This High-Teen Mid-Series is Scheduled for Early Cancellation 10

Joel cracked his neck side to side making crack crack! crack crack! sounds, then just stabbed the pen straight into the tire.

“…”

“There, well used.”

Pssshhh… When Joel pulled out the pen, the tire that had been fully inflated with air quickly deflated. The pen Joel returned had soot on it. With a pen… he can pierce through that tough tire? No, but why did he pierce that…! Of all things, with my pen!

“Follow me.”

It was so absurd I couldn’t even say anything. Let’s just watch what he does to the end! With that mindset, I followed Joel. The next place he headed was the principal’s office. The principal opened his eyes and mouth wide at the large-bodied student who burst in through the door.

“Principal, there was something that made me so angry that in my rage, I pierced a hole in the tire with a pen along with this friend. But when I came to my senses, oh no! I couldn’t forgive myself for committing such an immoral act. So tomorrow, which is Saturday, this friend and I are going to voluntarily receive detention. We’re reflecting sufficiently, so I hope you’ll forgive us with this level of punishment.”

Joel touched his forehead with a truly regretful face, then clasped both hands in front while rambling on. When Joel replied with a somewhat threatening “What? You understand?” the principal nodded blankly.

“Then teacher, go check the tire. If you drive with it like that, you’ll die.”

“Wha, what? My car? My car?”

The principal jumped up from his seat and started running somewhere, waddling his heavy body. That place was probably the parking lot. Coming out of the empty principal’s office, Joel giggled, then pushed my forehead with his index finger.

“See you tomorrow then, Number Seven.”

He didn’t give me time to process what had just happened in an instant. He just put both hands in his pants pockets and sauntered away while chewing on that long jelly again.

“…Crazy bastard.”

The only crazy bastard who would pierce the principal’s car tire with a pen was definitely Joel Gomez and no one else.

* * *

Going to school on Saturday was a familiar thing. I had to receive supplementary lessons and study by myself. But it seems it wasn’t for my family.

“Detention? Our July has detention? Our kind, cute, gentle July has detention?”

When I said I had to go to school early Saturday morning, Dad exclaimed. He was a tremendous doting parent. What kind of gentle kid would go to school with four piercings and hair styled like a sea urchin? Even though I knew that July wasn’t me, I felt a bit embarrassed yet slightly pleased by that infatuated attitude. After all, he really looks exactly like my dad.

“July, are you okay? You’re not hurt in your tender heart or anything?”

Hyung, who got up while eating cereal, hugged my head and patted it. Is he trying to tease me? That kind of kid who went around drawing eyeliner like a panda had a tender heart?

No matter how I looked at it, from his job to his face, he looked exactly like my real older brother, so I didn’t feel any warmth. I got goosebumps and quickly escaped from hyung’s embrace.

“I’m fine! It’s nothing! I just have to go and sit quietly. I’m graduating soon, so I should experience this kind of thing before graduation. Various experiences help in life, right?”

“July…”

Even though it was just a clichéd statement, hyung had a moved expression on his face. I quickly ran out of the house before he could hug me again. I properly wore my bag and pedaled hyung’s black bicycle. Maybe because it was Saturday, the road to school was quiet and empty. The forest path leading to school was slightly scary but also refreshing with the smell of trees.

Ah, this autumn breeze I feel from the morning. When have I ever been this relaxed? Since elementary school, I only studied, sleeping 3 or 4 hours a day. The entirety of my wandering was just playing games a few times following my friends.

Studying was always the first priority. But after entering this drama, studying became second priority. Even though there was a quest with my life at stake, I felt a strange sense of liberation. It was probably because I was putting off being seen as a failure who failed to get into Korea University Medical School, a shameful son, an embarrassing younger brother.

“…Gasp!”

Just recalling that moment of failing Korea University Medical School made me suffocate. Failed, failed, failed, failed… Those red letters floated wildly in my head. The letters clumped together and transformed into Mom and Dad’s red faces.

‘How…! I can’t live in the neighborhood because of the shame! That’s why I said let’s just have one! Why did such a kid suddenly appear!’

I got off the bicycle and panted with my head lowered. Mom and Dad’s angry faces, hyung’s mockery clearly came to mind. Even if they didn’t wield a whip, the cold family members who didn’t give even a bit of affection seemed to strangle my throat.

“Heu, heu, heu…!”

The bicycle I dropped from my loosened hands fell thud! to the ground. Ah, I can’t damage this too. Pick it up, I need to pick it up… I just panted for breath while squatting down.

