GBH 53

Song Yi-heon’s back, wearing a summer uniform shirt, was visible under the curtain dyed white by the summer light. Se-kyung, cupping Song Yi-heon’s cheeks with both hands, knelt on the bed with one knee and bent down to meet his eye level. His tilted head was so close to Song Yi-heon’s that at a glance, it looked like they might be kissing.

Se-kyung’s eyes, visible next to Song Yi-heon’s brown hair, blinked upon noticing Hong Jae-min, and soon his eye-smile deepened. As he pulled on the cheeks he was holding, their faces overlapped even more closely. Seeing Se-kyung’s hands boldly caressing the back of Song Yi-heon’s head, Hong Jae-min felt as if cold water had been poured over him, and he shouted loudly.

“Hey!”

Song Yi-heon pushed Se-kyung away and turned around. He had cotton stuffed in both nostrils, and his left eye was red and bloodshot. Despite the comical appearance of having both nostrils plugged with cotton, which made kissing impossible, Hong Jae-min trembled in shock.

“Why are you here?” Song Yi-heon asked, pressing his bloodshot eye with the back of his hand, but Hong Jae-min’s fingertips alternately pointed at the two of them.

“K-k-k-kiss…”

“Nonsense. Shut up. Damn, it’s still not out.”

“Still?”

When Song Yi-heon removed his hand covering his eye to show Se-kyung, Se-kyung grabbed Song Yi-heon’s face to keep it still, opened his eye, and blew air into it. Realizing that the earlier scene wasn’t a kiss but an attempt to remove something from his eye, and that Se-kyung had deliberately adjusted the angle to make it look more like a kiss upon noticing Hong Jae-min, his cheek twitched in indignation.

“Choi Se-kyung, that bastard again…!”

“What’s going on? You need to be quiet when there are sick students here.”

Just as a lion-like roar was about to burst out, the school nurse, who had heard the commotion, came to caution them.

“We’re sorry.”

Kim Deuk-pal, known for his impeccable manners, bowed politely, and the school nurse called for Song Yi-heon.

“What’s wrong with your eye? Did something get in it? Come here. Don’t rub it.”

As Song Yi-heon approached, trying to press his eyeball with the back of his hand, the school nurse stopped him and examined the bloodshot eye. Se-kyung, who had been struggling while blowing air, quickly removed the foreign object with artificial tears and took the opportunity to check Song Yi-heon’s condition.

“Let’s see if your nosebleed has stopped.”

“I think it has.”

Before the school nurse could use tweezers, Song Yi-heon blew his nose and threw the cotton into the trash can on the floor. When he removed the blood-soaked cotton, his skin was reddish, but the bleeding had stopped. Still, his complexion was pale, so the school nurse advised him to rest before leaving. However, Kim Deuk-pal, known for his diligence, insisted on attending class, so the school nurse immediately chased the three troublemakers out of the infirmary.

On the way up to the classroom, Hong Jae-min didn’t give up on revenge. As he chased after Choi Se-kyung, kicking him from the hallway to the stairs, Kim Deuk-pal tried to stop them, worried they might trip and fall down the stairs. He also felt sorry for Choi Se-kyung, who was just enduring Hong Jae-min’s kicks, leaving footprint marks on his uniform.

“Stop bullying him. I agree that Choi Se-kyung can be annoying, but that doesn’t mean you can treat him however you want.”

Unable to lie, Kim Deuk-pal criticized Choi Se-kyung before defending him. Se-kyung, who was pretending to endure the kicks and was about to say it was okay, became serious when he heard the criticism to his face.

“What about me then!”

Hong Jae-min, who had only been on the receiving end until now, cried out in frustration. Song Yi-heon’s brow furrowed strangely.

“Are you serious?”

Jae-min chewed on the inside of his cheek along with curses. Honestly, Hong Jae-min didn’t want to apologize for the bullying. He disliked the feeling of defeat when apologizing, and he had been hoping that if he just carried on without apologizing, both the bullying incident and his relationship with Song Yi-heon would be forgotten and improve naturally. He actually thought he was getting along quite well with Song Yi-heon now.

Song Yi-heon, who had been staring at Hong Jae-min, slowly approached with his hands in his pockets.

“I’ve never forgiven you.”

Although he was just approaching, Hong Jae-min backed away towards the wall. When his back hit the cold wall, Hong Jae-min tried to brush off the tense atmosphere by treating Song Yi-heon’s behavior as mere posturing, forcing himself to speak.

“…Why are you still talking about something from the past? Let’s forget it all and get along.”

“Would you forget if you were in my place?”

“…”

“I remember, so don’t you forget either.”

Standing in front of Hong Jae-min, blocking his way, Song Yi-heon started to fix his collar with one hand. As he tried to button up the unbuttoned shirt, he noticed a missing button, so he pulled and straightened the crumpled collar and dusted off the wrinkled shoulders.

