That bastard tapping my shoulder with the spine of a book he’d barely read a few pages of was incredibly annoying. He’s not even my younger brother, so there’s no reason to let it slide. Really, someday I’ll definitely smack that head of his. Someday for sure…!
“Are you close?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking if you’re close with Joel Gomez.”
I must have been glaring at Joel too intently without realizing it. Dave suddenly asked. I quickly shook my head vigorously.
“Not at all! Not at all!”
“Hmm, really? It’d be best if you kept it that way.”
He seemed pleased with how earnestly I was denying it. Dave grinned and leaned toward me, speaking in a small voice. That ticklish tone made my ears tingle.
“I hate him. He hates me too. But July, you… you’re close with me, right?”
“Right…?”
Dave’s hand covered mine, which had been resting on my thigh. His palm, roughened with calluses befitting an athlete, was somewhat coarse and dry. I almost flinched but held it in.
“Friends are supposed to hate the same people, right?”
“…Friend, well. Yeah…”
Getting the title of ‘friend’ from the protagonist in less than a week wasn’t a bad achievement. I wondered what favorability rating Dave had toward me.
“So, should we write the essay?”
As if he’d never touched my hand at all, Dave casually pulled his hand away. And with that hand, he picked up a pen.
“Mmm…”
Dave tapped his lower lip with the tip of his pen—tap, tap, tap—as he pondered. The essay topic was difficult. Writing about ‘who I am.’ It was the hardest thing in the world. The only essay I knew how to write was a college admissions personal statement. But that teacher wasn’t an admissions officer, so there’s no way he’d be satisfied with that kind of essay.
“July, what do you think of me?”
“You? Well… you’re tall and handsome.”
<Status Window>
◈ Name: David Evans
◈ Age: 16 (11th grade)
◈ Popularity: 97%
◈ Favorability: ???♥
◈ Nickname: ???
◈ Special Notes: Quarterback of Bluedale High School’s football team The Savers, protagonist of the drama ‘Pizza Saver’
“If I could kiss David even just once, you can take everything I have!”
At the sudden question, I pulled up Dave’s status window. But there wasn’t much I could tell him. I didn’t want to say something like “You’re the protagonist in a drama” and cause the poor protagonist to have an identity crisis.
“What else?”
“Also… you’re a quarterback, so you must be good at sports?”
“More.”
“More? Also… um, you’re popular.”
“I’m popular?”
Dave tilted his head. Where’s this playing dumb coming from? He must know very well that he’s popular.
“Aren’t you? …I heard there’s even someone who’d give up their life if they could kiss you just once?”
Dave burst out laughing—pff!
“Someone would give up their life to kiss me once? Who says that?”
He adjusted his seat and moved even closer to me. Feeling a bit pressured, I quickly leaned back.
“That’s… I don’t know.”
Right. Whose comment was that?
It’s a randomly selected comment from a student at Bluedale High School. 🙂
“I only heard it as a rumor. Just a rumor.”
I vaguely lumped together what the system had said. Dave pulled up one corner of his mouth.
“Hmm, that’s the first I’ve heard of such a rumor. Isn’t that you?”
“…What?”
Me? What do you mean me… That I’d give up my life to kiss you?
“No way! I value my life!”
I was so shocked that I jumped up and shouted loudly. All the students receiving detention turned to look at me. Natalia, Harper, and Philip seemed surprised, and Joel seemed displeased. As soon as our eyes met briefly, he turned his head away sharply.
“…Pff, pfft!”
Dave, laughing openly with his shoulders shaking, was annoying. Don’t do this to me—go do it to Natalia instead. He’s 100% straight anyway. Just like Joel once said, Dave only likes people wearing skirts.
“…Anyway, that’s that.”
I moved far away from Dave and started scribbling random words on paper. I’d reacted too much. …I couldn’t help it. I had no choice but to be defensive. I, I am… no, let’s not think about it…
“Sorry. I went too far with the joke.”
“No. I’m just embarrassed that I yelled. You should write your essay too.”
I tried to focus on the essay while doing my best not to pay attention to Dave. Who am I? I’m… first, Korean-American, and I have an older brother and parents, also, also…
“…”
I don’t even know much about ‘Baek Woogeon,’ so how am I supposed to know about ‘July Baek’? After writing about five words, I had nothing left. How am I going to fill a thousand words? Oh, and I need to get Natalia and Dave together, but I don’t know why Dave is making such a fuss sitting next to me. The romance index that barely went up 1% is about to drop back down.
“Uuuugh…”
I don’t know. Just being alive—why is that one thing so hard? I ruffled my hair and then—thunk—dropped my head onto the desk. The desk surface touching my cheek was cold.
