Misunderstanding
‘There?’
Are you calling me right now?
Ren raised his head crookedly. The man who had spoken was flustered by his rebellious gaze.
“Are you picking a fight with me now?”
At the polite tone that didn’t match his fierce eyes, the man’s lips twitched.
“That’s not it, you just can’t sit so menacingly on the street like that. From the looks of it, you seem to be an outsider.”
“……Yes.”
Ren, who had been staring blankly, opened his eyes gently and stood up from his seat.
The man’s words were right. I’m not a thug, so why did I do that! Ren, who stood up abruptly, brushed off the dirt on his bottom with pat pat sounds. Just then the wind blew and the dust Ren brushed off flew into the man’s face. The man’s face naturally scrunching up in a grimace was too terrifying to see with a sober mind. Even Ren, who had strong guts, flinched. Looking now, he was ferociously built. In the flustered feeling, Ren stiffened and looked at the man…….
“Ren-!”
A fierce grip seized Ren’s shoulder. Of all things, his injured shoulder!
“Urk!”
When Ren couldn’t hold back and let out a groan at the unexpected pain, the face of the one who grabbed his shoulder turned vicious.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
It was Ruman with a terribly distorted face.
“Ruman?”
Ren, who furrowed his eyebrows, struggled to endure the pain in his shoulder while calling his name.
“What are you doing!”
Ruman’s angry shout, who had never been excited before, rang out. Seeing Ren with tears welling up from the shoulder pain, a fire rose in Ruman’s chest. He put the hood on Ren and stepped in front of him.
The people gathered at the center of the village murmured and looked this way. With two beauties that drew attention even when still, plus the loud noise, it was good for gathering people’s gazes. Without any reward for the effort of chasing them away, when dozens of pairs of eyes looked at him at once, Ren’s body flinched. While Ren was briefly stunned, Ruman acted as if he would grab the man’s collar any moment.
“I’m asking! What were you doing!”
Ruman, who threw away even the honorifics, growled. If things went wrong, a fist would fly!
“N-no, I…….”
The flustered man couldn’t even connect his words and waved his hands.
“Ha! Showing a menacing face to a boy much younger, and in front of others being nice……”
“Ruman! Wait, just wait!”
What is he saying right now!
Ren jumped up and tapped Ruman’s arm. Though it didn’t hurt at all, Ruman turned his head toward Ren out of courtesy. Then he bent his waist greatly and whispered.
“It’s okay Ren. You don’t need to hide it. Did this guy intimidate you? Did he do something you didn’t like? Or did he threaten you? With that menacing face……”
Ruman was smiling as usual but was giving off a dangerous aura somewhere.
“No, that’s not it!”
“It’s okay, you can speak slowly.”
They say people’s hearing lasts long. Even if beaten up, he’ll still be able to hear. Ruman smiled affectionately.
No, what kind of crazy talk is this person saying!?
Ren, who was flustered and stuttering, stopped him as if knowing Ruman.
“That’s not it, he was just guiding me!”
“Guiding? What kind of guiding?”
Huh, why do his eyes seem even more vicious?
Energy seemed to be boiling from him. Ren shook his head to grab hold of his dizzy mind.
“He just told me not to do that because I was sitting here like a delinquent!!”
“……Mm?”
Ruman blinked his eyes slowly. Reason seemed to return a bit to the golden eyes that had been flashing like a beast’s eyes. Ren didn’t miss this moment and rapidly explained what had happened earlier. After a brief time passed, Ruman nodded as if he understood. Then he quietly looked at Ren.
“Why, why are you staring like that? Hurry up and apologize to the ahjussi!”
“……Yeah. I should.”
Ruman, who turned his body, politely bowed his head to the dazed man. Then he also bowed his head to the village people who were watching this way.
“I’m sorry. I was rude. I’m sorry for causing a disturbance.”
“Ah, yes……. It can happen.”
The man scratched his head vigorously.
“My face is originally menacing…… I understand.”
The man looked at Ruman and Ren alternately and nodded.
Wasn’t it so? The sight of that downy soft boy and a menacing middle-aged man standing together could look that way. Also…… if he likes him, it can’t be helped.
It wasn’t visible to Ren but it was visible to the man.
The form of light that came running from far away like an arrow.
No, how fast did a person run for such a hallucination to appear to the eyes…….
Though he didn’t pant even once, the man who read the urgency in his eyes fully understood Ruman’s misunderstanding. There’s no match for love. Yes, yes.
“No. I’m really sorry.”
Ruman’s expression was shameless but his face was burning fiercely. The man who understood Ruman’s feelings made the most generous expression he could make. Really, I’m saying it’s fine.
Ren, who was sneakily watching from the side, also stood politely.
Geez, since he’s apologizing because of a misunderstanding about me, I can’t just stand by!
“I’m also sorry.”
