Facing Taejun's Mother

Gojin slowly stirred in his sleep. But he opened his eyes when his body ached with pain. He felt as though a truck had run him over, but he was alive and still in the past, which brought him relief.

Slowly, the familiar ceiling of the school infirmary came into view, and he realized he was lying on one of the beds that he had grown accustomed to in his past life.

"How did... I get here?" he wondered, his mind foggy with pain.

Flashes of memories flooded his head as he pieced together how he had ended up here. The last thing he remembered was the savage beating he took from Taejun and his gang.

And how just as he was about to lose consciousness, a strange sensation had taken over him, and everything had gone dark.

No, that wasn't all. I remember seeing someone before passing out...

Suddenly, the memory of one of his ancestors taking control of his body to save him from Taejun flashed through his mind. It had been a surreal experience, like watching a movie from within his own body.

Despite being injured, his ancestor easily dispatched the bullies. Gojin even remembered seeing Taejun looking like a flag post with his head planted firmly within the toilet.

Remembering the sight made him laugh, but he ended up wincing in pain instead. Despite his ancestor's help, he was wounded quite severely and it would take a while to get back to normal.

However, Gojin wasn't complaining. Although it wasn't him who kicked their asses, he was confident that Taejun and his lackeys wouldn't mess with him for a while. His parents, on the other hand, were a different matter.

As he lay there, a holographic screen appeared before his eyes, flickering slightly before stabilizing. The words on it read:

[You have learned a skill: Suplex (Beginner )]

Before he could fully process what he was seeing, the screen vanished, and he heard footsteps approaching. A young nurse, whom he had never seen before, hurried over to his side. Her name tag read "Nurse Lee."

She was in her early twenties and had beautiful, short black hair that complemented her brown eyes. Gojin hadn't seen her before, but she was probably in the school doing her internship or something for work experience.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed, relieved to see Gojin awake. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm sore all over," he admitted, his voice hoarse. "But I'll live... I think."

Gojin winced as he tried to sit up, pain shooting through his body.

"Don't move too much. You have quite a few bruises," Nurse Lee said as she gently pushed him back onto the bed. "Some students from your class brought you here, but they didn't tell me who did it to you. Can you tell me what happened so I can report it to the principal?"

Gojin's mind raced. He didn't want to reveal too much, especially with Taejun parent's influence over the school. If things went to the principal, he would side with the Taejun and punish him instead. It was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

Suddenly, he felt Nurse Lee's hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"You can tell me," she said, smiling. "I'm sure the fath- I mean, the principal wouldn't tolerate this-"

But before Gojin could respond, the infirmary door burst open. A couple in their forties rushed in. The woman stormed towards Gojin with her hand raised to strike him; her face twisted with anger.

"You little brat!" she screamed. "How dare you hit my baby boy!?"

Nurse Lee reacted quickly, catching the woman's arm in mid-air.

"Stop! This is a school infirmary, not your home. You need to mind your surroundings!" she yelled, placing herself between Gojin and the woman.

The woman glared at Nurse Lee, pulling her arm free. "Do you know who I am?"

"I don't care who you are. As long as you are in this infirmary, you will obey my rules." Nurse Lee stood her ground, unrelenting.

While Nurse Lee didn't know the woman, Gojin recognized her instantly. She was Taejun's mother, a woman infamous for twisting the truth and using her husband's influence to get her way with anything related to the school. She even got on the school's education board sometime after Gojin graduated. 

All that aside, she could be the one who coined the phrase "Son-of-a-bitch" after looking at herself in the mirror. Memories of his past life flooded back—how she had made his mother grovel for forgiveness despite Gojin being the victim of bullying.

Anger surged through Gojin as he lay there. He didn't want history to repeat itself, but it seemed fate was pushing him down the same path.

Seeing as she couldn't get through to the nurse, Taejun's mother changed tactics and eyed Gojin with disgust.

"You low-life brat," she spat. "You'll pay for putting my son in the hospital. I'll make sure you do even if it is the last thing I do!"

However, Gojin no longer felt scared of her. He knew he was in trouble, so might as well go all the way through and teach Taejun's entire family a lesson.

"What are you talking about?" Gojin yelled back, having found his voice. "I didn't start this. Taejun and his gang attacked me."

"Lies. My son would never do such a thing," Taejun's mother scoffed, crossing her arms. "You were the one who attacked Taejun and his friends with no reason."

Gojin couldn't believe the lies spilling from their mouths. He tried to sit up again, but Nurse Lee gently restrained him.

"Please, calm down," she whispered. "Let me handle this."

Nurse Lee turned to face Taejun's parents, her expression calm but resolute.

"This is not the place for such accusations. If you have a complaint, take it up with the school administration. Right now, Kim Gojin needs to rest and recover."

The nurse's steely resolve made Taejun's mother reconsider her explosive emotions. She turned to her husband, who had been standing silently by the door. She hoped to get some support from him, but he shook his head.

"Let's go. We'll deal with this later," he said, before walking away. But not before shooting a glare at Gojin.

Despite feeling baffled, the woman followed her husband. As they walked away, Gojin closed his eyes, trying to calm his racing thoughts.

"Don't think too much about it," Nurse Lee said, ruffling his hair.

"Thank you for stopping her," Gojin replied, nodding.

Nurse Lee smiled and said, "It's my job to protect my patients. Now, you need to rest. I'll check on you later."

Gojin returned her smile before drifting away in his thoughts. Nurse Lee might have helped him there, but he knew Taejun's mom. She won't let this matter go so easily.

I need to do something. But what can I do?

Just then, his thoughts went back to the fight. If his ancestors could occupy his body, then maybe one of them could help him out of his dilemma. Gojin wasn't sure, but it was his only hope. At least for now.