no surprise at all.

  "Wouldn't it be better to run away since I've called the police?"

  Jihyeon said that, wearing a cold smile. Jihyuk had never seen Jihyeon make such an expression before.

  A chilling smile.

  It was a look filled with a fury that promised no forgiveness for his opponents. But the delinquents didn't have the intelligence to understand such a thing.

  "H-Hyung?"

  Jihyuk called his brother, perplexed by the unfamiliar expression. But before Jihyeon could answer, the delinquents moved.

  "He's trying to act tough!"

  One of the delinquents in front swung his fist. But Jihyeon did not defend against the attack at all. He didn't even counterattack.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Instead, he merely dodged. There was no physical contact whatsoever. He simply dodged.

  But that was enough to end the situation.

  "Huh?"

  Everyone was astonished. The first guy who swung his fist to hit Jihyeon was now collapsed and trembling violently.

  His appearance was like that of a person who had been electrocuted. He just trembled, couldn't even close his mouth, and was drooling.

  All the delinquents looked bewildered. This was something outside their imagination.

  "W-What is it?"

  The delinquents cried out in shock. Jihyeon also acted as if he was surprised.

  But it was just an act of surprise.

  Jihyuk couldn't understand what was happening at all. He only knew that one delinquent had collapsed.

  "Hey, isn't he sick or something? Should we call an ambulance?"

  Jihyeon said that, looking at the delinquents. But the delinquents were angered by his reaction instead.

  "T-This bastard!"

  Another guy attacked Jihyeon. A straightforward punch coming from the front, without any thought.

  But the overly honest attack didn't reach Jihyeon. Instead, the punch landed squarely on the wall behind Jihyeon.

  "Kuaaaaaak!"

  The angle at which the delinquent's hand was bent looked strange, as if he had punched the wall at a wrong angle.

  Unrealistic.

  Jihyuk found both Jihyeon's evasion and the sight of the delinquent suffering completely unrealistic.

  But now, only eight remained.

  "Hey! Damn it, kill that bastard!"

  With curses, the rest rushed forward. They looked like hungry demons as they charged.

  Perhaps they thought they would succeed if they all attacked at once. But Jihyeon dodged them all without laying a hand on anyone.

  He just narrowly evaded, with his back against the wall.

  That was enough. Trying to follow the agility that could not be expected from the usual Jihyeon, the delinquents began to trip over their own feet and fall one by one.

  "Kwak!"

  Screams.

  They were making painful sounds, as if they had all twisted their ankles. Seeing that some of them were twisted at strange angles, it seemed they were seriously injured.

  Jihyuk had heard that an untrained person who recklessly tries to block the movements of a professional basketball player can injure their knee or ankle.

  But he had never expected to see it with his own eyes.

  "A-Amazing..."

  Jihyuk muttered, watching the seven delinquents fall sequentially. It was the first time his brother, whom he sometimes found unreliable, looked so dependable.

  "This bastard, wh-what did he do?"

  The last remaining delinquent shouted. The guy, who was near Jihyuk, looked completely lost about what to do now.

  "Hey, I didn't do anything to you guys, okay? You all fell down yourselves, and now you're asking me what?"

  Jihyeon said that, looking at the delinquent. His eyes felt devoid of any emotion, but that made them even scarier.

  The last remaining delinquent seemed scared of Jihyeon, but he still shouted, as if believing in something.

  "You crazy bastard! You think you'll get away with making my friends like this when the police arrive?"

  Jihyeon chuckled at the delinquent's words.

  When Jihyeon suddenly laughed, the delinquent seemed to feel ignored and got angry again. But Jihyeon opened his jacket pocket and showed the delinquent what was inside.

  What came out of the chest pocket was a smartphone. The entire situation so far was being recorded on it.

  "Oh, and for your information, this is being live-streamed right now. I can't risk being framed after coming to save my brother, can I?"

  Jihyeon said that and smiled. His confident laughter, which suggested that the delinquents' clumsy tricks wouldn't work, put Jihyuk at ease.

  "Damn it, this bastard is looking down on us!"

  The delinquent couldn't stand it and rushed at him. The momentum he charged with, like a wild boar, seemed impossible for even Jihyeon to avoid.

  But Jihyeon simply dodged lightly.

  Simultaneously, Jihyuk saw it. If his eyes weren't mistaken, it was as if lightning had briefly flashed.

  But was it really lightning?

  Jihyuk couldn't tell. He only knew that the last remaining delinquent had fallen, and the situation was over.

  "Are you okay?"

  Jihyuk nodded at Jihyeon's question as he approached. He couldn't help the tears that started flowing again once he felt safe.

  Jihyeon gently stroked Jihyuk's head and handed him a handkerchief.

  "I'm glad I wasn't too late."

  Jihyuk sighed at Jihyeon's words. His face was a mess from tears, but he seemed relieved to be safe now.

  "But Hyung, when did you become able to move like that?"

  Jihyuk asked, genuinely curious. Jihyeon's movements looked incredible even to Jihyuk's eyes.

  "I've been working out recently."

  Jihyeon only said that and smiled. The smile was no different from his usual brother. Seeing that smile somehow put Jihyuk's mind at ease.

  Perhaps it was the fact that his brother was still his brother, despite suddenly going somewhere alone recently, that reassured Jihyuk.

  "Alright, I'll stop the recording now..."

  Jihyeon looked satisfied at Jihyuk's reassured look and stopped the phone recording. Jihyuk just nodded, knowing that this would now serve as evidence.

  Meanwhile, a siren was heard. It was the police arriving.

  "I'm seeing the police often lately."

  Jihyeon said that and smiled. Jihyuk couldn't help but smile at that comment too. They looked at each other and laughed for a while.

  "What on earth happened here?"

  The arriving police officer looked dumbfounded. Jihyeon handed over his phone and explained what had transpired.

  The police officer watched the video and sighed.

  "I didn't hit anyone, not once."

  Jihyeon said that, claiming self-defense. The video actually proved that Jihyeon hadn't hit anyone even once.

  "We'll have to go to the station to talk. And these guys..."

  The police officer said that and looked around. The fallen delinquents were still suffering. Not one of them dared to think of running away.

  "They are the main culprits of the recent assault cases, right?"

  Jihyeon said that, playing ignorant, and asked if they should call an ambulance. The police officer nodded and offered a bitter smile.

  "I didn't expect these guys to be caught this way..."

  From the perspective of the police officer in charge of public safety, the complete arrest was not a bad thing, regardless of how it happened.

  Although the fact that all of them were injured was a problem, since there was video evidence, there was no need to discuss mutual fault or anything similar.

  "There have been many reports recently, haven't there?"

  Jihyeon said casually, as if he knew nothing. The police officer merely smiled at that.

  Meanwhile, the ambulance arrived. Watching the suffering boys being loaded up and taken away, Jihyeon realized that one task was completed, and he also realized one more thing.

  Who was behind them.

  But that was not for discussion right now. Jihyeon got into the police car and headed to the police station with them.