‘Baek Woogeon, of course you’re like that! You’re a child we shouldn’t have had expectations for from the start. We should have only had your hyung…!’

“What are you doing?”

“…”

What awakened me from my thoughts while I was trembling with my ears covered was a voice that was soft and gentle, not matching the tone.

“What are you doing, right now.”

Joel, who had stopped his car, looked at me with his head sticking out the window. …Right, what am I doing now. Looking at Joel’s furrowed brows, I found my own state funny and stood up while brushing off my knees.

“Do you have some illness?”

“…No.”

I shook my head while setting up the fallen bicycle and pulling it. Sometimes when I recalled family or study-related things, it was hard to breathe, but that was all. My body was healthy.

“Whatever then.”

Joel shrugged his shoulders.

“Don’t you have a driver’s license?”

Joel asked while driving his car very slowly to match my speed.

“I do.”

“You live in a nice house, but your parents won’t even buy you a car? The garage is big too.”

“I have a car too. I just… don’t feel like driving.”

“The whining of a bourgeois young master.”

Heng, Joel smirked while twisting his lips and mocked me. Well, bourgeois. It’s not wrong.

Joel said his whole family went to prison, so his family’s circumstances were probably difficult. Just looking at the very old car, it seemed that way. It was clearly different from Dave’s, which looked like it had just been bought.

“Ah, this is frustrating. At this turtle’s crawling pace, when will we arrive? Hey, Number Seven. Ride the bike.”

“What?”

“I said ride! What, you want me to connect it to my car with a rope? Huh?”

…Why are you barking? While grumbling inside, I obediently got on the bicycle.

“We’re competing to see who’s faster. The one who’s late pays 10 dollars.”

“What…!”

Before I could even pedal, Joel vrooom! started the car first. Cough, kek, kek! I coughed because of the exhaust fumes.

“That bastard, isn’t he… a thug?”

Ah, right, he is a thug. But this was too much. How do you compete between a regular bicycle and a car!

“Pwahahaha! You’re slower than a snail!”

Vrooom! Through the noisy exhaust sound, I could hear Joel giggling. Thug bastard. I couldn’t win, but still suddenly getting angry, I pedaled hard. To the point where sweat was dripping all over my body, but,

“Huh, huk, huh, huk…”

A bicycle couldn’t beat a car. Joel, leaning his body against the car parked crookedly in the empty parking lot with his arms crossed, giggled.

“You lost. Very miserably, properly, completely, perfectly and… pathetically and terribly.”

“…”

“O weak one. Your name is the Seventh Moon!”

Joel, without erasing that annoying smile, spoke in a theatrical tone then pushed my forehead with his index finger. With both hands in his pants pockets, pwahahaha! throwing his head back while laughing, he looked quite… detestable and odious.

“Who does he think he is, Shakespeare?”

I grumbled in as small a voice as possible so he wouldn’t hear. Son of a bitch. Someday I’ll get revenge. While glaring at the back of Joel’s head as he started chewing on a long red jelly he pulled out from his pocket, I made that vow.

* * *

In the library where kids receiving detention gathered, there were six people total. Me, David, Natalia, Harper, Joel, and a guy named Philip. Harper seemed to know the guy named Philip, because as soon as she saw him, she scrunched up her face.

“Why are you here?”

“Why are you here?”

“Don’t talk to me. It’s annoying.”

Harper started the conversation first, then very primly hmph! turned her head and sat in the seat farthest from that guy.

“Oh, we meet again.”

David winked at me. I roughly wiped the drying sweat on my forehead with the back of my hand, then waved. Then Joel glared at me with sharp eyes. Why is he like that?

“Hey, Number Seven. You sit there. Riiight there.”

“Why?”

Joel grabbed my scruff and pushed me to the very front seat. I don’t want to sit here… I don’t know why he’s acting like this. It seems like he doesn’t get along with Dave, but why are the sparks flying at me?

“Oh my, you can even talk back? Huh?”

“…Fine.”

His scrunched-up face was quite menacing. As I’ve said repeatedly, I know very well that my life is precious. I obediently went and sat in the very front seat. Since all the kids receiving detention were gathered in the back, I was alone in the front.

Feeling awkward, I glanced back and made eye contact with Joel, who was giggling with his legs up on the desk. That thug bastard. Maybe I shouldn’t save him. …No, then I’ll die. How did I become tied by fate with such a bastard? It was a fact as despairing as failing Korea University Medical School.