Reality Quest: Questism

The meeting eventually came to an end as all of us finished our food.

Sehee had long since left after he'd finished his chilli shrimp, saying he needed his grandmother's tteokbokki to calm down his tongue. When they said chilli, they meant chilli. Jihan had left to go visit his mother after he'd eaten a few parts of my food which meant it was just Siyeon and Sehun here.

Siyeon stretched her arms above her head, letting out a quiet yawn. "Alright, I'm heading out." She grabbed her bag and glanced at me. "You coming?"

I shook my head. "I'll catch up later. Need to talk to Sehun."

Sehun, who had just stood up, froze mid-motion. His face twisted into a deep scowl. "What?"

Siyeon raised an eyebrow, clearly interested, but she didn't ask. Instead, she just shrugged and turned for the door. "Don't take too long. I'm not waiting for you."

I waved her off. "Yeah, yeah."

The door jingled shut behind her.

Now, it was just me and him.

He sighed loudly and flopped back into his seat. "If this is some dumb speech about teamwork or whatever, just skip i–"

"You were obese back in middle school."

Sehun blinked, then scowled, but I caught the brief flash of surprise in his eyes.

"…What?"

I leaned forward, locking eyes with him. "Middle school. Before you lost the weight. Does the name Water Gun bring back any memories?"

His lips parted slightly. His posture stiffened. The gears in his head turned, scrambling through old memories, and then—

It clicked.

His face twisted. "Wait. That was…" He stood up abruptly, pointing a finger at me. "That was you?!"

I smiled, but it wasn't friendly. "Yeah. That was me."

I let it sink in. Let the weight of it settle between us.

"The guy you humiliated nearly every single day that entire summer."

Sehun's expression darkened. His hand curled into a fist, but he didn't say anything.

"So I'm going to ask you a question," I continued, voice steady. "And you're going to answer."

His jaw clenched. Then he scoffed, crossing his arms. "Tch. I'm not answering any of your shit."

I exhaled through my nose, nodding slightly. "Figured you'd say that." I stood up, pushing my chair back. "Then let's fight."

Sehun's eyes narrowed. "Hah?"

"Every time I win, I get to ask a question. You answer honestly. Every time I lose…" I gestured vaguely. "You do whatever."

"'Whatever'?" He tilted his head mockingly. "You serious?"

I met his gaze without hesitation. "Well, I'm not losing, so it doesn't really need to be said."

A dangerous silence filled the space between us.

Then, Sehun's scowl twisted into something sharper, angrier. He hated me. He hated that I'd brought this up. That I was confronting him like this. That I was standing here, stronger than him.

"You smug fuck," he spat. "I'm going to beat you into the ground, Rep or not."

He moved first.

Too slow. He was completely underestimating me again.

The moment his foot shifted, I saw everything. Every twitch of his shoulder. Every tell in his stance. His body wound up for a punch—

And I was already in front of him.

Sehun's eyes barely widened before—

THUD.

My fist buried itself into the side of his neck with a straight.

A choked gasp tore out of him. The force lifted him off his feet. His arms flailed for half a second before he crumpled, collapsing onto his knees.

The fight was already over.

I barely even tried. He may have been durable as fuck but that was only where the muscle was, where he'd been hit before. He clearly hadn't been hit there, in that precise spot.

Sehun coughed violently, struggling for breath, eyes squeezed shut from the shock of it. His fingers dug into the floor, body trembling from the impact.

I crouched in front of him, my voice quiet.

"Why did you do all of it?"

Sehun's breath was ragged. He didn't answer right away. He just stayed there, on his hands and knees, completely beaten.

I waited.

For an excuse. For an explanation.

For something.

Seconds passed. The only sound was his breathing and the faint hum of the restaurant's kitchen in the distance.

Then, finally… he spoke.

"…Because I could."

His voice was hoarse, but steady.

I narrowed my eyes. "That's it?"

Sehun swallowed, still kneeling. "You… you don't get it." His voice was low, bitter. "Back then, I was nothing. Just some fat fucker. No one gave a shit about me. No one even looked at me. I was just… there."

