|Weak Hero| Can't Tame the Dingo [Rewrite of Fallen Angel]

Chapter 17

"Hey Jake, Hyeongshin fought Eunjang not too long ago today," Timmy brought up. "There are people posting about it in the Shuttle Patch. And...one of the posts shows a photo of Stephen fighting Grape's group,"

"So that's where Stephen's wounds came from," Jake narrowed his eyes as he stared at the post. "Stephen is Eunjang's Dingo,"

"Eunjang is considered an enemy of the Union since they clashed with both Yoosun and Hyeongshin," Eunchan said. "Does this mean that we probably shouldn't hang out with Stephen anymore?"

"No," Jake refused. "You guys don't have to hang out with him, but I'm not going to stop being friends with Stephen,"

"Dude, think of what Donald Na might say if we fraternize with the enemy," Dean reminded. "We're still indebted to the Union so we can't risk making him mad,"

"He won't care," Jake said. "He doesn't consider Eunjang to be that big of a problem. Stephen is my friend so I'm not abandoning him,"

Dean didn't try to push the topic any further. He knew that Jake wouldn't change his mind easily when it came to his friends. Besides, there was an upcoming meeting amongst the executives soon. Donald had eyes everywhere around Yeongdeungpo so if he doesn't want Jake hanging around Eunjang's Dingo, he'll make it known.

XXX

Visiting hours had just ended so Jake and his friends were about to leave. He noticed that Stephen still hadn't left Gray's room and cracked the door open slightly to check on them. Both Gray and Stephen had emotionally exhausted themselves and both of them had fallen asleep.

Jake quietly entered the room and instead of waking Stephen up, he took off his jacket and placed it around Stephen's shoulders to keep him warm. He knew that the nurses would probably just let Stephen stay instead of sending him home.

Stephen had actually been woken up by the warm clothing being placed on him, but he kept his eyes closed. He felt safe. He felt like he trust Jake enough that he wouldn't try anything. The jacket felt warm, not just temperature-wise, but also in an emotional way.

'If he wanted to do something to harm me or Gray, he would've done it already,' Stephen thought as he allowed himself to slowly return to sleep. 'But he didn't. He even convinced me to come back here to actually talk to Gray. Jake...he's a good friend,'

XXX

Stephen woke up the next morning. His joints cracked as he stretched and his neck ached a bit from the position he had slept in. "Good morning Gray,"

"Good morning Stephen," Gray smiled. "You didn't have to stay overnight. It must've been an uncomfortable position to sleep in,"

"It wasn't that bad," Stephen claimed. 'It's nothing compared to the pain and injuries you suffered,'

"Don't you have to go to school today?" Gray asked.

"Geez man, are you trying to get rid of me that quickly?" Stephen joked. "But it's not like I'll miss that much. Besides, Eunjang is much easier to catch up to compared to Byuksan,"

"But still..."

"You don't need to worry about me anymore, Gray," Stephen told him. "I won't stand down and let myself get hurt without fighting back,"

Gray gently grabbed Stephen's hand and looked at the bruised knuckles. "You should treat your wounds. You should've done that last night,"

The door opened and Jake entered with a wide grin. "Since hospital food sucks, I decided to bring some food from Cafe Gamma,"

"Shouldn't you be at school?" Stephen raised a brow as Jake closed the door behind him.

"School's boring," Jake claimed. "By the way, I also brought a first aid kit and some of my spare clothes so you can get cleaned up,"

Stephen was surprised by the thoughtfulness. At first, he hesitated because he recalled how Bryce had been such a try hard in the beginning of their false friendship as if trying to buy their trust. But Stephen felt that Jake's kindness was genuine. Jake wasn't Bryce.

"Alright," Stephen stood up and headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower. 'I can trust Jake. He's not Bryce. He won't hurt Gray. Jake's a good friend. He's a real friend. He's not Bryce,'

Stephen allowed himself to relax under the hot water. He allowed the dirt to wash away and scrubbed at any dried specks of blood. Once he was done, he used a towel to dry himself off, tended to his wounds with the first aid kit, and changed into the clothes that Jake had brought for him.

When Stephen exited the bathroom, he saw Jake talking to Gray about some anime while Gray quietly listened. Stephen sat back down beside them. They opened up the food that Jake brought and began to eat together.

"Stephen," Gray asked. "What high school do you go to?"

"I go to Eunjang," Stephen answered. "Why?"

"I plan to enroll in the same high school as you," Gray said.

"Eunjang isn't that great of a school," Stephen told him. "With your grades and studying habits, you'd be able to easily get into a better school,"

"But—"

"As much as I want to be in the same school as you, I don't want you to have to settle for a lesser school," Stephen said. "I'm worried that someone might bully you, but if they do tell me right away and I'll deal with them," He didn't want Gray to see the violent side of him whenever he got into fights.

"What if I want to go to Eunjang?" Gray asked. "Stephen, you were the one who taught me that there was more to life than just studying,"

"I think the school you can attend depends on where you're living since Eunjang might be a farther commute than other schools," Jake spoke up. "Also I think your mother would have a say in which school you'll attend,"

"Fine," Stephen sighed. "We'll see which school Gray lives closest to. I don't want him to have to travel far,"

Gray's not gonna attend Eunjang.

Omake

Kenny Ji sat up in his hospital room. If crickets were inside, they'd have made a lot of noise. He took out his phone, checked the time, and texted his brother.

Kenny:
Jake, where the fuck are you?
You said you'd be bringing me
some breakfast!