CBR 19

When he was young and couldn’t control the concentration of truth when he spoke, there were many times he got beaten up. Of course, every time he was hit, Jaewon wielded the wand of the people to bring down the judgment of the law, but the fists always arrived earlier than the police cars, and it took quite a long time to restore a body once damaged. After experiencing that firsthand, he made ‘prevent getting hit as much as possible, and if hit, report it’ his life motto.

However, right now, he didn’t feel like reporting it. Even though his flesh was cut and left a scar. It was something that had never happened in his life. It was utterly confusing.

‘Besides, it’s new money.’

Jaewon looked down at the bill standing crisp in his hand with complex emotions. The feeling of being hit with a crisp new bill dangerously heightened a certain sensation.

His stomach was churning and his heart was pounding, so his condition was not good. Jaewon tried hard to shake off his restless feelings by shaking his head wildly. If he went on like this, he felt like he would awaken to an unknown world. It was just when he groaned and got up from his seat.

“Are you Bae Jaewon over there?”

Someone tapped Jaewon on the shoulder. Turning around, he saw a group of female students.

“So what?”

“I have something to tell you over there, so let’s talk for a second.”

“Aren’t you looking at me right now?”

“What is he saying?”

When Jaewon asked puzzledly, the female student snorted as if flabbergasted and looked back at her group. Only then properly facing them, Jaewon flinched in surprise. Every single one of their eyes rolled wildly, like the eyes of a Hebrew looking at a young lamb right before a sacrifice. Instinctively sensing danger, he sent a text message to Ma Chayun saying, ‘If I don’t return after 10 minutes, report it to the police,’ and followed them. The group arrived at a secluded corner at the end of the hallway, and Min Yerin was there.

“Oh, it’s the cutie. Hello?”

“Ha. Ridiculous, really.”

“How shameless.”

When Jaewon greeted her with gladness, chuckles erupted from here and there. Min Yerin, whose eyes were swollen as if she had cried, glared at him viciously.

“Oppa flirted with Dojun, didn’t you? Ha, without even knowing that, I…”

“If I say I didn’t, would you believe me?”

Jaewon answered her limply as she spat out a hollow laugh in disbelief. It was unfair. He wanted to wave the bill and show her that the one who flirted was your Kim Dojun.

“What gives Oppa the right to hurt that person?”

“What?”

At the baseless criticism, an aggressive response came out. He was the one who had been suffering from mental and physical threats all day long, so it was utterly unfair. The moment Jaewon was about to strongly object, a tear dropped like a bead from Min Yerin’s eyes.

“For someone who wants to have him so badly that she’s going crazy, just thinking about him brings tears to my eyes… Yet, since I’m someone who can only watch, I’m holding it in like I’m going to die, so what gives Oppa the right to hurt him?”

As she poured out her words trembling like a single cosmos, the surrounding female students snuffled one by one and wiped the corners of their eyes. An extremely bad premonition covered Jaewon’s back like a swarm of fire ants.

“…You know.”

“No. I don’t. Don’t speak.”

“That person really can’t watch scary things.”

“Oh, Lord….”

Jaewon covered his face with both hands, soaked in grief.

“When watching movies, please buy him squid instead of popcorn. He hates tough things, so he likes the body more than the legs. And since he can’t eat spicy things, if something like kimchi seems a bit spicy, please rinse it once in water before feeding it to him.”

“You’re a know-it-all doctor. Can’t you just date him yourself?”

“And don’t tell him he’s handsome too often. Because then he’ll get even more handsome.”

He suggested in a direction where everyone would become happy, but she seemed to have already reached a state of self-effacement.

“Cheap alcohol doesn’t sit well with his body, so more than five glasses of soju is an absolute no, and one bottle of beer is his limit. His drinking habit is really mean, so watch yourself….”

“His drinking capacity is that pure, but he has a bad drinking habit? Bullshit….”

“If you make that person cry, I won’t let you off. You have to treat him dozens of times, thousands of times, tens of thousands of times better than me. Otherwise, otherwise….”

Min Yerin, who was speaking without a hitch, eventually trailed off as if her voice choked up. The crying of the surrounding students gradually grew louder. Jaewon turned his head and looked out the hallway window. Looking at the shining sun above the blue sky, he thought.

