checkmate. | pi hanwool

Chapter 09

Gaeun rolled her eyes. "Don’t waste your time on a guy like him, Gamin."

She turned away, expecting Gamin to do the same. But just as he was about to sit back down—

Taeoh’s voice rang out again. "What is this? Study Group Application Form?"

Gamin’s entire demeanor changed. Without hesitation, he rushed back to the window.

"Give me that." His voice was calm, but firm.

Gaeun’s eyes widened in horror when she saw Gamin climb onto the window. "What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled.

But Gamin ignored her. Without another word, he jumped.

"Gamin!" Gaeun shrieked, running to the window just in time to see him land—his fist colliding with Taeoh’s face, knocking him down instantly.

The way he landed on his knees, the way the dust rose from the ground—it was like something out of a superhero movie.

The library was in utter silence as Gaeun, Jiwoo, Sehyun, and Heewon stared down in disbelief.

Gaeun let out a slow breath, her heart still racing. "That idiot."

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The moment Gamin stepped back into the library, Gaeun was on him like a storm.

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?" she snapped, storming up to him with a glare that could have burned a hole through the walls. "What the hell was that, Gamin? Jumping out of a window? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

Gamin sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he walked past her. "It wasn’t that high."

"It wasn’t—" Gaeun cut herself off, inhaling sharply as if she was trying not to strangle him on the spot. "That’s the third floor, you dumbass. You can’t just go throwing yourself off buildings because some idiot calls your name!"

Gamin shrugged. "I landed fine."

"Oh, I know. You landed fine. Like some wannabe action movie star."

"At least he stuck the landing." Sehyun commented.

Gaeun shot him a glare next. "You’re not helping."

Jiwoo leaned back in her chair, watching the scene with an amused smirk. "I mean, it was kind of badass."

Gaeun groaned. "Stop encouraging him!"

Gamin finally sighed, slumping into his seat. "Fine. I won’t jump out of windows anymore."

Before she could say anything, a voice called from the door, "Yoon Gamin, hear me out for a second!"

The entire group turned their heads to see a red-haired guy peeking through the doorframe. His expression was serious, his grip on the door tight.

Gamin barely glanced at him before muttering, "I’m sorry, but I started the study group to study. Not to help you go up in ranking in fighting."

The guy didn’t even flinch. "This is studying, too. Fighting study."

Jiwoo scoffed. "That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard."

Gamin exhaled sharply, turning his back to the door. "Not interested."

"Fight with me just once then. If you don’t want to, teach me how you normally train," the guy added, desperation creeping into his voice.

Gamin ignored him completely, sitting back straight. Just as they thought the conversation was over, the red-haired guy spoke again.

"Otherwise, I’ll study, too."