“How sad. Now you won’t even let me see. When you were little, you even let me touch.”
“When did I?! That’s when you touched me on your own!”
“Back then, I was worried with my young heart. You were kind of pale-colored.”
His face reddened, stained with shame. But Cha Dobum asked as if genuinely curious.
“Are you still like that now?”
“Crazy bastard!”
“Wow, amazing. Cha Ihyun curses too?”
“If you’re not leaving, turn around. Before I stab your eyes out.”
“With what? Your finger? Or that—”
“—You crazy lunatic bastard!”
As soon as she saw the direction the finger was pointing, Cha Ihyun shrieked. Cha Dobum burst into loud laughter. Whatever was so funny, he even wiped away tears before obediently turning around. Seeing his shoulders shake intermittently, it seemed the laughter hadn’t subsided yet.
Without taking his eyes off that back, Cha Ihyun lowered his hand. Making his wariness seem pointless, Cha Dobum didn’t look back.
Cha Dobum suddenly muttered.
“I thought there was something wrong because the princess sat all day without going to the bathroom. But it was because you were embarrassed.”
“It’s because it’s dirty.”
“True, it does seem like everyone would stare. If it’s still the same.”
Isn’t that guy really crazy? Not responding, he washed his hands while Cha Dobum still stood facing the door, chattering.
“Keep wrapping it well from now on. If it’s urgent, call me.”
“That won’t happen.”
“You never know about these things, right? If you say to me ‘Dobum-ah, I want to go to the bathroom~’, no wait. Then you’ll say it’s embarrassing again. Just say bathroom. Then I’ll know exactly—”
“I said that won’t happen.”
Cha Ihyun, who had thoroughly washed his hands, approached the door. When he stopped in front of the gatekeeper blocking the door, Cha Dobum finally turned around.
“But you know what. I’m curious about something.”
His attitude was as if he would only move aside if answered. The laughter that had been abundant just moments ago had disappeared without a trace. Cha Ihyun flinched but asked without showing it.
“What now?”
Cha Dobum was silent for a moment. His pitch-black eyes scanned the white body in front of him from head to toe.
The longer the silence continued, the more tense Cha Ihyun became. What exactly was he going to ask, his expression was unusually serious. If it was something that had to be said here, was it something that could only be said when the two were alone? But what would Cha Dobum have to talk about with just me? It was when his thoughts were trailing one after another.
“Have you ever jerked off thinking about Cha Minhyun?”
5 seconds. For exactly 5 seconds, Cha Ihyun’s face, frozen like a still frame, was soon colored with shock, disgust, shame, and irritation moment by moment.
“You crazy… crazy bastard, aren’t you really insane?! Is that the only thing in your head?”
Cha Ihyun, mobilizing all the profanity he knew, repeatedly struck the broad back. He hit down with all his might, thud thud, but somehow only his own fist hurt.
“Why are you suddenly giving me a massage? If you’re going to do it, not there but here—”
“Won’t you shut up?! You really just, just die, you crazy bastard!”
A refreshing sound of laughter echoed in the bathroom. Even after the bell signaling the start of class finished ringing, thumping sounds of blows and mischievous laughter flowed out from inside the tightly closed bathroom.
- Crack
Despite the bathroom incident, daily life afterward flowed unexpectedly smoothly.
Of course, Cha Dobum didn’t stop his strange behavior. That was like Cha Dobum’s passive skill in game terms, so it was impossible for Cha Dobum not to engage in strange behavior.
But humans were animals of adaptation, and the gazes that looked strangely at Cha Dobum and Cha Ihyun gradually subsided. Since they were cousins and even lived together as family, people seemed to accept the odd conversations and relationship between the two.
Cha Dobum would ramble on alone and when he got bored, he’d sleep while snoring, and on some days he’d leave his seat empty for hours at a time. After that repeated a few times, he noticed he left his seat at specific times, but Cha Ihyun didn’t bother asking. He only guessed from seeing him come back reeking of cigarette smoke each time.
At this point, it became clear. Cha Dobum’s ‘acting like he knows him’ just meant not treating him like a stranger.
After that, Cha Dobum neither threatened him by bringing up his weakness nor made unreasonable demands. Naturally, Cha Ihyun’s guard also lowered.
“D-Day, who wrote this? In which senior year classroom would they be counting down to vacation D-Day instead of the college entrance exam D-Day? Huh?”
Cha Ihyun looked at the blackboard. It felt like they’d only just started wearing summer uniforms, but vacation was already in 2 weeks. While screams erupted here and there at the college entrance exam D-Day the homeroom teacher was writing, to Cha Ihyun, that number was a countdown to adulthood.
