DEARG Ch 8

“…Thank you.”

He felt suffocated. The eyes currently examining himself in the mirror were chilling. Ding. The elevator doors finally opened. Jo Jihyun let out a small, quiet breath and stepped out of the elevator.

“Jihyun. You’re not seeing a girlfriend or anything these days, are you?”

“Pardon? What are you talking about?”

His heart pounded and his blood ran cold. He knew she could not possibly be saying it because she knew, but goosebumps still broke out on his back.

“No, I mean. You suddenly bring up your cell phone. And you seem to be coming home late all the time these days.”

“It’s because I’m coming from the library after studying.”

It was not a lie. The whole routine was that he would be studying, and when Kang Seokwon arrived, they would walk home together.

“That’s right. There will be plenty of women in college. Actually, you don’t even really need to get a girlfriend in college. Once you get a good job later, your mother will introduce you to a nice girl.”

He felt exhausted just hearing her words. Jo Jihyun silently took off his shoes.

“Oh, and you know Mrs. Sukhyun, right?”

A sinister premonition stabbed sharply at his chest. When Jo Jihyun answered, “Yes,” his mother continued, rambling on.

“It turns out her husband is a business partner of your father’s. Their son goes to the same school as you, right?”

She was asking something she already knew. Jo Jihyun gave a short reply of “Yes,” and turned his head away. He did not want to exchange any more words.

“Good. That worked out well. We’ve been invited for dinner this weekend, you see? Let’s go together.”

“What? This weekend?”

This weekend was the day after tomorrow. Jo Jihyun turned back to his mother with a look of disbelief.

“Everyone knows each other, so it won’t be awkward. It worked out perfectly.”

“…, I, I don’t want to go.”

“What are you talking about? You’re classmates.”

He was not his friend, not anything. Jo Jihyun disliked Choi Giyeol and wanted to avoid him as much as possible.

“I’ll just study at the library.”

“No.”

His mother spoke firmly, glaring at him.

“I need to have at least one thing to show off, too. It’s not like I’m any less than Sukhyun.”

“…”

Only then did Jo Jihyun realize why his mother was trying to use him as a front to make an entrance into that house.

“Anyway, come straight home after school the day after tomorrow. Got it?”

“Do we just need to eat dinner?”

At her son’s listless question, his mother laughed and said, “Of course.” Jo Jihyun’s face grew even paler as he answered, “I understand,” but his mother paid him no mind and disappeared into the master bedroom, humming a tune.

Entering his own room, Jo Jihyun closed the door. He set down his bag, opened a book, and sat down in his chair.

The next five days felt impossibly distant.

“Oh my, dear. It’s been a while. Hello. I’ve heard so much about you.”

A finely dressed woman greeted the guests at the entrance. When she noticed the boy standing behind them, her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, “Oh my.”

“So you’re Jihyun. My, how you look just like your mother when she was young.”

“Hello.”

“Yes. I heard you’re in the same class as our Giyeol. He was changing his clothes since this morning, but why hasn’t he come down? Giyeol.”

The sound of stomping feet came from upstairs. Spotting Jo Jihyun, Choi Giyeol’s face turned red as he chided his mother, “Don’t say such useless things.”

“Look at me, I’m losing my mind. Please, come in.”

The living room she led them to was even more spacious than the house Jo Jihyun’s family lived in. Jo Jihyun could easily sense his mother’s mood twisting as she looked around at the luxurious sofa and furniture.

“This is a gift.”

When his father presented a bottle of wine, Choi Giyeol’s father accepted it with a gentle face. The two of them soon fell into a conversation about business.

Jo Jihyun sat on the edge of the sofa, just waiting for this awkward time to end quickly.

“Madam, dinner is ready.”

A demure voice came from inside. Delicious-looking dishes were laid out on a magnificent marble dining table.

“I haven’t prepared much, but please eat a lot.”

“Mom. What do you mean you haven’t prepared much? This marble table is going to break.”

At Choi Giyeol’s words, his mother, Lee Sukhyun, smiled with a slight glint in her eyes. Jo Jihyun silently sat at the end of the dining table. Choi Giyeol sat down in front of him.

The meal itself was ordinary. Conversation flowed, and compliments about the food followed. Jo Jihyun moved only his chopsticks in silence.

“Is the food not to your taste, Jihyun? Why are you eating so little?”

“Not at all. It’s delicious.”

“You’re so pretty, and your voice is so lovely too. I heard you’re also that good at studying?”

“Well, he’s just so-so.”

His mother cut in as if it were no big deal.

“I heard he was first in the whole school again. Giyeol told me, didn’t you?”

“When did I say that?”

Choi Giyeol jumped and grumbled.

“You’re the one who said Jo-ji got first place. Is your nickname Jo-ji because of your name? That’s so cute.”

“Oh my, is that so? It’s the first time I’m hearing it. It’s truly cute.”

Once again, his mother answered for him. The rice in his mouth felt as gritty as sand.

“Do you go to a separate tutoring academy or something? Our Giyeol is going to be a high school senior next year, so I’m worried sick.”

“Our Jihyun is doing it on his own these days.”

“No, how can he do it on his own? Isn’t he getting private tutoring or something? Hey, if you know a good teacher, let’s share.”

His mother’s expression began to brighten little by little.

“He just does well on his own. Because he’s a gentle boy and he’s smart. He takes after his father. That’s why I married this man, you know.”

His appetite completely vanished. Jo Jihyun put down his chopsticks.

“Are you finished? Is it okay to eat only that much?”

Lee Sukhyun asked with a worried face.

“He always eats very little. Just leave him be.”

Choi Giyeol interjected. Jo Jihyun silently drank his water. He felt a gaze on him, but Jo Jihyun did not turn his head.

After the meal, tea and sweets followed. Talk of business and education came and went. His mother chattered on, fabricating a plausible family life. Jo Jihyun sat there, maintaining his position like a delicate craftwork, and endured his headache.

“Oh my, you two must be bored. Giyeol, why don’t you give him a tour of your room?”

“It’s alrigh…”

His mother glared fiercely at Jo Jihyun.

“Yes. You two are in the same class, so you should get along.”

His mother added her support. Choi Giyeol stood up hesitantly. Jo Jihyun swallowed a sigh and followed behind him. There were a total of thirty eight stairs leading to the second floor. Meaninglessly repeating the number in his head, Jo Jihyun climbed the stairs.

