Chapter 5: I Can't Believe That I Risked My Life For The Antagonist.

Eun-kyung, with an air of surprise and uncertainty, gazed upon U-jin. Indelicately, she could sense the palpable pounding of her heart, resembling the resounding peals of the church bell, she knew that it was U-jin's appearance that allured her, notwithstanding the absence of any other appealing qualities. He wasn't romantic, caring, nor attentive, had it not been for her knowledge of his vengeful tendencies, Eun-kyung may have pursued him impulsively.

"Ji-woo, are you alright?" U-jin inquired with concern, snapping Eun-kyung out of her introspection. Perhaps she had misjudged his character.

"Do I look like I'm fine, that guy tried to kill me" Eun-kyung declared, gazing at Yong-rae, who was now on the ground clutching his chin as he gaped at Eun-kyung with a malice-laced glare.

"She initiated this whole debacle. She doesn't even deserve a chance, let alone a second one. She should have drowned in that river," he bellowed, oblivious to the onlookers' strange gazes.

In a fit of rage, Eun-kyung lunged toward Yong-rae. Intercepting her attempt, U-jin restrained her with his poise before she could reach him. Whispering a low, almost menacing, message into her ear,

"You need to be calm"

Without hesitation, he commanded "Eun-woo send Yong-rae and his friends to the student council office" he gave the order to Eun-woo.

"We didn't do anything wrong" the girl in Yong-rae's group said anxiously.

"But you were present when Yong-rae was behaving like a feral creature and didn't lift a finger to stop him," U-jin retorted.

"Feral creature, you haven't even seen..." but Yong-rae was silenced by U-jin's piercing gaze, and he turned towards little Diego. "Are you alright?" he asked gently. Diego nodded in response.

"Ga-ram, support Diego and come with me" Ga-ram nodded and went to Diego's side to support him.

"What should I do, I can accompany you guys right" Ha-rin spoke up for the first time since she arrived there.

U-jin shooked his head. "No. Instead, you should contact the janitor to clean up this mess. Then, go to the office to wait for me, along with Eun-woo and the others."

Ha-rin appeared somewhat displeased but left to find the janitor while U-jin and Ga-ram accompanied Eun-kyung and Diego to the infirmary.

After the nurse attended to both Eun-kyung and Diego she called U-jin away.

"I believed that you had established the no-bullying policy. Was it not approved?" she queried suspiciously.

"It was," U-jin confirmed.

"Then what happened? The bruises on Ji-woo's neck indicate that her assailant sought her demise, and Diego's face..." the nurse trailed off with concern etched across her visage.

"Do not worry, ma'am. I pledge to make sure that no such incidents will happen again. I will make Yong-rae an example to deter others from indulging in this behaviour," U-jin declared tenaciously.

"Very well, but do you not find it peculiar that your brother and closest friend were both attacked?," the nurse pressed.

"From what I've gathered, it appears to be nothing more than a coincidence," U-jin explained nonchalantly.

"Alright. I will gather some supplies. Take care while I am gone," the nurse informed U-jin before making her way out of the infirmary.

As U-jin entered the room, he could hear Eun-kyung cursing relentlessly under her breath, using Yong-rae's name as her profane focus. He couldn't help but feel gratified at how she was handling things now, unlike before she would have easily broken down. But that's what scares him too, it is like he was looking at a different person not his dear Ji-woo. But if acting like this is keeping her from harming herself then it is alright.

"Oh, you're back, I didn't see you coming in" Eun-kyung sat upright and pretended as if she wasn't cussing earlier.

"What did the nurse say" Ga-ram held her laugh as she asked U-jin the question.

"Not much. She only advised me to tell them not to let water touch their injuries while bathing," U-jin replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Couldn't she not have told us instead of telling you" Diego voiced out.

"How is your wound?" U-jin inquired, skillfully deflecting the conversation away from the issue at hand.

Eun-kyung laughed when she noticed what U-jin did but she started coughing uncontrollably which prompted Ga-ram to fetch her water.

