GBH 22

Choi Se-kyung thought he’d be kicked out. After all, the fake Song Yi-heon seemed genuinely furious. However, upon returning from the restroom with a tray of fruit, he complained about not opening the book and grumbled about the silence in the room.

Se-kyung followed his instructions to solve the mock exam problems and organized their study materials. Except for occasional questions from Kim Deuk-pal about unfamiliar topics, they both focused solely on their studies without engaging in small talk.

As the deep darkness settled outside the window, Kim Deuk-pal stretched his stiff body after completing his error review notes for his study subjects. Se-kyung, who finished his notes early, leaned over the table with one arm, diligently sharpening his pencil while studying another subject.

Perhaps his good grades weren’t for nothing—Se-kyung continued solving workbook problems without noticing Kim Deuk-pal’s stretch. Not wanting to disturb him, Deuk-pal set his phone to silent and started checking the growing number of notifications piling up in group chats. The red notification badge showing new messages continued to grow in real time.

“What’s ‘Kono’?”

The tip of Se-kyung’s mechanical pencil snapped as he marked a line under a passage of the non-literary text. He raised his head, questioning his own ears, but Kim Deuk-pal was engrossed in his screen. Keeping up with the conversations and images flashing through the kid’s group chat required intense focus.

Kim Deuk-pal read the messages with a furrowed brow, concentrating deeply.

“They’re saying to come to ‘Kono.'”

“Who?”

“The girls.”

Kim Yeon-ji and… Kim Deuk-pal mentioned Yeon-ji’s friends’ names. Kim Deuk-pal’s manners earned him an invitation to their private chat room.

Choi Se-kyung reached into his bag to take out his phone but hesitated and put it back. The chat room where Kim Deuk-pal had been invited to ‘Kono’ wasn’t one Se-kyung had been included in, and he felt no need to check his messages.

“Are you going?”

“What’s ‘Kono’?”

“Did you really not know and were asking?”

It wasn’t a challenge but a genuine surprise, making Deuk-pal feel a bit flustered. He offered a lame excuse.

“…I had a head injury from an accident and can’t remember.”

If one can’t remember everyday terms, living normally would be impossible. It wasn’t as though Kim Deuk-pal was about to comb his hair with a fork or apply body wash as lotion, but he’d definitely need to be hospitalized if that were the case. Though Se-kyung didn’t believe his excuse, he didn’t press the issue and explained. He didn’t want to get into any more petty arguments.

“Kono stands for coin karaoke. It’s an entertainment place where you pay about 500 won per song and sing along to music in a room.”

“Karaoke?”

Even if he couldn’t recall coin karaoke, he seemed to remember regular karaoke. Se-kyung suppressed his urge to mock and nodded. However, the soul of a middle-aged man not fully adjusted to teenage life was filled with curiosity.

“Do they get a room and not just sing?”

“Huh?”

Se-kyung blinked in surprise. This time, Kim Deuk-pal was equally puzzled. The image that ‘karaoke’ conjured in his mind was so different that he explained with nervous sweat. During his teenage years, working in a factory and getting by while involved in gang activities, the karaoke he first visited had the image of a shady establishment.

“No, I mean, in karaoke, don’t you get a room and call in girls to hang out or…? No, never mind, sorry. Forget it.”

Even though Se-kyung gave him a disdainful look, as if he were no better than an animal for mentioning calling girls, Kim Deuk-pal licked his dry lips and shifted uncomfortably, confirming to Se-kyung that he had touched a nerve.

“Just singing songs and having fun.”

“Oh, uh, right…”

“Not calling girls, not drinking, not smoking. What exactly were you thinking?”

Kim Deuk-pal wiped dry sweat from his forehead. Seeing that Se-kyung still hadn’t erased the look of disdain from his face, Kim Deuk-pal mumbled like he was reading from a textbook.

“These days, kids are playing it clean… Well, that’s a relief….”

His shoulders slumped like a defeated puppy. Seeing Kim Deuk-pal hunched over and dejected, Se-kyung set aside his disdain and resumed reading the non-literary text. With his good concentration, he quickly immersed herself in the problems.

But Deuk-pal’s mind had already wandered. Instead of looking at his workbook, he started absentmindedly rolling a pen between his fingers, and then he leaned back, pressing his palms against the floor. The ceiling light was too bright, so he straightened up again, but the gleam of anticipation in his eyes remained unaffected by the glare. His lips twitched with a mischievous plan forming in his mind.

“Choi Se-kyung.”

Kim Deuk-pal stretched his legs out from under the low table, his loose cross-legged posture now relaxed. He lightly tapped Se-kyung’s knee with his toes, prompting him to raise his head as if questioning his behavior.

“Let’s have some fun.”

With a mischievous grin that softened Song Yi-heon’s his sharp features, leaving behind the innocent countenance of a mischievous child.

* * *

The house where Song Yi-heon lived was filled with secrets, so even at night, the exterior lights were not turned on. The city’s flickering lights extended to the garden, enough to delineate paths. Se-kyung, using the excuse of almost tripping, grabbed Kim Deuk-pal’s oversized hoodie cap and followed him.

The loose hoodie draped over his slender frame, swaying with each step. His neck, barely visible above the thick cap, thin fingers protruding from the sleeves, and smooth calves under knee-length shorts evoked the image of a herbivorous animal like a deer.

Occasionally, glimpses of vulnerability in the changed Song Yi-heon made him resemble the original.

“Hey.”

However, when he behaved without inhibition, he was clearly not the same person as the original Song Yi-heon. Once again, Kim Deuk-pal held the door, letting Se-kyung exit first. When he jumped down the steps after closing the gate, his light weight made it seem like he was bouncing. Annoyed by the sleeves constantly falling over his hands, Deuk-pal absentmindedly pushed them up.

