GBH 23

“Actually, I have a curfew.”

“You do?”

Recalling how strong he was when he grabbed his shoulder during a previous walk, Se-kyung found himself embarrassed, covering his flushed ears with the back of his hand and gazing into the distance.

“…Until 10 PM. I’ve been forgetting about it lately because of night study. It’s not a night study day, so they probably called because I’m not home yet.”

“Well, even when you’re grown up, you’re still a child in your parents’ eyes.”

Though he said that, Kim Deuk-pal understood if the curfew was set to prevent Choi Se-kyung from getting into trouble. He inadvertently grasped Choi Se-kyung’s father’s intention.

Kim Deuk-pal craned his neck to look at the digital clock hanging at the entrance of the theater. Their movie tickets were for a 9:55 PM showing, and it was now 9:40 PM. Kim Deuk-pal jumped off the stool.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

Having taken someone else’s precious child out, especially one with a curfew, it was only right to return him home safely. Without waiting for a response, Kim Deuk-pal made for the exit, but his hoodie was tugged. Choi Se-kyung, somewhat desperate, held on, preventing the fake Song Yi-heon from leaving.

“Let’s watch it and then go.”

“But you have a curfew.”

“I won’t get scolded. It’s okay. It’s just a formality. I just need to tell them where I am in advance.”

So it is true that they set a curfew to prevent Choi Se-kyung from getting into trouble. As Kim Deuk-pal snickered, Se-kyung, interpreting it in some way, snatched the popcorn container and strode towards the theater entrance. He didn’t want to ruin Kim Deuk-pal’s outing because of him.

“Hey, give me back my popcorn.”

The popcorn, which was insanely delicious at first but now tiresome after having tasted it all, was being taken away like a hostage. Finding Se-kyung’s action strangely cute, Kim Deuk-pal followed, his laughter quietly slipping out.

—

After the movie ended and they exited the theater, it was past midnight. Kim Deuk-pal leaned his head against the taxi window, watching the cityscape roll by. Something felt familiar—it was a neighborhood he had visited a few times during his gangster days. 

Having lived as a gangster, Kim Deuk-pal was more accustomed to the night scenery than the day. Behind the quiet main street, those areas untouched by streetlights were once his domain.

He didn’t miss that life. He hadn’t chosen it out of desire but because it was the only way he knew to survive. However, the underlings he had picked up along the way would occasionally cross his mind. They were all damaged in some way, boys who had been abandoned by their families or broken by the harsh realities of life. Unable to just walk away, Kim Deuk-pal had started to take them in one by one.

He had picked up all of them. Recalling the teasing remarks of his subordinate who told him not to pick up people like stray cats, which made him nostalgic. He hadn’t even said a proper goodbye. He wondered how they were doing now…

Next to him, he could hear Se-kyung, sitting side by side in the back seat, answering a call from home.

“I’m on my way home. I’m in a taxi. No, it’s a classmate. …Same neighborhood. Okay. Goodnight.”

When they exited the movie theater earlier, Kim Deuk-pal had planned to put Se-kyung in a taxi and walk back alone. He remembered that the ‘original Song Yi-heon’ had gone to Choi Se-kyung’s house and felt a moment of regret, but Se-kyung, seemingly not expecting this, just looked at the roadside and found a taxi he had called through an app and got Kim Deuk-pal inside first. After climbing in, Se-kyung gave the driver the name of his neighborhood.

As the taxi entered the neighborhood, Se-kyung tapped Kim Deuk-pal’s fingers casually placed on the seat. Kim Deuk-pal turned his round head while still leaning on the window.

“Want to walk for a bit?”

Shouldn’t he be getting home early? Kim Deuk-pal was puzzled but figured Se-kyung knew what he was doing and nodded. Besides, memories of his subordinates had left his mind feeling unsettled too.

The taxi stopped near a well-known café street in a residential area. Most of the cafés had already closed for the night, and only a few that served alcohol lit up the dark street like scattered beads of light. The cherry blossoms planted as street trees were in full bloom, scattering in the moonlight.

As if entranced, Kim Deuk-pal looked up at the night sky and reached out to catch a falling cherry blossom petal. The gently falling petal slipped through his fingers. Lowering his gaze following the petal, he saw sneakers. Se-kyung, who had been walking beside him, had suddenly stepped in front of Kim Deuk-pal and held out a cherry blossom petal he had caught.

“I can help you.”

