GBH 16

The place Kim Deuk-pal dragged Hong Jae-min to wasn’t the school store but the incinerator area. The faint noise from the bustling cafeteria during lunchtime made the quiet incinerator area feel like an isolated fortress behind walls.

“Hey!”

As soon as his neck was released, Hong Jae-min lashed out wildly. Enraged at being helplessly dragged by technique rather than strength. He pushed his reddened neck forward in anger, but Kim Deuk-pal only looked at him with pity.

“You bastard, can’t you see the marks?!”

“Jae-min, watch your language while I’m still talking nicely.”

He then rummaged through his pants pocket. Finding a hard candy he’d put there as a cigarette substitute, he reluctantly unwrapped it with a complicated feeling. On the other hand, he became uncomfortable when Hong Jae-min took out a cigarette.

“Don’t smoke.”

“Screw you.”

As Jae-min lit the cigarette with his lighter, Deuk-pal snatched it away and snapped it in half. The broken cigarette fell to the ground, and rage flared in Hong Jae-min’s eyes.

“You bastard, I’ll—urk!”

Song Yi-heon pushed his forearm under Hong Jae-min’s chin. He pushed Jae-min, who had bitten his tongue, against the wall, pressing his forearm against his Adam’s apple. Though the bony forearm wasn’t intimidatingly strong, the pressure on the vital point made Jae-min gag and struggle, kicking his legs. Jae-min tried to kick Yi-heon’s shin to break free, but Yi-heon had already pinned him, pressing close to prevent movement.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Jae-min’s eyes bulged as he was oxygen-deprived, and his hands scratched desperately at Song Yi-heon’s forearm. Kim Deuk-pal calmly gave a warning.

“Jae-min, listen.”

“Urk, ack…!”

Hong Jae-min’s darkened face was a mess of tears and snot. Despite saliva dripping from his painfully open mouth, Jae-min remained stubborn, so Kim Deuk-pal pressed harder with his body weight. The pressure intensified. Jae-min’s eyes began to roll back as he reached his limit. His struggling shoes on the ground stopped and twitched slightly.

“Guk, ack…!”

But Kim Deuk-pal didn’t budge. He maintained steady breathing and even pressure. Feeling his life threatened, Hong Jae-min spat white foam and barely managed to nod. The chokehold that had felt like an unbreakable chain loosened with that single nod, almost as if it had never been there at all.

“Huff… huff, gasp…”

Hong Jae-min slid down the wall, gasping desperately for air, his chest heaving uncontrollably. The terror in his heart wouldn’t subside, and his legs trembled uncontrollably beneath him, still pale from the fear of almost dying. For the first time, he had truly felt the fear of death, and because of that, he couldn’t bring himself to look directly at Song Yi-heon. Still, he tried to salvage his pride, glaring downward and speaking with trembling bravado.

“You… you’re not Song Yi-heon, are you…?”

Kim Deuk-pal couldn’t help but smirk. Hong Jae-min’s suspicion posed no threat. A simple, impulsive fighter like him could be dealt with by beating him up and keeping him away from Song Yi-heon. But Choi Se-kyung was different. The original Yi-heon seemed to have liked him quite a bit, and if his soul ever returned, he might want to meet Se-kyung. From what he’d heard, Se-kyung was also the last person Yi-heon met before dying.

And that fox-like bastard couldn’t simply be gotten rid of. He was dangerous—there was no telling what he might do.

Feeling increasingly frustrated, Kim Deuk-pal reached into his pocket, craving a cigarette. He left the candy that had fallen on the floor and pulled out a new one, tossing one to Hong Jae-min as well before popping one into his mouth. The sweet taste of scorched rice spread over his tongue.

“Hey, what kind of guy is Choi Se-kyung?”

As Hong Jae-min seemed to calm down, Kim Deuk-pal nudged him with the toe of his sneaker and asked. Instinctively flinching, Hong Jae-min bit back his curses, feeling ashamed for having been scared of someone like Song Yi-heon. He couldn’t believe he’d been beaten by that loser who used to follow him around like a lackey, and he didn’t want to admit that their roles had reversed. So, he shot back snappishly.

“…Why are you asking me? Do I look like I’m gay?”

It was the typical reckless bravado of a clueless teenager.

“Jae-min-ah.” 

Kim Deuk-pal called gently. That damned “Jae-min-ah” again. Afraid of getting hit again, Hong Jae-min raised his arm, pretending to touch his head, avoiding eye contact. He heard a low chuckle that made his cheeks flush, though he didn’t lower his arm.

“Hey… so, why did you hit me? What did I do wrong?”

“…”

“Don’t give me some perverted reason like ‘I hit you because I like you.'”

“Are you crazy? Who the hell would like a pathetic loser like you…!” 

Hong Jae-min lowered his arm angrily. Song Yi-heon was suddenly crouching in front of him. His young face, cheeks bulging with candy, watched with interest as Hong Jae-min turned away, swallowing curses.

“No reason, right?”

“…”

“That means I can hit you for no reason too. Let’s talk this out nicely while we still can.”

In Hong Jae-min’s own words, he had already lost to Song Yi-heon. As humiliating as it was, he knew that even if they fought again, he would lose. The Song Yi-heon in front of him had grown too strong, and it was pointless to keep up his stubborn act just to avoid acknowledging defeat. All he could do was mutter under his breath in a small, half-hearted act of rebellion.