Choi Giyeol glanced back at Jo Jihyun.

“This is my room.”

He threw open the door and showed him the room. It seemed to have been cleaned, as everything was neatly arranged. Choi Giyeol’s room, which took up about half of the second floor, was so dazzlingly magnificent it was blinding, but it failed to evoke any emotion in Jo Jihyun. Jo Jihyun simply stood tall in front of his room with an indifferent expression.

“Come in. You can read a book or something.”

Thinking that would be preferable, Jo Jihyun entered the room. Choi Giyeol approached Jo Jihyun, who was looking over the collection of books that packed one entire wall.

“Want a drink?”

“No.”

“Then shall I bring you some fruit or something?”

“No.”

Choi Giyeol’s excited expression crumpled.

“Hey, when someone says something…”

Jo Jihyun turned his head. As their eyes met, Choi Giyeol’s face flushed red like a boy suffering from a fever. His Adam’s apple bobbed slowly.

“Jo Jihyun.”

He grabbed Jo Jihyun’s shoulders.

“Let go.”

Jo Jihyun firmly swatted his hand away. No, he tried to swat it away. While still holding Jo Jihyun’s shoulders, Choi Giyeol pulled him into an embrace.

“Are you crazy? What are you doing!”

“Wait, just stay still for a second.”

“What…!”

Choi Giyeol pushed Jo Jihyun right onto the bed. His eyes glistened with desire. Jo Jihyun’s eyes flew wide open, completely dumbfounded. He knew Choi Giyeol was stupid, but he had not known he was stupid enough to pull something like this with their parents downstairs.

“Jihyun, I’m seriously going to go crazy.”

Choi Giyeol murmured in a feverish voice as he brought his lips closer. Goosebumps rose on his skin. Jo Jihyun swung his arms, trying to push him away. Choi Giyeol pinned Jo Jihyun’s body with his knee and slipped his hand inside his shirt, fumbling around. A wave of nausea washed over him. Jo Jihyun desperately pushed Choi Giyeol away.

“Just stay still…!”

Choi Giyeol’s eyes, which had been fumbling inside the shirt, suddenly widened. Then he said, “Haha,” and laughed, placing a hand on his own forehead.

“Did you already put out for Kang Seokwon?”

Choi Giyeol’s voice as he asked that question sank ominously.

“What are you talk…”

Choi Giyeol roughly yanked up the hem of Jo Jihyun’s shirt.

“Aren’t these the love bites that b**t**d made? S**t, it’s not just one or two.”

Jo Jihyun hastily pulled his shirt down, but Choi Giyeol’s gaze had already confirmed every single love bite left on his white body.

“I mean, there’s no way that b**t**d hasn’t fucked you by now. Do you know how that b**t**d looks at you?”

“Get off.”

“Like he’s dying to spread your legs and pound into your c**t right this second…”

Choi Giyeol’s words were cut off by a hand slapping him across the cheek. Jo Jihyun shoved away Choi Giyeol, who was frozen by the completely unexpected turn of events, and ran straight out of the room.

“Jo Jihyun!”

Choi Giyeol, belatedly coming to his senses, followed him out, but Jo Jihyun was already down the stairs. The fathers, busy with business talk, had moved to the study early on, and only the mothers were in the living room.

“Oh my. Jihyun. Did something happen?”

Lee Sukhyun asked, startled. His eyes met with his mother’s, who was sitting behind her. She showed no sign of surprise. She simply looked at her son with eyes mixed with irritation, urging him to go back up and finish playing his part for the day.

“I’ll be leaving now.”

“What? No, why so early? You’re not going to stay and hang out a little longer?”

“No. Today,…”

He could not even pretend to say he had a good time, not even as a lie. Jo Jihyun said, “Thank you,” and left the house without a single glance back. Afraid that Choi Giyeol might try to catch him, he ran without being able to look back. After running like that for a while, he stepped on his untied shoelace and fell flat on the ground. He bit his lip. He could not even let out a sigh at his own pathetic state. Jo Jihyun picked himself up and tied his shoelaces first. He felt a throbbing pain in his hand and checked to see that the palm he had instinctively used to break his fall was scraped. Another wound had been carved over the one he had gotten a month ago. This was better. A wound he made himself was much better to look at than a wound inflicted by someone else. The blood welling up on his palm seemed to squirm into its own grotesque shapes. Jo Jihyun quickly lifted his head. He felt as if Choi Giyeol’s hand that had fumbled inside his shirt was still attached to him. And in that moment, he remembered the look in his mother’s eyes as she had stared at him.

He clamped his palm over his mouth and choked back a dry heave.

How many days had passed. How many more days were left.

Counting the remaining days in his head, Jo Jihyun let out a bitter laugh. If just a few days were this much of a h**l, how on earth was he supposed to endure the remaining year and a half. On top of that, Kang Seokwon would graduate from this school in half a year.

“…”

Just the thought of that fact made his heart turn cold.

The cool face and the neatly continuous line of his nose, the firm jaw, the well-defined fingers, and the eyes. The voice that called his name, tinged with a faint warmth.

I miss you.

His heart lurched at the intense impulse he was feeling for the first time. Jo Jihyun covered his face with his palms. His chest ached with an emotion so overwhelming it was piercing.

Thwack, thwack, thwack.

The savage sound of strikes hitting the mitts filled the gym.

“Deeper to the right. Body down, that’s it, yes.”

Before the coach’s words even finished, the man’s body moved a beat faster. The coach’s eyes glinted with a peculiar light as he watched. The sparring partner, his face deathly pale, was barely managing to defend himself.

“Deeper, that’s it. Like that, what are you doing?”

The coach yelled in an annoyed voice. In the moment the man paused his movements, the sparring partner saw an opening and threw a punch. Simultaneously, with a thwack sound, his body was sent flying like a piece of paper. Kang Seokwon took off his mouthpiece and gloves and stepped down from the ring.

“Kang Seokwon. What’s wrong with you.”

The coach who was saying that soon followed Kang Seokwon’s gaze. Standing there was a boy who did not belong in this place at all. The coach frowned as a memory flashed through his mind.

Kang Seokwon strode past the coach and approached the boy.

“What’s up.”

His voice as he asked was lower than usual. Jo Jihyun, who had been staring blankly ahead, took a sharp breath, as if he had just come to his senses. Kang Seokwon looked back at the coach.

