Reality Quest: Lookism

Noon approached, and the trio stood before a large, unassuming building. Jin glanced up at it and immediately recognized it as the meeting place for the Gwanak District Bully Council. He feigned ignorance, hiding his smirk.

To his right, Dowan still looked dazed, his cheeks slightly flushed as he recalled Siyeon's earlier words about him being her "boyfriend." Jin chuckled under his breath, unable to resist.

"You're really eating that up, huh?" Jin mocked, nudging Dowan with his elbow. "She's playing you like a fiddle, Romeo."

Dowan snapped out of his thoughts, flustered. "W-What do you mean? She said it with conviction!"

Jin smirked, shaking his head. "Gullible doesn't even begin to describe you, kid."

Siyeon ignored their bickering and walked confidently ahead, leading them inside the building. Once at the elevator, she pressed the button for the seventh floor without a word.

Jin began stretching his neck and arms, loosening up as he leaned against the elevator wall. Dowan, however, peppered Siyeon with questions, his nervousness evident.

"Where are we going? What's the plan? What are we supposed to do?"

Siyeon finally turned her head slightly and replied in a cold, calm tone, "You two don't need to do anything. I'll handle the rest."

Jin raised a brow at her back, his expression unreadable. 'Sorry, shorty. I have my own plans.' he thought to himself, narrowing his eyes.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open to reveal a room filled with rows of chairs occupied by various thugs.

As they stepped out, Jin tilted his head, taking in the scene before turning to Siyeon with a smirk. "So this was your plan, huh? A bully council?"

Siyeon didn't respond, walking forward as if she belonged there.

On the podium to their left, a sharply dressed man tapped a small hammer, calling for everyone's attention. "The Gwanak District Bully Council Assembly will now begin." he announced, his voice booming.

Jin walked leisurely to the back, ignoring the attention he drew as he plopped into a chair. Spreading his legs, he made himself comfortable while Dowan froze near the door, unsure what to do.

The man on the podium continued, laying out the agenda for the day.

A murmur swept through the room as a name and file were brought up: Ha Do-wan.

"That's the guy who caused a ruckus at the karaoke in Sillim-dong, isn't it?" someone muttered.

"Yeah, but look at him. He doesn't look like much. Kind of a loser, honestly." another sneered.

Dowan began trembling, his body betraying his nerves. Jin, from his seat at the back, silently pointed at Dowan, making exaggerated mocking faces while biting his lip to stifle his laughter.

Siyeon sighed and shook her head but didn't say a word.

The man at the podium flipped to another file, revealing a picture of Jin grinning devilishly.

A low murmur spread through the crowd.

"And this." the man announced, gesturing at the screen behind him, "is the man who single-handedly caused chaos at a building in Sillim-dong. He incapacitated multiple members, leaving many of them unable to be active for months. This has caused significant losses for the council in that area."

Eyes turned toward Jin, who, despite being the center of attention, remained perfectly relaxed. He smiled lazily, even shooting a proud glance at Dowan, who looked like he might faint.

The man raised a hand. "All in favor of disposing of them, raise your hands."

Almost every hand shot up instantly.

Jin's grin widened as he leaned back in his chair, muttering to himself, "Well, this just got interesting."

The glasses guy adjusted his glasses with a serious expression and declared, "From now on, Jin Lee and Ha Dowan are official targets of the 497 members of the Gwanak District Bully Council."

Jin glanced at Dowan, who looked like he was about to faint on the spot. Suddenly, a familiar notification popped up in front of Dowan:

---

[Chain Quest: The Boy Becomes a Man (Final)]

Objective: Escape safely from this life-or-death situation.

---

Jin's smile widened, a glint of mischief in his eyes. He slowly got up from his seat, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

The man with the glasses raised his hand to silence the murmuring crowd. "I hereby declare this matter closed. Now, let's move on to-"

"Wait!" Siyeon's voice cut through the room, stopping everyone in their tracks.

The man turned to her, his expression neutral. "What's wrong, Siyeon-sunbae?"

Siyeon stepped forward, her tone calm but commanding. "Before we conclude this, I'd like to address the next matter on the agenda."

The man adjusted his glasses again, curious. "The Boramae-dong representative election?"

"Yes." Siyeon confirmed. She turned to the crowd, her presence demanding attention. "As the deputy representative, I've met two potential candidates."

She pointed directly at Jin, who smirked, then grabbed Dowan by the collar as he tried to slink away unnoticed.

"Ha Dowan and Jin Lee."

The room erupted in murmurs.

"Ha Dowan? That guy's here?" one thug whispered.

"Wait, Jin didn't even bother hiding? He's got guts." another murmured.

Dowan, panicked, tried to pull away, but Siyeon's grip on his collar was firm. Jin, on the other hand, stood with his usual lazy posture, clearly unfazed.

The man on the podium frowned. "A fight between the two of them could cause significant collateral damage. I don't think this is a good idea."

Siyeon remained calm, pointing at Jin. "Jin beat up dozens of people in a single night. If that's not proof of his qualifications, I don't know what is."

She hesitated as she turned to Dowan, her grip still on his collar. "...And Ha Dowan has... potential."

Dowan's expression fell even further, while Jin couldn't suppress his chuckle.

Before the discussion could continue, Jin raised his hand and spoke loudly. "I don't want to!"

The room fell silent, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

"...What?" the glasses guy asked, breaking the silence.

Jin smiled widely, shrugging nonchalantly. "Yeah, I'm not interested. You guys can keep your elections and your positions. And you're free to hunt me down if you like!"

The crowd was stunned into silence, their jaws collectively dropping at Jin's audacity.

Meanwhile, Jin's thoughts were far from the chaos in the room. 'I'm tired of following the canon. Let's see how they deal with this curveball!'

With that, he casually walked toward the door, his smile unwavering as dozens of pairs of eyes followed him in stunned disbelief.

As the elevator doors slid open, the air grew heavy with tension. Kang Se-hoon stepped out, his piercing gaze immediately locking onto Siyeon.

"Siyeon." he said sharply, "why didn't you tell me there was a meeting?"

Siyeon crossed her arms, her tone indifferent. "What are you doing here?"

Kang's expression darkened. "I got suspicious when I overheard you calling someone your boyfriend." His eyes darted Dowan and then settled to Jin, narrowing menacingly. "So, you did that to hide this?"

He took a step closer to Jin, his voice dripping with malice. "And you… Who do you think you are?"

Jin tilted his head, his grin mocking. "Who, me? Just a guy enjoying the show."

Kang's scowl deepened as he reached for Jin's neck, his hand moving swiftly.

But before he could grab him, Jin caught Kang's wrist firmly.

Kang's eyes widened, his usual confidence faltering. "What the-?"

Jin's grin stretched wider, almost predatory. With ease, he lifted Kang off the ground, ignoring the muffled gasps from the onlookers.

"Is this all you've got?" Jin taunted before hurling Kang through the air.

Kang crashed toward the podium, the thugs nearby barely managing to catch him before he hit the floor. The room fell into a stunned silence.

Kang stumbled to his feet, his face a mix of shock and anger as he looked back at Jin. Even Dowan and Siyeon couldn't hide their surprise.

Jin, however, was unfazed. His nonchalant grin turned into a menacing one as he began cracking his knuckles. "So.." he said, his voice echoing through the room, "how about we begin the hunt?"

The entire assembly froze as Jin's status panel appeared briefly in his vision.

---

[CHARACTER INFORMATION]

Name: Jin Lee

Class: ???

CURRENT STATS

HP: 2800/2800

MP: 550/550

Attack Power: 80

Defense: ??

Agility: ??

Mentality: 150

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1380 words