Chapter 2. The Dawn of Senior Year
by God of Music · 2026-03-18
Beep beep!!
Wake up. Wake up. Good morning.
âŠGood, my ass.
Hyun-oh forced his eyelids open. His body felt like a lump of lead, and the air was heavy.
Looking at the clock, it was 03:00.
This wasnât even dawn. It was just the âremnants of night.â
He fumbled with the alarm clock and turned it off.
He wanted to throw it away, but then his future self would curse him.
He went to the bathroom.
He buried his face in the sink.
The cold water woke him up.
He wanted to avoid the mirror.
But that always failed.
Red acne, a skinny body, a comically protruding belly.
His own face was so unfamiliar it was annoying.
His skin was a battlefield.
Every day, small volcanoes erupted, leaving behind bright red scars.
The doctors said, âItâs puberty.â
Damn, Iâve been like this since elementary school.
He glared at the mirror and suddenly turned his head.
Hyun-oh: I should break that mirror starting tomorrow.
The words he spat out mixed with the sound of water and disappeared.
He stretched his arms and yawned.
His whole body felt stiff.
Itâs because of the dream.
For days, the same dream.
It was strangely vivid.
Light tore through the darkness, and a strange language echoed in the air.
â Blood of Hong, awakenâŠ
â Descendant of the forgotten name, your morning comes.
It was someoneâs voice.
Low, hot,
it knocked somewhere in his chest.
He wiped the cold sweat away.
His heart was beating wildly.
Hyun-oh: Damn, itâs that dream again âŠ
I have no idea what that voice is saying.
Itâs not a medieval drama, who recites such lines every dawn?
But whatâs scarier is,
that the voice is becoming clearer.
Now I can hear the words distinctly even in my sleep.
Voice: Blood of HongâŠ
Whenever that part comes up, my heart races like crazy.
Hyun-oh shook his head vigorously.
Hyun-oh: I hate sci-fi and fantasy. Please just go away.
Muttering like that, he sat at the table.
A white note caught his eye.
Hyun-oh, Iâm sorry. Eat a hearty breakfast and stay strong. I love you â Mom
He felt a lump in his throat.
Those short words tightened around his throat.
Hyun-oh: Why do I get emotional at times like thisâŠ
Tears welled up slightly. He covered it with curses.
Hyun-oh: Damn⊠why are there so many side dishes.
He scooped a ladle of rice and shoved it into his mouth.
The rice grains crunched like sand.
Still, he swallowed.
Being a senior in high school is a battle of stamina.
Hyun-oh: I have to eat and endure.
He slung his bag over his shoulder and stepped out the door.
Whooshâ
The dawn wind slapped his cheeks.
Even though it was late summer, the dawn breeze cut through his skin.
Hyun-oh: Ugh, itâs cold⊠damn.
After becoming a senior in high school, the word 'damn' was half of his life.
Home, school, the whole world was damn to him.
The darkness of the city was still asleep.
Only the sound of footsteps echoed.
Hyun-oh: Why did I come out so early?
There are still 20 minutes left until the first bus.
I hate waiting.
Since the time I waited for my father, waiting has always been a precursor to unhappiness.
Shaking off my thoughts, I turned towards the park path.
If I walk a little more, at least I can reduce the time.
Plodâ Plodâ
At that moment,
Man: You damn bitch! Can't you be quiet!
Woman: You're from Class 4, right? Let go of this!
Shaking off his thoughts, he turned towards the park path.
If he walked a bit more, at least he could save some time.
Plodâ plodâ
At that moment,
Man: You bastard! Canât you be quiet!
My mouth spoke first.
In that moment, I was surprised at myself.
Why are you butting in, you fool.
It was already too late.
Jaewoo slowly turned around.
That metallic gaze of his. The girl was already covered in wounds.
Jaewoo: Which bastard is this?
Hyun-oh stopped.
Jaewoo: Oh... as the class president, can't you see anything?
Hyun-oh tried to turn away.
Hyun-oh: DamnâŠ
Jaewoo smirked maliciously.
Jaewoo: You, you're out of luck today.
Jae-woo slowly turned around.
Jaewoo: I was finally eyeing Mina, and now I can't have her
Thud!
Jaewoo: Someone like you
Thud!
Jaewoo: Why are you butting in and being a nuisance!
Hyun-oh: DamnâŠ
Girl: Stop it, Jaewoo! Stop it!
