No More Thug Life, I’m Playing Music

Episode 007. On the Way to School (1)

“Ah… that house, you say?”
Realtor Lee thought to himself.
These brats are trouble, no doubt about it.

There was a rumor spreading among realtors these days. Young newlyweds would ask to see a nice house, take a photo inside to post on social media, and brag as if it were theirs. Then, they’d nitpick the house’s flaws with all sorts of excuses, pretending to walk away because of those issues.
They had no money to begin with, but acted as if giving up was their choice.
It was a waste of time and listings.

“Sorry, but that house is already…”
“Here’s a finder’s fee.”

Kim Bom handed over a white envelope.
She wore a tight black dress, heavy makeup, and sunglasses. With her tall figure and curvy body, she already exuded maturity. Dressed like this, she didn’t look like a student at all.
At the very least, she appeared to be in her late twenties, possibly early thirties.

“Ahem…”
Realtor Lee, now holding the envelope, took a closer look at Kim Bom’s appearance.
From head to toe, everything was high-end. She practically radiated wealth.

“Ah, well… we don’t usually accept separate fees…”
“Take it and keep it a secret that you saw us.”

Kim Bom linked arms with Jung Seojoon, who stood silently beside her.
Seojoon was wearing a cap pulled low, large sunglasses, and a mask—all items Bom had prepared for him.
With his tall frame and excellent proportions, Seojoon looked like a celebrity trying to conceal his identity.

“Ah…”
Realtor Lee quickly came to a conclusion, glancing at the two of them.
A rich girl and a celebrity?
A sponsor, maybe?
Or a wealthy lady on a fling?

Recalling scenes from TV dramas, she applied them to the pair and grinned brightly.
“Hehe.”

Without even checking the amount in the envelope, she stuffed it into her pocket.
“You were asking about the house with the black gate at the end of the alley, right?”
“Yes, is it not available?”
“Of course, it’s available!”
“I’d like to see it today.”
“Today, huh…”

Realtor Lee checked her phone for the time and nodded.
“Luckily, the student living there won’t be home, so you can view it in peace.”

And so, Kim Bom and Jung Seojoon were able to enter President Baek’s house.

“You’re a good actor. You could go professional.”
Seojoon chuckled as he spoke.

“Stop it. Anyway, I won’t ask why you’re doing this today. Just make sure you keep your promise to me.”
“I will.”

Satisfied, Kim Bom released Seojoon’s arm with a smile.
“I’ll stay here and chat with the realtor, so finish your business quickly and come out.”
“Got it.”

At that moment, Realtor Lee, having finished her phone call, approached them.
“Oh, I’m so sorry~ It was urgent.”
“It’s fine,” Kim Bom replied, adjusting her tone as she spoke.

“You go ahead inside. I’ll have a quick chat with the owner here. Is that okay?”
“Of course, no problem.”

Realtor Lee smiled brightly as she handed Seojoon the master key.

…..

Even as he opened the door, Seojoon felt a wave of nostalgia.
Though he hadn’t spent much time in the house, it had been his refuge.

But as soon as he passed the entrance, where not a single pair of shoes remained, his expression soured.

It became clear why the realtor had let him enter a house without its owner.

“…Hah.”

The house was completely empty.
None of the belongings he once used were left behind.
The furniture, electronics, even small decorations—everything was gone.

“Guess someone was in a hurry.”

A pang of regret welled up in him, but he quickly brushed it aside.
“Don’t tell me… that too?”

The safe he’d hidden in the study crossed his mind.
By the looks of things, it might have been discovered and removed as well.

With an uneasy feeling, he rushed to the study.

“Damn it…”

The study was as barren as the living room.

The safe installed in the wall was completely gone. All that remained was a blank wall and an empty spot where it had been.

“Phew…”
He was too late.
Given the time that had passed, it was perhaps an inevitable outcome.
Kim Changsik, that bastard, was probably the type to ransack his house as soon as the funeral was over.

Grit.
He clenched his teeth and balled his fists, struggling to suppress his anger.
He had vowed to let go of all thoughts of revenge and move on with his life, but it wasn’t easy.

He would need to find another way.

Just as he was preparing to leave the house, he heard a faint sound from somewhere.
It was coming from upstairs.
Most likely, Junsoo had left a computer or television running before leaving.

“I wonder how he’s doing.”

