“Uwak!”
Yi Cheong, instantly pinned under Seoldong, widened his cat-like eyes sharply. Choi Seoldong was still grinning like an idiot.
“…Has this bastard gone crazy? Won’t you get off?”
“Cheong-ah. I’m being serious.”
“So what the fuck! What am I supposed to do…!”
“Ugh.”
Seoldong silently stared down intently. Yi Cheong seemed to feel a threat to his life for a moment and jabbed Seoldong’s chest hard with his elbow. He tried to get up, taking advantage of the gap as Seoldong collapsed to the side.
Normally, Choi Seoldong would have tucked his tail and backed off on his own at this point. But today, possessed by some strange wind, he persistently held onto Cheong’s wrist as he tried to get up.
“Ugh! Hey!”
No matter how fast and agile Cheong was, he was helpless against Seoldong’s strength. At the hands embracing his shoulders, Yi Cheong was laid out on the sofa again. Yi Cheong’s face, trapped between Seoldong’s two arms, heated up as if it would explode with anger and embarrassment.
“Don’t run away, Cheong-ah.”
“Don’t call my name, you perverted bastard.”
Yi Cheong stealthily lifted one foot to kick Seoldong according to his temperament. Just then, the news sound grew louder and the hyungs’ voices were heard.
“You guys. Play quietly so we can watch TV.”
“Yes, hyungs. We’re sorry.”
Seoldong pressed down firmly near Cheong’s knee to suppress him while turning back and answering politely. Taking advantage of the hyungs being absorbed in the news, Seoldong sat even closer to Cheong, who was fuming beneath him.
“Get off! You’re heavy!!”
His face looked as idiotic as usual, but it was annoying that someone like Choi Seoldong dared to give off this kind of atmosphere. Cheong got goosebumps, feeling like he’d be overwhelmed by the strangely changed atmosphere. It wasn’t a very good feeling.
He wanted to escape this situation quickly, but because Seoldong was firmly holding his shoulders, he could only glare murderously.
“Cheong-ah, look at me.”
Yi Cheong, buried deep in the sofa, averted his gaze. His heart began to run wild as if broken. Flustered, Cheong tried to pull his body away, but Seoldong’s massive frame didn’t budge.
“You’re heavy…!”
“Shh, be quiet.”
The more he moved, the more he ended up fitting right into Seoldong’s broad embrace. Yi Cheong twisted his head as if in distress.
“Y-you, fuck, won’t you get off?”
“I won’t eat you. Don’t be scared.”
Seoldong seemed to have no intention whatsoever of listening to Cheong’s words, at least not right now. Instead, he lowered his pressed body even more and whispered in Cheong’s ear.
“Remember we promised to grant each other’s wishes if our grades went up?”
“Why are you bringing that up now, mmph…!”
Yi Cheong’s head snapped to the side as Seoldong covered his mouth with his hand. This was his first time feeling such helplessness. Yi Cheong gritted his teeth in humiliation. Even when he struggled desperately, heaving his shoulders and twisting his body to push Choi Seoldong away, he wouldn’t budge. Was his body made of stone because his head was like stone?
“Uuugh…”
He sent a pleading look to the hyungs for rescue, but it was in vain. They were completely absorbed in the news and had no interest in this side at all. His face burned so hot it felt like it would burst any moment. At this rate, it felt like his pride would completely crumble in front of the hyungs, so Cheong squeezed his eyes shut.
“You told me to be your servant for life.”
“……”
Yi Cheong just glared at Seoldong silently. His eyes said, “So what are you trying to say?”
If you’re making this fuss to take it back now, I’ll give in a hundred steps, a thousand steps and let the wish be forgotten. But fuck, I won’t forgive the price you’ve made me pay for this humiliation, I swear on the organization’s name. Fucking bastard.
“I really want to be our Cheong’s servant. So Cheong too, you know…”
“……”
“If your grades go up… you’ll marry me… right…?”
