NANOM Ch 6

“Uh, yeah. ···I’m just going to grade this.”

Surprisingly, Jihyuk got all the questions right except for two. At this rate, it seemed he could handle problems at the same level as Jiwon. I thought I should raise the difficulty a little next time, and carefully handed the paper with the wrong answers back to Jihyuk.

“···Should we take a look at this? I’ll explain the ones you got wrong.”

Unexpectedly, Jihyuk listened to the explanation quietly. His downcast eyes grew sharper as he read the problem. With the hand holding a long pen, he jotted down my explanation in his notebook. Jihyuk’s handwriting was sharp and cool, slightly slanted to the right. It was a lonely script that seemed better suited for a fountain pen than a ballpoint pen.

The lesson was completely over. I kept glancing at Jihyuk, trying to read his expression. As Jihyuk started clearing his desk without a word, I decided to hold on to a sliver of hope.

He might have forgotten. It might have just been a joke in the first place, so he might not have thought deeply about it. Trying my best to think that way, I subtly cleared my throat and opened my mouth.

“You really worked hard today. The next lesson is··· same day, same time?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Ahem···. Well, then, I’ll see you next week.”

It was the moment I stood up as naturally as possible, scheduled the next lesson, and was about to leave the room. A firm hand seized my wrist. Then, he yanked me towards him.

“Ah! What are you···!”

“Teacher.”

Jihyuk’s face, smiling crookedly as he looked up at me while still sitting in his chair, no longer looked innocent.

“A promise. You have to keep it.”

So it has come to this. My heart clenched tight in an instant, as if I were standing on a guillotine. I tried to even my breathing so it would not be obvious and asked with a trembling voice.

“What··· what is it that you want from me?”

They were brothers who truly wanted a lot from me. But in Jiwon’s case, I could chalk it up to him liking me··· but in Jihyuk’s case, I had no idea why he was acting this way.

Jihyuk had said he wanted an obedient teacher. But I still did not know. What Jihyuk specifically wanted from me. What Jihyuk could possibly gain from me, who had nothing. And what I could possibly give him.

I desperately tried to get my mind, stiff with tension, to work. Think. Think about what this kid could want from me. But so far, his actions had never been within a predictable range.

Jihyuk slowly held out his hand. A dry swallow went down the back of my throat on its own.

“Give it to me.”

“···What?”

To me, who was standing there with a dazed face, Jihyuk just twitched an eyebrow. A myriad of thoughts flashed through my mind in that moment. What am I supposed to give him?

After a moment’s hesitation, I placed my awkwardly clenched fist on top of it. Even as I did it, the thought that this can’t be it··· crossed my mind, but I had no idea what I was supposed to hand over. It was not as if he wanted my bag or my pencil case.

Jihyuk, with my fist resting on his palm, looked at me with a terrifyingly expressionless face.

“······.”

“······.”

I guess this wasn’t it. Right, there was no way he would ask for something like this. My ears flushed red in an instant, and I snatched my hand away as if I had been burned. A look of disbelief flashed across Jihyuk’s face.

“Teacher. What are you doing?”

“···Ah. Sorry. I didn’t know what I was supposed to give you···.”

I could die of embarrassment. I felt like my ears were not just letting off hot steam, but were about to explode. With a face that clearly showed his feeling that I was pathetic, Jihyuk let out a short laugh.

“So when someone asks you for something, you offer up your body, Teacher. That’s interesting.”

“No, I was just···.”

“I’ll be sure to remember that. How easy you are, Teacher.”

Surprisingly, his tone was laced with displeasure. Crushed by his cold, sharp edge, I could not offer much of a retort to his insulting words. Was I becoming immune to this? Considering I felt like this level of insult was nothing.

Jihyuk lightly flicked his still outstretched palm up and down, as if to urge me.

“You can give me your body later. For now, give me your phone.”

“···Huh?”

This was truly unexpected. I just blinked my eyes blankly.

“My, my phone? Why···?”

“There’s something I want to see.”

Even while making such a truly absurd and ridiculous demand, Jihyuk was brazen. He even had an arrogant expression, as if to say, ‘Why haven’t you offered it up to me yet’. I was so dumbfounded that I was at a loss for words for a moment.

