EAR Ch 24

However, today was different. Because today was the day when Ryu Jaemin, the school’s rank 1 who was multi-talented yet famous for having zero interest in exercise or sports, was going to play in a basketball match for the first time. On top of that, his opponent was Oh Seungpyo, who was the perpetual rank 2 in test scores, but was rumored to be so good at basketball that he had received player recruitment offers multiple times. In a school life that could be boring, this was an event that was more than enough to make the day enjoyable.

“Ryu Jaemin is good too. For someone who says it’s his first time trying, that level is talent.”

“Even so, he’s just good for a beginner. Class 2 is going to lose one hundred percent today, right?”

The kids in each class chipped in a word or two to weigh the chances of victory, but despite that, they didn’t place bets. Because even if Ryu Jaemin was better than expected, the majority opinion leaned toward the idea that it would be hard for Class 2, with a beginner in their mix, to beat Class 4, where Oh Seungpyo was playing, so the bet couldn’t be formed.

“Does Jaemin do things like basketball matches too? I thought he only studied hard.”

“Come to think of it, they say his physical education performance evaluation grades are good too.”

“He hangs out with Seungpyo occasionally these days. Looks like the two of them became close.”

It wasn’t just the students who felt fed up with the similar routine every day. The match between Class 2 and Class 4 that would take place after school was becoming a topic of conversation even in the staff room. That the rank 1 and rank 2 in the whole school, who didn’t seem to interact much at the beginning of the semester, had gotten quite close recently was the common opinion of the teachers, and there was no one who didn’t welcome the friendly interaction between top-ranking students.

“How about this? If Class 2 wins, Mr. Kim, and if Class 4 wins, Mr. Jo treats the staff room to a cup of coffee each. No expensive coffee needed, there’s a thousand-won place right in front here.”

The conversation among the adults flowed in a slightly different pattern than the kids’. The bet thought up by the ethics teacher, who was being considered as the next department head, was enjoyable only to him and was not a welcome proposal at all to the homeroom teachers of each class. Still, the two teachers cleared their throats, gauged each other’s reactions, and nodded almost simultaneously.

“Sounds good to me.”

“Once in a while should be fine.”

“If I end up paying, it’s fine if you order things like Frappuccinos or fresh fruit juices instead of coffee.”

The homeroom teacher of Class 4, who had Oh Seungpyo as his ace, put forward an additional promise. An Americano was a thousand won, while Frappuccinos or fresh fruit juices were at least three thousand won, so it was worthy of being called an expression of confidence.

The homeroom teacher of Class 2 opened his mouth as if about to add a retort out of a surge of emotion, but soon shut it. His intent to be careful about a provocation that could turn into a chicken race if he wasn’t careful was crystal clear.

Supplementary lessons began. Seungpyo and Jaemin themselves were calm as if they didn’t have much interest in the game taking place today. As usual, they listened attentively during class, talked with kids or went to the snack shop during breaks, finished organizing their notes, or lent their homework to other kids.

“Oh Seungpyo, come here for a sec.”

“Why?”

After finishing the 3rd period, at the sudden summons from his homeroom teacher, Seungpyo strolled out into the hallway. The homeroom teacher had quite a tragic, solemn face. He whispered in a lowered voice like a person engaged in illegal trade.

“We can definitely win today, right?”

“Well. The probability is high, but there’s nothing definite in this world, is there….”

“Do well. If we win, I’ll buy you something delicious.”

“Did you teachers make a bet among yourselves?”

Seungpyo giggled and met the eyes of the teacher, who was quite a bit below him in height. He only smiled sheepishly without denying it.

Come to think of it, there was no law that Seungpyo was the only person whose pride had been subtly hurt while staying perpetual rank 2 in the school for a whole year. Even though it was a basketball game played as a game, there was one more person here who wanted to beat Ryu Jaemin, the school’s rank 1, before going up to 2nd year and having their classrooms changed. Feeling a sense of belonging and camaraderie anew, Oh Seungpyo nodded his head.

“I’ll try.”

“I’m counting on you.”

