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BHB 29
by Emerlyn“One can only be so patient with teenage rebellion.”
Impeccable nails with a nude polish. A semi-formal outfit that fit just right. Sensible heels. Meticulously styled hair. Natural makeup applied daily by shop staff who came for early morning house calls. Exquisitely crafted, high-value jewelry – necklaces and earrings so rare there were only a handful in the country. The very picture of flawless perfection.
“Your homeroom teacher called. I was so embarrassed…”
She was the eldest daughter of a renowned legal family, having graduated at the top of her class from an American law school. A skilled professional, known for turning even unfavorable trials in her favor. A true businesswoman who didn’t shy away from court-appointed defense to maintain public favor.
“Your teacher said he’s very worried because your grades suddenly dropped.”
This formidable woman was Taegang’s mother. With parents holding such high positions in both political and business circles, it was only natural that their son, Taegang, was expected to achieve top grades in school and emulate his mother by becoming a flawless, upright child. Consequently, it was also natural for him to be under constant, if unspoken, surveillance.
“Get your grades back up by the final exams this term. Don’t go to your current academy anymore. I’ve arranged for private tutoring. They’ll check on you for each subject, so come straight home after school.”
He had ranked first in the school for the first semester finals but fourth for the second semester midterms. True, his focus had wavered slightly, but was it enough to warrant a call from his homeroom teacher? The teacher, a man in his late thirties, always acted kindly and considerately while keeping Taegang under surveillance at his mother’s command..
This surveillance had begun in his early childhood, beyond the reach of his memories. Now at fifteen, it was still happening. The fifteen-year-old Taegang nodded with an impassive face.
“Yes.”
That was all he had to say.
The next day, as soon as he arrived at school, Taegang headed straight for his homeroom teacher’s car in the parking lot. A high-end black foreign car. He had seen the teacher polishing it during lunch breaks numerous times. The sight had always struck him as pathetic, almost entertaining to watch.
With a deadpan expression, Taegang pulled a coin from his uniform pocket and flipped it once. He then approached the passenger side and dragged the coin along the length of the car, all the way to the back seat. The screech of metal was chilling, but Taegang’s face remained impassive as he applied even more pressure. He continued from the back seat to the trunk.
Having left his artistic mark, Taegang pocketed the coin and casually whistled as he walked away. Behind him, the once-pristine black foreign car now bore unmistakable signs of deliberate vandalism.
Taegang entered the classroom with his usual calm demeanor. As soon as he stepped in, he spotted Han Yeowon at the back, bouncing a basketball and chatting with friends. Yeowon always seemed to be in good spirits, constantly grinning and hanging out with what Taegang considered to be a lower caliber of students. They had known each other since they were seven, becoming friends after initially being at odds, but lately, they hadn’t been as close as before.
Yeowon no longer rushed over excitedly when he saw Taegang, didn’t stick to him as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and had lost some of that innocent, ready smile. It was a natural progression. As Taegang’s parents often said, he and Yeowon were on different levels. Yeowon wasn’t future-oriented, had no goals, and seemed to do nothing but hang around with his low-quality friends.
Taegang’s mother emphasized it daily: Don’t associate with that boy next door. Even if you’re neighbors, you live in different worlds. His parents had an affair, so of course the child would go astray. They were nothing but nouveau riche with questionable origins to begin with… tsk tsk. This was what his mother would say whenever she happened to encounter Yeowon. However, Taegang had never once agreed when his mother told him not to associate with Yeowon.
The basketball in Yeowon’s hands lost its course and rolled towards Taegang, touching the tip of his foot. Taegang looked at it with dispassionate eyes, then startled slightly as he realized Yeowon had approached.
“Ah, sorry,” Yeowon apologized lightly, picking up the basketball at Taegang’s feet and grinning playfully. Taegang frowned at the unaffected, genuine smile. Yeowon always smiled like that, indiscriminately, to everyone.
“If you’re going to bounce the ball, do it outside,” Taegang chided lightly, as he usually did.
But Yeowon responded, unfazed, “There you go again, acting like a model student.”
Taegang often scolded Yeowon like this. It should have been familiar by now – they had first met when they were seven, and even then, they had clashed due to their different personalities.
