...
...
...
[ Rooftop~ ]
They packed up the Tupperware in tandem, an organized, silent routine. Their hands brushed together over the bright blue blanket, lingering for a second before Cassius kissed her knuckles.
Gaining a gentle smile from Ah-Rin.
...
...
...
Before long, they made their way down the heavy concrete stairwell, the suffocating scent of chalk dust and teenage anxiety hitting them the second they crossed the threshold.
At the junction of the second floor, the chaotic hum of the hallway swallowed them. They shared one last lingering glance, a quiet promise of later, and parted ways to their respective, miserable classes.
Ah-Rin went left.
Cassius went right.
Mere minutes later, Cassius was back in his seat, stationed perfectly at the 'protagonist' seat in the far left back corner.
The remaining periods instantly blurred into white noise. The history teacher was droning on about something involving the Joseon dynasty, speaking in a monotone so lethal it could be weaponized for crowd control.
Nonetheless, this was still sooo boring~!
Cassius rested his chin heavily on his palm, his mind wandering far beyond the chalk-dusted chalkboard.
He had real-world priorities to handle.
And in doing so, he thought of his grandmother. The elderly woman had been the sole, steady pillar during his violently chaotic transition into this world.
Park Jung-hee.
His gorgeous, but short tempered grandma. She has that African Mom way of raising children. Very scary lady, even to someone like Cassius.
He still loves the crap out of her, though.
He mentally cataloged the state of their cramped kitchen. Did she need a fresh supply of tofu? Probably. Green onions, definitely. Milk, tea, and maybe a fresh jar of those spicy pickled radishes she loved to stress-eat while watching her evening dramas.
He'd get them anyway. Better to have them than have a disappointed grandma.
His thoughts then shifted down the hierarchy to his younger siblings.
His brother and sister were likely enduring their own tedious afternoon classes right now, internally cursing the educational system just like he was. He could just picture his brother's will to live fade, his sisters try-hard mode to keep her stoic face up.
A faint, genuine smile touched the corner of his lips, hidden entirely by his hand.
He ought to grab some lollipops on the way back. And the premium chocolate bars. None of that cheap, waxy garbage from the discount aisle. A little sugar always made their evenings brighter. And honestly? Bribing them for peace and quiet was the best tactical investment he could make all week.
Cause damn... those little shits have mastered the "Brat" skill.
When the final bell finally rang, dismissing the student body, Cassius slipped out of class in seconds, moving right into his well-worn routine.
He met Ah-Rin at the school gates, lazily interlacing his fingers with hers as they walked the familiar route to her neighborhood.
From the observations Cassius did, he noted that Ah-Rin was still feeling the effects he had caused on the rooftop. The embarrassment, and shyness she was trying really hard to hide.
Cassius didn't ease it down to help her. Nah~, If anything, he teased it even more. Adding more wood onto the sparks sizzling faintly.
Which, naturally as always, cured all of his boredom. Seeing the blushes, the adorable glares, the hiding from him out of embarrassment, was entertaining as hell.
The golden hour cast a warm hue over the streets, their shadows stretching long against the pavement.
Upon reaching her front door, he greeted her mother with a polite, respectful bow, projecting the image of a perfectly responsible high school boyfriend.
Though, it was all in vain, because her mother already knew how he was and found it weird but good weird and different.
But that's just how Cassius was: Respectful. Especially to modern day MILFs.
"Well, I better get back to it. Nice seeing you again, Cassius." Ah-Rin's mother told them.
"You too," He said right after.
Step~ Step~ Step~
The second her mother was out of sight, gracefully walikng back to the incredibly, nice smelling kitchen, Ah-Rin dropped the defensive posture.
She stepped up to him, closing the distance in a single, fluid motion. Her hands shot out, grabbing the lapels of his school blazer with surprising force, and she yanked him downward.
Mmm~!
It wasn't like the frantic, desperate collision she had pulled off on the rooftop. This was deep. Breathless. A heavy, lingering press of lips that tasted like undeniable devotion. She kissed him like she was trying to extract the sarcasm right out of his lungs.
When she finally pulled back, she kept her hands tangled in his blazer, her dark eyes looking up at him through her lashes.
"Cya~," she whispered, her voice delightfully husky. "Make sure you message me when you get back, okay~?"
Cassius stared down at her, letting the warmth of the moment wash over him. It was a nice moment. Genuinely. But the biological urge to completely ruin her carefully constructed romantic composure was simply too strong to ignore.
He reached up, lightly tapping two fingers against his forehead in a lazy, completely unbothered salute.