“Goodness. This makes me feel like I’m really a menacing person.”
Ruman’s pupils widened. He looked down at Ren standing beside him. The hood pressed down firmly fluttered in the wind. Without any reward for putting it on, Ren’s face was revealed. Ren had a subtle expression as if irritated or not. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed and his lips were slightly pouted…… but looking at his fidgeting body, he just seemed embarrassed.
The flustered Ruman opened his mouth.
“Ren, why are you apologizing…….”
“…….”
Ren, who had been staring at Ruman, turned his head sharply. He seemed not to want to answer.
No, did I make another mistake this time? Was it embarrassing that I questioned the man? Ruman’s misunderstanding was deepening.
However, Ren’s true feelings were completely different.
‘To take my side right away without even asking what happened…….’
While being so moved, Ren found Ruman annoying.
You seep into someone’s heart like this and then leave? Then don’t do these kinds of actions before leaving!
Ren pursed his lips.
Meanwhile, the man was troubled.
He wanted to part ways with this beautiful boy and beautiful young man now. They were deeply immersed in their own world, and he had become an afterthought. But to just leave, there were many people watching so it seemed he should greet them…… and it’s too precious a face to leave behind.
Even if he lived longer than he’d lived in this village, it wouldn’t be easy to witness such beauty! The man unknowingly glanced at Ruman and Ren’s faces. If one is human, one can’t prevent their pupils from turning toward beauties. The man thought that the village people staying to watch was actually more for beauty watching than fight watching.
Still, it would be rude to stare too much, so he was about to leave now…….
“Ren-!”
Another man blocked the path of the menacing-looking man.
He was a man whose body was thick and large like Mount Tai, and looked solid like a rock.
“Hyung?”
Are all outsiders that nimble……?
The man observed Temarr and Ruman.
The man who ran so fast it was impossible to tell where he popped out from grabbed the shoulder of the boy he had admonished and glared at him. At that chilling murderous intent, it was enough to leak a little pee for a moment.
The deep bronze eyes seemed to flash for an instant.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing much is going on…….”
“Hyung, my shoulder hurts…….”
Ren looked up at Temarr with a welcoming expression. Ruman was fiddling with his chin with a serious expression as if lost in some thought.
***
The boy named Ren’s attention was completely focused on the man who had run over. He had completely forgotten about the man. How lovely were those eyes looking up at his hyung with bright green pupils filled with light. When the man unknowingly stole a glance at that expression, Temarr stepped forward firmly and hid Ren behind his back.
“Did my younger brother make some mistake? I’m sorry.”
“What?! No. That’s not it, goodness…….”
“Jenox ahjussi! That’s why I told you to stop acting like an old fuddy-duddy!”
A lively voice interjected. A girl who came running with other boys her age looked up at Temarr and smiled brightly.
“Hello! This ahjussi is called Jenox ahjussi, and he likes to guide delinquent boys! It’s nothing much, earlier that kid-“
The girl wanted to see Ren’s face more closely, but because of Temarr’s overwhelming physique twice the size of an adult male, she couldn’t see even a single strand of hair. The girl, who quickly gave up thinking it wouldn’t be visible even if she peeked, continued speaking. But her gaze continued toward Temarr’s back.
“He was sitting here in a bit of a delinquent posture! So he just told him not to do that!”
“Ah, so that’s what it was. Thank you for letting me know.”
The strength left Temarr’s eyes. When an affectionate smile hung on his face, the girl’s cheeks heated up.
“But ahjussi, how are you so big?”
“What do you do?”
“Who’s that kid?!”
“Ahem. You kids! Don’t ask so rudely, go over there, over there-!”
“Jenox ahjussi! If it weren’t for me, ahjussi would have been misunderstood as a bad adult!”
“Delshu! Can’t you be quiet!”
“Hmph!”
Only now did Jenox’s expression become somewhat human. Even his menacing expression seemed to soften when dealing with village children. As his fierce eyes lessened and his characteristic speech habit came out when dealing with kids, the atmosphere became friendly. Those who had been too distracted watching to come forward also threw in a word from afar. Jenox, your face is the problem! Since it’s scary, draw on some cat whiskers and walk around!
“I’m really sorry for the misunderstanding. I will compensate. Ren! Apologize quickly.”
“Huh?”
Ren, who was led out by Temarr’s hand, made a flustered face.
No, I apologized earlier though…….
Ren’s pupils turned toward Jenox. Jenox, who met those wronged eyes, quickly waved his hands.
“It’s fine! This boy and I already sorted everything out earlier.”
“Still, I can’t let it pass like this. Ren.”
Temarr called Ren sternly.
Well now, Jenox couldn’t step forward repeatedly when he was teaching his own younger brother. While he was troubled, Ruman, who had been blank, finally came to his senses.
“Sorry…….”
“Wait! Ren already apologized.”
