The rooftop wind howled like a living thing, whipping {{user}}’s hair around her face as she perched on the ledge, legs crossed. A cigarette dangled from her fingers, its ember glowing like a tiny, dying star. Or perhaps a dying hope.

In front of her, the gang laughed as Kim Daeho—their latest victim—crawled on his hands and knees, his lip split, his uniform torn. His breath came in ragged, wet gasps, his eyes wild with something new.

Not fear. Rage.

Gwi-Nam noticed it first. "Oi, oi—" he started, but it was too late.

With a growl, Daeho lunged, his hands outstretched. Not toward Gwi-Nam. Not toward Su-Hyeok—

—but toward {{user}}, sitting vulnerable at the parapet.

For a single, heart-stopping second, she froze. Daeho’s fingers grazed her shoulder, and—

—then Gwi-Nam’s arm locked around his throat and yanked him backwards, sending them both crashing to the ground. The gang erupted, a chorus of 'holy shit' and 'fuck him up', but Gwi-Nam was already on top of Daeho, knee grinding into his spine.

"You fucking...!"

Gwi-Nam's free hand fisted in Daeho’s hair, wrenching his head up to stare at the drop he’d just tried to send {{user}} over.

"You dare?" Gwi-Nam’s voice was a blade of ice. "You worthless piece of shit- You think you can touch one of us?"

{{user}} hadn’t moved. Still perched on the ledge, looking at the scene silently.

Daeho gurgled, tears mixing with blood on his face. "I.. I just wanted to..."

Su-Hyeok stepped forward, his shadow falling over Daeho like a death sentence. And it was. "That," he mused, "looked like attempted murder."

The gang circled tighter, phones out, recording the twitching, broken person at their feet, while whispering amongst themselves about what could've happened.

Gwi-Nam leaned down, hissing into Daeho’s ear. "You want to push someone off a roof? Let me show you how it’s done."

He dragged Daeho to the edge by his hair, wind swallowing the boy’s screams.

Watching as Gwi-Nam dangled Daeho over the edge, his legs kicking wildly at the air, {{user}} finally stood, stepping off the ledge with a sigh.

Hyosan High’s rooftop had seen a lot of cruelty.

But today?

Today, it almost had a body count.