“Hey, seventh.”
“…What?”
I just rolled my eyes up to look above. Joel’s eyes, positioned very, very high up, were looking down at me menacingly.
I’m going crazy with all this chaos, and now why is he acting like that.
“Come out.”
Joel jerked his chin. Ah, he looks handsome from below too. He’d be perfect if he just kept his mouth shut.
“I told you not to leave…”
“If I piss here, is that teacher going to clean it up? Should I piss on that bookshelf then?”
“…”
Joel yelled out loud. I don’t know what he’d do if a teacher came. And why is he dragging me along when he’s going to the bathroom? But I had no power. I got up sluggishly and followed behind Joel.
The hallway, usually packed with students, was completely empty. Because of that, the sound of our footsteps—thud, thud—echoed even more clearly. I was a bit anxious a teacher might come out.
“Ugh, what a relief.”
As if the bathroom really was his destination, Joel went straight into the bathroom, unzipped, and started urinating. Ugh! I quickly closed my eyes. But I’d already seen it. Something incredibly… thick and long.
“Why did you bring me?”
I was about to demand an answer but changed my tone to ask sweetly. My eyes still closed. But there was no answer, only the loud sound of water echoing through the bathroom, gradually growing quieter before stopping completely. Only when I heard the toilet flush did I slowly open my eyes. Joel, who had gone to the sink to wash his hands, looked at me through the mirror.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“You, be careful of that bastard David.”
“What?”
“Be careful. He’s rotten inside.”
Joel, unusually washing his hands thoroughly until they squeaked, even under his nails, spoke while shaking off the water. Those water droplets fell on my cheeks too. It was cold.
“What do I need to be careful of? We just, we just know each other.”
“You’re stupid, so you’ll probably get caught up in things easily.”
“I’m stupid?”
In my entire life, I’d never been called stupid except by my parents and older brother. But hearing it from someone else made me feel incredibly awful. And from Joel Gomez of all people!
“Don’t even be acquaintances with him, don’t hang out. Got it?”
“Ugh!”
Even though there were disposable hand towels available, Joel strode over and flicked water at my face. My eyes, cheeks, lips, forehead—water splattered everywhere. Without realizing it, I couldn’t hide my irritation and frowned sharply, making Joel giggle.
“Right. Just looking at this face, you’re stupid.”
Joel grabbed my chin tightly with his wet hand and shook my face. Even though I hated that slippery, damp sensation, I just obediently offered my face. Finding it boring perhaps, Joel wiped his hand on his pants and left the bathroom.
I was irritated. After washing that chin area thoroughly at the sink, I went outside the bathroom. And then,
“…Huh!”
I was so startled by Joel, who was leaning crookedly against the wall outside the door, that I almost fell over. I didn’t know he was there. He’s so huge, it really shocked me. As I clutched my heart and staggered, Joel giggled.
“Follow me.”
“Where to now?”
“You talk so fucking much.”
“…”
When Joel, with both hands in his pants pockets, stopped abruptly and looked down at me, I shut my mouth. But even when he didn’t look away, I slyly lifted the corners of my mouth, and Joel—pfft—laughed.
“How can a person look this stupid?”
“…”
A gentleman’s revenge is never too late even after ten years, they say. Joel Gomez, just you wait. I will, definitely, definitely…!
“Money.”
“What?”
“Money.”
The place Joel dragged me to was in front of a vending machine. Inside were all kinds of unhealthy processed foods. Joel pulled his hand out of his pocket and wiggled it.
“10 dollars. You lost the bet.”
Ah, that bet. How could you beat a car with a bicycle? That bastard, that piece of trash…
“Punk-ass bastard…”
I muttered quietly in Korean as I took out my wallet. Spitting out a curse made me feel a bit better. Joel raised one eyebrow.
“What?”
“I said I’m the weak-ass seventh month and you’re the true winner Joel Gomez.”
All I had in my wallet were one-dollar bills. I counted out ten bills one by one and smiled brightly. You stupid American who only knows English. You don’t even know what I said.
Joel let out a pfft laugh, and I smiled even more broadly.
“Seventh month, you know what?”
Joel said as he dutifully fed all ten one-dollar bills into the vending machine.
“Know what?”
“I have a bit more time than others. Overflowing amounts of it.”
“…So?”
What are you suddenly talking about? This is unsettling. As I watched Joel’s long, thick fingers pressing buttons one by one from top left to right across the vending machine, I gulped.
so is david the endgame here? he sounded like a playboy tho who play with baek’s feelings…. i don’t like that. and joel is giving delinquent with a sad past so idk