Go Un tucked the motorcycle helmet under his opposite side and started walking. He lifted the black backpack from the open cabinet.
“Is this the right bag?”
“Uh……”
At the threatening voice, Seo Juhan answered without realizing it.
“Is there anything else you need to take?”
This time he resisted by keeping his mouth firmly shut.
Go Un waited for a moment, then just took the bag and shut the cabinet with a clack. The preparations to leave were finished with this. He shrugged his shoulders and adjusted the luggage more stably.
“Uuk.”
Because of that, Seo Juhan’s side caught and he let out a groan.
When Go Un took a step, Seo Juhan hanging on his shoulder swayed like a scarecrow.
Seo Juhan was amazed at his own form hanging like a bundle. He felt like vomit would come up. Unable to overcome the humiliation, he muttered quietly.
“You…… I won’t let your school record alone.”
Juhan’s overworked vocal cords produced a rough voice.
Go Un snickered.
“When did you beg me to go to college?”
“Beg, what……”
Even while being carried like a sack, Seo Juhan stubbornly counterattacked.
“I did that because your life was pitiful. Do you think there’s a college that would accept you?”
“I wasn’t going to college anyway?”
“It’s not that you’re not going, it’s that you can’t go.”
“I don’t need a college diploma.”
Go Un flicked off the teachers’ office light with his elbow.
The groundless confidence was extremely laughable to Juhan.
“A bastard who does delivery work is in extreme denial of reality. When you get older, you’ll realize how shitty your life is.”
Seo Juhan spat out his thoughts without a filter.
“Wow…… How did I endure that mouth?”
Go Un made a genuinely admiring voice. Then he slid the teachers’ office door shut with his foot. Then he muttered as if talking to himself.
“Well, I figured it out even before when you threw a fit about the delivery being late.”
The snickering laughter seemed to take no damage at all no matter what Seo Juhan said.
The darkened hallway had no visible end. The gloomy sky didn’t allow even a speck of moonlight. An eerie silence as quiet as a dead mouse hung in the air.
Only the light on the central staircase dimly spread to their feet. Even while carrying heavy luggage, Go Un strode toward that direction.
“Do manual labor and die alone in a tiny room, you son of a bitch.”
What came back was an unfiltered curse.
Go Un burst out laughing.
“Fuck…… look at that temper.”
A cave-like laughter echoed in the stairwell.
“Pretending to be like a pure scholar.”
He seemed to like it even when cursed at, so he really seemed like a crazy bastard. His stomach churned and Seo Juhan distorted his eyes.
Each time they went down the stairs, the height dropped sharply. Though the large hand stably supported his thighs, from Seo Juhan’s perspective it was uneasy.
His vision blocked by the back painted the worst scenarios on its own. He felt dizzy imagining rolling down and dying a tragic death from a concussion.
“Why are you clinging so tightly?”
“……”
Seo Juhan realized his posture clinging like a panda. However, he didn’t say anything because he was more afraid of falling down the stairs and dying absurdly.
Amidst the silence, only the sound of footsteps echoed.
Suddenly a rational thought crossed Seo Juhan’s mind.
“Ya…… go to the elevator. The elevator.”
“Ah.”
Go Un seemed to have just realized it too.
“We’re almost there already.”
As he said, level ground appeared. Seo Juhan, whose strength had already waned, hung on the shoulder and went limp.
Go Un, who had reached the first-floor central entrance, put Seo Juhan down.
Seo Juhan barely stood leaning his back against the teachers’ shoe cabinet. He was sleepy, tired, and exhausted. It seemed like he could fall asleep the moment his back touched even the ground.
Go Un squatted down and opened the shoe cabinet in a low position.
“Are these the right shoes?”
He asked while taking out navy blue leather casual loafers.
“Uh……”
Seo Juhan glanced down and answered obediently.
Go Un was putting down the loafers in front of Seo Juhan when he clicked his tongue.
“Where did you throw away one of the indoor shoes?”
Seo Juhan remained silent and just changed his shoes.
Go Un put one of the black slippers into the shoe cabinet. He straightened his bent legs and stood up, then put Juhan’s backpack that he’d been holding in his hand on one shoulder. Then he took the hand of Seo Juhan, who had been standing vacantly, and led him.
Seo Juhan, exhausted and having lost both the stamina and will to resist, was just dragged along.
Coming outside, the humid air tinged with cold wrapped around both bodies.
The rain that had poured down like the monsoon season had stopped at some point. Instead, water droplets clinging to the lush trees in the flower bed dripped down. It was a trace of the downpour.
Here and there in the sunken parts of the asphalt, puddles had formed. The two men walked trudging along, splashing water.
The motorcycle parked under the roof to avoid rain came into view.
Go Un naturally placed Seo Juhan on the seat.
“Uuk.”
Seo Juhan let out a groan at the pain rising from his overworked buttocks. The black leather seat felt hard as stone.
“Here.”
Go Un put the backpack over Seo Juhan’s shoulders.
When Seo Juhan raised his arms like a mannequin and obediently complied, he even put the helmet on him. The plain work outfit created disharmony with the black matte bike helmet.
“Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?”
Seo Juhan avoided his gaze and stared into the distance.
“Well, I guess not.”