“I mean···. Jihyuk. It’s someone else’s phone. Why on earth would you···.”

“Hurry up and give it to me. Don’t p**s me off.”

“Woo Jihyuk, you really···!”

“You know you’ll just have it taken from you if I decide to take it anyway. Don’t waste your energy for nothing.”

It was a situation that could make one jump in frustration. But it did not seem like he would withdraw his demand just because I refused. Though I hated to admit it, just as Jihyuk said, if he decided to take it, I would be powerless to stop him. Just like how he had rifled through me without my permission until now.

Even if I were to bolt out of this room, would I be able to get away from Jihyuk? No, I would probably be caught in an instant and dragged back in an unsightly manner. I shuddered, recalling the time we were locked in an empty room together. In a worse case scenario, he might drag me to Jiwon’s room, just as he had threatened earlier. The mere thought of it was miserable.

But handing it over willingly with my own hands, saying, ‘Here. Take it,’ was also a ridiculous thing to do. As I stood there blankly, unable to do either, Jihyuk grinned.

“Why the long face? What did I do? I just want to look at your phone for a bit.”

“···Why on earth, my phone.”

“Just because. It’s a model I haven’t used before, so I’m curious.”

Jihyuk smiled brightly as he spouted words that anyone could tell were a lie. Surprisingly, he showed no signs of using force. He held out his hand again and lightly twitched an eyebrow. His relaxed attitude, on the contrary, made me lose the will to fight even more. Because it really seemed like he would not back down until I gave him my phone.

After hesitating and hesitating, I let out a deep sigh and handed over my phone. At this point, I was half in a state of ‘let whatever happens, happen.’ It was not as if there was anything particularly sensitive on it that I would be reluctant to show him.

“···Here.”

Jihyuk took the phone as if it were a matter of course and, still sitting in his chair, began to look at the screen. While Jihyuk was looking at my phone, I blankly observed him.

My phone, held in Jihyuk’s hand, looked smaller than usual. Was it because his hands were big? The knuckles situated in the middle of his long, slender fingers looked unusually firm.

His touch was uninhibited as he pressed various things. Like someone who had already planned what he was going to do. Wondering what on earth he was doing with my phone, I subtly tilted my head towards him.

Jihyuk had opened the messenger app and was looking at the conversation between Jiwon and me. He did not even try to hide it from me. He scanned the conversation with a gaze that was both overt and cool.

Only then did I have a vague idea. Since Jihyuk hated Jiwon so much, it seemed he was trying to find something in my conversation with him. Like the photo taken at the hotel last time. It seemed he was trying to find a conversation that would clearly prove that Jiwon and I had progressed to an explicit relationship.

Looking at Jihyuk, I felt a strange sense of victory. No matter how hard he searched, he would not find anything. The only conversations Jiwon and I had were records of us setting up tutoring schedules in a business-like tone. Any messages like the one I sent thanking him from the hotel, I had already deleted because they made me feel uncomfortable.

Is this the end of today’s ridiculous tantrum? I’m glad it ended without incident. My body, which had been stiff with tension, was slowly starting to relax. I held out my hand to Jihyuk, who was still manipulating the phone with cold eyes.

“You’ve seen enough, right? Give it back now.”

“······.”

“And don’t do this kind of thing from now on···.”

“Teacher.”

I thought I had won. I thought I had endured the day well. As if to mock me for letting my guard down with that thought, Jihyuk, who had raised his head, was smiling with an ominous light in his eyes.

Jihyuk slowly extended the hand holding the phone. And I, upon seeing the lit-up white screen, could only widen my eyes and freeze on the spot.

[I miss my Jeonghyun so much. I’ll come see you first thing as soon as I’m back in the country.]

[Me too. Travel safely, hyung.]

It was the last text I had received from Taejun-hyung. Taejun-hyung, who had a naturally affectionate personality, often told me he missed me. Considering the usual things Taejun-hyung and I said to each other, it was nothing special. But I knew instinctively that it would not be the same from Jihyuk’s perspective, so I explained in a desperate tone.

“No, wait a minute. I know what you’re trying to frame me as right now, but this doesn’t mean that. He’s just a hyung I’m close with, so···.”

“Teacher.”

Jihyuk mercilessly cut off my rambling, which had lost all reason.

