166 - Upki Girl

< Could It Make the Evening News... > A small living room is visible through the cracked open door. Two young men are sprawled out comfortably, as if in their own home, chuckling over something on their smartphones. A quick scan reveals that although they seem a bit cheeky, their physique hasn't quite matured, resembling middle schoolers—scrawny and not yet fully developed. At least for now, that's a relief. If things were to get troublesome, I reckon I could handle them with the confidence of an adult. Even if the cliché "What’s it to you, mister? Kids these days are scary, so better mind your own business" from movies and dramas were to come into play, they wouldn't seem too intimidating. If this situation is indeed school violence, then I should obviously contact the police. I aimed the action cam lens into the house, capturing the boys’ faces, just in case it could serve as evidence. The boys, engrossed in what seemed like a game, were oblivious to the situation outside. Eunbit and Yujun were also out of the loop. “Huh… what?” "Whoa, what’s with Hoseok suddenly popping out of nowhere?" They recognized each other, clearly flustered. Yujun stood frozen in place while Eunbit was all over the place, babbling incoherently, already messing up the names. “Ugh, what to do now? The candles aren’t fully lit, making things awkward… Oh, whatever!” In the end, he pushed a half-lit cake box towards Yujun and started singing the birthday song. Even doing a little shoulder dance to add to the cheer. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, dear Hoseok~ Happy birthday to you~ Clap, clap, clap!” Wait a minute, he's Yujun, not Hoseok. Curse that Hoseok's ghost. “C’mon, don’t be shy, Hoseok! Blow out the candles! Hoo! Hoo!” “Huh…? I’m not Hoseok, though…” “What? Oh no, sorry, sorry, my big mistake! You’re Yujun, right? Hahaha!” The ruckus Eunbit was making finally clued in the people inside about what was happening outside. Right, from their expressions, they’re definitely tense now. It looks like they didn’t expect anyone to come at this hour, leaving them as stunned as deer caught in headlights on a Kangwon-do road. I closed the front door and spoke to the petrified Yujun. “You know who I am, right?” “Yes, you’re Eunbit from UpGirl…” “Did you see the Valentine’s Day event on Cocoa?” “Yes…” Yujun nodded and nervously continued. “But I didn’t apply…” “Your mom did. I just met her on the way here.” “Oh…” “I heard today’s your birthday.” “Yes…” “Hey, the candles are wilting. Let’s blow them out first!” “Uh, yeah. This is all a gift prepared by Eunbit.” “Happy birthday, Yujun!” “Thank you… Hoo!” “Well done blowing them out… Oh, no!” Eunbit, still not fully understanding the situation, playfully pretended to hurl the cake at Yujun’s face and chuckled as he flinched. I asked again. “Are the kids inside your friends?” “Uh…” He hesitated, dragging out his response. “If you’re being bullied, don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility and help you out. Did those guys make you say you were alone when your mom called earlier?” Yujun, who had been nervously biting his lip, nodded hesitantly. “They’re not your friends, right?” “Yes…” He was so suppressed and fearful that just answering brought tears to his eyes. “Do they come and hang out at your place whenever your mom goes to work?” Nodding again. Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, Eunbit gasped and placed the cake down, gently patting Yujun's back to comfort him in a surprisingly mature manner. “Oh dear… It’s okay, it’s okay. It must have been tough for you, Yujun, right?” At that, tears rolled down Yujun’s cheeks. He was just as his mother had described, a shy and introverted child. Admitting to being bullied was likely the bravest thing he had ever done. Perhaps the belief that someone notable like Eunbit would help him spurred him on. So, having reached out to him, I had to see this through to the end, and my immediate priority was to reassure Yujun. Handing the car keys to Eunbit, I instructed her. “Eunbit, take Yujun to the car. Call his mom, explain the situation, and ask her to come quickly.” Startled, Yujun pleaded. “Can’t we just not tell my mom?” “You’re worried about her, but she’s much stronger than you think. This is no time to be worrying about her. I’ll handle it, so go downstairs, okay? Eunbit, get him down there quickly and call his mom.” “Got it!” I placed the action cam on the stairs leading up to the fourth floor, then picked up the cake and gift boxes from the floor, handing them to the two of them. Just as Eunbit and Yujun were about to head down with their things— Click! From the narrowly open door emerged a man’s face, rough and unshaven. Wait, there was an adult here? He wore thick glasses that made his eyes look small, and his skin was bumpy like