CBR 36

At that moment, sensing an inexplicable feeling of incongruity, Jaewon stiffened and looked up at Dojun. Soon, their eyes met. Just as he thought he felt a sense of maturity from that relaxed gaze and skillful face, Dojun grabbed his wrist and started heading somewhere.

“W-Where are you going.”

“Where should we go.”

Dojun, who still only threw back questions, strangely seemed to be enjoying himself. No, he had felt off for a while now.

Something—a change—was happening. He had missed the moment of its germination. Anxiety crawled up his skin.

In his rapidly shifting field of vision, Gyujin and Gareyeong passed by, staring blankly this way. A lightbulb went off in his head with a ding, and Jaewon hurriedly called out to Dojun to stop him.

“W-Wait a minute.”

Dojun didn’t stop his steps, perhaps not hearing him. Just how long were his legs? Even when he was just walking, his stride was so large that it was overwhelming to keep up. Being dragged helplessly, Jaewon dug his heels in and held his ground. He looked like a spoiled kid throwing a tantrum. Only then did Dojun look back. Soon, a crack formed on his calm face, and biting his lip, the corners of his mouth curled up. He was probably holding back a sneeze. Taking advantage of that gap, Jaewon gestured to Lee Gareyeong and called her over.

“You two, say hello to each other.”

“What hello.”

“I’m telling you two to greet each other.”

“Suddenly?”

“Anyway, if I tell you to do it, just do it.”

When he insisted unreasonably, Dojun let out a short breath and turned toward Gareyeong. The man and woman faced each other.

It was a historic moment. Jaewon harbored the grand ambition of youth and adjusted his posture. Straightening his back to observe decorum, he extended his hand with an elegant motion.

“This is Lee Gareyeong from Class 7, and….”

“When did you even introduce yourselves to each other.”

A sharp voice shattered the mood. The smile in his sharp eyes had vanished. Jaewon made an effort to ignore it and continued speaking.

“And this side is….”

“Kim Dojun from Class 3. Right?”

“You know him well.”

“Who doesn’t know you?”

When Gareyeong laughed with her eyebrows furrowed as if it was absurd, Dojun greeted her with a nod as if responding in kind.

And with that, the conversation ended. It was a neat, plain, and straightforward conclusion without any fluff.

‘This isn’t how it’s supposed to go?’

“Don’t you have anything more to say? Is that all?”

“Pardon? Uh… um…”

Jaewon urged her urgently, but Gareyeong hesitated. Rolling her eyes left and right while tapping her chin, she truly seemed to have nothing more to talk about.

“Y-You?”

Grown anxious, he turned the arrow toward Dojun. Having already withdrawn his gaze from Gareyeong, he looked at Jaewon.

“What.”

“Don’t you feel anything? Pathetic or laughable, or anyway, some kind of impactful feeling!”

“I think it’s coming now.”

“Argh!”

Jaewon screamed and tore at his hair. Gareyeong, who was watching while chewing on snacks shared by a person next to her, asked:

“Oppa, are you going home together with Dojun?”

“No?”

“Yeah.”

Answering at the same time, the two people’s words clashed. Jaewon and Dojun turned their heads and their eyes locked. Both wore dumbfounded expressions.

“Why would I go with you?”

“Why wouldn’t you.”

Sunlight broke over the head of Dojun, who was asking sulkily. The eyelashes reflecting the light sparkled like fish scales. It was Jaewon’s first time seeing that those eyes, which had only seemed black, held so many colors. Jaewon subconsciously asked himself:

‘Why aren’t I going?’

He was genuinely flustered. Throughout Bae Jaewon’s whole life, not to mention his words, even his thoughts had never been blocked. His superior brain always presented the optimal answer, and his words burst out before getting permission from his brain. There had never been a single problem with such a mechanism. His mind and body moved according to the commands of his brain, and his hormones were calm under the command of his pituitary gland. But a turmoil arose. His physical body began to question the judgment of top leadership.

