EAR Ch 28

The game ended with a few cheers and a few sighs. Despite the good performance of Class 2, which had recruited a super rookie, it was an expected outcome—a victory for Class 4, where ace Oh Seungpyo was.

The joy and sorrow of the homeroom teachers of each class watching the game behind the students were also mixed. The homeroom teacher of Class 2 let out a regretful sigh and placed an order call to the cafe in front of the school.

Even though they lost, the Class 2 kids were still thrilled. It was because Ryu Jaemin had an unexpectedly enormous basketball talent.

Being rank 1 in the whole school and even having a talent for basketball—there was no overpowered spec like this scam. The kids competed with one another, wanting to get a promise out of Jaemin.

“Ryu Jaemin, you definitely have to play with us in the next game too. If you practice just a little more, you might do as well as Oh Seungpyo.”

“If I knew earlier, we would’ve played together starting from the first semester! If Oh Seungpyo is His Airness, you be Ryubron. You’re seriously fucking good.”

Even in the crucible of excitement, Jaemin only replied, “Yeah, yeah,” smiling mechanically. His smiling wasn’t really smiling. For class-vs-class games, collecting a little money to buy snacks from the canteen for the winning team was all there was to it, but Jaemin had another bet that others didn’t know about.

He hadn’t thought he could win from the beginning, but still, the game flow wasn’t bad, so he had expected a little. Ultimately, the game result that unfolded as expected brought Jaemin an unfamiliar sense of defeat, and after passing that phase, now he was worried. Over there, Oh Seungpyo was fiercely cracking his knuckles as if stretching crack, crack, as if to show off.

There was not much time to share either the joy of victory or the sadness of defeat. The kids had to scatter to their academies, for tutoring, and to their respective homes. “See you tomorrow, definitely buy us canteen stuff tomorrow.” Bidding their respective farewells, the kids gathered their taken-off coats and bags and ran busily toward the school gate.

“Aren’t you going to academy?”

Seungpyo, who was lingering and keeping his spot until all the kids left, only then asked Jaemin, who remained behind just like him.

“I have to go.”

Jaemin answered as if asking the obvious. The reason he wasn’t leaving was to conclude the bet with Seungpyo.

Seungpyo shoved his hands into the pockets of his padding jacket and looked at Jaemin with a smile full of sneering, pfft.

“You’re in big trouble, aren’t you. Acting cocky, it looks like a hole’s gonna get punched in your forehead.”

“…”

“Follow me. If I hit you here and teachers see, they might think I’m bullying you and chase after us. No matter how I look at it, you’re gonna bawl your eyes out because it hurts.”

He wanted to retort not to be ridiculous, but worried it might really turn out like that, Jaemin decided to just keep his mouth shut. No matter how much it hurt, it was just ten forehead flicks—he had thought lightly about how impressive a mere thing could be, but a moment ago, the ominous atmosphere of Oh Seungpyo cracking his knuckles was not ordinary.

He felt scared belatedly, but at this point, he couldn’t back out of the bet either. Jaemin dutifully followed behind Seungpyo with a face stiff enough to look somber. Seungpyo, who was walking ahead, glanced back as if checking whether he was following properly, and then snickered as if something were amusing upon seeing Jaemin standing right behind him. Jaemin grit his teeth. It was hateful beyond measure, as Seungpyo seemed excited at the thought of hitting him.

The two went up the stairs and arrived at the hallway where the classrooms were. Most of the kids had returned home, so all around was quiet.

“Come in.”

Seungpyo opened the Class 4 classroom door and gestured. On the desk lay his bag. He hadn’t taken his bag out, seemingly intending to come back in from the beginning.

Having been outside the whole time before coming in, it should definitely be warmer, but the empty classroom felt exceptionally chilly and cold. It might be due to his mood. Jaemin secretly shuddered his shoulders once.