Se-kyung reached out and grabbed Kim Deuk-pal’s hand, adjusting the bunched-up sleeves of the hoodie. He neatly folded the hooded sleeves, which were wrinkled around the elbows. When he reached out to adjust the other sleeve, Kim Deuk-pal reluctantly complied.

“You bought clothes that are too big.”

“Well, I’m going to grow taller, so I have to buy clothes with room to spare.”

How much taller could he possibly get at the tail end of his teens? Still, Se-kyung wasn’t the type to crush someone’s hopes, so he quietly finished folding up the sleeves.

As they walked down the road toward the main street, Se-kyung took out his phone to make a call.

“Where exactly is this ‘Kono’ where the kids are?”

“We’re not going there.”

If they weren’t going to meet the girls, where were they going? Se-kyung tried to guess but realized he didn’t really know any of the places Yi-heon would frequent. As they neared the bustling streets lined with trendy cafes, the glow of the streetlights began to outline the crowd of cars and pedestrians. 

The main road, illuminated by pale white streetlights, bustled with cars and pedestrians. Kim Deuk-pal waved his arm at the curb and hailed an empty taxi. Opening the back door and nodding for Se-kyung to get in. Just as he was about to climb in, Se-kyung hesitated, holding onto the door.

“Didn’t the girls invite you? Weren’t you planning to go to karaoke?”

“I know you hate loud places. Why would I drag you there?”

Stopping midway in his seated position, Se-kyung leaned against the open car door and asked.

“Do you really want to go to the karaoke?”

“…No.”

“Then get in. The driver’s waiting.”

Pushing his inside, Kim Deuk-pal closed the car door. Though he hadn’t spoken, Se-kyung felt oddly touched by his considerate gesture. He scratched his cheek awkwardly. Maybe this was why the girls liked the new Song Yi-heon so much. He was starting to understand.

“Where to?”

The elderly taxi driver asked, meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror. Se-kyung silently urged Deuk-pal to answer. Deuk-pal, looking excited, had a bit of a glow about him. Se-kyung felt his mood lift as well, his mind still dwelling on the bitter expression Deuk-pal had worn earlier that day when he couldn’t suppress his anger.

Before he even realized it, Se-kyung caught himself smiling, and was startled by the unfamiliar sensation. However, his smile quickly faded at Song Yi-heon’s question.

“Where do kids hang out these days?”

***

In the movie theater filled with the pleasant aroma of popcorn, an indeterminate interest focused on two boys. Girls lingered conspicuously nearby, whispering and gesturing.

“They’re in school uniforms, right? Is that tall guy a student? Oh, what a shame.”

“Isn’t the guy next to him cute?”

“But he seems hot-tempered. And he looks young. Did the older brother bring his little brother to watch a movie?”

Among the two boys sitting in the corner as the girls speculated, the tall boy leaning against the wall seemed mature enough that he wouldn’t be mistaken for a student without his uniform. Yet, there was still a lingering boyish charm about him.

On the other hand, the smaller boy sitting on a high stool wore a black baseball cap. Despite the shadow cast by the cap, his fierce eyes couldn’t be concealed, brimming with adolescent rebellion. However, perhaps due to his youthful appearance or the way he cheerfully devoured popcorn with both hands, he didn’t give off a menacing impression.

Se-kyung held cola in both hands, while Kim Deuk-pal aggressively chewed popcorn, waiting in the theater lobby for the movie to start. Kim Deuk-pal’s curious question arose from his own inquisitiveness.

“So, what do kids these days do for fun?”

The question was ridiculous. Wasn’t he practically admitting that he wasn’t Song Yi-heon anymore by asking that? It used to be funny when Yi-heon acted like an old man, but now it was just irritating. Se-kyung resisted the urge to call the police or the hospital, massaging his temples as he thought back on what he used to do for fun.

Choi Se-kyung’s activities had mostly involved private tutoring sessions, but in elementary school, he used to play soccer with friends after class. By middle school, it was mostly PC bangs, and in high school, he frequented VR or escape rooms when they were popular.

Throughout his eleven years of schooling, despite venturing into various entertainment venues as he grew older, there was one activity that never went out of style.

After dinner at a chain restaurant, Se-kyung had brought Deuk-pal to the movie theater. Excitedly, Kim Deuk-pal ventured into a sports apparel store he spotted on the escalator up to the cinema, tried on various items, and bought a baseball cap, also purchasing one for Choi Se-kyung, thanking him for all his hard work.

Was this his way of showing gratitude for helping with studies? Se-kyung frowned at the shopping bag Kim Deuk-pal had handed him, unaware that Kim Deuk-pal, who was grateful to have company, had bought it as a gesture of appreciation.

While Kim Deuk-pal immediately removed the tag and wore his cap, Se-kyung left his cap in the shopping bag, carrying it by his wrist.

“Hold this.”

When his pocket vibrated, Se-kyung handed over the cola. Kim Deuk-pal, eagerly drank from it, grateful for something to balance the salty-sweet popcorn. Se-kyung turned his back as he answered the phone, but he didn’t move far enough to prevent Kim Deuk-pal from overhearing.

“Yes, yes. I’m with a friend right now. At the movie theater. Oh, really? Uh… I’ll call you back.”

There was clear frustration in his voice, and when Se-kyung turned back, his face wore a look of sheer annoyance. Though it vanished quickly, Kim Deuk-pal didn’t miss the fleeting expression. Still, it wasn’t the first time he didn’t fully understand Se-kyung, so he pretended not to notice.

Internally, though, Kim Deuk-pal couldn’t help but curse. That sly little fox.

“Was it your parents?”

“No, just the housekeeper.”

“What did she want?”

Se-kyung hesitated before answering softly.