“Damn it, everyone knows Choi Se-gyeong… and you’re acting like you’re the only one who doesn’t…”

Kim Deuk-pal also crouched down next to Hong Jae-min, who was sprawled carelessly on the ground. Deuk-pal leaned against the shaded wall, admiring the view of pink flower buds swaying on the mountain ridge beyond the incinerator. It was March, after all.

“Ah, shit…” 

Hong Jae-min scratched his broom-like bleached hair as he recalled the rumors about Choi Se-gyeong. Despite not being bullied, Hong Jae-min disliked Se-gyeong due to his inferiority complex; he couldn’t stand that the guy came from a rich family.

“His dad is some super high-ranking prosecutor.”

At the mention of a prosecutor, the gangster Kim Deuk-pal tensed reflexively. When Hong Jae-min glanced at him with raised eyebrows as if asking what was wrong, he waved his hand dismissively.

“I don’t know much about his mom, but they say she runs some huge business. So they’re crazy rich, throw money around at school making even the principal grovel. He’s always decked out in designer clothes. And with all that money, rumor has it he gets private tutoring from top instructors in Daechi-dong for all subjects. No wonder he aces all his subjects. Anyway, that guy’s been first in the whole school since he enrolled. Apparently, he scores top grades in all his mock exams too.”

“Wow…” 

Kim Deuk-pal, a late learner with an average of level 7 scores who also received tutoring from top Daechi-dong instructors, let out a genuine exclamation of admiration. Annoyed, Hong Jae-min’s language became harsher.

“He’s always grinning like some pretty boy, so all the girls are crazy for him. Whenever that bastard walks by, those b1tches scream like crazy.”

“What’s with calling them b1tches, you bastard?” 

Kim Deuk-pal didn’t tolerate the offensive remark and slapped Hong Jae-min’s mouth repeatedly. As a man in a macho society, he tended to treat men more roughly than women. Hong Jae-min irritably swatted his arm away.

“Shit, what do you expect me to do when he’s always smirking at people’s faces like that, making everyone feel shitty.”

“That guy’s definitely a sly fox.”

Kim Deuk-pal, rolling the candy around in his mouth, casually agreed. He simply echoed the sentiment because he felt the same way, but Hong Jae-min grinned, feeling like they were finally on the same page.

“Finally, you get it! I knew you were head over heels for him before, pissing yourself whenever he showed up.”

“Want me to make you piss yourself?”

Song Yi-heon’s bandage-covered knuckles explained how, without needing further details. Hong Jae-min was amazed at how Song Yi-heon, who used to tremble after just one hit, now remained unfazed even with his fists in such a state. He wondered what on earth had happened during the winter break to change someone so drastically. Suddenly, he was curious if other things had changed too.

It was Hong Jae-min who had noticed Song Yi-heon’s crush on Choi Se-kyung and outed him.

It was an impulsive act born out of annoyance at Song Yi-heon, who would do anything when told Choi Se-kyung would be called. Perhaps he also liked seeing Song Yi-heon shedding thick tears. That was the very reason he had started bullying him in the first place—the sight of a trembling, tearful Yi-heon wouldn’t leave his mind.

If he had known Song Yi-heon would completely disappear during the winter break, he might have held back on the outing. Hong Jae-min stole a glance at Song Yi-heon’s profile. His lips, which used to quiver when he cried, were now sticky with sugary residue from the candy. His eyes, half-veiled by long lashes, seemed lost in thought, absorbed in something deeper.

Hong Jae-min forgot he was stealing glances and stared openly before speaking up.

“…So, you don’t like him anymore?”

“I don’t.”

It was Song Yi-heon who had liked him, not Kim Deuk-pal. At the immediate response, Hong Jae-min suppressed a slight rise in his cheekbones and mimicked Kim Deuk-pal’s posture. Leaning his back against the wall, he rested his arms on his raised knees and cast his gaze into the distance. Cheers from the playground echoed in the blue sky, and a gentle breeze brushed his forehead.

“There you are. You weren’t at the school store.”

Suddenly, someone appeared from the other side of the wall they were leaning against. The intrusion broke their peaceful moment, and Hong Jae-min shot an annoyed glare at the uninvited guest.

“What?”

Se-kyung, now dressed in his school uniform, smiled kindly at Hong Jae-min, seemingly oblivious to the hostility, and stated his purpose.

“I wanted to have lunch with Yi-heon.”

“With me?”

Why? Kim Deuk-pal stood up, dusting off his backside. He didn’t feel like sitting across from Se-gyeong for a meal. Meals should be eaten comfortably; eating while playing mind games with a sly fox was a recipe for indigestion. Preferring Hong Jae-min, who he could at least rough up if he got cocky, Kim Deuk-pal nodded towards the crouching Jae-min.

“I already planned to eat with him.”

“Yeah, we were going to eat at the snack bar. You go eat with your friends.”

Hong Jae-min, who had gotten up belatedly, boasted. Choi Se-kyung’s eyes, which had been observing the distance between the two as if measuring it, cooled briefly, but it was just for a moment. He quickly put on a troubled expression and scratched his cheek.

“Oh, really…? My friends already went to the cafeteria, they’ve probably finished eating by now…”

Kim Deuk-pal flinched. Se-gyeong pressed on, looking even more troubled.

“I guess I’ll have to eat alone, then…”

Se-kyung dropped his shoulders dejectedly. His dark, sleek hair swayed along. Ugh, Kim Deuk-pal let out a groan. Knowing full well that it was all an act but still falling for it was enough to drive him crazy.