“Still better than being a delinquent,” Taegang retorted.
“Looking for a fight this early in the morning?” Yeowon’s voice didn’t sound particularly offended, just weary. Generally, Taegang was the example of a good student – studious and diligent, while Yeowon was at the center of a group of so-called delinquents who enjoyed fooling around and couldn’t even properly factor an equation.
“But,” Yeowon suddenly furrowed his brow, interrupting their usual back-and-forth. He moved closer, as if to examine Taegang’s face more carefully.
“Did you get scolded again?”
Yeowon might be tactless and dim-witted, but he occasionally had an uncanny perceptiveness. Especially when it came to sensing when Taegang had suffered violence disguised as discipline from his parents, or when he was feeling pressured.
“No,” Taegang denied.
“You did. Your face looks terrible right now.”
“Why do you care?”
“What?”
These days, they barely spoke to each other. Taegang rarely visited Yeowon’s house anymore, which he used to do almost daily. Yeowon was too busy hanging out with his group of friends.
And yet you still act like you care, Taegang thought, stopping himself from voicing the childish retort.
“Hey, Yeowon!” Yeowon’s friends called out from the back of the classroom where they were gathered, laughing. They were calling him to come quickly.
“Oh, wait a sec. Anyway, call me if anything happens,” Yeowon said.
“…”
“Don’t suffer alone if you get beat up again.”
Yeowon clicked his tongue once and lightly patted Taegang’s shoulder in encouragement. Then he quickly returned to his group at the back of the room.
Taegang watched the back of Yeowon’s head as he turned away without any apparent regret, and suddenly felt a surge of irritation. Call him? As if Yeowon even cared anymore. Was he pretending to be nice to everyone, including Taegang? Taegang disliked that attitude, the way Yeowon treated everyone the same regardless of who they were.
“Taegang! You’re here?”
As soon as Taegang headed towards his seat, the student next to him called out as if he had been waiting. At the sound, Taegang finally tore his gaze away from Yeowon and looked at the nameplate of the unfamiliar boy. Lee Myungchan. A presence so unremarkable that Taegang couldn’t remember him no matter how many times he saw him.
“Why didn’t you come to the academy yesterday?”
Were they in the same academy? Taegang responded with an impassive face.
“I’m not going anymore.”
“What? Why?”
Is there a reason? When mother says to do something, that’s what you do. Taegang hesitated for a moment before adding, “I’m getting private tutoring.”
“Private tutoring? What kind? Who’s the tutor?”
Myungchan’s eyes lit up at Taegang’s answer, and he hurriedly asked. His eagerness was almost uncomfortable. Taegang met the intense gaze indifferently. After staring with an unreadable expression, he spoke flatly.
“I don’t know. My mother suddenly decided.”
It was the truth. He didn’t know what kind of tutoring it would be or who the tutor was.
“Oh… really? I was thinking about getting a tutor too…”
Myungchan was also among the top five students in the school. In this academically competitive school, most students were fiercely interested in anything related to grades. Those in the know were well aware that Taegang was the son of a prominent lawyer who headed a law firm, and that his brother was the youngest prosecutor in history. Many approached him with clear motives.
“If you find out, could you let me know? Or… maybe you could ask your mother if we could share the tutor?”
Behind Myungchan’s glasses, his eyes shone with clear intent as he pressed close to Taegang. In response to the pointed question, Taegang merely nodded vaguely, his face expressionless. He had no intention of asking his mother, who wasn’t the type to allow such things anyway.
“Wow, that’s great. Thanks, Taegang. I’ll tell my mom!”
Myungchan looked delighted, as if he had already received permission. Taegang said nothing and pulled out a workbook from his bag. It was a book of practice problems he had received personally from a popular academy instructor.
“I’ll treat you something from the school store at lunch. What do you want?”
Myungchan, seemingly unwilling to end the conversation, leaned in even closer to ask. Just then, a commotion erupted from behind them, causing Myungchan to flinch.
“Hey! I told you not to throw the ball!” Yeowon yelled as a basketball whizzed past Myungchan’s head.
“Those delinquents,” Myungchan muttered, gritting his teeth and clutching the spot near his head where the ball had passed. He glared silently at Yeowon’s group gathered at the back of the room.