CAPTURING REDEMPTION

CHAPTER 5: THE END OF THE ROAD

"Hey," someone called from behind just as Yevgeny settled himself into the last seat of the fourth row, right beside the student whose annoyed voice had the power to make everyone, including the teacher, cower in their places. It was lunch break, Yevgeny recalled. He turned around to see who had addressed him.

The blue-eyed boy, still struggling with his Korean, found himself face to face with a tall man dressed in an unbuttoned white shirt that fluttered with the gusts of wind, revealing a graphic tee beneath. The newcomer's appearance was striking, with a face that could have belonged to an idol from the billboards and music videos Yevgeny had seen. He had to be one of the most beautiful humans the Russian had ever encountered. Yet, the way the tall man scrunched his nose and raised his perfectly plucked eyebrows made Yevgeny wonder if he had already done something wrong to warrant such an annoyed expression.

"Yah!" the red-haired man suddenly yelled, sending a wave of tremors across the classroom. The students, who had been bustling about like ants ready to leave for their lunch period, froze in place. Every eye in the room turned towards the new kid. It was, by far, the weirdest and most unsettling thing Yevgeny had faced in that school, and it happened almost as soon as he arrived.

Seconds later, the new scrawny kid found himself struggling to keep his toes on the floor as the collar of his shirt was grabbed tightly by the red-haired boy, pulling him up to meet his intense gaze. Yevgeny's heart raced, the sudden confrontation leaving him bewildered and breathless.

"I asked, what is your name?" he hissed, "do you not understand Korean?"

The Russian kid nodded, his hands struggling to free himself from the vice-like grip. "I-I'm still learning!" he stammered. The red-haired guy abruptly released him, causing Yevgeny to fall back into his chair. His elbows collided painfully with the metal edges of the chair and table, eliciting a hiss of pain that he struggled to contain.

The red-haired guy glanced around the room, prompting the previously focused eyes to dart away. Students resumed their activities, trying to act as though nothing had happened. "Anyway, what's your name?" he asked, pulling an empty chair from in front of the tanned guy, who had kept his head down throughout the ordeal.

"Y-Yevgeny Vissarionovich Bogdanov," he muttered, his confused expression shifting to one of fear.

"Yev. . . geny? What does that mean?"

"W-Well. . . It means. . . 'well-born' or 'noble,' I-I guess."

The red-haired guy burst into laughter and looked at his friends, who joined in mockingly. "What's that? Such a big name for a rat like you?" His loud, roaring laughter caused the tanned guy to open his eyes. The red-haired one nudged him. "Yah, Kwon Taekjoo, did you hear the name? This kid is amazing! Yah!"

Kwon Taekjoo yawned and stretched, his movements slow and deliberate, before squinting his eyes at the pale student trembling in his seat. His gaze was intense, scrutinizing Yevgeny as if trying to decide whether he was worth any further attention. The entire classroom seemed to hold its breath, waiting for Taekjoo's reaction, knowing that his word was as good as law in their little world.

"Yevgeny. . . what?" he asked; the remnant of his sleep caused his voice to come off hoarser than morning.

"It-it's B-Bogdanov."

"Yevgeny Bogdanov?"

"Ye-yeah."

The tanned man turned his gaze to the red-haired one, whose laughter had died down seconds ago. "Seunghwan-ah, didn't we need a servant? Choi Gikwang is still in the hospital, I think?" He glanced at the guys standing behind the red-haired student. Trembling under his scrutiny, they nodded, "Y-yeah, Taekjoo-ah."