“Then what is this.”

My breath caught as I looked at the screen Jihyuk held out.

A group name designated with [♡], where only one person, Taejun-hyung, existed. All my motivation to somehow resolve this situation crumbled like a sandcastle at that moment and was swept away by the tide. Just like when I saw the picture taken with Jiwon at the hotel, I felt like I was caught in a trap, unable to move a muscle.

What followed was a sense of futility. No matter what I said, to Jihyuk, it would just sound like excuses and lies. The world in front of me went so dim that my body swayed slightly.

“That’s, that’s not···.”

But my powerless excuse was cut off right there. Because Jihyuk burst out laughing. Jihyuk, who had been laughing in a low voice, his eyes twinkling, suddenly snatched my wrist. And in an instant, he yanked me towards him. My stumbling body fluttered like a paper doll and was dragged right along.

Jihyuk was sitting in the chair with his legs arrogantly spread. I was pulled between his thighs and stood there awkwardly, looking down at him with a face that was losing its composure.

The wrist he was gripping hurt. I tried with all my might to shake his hand off, but his iron-like hand did not budge. The moment I was about to shout at him to let go, Jihyuk spoke first.

“Honestly. Teacher. Even after seeing the picture from the hotel last time, I didn’t completely believe it.”

“······.”

“I didn’t think there were that many disgusting b**t**ds like Woo Jiwon in this world.”

Listening to Jihyuk’s words, the world in front of me grew dim again. Jihyuk had definitely cornered me back then, convinced I was g**. Was that just a ploy to test me and Jiwon?

“But, I was wrong. Haha···.”

Jihyuk looked down and let out a short laugh. A unique expression that was his alone, one that sent a chill down one’s spine just by looking at it, and one that no one could imitate. His gleaming, alligator-like eyes are momentarily hidden between his lowered eyelids and lashes, creating a fleetingly vulnerable expression. The dimple that forms deeply next to his elongated lips as well.

But after that moment passes, the gaze he lifts is sharp enough to easily suffocate a person. Meeting his knife-like stare, I unknowingly clenched my fists, which were beginning to sweat.

“F**k···. Why are there so many dirty f**gots around me.”

Hearing his ice-cold voice that already decidedly labeled me as g**, my mind went completely blank in an instant. There was no calm response I could offer in this situation.

But I had to say something. I felt like a fool for trying to give up so easily just a moment ago. I could not let Jihyuk get any more leverage over me. It was not enough to have shown my belly turned up and white, I could not have my guts pulled out as well.

I moved my parched lips and tried desperately to make an excuse.

“···It’s not like that. I don’t like this hyung. This hyung is just···. Just a close···.”

“F**k, Teacher. Stop treating me like an idiot. How dare you tell such an obvious lie.”

My excuse, which sounded futile even to me, was mercilessly cut off by Jihyuk’s cold words. But I mustered the coldest voice I possibly could. Desperately clenching my fists that kept trembling.

“Think whatever you want. No matter what I say, are you even going to believe me?”

This was the last card I could play against him. I have to get a grip. It is just a kid’s tantrum anyway, what can he do if I deny it to death. And, even if it were true, what is he going to do about it. I tried to think firmly and stared straight at Jihyuk.

“Ah···. Whatever I want, you say.”

Jihyuk tilted his head slightly to the side, looking bored.

“Then if I combine the picture of you and Woo Jiwon at the hotel, with this···.”

During a brief pause, Jihyuk casually took a screenshot with my phone that he was holding. Taejun-hyung’s name saved with a heart and the affectionate messenger conversation were transferred to his phone as smoothly as flowing water.

“Give that here!”

I stretched my arm out to snatch the phone from his hand, but the data Jihyuk wanted had already been transferred to his phone.

Jihyuk, smiling slyly, snatched my hand that had precariously touched the phone. In an instant, one of my wrists was firmly buried in his grasp. I tried to reach out with my other hand to hit Jihyuk’s shoulder, but my other hand was also caught by Jihyuk’s hand, who had placed the phone down on the desk.

With both my wrists helplessly caught, I glared at Jihyuk with teary eyes. Not because I was sad, but because my wrists, which were being roughly gripped, hurt, causing tears to well up physiologically. Pain and humiliation mixed together, paralyzing my mind. I struggled with all my might and extended my leg to kick the chair he was sitting on.

