MBL 8

His treatment was misguided. He cut into raw flesh before it could heal, and instead welcomed the festering pus as it rotted.

I couldn’t leave hyung in that state.

Standing there silently, he spoke to me.

“Come to the same university.”

“It’s not something I can just decide.”

“I’ll make it happen. So, will you come to the same university?”

“…No.”

I let out a low but firm response, deflating his enthusiasm.

He seemed disappointed. Hyung let out a small sigh at my stubbornness and spoke again.

“I’m not asking you to come because of me.”

“Then why?”

“The curriculum of institutional education doesn’t create humanity, but it can at least let you live in a different world. Don’t look down on it. People don’t just throw money at private education because they have nothing better to do.”

He didn’t seem to realize that his nagging, coming from someone who had harmed himself whenever he wanted something, carried no weight.

“I can clearly see that your wonderful curriculum doesn’t create humanity. That’s exactly why I don’t want to go. And with my grades now, I wouldn’t get in anyway.”

“Don’t give up before you try. Aim high.”

Reading through my attempt to make excuses in advance, hyung said with a smile.

I avoided his smile.

“I’m going to rest now. You should rest too, hyung.”

“Okay.”

Turning away with the door behind me, I looked at him standing there, waiting for my decision.

“Then what was Im Juho?”

“What?”

“Those scars… you said they were because of me. So what’s Im Juho? Some kind of substitute for me?”

“…Substitute?”

“You couldn’t touch your real brother, so you went for someone from our class who looks a little like me… is that what you did?”

“He looks like you?”

What part of him, how, could possibly resemble me?

Unable to comprehend, he furrowed his brow as if trying to recall a face he couldn’t quite place.

“When you were with that guy, rolling around with him, didn’t you feel like hurting yourself?”

“…”

Hyung spoke as if I were jealous of Im Juho.

It wasn’t true, but the words I blurted out in haste sounded like that to my own ears.

I was jealous of Im Juho.

I was jealous of the flesh and bones of someone who had even the slightest contact with my hyung. It wasn’t right, but I couldn’t suppress the feelings that arose.

“Im Juho’s ears must be itching like crazy.”

“If you feel like hurting yourself again… what will you do? Will you go to Im Juho? He’s got a girlfriend. He says he’ll become a gangster after graduation. He’s dating some tough guy who’s really good at fighting.”

“…”

“And Im Juho’s a minor.”

“…You’re a minor too.”

Hyung looked at me with eyes that said he found my words so adorable he could crush me. He was clenching his fist, unable to hold something back.

“He’s younger than me. Even more of a minor.”

“Alright. I won’t see him.”

“For at least a year—don’t get involved with anyone else for a year.”

If I didn’t give him that year, hyung might hurt himself or go to Im Juho.

At my words accepting the year he proposed, hyung’s chest swelled greatly. He took a deep breath, as if in disbelief, then slowly exhaled, calming his puffed-up chest.

“I’ll do it.”

He nodded, making the promise.

“I hate it when you hurt yourself, hyung… I hate it when you’re with someone else too. I really hate it. I hate it all.”

I resented him for causing me this anguish.

“I won’t do it anymore. Never.”

“Really? Promise. Swear you’ll never do it again.”

“I won’t do it again. I swear.”

“Swear to the heavens.”

“Alright. I’ll swear to the heavens. I’ll swear on our late mother’s name.”

Hyung swore as if he’d grant anything I said right then and there.

The hyung I loved so much, who I thought hated me and found me bothersome, had been yearning for me all those years, suppressing that longing with great effort during the times he turned away—it felt almost terrifying to realize this.

I was no saner than he was, telling him not to look or touch anyone else, speaking to the twisted, warped, unrecognizable mental world of someone who was a model to others and the object of their envy.

Hyung cautiously suggested, “Want to shower together?”

“…”

“We used to bathe together all the time when we were kids.”

After hyung became aware of me as a separate being, we stopped bathing together. That was already years ago.

