Ji-hoon Park was only sixteen years, but he worked like a grown man.
Every day, after school, he works as an part timer and cleaned tables in a small restaurant. At night, he worked at a convenience store. He didn't do this because he wanted to. He did it because he had to.
Ji-hoon Park lived in a small rented house in Seoul with his two younger sisters, Yumi Park and Mira Park. They weren't his real sisters — They were actually his uncle's children, but after their parents died under unknown circumstances, his mother adopted them to keep the family together. Ji-hoon's mother took care of them like her own.
Now, even his mother was far away, working in a small town to earn more money for education of yumi and Mira she also said to Ji-hoon to started his high schooling but he refused and he become the man of the house.
He had no time for fun. After finishing middle school, Ji-hoon tried to get a full-time job, but no one wanted to hire a sixteen-year-old. So he started doing delivery work, running around the city to make enough money for food, rent, and school fees.
But something always stayed in the back of his mind —
His big brother went missing during first year of high school.He had joined a school named Jaesung High . After just a few months, he vanished. No one knew where he went.
Ji-hoon park and his mom searched everywhere his missing brother.They asked the school, talked to teachers, pleaded with anyone who might know. At one point, they even involved the police. But as weeks turned to months, hope faded like the last light of day. But after many months… nothing happened. No call, no letter, no message. Just silence.
Slowly, Ji-hoon stopped talking about it. He was too busy with work and taking care of Yumi and Mira. But in his heart, he never forgot.
---
That day at the restaurant, Ji-hoon was wiping the tables like always. Two tall man in black bear printed jackets walked in. They weren't customers. They were just standing near the counter, talking quietly.
At first, Ji-hoon didn't listen. But then, he heard a name that made his hands freeze.
"Jaesung High school.
He was freezed there for a moment.
"That guy controls everything in Jaesung High now," one of the men said.
"Yeah. No one dares to go against him. He runs the school like it's his kingdom," the other man replied.
Ji-hoon's heart started beating fast.
That's the same school where my brother disappeared,* he thought.
Who are they talking about?
The two men kept talking.
> "Even teachers listen to him now. Students are scared. He's building something big there."
> "A gang? Maybe. But it's more than that. He's planning something."
Then the men left.
Ji-hoon stood still, his cloth still in his hand. His chest felt heavy, but his eyes were sharp.
This wasn't a normal school problem. Someone had taken over Jaesung High and maybe, just maybe, that had something to do with his brother's disappearance.
He looked at the city lights outside the window.
I need to go to Jaesung High,Ji-hoon thought.
I need to find out what happened. Even if it's dangerous. Even if it hurts. I have to know the truth.
Because this was no longer just about school.
This was about his brother, his family… and the dar
k secret inside Jaesung High.
To be Continued...