The homeroom teacher clenched his fist to show him and walked down the stairs leading to the staff room. Looking at his back as he shrugged his shoulders, he seemed to be in an atmosphere of being certain of victory. Seungpyo gathered the tips of his thumb and middle finger roundly and flicked them up into the air for no reason. While drawing a spitefully cold and taciturn face in his head like a target.

If he whacked the white forehead hidden behind the black bangs so hard it made a loud snapping sound, what kind of expression would he make?

The Ryu Jaemin in his head knitted his brows slightly and revealed an unpleasant emotion. It was a face he was used to after facing it a few times already. The forehead flicks the winner decided to hit were ten in total. The first few he might be able to endure to the point of just frowning his eyes, but even if he got hit two or three more times, he wouldn’t be able to hold back from shouting.

The very middle of his forehead would swell red, and this time, instead of pretending to cry, he might really shed tears. From whether the rich family’s young master, who was said to have been rank 1 in the whole school his entire life since he was born, could take all ten hits in the first place was questionable, though. If he asked him to knock off a few hits, it wasn’t like he couldn’t grant it, but since he was dirty-stubborn, he would never bring up such words even if he died.

He was merely thinking about giving forehead flicks, but for some reason, the Ryu Jaemin in his imagination changed into the appearance in the short video he had seen on the internet.

Ryu Jaemin, holding his firmly erect dick with his round nipples and sleek front completely exposed, shaking it hard. In between, catching his breath while his chest heaved up and down and pausing his hand. No voice could be heard and his face was cut off, so unless one accidentally picked up the mobile phone, it was a scene where no one would know that was Ryu Jaemin from the video alone.

This time, the expression of Ryu Jaemin hurting after being hit by a ball flying from afar gently overlapped onto the video with the face cut off. His face, which was always white, turned red from colliding with the ball, and his slightly wet eyes stared at Seungpyo resentfully.

When he even recalled the blood that had flowed down near his lips, Seungpyo suddenly became conscious of the t-shirt under the school uniform he was wearing. That day, when he took it to the bathroom and scrubbed it hard with cold water, just as the nurse had said, Ryu Jaemin’s blood was erased right away. Cleanly, as if nothing had stained it.

‘What am I doing? Thinking all kinds of strange thoughts.’

Oh Seungpyo found himself ridiculous for recalling various appearances of Ryu Jaemin one after another. Clicking his tongue briefly, he snapped his fingers into the air flick, flick twice again.

Then, when he suddenly looked to the side, Ryu Jaemin was standing there before he knew it. As if he was about to return to the classroom after stopping by the bathroom or something, blankly in the middle of the hallway. When their eyes met, Jaemin snorted as if he had seen an unsightly sight and turned his head cold-heartedly to return to his class.

‘Fuck.’

Seungpyo chewed and swallowed a curse inwardly. He got caught by Ryu Jaemin while thinking about Ryu Jaemin. If he was going to do it, he should have just thought it in his head—why did he fling forehead flicks where no one was around? Like a total loser….

Feeling deep shame, he clenched his fists tightly and returned to his seat. Ever since getting entangled with Ryu Jaemin, embarrassing things kept increasing.

He had to cut off this wrong relationship quickly. After winning today’s match and returning the mobile phone, in the future he wanted to meet him only as three characters of his name on the exam rank bulletin board like in the past.

📚

After school, the winter playground was bustling here and there with kids as if they didn’t even feel the cold. Teachers were mixed in between the students standing around the basketball court and on the stands at the edge of the playground, and there were also teachers looking out at the playground through the staff room windows.

“There are so many kids watching now.”

“Can we even play the game with all this pressure?”

The kids who entered the court giggled sheepishly, but they didn’t seem to dislike the unprecedented pouring of attention. The person who didn’t turn his gaze as if uninterested whether people around were making a fuss or not was Ryu Jaemin, and the person who tapped his chest with a smirk as if telling them to trust and leave it to him when cheers like “We trust Oh Seungpyo!” erupted from among the Class 4 kids was Oh Seungpyo.

“Hey, let’s start quickly!”

Because most of the kids had full schedules after school, the match time was not lenient. When the kid who had agreed to act as referee urged them, the players of each class hurriedly took their positions and stood.