BHB 3

“I’m already over 10cm shorter than you, and you think it’s okay to keep pressing down on me from above? I’m not your personal footstool for you to lean on and rest on every day. And think about your weight too. It’s not like you’re showing off how much muscle you have.”

Yeowon spat out the words as if he had been waiting for this moment. Although it was an excuse he had made up, there were times when he had felt this way. Whenever someone a head taller and bigger than him clung to him or leaned on him, resting their arm on him, he felt a strange sense of defeat. He had drunk hundreds of bottles of milk hoping to grow taller than that guy, but the height difference only grew over time. And the guy hated milk, of all things.

“…”

At the rapid-fire words, Lee Taegang was momentarily speechless. He let out a bewildered sigh, his face blank as if he had heard something he had never even considered.

“Then… why do you let Do Yeongjae do it?”

“What?”

Lee Taegang, who had been momentarily speechless, quietly spoke with a rather serious gaze.

“Do Yeongjae always clinging to you too.”

“…”

“Every time I see him, he’s leaning on you with his arm around your shoulder like a leech. Why do you let him do it?”

Yeowon faltered at the unexpected attack. It was something he had never thought about.

“…Does Yeongjae do that?”

As he furrowed his brows in confusion at a fact he had never been conscious of, Lee Taegang let out a deep sigh.

“Then tell that bastard not to do it either.”

Lee Taegang made his threat and abruptly stood up from his seat. Whether he was angry or irritated, he stormed out of the cafeteria without hesitation. His stride was so long that he was out of the spacious cafeteria in an instant.

“…Hah.”

Yeowon put down his spoon, watching Lee Taegang’s retreating figure. Only then did he feel like he could breathe properly.

A secret.

A secret had emerged between them, something that had never existed in all their years together. He didn’t even know if a secret could exist between him and Lee Taegang.

“That traitor.”

As the spark that had flared up began to die down, a bitter feeling washed over him. A bitterness that made his mouth taste sour and a sadness that tugged at his stomach. Yes, this was sadness.

Yeowon knew it was an unusual emotion stemming from a friendship that was more special than others, but he couldn’t help it. It was an emotion born from the long years they had spent together.

**

They hadn’t been close from the beginning. Their appearances and personalities were too different, but there was one thing they had in common.

They were both extremely hot-tempered. They both had quite nasty tempers.

They had fought terribly since they were little kids in kindergarten. They would pick fights over trivial things, bicker, and even get into physical fights. Because of this, they were labeled as problem children in the kindergarten, and there was even a time when both sets of parents were called in.

Yeowon and Lee Taegang’s parents were complete opposites too. Yeowon’s parents were carefree rich people who had stumbled into success and were called nouveau riche, while Lee Taegang’s parents were visibly strict and conservative. If Yeowon was raised in a free-range style, Lee Taegang was raised under intense discipline.

Lee Taegang, whose father was a politician and former Supreme Court senior judge and whose mother was a lawyer running a large law firm, always lived under pressure and expectations. The first thing his parents demanded of their children was good grades, and the second was proper behavior. The reason was to avoid tarnishing the family name. They were people who valued honor as much as money. As much as they had both money and honor, their children’s education was extremely strict.

When they entered elementary school, Lee Taegang was in the same class. Although they would bicker at the mere sight of each other, familiarity breeds affection, and they were glad to see each other in the new environment. Of course, they continued to bicker frequently in elementary school too, but after fighting so many times, they eventually became close. Knowing so much about each other and living nearby, they naturally began to go to and from school together.

Time passed, and they became middle school students. Until then, Lee Taegang had been a model student. To live up to his parents’ expectations, his grades had never fallen below third in the school, and he would sweep awards at academic competitions, always going up on stage to receive awards in front of the whole school.

Yeowon felt proud of Taegang, and the fact that such an admirable person was his friend made him feel even prouder.

But unlike Lee Taegang, Yeowon was someone who only liked running around on the playground and hated sitting at a desk. Although they were close, Yeowon and Lee Taegang, who were polar opposites, ran in different circles when they entered middle school. Lee Taegang was in the group of model students who cared the most about grades even in their education-obsessed neighborhood, while he was in the more active group who found playing more of a calling than studying. As a result, they naturally spent less time together.

