Chapter 3: The Great Escape (and the Leg Day Showdown)
Jae Gu knew exactly when to throw down and when to turn on the jets—and right now? Running was the only smart move on the menu.
Despite my earlier masterclass in How to Ask a Guy to Lunch Without Looking Like a Predator, their eyes still sparkled with that wild, "hunt or be hunted" vibe. Lesson? Totally lost.
So, with a deep, theatrical sigh and a cheeky smirk, I tightened my grip on my bag—and bolted.
Behind me, a chorus of frustrated cries erupted:
"HE'S RUNNING AGAIN!"
"AFTER HIM!"
I darted through the crowded school halls, weaving between startled students and dodging desks like some kind of parkour ninja. Took a sharp detour through an empty classroom, launching myself over a line of chairs just to shake them off.
Then, of course, I rounded the corner and hit the wall.
Well, not literally.
Waiting for me like a cat stalking a mouse was Dal Dal Choi.
Before I could even process, she struck—legs whipping out like lightning bolts.
And in that split second, two thoughts hit me simultaneously:
Legs. Beautiful legs.
Oh crap, those legs are gonna kill me.
Dal Dal was fast. Like, "blink and you miss it" fast. Her first kick whizzed just inches from my ribs as I twisted mid-stride, feeling the whoosh of air brush past.
"Ohhh, you dodged that?" she purred, eyes sparkling with mischief. "You're fun!"
"I'm not playing!" I snapped, barely ducking a spinning kick that could've taken my head off.
She grinned. "Then why're you smiling?"
Okay, she had me there.
As much as I should've been terrified of breaking some vital organs, I couldn't deny it—this chase was actually fun. It'd been ages since I got to bust out my agility like this.
Her foot came at me again, but this time I flipped right over it, landing smoothly behind her.
Dal Dal spun, clearly impressed. "Not bad! But can you—"
I cut her off with the most disrespectful move imaginable—I flicked her forehead.
She froze.
The hallway went dead silent.
Then—
"YOU LITTLE—!"
With a screech, Dal Dal lunged at me full throttle.
I burst out laughing, taking off before she could connect, dodging a kick aimed straight at my head.
"You're too slow, shorty!" I teased.
"I WILL KILL YOU!"
She exploded after me, her kicks faster and fiercer. I swear, dodging her attacks felt like trying to avoid bullets in an action flick.
Our chase turned into an acrobatic cat-and-mouse game.
I used desks, railings, and even a bookshelf or two to keep out of reach, while Dal Dal flipped and spun like a Cirque du Soleil star trying to corner me.
At one point, I ran along the wall to escape a brutal sweep kick.
The onlookers were torn—cheering for the show, but also low-key worried about my survival chances.
Moon Young caught up and leaned against a wall, smirking. "He's got some moves."
Queen watched cool and calm, tilting her head. "...He's enjoying this."
"Of course! He's fighting one of the best. He likes strong girls," Moon Young grinned.
Spotting my chance, I spotted a window that opened to the school courtyard.
'Time to level up,' I thought.
Full speed sprint.
Dal Dal's eyes went wide. "Wait, WAIT—"
Too late.
I launched myself through the glass—
—and landed perfectly on the grass below.
Dal Dal skidded to a stop at the window, gripping the frame and glaring down like a queen scorned.
I stood up, dusted off my jeans, and threw her the most infuriating, cocky smirk imaginable.
"Thanks for the warm-up!" I called up. "See you at lunch—if you can catch me by then!"
Her scream of rage echoed across the courtyard like a battle cry.
And honestly? I couldn't wait.
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Lee sighed, the kind of satisfied sigh you only get after demolishing a sandwich and escaping a very angry mob of girls who want to rearrange your face. He sat on the edge of the school rooftop, letting the wind mess up his hair just enough to look effortlessly cool, because let's be honest—he wasn't about to comb it now.
Below, somewhere amidst the chaos, Dal Dal was definitely throwing a temper tantrum worthy of an epic villain origin story. She was probably promising all kinds of revenge for that infamous forehead flick. The rest of the girls were scattered like bloodhounds, sniffing around the school for any sign of him.
Lee smirked. Good luck with that.
Unlike them, he wasn't playing by normal human rules. Years of training had turned him into something like a ninja crossed with a parkour champ—and maybe a little bit of an annoying smartass. He could outrun, outjump, and outmaneuver all of them with his eyes closed.
But then his smirk faded.
Because as much as he could sprint and flip his way out of trouble, there was one thing he couldn't dodge:
Loneliness.
He rubbed the back of his neck like it itched. No friends here. Sure, he had siblings (and he'd been busy enough keeping their lives from imploding), but socially? He was flying solo. Back in his old life, he had comrades—people who fought, trained, and laughed with him.