"I'll even attach a high-resolution, artistically lit dick pic," he murmured, his tone playful. "Just to keep morale high. And you, 'satis~fied'~"
"Ehh~?"
The heavy, romantic tension instantly shattered.
Ah-Rin froze. Her brain visibly stalled for a half-second as the words registered. Then, her face turned the color of a fire engine... again.
"Cassius!" she hissed, her husky tone falling into a mortified squeak. She let go of his lapels like they were radioactive, violently slapping his shoulder. "Why would you say that!? Let me remind you that you're literally standing on my mother's porch! What the hell is wrong with your brain?!"
"I'm just offering premium+ subscriber benefits, Rin," he reasoned, not even flinching at the slap.
"Ewww! Stop! Don't say stuff like that where she can hear you~~!" She grabbed his shoulders, physically spinning him around and shoving him toward the steps. "Go! Go buy your stupid tofu!"
He let her push him, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. A wicked, impossibly smug grin stretched across his perfect features.
"Top-down angle or full body~?" he called out over his shoulder. "Most differently full body, right~? You do like my ass, remember~!"
"UGHHH! SHUSH, CASSIUS!"
The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind him with the force of a small earthquake. A second later, the deadbolt clicked audibly into place. She had literally barricaded herself inside out of sheer, overwhelming embarrassment, and shyness.
Cassius huffed a quiet laugh, his chest vibrating with pure amusement.
"Too easy~."
Still grinning, he stepped off the porch and began the trek toward the local store. He had a grocery list to execute, and, apparently, a photoshoot to plan.
...
...
...
[ Seven minutes later: ]
The sun dipped lower, painting the sky in bruised shades of purple and orange. Just as the illuminated sign of the convenience store came into his view, a harsh chorus of voices broke the evening calm.
Laughter. Cruel, mocking, and loud.
Cassius paused near the entrance, the sudden familiarity of the loudness halting him.
In the adjacent alleyway, a group of upperclassmen had a younger boy pinned against the brickwor, who was trembling like a new born pup. It was a classic shakedown. Bullies extracting their daily toll.
A holy cliché, to be honest.
Cassius just watched, but as if something or someone had whispered a forgotten memory back to existence, he started reaching into his pocket to retrieve his wallet.
Once obtained, he flipped it open.
A meager few bills stared back at him. He mentally calculated the cost of his groceries for his grandmother and the expensive chocolates for his siblings.
"Well, fuck me sideways..."
He was short. And the money he was about to get today wouldn't be in till later. He had zero intention of waiting, either.
So...
A dark, dangerous amusement flickered in his eyes.
Tucking the wallet away, Cassius cracked his neck, moving away from the store entrance. The thugs were too busy emptying the victim's backpack to notice the approaching shadow.
Cassius did not announce himself. That's stupid.
What he was broke into a dead sprint.
The closest bully turned from the sudden noise approaching, his eyes widening in shock just as Cassius launched himself off the asphalt.
He planted his left foot against the alley's brick wall, Cassius defied gravity for a split second, using the vertical surface to propel himself higher.
He spun through the air, his right heel connecting with the bully's jaw in a devastating, fluid arc.
FWIP~CRACK!!!
The impact sounded like a cracking whip. The thug, because let's call them what they are, crumpled into an unconscious heap before his knees even hit the ground.
THUMP~!!
Cassius landed with a slow, graceful step, his balance a breathtaking perfect, his hands casually slipping back into his pockets.
The remaining three bullies stared at him in paralyzed, stunned horror. He had not caught a speck of dust marring on his uniform, standing before them like an executioner ready to collect 'his' own toll.
...
...
...
[ First POV: Cassius. ]
The wet, meaty smack of skull against brick echoed down the narrow alleyway. The kid I'd just rearranged folded like a cheap chair, out cold before his kneecaps even kissed the asphalt.
Gravity did the rest of the work, depositing him in a pathetic heap beside a rusted dumpster.
Once ol' mate wakes up, he'll surely be stunned to find out he was now dating a dumpster, all for that passionate smooch he gave when he got knocked out.
Poor bastard.
I let out a slow exhale, checking the toe of my sneaker. Tragic. Ruined a perfectly good scuff-free streak for a guy who embodied the meaning of "failure".
The remaining three thugs were statues. Mouths unhinged. Eyes bulging out of their sockets. They were waiting for something. A heroic lecture, probably. A righteous monologue about picking on the weak.
Was I? Was me, Cassius Park, really about to give a tear shedding monologue about being good...? Fuck, no!
Instead, I shifted my weight and planted the sole of my shoe directly on the knocked-out kid's ear.
Thud~~!
I didn't say a word. I just drove my heel down.
