Hospital Room
Minjae perched on the edge of the narrow hospital bed, carefully tucking the blanket around his little brother. Eunsu looked miserable—cheeks flushed red from fever, his tiny nose stuffy and running. At Four years old, he was still small enough that the hospital gown made him look even tinier.
"The nurse lady gave me yucky medicine," Eunsu whined, his bottom lip jutting out. "It tastes like... like when I accidentally ate soap."
Minjae had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing. "You can't say that about medicine, Eunsu-ah. It's supposed to help you feel better."
"But it's gross!" Eunsu crossed his little arms, looking indignant. "My tummy hurts and I want banana milk."
"Banana milk, huh?" Minjae reached into the plastic bag he'd brought, pulling out the familiar yellow carton. "Good thing your hyung knows exactly what makes sick babies feel better."
Eunsu's eyes went wide, fever forgotten for a moment. "Really?! You brought banana milk?!"
"Only for very good patients," Minjae said, peeling off the straw wrapper. "Are you being good for the doctors?"
"I'm the goodest!" Eunsu declared, making grabby hands for the drink. After taking a long sip, he sighed happily. "Hyung, you're the best in the whole world and also in space!"
"In space too?" Minjae ruffled his brother's sweaty hair. "That's pretty serious praise."
Eunsu nodded solemnly. "When I get big like you, I wanna be cool too."
"What do you mean? I'm already cool."
"You're only a little bit cool," Eunsu said, holding up his tiny fingers to show exactly how little. "But if you let me meet your friends, then you'll be super duper cool."
Minjae raised an eyebrow. "What friends?"
"You always talk about Jiho-hyung! Jiho this, Jiho that!" Eunsu giggled. "Is he your pet? Like a really big Kitty?"
The question caught Minjae completely off guard. He felt heat creep up his neck. "He's not a pet, you little weirdo. He's just... someone I like spending time with."
"Like how I like spending time with you?"
Minjae smiled, booping his brother's stuffy nose. "Something like that. But don't tell him I said that, okay? He'll get all embarrassed."
"It's a secret!" Eunsu whispered conspiratorially. "Pinky promise!"
They locked pinkies, and for a moment, the sterile hospital room felt warm and safe. Like nothing bad could touch them here.
---
School Rooftop
The rooftop felt like a different planet.
Wind whipped across the concrete, making Jiho's uniform flutter against his body. He stood pressed against the railing, heart hammering against his ribs. Hyunwoo's friends had spread out around him, phones already out, that hungry look in their eyes that meant trouble.
"Come on, don't be shy," one of them said, angling his phone toward Jiho's face. "You weren't camera-shy yesterday."
"Yeah," another one laughed. "Smile for your fans."
Jiho's throat felt tight. "Just leave me alone."
"Leave you alone?" The first guy stepped closer. "But you're famous now. Famous people don't get privacy."
Hyunwoo finally moved from where he'd been standing silent by the door.
"Jiho-ya," he said, voice deceptively calm. "Why don't you make another video? This time with me."
Something cold settled in Jiho's stomach. "I don't want to make any videos."
"Come on." Hyunwoo's smile didn't reach his eyes. "This one will be much more... memorable."
One of the boys shoved Jiho backward. He stumbled, catching himself against the concrete wall. The wind felt sharper up here, colder.
"Smile," someone said, holding up their phone. "Let's see that famous face."
Jiho tried to push past them, but there were too many. Hands grabbed at his uniform.
He twisted away, panic rising in his chest.
"Let go of me!"
The live stream was climbing—viewer count jumping by the hundreds. Comments flooded the screen, most of them concerned, some of them cruel.
🔴 LIVE – 3.1k viewers
"Wait what's happening??"
"Is that the kid from the TikTok?"
"He looks scared... this isn't funny"
Hyunwoo stepped forward, phone steady in his hand. "Let's give them what they really want to see."
Before Jiho could react, Hyunwoo grabbed his face, fingers digging into his jaw, forcing his head up.
"What are you—" Jiho's voice cracked.
Hyunwoo leaned in, and Jiho realized with horror what was about to happen.
"No!" He shoved against Hyunwoo's chest as hard as he could. "Get away from me!"
"Don't be difficult," Hyunwoo hissed, trying to hold him still.
"I said NO!" The scream tore out of Jiho's throat. He pushed harder, stumbling backward until his back hit the railing.
For a second, even the other boys went quiet.
But the stream kept rolling. The comment section exploded.
🔴 LIVE – 5.8k viewers
"WHAT THE HELL"
"This is assault! Call the police!"
"WHERE ARE THE TEACHERS??"
---
Hospital Room – 12:39 PM
Minjae's phone buzzed with a notification. He almost ignored it—Eunsu was finally falling asleep, tiny fist curled around the empty banana milk carton.
But something made him look.
The live stream notification made his blood freeze.
Jiseok_king98 is live: School Drama Real Time
He opened it and immediately felt sick.
Jiho. On the rooftop. Surrounded. Terrified.
"No," he whispered, watching as one of the boys shoved Jiho against the wall. "No, no, no..."
When he saw Hyunwoo grab Jiho's face, Minjae shot to his feet so fast the chair scraped against the floor.
"Hyung?" Eunsu mumbled sleepily. "What's wrong?"