Go Un answered his own question and took the front seat. When he folded the stand with his foot and started the engine, it roared. It was an excessively high-displacement bike for just doing delivery work.
“Hold on to me tight if you don’t want to get hurt.”
Seo Juhan just sat limply like a paper doll.
Unlike usual, Go Un didn’t immediately twist the throttle and only released the clutch. The motorcycle slowly started.
Seo Juhan, with a haggard complexion, firmly put his hands behind him and gripped the seat.
It was the first time in his life riding such a vulgar two-wheeled vehicle. The survival probability was already slim if there was an accident, and the road would be more slippery because of the rain. Anxiety surged, but he didn’t want to touch even a single strand of hair with the crazy bastard.
Only after entering the downhill did the fear that he might fall like this ignite like a torch. Seo Juhan timidly grabbed the hem of Go Un’s jacket as a backup plan.
They exited the school gate and entered the roadway. As the speed increased, Juhan eventually had no choice but to hug the guy’s waist.
As the wind blew, his shirt fluttered like a flag. Seo Juhan squeezed his eyes shut.
Riding a two-wheeled vehicle where a minor mistake was directly connected to life was synonymous with torture. He hated it more than airplanes where you had to endure the risk of crashing.
Rattle.
At that moment, the vehicle vibrated as they passed a newly paved section of asphalt.
The impact was transmitted even to Seo Juhan’s tattered lower area.
“Uuk. D-drive gently, you son of a bitch.”
Seo Juhan scolded him as if muttering. However, the voice blocked by the helmet and buried in the motorcycle noise didn’t reach the driver.
“What?”
Go Un shouted back a question.
Seo Juhan just curled up his body and hugged the waist tightly. In fear of falling, he pressed his helmeted head close to the broad back and even clasped his hands together. He broke out in cold sweat and prayed only to arrive quickly.
At a time close to dawn, the city roads were wide open. However, it was difficult to speed up because it was slippery due to moisture.
The bike that passed the shopping district climbed up a sloped hill road and passed through winding alleys.
The residential area at a time when everyone was asleep was quiet yet eerie. Only the amber lights standing sparsely illuminated them.
Finally, the motorcycle that had stopped in place tilted.
Go Un looked up at the multi-family building he’d been to a few times. There were no lit windows. The force gripping his waist remained the same. After waiting for a moment, he twisted his head to the side and said.
“We’re here.”
Still, Seo Juhan didn’t release the strength in his hands. There was no reaction at all.
Go Un knocked on the helmet with his knuckles and raised his voice a bit more.
“We’ve arrived, customer.”
Only then did Seo Juhan flinch his shoulders and detach his body that had been stuck close. He looked around in confusion, then hurriedly got off the motorcycle.
He tried to quickly run away to his home, but his forearm was unknowingly grabbed.
“You should give back the helmet before you go.”
“Let, let go!”
Seo Juhan shook his arm and knocked off Go Un’s hand. Then he grabbed both sides of the helmet with both hands and lifted it. The helmet he’d worn for the first time in his life wasn’t easy to take off either. Because his hands had no strength, he had to bend down to his waist and make all sorts of efforts.
Finally, cool air touched his face. He threw it at the guy and quickly turned his back.
“Go safely.”
Ignoring the guy’s greeting that was putting on airs, Seo Juhan barely moved his trembling legs.
Seo Juhan, who had reached the front of the common entrance, pressed the unit password. He covered it with his other hand so it couldn’t be seen.
No matter how much he tried to hurry, there was nothing he could do about his hands trembling on their own. As soon as the door opened, he rushed inside in case the guy would chase after him.
Fleeing in panic, he climbed the stairs, forcibly operating his legs that wouldn’t move.
He barely reached in front of his studio door. He hurriedly opened the keypad and quickly pressed the password, then looked back once. There was no one on the dim staircase. Only after confirming did he fling open the door.
Bang!
As soon as he entered inside, he shut the door hard. The vibration was transmitted through the walls. It was enough for curses to fly from other houses.
Seo Juhan hastily fastened the door latch. Even after that, he gripped the door handle firmly with his hand.
“Huheok. Huk.”
Seo Juhan held onto the door handle like a lifeline that shouldn’t be let go and gasped for breath. He panted as if he’d run a marathon despite only climbing the stairs. His heartbeat pounded like a drum.
He stood there silently like that for a while.
Click!
The entrance sensor light went off.
Complete darkness arrived.
At that moment, a fishy smell infiltrated his nostrils.
“……”
Seo Juhan’s eyes contorted sharply.
Even without bringing his nose to it, it wafted from his entire body. It was a nauseating fragrance whose source couldn’t be mistaken. Well, it was obvious he’d only roughly wiped with tissue or wet wipes.
“Fuck……”
Biting his lips and removing his hand from the door handle, he turned his steps inside the studio.
Click.
The entrance sensor light turned on again.
Seo Juhan took off his shoes and heavily dropped the heavy backpack from his shoulder to the floor. The angular black backpack leaned against the wall-mounted shoe cabinet and slid down.
In just a few steps, he passed the small kitchen and dove straight onto the bed with a flop. The cheap mattress swayed lightly.
In a few seconds, Seo Juhan slipped into unconsciousness.
It was before the entrance sensor light even turned off.