He grabbed my hesitating arm and led me to the bathroom in the room. I followed him without saying whether I wanted to or not.

He naturally turned off the main light, leaving only the indirect lighting, making the bathroom dim.

We undressed without speaking. I fumbled with my buttons.

Hyung took off his shirt. In the soft glow of the indirect light, the scars on his body weren’t clearly visible. He must have thought I’d be hurt again seeing the marks of his self-inflicted wounds. He deliberately dimmed the bathroom to hide them.

Hyung took off his pants and underwear, kicking them aside as if shaking off something caught at his ankles, and approached me. Even in the dimness, the large scars were visible. Though I’d seen them several times, each time I saw the scars on his body, my heart sank with the same intensity, and my chest twisted in pain.

“…I’ll do it.”

“I’ll help.”

I wasn’t a child, and I didn’t need hyಸ

System: Hyung’s help to undress. Like he used to when we were kids, he stripped off my shirt over my shoulders, unbuckled my pants, and pulled them down along with my underwear.

I could feel hyung’s gaze on my g**in. Noticing my awareness of his stare, he quickly looked away.

“…”

An awkward silence hung in the air. The quietness of the room made it feel even heavier. Every small movement echoed clearly.

I had no body hair there. It wasn’t a health issue or anything abnormal—just significantly less hair than others. It was a subtle insecurity, so I avoided places where I’d have to fully undress.

I twisted my body, as if to say don’t look, but my own gaze kept drifting to the center of hyung’s now-n**ed body.

We stole glances at each other.

Compared to others, hyung had thick, abundant body hair. I’d once worried that if I ever had a girlfriend and slept with her, I’d have to explain my sparse lower body. But with hyung, there was no need to explain. Still, compared to his thick hair trailing up to his navel, I felt so bare it was almost pitiful, and I couldn’t stand straight.

Turning my back to him, I stood awkwardly and opened my stiff lips.

“Won’t the water hurt the scars on your leg, hyung?”

“It’s fine. I’ve got waterproof bandages.”

I nodded with a small hum.

Hyung turned on the shower, checked the hot water, and lathered a towel with soap, starting to wash my back.

His hands lifted my arm, sliding along my armpit and side, then down my spine.

I stood still like a scolded child, wary of the man’s hand slipping between my thighs.

When his hand naturally moved to my lower body, I flinched and clamped my legs together.

“Ticklish?”

“No, not really. Just a little…”

“Gotta clean everywhere.”

“…”

Was he talking to his little brother or a lover? His tone was confusing.

He came close behind me, his arms wrapping around me as if embracing me, his chin resting on my shoulder. His hand, covered in soap suds instead of the towel, slipped between my legs, washing my g**in.

“…Doesn’t it feel weird without hair? Gross?”

Hyung wasn’t implying anything, but I mumbled, feeling self-conscious.

“No. It’s cute. Looks clean.”

Assured of my year, he gave a pure smile.

His hand gently rubbed my g**itals. I flinched—not because it hurt, but because my body was reacting, stirring instinctively to avoid his touch.

“Ha… hyung, I’ll—I’ll do it now. I can do it.”

My face flushed red. I tried to push his hand away, but it didn’t budge.

Pressing his chin harder on my shoulder, he held me still, carefully washing me with a serious expression. His breathing against my cheek grew uneven.

“I’ll… I’ll do it now.”

“No. I want to do it.”

As if nothing had happened.

“Stop, stop. I’ll do it. I can do it.”

“I know you can.”

Could I live like nothing happened after a year?

Could I live without seeing hyung?

His hand moved from the front to the back, caressing my hips along my waist. His fingers pressed firmly against my p**ineum and a**s.

“Ugh…”

Like an idiot, he fumbled around my a**s, touching the skin above it. A chill ran through me, my hair standing on end.

“…Ugh, hyung, hyung, wait.”

Like nothing had happened.

I couldn’t live like nothing had happened.

