Cha Dobum was just smiling with his eyes. It was annoying, but at least he was keeping quiet for now, which was fortunate.
What felt like ten minutes but was actually ten seconds passed, and the sound of hyung entering his room could be heard. Relieved, Cha Ihyun lowered his arms when Cha Dobum suddenly threw out a deal.
“Acknowledge me at school.”
“What?”
“You said you’d do anything, right? Then first, don’t ignore me at school. When I talk to you, answer me properly, lend me your textbook, and eat lunch together.”
You’re in the same class but asking to borrow textbooks? Is he telling me to be his lackey right now? As Cha Ihyun tried to read his intentions, he suddenly realized he’d heard those words somewhere before.
‘You, don’t acknowledge me at school.’
To be precise, he hadn’t “heard” it but had “said” it himself.
When was it? It was probably around middle school. When he said those words to Cha Dobum. So right now, Cha Dobum was asking him to take back those words from a few years ago. Cha Ihyun asked suspiciously.
“…Then you won’t say anything?”
“We’ll see how you do.”
“Answer me straight.”
“If our Ihyun does well, I won’t say anything, right?”
Really, that’s all it takes? It was still suspicious, but even though Cha Dobum was a thug, he wasn’t a weasel who went back on his word. He quickly agreed before he could change his mind again.
“Fine.”
There was a reason why they’d been ignoring each other at school… but still, keeping his mouth shut was more important right now.
Cha Dobum smiled with satisfaction. The deal was sealed.
“But you should really work on your ability to judge people. What’s so good about that bastard? He’s extremely sneaky and old on top of that. A man should be a true gem like me. Got it, princess?”
“Fuck off. I’m going to sleep.”
Cha Ihyun kicked out the pitch-black unwelcome guest. Cha Dobum giggled and whispered.
“See you at school tomorrow, Ihyun-ah?”
Instead of answering, Cha Ihyun slammed the door shut. Only then did he worry whether hyung might have heard, but he didn’t have the energy to care about such things right now.
As soon as he leaned his back against the closed door, strength drained from his legs. Too many things had happened. The woman who was with hyung, the romantic feelings he faced after seeing that, and even Cha Dobum… Cha Ihyun glared at the laundry basket Cha Dobum had left behind and buried his face deep into his forearm.
“This is so annoying…”
Everything was a mess. But at least he was relieved that he’d put out the urgent fire for now.
***
At a time close to dawn, the school was unusually peaceful.
Without those idiots who couldn’t speak without saying ‘fuck,’ the classroom didn’t smell sour, it was quiet, and the curtains fluttering in the wind were even tasteful.
The window seat at the very back. Cha Ihyun lay sideways on his desk looking out the window.
He’d rushed out of the house as soon as dawn broke. It was because he was worried Cha Dobum would ask to go to school together. It was an embarrassing reason, but it couldn’t be helped. Cha Dobum was the ‘Cha Ihyun barnacle’ that all elementary and middle school classmates would know about.
It started when they were in elementary school.
Elementary schooler Cha Dobum would rush to Cha Ihyun’s classroom as soon as the dismissal bell rang. He wanted to go home together. On the day when the bell sound was omitted due to a broadcast accident, Cha Ihyun’s homeroom teacher finished class upon hearing his footsteps. That wasn’t all. Cha Dobum checked whether Cha Ihyun’s lunch tray was empty every lunch period, and on days when food Cha Ihyun couldn’t eat was served, he’d buy bread and triangle kimbap in bulk and pile them on his desk.
To Cha Ihyun, such things were natural. Ever since they started living in the same house, Cha Dobum had done all sorts of things like laundry and cleaning for him, so bossing him around was natural. But after entering school, he learned that it was ‘excessive.’
‘Why is Cha Dobum so nice to you? My hyung only bullies me all the time.’
‘Did Dobum do something wrong to you? Or are you two playing the king game?’
The teachers also gave him peculiar looks. But after learning about Cha Ihyun’s underlying medical condition, they seemed to accept Cha Dobum’s ‘fussiness.’
‘You said you’re relatives, right? Ihyun is lucky. To have a hyung like Dobum taking care of you.’
Even though they were the same age, Cha Dobum became a hyung because he was big and took good care of things. Even though Cha Ihyun’s birthday was actually earlier.
Of course, he was grateful for the care. Due to his congenitally weak bronchial tubes, he lived attached to medicine and an inhaler, and his body would lie sick with pneumonia for weeks if he caught a cold. Cha Dobum taking care of him was probably ingrained in his body because of that.
But as the grades went up, Cha Dobum became more embarrassing. The gazes of peers gradually shifted from envy to puzzlement. Even if you’re relatives, is it normal to go that far? Isn’t it too much? Everyone whispered.
Up to that point, they were still innocent elementary kids, so to speak. Starting from middle school, awkward situations arose.
Cha Dobum was always at the center of attention. Already well over 180cm tall in middle school, with a physique unsuitable for his peers, teachers would mistake him for an outside instructor and bow their heads in greeting. On top of that, Cha Dobum’s characteristic languid and cocky attitude combined with abundant financial resources was enough to attract the attention of adolescent male students.