“Five-minute break.”

The coach spat out, as if he had no choice. Kang Seokwon took Jo Jihyun and went out to the building’s staircase.

“What happened.”

Jo Jihyun could not say anything. Not wanting to reveal that his clasped fingertips were trembling, he hid his hands behind his back. After leaving Choi Giyeol’s house, he had found himself here when he came to his senses.

A low sigh was heard from above his head. When Jo Jihyun looked up, Kang Seokwon had already gone back inside the gym.

What should I do. Is he angry because I came during his training. I need to apologize. He must have thought it was rude. I’ll apologize and go back….But where should I go.

When Jo Jihyun looked up, he heard the coach’s angry voice.

“Hey, you b**t**d! Are you crazy? Where are you going!”

The coach bellowed at Kang Seokwon, who had come out with his bag slung over his shoulder.

“Are you in your right mind. The match is right around the corner, where do you think you’re going.”

“I’ll be here tomorrow.”

“Don’t give me that ‘tomorrow’ crap. Get back here now. If you don’t get back here right now…”

Kang Seokwon pressed the elevator button. He pushed Jo Jihyun into the open doors and got in himself, then closed the doors. A thunderous shout of “Kang Seokwon, you b**t**d,” faded away above his head.

A sweltering heat emanated from Kang Seokwon’s body, who had not even properly wiped off his sweat. At the worried gaze that was examining him from head to toe, Jo Jihyun bit down hard on his lip. Ding, as the elevator doors opened, Jo Jihyun realized the mistake he had made.

“Sunbae.”

As Jo Jihyun opened his mouth, Kang Seokwon nodded his head.

He must not ruin his time. Even if my own time is twisted.

Jo Jihyun bowed his head properly.

“I believe I must apologize for this incident, so I am apologizing.”

“…”

“I’m sorry. I knew I shouldn’t have come, but…”

He could not bring himself to mention what happened with Choi Giyeol. If he did, he would ruin Kang Seokwon’s important match.

Jo Jihyun continued speaking with his head bowed.

“I just wanted to see you….To you, Sunbae, I think,…I think I acted childish for no reason,…, I’m sorry.”

No answer comes back. Only the sound of breathing continues. It is the same steady breathing that used to soothe him from over the phone.

Jo Jihyun slowly raised his head. Kang Seokwon was looking at him. His expression was subtle. A faint hue, as if a little surprised and somewhat pleased, brushed across his eyes.

It seemed that the more he blinked, the deeper that emotion became. Jo Jihyun stammered, lowering his gaze again, and said.

“I’ll be going now. Then, you should head back in. I think the coach is very angry.”

Kang Seokwon grabbed Jo Jihyun’s wrist and pulled him. He strode up the old stairs and into the inner part of the second-floor commercial area. He entered an empty commercial office, turned around, and pulled Jo Jihyun into an embrace. Without the slightest gap between them.

After holding him like that for a long time, he finally let out a faint breath.

“If it’s that, then be as childish as you want.”

“…”

“I’ll accept it all.”

Even while thinking that he should not, Jo Jihyun hugged Kang Seokwon’s back. The broad, solid being, the only thing in this world he could hold onto.

Not knowing what name to give the wistful feeling of missing someone even while holding that person in his arms, Jo Jihyun silently swallowed something hot.

“Ah…!”

At the warm sensation l**king his toes, Jo Jihyun let out a sound like a m**n, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Kang Seokwon, who was clutching Jo Jihyun’s ankle, kissed his way from his toes to his ankle. He slowly l**ked with his tongue and nipped with his teeth, following the long trail of marks left from their lovemaking.

At that sensual and wild act, Jo Jihyun’s face turned beet red. “Sunbae, please,” he whispered in a small voice, and Kang Seokwon lifted his head.

“…I can’t do it anymore.”

His lower body, having come repeatedly, was extremely sensitive and ached with a tingling pain at even the slightest stimulation. Kang Seokwon nodded and slowly bent his waist. He was aware of the difference in their build and height, but when they faced each other’s bodies directly like this, he felt Kang Seokwon’s large frame with stinging clarity.

Kang Seokwon pulled Jo Jihyun into an embrace. Under his heavy weight, his body gradually began to find a sense of relief. Jo Jihyun, who was looking at Kang Seokwon’s face, suddenly opened his mouth.

“Did you lose a lot of weight?”

Kang Seokwon replied casually, “About ten kilograms.”

The match had ended yesterday. Articles appeared here and there, heralding the title of “The Emergence of a Fearsome Rookie.” The newcomer, who was hailed as a once-in-a-century genius, wore an impassive face even in front of the camera flashes.

“You’re amazing.”

At Jo Jihyun’s words, the corners of Kang Seokwon’s mouth loosened relaxedly.

“It’ll go right back up.”

“Still. I don’t think I could ever do that….”

“I can’t get first place in the whole school either.”

At the quirky reply, Jo Jihyun swallowed a small laugh. A shimmering heat immediately rose in Kang Seokwon’s eyes. Their lips lightly touched and parted. Kang Seokwon whispered, “Sorry,” before kissing him again.

The hand cradling his hair gradually tightened its grip.

“…Sunbae.”

Jo Jihyun called him, letting out a short breath. Whether it was to entice or to stop him, Kang Seokwon’s eyes narrowed slightly at the unknowable, thrilling tone of his voice.

“I, I have to go….”

Kang Seokwon glanced at the clock on the wall. He would have to leave around now for Jo Jihyun to get home at his usual time.

“Okay.”

Kang Seokwon raised his body. His muscles, firm as if chiseled from stone, moved. Jo Jihyun came to know that a person’s body could be beautiful by looking at Kang Seokwon. Jo Jihyun quickly averted his gaze and wrapped his body in the sheet.

As he stood up to take a shower, Kang Seokwon snatched his hand.

“Who did that.”

Jo Jihyun’s expression clouded over. He had tried to hide it, but it had been seen. Kang Seokwon’s cold and chilly gaze swept over the back of Jo Jihyun’s thigh, below his b**tocks. A wound, burst open with reddish blood, remained like the trail of a snake. Jo Jihyun said, “It’s nothing,” and wrapped the rest of his leg with the sheet.

“I forgot my homework and got hit.”