“···Ah···!”

But before I could push against Jihyuk’s chair and thigh, Jihyuk’s foot kicking my shin hard was a beat faster. My body instantly sank down, and I collapsed helplessly in front of him.

“Ugh, heu··· Ah···.”

A groan escaped my lips on its own at the eye-opening pain. The relentless, piercing pain struck my brain like thunder. I curled my body up and groaned. It did not even seem like he kicked with all his might, but it felt as if my shinbone might have shattered.

“Where do you think you’re rubbing your face. You filthy g** b**t**d.”

A sneering laugh was mixed in with his cold voice. Just as he said, I was leaning my forehead on Jihyuk’s knee, letting out groans.

But in my agony, I had no capacity to care about such things. Since both my hands were caught in Jihyuk’s grasp anyway, I could not escape. I desperately pulled at my trembling wrists, but Jihyuk’s firm grip did not waver.

“You told me to do whatever I want. This is my way. Beating you if you don’t listen.”

“Hngh, what, is this···.”

“Should I be more petty?”

Jihyuk slowly let go of the hands he was holding. He forced my palms open, and kindly placed the phone on top of them. Then, he patted down my crumpled clothes. As if to say he would no longer use force.

“I can make today the last day of your tutoring at this house.”

“······.”

“But then, wouldn’t you be the one in trouble, Teacher?”

Jihyuk laughed in a low voice. It was a pleasant voice, so much so that the word ‘sweet’ would suit it, belying his age. But its content was nothing but vulgar. It was a vile threat that he would cut off my lifeline if I did not docilely follow his way.

He probably did not know my detailed circumstances of needing money. No, considering he secretly took a picture of me and Jiwon, maybe he already knew. It did not matter either way. Whether he had finished his investigation on me or was just instinctively sensing it, this kid knew that I was desperate right now. And the fact that I was thoroughly on the bottom in this relationship would not change anyway.

Looking up at me, who remained silent, Jihyuk gestured with his eyes. As if to urge me to confess quickly with my own mouth. Still, I could not bring myself to part my lips. With a bored expression, Jihyuk hurried me.

“Go on.”

“······.”

“Hmm?”

Jihyuk’s tone, as if he were soothing a child, had a hint of affection seeping into it. After completely cornering me, he was now placating me, telling me not to be afraid.

It was a voice I had never heard before. But listening to his kind tone, I could easily guess that if I tried to make another clumsy excuse, he would slam me into the wall of that corner.

There was no way out anymore. Biting my lip hard, I parted my trembling lips.

“···A long time ago, a long time ago··· I liked him one-sidedly.”

“······.”

“But··· that’s all. I just had a··· one-sided crush··· for a short while. Just, by myself···.”

“Ah, f**k··· so disgusting, really.”

Jihyuk’s laughter cut off my words. What was so amusing, Jihyuk leaned his body completely back in the chair and laughed out loud.

My breath kept getting shorter and shorter. My heart felt suffocated, as if submerged in water. Clutching my chest, I stood with my head bowed in front of the laughing Jihyuk. Listening to his laughter that seemed to go on endlessly.

Jihyuk, who had been laughing for a long while, suddenly reached out his hand and grabbed my chin. Then he brutally pulled my face down towards him, forcing me to meet his eyes. My cheek was squished, forcing my mouth to pop out ridiculously like a fish, and I had no choice but to look down at Jihyuk.

“You were really g**? So fucking disgusting···. F**k.”

In Jihyuk’s eyes, as he taunted me while holding my face like a toy, were filled with a fifty-fifty mix of contempt and curiosity.

“So they set up a f**got to tutor another f**got. It wouldn’t be strange if you two got together at any moment. Right?”

“Woo, Jihyuk··· let··· go of this, let··· go.”

The hand holding my chin felt like a trap. I tried to shake it off by grabbing Jihyuk’s wrist with both hands and shaking my head, but the hand that had firmly ensnared my face did not move at all.

However, contrary to his harsh words, Jihyuk did not seem to be in a bad mood. With his lips curved up in a smile, he said coolly.

“Teacher. Have a meal with me. This Saturday at 12 o’clock.”