No one knew what would come after a year, but it was clear I’d be a mess.

He wasn’t half-hearted. His hands touched me front and back. My knees buckled, unable to stand straight.

I grabbed the wall urgently. Hyung’s lower body pressed against my a**s, rubbing against it. Our w** skin slapped together, creating friction.

“…Ha, Joonyoung-ah. Joonyoung-ah. Feels good. Ha, f**k, I’m going crazy.”

His swollen, rock-hard e**ction pressed tightly into my crack. Each thrust made a w** sound, pushing me forward. My cheek and chest pressed against the shower glass, my pale skin trembling.

“Ugh, hyung, that… no, I don’t like it. Wait.”

“I won’t put it in. Don’t worry.”

“I’m scared. I’m scared.”

“I won’t do it. Don’t worry.”

Telling me not to worry, his rough voice whispered fearfully in my ear. His cheek against mine burned.

One arm wrapped around my waist, the other braced against the wall. The w**, rubbing flesh felt like searing iron.

A year, for a year… would it be okay to do this with hyung?

As he said, a year, and then after, like nothing happened.

I realized, through the soaking pleasure, that I couldn’t treat it as nothing, that he’d foretold a limited life. My mind went blank.

“Ah, ah, ugh…!”

His heat flowed between my legs. The fluid I released in his hand melted into the soapy foam, blending with my lost reason.

∞ ∞ ∞

Days later, I learned hyung wasn’t going to the studio. There was a guitar in his room, one Father didn’t allow.

Hyung diligently tutored me. They say smart people think differently, and he was like that. His mind was a tireless, intricate machine.

“It’s not that hard. Integration, differentiation—it sounds tough, but it’s just patterns. Do you get how to solve these now?”

If I didn’t excel in math, I couldn’t go to the same school as hyung.

Alone, I couldn’t understand, but his explanations made it so easy. He knew how to navigate narrow paths. The problem was, he taught me one thing, and I only knew that one thing.

I stared at the equations he solved, biting my thumbnail out of habit.

“What’s so tasty about your nail?”

He pulled my left hand down. I looked at him.

“…”

“…”

Meeting hyung’s eyes wasn’t as easy as before. Some days we were lovers, others brothers.

I quickly looked back at the notebook. I could feel his steady gaze on my face, stinging my forehead and cheeks. The phrase “shooting daggers” wasn’t for nothing.

Pretending not to notice, his hand brushed through my hair and across my cheek.

“Like a puppy needing to poop. Cute.”

“…”

Even when I forgot, moments like this made my neck stiff with tension.

“Wanna stop for today? We did a lot.”

“Yeah, let’s call it a day.”

I jumped at his suggestion.

Closing the book, I checked the time—it was past 1 a.m. With him, I covered more ground faster than at cram school.

I was good at studying but didn’t enjoy it. With hyung, math and physics became interesting, sparking a desire to learn more. Time flew by.

“I’m gonna go sleep.”

I roughly tidied his desk and stood. His eyes followed me.

“Stay a bit.”

His gentle grip held me back.

“It’s past one… you’ve got class in the morning, hyung.”

“Just a little.”

I’d promised him a year. I sat back down awkwardly. Studying would’ve been better. Sitting in silence with him was uncomfortable.

“Mock exam next week.”

I blurted out anything.

“I know. Saw it.”

It was the last mock exam before the college entrance test. Messing it up could carry bad luck to the real thing. It was so important that hyung seemed on edge too.

He knew my academic schedule better than I did. He counted the days to the exam more carefully than I, the test-taker, did.

His strong arms pulled me into a hug as I sat there awkwardly. I felt his chest swell as he inhaled, his woody scent enveloping me.

“What do I smell like?”

“Huh?”

“You always sniff me. What do I smell like?”

“Nothing. A good smell… baby Joonyoung’s smell.”

Calling me, with my budding mustache, a baby—he was truly out of his mind. I shyly brushed my bangs down, but his warm hand swept them back, exposing my forehead.