“…”

His mother had hit her son. It was no use even when his father tried to stop her. She said she had to correct her son’s habit of embarrassing his parents in front of others. After hitting him until blood splattered and his flesh tore, she told her son that she loved him. Because she loved him, because she loved him so very much, she was worried he would go astray, she said, shedding tears. All of it was sincere. And that is why it was an unbearably heavy sincerity.

“Our math teacher is scary, you know.”

Kang Seokwon merely stared at Jo Jihyun with a blank expression.

“I’ll wash up first.”

Jo Jihyun quickly went into the bathroom. When he came out after showering, Kang Seokwon was dressed and sitting down. He looked like he had something to say, so Jo Jihyun quietly sat in front of him.

“The prize money from this match was pretty good.”

“…, Congratulations.”

After an awkward silence, Kang Seokwon spoke.

“Do you want to leave home?”

“…”

There was no way Kang Seokwon did not know. The thought of deceiving him was wrong from the start. He was always watching. Watching him, every single part.

“After I graduate.”

Kang Seokwon’s jaw hardened.

It could not be helped. He had learned through several reports to the authorities that a minor who has parents has no rights. The police would chuckle and pat the child’s back as they watched the parents bow their heads, saying it would never happen again, that the child was just easily frightened. It made him realize with piercing clarity, every time, that he would never be able to escape that house without buying a legal identity.

“I’m going to leave home after I graduate.”

His hands, resting on his knees, tensed. It would not do if Kang Seokwon got swept up in this as well. He just had to endure for a year and a half.

“I can do it. No, I will do it. I’ll definitely do it. Even if it’s hard, I’ll endure it.”

Kang Seokwon reached out and grasped Jo Jihyun’s hand. His trembling fingertips were cold.

“It’s because it’s hard for me.”

“…”

His absolute fortitude, which would not be violated by anyone or anything, was wavering because of him. The moment he realized that fact, a faint, dull ache spread through his heart.

For some reason, Kang Seokwon unwrapped the bandage around his wrist. Jo Jihyun blinked, staring at his exposed wrist.

“Oh,….”

“If I win the next national sports festival, it’s the Asian circuit, and after that, it’s the world championship.”

The man spoke of the difficult stages as if they were nothing.

“I was planning to get one engraved each time I win.”

On Kang Seokwon’s wrist, Dear, was engraved. It was not difficult to guess what the remaining letters that would fill the empty space would be.

“Why….”

Kang Seokwon also knew that Jo Jihyun disliked the nickname George. And yet, he was curious as to why he would choose to engrave that of all things.

“If it wasn’t for the letters, I probably would have ended up never even talking to you.”

He remembered the letter he had crumpled up and thrown in the trash without even opening it. Jo Jihyun’s face flushed bright red.

“I’m sorry. I really, thought it was a joke….”

“Half of it was a joke.”

“…”

“I wanted to talk to you, even if it was like that.”

Jo Jihyun looked at the man’s wrist. The letters were engraved across the artery of his wrist.

It had started like a joke for a trivial reason, and it had come to this.

“I’ll get one letter engraved each time a season passes.”

Kang Seokwon said calmly.

After six seasons passed, it would be graduation. The man had engraved the words of his promise onto his own body.

Jo Jihyun nodded. I will wait, he whispered, his chapped lips parting slightly.

It could be a passing whim of youth, or a fever that one suffers through and moves on from. The day might come when he would want to erase the letters on his wrist.

But at that time, there was no room to think about such things. It was a time that was entirely filled with holding each other, kissing, and getting drunk on the sweet heat, barely catching their breaths.

“Ten days?”

“Yeah.”

Jo Jihyun blinked his eyes, then belatedly noticed that ice cream was dripping down the back of his hand. Kang Seokwon caught his hand as he fumbled to find a handkerchief. He wiped the ice cream with the hem of his own school uniform shirt.

“It’s okay.”

Jo Jihyun belatedly took out a handkerchief, but Kang Seokwon did not mind and finished wiping it. I’m going to wash it anyway, Kang Seokwon said in a calm tone.

“Thank you.”

Jo Jihyun took a bite of the remaining ice cream. He could not taste the sweet flavor of the ice cream at all, to the point that his throat ached.

“…, When do you leave?”

“Next week.”

The September mock exam was next week. But for Kang Seokwon, who already had a guaranteed spot in college, such things were not important. This friendly match was also an exceptional case, as a famous opponent had personally singled out the rookie Kang Seokwon.

“You’ll be taking a plane.”

“I guess so.”

Kang Seokwon, who had already finished his ice cream early, twirled the stick between his fingertips and muttered as if to himself. It’s going to be hard. At his words, which were like a sigh, Jo Jihyun could not lift his head. He could tell what he meant by ‘hard’. The nape of his neck felt hot.

The class bell rang. Kang Seokwon got up. He had such an enormous build that passing students would flinch without realizing it.

“See you later.”

“Yes.”

The two of them parted, heading to their respective classrooms.

Occasionally, Kang Seokwon would come to his classroom. They would not have any particular conversation; he would just give him a drink or hand him an ice cream and go.

Just that alone was good. If Kang Seokwon graduated, these small meetings would be gone, but time would pass. Then they could live together. After tomorrow, there is another tomorrow. Just thinking that made his heart loosen relaxedly.

Opening the front door, Jo Jihyun found the classroom empty and blinked his eyes for a long moment.

“It’s in the music room.”

At the voice from the back of the classroom, Jo Jihyun did not even turn his head. He went to his seat and grabbed his music book. As he was about to leave the classroom, Choi Giyeol followed close behind him.

“Jo Jihyun. I’m sorry. I, that day….I’m really sorry.”

Choi Giyeol muttered, ruffling his hair with his palm. Since that day, Choi Giyeol had tried to talk to him several times, but Jo Jihyun had consistently ignored him. Jo Jihyun walked down the hallway with an expressionless face.

“Are you dating Kang Seokwon?”

“…”

Choi Giyeol approached with quick steps and stood blocking Jo Jihyun’s path.

“I asked if you’re dating him.”

“What’s it to you.”

“That’s because…”

Choi Giyeol chewed on his lip. Jo Jihyun’s voice as he called out, “Choi Giyeol,” was terribly cold.

“I’ll act like that day never happened.”

Choi Giyeol’s eyes widened for a second. Jo Jihyun continued in an indifferent tone.

“I’ll just consider it as having been bitten by a mad dog, so please, let’s just live as if the other doesn’t exist.”