Cha Dobum naturally stood at the top. Males, if faced with a completely unapproachable specimen, would feel awe rather than wariness. Even the third-years solidified their position by being friendly with Cha Dobum, and pretty middle school senior girls would wait for Cha Dobum at the school gate every dismissal time.
When that Cha Dobum said he’d only go home with Cha Ihyun, attention inevitably focused on Cha Ihyun.
Well, going home together could be roughly passed off with the reason that they lived in the same house. But volunteering to be a bread errand boy every lunch period saying “I have to buy bread for Ihyun,” and suddenly kneeling down to tie his shoelaces just because Cha Ihyun’s shoelaces were untied—that truly shook the pyramid.
Since they couldn’t say anything to Cha Dobum, the whispers stuck to Cha Ihyun. Just how weak is his body that he can’t even tie his own shoelaces? He’s so fucking dramatic. Seeing how Dobum acts, doesn’t he have a really shitty personality? He makes Dobum do all the laundry too. Crazy. He’s a total princess.
That’s how it was born. Cha Ihyun’s nickname ‘Princess.’
Of course, he tried ignoring it. He tried throwing the bread Cha Dobum bought into the trash can in full view, and he tried ignoring the guy waiting in front of the classroom and walking past. But the bread came back doubled, and he would just follow along going “Cha Ihyuun~ Let’s go together~” until he acknowledged him. Naturally, attention focused even more.
So one day, he even picked a day and hid in the school storage room. For Cha Ihyun, it was quite a drastic measure. It was the first time he’d willingly entered such a filthy place. The hallway was noisy with thumping, but he endured to the end. But not long after, a booming voice flew in from the playground.
‘Cha Ihyun―! Where the fuck are you right now!’
Startled, he looked down from the window to see Cha Dobum yelling at the top of his lungs in the middle of the playground. Saying he’d file a missing person report if he didn’t come out by the count of ten. His voice was so loud it could be heard all the way to the storage room in the corner of the 4th floor.
That day was the day the name Cha Ihyun became widely known to the entire student body.
Knowing he was the type to actually file a report, when he went down fuming, Cha Dobum cheekily asked “Were you playing hide-and-seek?” and giggled. So he told him. To fuck off. To stop acknowledging him at school.
What did Cha Dobum say then? He didn’t remember well, but he thought he scratched his head and suddenly asked if ‘going home together was okay.’ Judging by the fact that he remembered yelling loudly asking how that could be okay.
Surprisingly, Cha Dobum listened well. He didn’t acknowledge him even when they ran into each other in the hallway, and didn’t wait in front of the classroom even when the dismissal bell rang. Though there was one time during a typhoon when he committed the bizarre act of putting a brick in someone else’s backpack. Something about worrying he’d blow away in the wind.
Anyway.
After that, a fairly peaceful school life continued. After entering high school, only a few people knew about the past rumors, and everyone just accepted that the two were relatives living in the same house. It was because the groups the two belonged to were so completely different to begin with.
Though they ended up in the same class as seniors, keeping their distance was smooth sailing. …Until yesterday.
Cha Ihyun sighed deeply. He planned to carefully observe what Cha Dobum really wanted and to what extent he wanted him to acknowledge him throughout today. However, from a bit of a distance. That was also the reason he came to school early today.
‘He didn’t say to come to school together.’
He’s not a kid anymore, so Cha Dobum probably wouldn’t want to go to and from school together every day. That’s what he wanted to believe.
Students started entering the classroom one or two at a time. So model students come to school at this time, he was having such idle thoughts when Lee Taeyang and Jang Jinsu entered side by side. The two people who could be called his ‘friends’ were neither too exemplary nor too mischievous, making them moderately decent to hang out with.
When their eyes met, Lee Taeyang hastily covered his wrist with a surprised face.
“What’s the occasion? Cha Ihyun coming this early.”
While Jang Jinsu approached with a smile, Lee Taeyang seemed busy doing something in the hallway. His wrist was empty when he belatedly entered. As Cha Ihyun’s gaze lingered there, Lee Taeyang hastily intercepted.
“Looks like Ihyun has come to his senses now that he’s a senior.”
“Isn’t it too late to come to your senses in July? And anyway, Cha Ihyun doesn’t need to take the college entrance exam.”
A gaze mixed with envy and jealousy flew at him. Cha Ihyun replied indifferently.
“Who knows. I might fail the practical exam.”
“Hey, as if you’d fail? I heard the music department call you before. Your hyung is close with the music college professors, right? He even had dinner with your parents.”
I don’t like this topic. Cha Ihyun furrowed his brow. But Lee Taeyang, full of bravado, acted pompous as if he himself were Cha Ihyun.
“They say connections are more important than skill in piano. You have to put in some money too. So you have absolutely nothing to worry about…”
BANG―!
At the sudden noise, everyone’s gaze focused on the back door. The face of the person who’d thrown open the door was hidden behind the door frame, but that’s how they could tell who it was.
The classroom became silent in an instant.