After inspecting Jae-min’s tidied appearance, Song Yi-heon grabbed his shoulder. Unlike the gentle touch that had fixed his clothes, the low-voiced warning was chilling. Sharp, fang-like criticism flowed from the pink lips that Hong Jae-min had underestimated as herbivorous, scratching him.

“If you can’t pretend to be sorry, just stay quiet. That’s the only way I can tolerate you. Understand?”

Only then did Hong Jae-min realize that the familiarity and comfort he had felt from the changed Song Yi-heon was just his own delusion.

* * *

Hong Jae-min wasn’t one to think deeply. He quickly forgot past events. On the positive side, he had an easygoing personality without grudges, but he was also the type who didn’t understand what he had done wrong. True reflection requires ruminating on past events and realizing one’s mistakes, but Hong Jae-min’s brain structure was far from being capable of reflection.

Seeing how he mulled over Song Yi-heon’s words and concluded that he wanted to go back to the past rather than truly reflect, it was clear that Hong Jae-min was consistently incapable of reflection.

He wanted to go back to the past. Not to the violent relationship, but to the time when he was the only one at school who talked to Song Yi-heon. As the urge to return to that time when he was unique to Song Yi-heon grew, Hong Jae-min hurriedly searched for him. After the end-of-day homeroom, the students had gone home, and Song Yi-heon’s seat was empty.

Hong Jae-min, carrying his empty bag, ran down the stairs two steps at a time and pushed through students in the same uniform to find Song Yi-heon. He was with Choi Se-kyung even on the way home, just as they had been inseparable at school all day. Seeing Song Yi-heon playfully punch Choi Se-kyung’s arm, Hong Jae-min’s eyes blazed with anger.

Although he was intimidated by what Song Yi-heon had said, it was separate from his dislike of Choi Se-kyung. In Hong Jae-min’s mind, Choi Se-kyung, who had been a bystander, didn’t deserve to be by Song Yi-heon’s side either.

He decided to catch up to them, shake off Choi Se-kyung, and talk to Song Yi-heon. To say, let’s go back to how things were before. To argue that they had gotten along quite well if it weren’t for the hitting. As he followed Song Yi-heon, choosing his words in his mind, Choi Se-kyung suddenly put his arm around Song Yi-heon’s shoulders.

At that affectionate sight, sparks flew from Jae-min’s blazing eyes. Choi Se-kyung looked back over his shoulder. Hugging Song Yi-heon’s shoulder, he mouthed words to Hong Jae-min.

‘Stay quiet.’

A long smile flashed across Se-kyung’s eyes as he mouthed the words Song Yi-heon had said.

Kim Deuk-pal glanced at Hong Jae-min, who was rooted to the spot and unable to follow any further, then nudged Choi Se-kyung with his elbow. He didn’t know what Se-kyung had mouthed to Hong Jae-min.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

Choi Se-kyung acted innocently, as if he knew nothing. At first, Kim Deuk-pal had found Hong Jae-min’s behavior childish and annoying, but now he sensed that Choi Se-kyung was up to something, especially since Hong Jae-min was still following them despite the warning.

Although Kim Deuk-pal’s heart softened when he saw Hong Jae-min, reminding him of his former subordinates from his gangster days, he hadn’t forgiven him. He didn’t want to take Hong Jae-min’s side and admitted that the punishment so far had been lenient compared to Hong Jae-min’s crimes. However, he despised cornering people. Watching someone lose their humanity and become desperate when backed into a corner was unsettling.

He had been willing to overlook Se-kyung’s teasing of Hong Jae-min, knowing that Se-kyung was concerned about the real Song Yi-heon. But if Se-kyung, who knew how to manipulate situations skillfully, were to confront Hong Jae-min, the latter would be at a disadvantage. Hong Jae-min, already living a rough life, could easily be backed into a corner.

This wasn’t about defending Hong Jae-min. Although he was reminded of his former subordinates and worried about Hong Jae-min becoming uneducated like himself, he hadn’t forgotten what Hong Jae-min had done. He just believed that revenge should be his own responsibility and hoped that Choi Se-kyung wouldn’t stoop to Hong Jae-min’s level.

He recalled the recent theft incident that had shaken the class. Considering how Se-kyung had easily framed Hong Jae-min then, it was unlikely that he would end things smoothly this time either.

Though he didn’t stop Se-kyung, he did set a boundary.

“Don’t go too far.”

“Okay.”

Although to Se-kyung, it was more like permission than a boundary.

* * *

On a weekend morning, Kim Deuk-pal returned home after finishing his workout. As he was taking off his sneakers in the entryway, he raised an eyebrow upon noticing a familiar pair of shoes. Following the sound of Mrs. Seosan’s cheerful laughter, which he hadn’t heard in a long time, he found Choi Se-kyung in the kitchen, wearing an apron and catering to Mrs. Seosan’s mood at the island counter.