“Why am I the mad dog. Why is it okay for Kang Seokwon but not for me!”

Choi Giyeol shouted as if resentful and grabbed Jo Jihyun’s shoulder. Just then, Choi Giyeol’s friends came flocking from the other end of the hallway.

“What are you doing. Choi Giyeol. Aren’t you going to the music room?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Choi Giyeol’s hand hastily dropped away.

“Were you bothering Jo-ji again?”

“Bo, bothering? Who’s bothering who.”

Choi Giyeol answered, stammering.

“Well, it’s true our Jo-ji has gotten d**n sexy lately. You don’t like Jo-ji, do you?”

One of them snickered, teasing Choi Giyeol. Choi Giyeol replied with a serious face.

“Don’t talk s**t. As if I’m crazy enough to like a guy, that’s disgusting.”

“Hehehe. You crazy b**t**d. Let’s just hurry up and go.”

They all flocked to the music room. Choi Giyeol hastily looked back.

Jo Jihyun was standing there, expressionless.

Choi Giyeol was so miserable he could not even lift his head. Jo Jihyun was not angry, nor was he sad. His face said that Choi Giyeol’s words did not even hold that much value.

Choi Giyeol could not move an inch until Jo Jihyun had passed by him.

Spotting Kang Seokwon standing at the bus stop, Jo Jihyun blinked his eyes. He walked over, almost running.

“Weren’t you leaving today?”

“Yeah. I was just going to stop by for a bit. I have some papers to submit too.”

For that and other reasons, Kang Seokwon said as he stood up from his seat. Jo Jihyun realized that he had stopped by on purpose.

“The bus is here.”

The bus headed for the school pulled into the stop. They got on the bus. The back seats were empty, so the two of them sat side by side. He took out his vocabulary notebook out of habit, but nothing entered his head.

After today, I won’t see him for ten days.

Jo Jihyun turned his head. His eyes met with Kang Seokwon’s, whom he had expected to be looking out the window. Kang Seokwon’s eyes, who had been staring this way with his chin propped on his hand, narrowed for a second.

He remembered what the gym coach had said a while ago while looking at Kang Seokwon. Had he said it felt like seeing a flower bloom from a stone? It was similar to the expression Kang Seokwon had made when he came out after finishing his workout and found Jo Jihyun waiting for him.

A breeze blew in from the window. A cool shiver of goosebumps broke out on his arm beneath his summer uniform. Kang Seokwon closed the window.

“They said we’re wearing our autumn uniforms starting next week.”

You’ll probably be in your autumn uniform when you come back, Kang Seokwon nodded at Jo Jihyun’s added words.

The season was changing. That alone was a comfort.

Getting off the bus, the two of them walked slowly. When they reached the school entrance, Jo Jihyun bowed his head curtly as usual.

“Have a good trip.”

They had already said their goodbyes last night, but to say farewell once more made his heart feel bittersweet.

“I have something to say.”

At the voice from above his head, Jo Jihyun quickly looked up. Kang Seokwon walked ahead without a word. From his slightly stiff demeanor, Jo Jihyun wondered if he had made a mistake. Kang Seokwon entered the art room at the end of the hallway and closed the door.

“What…”

Kang Seokwon’s lips covered Jo Jihyun’s. A hot hand cupped his face. Jo Jihyun’s eyes went wide at his sudden action, as he had never even touched a fingertip at school.

His tongue softly l**ked his lips and traced the line of his teeth. It was the face of a man completely absorbed. Before he knew it, Jo Jihyun had closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Kang Seokwon’s neck. Kang Seokwon lifted Jo Jihyun and sat him on a desk.

Kang Seokwon leaned down, pulled his body in close, and kissed him for a long time. Breaths like sighs followed.

“I don’t want to go.”

Kang Seokwon muttered lowly. At the words so unlike him, Jo Jihyun blinked and then answered.

“It’s an important event. You have to go.”

“I know.”

His lips, saying that, continuously touched Jo Jihyun’s cheek, his eyelids, his lips. Jo Jihyun’s chest felt tight, as if his throat were filled with a hot lump.

They met at the bus stop every morning and came to school together, and sometimes they had dinner together and walked home together. That was all. That was all, but it felt as if that was everything he had.

“What time is your flight?”

“In the evening.”

No matter what, there would be no time to be doing this here now. Both knew they had to return to their own places, but neither let go of the other’s hand.

“Call me. Whenever you want to.”

Kang Seokwon said, taking out bills from his pocket and holding them out. Jo Jihyun’s face hardened as he shook his head.

“I can’t accept this. Something like this.”

“It’s because I want to hear your voice.”

“…”

“You can just buy an international phone card.”

Kang Seokwon insisted on stuffing the bills into Jo Jihyun’s uniform pocket. Jo Jihyun tried to give it back, but Kang Seokwon refused to take it until the very end. Jo Jihyun sighed.

“Then I’ll give you back the money left over after buying the card….When you get back.”

Kang Seokwon nodded. Thinking that his gaze on him was especially stifling today, Jo Jihyun spoke in a deliberately calm tone.

“It feels like you’re going really far away, acting like this.”

“I am going far away.”

It was not unusual for him to go to a training camp. Still, after that incident, Kang Seokwon would find time to see Jo Jihyun, no matter how short.

The fact that the man in front of him was disappearing across the sea did not readily sink in.

Maybe that was why. For some reason, his stomach felt queasy and he did not feel good. He could hear the sound of a large insect scratching at a corner of his heart.

“That’s true. It’s America.”

Jo Jihyun smiled weakly and got down from the desk. Just then, Kang Seokwon strode to the door and threw it open. Not a single mouse could be seen in the empty hallway.

“What’s wrong?”

He scanned the hallway with a blank expression and then, “No, it’s nothing,” he said, lost in thought for a moment.

“Jihyun.”

It was an affectionate call. Jo Jihyun answered, “Yes.”

“Even if it’s a very trivial matter, call me.”

Jo Jihyun nodded. Suddenly, Kang Seokwon unwrapped the band around his wrist. On his wrist, a G was engraved.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“No.”

“It looks like it would hurt.”

Jo Jihyun gently caressed the top of the letter with his finger. The skin, where the wound had not yet healed, was raised and rough along the letter. There were five letters left, and five seasons had to pass.

“It’s okay.”