an orange peel, thick, with cheaply dyed glossy brown hair—a MacGyver-style look. Dressed in matching red Adidas tracksuits, he tried to come out, and since I was blocking the door, I stepped aside to let him through. Peering out from the entrance, he scanned the three of us—me, Yujun, and Eunbit—and asked Yujun sharply. “Who are these people?” I countered with a question of my own. “And who might you be?” He responded nonchalantly. “I’m just a classmate of Yujun’s.” Both Eunbit and I were taken aback. "Huh? Friend?" His thick glasses and unkempt skin, combined with his outdated hairstyle, made it hard to gauge his age. But upon closer inspection, I realized that his scraggly beard was nothing more than peach fuzz, and his demeanor was more akin to a student trying to act mature. Ah, during my school days, there were always one or two kids like that. But the ones I remember were so low-profile that by the end of the school year, I could only recall their faces, not their names. This guy, however, was different—full of rebelliousness, reckless bravado, and hostility, standing out intimidatingly compared to the other two behind him. He seemed to be around the high 170s in height and had a solid build. Kind of like the eldest son of a rice shop from the 80s, helping out with family business from a young age. He appeared to be the leader and had likely emerged from another room after hearing the commotion in the living area. Hmm. It's a fact that rowdy kids are most dangerous during their ignorant middle school years... As expected. With a shameless expression that showed he didn't care about adults, he theatrically spoke to Yujun. "Oh Yujun, you said you were buying ramen, so why didn't you put on your jacket? It's cold, you gotta wear a jacket." Ah, this kid was really underestimating me. "Hey, I'm Yujun’s uncle..." "He doesn’t have an uncle. You’re Oh Yujun, right? You told me you didn’t have any relatives." "Why does it have to be a blood uncle? I’m a close friend of Yujun’s mother." "Oh, I see. Hello." What a little punk. Not that I was scared. His reactions threw off all the scenarios I'd planned in my head. "Well, since uncle is here, I guess we should go. Hey, give me my clothes." He signaled to the ones behind him like he was issuing commands, then turned to Yujun with a sly grin. "Oh Yujun, contact us when uncle leaves, okay?" The two inside quickly gathered their clothes and came to the entrance. They exchanged nonchalant comments about being hungry and whether they should go to someone’s house to cook ramen while slipping on their shoes. Fine, let's send them on their way for now. I could discuss with Yujun's mom and decide whether to report them to the police. That was my plan. Except... "No way are you little brats running off..." Whoa! Eunbit, who had been standing quietly, grabbed the shoulder of the red tracksuit as it tried to slip past her. "You’re not Yujun’s friends, are you? You always come to bully him, don't you?" "No, we're not. You can ask Yujun directly. Hey, Oh Yujun, did we bully you?" Their attitude toward Eunbit ignited my own anger. “Don’t answer that, Yujun. You don’t have to say anything. Are you guys so confident? What if I report you to the police right here?” “Go ahead.” “Fine, just wait here.” “One thing though, why are you ordering us around like this? Not even our parents talk to us that way.” The red tracksuit yanked at Eunbit’s delicate wrist with such force. “Hey, let go of me!” —Wham! “Ow!” He hit her so hard she nearly spun around. At that moment, my core principles—rationality, efficiency, logic, calmness, and acting after thinking—vanished, and an emotion I'd never felt surged through me like a blazing fire. “You little punk!” Before I knew it, I had grabbed the kid's collar and slammed him against the neighbor’s door. —Bang! “Mommy!” Startled by the loud noise from the metal door, Eunbit covered her ears and winced. If I hadn’t seen how frightened she was, I might have thrown a punch or a soccer kick at the red tracksuit still on the cake. Even he was curled up in a defensive posture, braced for impact. But now, a late wave of shame swept over me. Here I was, almost double this 16-year-old’s age, engaging in a brawl… What would it look like if society saw a former chief of Daehyun Construction and a current hum-along planning manager stooping to this level? “Geez… what am I doing?” “Oppa, don’t! Don’t hit him…” “Eunbit, are your arms okay?” “Yeah, I’m fine, so don’t be mad. I messed up.” “Eesh, it’s not your fault. Let me see your arm. Your skin bruises easily with just a little bump.” Sure enough, when I rolled up her sleeve, there was already a red mark that would likely turn into a blue bruise. Her hair, styled nicely for Valentine's Day, was now disheveled and messy. “Dressing up all pretty for Valentine's, and