One month had passed since the black-haired boy made that quiet but unsettling declaration — "I found it."
Meanwhile, somewhere in a park, someone was desperately trying to prove that she was not a loser.
As evening settled in, a group of boys were hanging around, laughing loudly. Suddenly, a sharp voice cut through the noise.
"Hey, you there!"
They turned around, startled, and saw a girl from their class standing a short distance away.
Boy 1 squinted.
"Is that a girl from our class?"
Juliet stood there silently, her eyes sharp and challenging.
The bully boss sneered.
"What, dear? Wanna hang out with us?"
The boys burst into laughter, but Juliet's expression remained firm. She clenched her fists, raised a finger toward them, and spoke clearly.
"I'm here to challenge you."
The boss laughed even harder.
"Me? You think you want to fight me?"
To him, it sounded ridiculous — like nonsense. But Juliet wasn't joking. She was here to prove someone wrong.
Before the bully boss could stop laughing, Juliet suddenly rushed forward and threw a powerful punch, catching him completely off guard.
For a moment, everything went silent.
Everyone just stood there, staring.
Juliet immediately stepped back after landing the punch.
The boss stared at her in disbelief. His eyes widened, then burned with rage as his face turned red.
"How dare you!" he shouted, charging toward her.
But Juliet was ready.
The moment he swung, she dodged swiftly and countered with a sharp kick that sent him stumbling backward.
The boys gasped.
"How fast…!"
Her movements were so quick that their eyes could barely follow them. Smooth. Controlled.
Without wasting a second, Juliet rushed in again and delivered another kick, slamming him to the ground.
He crashed into the dirt, his mouth filling with dust as blood began to drip from his nose.
The boss struggled to rise, but Juliet stood over him, her eyes blazing.
"That serves you right," she said quietly, confidence steady in her voice.
But his anger only grew.
His blood boiled.
This time, he became serious.
With a sudden burst of force, the boss grabbed Juliet by her hair and yanked it tightly. She cried out in pain, struggling to free herself, but the more she resisted, the tighter his grip became.
Then he started throwing punches. One after another, they landed heavily. Juliet stumbled back, her face soon covered in blood. Her breathing became ragged.
Still… she refused to stay down.
Every time she fell, she forced herself up again. Every time she rose, she tried to attack him, her determination burning brighter with each blow.
The boss sneered.
"Stop it! You can't win."
But she didn't stop.
She ran after him again and again, pushing him, exhausting him.
Juliet had no intention of giving up.
Suddenly, memories from her past flooded her mind.
Why is this world so unfair?
Why do the weakest always suffer?
I only got justice because my father was strong… because he had money.
So what about the others?
Her heart cracked.
Why don't rich people help the poor? They have enough money — they could share it, couldn't they?
You bullied Ryan but stopped when I showed up just because you feared my status.
If it had been another girl, you would have mocked her and—This time you only fight back because your Manly ego got hurt after hitting by a girl
She bit her words.
Her thoughts spiraled out of control.
"I… I— He raped me, but stopped after I said my father's name. He started apologizing. I got justice. My father erased everything, and I got a chance to live a normal life again…"
Her voice shook.
"But I saw other girls struggling — struggling to survive, struggling to protect themselves… enduring everything because they don't have power. They told me to forget it all, but how can I forget? Howwwww!"
She screamed, forgetting herself completely.
"If people with power don't protect the weak, then who will?"
Her expression turned empty.
"Ryan, you're wrong. I'm not a loser. I have the courage to prove my words. I struggle… I can feel your pain. Even if I'm weak, even if I have no voice — even if I have no dignity — I still have a mind!"
Tears streamed down her face.
"I can't bear it anymore. Since that incident, everyone told me to live normally, but I can't. I always wanted to do something for myself, but I failed… so now I want to do something for others."
Her voice trembled but didn't break.
"From that day on, I wished I was stronger — so no one would have to suffer in front of my eyes ever again. I also want to do this for myself.."
With a scream filled with rage and grief, Juliet forced herself up again.
Her face was smeared with dirt and blood. Sweat ran down her forehead. Tears burned in her eyes.
She no longer looked like a high-school girl.
Something far darker — and stronger — burned inside her.
Watching all this, the bully boss hesitated.
He took a step back.
Then a calm voice cut through the tension.
"Stop it."
Everyone turned.
Ryan stood there.
His voice was quiet, yet commanding.
Juliet collapsed to the ground. She had reached her limit. Looking up at Ryan, relief washed over her face.
"Ry…an."
Ryan's expression was unreadable, but his eyes held approval.
"You did a great job," he said softly.
"I didn't know you'd take my words this seriously. You proved me wrong."
He extended his hand.
"Now, can you please let me handle this?"
Ryan looked different — not the depressed boy she saw every day.
Juliet stared at him, confused.
The bully boss sneered.
"Look who's here to protect the loser."
Boy 1 laughed.
"Ha! I'm enough for him…"
Before the laugh could finish, Ryan vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared beside the boy. His eyes were empty — cold enough for the bully to see his own reflection.
A single punch.
The boy flew into the wall.
The others gasped.
"How…? When did he reach him? When did he hit him?"
Their eyes hadn't even caught his movement.
Ryan calmly turned to the boss, grabbed his collar before he could react, and smiled — a smile that said you underestimated me.
Then he punched him to the ground.
The boss tried to rise, blood dripping from his nose, but the hit had drained all his strength.
"How can I lose to a loser like you?" he spat.
Ryan's voice turned cold.
"You didn't lose to me. You lost to her when you hesitated and stepped back. I just finished it."
He leaned closer.
"Now take your ugly face and leave. I don't want to murder someone."
The remaining boys grabbed their boss and fled.
Ryan turned to Juliet and offered his hand.
"You're amazing,"he said with a smile.
Juliet stared at him, disbelief written on her face.
"If you're this strong, then why do you always let them bully you?"
Ryan smiled faintly.
"Like I told you — it helps. I'm testing how much pain I can endure."
She frowned.
"You're weird. Why would you do that?"
He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Because to become strong, you must first learn how to endure pain. The more pain you can endure, the stronger you become."
He handed her a tissue and started walking away.
Then he stopped and turned back.
"Juliet… I'm sorry. I didn't know what you were carrying. I called you weak only to push you away."
His eyes softened.
"You are not weak. You're stronger than anyone — even stronger than me. No one can shake your willpower. And never say again that you have no dignity. Got it?"
Tears fell silently as Juliet nodded.
Her heart felt lighter.
Then, without thinking, she asked —
"Ryan… can you do me a favor?"
Her face turned red.
Ryan smiled gently.
"Yeah, sure."
Her eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Yeah. You proved me wrong. I don't really have a choice now."
She spoke immediately, her voice firm.
"Then please be my trainer. Train me to become stronger. I trained for one month, but it wasn't enough. So please."
Ryan froze.
"Wait — what?! Are you serious? There's no way I'm training you. You didn't say you'd ask for something like this."
She puffed her cheeks.
"That's your fault for not asking. You promised. Now you have to train me."
Ryan paused… then sighed.
"Alright. Then call me Sensei from today."
Her face lit up.
"Yay! But there's no way I'm calling you that."
She cringed.
Both of them laughed — one laugh filled with excitement, the other hiding countless thoughts.
But they didn't notice…
From the shadows, a mysterious girl with long purple hair watched them. The sunset illuminated half her face, her sharp eyes fixed on Ryan.
She whispered softly,
"So… there you are, Ryan. I finally found you."