BHB 74

“…Control yourself.”

He was someone who was said to be more vicious than Choi Youngdoo in high school. Yeowon couldn’t count how many times he had thought he was lucky to be Taegang’s friend. Especially because his retaliation against those who messed with Yeowon was more persistent and excessive than anyone else’s, to the point where others would touch anyone but Yeowon. If Yeowon got slapped once, Taegang was the type to smash the other person’s face.

“We’re adults now.”

“…”

“As adults, we should handle things like adults.”

“… So you’re saying you should still get beaten up even as an adult?”

“I didn’t get beaten up. If you think about it, I was the one who hit him.”

“The guy who got stabbed sure has a lot to say.”

“It’s true. And I’m telling you, this is really just a scratch?”

“Stop talking. I’m going crazy.”

At the warning not to provoke him further, Yeowon obediently closed his mouth. Right, he had nothing to say. After all, he was the one who had gotten hurt. Conversely, if he heard that Taegang had gotten hurt protecting someone, he would surely go mad too.

This was the same for both of them. Even setting aside the confusing personal feelings lately, it was natural. It was natural just based on their relationship so far. From the beginning, that’s what they were to each other. They were each other’s protectors, shields, and reliable support.

“Enough.”

“…”

“Let’s go home now.”

“…”

“I’m really fucking tired.” Yeowon reached out his hand to Taegang as usual. 

Taegang hesitated for a moment, then let out a short sigh before skillfully grasping his hand and helping him up. Then he put Yeowon’s shoes on for him, and once again glared fiercely at the heavily bandaged hand.

“Do this one more time. You’ll really die.”

You and that bastard both.

Knowing all too well that this aggressive threat was a sign of deep affection, Yeowon exhaled wearily and muttered as if it was all a headache.

“… Your obsession is a disease.”

**

Although it was a minor incident, it was still an assault case involving a knife, so they had to go to the police station to give a victim statement. Of course, he was the one cut by the knife, but there was some misunderstanding because the suspect who had been beaten unconscious seemed more like the victim. However, thanks to Jeon Chaemin’s detailed testimony from start to finish, the misunderstanding was quickly resolved.

As it was an incident that could tarnish the school’s reputation, the professors who were present also stepped in to resolve the matter quickly. Yeowon submitted the sexual harassment photos as evidence, and Jeon Chaemin wanted severe punishment for both the sexual harassment and the assault. Even though Taegang had expressed willingness to settle, once it became a criminal case, it wasn’t something that could be resolved lightly. It was rather fortunate. At this age, he didn’t want to see Taegang hurting someone.

The inside of the school was noisier than expected. Even if the damage was minor, it was still a knife incident, and the victims were the already famous Jeon Chaemin and Han Yeowon, so it was even more of a commotion. The previous incident of a senior bullying Jeon Chaemin resurfaced, causing the story to be further inflated. Rumors spread that Han Yeowon had helped Jeon Chaemin, who kept attracting men, and they had fallen for each other, or that this knife incident was actually the result of a love triangle gone wrong. Even if they denied it to those around them, once words spread, it was impossible to take them all back. They could only wait for things to quiet down.

It felt uncomfortable, as if he had inadvertently become close to Jeon Chaemin. He was already pretending not to know about the confession he had accidentally overheard, and now with these uncomfortable rumors spreading, it became even more awkward to face him.

It was absurd that such rumors were spreading about him and not Taegang. Of course, it was also bewildering that Jeon Chaemin had said he liked him and not Taegang… but he was going crazy wondering if pretending not to know, as he was doing now, was the right thing to do.

And what was even more puzzling was that Taegang had been increasingly absent lately. The guy who used to do nothing but go between school, home, and drinking with classmates, or watching movies or sports broadcasts at home with Yeowon, had started disappearing without contact more often. When asked where he had been, the only answer was “on business.” The brief reply suggested he had no intention of explaining further.

It was a confusing time in many ways. But it wasn’t a situation where he could consult Taegang about Jeon Chaemin’s confession. Taegang was already extremely sensitive about him and Jeon Chaemin being linked together. It was ironic how the situation had reversed.

