GBH 49

The next day, Kim Deuk-pal did not show up at school until almost lunchtime. He sat in the now-empty living room, cleared of broken decorations, wrestling with the phone. The person on the other end, tired of his persistent calls, eventually turned off their phone after letting it ring repeatedly.

Kim Deuk-pal glared at the phone as if it were Lee Mi-kyung herself, hearing the voicemail message leak out.

“Does she really think I won’t catch her if she tries to escape…?”

Despite his fierce demeanor, as if ready to chew even the bones, it was actually Kim Deuk-pal who would be at a disadvantage if Lee Mi-kyung cut ties. Song Yi-heon and his mother had many restrictions as they received financial support under the condition of keeping their existence hidden from the world. It was Lee Mi-kyung’s role to monitor and maintain these restrictions.

This was evident even now. Since contacting the chairman was only possible through Lee Mi-kyung, Kim Deuk-pal couldn’t report her behavior to the chairman or get her fired.

Frustrated by Lee Mi-kyung’s actions, Kim Deuk-pal gripped his phone tightly.

“These bastards, treating people however they want…”

The 47-year-old former gangster Kim Deuk-pal understood how unfair and unreasonable Song Yi-heon’s current situation was, and he knew how to overcome it. There was no need for Song Yi-heon to hide his existence from the world just because he was born out of wedlock. They could file a paternity suit and receive proper child support from the chairman, and even charge him with the crime of abduction and enticement for confining Song Min-seo. With a lawyer he knew, they had a good chance of winning a legal battle.

However, at the same time, he was all too familiar with how grueling and nerve-wracking legal battles could be. They would inevitably draw the attention of reporters loitering around the courthouse. The mistress and hidden illegitimate child of a major corporation’s chairman – this alone would make for sensational headlines. If it was revealed that the chairman’s mistress was a former actress who had briefly risen to fame before disappearing, it would spawn countless articles with provocative titles not just in the social section but in the entertainment section as well. They would be showered with camera flashes from reporters every time they appeared in court.

It was questionable whether Song Yi-heon would even be able to attend school properly.

Honestly, he felt that instead of fighting a legal battle, he’d rather have Song Yi-heon solve one more practice test to improve his mock exam scores. The ex-gangster Kim Deuk-pal wanted to go to college to live a normal life, and Song Yi-heon also wanted to live enjoying ordinary happiness.

* * *

Following Choi Se-kyung’s advice, Kim Deuk-pal went to an orthopedic clinic for his wrist treatment, obtained a medical certificate, and then went to school. He had contacted Jung Eun-chae in the morning and received permission to arrive late, using the hospital visit as an excuse.

Worried about leaving the women alone, he kept the driver on standby at home and took a taxi. Since it wasn’t the usual bustling morning time when students crowded together on their way to school, the uphill path was deserted. Feeling uneasy at being separated from the crowd, he adjusted his grip on his bag.

“I better not miss out on that perfect attendance award…”

It had been so long since he’d actually been to school that his memories of elementary school were a distant blur. Kim Deuk-pal worried whether being half a day late would disqualify him from the perfect attendance award. As he climbed the stairs to meet his homeroom teacher in the staff room, he noticed a head of yellow-dyed hair passing by below the window.

It was Hong Jae-min, with his empty backpack bouncing on his back, just arriving at school. Kim Deuk-pal tried to pretend he hadn’t seen him heading toward the incinerator room but couldn’t get far before stopping.

“Aish, damn it…”

That Hong Jae-min kid, despite not having a single pretty feature, had something about his wandering appearance that reminded Kim Deuk-pal of the immature subordinates he had taken in during his gangster days. Unable to resist the nostalgia for his former underlings, Kim Deuk-pal eventually went down the stairs.

As expected, Hong Jae-min was at the closed incinerator. Perhaps due to the frequent beatings with a broom, Hong Jae-min reflexively hid what he was holding behind his back when Song Yi-heon appeared at the incinerator. Feeling embarrassed for being intimidated by Song Yi-heon’s mere presence, he lashed out in irritation.