Kang Seokwon’s voice as he said that was exceptionally tender.

“I’ll be back.”

The moment he heard those words, Jo Jihyun grabbed Kang Seokwon’s arm without realizing it. In the end, that day, Jo Jihyun was late for his morning supplementary class for the first time.

“Well then, prepare well for tomorrow’s mock exam, and those on cleaning duty, clean up before you go. If I see any of you slacking off just because we finished early today, you’ll be in for it. That’s all.”

As the homeroom teacher’s end-of-day meeting finished, the students stood up with their bags.

“Let’s go to the PC b**g! PC b**g!”

“Crazy b**t**d. You’re just asking to bomb the exam tomorrow.”

“Let’s all fail together, is that it.”

Jo Jihyun closed the book he was reading and began to pack his bag. Just then, someone hesitantly tapped Jo Jihyun on the shoulder.

“Jo-ji.”

Jo Jihyun turned his head without answering.

“Uh, hey, Kang Seokwon hyung was looking for you earlier.”

“Sunbae was?”

Jo Jihyun tilted his head. He had definitely said his goodbyes earlier. Thoroughly.

The moment he thought of the word ‘thoroughly’, he felt a flush of heat. Jo Jihyun needlessly rubbed his face with his palm and continued speaking.

“What did Sunbae say?”

“Oh, he said to come to the old building’s gym at two o’clock.”

After finishing his words, the boy slung his bag over his shoulder and hurriedly left his seat.

Jo Jihyun frowned slightly. Strange. He was not the type of person to ask someone to relay a message. He wondered if he had been in that much of a hurry. He slung his bag over his shoulder, left the classroom, and went to the pay phone in a corner of the school. He dialed Kang Seokwon’s phone number, and after a few rings, he heard a message saying the person could not take the call and would be connected to voicemail. He considered calling again, but instead, Jo Jihyun pressed the number 1 button. It was his first time leaving a message, so it felt extremely awkward.

“Sunbae. It’s Jo Jihyun. I’m leaving a message because you didn’t answer your phone. Have a good trip. I said this earlier, but please take care of your health. And,….”

Jo Jihyun lowered his head. The sneakers Kang Seokwon had bought for him came into view. A distinct warmth spread across his chest.

“…I’ll be waiting.”

Just as he finished saying that, he heard the sound of the coin dropping with a clink. Jo Jihyun quickly added, “See you later.” After pressing the star key, he hung up the receiver. His face was hot. Even after going to the restroom and washing his face, the stifling heat did not subside.

There was still some time left, but it did not matter. He could just study moderately and wait wherever he was.

Jo Jihyun headed to the library in the school’s old building.

Jo Jihyun swallowed and raised his head. He checked the clock on the wall and hurriedly packed his bag. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he practically ran down the hallway. It was already ten minutes past the promised time. And he had a flight to catch.

Jo Jihyun bit his lip. He went down the stairs with long strides. He went to the gym located in the inner part of the hallway and opened the door.

“Sorry I’m la…,”

Jo Jihyun did not finish his sentence and looked around. A heavy silence flowed unpleasantly through the empty gym. Just then, he heard the sound of the door locking with a click from behind. Choi Giyeol was standing there. Goosebumps rose on his back. He had a bad feeling. The scratching sound he had been hearing in his ears since the morning felt like it had become clearer. Jo Jihyun tried to pass by Choi Giyeol to get out of the gym. Choi Giyeol grabbed Jo Jihyun’s shoulder and pushed him back forcefully.

“What are you doing.”

“What am I doing, I’m just about to do something you’re good at.”

Choi Giyeol laughed and took out money from his pocket, scattering it. The bills fluttered down onto Jo Jihyun.

“Were you s**king that b**t**d Kang Seokwon’s d**k for money?”

“What?”

“If that’s the case, you should have told me sooner, you fucker.”

The scene from the art room flashed through Jo Jihyun’s mind.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something…, ugh.”

Choi Giyeol kicked Jo Jihyun in the stomach and got on top of his body.

“You’re doing it for money, so what’s with the high and mighty act.”

He grabbed Jo Jihyun’s hair and forced his head back. Jo Jihyun glared at Choi Giyeol with livid eyes.

“Let go.”

Choi Giyeol lightly blocked the hand that went up into the air.

“F**k, you think I’m going to get hit a second time?”

Choi Giyeol smashed Jo Jihyun onto the gym floor. A thudding impact started from his head. While Jo Jihyun swallowed a groan, Choi Giyeol undid his belt.

“What makes you so special, you fucking h**o.”

“Choi Giyeol! Don’t!”

Jo Jihyun swung his hand. Choi Giyeol was already not in his right mind due to anger and jealousy. He pressed Jo Jihyun’s body down and smashed it onto the floor a few more times. Grabbing the jaw of the limp and flailing Jo Jihyun, Choi Giyeol said.

“S**k it. It’s not like you haven’t s**ked one or two before.”

Choi Giyeol pulled out his dark, e**ct p**is and brought it to Jo Jihyun’s lips.

“S**k it properly. If you don’t, I’ll take pictures and send them to your parents.”

“…!”

Choi Giyeol took out his cell phone and pressed a button. A series of shutter sounds went off. Jo Jihyun’s face turned deathly pale.

“I don’t want to, I won’t.”

When Jo Jihyun turned his head, Choi Giyeol forcibly grabbed his head and shoved his p**is into his mouth.

“——!”

He felt a surge of vomit. Jo Jihyun gagged and struggled with his whole body. Choi Giyeol’s Adam’s apple, looking down at him, made a loud gulping sound.

“F**k, s**k it properly, ——haah. Jihyun.”

He grabbed the back of Jo Jihyun’s head. Tears welled up in Jo Jihyun’s eyes. He struggled to push Choi Giyeol away, suffocating and feeling nauseous, but he did not budge an inch. His fingernails, scratching the floor, broke and bled. His whole body ached as if a thorn stuck in his fingertip was moving through his veins.

“Ugh——!”

Choi Giyeol’s whole body trembled as he spewed something hot deep into his throat. Jo Jihyun retched, “Uwek,” and threw up everything that was in his mouth. He threw up again and again, but the nausea would not stop. His vision began to distort.

“Uuuk——, uk——.”

A hint of desire appeared in Choi Giyeol’s gaze as he looked at the cloudy fluid dripping down Jo Jihyun’s chin. He got on top of Jo Jihyun’s body. Then he reached for Jo Jihyun’s pants.