Jaewon liked most things about himself, but the top among them was his balance. The state where the seesaw of emotion and reason achieved a balance provided tranquility. But the seesaw tilted. Cracks began to form in the solid regime.

Dojun stared intently at Jaewon, who was unmoving like something broken. The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He usually wore that kind of expression before committing absolute evil.

And bad premonitions always turn out to be right.

“You said you’d make me happy.”

“Huh? What?”

“Was it a lie?”

Dojun asked, his pupils shaking innocently. While Jaewon was dazed from that highly appealing preemptive strike, exclamations erupted from all over the place.

“My goodness…”

“Such scum of the earth…”

Classmates whispered with horrified expressions. Gareyeong was also surprised and covered her mouth with an oh my. Jaewon, who had been knocked down, only then snapped back to his senses.

“No, that’s, not me, not me.”

He writhed around like a salted slug before finally exploding.

“I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Why didn’t you.”

Dojun, who was leisurely tossing back replies, suddenly turned his head. His tightly closed mouth twitched and his eye area quivered. Jaewon, who was watching his complexion suspiciously, opened his eyes wide. It was an expression of holding back laughter.

“Hey, this bastard is acting right now. Don’t be fooled, guys. Look closely. He’s smiling! His lips are, huh? Shaking like crazy!”

“Shaking…!”

“Vibrating…!”

At the shocking choice of words, the students blushed. The face of Jaewon, who was desperately trying to explain, also turned beet red like a drunkard. Putting his hands on his hips, he started pointing fingers.

“Wow, I’m going crazy here. Does living like that make you guys happy?”

“Baby, let’s go.”

Dojun said pleasantly, casually throwing an arm over Jaewon. Naturally, Jaewon didn’t hold back.

“What kind of bullshit is that? I’ve never had a dad like you!”

Looking lovingly at Jaewon who was throwing a fit, Dojun slowly lowered his head. His field of vision was cut off, and a sharp scent of perfume blew over the tip of his nose. It was a pungent, delicate scent reminiscent of winter. Jaewon felt his vocal cords close up. A mature body scent that couldn’t be expected from a student caused his judgment to pause. At the low breath, the fine hairs around his ears stood on end. Neat lips parted, and a low voice whispered sweetly.

“Trash.”

∞ ∞ ∞

“We’re here. Get off.”

A raspy voice mixed with the sound of the bike engine and rang in his ears. Jaewon, who had been closing his eyes like he was dead, raised his head only after the engine noise subsided.

“If you want to stay longer, go ahead.”

At the tone that sounded as if he were bestowing a favor, Jaewon only then discovered himself rubbing his cheek against the solid, broad back. Being stuck together without even space for a single finger to fit made him look like a cicada attached to an old tree.

“… Gasp.”

When he stood up in a hurry out of sheer fright, a low laugh followed. The back of his head felt hot.

Jaewon staggered powerlessly. He had tried hard and run around all day, but nothing had turned out the way he wanted. No matter how magnificent a stage was prepared, if the actors didn’t move according to the script, it was useless. He had aggressively invested here and there, packed with confidence and conviction, but he felt like someone looking at a balance screen filled with red lights at closing time.

There are four elements Field Marshal Moltke of Prussia said were necessary for victory in war. Known as the 4Gs, they are Money (Geld), Thought (Gedanken), Patience (Geduld), and Luck (Glück).

‘Right now, I have nothing.’

He was a complete defeated soldier. He was engulfed in a deep sense of helplessness.

“Where are you going.”

As he headed home with his shoulders slouched, Dojun grabbed his arm. Jaewon looked back at him in daze.

“You should bark.”

“What?”

“Woof, woof.”

Dojun made the sound of a dog barking. The way he folded his hands neatly and imitated a dog was quite natural. Watching that scene, the gaze of Jaewon, who was chuckling dryly, slowly dropped lower.