“Song Yi-heon, you’re so fucking annoying.”

“You think I’m thrilled to see you?”

Kim Deuk-pal pretended not to see the cigarette pack Hong Jae-min had hidden behind his back and tossed him a candy. Hong Jae-min sat down next to Kim Deuk-pal, who was leaning against the wall on the dirt floor, his cheek bulging with the candy.

“If you’ve come to school, you should go to the classroom instead of hanging out in this stink place.”

The incinerator, with its delayed demolition plans, was becoming increasingly dilapidated and foul-smelling. From ex-gangster Kim Deuk-pal’s perspective, troubled kids tended to gather in such remote places, form groups, and commit reckless acts. Even if that wasn’t always the case, he believed kids should grow up in the sunlight and tried to reason with him kindly.

“Don’t hang around in dark corners. Stay in bright places. Walk on wide, well-lit roads. Don’t smoke, don’t drink. You’re young—you should know how precious your body is.”

“You sound like an old man. Don’t you know how annoying you are when you act all bossy?”

Though his words were dismissive, Hong Jae-min seemed to not dislike the concern, grinning slightly. Seeing him like that reminded Kim Deuk-pal of a simpleton, making him grin back. However, Hong Jae-min’s smile didn’t last long. A tall male student, noticeable even from afar, was walking towards them. As he got closer, the face became familiar. Annoyed at having admired the guy’s proportions without realizing it was Choi Se-kyung, Hong Jae-min directed his irritation at Song Yi-heon.

“Why the hell is Choi Se-kyung here? Don’t tell me you called him?”

“I think I might have.”

“Wow, sh1t, you knew I fvcking hate that guy and still…!”

Kim Deuk-pal, unbothered by Jae-min’s rant, waved to Choi Se-kyung to come over. After what happened last night, and since he needed to ask Se-kyung’s family doctor for another favor, Kim Deuk-pal had been exchanging messages with him at intervals. Since their trip to Gangneung, they’d been in more frequent contact, even if there wasn’t a specific reason.

He had told Se-kyung to contact him when arriving at school and mentioned the incinerator, but he didn’t expect him to actually come. Even more surprising was Se-kyung sitting on the dirt floor. Kim Deuk-pal considered briefly lifting the prim boy next to him to lay down a handkerchief.

Choi Se-kyung himself seemed unbothered, sitting with his knees up and pointing at Song Yi-heon’s bandaged left arm. Although Se-kyung’s family doctor had examined it yesterday, he asked if getting an X-ray and detailed examination at the hospital would be different.

“What did they say at the hospital?”

“Same as Dr. Lee’s diagnosis yesterday. Just a sprain. How did you manage to come during class?”

“It’s break time.”

There was a large scab on the corner of Se-kyung’s mouth as he spoke. Typically, injuries look worse the day after a fight as swelling increases. Moreover, Choi Se-kyung’s delicate features, which could be excused as fitting his sensitive personality, made him look even more pitiful.

“Look at your face.”

As Kim Deuk-pal held Se-kyung’s chin and turned it side to side, Se-kyung groaned.

“Ah, ah… Be gentle.”

He had thrown punches as learned yesterday, but lacking fighting skills, he had taken hits as they came, leaving his cheeks quite swollen. When Kim Deuk-pal touched the back of his hand to Se-kyung’s face, it felt hot.

“Didn’t you get in trouble at home?”

“Compared to previous beatings, this was nothing. Just got a few words and that was it.”

As Kim Deuk-pal’s face showed a twinge of guilt, Choi Se-kyung leaned his cheek against Kim’s hand like a satisfied cat.

While Kim Deuk-pal was considering whether to teach him properly how to avoid getting hit, a retching sound interrupted. Hong Jae-min, who had been watching them, stuck out his tongue and pretended to vomit.

“Gay alert, gay alert…”

Choi Se-kyung leaned forward over his knees, laughing as he greeted Hong Jae-min.