I didn't say anything. I let him keep going.

His fingers clenched into fists. "And then… I realized something." He lifted his head slightly, meeting my gaze. "It's easy to be visible. But it's even easier to make someone else visible."

A chill ran down my spine.

"I took everything they did to me and passed it down," he continued, his voice distant, like he was talking about someone else. "I wasn't the one getting laughed at. I wasn't the one getting shoved around. It was you. You and everyone else."

I exhaled slowly. "…So, what? That made you feel better?"

Sehun let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "I thought it would."

I watched him carefully.

This wasn't some cartoon villain monologue. He wasn't trying to justify himself, and he wasn't asking for forgiveness either.

He was just saying it how it was.

I stood up, hands in my pockets. "And now?"

Sehun stayed quiet.

I stared down at him. "Do you regret it?"

Still, silence.

I nodded to myself. "Figured. So why did you stop?"

Sehun's jaw tightened. His fingers flexed against the floor before he pushed himself up, wincing slightly. He didn't meet my eyes at first, but after a deep breath, he exhaled slowly and leaned back against the booth.

"…I met the old Rep."

I frowned. "The last Boramae Rep?"

He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. Back then, I was still just another bastard picking fights to prove something. Didn't matter who. Didn't matter why." He let out a slow breath. "Then he found me."

I didn't interrupt.

"He was strong. Way stronger than me," Sehun admitted, a faint scowl tugging at his lips. "And he wasn't like the other guys at the time. Most of them just did whatever they wanted, stealing, harassing people, throwing their weight around. He was different."

"Different how?" I asked.

Sehun hesitated, then scoffed. "He actually gave a shit."

I raised an eyebrow.

"He had rules," Sehun continued, looking frustrated just remembering it. "He didn't just let people do whatever they wanted. If you wanted to be a part of Boramae, you had to be strong, yeah, but you also had to be loyal. Disciplined." His gaze darkened. "He beat that lesson into me pretty fast."

I let that sink in. "So you stayed?"

Sehun exhaled through his nose. "Yeah. I trained. I fought. I got stronger. By the time he left, I was one of the strongest left in Boramae." He flexed his hand, staring at his palm like he was seeing something from the past. "Everyone else had left with him. Moved on. But I stayed."

I tilted my head. "Why?"

Sehun froze for half a second.

It was small. Almost imperceptible.

But I caught it.

His fingers twitched. His jaw clenched. He turned his head slightly, like he was looking past me… like he was looking somewhere else.

Or maybe… someone else.

"Tch." He looked away. "Does it matter?"

I studied him for a moment and let out a slow breath, staring down at Sehun.

"…Join my crew."

His head snapped up. His brows furrowed. "What?"

"You heard me." I shoved my hands into my pockets. "Join me."

Sehun scoffed, looking away. "You think I want to follow you?"

"No," I admitted. "I don't think you want to follow anyone. But you didn't leave Boramae when everyone else did. You stayed."

His fingers twitched again.

"I don't forgive you," I said, my voice quiet but firm. "I don't think I ever will. But…" I exhaled sharply. "I don't think you're the same person you were back then."

Silence.

He didn't move. Didn't speak.

So I kept going.

"You said the old Rep gave a shit. That he made you want to be better. That's why you stayed." I tilted my head. "So why not try again?"

He scoffed. "Try what?"

"Being better."

His eyes flashed. "You think I need your help?"

"No," I admitted. "I think you need a reason."

His expression twisted, caught between irritation and something else… something genuine. Something like hesitation.

Like he wanted to say no. But couldn't.

I shrugged, turning toward the door. "Think about it."

I made it three steps before his voice stopped me.

A heavy sigh. "…Fine."

I paused and turned.

Sehun clicked his tongue and looked away. "I'll join." He shoved his hands in his pockets, scowling. "But don't expect me to be your lackey."

I smiled, genuine this time. "Wouldn't dream of it. Now get me a coffee."

"You fucker." But there was a small grin behind it this time.

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