Seoldong spoke gently as he released Cheong. In an instant, Yi Cheong’s face turned red as if it would burst. Cheong’s shoulders, clutching Seoldong’s sleeve, trembled slightly.
“Cheong-ah… do you know you’re really cute right now?”
Seoldong grinned as he looked down at Cheong’s reddened ear tips. Cheong’s expression, mixed with humiliation and embarrassment, made Seoldong’s heart flutter. Cheong chewed his lips and finally dropped a single tear. He felt like dying from injustice and embarrassment.
“I’m really going to kill you…”
Cheong, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, eventually showed his tears and sniffled. Just then, as if the important story on the news was also wrapping up, sighs from the hyungs poured out from here and there. If they discovered Cheong lying on the sofa crying like this, things would obviously blow up for no reason.
“Up we go.”
Seoldong picked up Cheong in one swoop. Cheong was already knocked down by humiliation and could only sniffle with his face buried in Seoldong’s chest. Feeling strength surge up, Seoldong grinned and turned to go back to the room.
“Choi Seoldong.”
Just as he was about to climb the first step of the stairs, a familiar voice was heard. Seoldong’s heart sank for a moment, but he kept his mouth tightly shut and only slightly turned his head to look back.
Teolbo, with his hair disheveled, stood at the doorway with a hair tie in his mouth. Teolbo asked while neatly gathering his badly curly hair together.
“Where are you going? We have to leave soon… hm?”
Teolbo, who belatedly discovered the person Seoldong was holding, thrust his head forward with suspicious eyes. Seoldong hastily twisted his upper body to the side and hid Cheong. Right now, Yi Cheong’s flushed face and wet eyes couldn’t be shown to anyone. It was a treasure-like sight he wanted to see only for himself.
“Ah, you can’t!”
“What do you mean can’t, you punk. Always being pushed around by Kwon Yi Cheong every single day. You’re disqualified as a yakuza, you bastard.”
Teolbo smacked the back of Seoldong’s head and tapped Yi Cheong’s dangling feet. He seemed to think Cheong was using and tormenting Seoldong as usual.
“Hey, Kwon Yi Cheong. Boss has a schedule today too, you know? We promised to go out together, so do it in moderation. Got it? Answer.”
“…Yeah.”
When Cheong obediently answered this time too, Teolbo said, “The independence fighter is really off his game today,” and walked toward the living room.
As soon as Teolbo moved away, Seoldong hurriedly headed upstairs. He couldn’t believe it. That Cheong would go along with his actions, even if just with an answer. As soon as Seoldong entered the room, he carefully set Cheong down on their bunk bed.
“Cheong-ah, Cheong-ah…”
“Ah, why do you keep calling me…”
Yi Cheong still felt his face burning and couldn’t look Seoldong straight in the eye. He felt like dying from embarrassment, but a corner of his chest felt strangely ticklish. It was maddening.
“Look at me, hm?”
“…Ugh.”
He reluctantly made eye contact at Seoldong’s earnest request. Then a massive emotion that Yi Cheong had never felt before welled up in his chest. It soon became a tsunami and invaded every corner of his heart. It was because Seoldong’s eyes looking at him were so serious and tender.
“Fuck. That face, really…”
“Hehe, why? What about my face?”
“Don’t laugh, really.”
“Okay, I won’t laugh. Hihi.”
“I told you not to laugh.”
“Okay. But I’m happy, what can I do about it.”
“Fuck… stupid bastard…”
Seoldong carefully climbed onto the bed where Yi Cheong was lying. As he lay down side by side, laughter kept bursting out. The metal frame creaked heavily under their combined weight. On the narrow bed, their shoulders touched.
“Cheong-ah, that wish from earlier. Did we promise that?”
“…I don’t know, you idiot.”
Cheong spat out curtly and pulled the blanket over his head. Unlike his blunt words, the two hands clasped together were full of pleasant warmth.