‘I wonder if the Han River water is very cold?’

“Hyung!”

His spirit, which was leaving the mortal world, was able to return thanks to Ma Chayun, who caught up late.

“Hyung, are you okay? Oh, dear. It’s Min Yerin and the kids. Every time the spot next to Kim Dojun is reset, they are the ones who rush in like mad and ruthlessly destroy the other person’s emotions. There’s nothing good about getting close to those folks, so come over here. But why did your hand become shaped like a chicken foot? This can’t be. Your fingers are cringing so much they won’t uncurl! How are your feet? Come to think of it, you’re walking like a macaroni penguin. Can you walk by yourself?”

Jaewon left the spot while being supported by Ma Chayun. Walking while receiving the sharp stares of the students, his temper gradually flared up. In the first place, if Min Yerin had been the protagonist, things would have been resolved much more easily, so where was she taking out her anger just because she wasn’t up to the task? Bae Jaewon, a native Korean who couldn’t stand being wronged, snapped his head around.

“So who told you to be born that pretty?”

“Wh-What did you say?”

“Don’t speak so easily without knowing how others feel inside. Because it’s annoying.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Let’s go, Ma Chayun.”

Jaewon, who felt relieved after snapping sharply, turned his steps without lingering attachments. However, before he could even take three steps, he recalled the errand Kim Dojun had ordered and groaned in pain.

“I have to buy bread.”

∞ ∞ ∞

“Ajomma! That SHINee Choco Bread for me!”

“That was the last one just now! Next!”

“No!”

“Do you have the Bulgogi Burger?!”

“That all sold out earlier!”

“Lies! That’s a lie!”

“Ah, don’t push!”

A snack bar located in a corner of Jonse High School. The scene where transactions took place second by second was reminiscent of an early morning wholesale fish market. Students scrambled to hand over banknotes, and joy and sorrow crossed depending on the snack bar Ajomma’s selection.

“Ajomma! Please take my money!”

“I’m going on a diet starting tomorrow, so this is my last supper! A Sweet Potato Pizza Bread for me!”

“Where do you have room to lose weight! Eat this, gain strength, and go on a diet!”

“Uwaaa! Ajomma! I’m going to lose weight starting tomorrow too!”

Fiercely engaging in physical fights, they showed not an inch of concession to one another, and because of that, the area in front of the cash register was on the verge of bursting with the crowd. Jaewon was just looking at that sight absentmindedly. It was a density that even he, who had boasted fame as a seat hunter on Line 2, wouldn’t dare to jump into.

“There is a saying called the balloon effect.”

Ma Chayun, standing beside Jaewon, opened his mouth while pushing up his glasses with his middle finger.

“The cafeteria corruption at this school has deep roots. As you know, Hyung, corruption isn’t something that can be eradicated overnight. No matter how hard the anti-cafeteria forces try, as long as corruption continues, the quality of school meals keeps declining, and naturally the students’ reliance on the snack bar has only increased. As a result, problems erupted continuously, and it became a grave matter that the school side could no longer ignore.”

“The curry rice I ate yesterday was still insulting human dignity though?”

“The school started restricting the sales volume of the snack bar as if to solve the problem. Especially focusing on bread or instant foods that can be eaten as meal replacements.”

“Dear me.”

Jaewon clicked his tongue. Since it was a common solution on the Korean Peninsula, it wasn’t overly surprising, but it was a gloomy state of affairs that the leeway for school meals to improve in the future was opaque.

“Not only the students but also the snack bar side protested, but the school side took issue with the students’ health, using the average sales volume of snack bars at other schools as an excuse. It’s nonsense. It might be a typical sales volume at other schools, but it was a far too insufficient amount for the students of our school. However, the unfair contract was eventually concluded, and the phenomenon of excess demand at the snack bar became common at this school.”

Having finished speaking, Ma Chayun stared bitterly at the checkout counter. Jaewon followed his gaze as well. The students were still engaging in a ravenous struggle. The way they struggled to catch the snack bar Ajomma’s eye was like a swarm of moths rushing at a lamp.

‘It’s a sight like a scene from hell.’