He wanted to become an adult quickly. An adult who could walk the same campus as hyung, eat at the restaurants hyung goes to, and study with hyung at the library during exam periods.
“The cleaning duty students should wipe even the window frames thoroughly before leaving. And Cha Ihyun, follow me to the teachers’ office for a moment.”
Cha Ihyun nodded quietly. He knew the homeroom teacher would call him about attendance issues. If Cha Dobum had been there, he would have persistently asked why he was being called, but fortunately, the desk next to him had been empty since 5th period.
As he was about to leave the classroom following the homeroom teacher, Lee Taeyang grabbed him from behind.
“Hey hey, Ihyun-ah. Are you going to wear that today?”
He seemed to be talking about the windbreaker hanging on the chair. Since he disliked air conditioning, he would carry something to put on even in midsummer, but he had no intention of wearing it today. When he shook his head, Lee Taeyang’s eyes lit up.
“Then can you lend it to me? I’m meeting my girlfriend this afternoon.”
“Wear it.”
“Awesome! As expected, only Ihyun saves my swag. I’ll wear it cleanly!”
Lee Taeyang immediately ran to the mirror and put on the windbreaker. The sight of him grinning down at the logo embedded on one arm was familiar.
Lee Taeyang borrowed things often. It was a bit annoying, but other than that, he wasn’t bothersome and Cha Ihyun didn’t need them anyway, so he lent his things freely. It was a way of maintaining the relationship. Lee Taeyang and Jang Jinsu were decent enough guys to finish the last year of his school days smoothly.
Cha Ihyun, who arrived at the teachers’ office, approached the homeroom teacher. As he sat next to him, as expected, absence notification documents were spread out.
“Here and here. Sign wherever it says student signature section.”
“Yes.”
“But where does Cha Dobum go every afternoon?”
“Pardon?”
When he answered half a beat late at the suddenly appearing name, a gaze telling him to answer honestly followed. But all Cha Ihyun knew was that he came back reeking of cigarette smoke after going out.
“I don’t know either.”
“You’re family and you don’t even know that?”
Even though he answered honestly, the homeroom teacher looked at him as if he were a strange person. Holding back the urge to ask back ‘You’re the homeroom teacher and you don’t know either?’, Cha Ihyun smiled awkwardly.
“Ask him later. He won’t say anything bad. He won’t lie to you since you’re family.”
“…Yes.”
“That bastard Cha Dobum is going to end up not even being able to go to college at this rate. You should look after him since you’re family, shouldn’t you?”
Wouldn’t it be fortunate if he can even graduate? Only thinking that inwardly, he nodded obediently and soon the nagging ended.
“Alright. On your way, drop this off at the music preparation room.”
Though it was in the completely opposite direction, Cha Ihyun took the envelope without showing it. Hyung had said so. When you’re a student, it’s wise to stay on teachers’ good sides.
The music preparation room was at the back of the building. As he entered the secluded corridor where special classrooms were gathered, the surroundings instantly became quiet. It was when Cha Ihyun was walking, enjoying the stillness.
“Ah, kind of a waste. Doesn’t it go fucking well with me?”
“Stop talking shit and turn around. I need to send a wearing shot.”
The voices coming from somewhere were familiar. Cha Ihyun turned his head. The classroom door was slightly open.
“How much did it sell for?”
“Eighty. Now take it off.”
“Fuck. Acting so generous when it’s not even his.”
“Why not? It’s mine now.”
“Wow, Lee Taeyang’s character is total garbage, right?”
It was indeed Jang Jinsu and Lee Taeyang. Cha Ihyun’s eyes sank coldly. The conversation continued.
“Right. How much did the watch sell for?”
“They said they could only give four hundred without the certificate. So I’m going to wear it a bit before selling.”
The image of Lee Taeyang hiding his wrist a few days ago came to mind. A hollow laugh came out. He’d thought it suited him quite well, but it seemed he was wrong this time too.
“Just in case, leave the watch alone. What if he asks for it back later?”
“What are you talking about? As if that would happen. Rich people can’t even remember when things like this go missing anyway. And you don’t know about this? The Cha Ihyun one million won incident.”
‘The Cha Ihyun one million won incident.’ He didn’t know it had even been given such an official name.
It was when he was in elementary school. A field trip to Jeju Island was scheduled, and the cost was roughly around one million won. Even in a new city, there were bound to be families burdened by the cost. Cha Ihyun’s desk mate at the time was like that.
‘I’m not going. I hate riding planes.’
His desk mate said that, but he knew he’d been incredibly excited until he heard the price. Not understanding, when he told his big aunt, she felt sorry, saying ‘the price must be burdensome.’