Minjae was already reaching for his jacket, mind racing. "Eunsu-ah, I need to go. Right now."
He flagged down the nearest nurse, words tumbling out in a rush. "Please—my brother, can you watch him? I have an emergency at school, I'll be back as soon as I can—"
"Sir, visiting hours—"
"Please." The desperation in his voice must have convinced her, because she nodded.
Minjae kissed Eunsu's forehead quickly. "Be good for the nurse, okay? Hyung will be right back."
He was running before Eunsu could answer.
---
Streets of Seoul – 12:43 PM
Minjae's motorcycle roared to life in the hospital parking lot. He didn't bother with the chin strap on his helmet, just shoved it on and gunned the engine.
The city blurred past him—traffic lights, crosswalks, other cars honking as he wove between lanes. His phone was tucked into his jacket pocket, but he could feel it buzzing constantly. More notifications. More viewers joining the stream.
"Hold on," he muttered through gritted teeth, leaning into a sharp turn. "Just hold on, Jiho."
A red light loomed ahead. Minjae barely slowed down, checking for cross traffic before blowing through it. Someone shouted after him, but he was already gone.
His chest felt tight, like he couldn't get enough air. Every second felt like forever.
---
Soobin's Office – 12:44 PM
The notification popped up on Soobin's computer while he was reviewing quarterly reports. At first, he almost dismissed it—some school drama livestream wasn't his problem.
Then he saw the location tag. His old high school.
Then he saw Hyunwoo's face.
"That little bastard," he breathed,the scene playing out on screen made his stomach turn.
Soobin grabbed his car keys and phone, already moving toward the door.
"Cancel my meetings," he called to his assistant.
"Mr. Seo, you have the board presentation at two—"
"Cancel them." He was already in the elevator, pressing the garage button. "Emergency."
His BMW started with a purr, but Soobin drove it like a race car.
---
School Gates – 12:49 PM
Minjae's bike screeched to a halt outside the school entrance. He didn't bother parking it properly, just dropped his helmet and ran.
The security guard shouted something after him, but Minjae was already through the doors, taking the stairs three at a time.
His lungs burned. His shirt was soaked with sweat. None of it mattered.
"JIHO!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the empty stairwell. "I'm coming!"
---
School Rooftop
Jiho had sunk down near the railing, knees pulled to his chest. His whole body was shaking—from cold, from fear, from the adrenaline that had nowhere to go.
"Why..." his voice came out as barely a whisper. "Why are you doing this to me?"
Hyunwoo was still filming, angling the camera to catch Jiho's face. His friends had backed off slightly, but they were still recording on their own phones, still laughing.
The live stream viewer count kept climbing.
[🔴 LIVE – 8.2k viewers]
"Someone help him!"
"This is sick"
"Call the school!"
Then—
BANG!
The rooftop door exploded open, slamming against the wall so hard it echoed across the concrete.
Everyone turned.
Minjae stood in the doorway like something out of an action movie—chest heaving, hair wild from the wind and the motorcycle helmet, shirt wrinkled and sweat-stained. But it was his eyes that made everyone freeze. They burned with a fury that could have melted steel.
"Get away from him," he said, voice deadly quiet.
The rooftop went silent except for the wind.
Jiho looked up, eyes wide with disbelief. "Minjae...?"
Hyunwoo recovered first, smirking. "Well, look who decided to show up. Your knight in shining armor, Jiho-ya."
Minjae's gaze never wavered from Hyunwoo's face. "Touch him again and I'll put you in the hospital."
One of the other boys laughed nervously. "You think you can take all four of us?"
Minjae didn't answer with words.
He moved like lightning—straight for the guy who'd been holding his phone up, fist connecting with his jaw before anyone could blink. The boy staggered backward, phone clattering to the ground.
"You crazy—" Another one swung at Minjae, but he ducked and drove his elbow into the guy's ribs.
Chaos erupted on the rooftop.
Two of them tried to grab Minjae from behind, but he twisted free, slamming one against the concrete wall. The other tackled him, and they both went down hard, rolling across the rough surface.
Minjae fought like someone possessed. A fist caught him across the cheek, splitting his lip, but he barely seemed to notice. Blood dripped down his chin as he threw the guy off him and scrambled back to his feet.
"STOP!" one of them yelled, but Minjae wasn't listening.
All he could see was Jiho—scared, shaking, pressed against that railing.
All he could think was: I won't let them hurt him anymore.
Hyunwoo just stood there through it all, still holding his phone, still recording. Like it was all entertainment.
"Look at you," he laughed, even as his friends got their asses kicked around him. "All this drama over some crybaby? You're pathetic."
That's when Minjae turned on him.
"Put the phone down," Minjae growled, wiping blood from his mouth.
Hyunwoo raised an eyebrow. "Make me."
Minjae charged.
Hyunwoo wasn't ready for it. The punch caught him square in the nose, and he went down hard. His phone flew out of his hands, skittering across the concrete before the screen went black.
🔴 LIVE ENDED – 9.7k viewers
Hyunwoo sat up, blood streaming from his nose. "You actually hit me?"
"You tried to force yourself on him," Minjae spat. "I should have hit you harder."
Before anyone could move, a voice cut across the rooftop like a whip:
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"
Everyone froze.
Standing in the doorway, breathing hard and looking absolutely furious, was Soobin.
---