“Don’t be cocky.”

So that’s what this was about. Kim Deuk-pal chuckled.

Though he was just a kid, who did he think he was helping? Moreover, Kim Deuk-pal didn’t need any help. Ignoring the cherry blossom Se-kyung offered, he walked on, kicking a crushed can on the ground like a soccer ball. Se-kyung persisted, trying to persuade him.

“If you don’t have an identity, I can help you get one, and if you’re involved in any crime, I can provide legal assistance. My mother runs a foundation. You could receive financial support too. It means you don’t have to pretend to be Song Yi-heon anymore.”

The way Se-kyung was trying to play adult by borrowing his parents’ power made Kim Deuk-pal realize just how young he was. Worried that Se-kyung might do something reckless out of youthful impulsiveness, he gave him a stern lecture.

“Kid, don’t act up and worry your parents unnecessarily. Just focus on your studies. Don’t break curfew like today, get into a good university, find a good job. Get married, have kids. Got it?”

Se-kyung seemed to listen silently, but suddenly snatched the crushed can and kicked it hard. Clang! The can hit an iron gate of a house and bounced off. A dog inside barked fiercely, and an automatic security system flashed.

“Hey…!”

Startled by this sudden action, Kim Deuk-pal turned around in shock, but Choi Se-kyung grabbed his hand and ran in the opposite direction. As the warning sound of the security system grew louder, Kim Deuk-pal thought they were done for and joined in the sprint. In situations like this, running away was the best option.

Not knowing the area, Kim Deuk-pal just ran wherever Se-kyung ran. He had to move his legs twice as fast to keep up with the long-legged youth. When he was pushed against some unknown wall, his legs, tired from the excessive running, trembled weakly.

Choi Se-kyung placed a hand on the wall next to Kim Deuk-pal’s face. With the moonlight at his back, a shadow fell over Song Yi-heon’s small frame.

“I’m not a kid.”

Though his hair was disheveled and he was breathing heavily, his gaze was resolute and his pronunciation clear. Seemingly upset at being treated like a child, he emphasized again.

“At least, I’m old enough not to be used by you.”

“You little—! You made all this fuss because of that…?”

Although Kim Deuk-pal was already annoyed at having to run so hard in the middle of the night, he gritted his teeth in frustration at being caught up in what seemed like a kid’s whim. But Se-kyung didn’t listen to the rest and stepped back. Even as he backed away, he couldn’t take his eyes off Kim Deuk-pal. The more Kim Deuk-pal gritted his teeth, the more amused Choi Se-kyung seemed.

“I’m going.”

Only when they were quite far apart did he turn and run. Left behind, Kim Deuk-pal finally realized that the alley looked familiar. The wall he had been pushed against had familiar vines growing on it. Choi Se-kyung had led him right in front of Song Yi-heon’s house.

* * *

As the end of March approached, the midday sun was scorching.

The basketball court occupying one side of the school grounds was unusually noisy, with students gathered around. Their eyes, which had been half-dead with sleepiness during the first period, now sparkle brightly at the discovery of an interesting spectacle.

The boy who had been darting across the rectangular basketball court stops in place, bouncing the ball. Song Yi-heon, dribbling a basketball larger than his own palm, faced off against the boys guarding the hoop. Both sides were already drenched in sweat from the intense play, heaving heavily.

The opposing team, made up of three boys, eyed Song Yi-heon warily as they gasped for breath. Sweat dripped down their faces and into their mouths, salty and stinging, but they swallowed dryly, keeping their focus.

Song Yi-heon was the first to finish sizing up the situation. His slender body suddenly shot forward, cutting across the basketball court.

“Block him!”

The opposing team spreads their arms with all their might. They move frantically from side to side to widen their defense but fail to stop Song Yi-heon, who slipped through like a loach. Song Yi-heon bounced the ball as if it was attached to his palm, lowering his body to dart under the opponents’ arms.

Reaching the hoop in an instant, Song Yi-heon jumped. His sneakers crumpling at the toes, and the white T-shirt beneath his uniform lifted, revealing his lean abs. With a flick of his wrist, the basketball arced through the air. Against the blazing sun, the ball looked like a tiny black dot tracing a long trajectory toward the hoop.

The net swayed violently as the ball sailed through. The students watching from the sidelines erupted in cheers.

“Woah!”