So he wanted to avoid running into him if possible… but there were things that needed to be concluded. The last day of the assignment. It would be over after the presentation, which meant they had to face each other at least once, even if they wanted to avoid it. Yeowon pressed his eyes shut as he looked at Jeon Chaemin sitting in front of him like a criminal.

“How long are you going to be like this?”

It was irritating to see him looking like he was about to cry, not knowing what to do, acting like a criminal whenever he saw Yeowon.

“I said I’m fine, and the wound has already almost healed.” Yeowon showed his hand, now with a band-aid instead of gauze, along with a long sigh. 

Jeon Chaemin glanced at the wound from the corner of his eye and let out a silent sigh of relief.

It wasn’t just today. Even when they accidentally met in class or passed each other in the hallway, it was clear that Jeon Chaemin was avoiding him even more than he was avoiding Jeon Chaemin. He understood Jeon Chaemin’s position. There had been that incident, he had accidentally confessed, and rumors had been inflated, so the other person probably knew it was best not to run into each other.

“We need to finish the assignment.”

“… I can do it alone.”

“How can you do it alone when I’m supposed to do the presentation?”

“I can do the presentation too…”

“We already agreed on this.”

“…”

“Then let’s just do it.”

Even if they were in an awkward situation, it wasn’t as if they had really committed a crime against each other, and it didn’t make sense for them to be so dejected and cautious around each other.

“… Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing too.”

Without further words, Yeowon opened his laptop and started writing the script, skimming through the PowerPoint presentation with organized exhibition-related materials. Since all the actual data came from Jeon Chaemin, he could get sufficient feedback. The class was in an hour, and they needed to complete the script and do at least one rehearsal before then.

The presentation material was so clean and perfect that even someone like him, who wasn’t interested in the class, could understand it at a glance. Whenever there was a group assignment, Yeowon had been in charge of presentations since his freshman year. He lacked ability in areas like research or making PowerPoints, so presentations were the easy part. He naturally never got nervous in front of others, so it was the only thing that suited him. Because of this, writing scripts was familiar and he didn’t get stuck.

Tap tap tap.

The sound of typing echoed neatly. Yeowon’s gaze was fixed on the laptop screen as if glued there, while Jeon Chaemin was trying his best not to look at Yeowon, focusing on proofreading the script being sent paragraph by paragraph.

As silence settled in the empty classroom, the commotion from the campus outside the window gently spread. The sounds of students playing a light game on the basketball court in front of the building, giggles and laughter, and casual chatter. Feeling the fading noise, Yeowon was absorbed in his task without saying a word. But the silence that seemed to stretch on was carefully broken.

“… I’m really sorry.”

It was the same words again, but the downcast gaze and the steady voice were a bit different. Although it sounded tiresome, Yeowon stopped his hands without the earlier sarcasm and quietly gazed at the person in front of him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever said it properly, in my right mind.”

“…”

“I’m sorry… and thank you. I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve helped me.”

The trembling at the sight of Yeowon seemed to have subsided a bit, as Jeon Chaemin continued speaking as calmly as possible without stammering.

“… Anyone would have helped if they were there, not just me.”

The brief conversation ended there. No more words were exchanged, and it was about time for students to start arriving in the classroom. 

As they finished at an appropriate time, Yeowon closed the laptop and spoke casually, “I’ll go to the office and print this out.”

As Yeowon stood up and was about to walk away, a slight force carefully grasped the hem of his clothes. At the timid touch, Yeowon shifted his gaze in surprise to see Jeon Chaemin’s small head, barely holding the edge of his clothes between his index fingers and thumbs.

His face looked more determined than before, as if he had more to say. The hand grasping the hem of the clothes was still trembling.

“More to say…”

“What I said then.” Jeon Chaemin barely opened his mouth, unable to look at Yeowon, “…I meant it.”

“…”

“…It wasn’t something I intended to say in such a frenzy…”

“…”

“Because I keep failing to give up on you… it seems to keep getting you hurt…”

As his voice became increasingly choked, Yeowon couldn’t heartlessly remove the hand clinging to his clothes and let out a deep, silent sigh as if the ground was sinking.

“Sunbae.” Yeowon softly called out to him, who seemed to be losing his composure. “I’m asking because I don’t quite understand.”

It was something he had been finding strange ever since hearing that confession.

“This isn’t just questioning… I’m really curious.”

“…”

“Since when?”