"It is fine, I think I will need another glasses, I don't like wearing contacts" Diego pouted.

Eun-kyung has already finished drinking the water when she noticed Diego's face, he didn't wear glasses so she observed his features intently, realising something she looked back at U-jin then again at Diego. She noticed that his features with U-jin is the same except for the fact that Diego's lips is smaller than U-jin's own.

"Hold on, why does Diego look so much like you without his glasses, he could easily pass as your twin" she turned towards U-jin while asking.

"Because he's my half brother" U-jin answered.

"Doesn't she know that" Diego was surprised by her question then Ga-ram answered that she had lost her memory.

'Little Diego is U-jin's half brother' Eun-kyung pondered, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily upon her. "Doesn't that mean that...'". She gasped and fumbled with the cup, which slipped from her grasp and clattered to the ground. Ga-ram, who was seated next to her, immediately noticed her reaction and asked with concern, "Is everything quite alright?" This drew the attention of the others in the room.

"I need to use the lavatory" she said as she quickly made her way to the infirmary's restroom. She closed the door and leaned her back against it, breathing heavily as she tried to comprehend the enormity of what she had just uncovered.

"I can't believe that the person I risked my life for was actually the main antagonist in this novel" she went to the sink and turned on the tap to splash water on her face.

"But he looks too innocent to hurt anyone or is it because he hasn't found a reason to do that" she looked up at her reflection in the mirror that was on the wall.

"I knew it, I came here for a reason, maybe it is to alter the trajectory of this novel's storyline. I must stop U-jin and Little Diego from having a fall out" she said firmly as she proceeded to open the door.

"But wait I don't know why they had a fall out in the first place"

Then it came to her – a girl! Diego had cared for her, but she liked U-jin who did not reciprocated her affection, prompting Diego to plot U-jin's downfall. U-jin, aware that it was Diego, his half-brother who is causing him trouble, he refused to retaliate, until Diego enacted a scheme that irreparably damaged their relationship.

"I must discover the identity of this young woman," Eun-kyung concluded, determined in her mission.

With a steely resolve, Eun-kyung rejoined the others in the room, she saw U-jin standing as he admonished Diego that he will swiftly put an end to this crisis before the school principal intervened. "Ga-ram, we may depart now," U-jin motioned towards the door, then noticed Eun-kyung standing by the door.

He walked towards her "I will be back soon" he patted her head and left with Ga-ram then she touched her head in a daze.

"So I heard you developed another personality" Diego remarked, rousing her from her thoughts.

"Yeah" she answered as she goes to her bed to lie down.

"What's your name" he asked as he followed her to lie down on his own bed, Eun-kyung looked at him strangely.

"I have perused scholarly articles pertaining to individuals affected by Dissociative Identity Disorder," he stated thoughtfully.

"Ah, you were referring to DID," Eun-kyung nodded in understanding.

"I did not expect you to be cognizant of the term," Diego's voice held admiration as he leaned on his elbow.

"I am not devoid of intelligence," Eun-kyung teased playfully.

"You possess a clever mind indeed," Diego laughed in response, before continuing, "however, I am still unsure of your name."

"Eun-kyung" she answered with a gentle tone.

"Where did you grow up in" he asked making Eun-kyung to look in his direction in confusion.

Diego glanced over at her, noting her confusion. "I have acquired knowledge that individuals with DID can create memories that help shape their identity." Eun-kyung sighed in relief as she reminisced about her past. "I was raised in Seoul with my mother and younger brother. My father departed from us for another woman when I was eleven years old. I started working in part-time jobs early to help alleviate some of the financial burden on my mother. My brother began writing novels to earn extra money to fund his education, and I was able to contribute to paying the household expenses as I was on scholarship while my mother purchased groceries. Despite not having a paternal figure, we managed to live contentedly and happily together."

