Life is Easier If You’re Handsome

“Sure, no matter how many times you live your life, not everything sticks in your brain.”

Honestly, how much of those little middle school moments can you really remember?

So, for me, my current middle school life felt pretty much like the first time around.

Except for the major events, of course.

Maybe that’s why it took me a while to remember what kind of guy Kim Min-hyuk was.

He was probably part of one of those infamous bully groups since elementary school.

“Does it even make sense for a bully to tease you when you’re off doing your business?”

It’s something I thought of only after becoming an adult, but back then, it was a big deal.

In elementary school, taking a dump meant you were fair game for teasing.

In severe cases, it could lead to being bullied—one of those life events to remember.

A bully from such an elementary school, huh.

“Wait, no, he must’ve been terrifying.”

Middle school.

This was when bullies really ran wild among us.

The size difference between kids going through puberty and those who weren’t yet was huge.

Maybe because we weren’t fully grown yet, instincts were definitely stronger back then.

Plus, it was the year 2010.

Smartphones were just beginning to spread, and the creepy uncles would show up after school to sell cigarettes to the kids.

That’s the kind of chaotic world I’m talking about.

There were scary older boys at the arcades.

And at the PC bang, there were no designated smoking areas, so people smoked openly.

In hindsight, it was like a lawless time compared to now.

But in such an age, a bully? Of course, they were gonna be scary.

Sneaky glances.

Side-eyeing.

Sitting in the back row, I could feel a lot of eyes on me.

Normally, during the first semester of middle school, the class should be bustling with chatter.

But everyone was on edge, watching me like I was the main character or something.

“Why am I the enforcer here?”

I just wanted to be in the position of the ridiculously good-looking kid in class.

I desperately wanted to avoid being that terrifying figure that scared everyone.

So here’s what I concluded:

“Hey.”

“Uh, uh, uh…”

First, I should greet my desk buddy.

Kim Min-hyuk and his gang moved to the front, leaving me with the floating kid in the back.

Even after the first day, this kid hadn’t formed a group yet.

Chubby cheeks showing signs of baby fat, a body anyone could tell was overweight.

Small in stature and slightly slow to react.

“That’s me.”

The image was reminding me of my past self.

I had been told I was ugly since childhood, so my confidence took a hit.

Still feeling awkward, I looked like a deer caught in headlights whenever a classmate talked to me.

Each part of him was just like me.

“What’s your name?”

“I-I… I’m K-K-Kang Sik.”

“Kang Sik?”

“Uh, y-yeah, I’m K-Kang Sik. N-N-no, I’m K-K-Kang Sik.”

“I’m Kim Donghu. Let’s be friends.”

The beginnings of school can’t help but be filled with awkward scenes.

We introduced ourselves, asking to be buddies, hang out together, become friends—all those lines I only ever saw in shonen manga.

But hey, that’s the flavor of the new semester.

“Uh, uh, uh…”

I can feel it.

Everyone is focused on the conversation between Kang Sik and me.

“Guess they’re all trying to gauge me.”

Whether I’m the scary type like Kim Min-hyuk or a friendly guy.

At 14, that’s an especially cautious age, so I had to be careful.

“I need to show them I’m harmless.”
“I have to show that I’m harmless.”

What’s the best connection when guys are chatting?

Of course, it’s games. There’s no better conversation starter than games.

“What games do you play?”

“I, I play… uh, animals…”

“Animal Tekken?”

“No, farming…”

“…That mini-game you play in Junior Knives?”

“Yep.”

Oh no, this is bad.

I haven’t played that!

In a panic, I thought I needed to say something, anything, so I blurted out:

“Do you do any sports? What’s your favorite sport?”

“S-sports? Um…”

“I’ve been practicing mixed martial arts. It’s been about seven years now?”

“Huh?”

The “huh?” sound didn’t come from Kang Sik.

It was a gasp from Min-hyuk, who was glancing at me.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

I was responding as softly as possible to Min-hyuk’s surprise.

But the kids seemed to think differently and quickly bowed their heads.

What’s up with you guys?

“Wow, our class is way too quiet for a new semester. Are only quiet kids here? Haha.”

The homeroom teacher, Teacher Jang Boseok, had come for a check-up.

No one answered his question.

Just the silence of quiet sheep filled the air.

+++++

Why are school bullies so intimidating?

It’s because they act in packs like wild dogs.

Known commonly as the term ‘backing.’

In a shounen manga style, if you take one down, it turns out that one is just the weakest among the Four Heavenly Kings, and then the next step comes.

It had this tiered structure.

When one gets stomped, another comes, or they all rush in together to cause chaos.

That’s why most don’t fear the bully in front of them.

They simply endure a few beatings, thinking about what comes next.

And of course, the bullies knew this.

That’s why the so-called groups beneath the bullies, the second-in-command, could thrive.

Even as underlings, being under a bully gives them some authority.

If I were to put it succinctly, it’s like borrowing a tiger’s fierceness.

The fox acts as if it has the spirit of the tiger.

I’m suddenly rambling like this because of my current situation.

“Right, there’s no way a guy like Kim Min-hyuk is a bully.”

Could a guy who wails and rages over that be a boss?

After school.

It’s the unwritten rule to walk home together.

While walking with Kang Sik towards my house, I ran into Min-hyuk and his posse, who were brimming with confidence, and the looming figures behind them.

It was like suddenly getting into a street battle in Pokémon.

An unavoidable moment.

“Kang Sik, you go ahead.”

“Huh? Uh, uh… ugh…”

Even though I told Kang Sik to go first, he didn’t budge at all.

I felt touched, thinking it was loyalty.