***
Contrary to expectations, Yi Cheong and Seoldong’s first semester final exams ended in complete disaster. It was a natural result that their grades didn’t improve, as there had been so little time to study and big and small incidents kept occurring without end.
But what was important was the small change that happened to the kids. The bet to grant each other’s wishes if their grades improved had changed the kids. After that day, the kids began studying with terrifying momentum to fulfill their wishes. Though it was unknown what kind of great wishes they wanted to make to each other to act like that, that passion was pleasing at least.
The tutoring work written in the contract was twice a week, but Seongyeom felt awkward about seeing Siwon’s face, so he visited the kids’ room whenever he had time.
Today too, when I asked Ahjussi Daerim, he said there’s no outing schedule. Seongyeom left the room first before things got uncomfortable.
“Teacher! What did hyung say again?”
Yi Cheong, who had been solving problems sitting at a folding table, widened his eyes when he saw Seongyeom. He couldn’t bring himself to tell the kids the truth, so he pretended to be pitiful, saying he ran away after being scolded by the President. Since then, the kids accepted him without a word whenever he came to visit, so Seongyeom was selling out(?) Siwon well.
“Is your body okay?”
Seeing him look much more comfortable with the bandages removed, Cheong asked with a cautious face. If only he hadn’t insisted on going to eat chicken feet that day. Seeming still caught up in that thought, Seongyeom shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing while patting his scarred back.
“Yeah. A scar like this is nothing.”
He told them not to worry about him and to finish solving their problems. While Cheong and Seoldong focused on their workbooks, he walked slowly through the cool room. Listening to the faint engine sound of an airplane passing over the mansion, Seongyeom turned his gaze toward the kids’ desks. A crude boxing glove and a sharp knife were stuck in one. He seemed to know whose desk it was without being told. Seongyeom glanced at the jet-black back of the head that resembled Siwon without dislike.
‘That’s why he always studies on the floor…’
Cheong seemed to use his things quite roughly. Seongyeom shook his head discreetly so as not to be caught and this time moved his gaze to Seoldong’s desk. On the surprisingly neat desk were a bundle of test papers organized together, three thousand-yen bills, and Japanese magazines stuck in the bookshelf.
“Does Seoldong like Japan?”
Seongyeom’s eyes widened as if they’d pop out as he flipped through the bundle of test papers.
“A hun-hundred points?! He got everything right on the Japanese test?!”
While other subjects were bombed, only the Japanese test was perfect. At Seongyeom’s astonished words, Seoldong scratched his philtrum as if it was nothing and said.
“Because I’m Japanese.”
“Really?!”
“Nihonjin desuka?”
Yi Cheong teased from the side and roughly patted Seoldong’s head. Seoldong grinned, liking it, and nodded his head to match Cheong’s rhythm.
“Huh, so you were Japanese…”
Seongyeom flopped down on the bed. To think Choi Seoldong was Japanese. Then was the name Seoldong not his real name either? Seongyeom blinked slowly while watching the long summer sunset stretching through the window. They said the antibiotic he ate earlier had drowsiness mixed in, and it’s hard to keep his eyes open.
“You guys, have your lovers’ quarrel after I leave.”
“Yay.”
Using the kids’ giggling sounds as a lullaby, Seongyeom couldn’t resist the overwhelming drowsiness and slowly closed his eyes. A tutor sleeping on the kids’ bed. …That’s complete dereliction of duty.
“…Teacher, are you asleep?”
After a while, in the quiet room, the sound of a mechanical pencil scratching could be heard along with Seongyeom’s soft breathing. Seongyeom had fallen asleep lying on his side. It was a habit he’d developed of sleeping sideways since injuring his shoulder. Cheong and Seoldong poked their heads out from Seongyeom’s feet.
“He’s really asleep, right?”
Seongyeom was sleeping so deeply that he wouldn’t know even if Cheong pulled down his white linen shirt. Over the exposed white back, Seoldong uncapped his pen.
