PUPPY 6

“You’re all high school seniors. Even if I don’t say anything, you should be creating a quiet atmosphere for studying. Huh?”

At the homeroom teacher’s words, the students who had gathered in the back, chatting and fooling around, quickly returned to their seats. Still, the chaotic atmosphere, tinged with leftover laughter, did not settle down.

“Is Moon Wonho absent today?”

The teacher asked, looking at an empty desk. In response to that question, everyone fell silent as if they had all planned it.

“…”

“He’s not here.”

Only Juwon’s answer rang out in the quiet classroom. A strange tension flowed from Juwon’s indifferent reply.

“…Alright. Now, we’ll be starting career counseling tomorrow, so everyone check the schedule. Don’t just come and zone out; think about what you want to talk to me about before you come, okay.”

“Yes.”

“You’re all so good at answering… And the class president, you have something to pick up, so stop by the faculty office for a moment.”

“Yes.”

With Seowoo’s reply, the teacher left the classroom first. At the same time, the seated students sprang up like coiled springs and started the mischief they hadn’t finished earlier.

Seowoo took out a book and placed it on his desk, then got up and started heading to the faculty office. Although he had closed the door behind him, the monstrous screams his friends were letting out filled the hallway. Because of that, Seowoo couldn’t hear the footsteps following him.

🦴

“Give one of these to each of the kids…”

“Okay.”

The faculty office was so quiet and calm it felt like a space from another dimension. Except for the conversation between the teacher and Seowoo, only the pleasant click-clack of typing could be heard.

Just then, the faculty office door opened rather roughly. Seowoo’s and the teacher’s gazes naturally moved toward the noise. The one who had entered the faculty office with confident strides was Juwon.

“Hello.”

“Oh, Cha Juwon is—”

After a brief conversation with the physical education teacher, Juwon approached Seowoo and the homeroom teacher. The homeroom teacher asked with a puzzled expression.

“Juwon, what are you here for?”

“I was worried you’d make Ryu Seowoo carry something heavy again.”

Flustered by Juwon’s unexpected answer, Seowoo whispered quietly, “Why are you being like this.” To that, Juwon replied, “Ah, it’s nothing.” Watching the two of them bickering, the teacher pointed at the handouts on the desk and said.

“My, my. This is all there is for today.”

“I’ll take them.”

“Alright. I still have things to talk about with Seowoo, so Juwon, you can head back first.”

“Okay. See you later.”

Picking up the handouts with one hand, Juwon bowed his head respectfully to the teacher, then turned around and left the faculty office.

“It seems you and Juwon have gotten quite close, Seowoo.”

“Yes. Juwon lives in the house across from ours, so we come to school together.”

“I was worried when I heard he fought with Wonho, but I see he’s getting along well with you, Seowoo.”

“Ah… you knew about that?”

At the teacher’s words, Seowoo let out a small gasp. Two days ago, Juwon and Moon Wonho had a tense clash in the classroom. Moon Wonho, who had come to school for the first time in a while, had been absent again ever since. It wasn’t a good thing, so he hadn’t gone around telling people, but it seemed there were no perfect secrets in the world.

“What exactly happened?”

At the teacher’s question, Seowoo carefully opened his mouth.

🦴

“You motherfucker, watch where you’re going. How much did you fucking drink last…”

“Ah, I told you to be quiet!”

After the back door was opened roughly, the conversation between Moon Wonho and his friends drifted through the opening. It was the moment when everyone was warily trying to get out of the way at the sight of Moon Wonho, who had shown up to school for the first time in a week.

“Oh, Kim Dongwon.”

Moon Wonho, wearing a short puffer jacket with a fluffy hood, stood next to Kim Dongwon, who was standing at the back of the classroom. Then, he made a fist and punched Kim Dongwon in the stomach, making a ‘Pow’ sound with his mouth.

“Ah…”

As Kim Dongwon groaned, his brow furrowed, Moon Wonho let out an exaggerated laugh and said.

“Does it hurt? You’re fucking whining.”

After saying that, Moon Wonho put his arm around Kim Dongwon’s shoulder and spoke. All the kids in the class knew that this kind of action from Moon Wonho wasn’t a friendly prank, but him bullying an easy target he happened to see out of boredom.

“…”

“Why don’t you ever call. I didn’t even know you were in the same class.”

“Well…”

Kim Dongwon had no friendship with Moon Wonho whatsoever. They were certainly not on terms to contact each other regularly. Just as he was trying to choose a suitable answer to the question of why he hadn’t called, Moon Wonho punched Kim Dongwon’s stomach with his fist again.

“What the hell did you eat during break to get such a fucking fat stomach.”

“Ah, stop it…”

“No, it’s fucking springy, so it’s fun. Huh?”