The girl was Mina. The queen of our school...
Hyun-oh thought this even as he was being hit.
He was also a boy. One of the many male students who admired her.
Mina: Please stop it, you bastard!
Mina: Mina's voice burst out.
Jaewoo glared.
Jaewoo: I told you to shut up.
The next moment, a knee flew at me.
Thud!
This time it was not the stomach but the ribs.
The hard bone creaked and bent.
Breath was cut off.
Hyun-oh's body floated in the air and then crashed to the ground.
Sand and dust filled his mouth.
A metallic taste spread from his tongue.
The corners of his mouth turned red.
Jaewoo laughed.
Jaewoo: The class president's stamina is terrible, huh?
He grabbed Hyun-oh's hair and pulled him up again.
His vision was spinning.
His ears were ringing, and the world was fading away.
Jaewoo: You were quite talkative, huh?
Jaewoo's hand was pulled back.
A fist was coming again.
At that moment,
Mina rushed in.
Mina: Don't!
She grabbed Jaewoo's arm.
Her hand was trembling.
Mina: Let go... stop it, Jaewoo. If the police come......
Jae-woo: I told you to shut up.
Jaewoo shouted.
Pushing her away, he slapped Hyun-oh's cheek with his fingertips.
Smack!
A flash of light burst.
Hyun-oh's head turned to the side.
Blood flowed from one ear.
In the midst of it all,
Mina clung to Jaewoo's arm.
Jae-woo: Class president's stamina is terrible, huh?
Jaewoo: People? Ha, don't make me laugh.
Jaewoo was a guy who couldn't return to normal once his eyes turned.
He picked up a brick.
"Thud"
Blood spread on the ground.
The brick turned red.
Mina screamed.
Mina: Ah!
At that moment,
Mina: Mina rushed in.
Mina: Don't do it!
Hyun-oh: What...?
His lips moved on their own.
But no sound came out.
Just before the brick covered his vision,
a beam of light flashed.
It was light.
Someone's hand came over it.
Jae-woo: Shut up!
Jae-woo: Jae-woo shouted.
Mina covered him with her body.
The brick fell to the ground.
Bang!
Dust rose.
And.....
Screech~~!
A whistle sounded from the edge of the park.
Jaewoo's face turned pale.
Mina: Please stop! If you're humanâ!
He rode away on a motorcycle.
The engine roared.
Smoke tore through the dawn air.
The sound of pedaling, the sound of metal, the acrid smell of smoke.
Everything slowly scattered.
Hyun-oh lay on the ground looking up at the sky.
There were no stars.
Instead, something faint like a light flickered.
In his ears, still,
That voice echoed.
Hyun-oh: âDamn⊠why did I really butt in.â
Everything slowly scattered.
Silence remained in the park.
In Hyun-oh's view, he saw a female student.
Hyun-oh saw everything in slow motion.
The brick slowly cut through the air.
Light brushed its surface.
Dust in the air shattered like glass shards.
His heart pounded.
Thudâthudâ
Hyun-oh: Damn⊠it was my hand.
It was blood.
It was his own.
His arm trembled.
His muscles wouldn't obey.
In his head, only a buzzing sound echoed.
Whooshâ
The dawn wind passed.
Everywhere the wind passed, the air cooled.
The smell changed.
The smell of blood, the smell of dirt, andâ
A familiar scent from somewhere.
The smell of burnt metal.
Voice: â Descendant of blood, rise.
That voice came back again.
This time it was clearly heard.
No, it echoed not in his ears but inside his head.
Hyun-oh: Who... are you...
Hyun-oh muttered, trembling his lips.
Blood spread from his tongue.
His vision turned red.
It seemed like it was not dawn but blood spreading in his eyes.
The sky was turning red.
The bloodstains on the ground and the light in the sky mixed into one.
Thud⊠ThudâŠ
His heart pounded.
He couldn't tell if it was the sound in his ears or the echo in his head.
Voice: ... Your blood awakens...
Jae-woo: You bastards... consider yourselves lucky today.
Hyun-oh's vision tilted.
Mina's face blurred.
Her mouth shouted something,
but the sound was not heard.
Light flashed.
Blood, sand, and the dust in the air swirled into a red vortex and scattered.
His body collapsed.
The ground felt cold.
But soon no sensation remained.
Dawn was completely stained red.
That redness covered Hyun-oh's vision.