With that, the score was 3 to 1. Since Song Yi-heon had single-handedly scored three points, the outcome was practically decided. The defeated boys panted heavily, their frustration boiling over.

While the exhausted boys slumped down or bent over, trying to catch their breath, Song Yi-heon simply wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking as if he had barely exerted himself. He even had a refreshed expression, as if he enjoyed the workout. Glancing at the basketball he held under his arm, he spoke.

“As promised, the ball’s mine, right?”

“…”

Lee Jae-woon, the owner of the basketball, clenched his teeth in frustration, but a promise was a promise. He knew how pathetic it would be to refuse to hand over the prize of their wagered game. No matter how much it hurt to lose, he couldn’t back out now, not after he’d spent his allowance on that expensive basketball just a few days ago.

It hadn’t been long since Lee Jae-woon bought the brand-new ball… Losing a game he had been confident in was bad enough, but now, he was also losing the basketball. His insides were churning with anger.

The trouble started when he recognized Song Yi-heon washing his hands in the bathroom. He should have just gone to the basketball court, or kept his mouth shut, but annoyed at the inconvenience of having to go up to the second-floor bathroom to avoid using the same restroom as the “gay kid,” he made a remark that led to this disaster.

‘Honestly, shouldn’t gays use the girls’ bathroom?’

He had heard all the wild rumors about how Song Yi-heon had cut his hair and become a martial arts master, or how he had kicked Hong Jae-min, leaving him impotent. But those stories seemed so exaggerated that Lee Jae-woon dismissed them as lies.

Lee Jae-woon, who was into sports and had a good build, felt the rumors were exaggerated. Song Yi-heon, whom he’d seen in passing as they were in neighboring classes, only had fierce eyes but was otherwise unremarkable. In fact, with his small frame and slender wrists, Song Yi-heon seemed weak, almost like one of the smaller girls in school. That’s why Lee Jae-woon had made the gay remark, underestimating him.

As he was about to leave after glaring at Song Yi-heon, who had taken over the restroom, but then Song Yi-heon called out from behind them.

“Hey.”

Song Yi-heon met their eyes through the mirror. Still washing his hands at the sink, he raised only his eyes, scanning them with a gaze that appeared like sanbaek-an (white sclera showing above the iris), then noticed the basketball tucked under Lee Jae-woon’s arm and raised one corner of his mouth.

“Do you like basketball?”

And this was the result. When Song Yi-heon challenged Lee Jae-woon and his friends as a team, Lee Jae-woon thought the guy must be out of his mind, but within ten minutes of the game, he had to reconsider.

Despite his small frame and lean build, Song Yi-heon had excellent stamina and athletic skills. Beneath his school uniform, his body was likely covered in lean muscle. More importantly, his basketball skills and instincts were on par with their club coach’s. He’d left deliberate openings, only to pull the ball back at the last second, making it impossible to steal from him.

For thirty minutes, they were played by Song Yi-heon. Moreover, unlike them who were gasping for breath, only Song Yi-heon stood properly, leaving them feeling like they’d been through grueling training.

Wiping sweat from his chin with the back of his hand, Song Yi-heon bounced the basketball demonstratively.

“If there’s no answer, I’m really taking it.”

The implication was that if they said he couldn’t have it, he’d return the basketball.

What an insufferable jerk, crushing their pride to the end. As Lee Jae-woon glared, grinding his teeth, Song Yi-heon shrugged as if he had no choice and retrieved the ball, tucking it under his arm.

Lee Jae-woon, who had been staring daggers at Song Yi-heon’s retreating back as he left the basketball court, suddenly stood up. Clenching his fist, trembling with suppressed frustration, he shouted.

“Song Yi-heon!”

Song Yi-heon stopped, turning his upper body slightly towards the side holding the basketball.

“Let’s do it again tomorrow!”

However, Song Yi-heon silently looked back and forth between the two boys sitting on the basketball court. Though Song Yi-heon had proposed it first, the shame of having engaged in dirty play three against one belatedly washed over Lee Jae-woon. His face turned red, but he didn’t take back his words.

“We’ll form proper teams this time. Let’s do it again.”

Song Yi-heon’s lips curled into a vague smile, still silently looking Jae-woon up and down. As Lee Jae-woon stood stiffly with both fists clenched tight, his Adam’s apple bobbing with tension, Song Yi-heon smirked.

“If you say so.”

In the blinding sunlight, only his smooth lips drew a clear arc on his hazy profile.