1 Resilience

"Why didn't you email me the nudes as I asked?" An older student clad in school uniform demanded, his fist crashing into Ace's abdomen with such force that the fat throughout Ace's body jiggled, compelling him to double over in excruciating pain.

Suppressing the pain, Ace propped his head up and shot a pleading look into the older student's eyes, irking him. Then he grumbled, "She left for the city before I could take'em."

Infuriated, the student continued to assault Ace relentlessly, yelling, "Don't you dare lie to me." 

"Mike, I swear, I am not lying to you. I will get you her nudes next time she is home. I promise," Ace swore in pain as his borderline obese frame collapsed onto the cold concrete of the school's roof, unable to withstand the heavy punches. 

"Do you take me for an idiot, fatty? Last time, you swore the same thing but tried to pass off random edited nudes from the internet as your sister's secret pics. I was gracious enough to give you a second chance, yet you still dared to play me. I'll kill you, pig." 

Recalling how Ace had made a fool of him, Mike became enraged and began stomping Ace as he lay there helpless, his school uniform marred by dusty bootprints.

Witnessing the brutal scene unfold, the two students on the sidelines began to panic. Fearing that Mike might accidentally hit one of Ace's vital points and kill him, one of them cautioned, "Mike, enough. At this rate, you'll kill him."

Stopping his ruthless pounding, Mike turned to the student who had just spoken and warned, "Next time you dare interrupt me, you'll also know the taste of concrete."

Mike then squatted down next to Ace's prone body. Grabbing his head by the hair, he lifted it and, staring into his dim eyes, rhetorically asked, "Fatty, you think you're smart, huh?" 

Mike reached into his left sock and pulled out a small zip-lock bag half-filled with white powder. Dangling it in front of Ace's eyes, he said, "You see, this here is enough coke for a person to overdose. Now, riddle me this: What if I force-fed this to you or your sister during one of her early morning long runs in the secluded community park?" 

"Mike, you promised you would leave my sister alone as long as I get you her nudes," Ace cried in dread.

"Well, Fatty, if you can't be bothered to keep your end of the promise, then why should I? My body is brimming with hormones and youth. I have no idea what or who I'll do next."

"Tell you what, if you get me your sister's nudes before the next time I see her, I promise not to use this on her." Issuing an ultimatum, Mike spat on Ace's face before slamming it onto the concrete floor. 

As Mike was about to continue to humiliate Ace, his phone rang. His expression turned serious as he read the caller's name. Declining the call, he rose and ordered his lackeys, "Let's go."

After Mike and his lackeys left, Ace slowly propped himself and sat up, leaning against the nearby wall. Wiping the spit on his face with his hand, he stared into the evening sky, disgusted with himself for being so weak. 

A few days ago, his life was average. Like his classmates, he was pondering which college to apply to. Should he apply to a college far from home or one closer to home? 

However, his elder sister, who had moved back into her childhood bedroom a month ago to save on rent after quitting her decent job as a graphic designer to pursue her dream of creating a webtoon, somehow had a run-in with Mike on the streets and to make matters worse, she utterly berated him. If not for the patrolling cops, things would have gotten ugly.

Since their encounter, Ace's life had turned upside down. Now, he was concerned for his sister's safety since Mike threatened that the 9Ks would put a target on her back for insulting one of their own. But if Ace could provide nudes of his sister, they would forget the whole matter.

If Mike were alone, Ace would have tried to gather enough evidence and report him to the faculty and the authorities. However, Mike was part of the local gang known as the 9Ks, short for 9 Kings. To top it off, he's a legacy since his elder brother was a captain in the 9Ks.

The last time a student complained about Mike to the faculty, he was jumped and hospitalized for three months. When the student's father filed a police complaint against Mike, he became a casualty in a drive-by. The next day, police cleared Mike of all suspicions, citing a lack of intent and evidence. Was it a coincidence? Honestly, Ace didn't want to find an answer to that.

Since the dispute between Mike and his older sister, Ace, neither intended to meet Mike's demands nor inform his family about the situation. Instead, Ace planned to bide his time, aware that his sister would soon depart for a two-year-long Webtoon creation course away from this cursed city.

Even though his sister had left the city, Ace continued to take a beating and planned to say and do anything to ease Mike's wounded ego, knowing that if Mike learned that his elder sister had left the city for two years, he would nurture a grudge and wait for her return during holidays meanwhile making his life a living hell. 

Ace believed that as long as he pushed this issue for a month or two, the whole situation could blow over as both the 9Ks and Mike would eventually forget such a trivial matter over time. After all, anything could happen, especially if you were a drug-paddling thug who has made an enemy out of a brother willing to go to any lengths for his sister and family.

*Buzz* Ace's phone vibrated. It was a text from his elder sister, 

[I arrived safely. I never thanked you for encouraging me to apply for the course. It is an incredible opportunity. Thank you, little bro.]

An unconscious grin formed on Ace's face as he read the text. There were many webtoon creation courses within the city, but he manipulated his elder sister into choosing a fancy one far from home to serve his purpose. So what if he was weak? One doesn't need strength to deal with stupid mutts, 'Mike is going to regret showing me the bag of coke he carries on him.'

"Pathetic scum," A cold and condescending voice full of judgment sounded next to Ace, breaking his chain of thoughts. When he turned, he saw a stunning beauty that could stir wild feelings in a stone. He wondered how long she had been there and how he had failed to notice her presence.