“Hi, Jae-min. It’s been a while.”

Hong Jae-min glared at Choi Se-kyung with a sidelong glance and spat on the ground repeatedly. However, Se-kyung, seemingly oblivious to being ignored, worried about Hong Jae-min like a pushover.

“The homeroom teacher is really worried about you. They said you might not graduate because you haven’t met the attendance requirements. You should go and talk to them.”

“What? I’m not going to graduate because of attendance? You need that to graduate?”

Kim Deuk-pal, having experienced the treatment and hardships of being uneducated in society, asked urgently in surprise. Se-kyung kindly explained what it meant to not meet the graduation attendance requirement, and Kim Deuk-pal clicked his tongue, saying, 

“Oh my.”

“Not being able to do something as simple as showing up for attendance… Man, you need to graduate high school. What’s the point of only finishing middle school?”

Hong Jae-min’s face turned bright red as if on fire, and he glared fiercely at Choi Se-kyung behind Song Yi-heon. That bastard, he clearly mentioned the attendance requirement on purpose to embarrass him in front of Song Yi-heon. As proof, unlike his harmless smile until now, Choi Se-kyung raised one corner of his mouth in an obvious sneer.

He acted all wholesome and cheerful in front of Song Yi-heon, but as soon as Yi-heon wasn’t looking, he was nothing but sneaky.

“That sly bastard…!”

“Hey! What are you trying to do…!”

As Hong Jae-min stood up angrily and tried to lunge at Choi Se-kyung, Kim Deuk-pal, already feeling indebted to Se-kyung, tried to stop him. In the confusion, he ended up grabbing Hong Jae-min’s pant leg and pulling.

“Ah, ah…!”

Losing his balance, Jae-min fell on top of Song Yi-heon, pinning him down. Kim Deuk-pal, caught off guard, tried to struggle free, but all he managed to do was further disrupt Jae-min’s attempts to regain his balance. Their limbs got tangled up as they flailed about.

“Shit, it really hurts-!”

“Get off me, you idiot!”

The more they squirmed, the deeper Jae-min’s leg slid between Song Yi-heon’s thighs. They were so preoccupied with their scuffle that they didn’t even notice Jae-min’s thigh was just about to touch Song Yi-heon’s groin.

Choi Se-kyung, who usually enjoyed watching others lose their composure and rarely lost his smile, now had a cold, stern expression.

* * *

Shaking the box containing papers with desk numbers written on them to ensure they were well mixed, Jung Eun-chae reminded the students:

“These new seating arrangement will stay until the end of summer vacation supplementary classes. If anyone wants to switch seats with someone else, do it now!”

She had conducted seat-drawing for each class she was in charge of and allowed students who wanted to exchange their drawn seats to do so. The students came forward one by one to draw lots and find their seats. As Kim Deuk-pal headed to his seat, second from the end in the fourth row, he looked around to see where Choi Se-kyung was. Choi Se-kyung was putting down his bag in the middle of the first row.

It was far. The shock of misunderstanding the exam scope during midterms had left Kim Deuk-pal with a compulsion to double-check the study range with someone, or else he’d feel anxious. And Choi Se-kyung was perfect for that role. He also needed to ask about things he didn’t understand during breaks, but finding it bothersome to go back and forth over a long distance, Kim Deuk-pal grabbed his bag and held out the white paper he had drawn to Choi Se-kyung’s new seatmate.

“Lee Jae-geun, switch seats with me.”

“Okay.”

Since it was June, the seats would be fixed for several months until the end of summer vacation. Kim Deuk-pal thought Lee Jae-geun wouldn’t give up the opportunity to sit next to Choi Se-kyung and benefit from his knowledge for months, but he agreed to switch seats without hesitation.

“Did you do something to him?”

“No?”

It was suspicious, but there was no concrete evidence. Although Kim Deuk-pal remained skeptical, he began unpacking his things next to Se-kyung’s seat.