“Should I wear cologne? Some kids do.”

No matter how I dodged his sexual signals, he was relentless.

His lips touched my neck. Kiss, kiss—he pecked my cheek too. My shoulders instinctively shrank.

“Don’t wear that stuff. I like you like this.”

“…”

Being loved by him wasn’t bad. His attention, once distant and hostile, was now entirely on me. His lips on my skin made my heart race and burn.

That’s why I feared the year after. The time when we could be nothing scared me senseless. Most terrifying was his promise to disappear.

Knowing what he wanted, I gently rejected him.

“I’m tired. Gonna sleep.”

“Just a bit. Ten minutes like this.”

His arms locked me in, his breath falling white on my shoulder.

I tilted my head to avoid his lips, and his eyes grazed my cheek.

“…Don’t you like me touching you?”

“…”

I didn’t dislike it. That’s why it was scary. Terrifying.

Taking advantage of his loosening grip, I stood. Saying I was going to sleep, I tried to leave without looking back, but his hand was faster. His arm reached over my shoulder and slammed the door shut.

I stared blankly at the closed door.

“Stay a little longer. Just ten minutes.”

I turned to him at the calm voice pleading with me not to leave.

I wanted to ask him what he expected, what would happen to us if I simply accepted the romantic feelings I had for hyung without resistance.

“Give me a kiss, and I’ll let you go.”

“I’m just going to leave. I’ll open the door and walk out.”

“You promised to give me a year. Did you forget?”

“I didn’t forget.”

“You’re acting like you did.”

As he closed the distance between us, his voice grew softer the nearer he came.

He leaned in as if to kiss me but didn’t touch. Coming close enough for me to feel his breath, he stood still. I lifted my gaze to him, and my heart sank. His clear, intense stare met mine head-on.

“…I didn’t forget.”

“If you didn’t forget, keep your promise.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and tilted my chin toward him. Our lips collided with a smack, and I pulled back immediately.

He looked at me as if I were ridiculous, or perhaps cute, his lips curling into a subtle, satisfied smile. I had mustered all my courage for this, but his reaction made me feel humiliated. A groan escaped me.

I scrunched up my flushed face.

“Alright. I’m opening the door and leaving now.”

“Close your eyes, Joonyoung-ah. I taught you how to kiss, didn’t I?”

His voice was gentle.

Every time hyung whispered tenderly, every time he gripped my arm with subtle strength, my heart jolted, and my chest pounded as if it would burst. It wasn’t a good sign.

My heart raced, and I grimaced, shutting my eyes tightly.

A flickering shadow danced before my eyes, and then soft, moist flesh touched my lips. He lightly nibbled my lips, released them, then bit a little deeper before letting go again. My tense neck relaxed, and my chin instinctively lifted, wanting to feel his lips more.

The gentle pecking suddenly turned bold as he pried open the gap and thrust his tongue inside.

“Hng…!”

I let out a strange sound, clutching his clothes in embarrassment.

He tilted his face sharply, locking our lips firmly. His hot, w** tongue began to s**k on mine. I frantically swallowed the saliva pooling in my throat, chasing the movement of the flesh swirling inside.

My breath grew heavy and rapid. I gripped his chest tightly, eyes shut, clinging to his clothes.

“Hng, ngh…”

My ragged breathing sounded like m**ns. His probing tongue and quickening breaths overwhelmed me. He pushed me against the wall, aggressively rubbing his lips against mine.

“Ugh, ngh, haa…”

There was no room to breathe.

The w**, slurping sounds of his s**king and rubbing inside me made my soul feel like it was slipping away. My chin tilted back, following the upward motion of his head. His chest heaved as he swallowed my breath.

“Nng, ugh…”

I let go of his clothes and slid my arms around his shoulders, embracing his broad, solid frame, wrapping my arms around his neck.

I was completely clinging to hyung. His arms around my waist lifted my weight, biting my lips deeply. A sharp pain stung my lower lip from his intense s**king.