But then,

Thud, thud, thud.

Upon closer inspection, he was frozen in fear and couldn’t move.

Right, at this age, it makes sense to be scared when a group gathers.

I understand now.

“Let’s go to a quieter place; we have a lot to do, okay?”

Even though I’d just end up at the nearby playground.

‘I just want to run away.’

There’s no way the kids could keep up with me after seven years of training.

If I just take off running, no one would be able to follow.

‘But then Kang Sik would be left behind!’
“Ugh, Kang Sik is here.”

But why does Kim Sik’s name sound so familiar?

Like I’ve heard it somewhere before.

“Wait, focus on the now.”

I had no choice but to tag along. Who knows what those guys would do to Kang Sik if I went off on my own?

“Got it.”

I nodded and let out a small sigh.

How did it come to this? Why was I getting into a fight on my first day of school? And now, on the second day, I was in a full-on group lynching situation—a technical term known as ‘getting wrecked.’

Such a sad story.

+++++

Kim Min-hyuk was exactly as Donghu expected him to be.

Technically speaking, he was in between a regular student and a delinquent.

He was the head of the regulars and the tail of the delinquents, like a snake sporting a dragon’s tail.

But that Kim Min-hyuk had showcased his crying and wailing, snot and tears, for all our classmates to see.

He even dragged his parents along to get thoroughly humiliated in front of the teachers.

No way he was going to let this slide.

Kim Min-hyuk mobilized all his connections to gather everyone together.

The 2nd-year seniors were too scary to even think about contacting, so he summoned the first-year delinquent leaders instead.

In return, he had to pay half of his future allowance and got told not to call them for such issues again.

But considering the constraints and vows, that was a fairly cheap price to pay for getting them to do his bidding.

“You’re dead.”

Good looks? Whatever, his face was going to end up looking like a pancake anyway, so who cared.

“Scared and can’t say a word, huh?”

I could already feel the fat loser next to me trembling. What difference does seven years of martial arts training make? In the end, numbers were everything.

“You’re finished!”

Kim Min-hyuk thought to himself. Donghu would soon be groveling and begging for his life on the ground.

I’d probably end up laughing at his face later while picturing him pissing himself.

A smile crept in as the future unfolded in my mind.

“We’re almost there.”

In the playground hidden deep within the park, dubbed the delinquent’s hideout for Shinhwa Middle School, Kim Donghu was about to meet his fate.

Just then, as I turned around…

“Ughhhh!”

Someone vomited.

“Huh?”

The owner of that sound was none other than…

The true mastermind behind the ultimate first-year boss Min-hyuk.

Known as the Black Wolf, the number one of Shinhwa Middle School, Park Seok-gu.

+++++

At the gym I attended, the instructor, Baek Sang-ha, said:

– In a match, that’s one thing, but in a street fight, you always throw the first punch.

He called it the first punch of light.

– If you hit the liver right, someone your age will definitely go down.

Especially when he told you to hit the liver specifically.

– They’ll puke, right? But they’ll even fall over. If they throw up where they fell, they can’t fight.

So not only would they immediately vomit and collapse, but—

– This doesn’t even leave a mark. Just a bruise at most? It doesn’t cost you anything.

He claimed it was an attack that perfectly balanced cost-efficiency.

Who could possibly stop Baek Sang-ha’s glorious normalization of middle school delinquents?

Whack!

“Ughhhh!”
One puke per room.

The gap between someone who learned martial arts and an ordinary person is like heaven and earth.

But if there’s a size difference too? It’s weird to even think it would be a fair match.

The difference in numbers doesn’t matter.

This wasn’t a historic war, and the opponent wasn’t a well-trained soldier.

It was just a bunch of middle school kids getting together, fueled by confidence.

But their leader went down?

“That’s it for you.”

Uwaahhh.

The first guy who got hit rolled around while the butterfly knife plopped down.

Oh, how frightening. Who in their right mind thinks it’s okay to walk around with a knife?

“Uwaahh!”

“Don’t come, don’t come, uhhhhh!”

One after another.

Calmly sorting things out, there was Min-hyuk before me before I knew it.

Poor Min-hyuk.

At 14, he still can’t control his bladder.

“Min-hyuk, you should wear diapers.”

If you’re going to wear them anyway, I’ll even give you a bib.

“Uwaahh!”

“I haven’t hit you yet, why are you pretending to puke?”

Puh!

Solid smack right to the face.

I didn’t feel like I was teaching him a lesson at all.

Just felt like it’s a natural thing in this romantic era.

“Kang Sik, let’s go.”

“U-U-Uh.”

But Kang Sik wasn’t doing so well.

Maybe this situation is too unfamiliar for him.

Kang Sik was also a mess.

‘Hmm.’

At least he didn’t wet himself, that’s something.

‘Oh well.’

Just thought I’d take care of him—at that moment.

“Hyik!”

I heard a girl hiccup.

“Ah.”

Now that I think about it.

The bullies group isn’t just all boys.

Girls who have no idea how to put on makeup usually slap on the thick stuff.

Of course, it’s normal for girl bullies to exist.

‘Huh?’

But I recognized her from somewhere.

I barely recall Kang Sik’s face, but hers was crystal clear.

‘Wow, seeing her here.’

Her appearance pierced through the thick and mismatched makeup.

She almost became a hot model once, but

after her history of being a bully came to light, she went down a rocky road.

And.

“Am I that ugly that you’d cry just by making eye contact with me?”

One of the factors that made me realize how pitiful my own looks were.

“Shin Ye-rim.”

The girl was startled and crying.

“…”

But what do you think happens if you pee yourself like Kang Sik didn’t?

---