Krrrrk~crunch!
A sickening, wet crunch resonated through the alley. The unconscious kid spasmed violently, making my own leg vibrate.
To make sure he stayed asleep for awhile, I casually punted the side of his head like a stray soccer ball. Shhhhrrkk He skidded a few inches into the shadows, limp as wet laundry.
"NNNNGH!"
The closest standing bully whimpered, a high, reedy sound that scraped the back of his throat.
I dusted off my hands for absolutely no reason, strolling over to him with all the urgency of a man browsing the produce aisle. This dude had one terrible bowl cut. Trembling so hard his teeth were visibly clacking together.
I closed the distance, slinging a heavy, familiar arm around his shoulders. He flinched, shrinking into himself, but I just pulled him closer, giving his collarbone a friendly, bone-bruising squeeze.
"Rough day, huh?" I murmured, leaning in close enough for him to hear the smile in my voice. "You know, the economy is in shambles. Inflation is a real killer these days. A carton of eggs costs an arm and a leg,"
"Even simple bread is a kidney now. It really is a rough day, man..."
After I said that, I patted at his chest, right over his drumming heart.
"C'mon, man~," I crooned, tilting my head to stare at the side of his eyes. "Why not do somethin' different and help a poverty kid out~."
Bowl Cut let out a sound that was half-sob, half-hiccup. His hands moved like jittery birds, diving into his pockets and producing a crumpled handful of bills. He shoved them toward my chest, refusing to make eye contact for a mere millisecond.
"T-take it. That's all of it, I swear. Just don't..."
I snatched the wad, thumbing through the faded currency quickly. I sighed. Loudly.
"Bro. What is this shit~?" I held up a frayed thousand-won note, waving it in front of his face. "Are you holding out on me? This barely covers the tofu my grandma likes. You're out here shaking down children and bringing in these rookie numbers? Check the other pocket."
"I don't have---!"
"Then fuckin' empty the socks, Bowl Cut."
He dropped to the pavement, leaving my arm suspended int the air, as he started tearing off his sneakers with frantic, trembling fingers.
Picc~ Picc~
Two more folded bills fell out. I scooped them up immediately, patting his cheek patronizingly, and left him weeping quietly on the asphalt.
I turned my attention to the remaining two. Who already had their wallets out.
"Eager for me to take your money, I see. I'm quite honored."
They weren't fighting back. They weren't even thinking about fighting or running. The air in the alley had grown heavy, thick with the suffocating, cold pressure I let bleed out of my pores.
Call it an aura.
Call it the lingering stench of a former child soldier who used to paint rooms with people. Whatever it was, it had their nervous systems locked right the fuck down.
Their primitive lizard brains were screaming at them to play dead.
"Contributions to the Cassius Grocery Foundation," I said, plucking the cash right out of their shaking hands. "Generous. Truly. The community thanks you."
I stacked the bills, flattening the creases. It was a decent haul. Enough for the good beef, fresh vegetables, and the imported Swiss chocolate my sister liked.
A highly successful withdrawal.
I flicked the edge of the stack, folding it into my pocket, and leaned casually against the brick wall.
"Alright, embarrassments to the game. Question time." I pointed a finger gun at the tallest one, a kid with a lip ring and maybe other rings elsewhere. "What school do you degenerates claim? And don't bore me with lies. I hate liars even though I am one."
"Daemyung," the kid squeaked out, his voice cracking twice in one word. "Daemyung High."
"Mhmmm~. Good academic program, I hear." I crossed my arms, tilting my head toward the slowly darkening sky. "Now, every localized parasite chain has a manager. Who's your big bad boss baby~?"
They exchanged a fleeting, panicked look. Ratting out a boss was a fast track to the hospital in this city's twisted hierarchy. So, they chose the wiser option, to just tremble in fear.
"....."
"....."
"....."
The silence stretched for two seconds too long.
I sighed, shifting my weight, and let my gaze drop lazily back to the unconscious kid bleeding quietly into the drain grating. But my gaze moved to my side, landing on the other kid I just traumatized, he so happened to be close by me, so,
I lifted my foot.
"Kang Seok!" Bowl Cut shrieked from the ground, covering his head with his arms. "It's Kang Seok! He runs our district!"
"Kang Seok." I rolled the name around my mouth. Sounded terribly generic, not gonna lie. "Okay. Important follow-up question. Pay close attention, because your continued ability to chew solid food depends on it."
I pushed off the wall, stepping right into their personal space. The tall kid stopped breathing entirely, my left eye caught it almost instantly. I lowered my voice to a dead serious, conspiratorial whisper.
"He rich~?"
<><><><><><>
END.