When Lee Taegang was at cram school, Yeowon would play basketball with his friends on the school playground, and when Lee Taegang finished cram school and had private tutoring at home, Yeowon would invite friends over to play games or watch movies. Until then, he hadn’t given much thought to Lee Taegang. He was just a childhood friend from next door. That was all.

At least until Lee Taegang came to his house separately.

“…”

Today, for some reason, old memories kept popping up in Yeowon’s mind. Even now, at this noisy and chaotic department drinking party, Yeowon kept thinking about Lee Taegang from when they were young. Was it because of the feeling of betrayal that resonated deep in his gut? That time kept coming back to him vividly.

‘I’m not studying anymore.’

It was another evening when his parents were out. At the sudden, urgent sound of the doorbell, Yeowon opened the front gate to find an agitated Lee Taegang. The 15-year-old Taegang who had come out of nowhere with a face full of injuries to say this. At that time, he was about the same height as him, with an even younger face than now. Back then, he clearly looked like a well-bred young master.

‘What are you talking about, barging in like this?’

Yeowon, who had rushed out while playing with his friends, let out a bewildered laugh at his unexpected words.

‘I mean exactly what I said. I’m not going to cram school anymore, and I’m not taking private lessons either.’

Taegang’s face became serious as if making a vow, and Yeowon nodded dazedly.

‘Okay. But won’t you get in huge trouble with your parents?’

Yeowon knew full well that Taegang had been beaten since elementary school. Once, he had been kicked out after being caned on the soles of his feet for failing a level test at cram school. Yeowon had seen this and brought the expelled Taegang home, let him wash in warm water, and cooked him ramen. He remembered how they had enjoyed eating it together.

‘I’ll probably get beaten. If I get kicked out, I’m coming to your house.’

‘What, is my house some kind of hotel?’

‘Is that not okay?’

‘…It’s not that it’s not okay, but are you sure? I think there’ll be big trouble if your parents find out.’

Yeowon said dryly.

‘But why are you suddenly not studying? You always get first place.’

‘Because you don’t pay attention to me anymore.’

‘What?’

‘You hang out with those other bastards and act like you don’t need me anymore.’

At Taegang’s unexpected words, Yeowon blinked in bewilderment for a moment. Faced with his accusatory tone, Yeowon blurted out without thinking:

‘Hey… don’t make it sound like I’m bullying you or something!’

‘I know you go to the PC bang with them all the time.’

‘You have your own friends, don’t you?’

‘Who are my friends?’

‘Those goody-two-shoes.’

‘They’re just parasites who want my practice questions. They’re not friends.’

‘Parasites?’ At his ridiculous word choice, Yeowon let out a deflated laugh.

‘Hey, how can you call your friends parasites?’

‘I told you, they’re not my friends.’

‘But you’re always with them. I couldn’t hang out with you because you were always with them. Besides, you’re the one who ignored me.’

Yeowon shouted, feeling wronged himself. He had his own circumstances at the time. Those model students were privileged kids who always looked down on Yeowon’s group. They would glare at Yeowon’s group like trash just for walking by, so how could he easily approach them? Yeowon couldn’t possibly like those who excluded his group.

‘You’re the one who pretended not to know me because I always hung out with those guys.’

‘Ha, this is ridiculous. When did I ever! You’re the one who ignored me every time I tried to talk to you.’

‘Always going to the PC bang. Going to the movies. Playing games. Inviting people to your house behind my back.’

Yeowon was struck speechless again by Taegang’s words, which showed he knew all his routines. He wanted to ask how he knew, but the look in Taegang’s eyes, staring at him as if he were truly a traitor, made the words stuck in his throat. He looked hurt.

‘No… I thought you were only interested in studying… that you weren’t interested in playing around like me. You said you only pick delinquent things to do.’

‘You said you liked that I studied well. That you were proud of me.’

‘…’

‘That you were proud to have a friend who was good at studying.’

Yeowoon had mentioned it in passing before. He had always felt proud when Taegang went up on stage to receive awards. But that was already a year ago.

‘You said that, so why are you ignoring me now?’

‘…’

‘Why the fvck… won’t you hang out with me anymore?’

The 15-year-old Taegang, with a voice trembling in anger, frustration, and sorrow, poured out all the emotions he had been bottling up. His fists were shaking, his lips pressed together tightly, and tears started welling up in his large, glassy eyes.

He was crying. Taegang was showing tears with a face full of betrayal.