Here? Crickets.
Yeah, maybe I should fix that.
His mind instantly jumped to Moon Young. She was strong, fierce, and—bonus—she seemed to like him. Which was more than he could say for most people he'd met around here.
Perfect.
With a casual stretch and a grin, Lee stood up and jumped off the roof—because why not?
He caught a tree branch mid-fall, swung once like he was starring in an action movie, and landed smoothly on the ground below.
Just in time, too—because right as he touched down, he spotted a girl sneaking around the corner, still hunting him like a secret agent.
Her eyes went wide.
Before she could react, Lee stepped forward and gently pressed her back against the wall.
Her breath hitched.
He leaned in, flashing his most charming smile and smoothest voice. "If you wouldn't mind," he said, "could you tell me where the boxing club is?"
The girl's face went fifty shades of red.
"I—I—I—I—" she stammered, totally frozen like a deer in headlights.
Lee cocked an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
She blurted out, "I—I'll take you there! Please!" Her hands practically clutched her heart like she was about to faint.
Lee chuckled softly. Cute.
"Alright then," he said, stepping back and giving her some breathing room. "Lead the way."
She nodded so fast you'd think her head might spin off, then spun around and power-walked ahead, too flustered to even glance back.
Lee grinned as he followed behind.
If making friends was this easy, he thought, maybe this world isn't so bad after all.
-----------------
Queen sat elegantly on a bench near the school courtyard, sipping her tea as she watched the spectacle unfold.
It had started off as expected—the girls swarming Jae Gu like a pack of hungry wolves. The Principal's little game had turned the school into a battlefield, and Jae Gu was the prey.
At least… that's what everyone thought.
Instead, what happened next completely shattered her expectations.
He disappeared.
Not just in the normal sense, but in a way that sent a chill down her spine.
One moment, he was there—casually dodging out of reach, sidestepping hands that tried to grab him.
The next, he was gone.
Queen's eyes narrowed.
She had trained all her life in martial arts. She had sparred with the best, fought in real battles, and honed her instincts through countless matches. She knew the difference between someone who was fast… and someone who was a ghost.
And Jae Gu?
He was a ghost.
She tracked his movement as best she could—his footwork was flawless, light yet controlled. He never wasted a single step.
He anticipated every attack before it even happened.
Even Dal Dal, one of the fastest fighters in the school, was left standing in frustration as Jae Gu vanished from her reach like mist.
Impossible.
Queen's grip on her teacup tightened slightly.
Jae Gu came from a normal family. He had no background in martial arts. There was no record of him in any underground fighting circuits.
And yet…
What she just saw—this wasn't normal talent.
This was skill.
Refined. Trained.
She placed her cup down carefully.
Who exactly are you, Song Jae Gu?
For the first time in a long time, her interest was piqued.
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Inside the security room of Wild's High, two men sat in front of a massive wall of monitors, each displaying different angles of the chaos unfolding below.
The Principal, an older bald man, wiped the sweat from his forehead as he watched Jae Gu effortlessly dodge, weave, and escape the swarm of desperate girls like some kind of action movie protagonist.
The Director, Charles Wild, was the complete opposite—leaning back in his chair, legs crossed, casually sipping from a cup of expensive tea like he was watching a thrilling drama.
"Hoho, what an entertaining student we have," Charles chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "He moves so effortlessly, don't you think?"
The Principal groaned, clutching his head. "This… this wasn't supposed to happen! The girls were supposed to learn how to properly interact with the opposite sex! Instead, they're chasing him like starving animals!"
Charles smirked. "Oh? And you thought our students would behave like normal girls? Tsk, tsk, Principal. Have you learned nothing in all your years here?"
The Principal groaned again, pointing at one of the screens where Dal Dal was frantically sprinting after Jae Gu, flipping over desks, vaulting over stair railings, and even sliding under a table just to get to him.
"Look at this! She's using parkour techniques just to chase him down! What part of this looks remotely normal to you?!"
Charles tilted his head, watching as Jae Gu effortlessly dodged Dal Dal's flying kick with a casual backflip and then vanished through an open window.
"Hmm… I'd say it looks like a natural selection process to me."
The Principal looked at him in horror. "Natural selection?! This is a SCHOOL, not the African savanna!"
Charles simply laughed, taking another sip of his tea. "Survival of the fittest, Principal. And from the looks of it… our dear Jae Gu might just be the apex predator."
The Principal's eye twitched as Jae Gu reappeared on another camera—calmly eating lunch on the roof like he hadn't just escaped a school-wide manhunt.
"This… this kid is a menace," the Principal muttered, slumping into his chair.
"Oh no," Charles corrected him with a knowing grin, watching Queen's intense gaze locked onto Jae Gu through another camera.
"He's the best thing to ever happen to this school."