It wasn’t just Kim Deuk-pal who found the sight of a sturdy, handsome young man in the well-lit kitchen pleasing. Mrs. Seosan, who had lost his smile since Song Minsu’s near-kidnapping, greeted Kim Deuk-pal an octave higher than usual.

“Oh, you’re back. Se-kyung has been waiting for you since earlier.”

Kim Deuk-pal nodded to Mrs. Seosan and sat across from Se-kyung, who was chopping vegetables as if he were in his own kitchen. Having missed the chance to greet due to Mrs. Seosan’s excitement, Se-kyung substituted a greeting with an eye-smile while continuing to slice carrots and zucchini. As Kim Deuk-pal tried to eat a slice of carrot, Mrs. Seosan scolded him to wash his hands first, so he chewed on the carrot Se-kyung fed him instead.

“What’s this? Why are you here on a weekend?”

“I brought your attending physician.”

“Ah, right… Thank you.”

It seemed Se-kyung had remembered Kim Deuk-pal’s offhand comment about losing contact with his attending physician after Lee Mi-kyung had unilaterally cut off communication. Although it wasn’t Se-kyung’s business, Kim Deuk-pal felt awkward and grateful that he was taking care of everything from his studies to Song Minsu.

“How was the checkup?”

“The checkup is over, and the doctor has left. Madam is resting in the bedroom. Lunch will be hand-pulled dough soup, so look forward to it. You should see how neatly Se-kyung chops, his knife skills are so pretty.”

Mrs. Seosan answered, humming the tune he had been singing. As he had been freely giving Se-kyung various tasks, he also handed him a bowl of dough. Coincidentally, the bowl was placed in front of Kim Deuk-pal, making it convenient for him to help with the dough, but he pretended not to notice and just chewed on another carrot Se-kyung fed him.

“Se-kyung, I’ll make it delicious for you.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

With his delicate face, sturdy body, and neatly tied apron, Choi Se-kyung seemed to have charmed Mrs. Seosan beyond being a simple cooking assistant. As Mrs. Seosan, who was treating Se-kyung with a friendliness he had never shown Song Yi-heon, went to the pantry to get ingredients, Se-kyung lowered his voice and asked:

“…Lee Mi-kyung, was it? Still no contact with that woman?”

“Yeah, no contact… But don’t worry too much. Seeing that Mrs. Seosan’s salary is being paid properly, it means that woman isn’t acting rashly.”

Feeling sorry and embarrassed about worrying the young Se-kyung, Kim Deuk-pal tried to change the subject by looking around. On the island counter was a fruit platter with tropical fruits cut into bite-sized pieces, the kind usually seen in gift baskets.

“What’s with the fruit? Did you bring it?”

Se-kyung raised his gaze from carefully watching the knife tip to avoid cutting his hand. He had simply brought the entire fruit basket he’d found on his way out, thinking the fake Song Yi-heon might enjoy it, but he didn’t bother explaining in detail.

“I felt like I was always coming empty-handed.”

“You’re coming to help with studying, I should be the one buying things.”

Despite his words, Kim Deuk-pal didn’t refuse. Part of the fruit basket Se-kyung brought had been prepared and sent to Song Minsu, while the rest was set out by Mrs. Seosan to serve to Se-kyung.

Among the various fruits, Kim Deuk-pal picked up an appetizing piece of pineapple with his fork. Since eating mushy pineapple on pizza brought by his young subordinates during his gangster days, he had avoided ripe pineapple, but he didn’t mind eating freshly cut or canned pineapple like the ones on the plate. As he chewed the fruit in his mouth, the familiar juice spread.

“It’s delicious.”

Perhaps because he had been sweating profusely while exercising, the cool fruit juice tasted beyond just good, it was delicious, and he found himself picking out only the pineapple pieces. Seeing him enjoy it, Se-kyung turned the part of the plate with pineapple towards him.

“Hey, about the study material for this afternoon-“

As he was chatting about everyday matters and chewing on the pineapple that split along its fibers in his mouth, disaster struck without warning.

“Uh…?”

Kim Deuk-pal dropped his fork as an itching sensation crept up his body. Before he could pick it up, his heart tightened and his throat swelled, making it hard to breathe. He scratched his dry chest.

“Song Yi-heon?”

Se-kyung, who had been kneading the dough for the soup, called out in surprise.

“Huk…”

Kim Deuk-pal collapsed onto the table. In his increasingly blurry vision, he could see someone shouting something. He wanted to reassure them that he was fine, but all he could do was gasp for air with his mouth wide open. The last thing he saw was Mrs. Seosan running from the pantry before he lost consciousness.