His tongue swirled inside, l**king the roof of my mouth, then teased my teeth and the moist inner lining before slowly pulling away.

“Ha, ha…”

Physiological tears welled up, blurring my vision. As I caught my breath, I faintly saw hyung staring at me intensely.

“It’s too late tonight, so let’s stop here.”

“…Ha, ha.”

It was just a kiss, but I couldn’t calm down. I couldn’t easily let go of his shoulders.

Inside his stretched-out T-shirt, I saw the long scar along his collarbone.

I lowered my head and pressed my lips to his scar. Rubbing against it, I cooled the heat of my flushed lips with his cooler skin.

“…”

I shook my head, brushing my lips against it, lingering as I pressed my lips to his shoulder, cooling my burning heat.

∞ ∞ ∞

Even when hyung ignored me, breakfast was an uncomfortable affair, but now that he didn’t, it was still deeply unsettling.

Hyung, who used to come home late or not at all, began waking up regularly to eat breakfast with me and drive me to school after promising to tutor me.

Mrs. Yoon and Father seemed quite surprised by hyung’s sudden change. He’d always been like this. As a kid, he was even more affectionate. His care for me was no different from a mother tending to her child.

Still, I felt uneasy meeting Father’s gaze, pained looking at Mrs. Yoon, but what tormented me most was constantly being aware of hyung’s presence.

He was my brother. It was as if I’d forgotten how to treat him as family; every situation felt unfamiliar.

Sitting beside me at breakfast, he picked up a side dish I couldn’t reach and placed it on my plate, which was filled with rice I was forcing down with just one dish.

“I heard you two were close, and it really seems true. Joonwon, how can you be so sweet? I thought you were stoic like your father. Who did you take after?”

Seeing hyung care for me, Mrs. Yoon smiled proudly as if watching devoted brothers. Her admiration for hyung sparked toward Father. Having only seen hyung occasionally as Father’s subordinate, she likely didn’t know this side of him. Father looked at us with pride, unbothered by her teasing.

Mrs. Yoon’s surprised reactions were another thing that pierced me like bars. We weren’t the loving brothers she saw.

Hyung desired his brother, and I was complicit in that desire.

Last night, we hid behind the door, embracing each other, kissing passionately in a way even lovers might not.

“Joonwon’s always been like that. He was just busy for a while,” Father said, aware of his kindness.

“In truth, Joonyoung was practically raised by Joonwon. I didn’t do much.”

Father praised hyung for caring for his kin. Hyung said nothing in response.

Their conversation made me uncomfortable. I wanted to escape quickly, so I ate hurriedly, and hyung scolded me.

“Eat slowly. There’s still time.”

It wasn’t about being late for school. The things I did with hyung, the inescapable guilt, made me restless.

“I’ll just take the bus. You don’t have to drive me.”

“I’m heading out anyway.”

As soon as I emptied my bowl, I grabbed my bag and stood, trying to leave before him, but hyung put down his spoon.

We said goodbye to Father and left the house. Hyung carried my bag like a hostage. Since we started going together, I hadn’t carried it myself. It always rested heavily on his shoulder.

“I can go alone. I’ve always managed.”

“Just get in. No complaints.”

Being in the same space with him was painful.

Knowing my true intentions, hyung gave me no room to escape. He blocked every path of breath. I could only breathe through his lips.

Hyung got into the car with my bag. I trudged to the other side and climbed in.

As I closed the door, the car moved forward.

It was a short distance, even by bus. By car, it was closer. Staring silently out the window, we soon stopped in a quiet street near school.

“Come straight here after school. I’ll wait.”

“Okay.”

I answered with a faint sigh, feeling like a criminal on parole.

“Wait.”

I grabbed the door handle to get out and turned to him.

Hyung unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned in, his lips lightly brushing mine.

Even if it wasn’t with hyung, I’d have closed my eyes naturally for a kiss with anyone.