Seungpyo was doing warm-up exercises, swinging his arms around and pulling his fingers backward. Loosening his body sluggishly, he began double-checking.

“Since we promised, you have no complaints about getting hit ten times, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Bring the phone tomorrow. And delete the recorded file.”

“Got it.”

The brief conversation ended, and Oh Seungpyo stepped forward toward Jaemin with large strides.

The eyes of the two met up close. The winner of the bet wore a leisure-filled, faint smile, and the loser, who couldn’t bring himself to smile, merely faced that smile with a gaze where a will not to lose was glimpsed.

Seungpyo formed the hand shape in front of Jaemin that he had been striking at every turn lately once again. After joining the tips of his middle finger and thumb to make a round circle, bringing his fingertips right in front of Jaemin’s face made Jaemin’s eyelashes quiver reflexively.

Looking with amusement at the tension and fear caught on the tips of the eyelashes that ultimately couldn’t be hidden completely, Seungpyo instructed in a low voice as if warning:

“It’d be better to close your eyes.”

Jaemin swallowed hard and closed his eyes. Even while trying not to, the space between his brows knitted on its own. Force naturally went into his nervous hands, clenching his fists tightly.

However, even after that, the classroom was quiet. Rather, it felt like it would be a relief if he hit him quickly, but Oh Seungpyo didn’t snap his fingers right away. Without a word or a sign of moving, he just stood still.

It wasn’t that he wanted to see the moment of getting hit with his own eyes, but just waiting with his eyes closed only added to his tension. Inside his clenched palms, his fingers squirmed. The moment he couldn’t bear it any longer and was about to open his eyes, Seungpyo’s voice was heard.

“I’m hitting on three. One, two.”

Jaemin quickly closed his eyes again.

“Three!”

Whoosh! Even before the sound of the finger slicing through the air and snapping could be heard, Jaemin, who had knitted his brows, jerked his head back without realizing it.

Startled by his own reaction, Jaemin snapped his eyes open. Seungpyo also opened his eyes wide as if flustered, and soon his face became full of blatant mockery. Letting out a pfft, deflating laugh, he snickered and then beckoned with his index finger as if calling a dog.

“Uh-uh, what are you doing dodging? Hurry up and stand straight again.”

Loaded with force, Seungpyo’s fingertips that flew had only grazed Jaemin’s bangs, not his forehead. But the force felt from just that was immense. When the thought occurred that the heroic tale of breaking pine boards with forehead flicks at the Taekwondo gym might be real, cold sweat was about to break out. If he got hit ten times with that force just now, wouldn’t his head crack open?

However, what was tormenting Jaemin’s inner mind right now was not the fear of pain, but the embarrassment of having run away instinctively without being able to hold back his fear. Because it was Jaemin himself who had needlessly proposed the bet, saying it couldn’t end like this, to Oh Seungpyo, who had meekly offered to return the mobile phone saying let’s stop now.

To show a pathetic sight in front of Oh Seungpyo of all people. Embarrassed as his scared heart was caught, Jaemin couldn’t even make a single reply and only hardened his face. Not wanting to make a pathetic-looking excuse, he straightened his posture, whereupon Seungpyo stepped closer tightly.

“If you’re that scared, should I knock a few off? Beg nicely to knock some off. Then I’ll hit you only five times.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Yeah. I thought so.”

Whether it was a remark thrown in jest, Seungpyo rather giggled. Jaemin grit his teeth. Even if it was a situation of reaping what he sowed, it couldn’t be helped that an urge to kill the swaggering Oh Seungpyo welled up.

“Doing it just like this won’t work. I have to hold you here and hit you so you can’t run away.”

Before he even finished speaking, Seungpyo extended his free left hand and firmly held the back of Jaemin’s head and the nape of his neck. Goosebumps rose darkly at that touch. It seemed like it wouldn’t be strange if that large hand with solid knuckles, which easily handled throwing and bouncing a basketball larger than a human head, choked his neck just like this.