“Don’t, are you crazy? Choi Giyeol…!”

Jo Jihyun desperately resisted Choi Giyeol, but to Choi Giyeol’s ears, even such sounds acted as a mechanism to heighten his excitement.

“That’s right. I’m crazy. I can’t even sleep at night because all I think about is you. Do you know you’re driving people crazy these days? Don’t you know that when you walk by, all the guys stare only at you.”

Choi Giyeol put his hand inside Jo Jihyun’s shirt. Jo Jihyun’s body stiffened. Choi Giyeol rubbed his lips against the nape of Jo Jihyun’s neck and continued.

“Did you seduce that b**t**d Kang Seokwon like this too?”

“Don’t…, don’t,….”

A sharp sound like scraping metal pierced his ears. A terrible sensation, as if his blood was draining out, spread throughout his body. Jo Jihyun’s body went limp. Choi Giyeol, not even noticing that, fumbled and s**ked on Jo Jihyun’s body, letting out rough, panting breaths. Then, as if he could not hold back any longer, just as he was about to take off Jo Jihyun’s pants,

CRASH.

The gym’s latch flew into the air, bounced a couple of times on the floor, and fell. While Choi Giyeol, deathly white, parted his lips to say, “Hey, this is,” the man strode inside. A man of enormous build, he reached the two of them in just a few steps. The man’s chillingly frozen gaze shifted back and forth between Choi Giyeol and the sprawled-out Jo Jihyun. The corner of his mouth twisted slightly, and at the same time, he kicked Choi Giyeol in the head. White tooth fragments and blood scattered in the air. The man grabbed the head of the writhing Choi Giyeol, who was letting out groans of “Ugh,” and smashed it into the floor.

“Ugh!”

The gym floor became soaked with the blood that burst from his nose and mouth. Choi Giyeol was known as a decent fighter within his grade, but in front of him, he was at the level of a child. It was an overwhelming difference. He grabbed Choi Giyeol’s shoulder and twisted it. With a crack sound, Choi Giyeol’s dark irises rolled back.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Choi Giyeol let out a sharp scream. But it did not end there. He grabbed the ankle of Choi Giyeol, who was sprawled on the floor, with one hand.

“I told you last time.”

The man muttered in a low voice, as if reciting something.

“Ugh,…, for, forgive….”

“That if you touch Jihyun one more time, I’ll break whatever it is.”

With a crunch, the sound of bone twisting was heard. Choi Giyeol foamed at the mouth and rolled on the floor. A scream of “Aaaargh,” echoed to the gym ceiling.

The man’s eyes caught a folded chair in the corner. He picked up the chair without hesitation. As he raised the chair into the air, Jo Jihyun, who had run up from behind, grabbed his arm.

“Sunbae! Don’t do it.”

“Let go.”

At the firm voice that came from Kang Seokwon’s mouth, Jo Jihyun’s shoulders flinched. But he did not let go of Kang Seokwon.

“You can’t. Sunbae. He’ll die,…he’ll really die.”

If he left him like this, Kang Seokwon would end up killing Choi Giyeol.

“Yeah. I have to kill him.”

Kang Seokwon’s eyes, as he muttered that, sank into blackness. Jo Jihyun put more strength into the arms embracing Kang Seokwon. He felt like his legs would give out and he would collapse, but he clung on desperately.

“You can’t. Sunbae, you can’t do that. Absolutely, if you do that….”

Kang Seokwon’s future would be twisted. He wanted to prevent that, no matter what. Jo Jihyun knelt before Kang Seokwon.

“Sunbae, please. Don’t do something like that because of me. Please….”

Kang Seokwon’s jaw hardened. He looked at Choi Giyeol, his teeth clenched lowly. Choi Giyeol was trembling uncontrollably, wailing like an animal.

Kang Seokwon slammed the chair he was holding onto the floor with all his might. The chair narrowly missed Choi Giyeol’s face and shattered the wooden floor.

Choi Giyeol vomited and twisted his whole body. Kang Seokwon, without even giving him a glance, helped the kneeling Jo Jihyun to his feet. He took off his own clothes to wipe Jo Jihyun’s mouth and face and dressed him in his half-removed clothes.

Noticing that his fingers fastening the buttons were trembling, tears welled up in Jo Jihyun’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,…if I had just thought a little more….”

There was no way he, who had left to catch his flight, would ask to meet at this hour. And especially not by sending a guy he did not even know the face of.

“You called. You did well.”

Only then did Jo Jihyun realize how Kang Seokwon had been able to find him here now. At that one uneasy phrase, “See you later,” he had turned back. Kang Seokwon’s forehead was drenched in sweat.

Even in this hellish moment, he realized.

The complete heart possessed by this merciless beast.

Jo Jihyun lowered his head. He felt like he was going crazy. What should I do. What am I supposed to do. He bit his lip hard. The bitter taste of blood quickly spread in his mouth. Blood fell onto the hem of his white shirt.

Kang Seokwon wiped Jo Jihyun’s lips.

Just then, he heard the sound of people murmuring in front of the gym.

“What are you guys doing? What grade and class are you in?”

A gym teacher, who seemed to have been reported to by someone, came running in. Then he discovered the bloody mess lying on the floor and could not even speak properly.

The murmuring grew louder. Call an ambulance! Right now! The shouts were mixed and tangled with the screams of the female teachers.

The scratching sound suddenly stopped. The sound of the ground beneath his feet collapsing cut through his heart with a jolt.

“What on earth is the school doing! Is that a student? He’s a gangster!”

“Giyeol’s mother, please calm down….”

“Do I look like I can calm down? Do you know what state my Giyeol is in right now. How delicately I raised that son!”

Choi Giyeol’s mother sobbed and shouted.

With a broken shoulder bone and ankle bone, bruises, and even broken teeth, Choi Giyeol was currently lying in the hospital emergency room.

“Ma’am, first of all, yelling like this won’t solve anything, so please calm down.”

A police officer blocked Choi Giyeol’s mother and said calmly.

“Then how do we solve it? Fine, let’s do it by the book. I’ll call a lawyer, and I’ll make sure that b**t**d gets a red line on his record.”

At the words ‘red line,’ Jo Jihyun, who was sitting in a chair, shot his eyes up.