Smack, smack. The sound of Moon Wonho hitting Kim Dongwon’s stomach grew louder. As the atmosphere grew stranger, the kids in the class began to exchange glances one by one.

It was the moment Seowoo, the class president and a friend of Kim Dongwon’s, could no longer just stand by and was about to speak. Juwon, who was sitting in front of Seowoo with his chair turned around, called out to Moon Wonho.

“You motherfucker.”

At Juwon’s nonchalant voice, every student’s gaze shifted.

“…”

“Motherfucker, I’m calling you.”

Juwon spoke in a gentle tone, as if he were calling a person’s name, not cussing.

“Are you calling me?”

Moon Wonho said, looking at Juwon with a dumbfounded expression. Motherfucker? Moon Wonho muttered quietly.

“I saw other guys calling you that earlier.”

“…”

“I thought it was your name.”

Juwon said in a relaxed voice.

“Is he fucking crazy…”

Moon Wonho was on the lower end of the hierarchy in Kang Jihyeok’s group, so he was often seen being ignored. You could tell just by how he was addressed. While Kang Jihyeok was always called ‘Jihyeok-ah,’ Moon Wonho was called ‘you motherfucker’ or ‘you little shit.’

But no matter how low his rank was, Moon Wonho was still a delinquent. He didn’t use overt violence, but he was very skilled at making people feel strangely humiliated and at bullying people under the guise of a prank. Since no student wanted to get on his bad side and have a miserable school life during such an important time before college entrance exams, no one had stepped up openly like Juwon.

“If he tells you to stop, then listen. It’s not fucking funny.”

Juwon’s tone was still relaxed, but the atmosphere was distinctly different from a moment ago.

“What? Ah, fucking… Hey, Kim Dongwon, is it not funny?”

Moon Wonho, who let out a sigh, haaa, like someone holding back his anger, asked Kim Dongwon with a serious face. As Kim Dongwon, caught in the middle, made a troubled expression, Juwon finally rose from his seat.

“Can you not fucking understand what people are saying.”

“…”

“I said it’s not fucking funny.”

Juwon said, looking at Moon Wonho with a cool gaze as he swept his hair back. In an atmosphere where a fistfight could break out at any moment, the one who backed down first was Moon Wonho.

Moon Wonho pushed Kim Dongwon away and approached the desk closest to the back door. It was an act done without knowing at all that the seat was Juwon’s.

“What’s this piece of trash, fuck.”

Then he kicked the bag hanging on the side of the desk. As the tense, on-thin-ice atmosphere continued, the students now glanced cautiously at Juwon. Juwon, who smiled with only one corner of his mouth raised, took big strides forward.

“That’s my seat.”

“Fucking newbie is acting up. Hey, this is my seat…”

Bending over, Juwon picked up the fallen bag and dusted it off. Thump. Then he threw the bag somewhat roughly onto the desk.

“Are you fucking clueless. I’ll say it again, so listen carefully.”

“…”

“This is my territory. Get lost.”

Juwon stood close to Moon Wonho and looked down at him as he spoke. The black pupils within his chilly eyes glinted with an unusual light.

Perhaps having judged that he had no chance of winning due to the overwhelming difference in height and build, Moon Wonho left a short curse, then opened the door and left the classroom.

🦴

After the battle of wills between Juwon and Moon Wonho, Seowoo’s friends also naturally became friendly with Juwon. The rumors surrounding Juwon—about a forced transfer, about being a former delinquent—all vanished.

“Kim Dongwon, you have a dog, don’t you.”

At Juwon’s question, Kim Dongwon’s eyes widened. Then he looked at Yang Juhyeon and asked.

“Did you tell him?”

“No.”

When Yang Juhyeon shook his head, Kim Dongwon asked Juwon with an even more surprised expression.

“How did you know?”

“I could tell by the smell.”

“Do I smell like a dog?”

At Juwon’s words, Kim Dongwon asked, smelling his own school uniform. Kim Dongwon had a Yorkshire Terrier he had raised since elementary school. It was inevitable that the dog, having grown old, had a smell, so instead of just hugging and petting his dog, Kim Dongwon was almost obsessive about cleanliness.

“I can’t smell anything.”

“You don’t. You just smell like your own rotten self.”

His friends answered playfully, since they couldn’t smell anything besides the scent of the deodorizer that had practically marinated his uniform, and since they knew well how much effort Kim Dongwon put in.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Did you really know by the smell?”

“Yeah, I have a dog’s nose.”

“What?”

“It’s true.”

Juwon said that and rested his chin on Seowoo’s shoulder. He playfully moved his jaw, nibbling slightly.

“That hurts…”

When Seowoo muttered softly, Juwon lifted his head, put his arm around Seowoo’s shoulders, and pulled him close.