you have to deal with a jerk like this…” “Don’t curse, oppa…” She seemed surprised, seeing me so agitated for the first time. If I was this annoyed with myself, imagine how Eunbit felt. The red tracksuit was curled up on the squashed cake box, while the other two were nervously huddled inside the entrance. Even Hoejun, awkwardly perched on the staircase to the second floor, was trembling against the wall with his hands clutched in front of him. “Hoejun, call your mom and tell her to come home. She’ll have to come if we go to the police anyway. Do it inside. Why are you out here when it’s your house?” “Yes…” “The rest of you, out.” The two other scrawny boys switched places with Hoejun and stayed inside. “Sniff…” Then the strangest thing—Eunbit, who had been on the verge of tears, suddenly erupted into laughter. “What, what’s so funny?” “Dummy, haha… it’s Yujun, not Hoejun…” "Did I say Hoejun? Darn Hoseok..." "Ehehe... hehe..." "Make up your mind, are you going to laugh or cry?" "I don't know, I'll do both. Ehhehehe..." Eunbit’s mix of laughter and tears completely dissolved my irritation. Sensing the shift to a lighter mood, one of the skinny kids, the one with a two-block haircut, hesitantly addressed me. "Uncle..." "What?" "I'm sorry, but... could you not report us to the police...?" "What?" "My dad is really scary... if he finds out I went to the police, I’m done for... please, we're begging you." Seeing them on their knees, pleading through tears, they finally looked like the 9th graders they were supposed to be. Beside him, the bespectacled skinny kid also knelt, displaying the reluctant resolve of a samurai poised for ritual suicide. Wow... the more I thought about it, the more it stung my pride. Exploding with emotions over some middle schoolers whining about their scary dads... Ugh! My mental state was as shattered as that trampled birthday cake. "Uncle... Mom wants to talk to you," said Yujun as he handed the phone over. "Here, take it..." "Hello, ma'am. It seems Yujun has been a victim of school violence. Yes, at home. Three kids. I intend to report it to the police, but let me call you back. Yes." After finishing the call with Yujun's mom, the two kids continued to wail, insisting their parents had no idea about their behavior. However, I reported them to the police without hesitation, and less than five minutes later, a squad car arrived. I was concerned there might be issues regarding me pushing the kid earlier, but it was never even mentioned. Their ongoing abuse towards Yujun completely overshadowed it. Yujun bore bruises consistent with being hit, his testimony was vivid and detailed, as if the events had just occurred, and the perpetrators confessed under police pressure. The investigation revealed that Yujun had been bullied for a year. From the sixth month onward, he was so crushed he began posting will-like messages two or three times a day on a private social media account. He had meticulously recorded the dates, circumstances, and evidence of assaults and bullying, providing undeniable proof. In a dark hole where ending his life seemed inevitable, it wasn’t family or friends who held onto Yujun, but rather a meme featuring Eunbit that had caught his attention. It was a clip of her significant moment with a red seabream that had gone viral on the portal. "Oppa, I think I need to become even more famous." After giving our statements for over an hour and returning to the police station lobby, these were Eunbit’s first words to me. "Why's that?" "Although the seabream died, Yujun’s life was saved instead." "Right. Now that you mention it, you're right." "If I become more famous and make more appearances to make people laugh, there’s a better chance that someone else like Yujun, who’s having a hard time, might gain courage, right?" "Yes, it could." "I’m kind of amazing, aren’t I?" "Yeah, I’ll give you that for today." "Excuse me, just a moment." Just as we were about to leave the building, a woman’s voice stopped us. A sharp-looking woman in her late twenties identified herself as an intern reporter for K-News Magazine through the badge hanging from her neck. Despite having done nothing wrong, the mere mention of "reporter" instinctively put me on edge. "Why?" I asked. "Are you the idol singer from UpGirl?" She showed us Eunbit’s profile on her phone, already pulled up from a search, and introduced herself precisely. "I'm Kim Chorong, an intern reporter with K-News Magazine." "What do you need from us?" "I heard about the situation from the officer in charge." "Yes?" "I was wondering if I could write an article about today's incident. A story on a girl group stopping school violence... with an interview. The source is great, it might even make the evening news..." "I’ll do it! I definitely want to do it!" < Could It Make the Evening News... > End