He hadn’t been particularly close to the boy.
Naturally, they hadn’t shared a deep bond.
Still, family was family.
He couldn’t help but wonder how well Junsoo had adjusted to standing on his own two feet.

He climbed the dust-covered stairs.
The faint sound grew louder with each step.

A lively piano melody.
It was the kind of melody that lifted your spirits just by listening to it.

[Da-dan-dan-da-da-dan-da-dan-dan-]

He recognized the song.
Its name was On the Way to School.
Composed by Kim Kwangmin and performed as a duet with Yiruma, it was a famous piece featured in numerous media.

“It’s been a while since I last heard this.”

Judging by the sound quality, it seemed to be playing from the television.
Junsoo must have accidentally left it on before heading to school.

Clicking his tongue, he turned to head back downstairs.

But then, mixed with the piano melody, he heard voices.

They were recorded.

[Hey, you got that part wrong.]
[Sorry, Jinsung. It’s been a while since I’ve played.]
[Junsoo’s better than you, honestly. Junsoo, come here to your uncle.]

“This…”

Drawn in, he followed the sound.
Walking down the neatly arranged second-floor hallway, he stopped in front of a door.

Junsoo’s room.
The source of the sound was here.

He reached for the doorknob, slowly turning it.

Creak.

The room was a mess.
Trash was scattered everywhere, and unidentifiable stains were splattered across the colorful floor.
It was hard to believe this had been Junsoo’s room, given his usual preference for cleanliness.

[Wow~ Junsoo, you’re really good!]

Inside the dim room, the only light came from a glowing monitor playing a video.

[Should we send Junsoo to piano lessons when he grows up?]

Baek Jinsung.
His younger self was speaking in the video.

Next to him sat his late brother and a young Baek Junsoo in front of the piano.

[Don’t force him into anything. I just want him to grow up happy and healthy.]
[Of course, but still.]
[…Jinsung.]
[Yeah?]
[If I die, take care of Junsoo for me.]
[Oh, stop it! Don’t say such unlucky things! Why would you die? Didn’t the doctor say you could have surgery?]

Click.
The video ended abruptly there, only to loop back to the beginning.

The scene played again: him and his brother watching young Junsoo play the piano.

[Ah! Junsoo! Watch out!]
[Oh, relax. Boys grow by falling down. Junsoo! Run!]

“Damn it…”

He realized he had forgotten about Junsoo all this time.

He had been so preoccupied taking care of his own problems that he’d neglected his real family.
He had even rationalized that his own death would be a good thing for Junsoo, thinking the inheritance he left behind would be more than enough to make up for it.

What an idiot.
What a fool.

He should have been there for Junsoo until the very end.

“Alright… it’s not too late. I’ll tell him now.”

“Your uncle is still alive, so don’t worry. You’re not alone.”

He picked up his phone and dialed Junsoo’s number.
A faint vibration sound followed.

Bzzz—Bzzz—
It was coming from inside the house.

The sound was so faint that if he hadn’t been listening carefully, he wouldn’t have noticed it.

“…Junsoo?”

He followed the sound.

Exiting the room, he moved toward the bathroom at the end of the hallway.

As he walked, he noticed something on the floor—splashes of colorful stains.
They were the same kind of marks he had seen in Junsoo’s room.

What is this?

He crouched down and touched the stains.
A sticky substance clung to his fingers.

Bringing it to his nose, he sniffed.

“Paint…?”

At that moment, an image flashed in his mind.

One of the students from Poonggwang High School.

A boy covered in paint, surrounded by Choi Pilwook and his gang.
He recalled how that student’s figure had reminded him of Junsoo.

Finally, a buried memory resurfaced—the school uniform Junsoo was wearing the last time he saw him. It was the same uniform from Poonggwang High School.

“No… it can’t be…”

He quickened his pace, running toward the bathroom.

Grabbing the locked doorknob, he forced it open with all his strength.

Bang!

A wave of hot, humid air and a sharp, acrid smell hit him.

“….”

The large bathtub was filled with black water.
Paint had mixed into the water, turning it a deep, murky black.

Lying in the tub, still in his school uniform, was Junsoo.

“No, no, no! Don’t do this!”

…..

The next day.

On the rooftop of Poonggwang High School, Choi Pilwook’s gang had gathered.

Occasionally, when Pilwook wasn’t around, they used the rooftop instead of the container shed to avoid the senior third-years.