Diego was silent, processing the gravity of her words before finally responding, "Your memories differ immensely from Ji-woo's, but I find it enlightening to hear about your life." He offered her a small smile.

"I am pleased to have shared this with you," Eun-kyung's face lit up with a radiant beam as she gazed at him.

The duo yawned in unison and chuckled, realising that they needed rest. "Goodnight," Diego turned away, closing his eyes. Eun-kyung shook her head in amusement and did the same, grateful that she had confided in someone about herself despite being mistaken as a different personality in Ji-woo's body.

It was also surprising that it was Diego, the principle antagonist of the novel, who had listened wholeheartedly to her story.

-----------------------------------------------------

In the precincts of the student council office, the preposterous mutiny orchestrated by Yong-rae and his confidantes instigated an urgent meeting presided over by U-jin, the student council's president. He sat at the head of the table while his minions took up their respective positions. The malefactors stood at the opposite end, Yong-rae's eyes were emblazoned with flames of fury as he glared at U-jin while his friend's eyes were modestly anchored to the floor.

"Yong-rae, your wanton act of violence almost took the life of one of your classmates and to top it off, you callously injured my younger brother," U-jin ferociously slammed his hand on the desk in resentment.

The students, excluding Eun-woo and Ga-ram, were awestruck by the revelation that U-jin's younger brother was a fellow student--little Diego, to be exact. Yong-rae and his accomplices knew that there was no escape from U-jin's wrath.

"Yong-rae, consider yourself suspended from school for a duration of two weeks," Yong-rae instinctively breathed a sigh of relief only to be quickly shaken back to reality by U-jin's next statement. "Furthermore, you will render voluntary service by taking care of the elderly folks in the nursing home for the same duration." U-jin smirked with satisfaction at the thought of the punishment fitting the crime.

"What, you can't do that to me" Yong-rae insisted but as he wanted to step closer to U-jin, his path was immediately blocked by Eun-woo.

"As for the rest of you, you're ordered to carry out community service after school hours for two weeks" U-jin announced as the accomplices restrained themselves from jumping for joy.

"Now you may take your leave" he waved at them.

"You will suffer for this, I promise you" Yong-rae screamed like a bull.

U-jin stood up and walked towards him while smiling "It seems you have forgotten who I really am" he came face to face with Yong-rae.

"Let's see, what will happen when I release the video of you strangling my future fiancée to my family" Everyone gasped and Yong-rae finally remembered that U-jin is the sole heir to the Wang family.

He steps back in fear as U-jin's grin widens "Scared, now go back home" Yong-rae didn't need to be told twice before he and his friends left the office.

U-jin turned back as he was visibly upset, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Ha-rin, unable to control her curiosity, approached U-jin and grabbed his arm, "U-jin, please tell me that I misheard what you just said."

He stared at her with a mixture of agitation and disgust. "Ha-rin, I assume your ears are functioning correctly, so why are you holding on to me like I belong to you?" he gritted out.

"I....em well" but before she could finish talking, U-jin yanked his arm from her hand.

"I better go check on Ji-woo" he turned towards Eun-woo, "Handle the rest while I'm gone" Eun-woo nodded at him.

"U-jin, please tell Ji-woo that I will not go back home with her today" Ga-ram informed U-jin and he then assured her that he will relay her message to Ji-woo and left.

Once he entered the infirmary room that both his brother and Ji-woo were in, U-jin swiftly advanced toward the bed as he observed Ji-woo's perilous descent towards the bed's edge. He adeptly intervened to prevent her from succumbing to any potential injuries. As he gently repositioned Ji-woo to a more comfortable stance, Eun-kyung gradually awoke from her slumber with a groggy countenance. With U-jin positioned intimately near Eun-kyung's face, he witnessed the awe-inspiring complexity of her iris for the first time since her awakening. It was a magnificent conflation of intermingling hues, exuding a celestial quality and resonating with the likeness of a nocturnal sky only visible through the lens of a telescope focused on the stars.

It truly resembled a resplendent, cosmic universe.