I shut my eyes. I didn’t respond to his kiss, just exhaled faintly. His lips were sweet and soft, deep and lingering.

This wasn’t something to do to a student heading to study. His kiss was like a spell, urging me to think of him all day, unable to escape.

His moist lips pulled away from mine. I opened my blurry eyes and looked at him.

“Study hard.”

“…If I fail the entrance exam, it’s all your fault, hyung. You’ll have to take responsibility.”

“Of course. I’ll take full responsibility.”

His flushed lips curved into a smile, as if glad to do so.

I got out and walked toward school. After a few steps, I looked back. His car was still there. I waved for him to go, but it didn’t move.

I stared, then turned away. With nowhere else to go but school, I felt watched as I walked.

I climbed the gentle hill to the school gate.

“Kang Joonyoung?”

I turned at the voice. It was the Korean teacher who joined our school the year I enrolled. She still taught first-year Korean, and I’d had her class back then.

“Hello.”

I bowed politely to her.

“Feeling like you’re dying but barely surviving? Why’s there no energy in your steps? Dragging like that.”

She mimicked my walk. It really looked like I was being dragged to a slaughterhouse.

“Did I walk like that?”

“Practically crawling.”

I didn’t have the liveliest steps, but to think I looked like someone barely alive made me recall hyung’s car, lingering behind me. My steps must have looked the same to him. My chest suddenly felt tight.

“Got something on your mind?”

“Huh? Me? No worries.”

Being a senior was suffering enough, but I shook my head, startled, denying it. I wasn’t good at lying or playing it off.

“Just do enough to have no regrets. That’s all studying is.”

Her hand patted my arm.

“Time flies. Little Kang Joonyoung’s already a senior. Grown so tall.”

I gave a half-hearted reply to her encouraging words as she looked at me anew.

“Yeah… time really does go fast.”

As she said, time passed quickly.

A year would pass even faster.

What would happen to us after a year?

He said he’d disappear from my sight, stay out of view.

Our relationship, unable to be completed as brothers or anything else, was closer to certain despair than vague hope. The thought of him disappearing was terrifying enough to make my heart tremble.

“The entrance exam’s coming up soon.”

The exam or college meant nothing. All my worries were pushed aside, making the ordinary times when I had such concerns feel distant.

“It’s almost over, so hang in there! Got it? It’ll pass. In the end, it’s nothing.”

“…Yeah, okay.”

Lost in other thoughts, I didn’t catch what she said. It sounded like a pep talk. I nodded vaguely.

“That’s the spirit? With energy!”

“…Ha, I feel even more drained when you say that.”

“Oh, sorry. I got carried away. Alright, let’s do this!”

True to her popularity with students, she flashed a bright smile, clenched her fist, urging me to try, and walked into school. Students greeted her loudly as they approached.

Watching her back as she was surrounded by boys, someone smacked my back hard. My knees buckled. Barely catching myself, I turned around.

“Whoa, d**n, our Young-ie’s such a charmer. What fun stuff were you talking about with Korean?”

“Nothing much.”

“Didn’t look like nothing. Isn’t Korean favoring you? Didn’t she buy you something last time?”

I’d run into her near the cram school and got coffee and dessert. I wasn’t alone—another guy from the academy was with me.

“You were there too, Namwoo, eating with us. What nonsense is this?”

“Ha, looks do matter. Even in your sleep, you get treats.”

Cackling at his own thoughts, I caught up to Seokju, heading to class together.

His comment about looks sparked something, and I turned to ask him.

“Have you seen my hyung?”

“Huh? Your hyung? Kang Joonwon? Not in person. Closest was when you got out of his car. Saw the car, not his face. Why?”

“You don’t know what he looks like?”

“I do. Seen him in a photo. There’s still that picture in the central stairwell lobby—him with the minister when he won the presidential award at the competition.”

“What do you think he looks like?”

“Why’re you asking me about your hyung’s looks?”

“I mean… what do you think of him?”