“Did you guys hear about Baek?”

One of the nine boys in the group spoke up.

“Baek Junsoo? I heard he barely survived.”

“If he’d died, we’d be screwed, right?”

“Screwed? Why would we be screwed, you idiot? We didn’t kill him.”

“Oh… right?”

“By the way, where’s Pilwook?”

“With the discipline teacher.”

That single comment drew a flurry of curses from the other boys.

“Now we’re screwed, you moron!”
“Damn it! If that Baek punk shows his face at school again, I’ll kill him myself!”
“Sure, count us out of that!”
“Cowards.”

As they laughed and joked about someone else’s misery, a sound came from the rooftop door.

Bang, bang!

“Must be the others. I’ll go open it.”

One of the boys unlocked the door, and it creaked open with a sharp noise.

“Huh?”

The boy who opened the door tilted his head in confusion.

Standing there was someone who no longer had the right to be on the rooftop.

It was Park Jigeun.

“What are you doing here?”

The boy sneered at him.

“You’ve got some nerve coming up here. Want a repeat of last time?”

“…Here…”

Park Jigeun spoke quietly.

“What?”

“I’ll be going now…”

“What the hell are you mumbling about, you idiot?”

The boy reached out to grab Park Jigeun by the collar, but before he could, something flew past the space hidden by the door.

Thwack!

“Agh!”

The boy staggered back, clutching his face, and fell to the ground.

Blood dripped from his nose as he writhed in pain.

The group of boys, who had been laughing and chatting moments ago, turned their attention to the door.

“Jung Seojoon?”

They saw Jung Seojoon standing in the doorway.
Instead of his school uniform, he wore a gym uniform, with both hands wrapped in bandages.

His expressionless face showed no trace of emotion, making him seem almost inhuman.
There was something deeply unsettling about his presence.

From Seojoon’s lips came a cold, detached voice that matched his lifeless expression.
“When I was young, adults used to say something to me all the time.”

He moved forward, stopping in front of the student lying on the ground.
Grabbing the boy’s hair, Seojoon forced his head up, glaring at the other students with unblinking eyes.

“They’d say the only way to deal with animals is with a whip.”

Thud!
Blood sprayed as his fist slammed into the boy’s face.

“They’d say you can’t fix humans either.”

Thud!
The beaten boy began to beg, pleading for his life.
He didn’t know what was going on, but he begged Seojoon to spare him.

“I’ll let you live. But I’ll have to collect Junsoo’s share first.”

Crack!
“Aaargh!”

At a quiet café in the neighborhood, two women sat across from each other.
Kang Jungsook, Jung Seojoon’s mother, and a professor from Korea University.

“Kevin’s mother, it’s been such a long time. How have you been?”

“Well… I’ve been managing.”

“Sorry for dropping by so suddenly like this.”

“No, it’s fine. I should have contacted you first…”

“Oh, don’t say that.”

The professor reached out, holding Jungsook’s hands tightly.

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see you again.”

Jungsook replied with a faint smile.

“Shall I get straight to the point about why I’m here today?”

The professor placed a document envelope on the table.

“This is my recommendation letter. With this, Seojoon can transfer to Lee Won Arts High School immediately. And if you’d like, he could even apply for early admission to Korea University’s music program.”

“…”

“You must let Kevin—no, Seojoon—return to music.”

“Professor Han.”

“Yes, please, go ahead.”

“If Seojoon continues with music… he’ll die.”

“…”

The unexpected statement left the professor momentarily speechless. She quickly regained her composure and asked again.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Do you know why Seojoon and our family disappeared?”

Jungsook wrapped her trembling hands around the coffee cup in front of her. Slowly, in a quivering voice, she began to speak.

“The truth is, Seojoon—”

Before she could finish, her phone began to vibrate on the table.

Bzzz—Bzzz—

The screen displayed the caller ID: Poonggwang High School.

The color drained from Jungsook’s face. She swayed slightly, as if she were about to faint, overcome by the resurgence of recent nightmares.

“A-Ah…”

“Kevin’s mother! Are you alright?”

“N-No… let me just take this call…”

Jungsook hurriedly answered the phone.

Moments later, she shot up from her seat, her voice trembling with shock and anger.

“Wh-What do you mean? How can my Seojoon be accused of school violence?!”