“Since it’s a matter between students, wouldn’t it be best to resolve it as amicably as possible? We need to hear that student’s side of the story too….”

“Story? What story? What reason is there to hit a person like that? Is a person who hits someone for a reason a human or a beast?”

“Aren’t your words a bit too harsh.”

“Who are you, who are you to step up like this.”

“I am his guardian.”

The gym coach, who had been called as a guardian instead of his parents, answered.

“Guardian? Then are you this beast-like b**t**d’s parent?”

“I am the gym coach.”

“Why didn’t his parents come? Doesn’t he have parents? I’m asking if you have parents.”

“I do not.”

At Kang Seokwon’s stiff reply, she began to shoot at him as if she knew it all along.

“His actions are just like that. This is why kids who haven’t learned proper home education are no good.”

Kang Seokwon only listened to such insults in silence. Jo Jihyun’s eyes grew hot.

“Don’t say such things.”

Jo Jihyun spoke for the first time. Choi Giyeol’s mother, Lee Sukhyun, who had noticed him, put strength in her eyes and said.

“Yes. Jihyun. I heard you were there. You tell me. You would know best, wouldn’t you.”

As Jo Jihyun was about to open his mouth to say, “I,” Kang Seokwon, who was sitting next to him, said.

Stay still.

It was a low voice. Clear enough for Jo Jihyun to hear.

“Jihyun, hurry, okay?”

She seemed to not doubt for a second that Jo Jihyun was on her side.

“Yes. Jihyun, since you were there, tell her.”

The homeroom teacher, who had been sweating profusely, gladly passed the responsibility to Jo Jihyun. Jo Jihyun’s face was covered in bruises, and the hem of his uniform was torn. It was a clear sign that he had been caught up in a fight.

“Hmm? Jihyun.”

Lee Sukhyun called his name affectionately.

“I…”

His parched lips, which he had been biting the whole way here, parted with a rustling sound. Lee Sukhyun gestured with her head, as if to say, “Go on.”

“Choi Giyeol did to me…”

“Jo Jihyun.”

Kang Seokwon called his name.

It was a face he had never seen before. Frighteningly ferocious.

Jo Jihyun knew what Kang Seokwon was warning him about. He turned his head, his trembling hands behind him. Just as he firmed his resolve and was about to open his mouth, Lee Sukhyun said to Jo Jihyun.

“Don’t worry. Jihyun, I’ve contacted your mother too, so she’ll be here soon.”

The color drained from Jo Jihyun’s face. She soothed Jo Jihyun in an affectionate voice, saying, “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

He did not want to imagine what would happen if his mother came here. A cold sweat started to form on Jo Jihyun’s forehead. Kang Seokwon, noticing Jo Jihyun’s state, quietly patted his back.

He knew what that slow, rhythmic touch meant.

It’s okay.

In that moment, the discomfort that had risen to the tips of his hair relaxed languidly. Jo Jihyun bit his lip. Blood seeped out again from the barely formed scab.

“I will tell you everything. Choi Giyeol was violent towards me. That’s why Sunbae helped me. Above all, Choi Giyeol…”

Kang Seokwon roughly grabbed Jo Jihyun’s arm and pulled.

“Don’t.”

A livid flame sparked in Kang Seokwon’s eyes. He had more than an inkling of what Jo Jihyun was about to say with his own mouth.

“I’m going to tell everything.”

Jo Jihyun looked straight into Kang Seokwon’s eyes. His voice was calm and composed, but Kang Seokwon knew how pale Jo Jihyun’s face was, how much his hands were trembling.

“Jihyun, what are you talking about. Why would our Giyeol hit you. He talks about you so often at home. Are you making things up because you’re being threatened by him right now? Is that it?”

Lee Sukhyun asked in a tone of disbelief.

“I’m not making it up. Choi Giyeol did to me…”

Kang Seokwon grabbed Jo Jihyun and pulled him out.

“Come out.”

Two police officers jumped in to stop Kang Seokwon, but it was not enough. Even the coach rushed over to restrain him.

“Seokwon. This won’t help you at all. If you have something to say, say it here….”

“I don’t need that kind of help.”

Kang Seokwon retorted as if spitting out the words. It was unclear who he was saying it to. Even the armed police officers flinched at his murderous aura.

“Five minutes will be enough. We’ll just talk for a moment and come back.”

He spoke formally and pulled Jo Jihyun out of the police station. In front of a bench behind the building, Kang Seokwon let go of his hand.

“I’m going to tell them everything anyway.”

“There’s no need to.”

“Why is there no need. Who decides that need.”

It was the first time the calm Jo Jihyun had raised his voice. His eyes were red and raw with tears.

“How are you going to get by at school.”

Kang Seokwon said quietly.

It was as clear as day what kind of brand would be stamped on him. It was a paradoxical situation where the victim would spend more shameful days than the perpetrator.

“Is that, right now, is that what’s important?”

Jo Jihyun asked, his eyes wide. Tears streamed down without even a chance to well up. Kang Seokwon reached out his hand to wipe away Jo Jihyun’s tears. Jo Jihyun swatted his hand away.

“What’s so important about that. Right now, I’m about to ruin your life, Sunbae, so what’s so important about some stupid school….Someone like me,…because of a person like me, right now you, Sunbae….”

If he had not met him, Kang Seokwon’s life would have been illustrious. He would have quietly trained, and step by step, he would have climbed that difficult path to the top. There might have been big and small waves from time to time, but something that shook his very foundation like this would never have happened.

“What kind of person.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking what kind of person someone like you is.”

Kang Seokwon asked. Suppressed anger was evident in his eyes, which he had slowly closed and opened.

“Why do you get to decide that.”

“…”

When he lowered his head, his sneakers came into view. The sneakers Kang Seokwon had bought him. He had silently held out the sneakers and waited only for Jo Jihyun’s words, whether the size was right, whether he liked them.

The emotion welling up from the tips of his toes choked him. His chest felt so tight he thought he would go crazy. Jo Jihyun covered his face with his hands. In an instant, he was submerged up to the tips of his hair. This was the first time he had felt such a deep emotion.

“Jihyun.”

Kang Seokwon pulled Jo Jihyun into an embrace. His voice, saying, “It’s okay,” was so casual that it brought tears to his eyes. If it was a school he had to attend by selling out Kang Seokwon, he was fine not going. If it was a position he had obtained by ousting him, he did not want to sit in it either.