To me, hyung was handsome. A fine-looking man. His slightly hooded eyes carried a melancholic air, like someone with deep worries. His sharp nose and well-placed lips formed a balanced, striking face.

He stood a head taller than most, with solid, practical muscles inherited from our athletic father. He taught me to ski and ride a bike as a kid.

The scars from his self-harm marred his beauty, and though it wasn’t mine, it pained me to see such a stunning person damaged.

Seokju nodded, as if agreeing with something.

“Your hyung… d**n, he’s crazy handsome. His face is top-tier. But his vibe, it’s like… he’s got a story. Handsome, but with a shadow, you know? Doesn’t even smile in the photo with the minister. Not even for the presidential award. And he dropped out like a badass, then got accepted like a badass.”

“You think he’s handsome too?”

“Yeah, crazy handsome.”

“…Good. I think so too.”

Seokju burst out laughing, looking at me like I was crazy for being relieved.

It was normal to find a sibling’s appearance attractive. He was objectively handsome, so he looked beautiful. Being beautiful made me want to touch him, made it not unpleasant to be touched. Beauty held that kind of power.

I wasn’t the weird one.

Seokju slung his arm over my shoulder.

“Aww, cute kid, you a baby? Yeah, your hyung’s handsome, good for you. You’re not bad yourself. Different vibe, though.”

“Different vibe? What’s that mean?”

“Your hyung’s kinda gloomy. I don’t vibe with that dark type. Feels contagious.”

“You’ve never even seen him in person. Judging from one photo?”

“Alright, alright. Who said he’s bad? Just a vibe.”

“Gloomy? He’s not like that.”

“Okay, fine. You mad? Come on, let’s go!”

Seokju’s eye for people was pretty sharp. Hyung wasn’t sane, barely holding onto reason by scarring his body.

If I didn’t support him, he might break. Right now, he was a ticking time bomb, being consumed by pain.

We weren’t doing anything wrong. To protect hyung, I had to do dirty things sometimes. For him, I had to endure that much.

I tried to rationalize what was happening between us.

As class time neared, the classroom was chaotic. Heading to my seat, my eyes met Im Juho’s.

Heo Kyungmin mistook Im Juho for me for a moment. He touched my shoulder with a sleazy hand, whining about why I didn’t call, throwing disgusting flirtations.

I wondered if Heo Kyungmin knew what Im Juho was up to. Since I’d hurled insults at Im Juho, his glares at me were sharp, like he’d pounce any second.

I shot him a contemptuous look in return.

If I got the chance, the justification, I wanted to beat him senseless, barely suppressing the urge.

The opportunity came unexpectedly.

At lunch in the cafeteria, I ran into Im Juho. Heo Kyungmin, holding a tray, was looking for a seat. Some underclassmen, avoiding him, left their spots mid-meal to give him space.

“Imju, sit here.”

Heo Kyungmin pointed to a good spot by the window. Im Juho, tray in hand, ignored it and walked elsewhere. Heo Kyungmin scrambled after him.

Even without knowing their relationship, it was clear Heo Kyungmin was smitten, chasing Im Juho.

Just like he’d seduced Heo Kyungmin, he must’ve seduced my hyung. Everything about Im Juho felt filthy. Heo Kyungmin’s pathetic devotion almost seemed pure by comparison.

I deliberately passed behind Im Juho’s seat. Pretending to trip, I spilled my tray onto his back.

“Argh!”

The boy next to him yelped, dodging the splattered food. Im Juho, mid-bite, froze like a statue, his back soaked in red kimchi broth. Heo Kyungmin was just as shocked.

“What the h**l, you b**t**d! Are you crazy?!”

Not a drop of broth touched Heo Kyungmin, but he jumped up, grabbing my collar.

I looked at him pityingly. Chasing Im Juho without knowing his true nature, this pathetic thug was pitiable. Compared to my pain, this minor harassment of Im Juho wasn’t even pain.

“Sorry. My hand slipped.”