“Try breathing. Like you normally do.”
Cha Dobum breathed slowly through his nose as if telling him to follow. When he took a deep breath following him, air miraculously seeped in. He thought it was completely blocked on all sides, but there seemed to be breathing holes somewhere in the helmet. Of course, his breathing became a bit shorter, but there was no major problem.
“You okay?”
When he nodded, Cha Dobum tapped the top of the helmet. As he stood there dazed at the gesture like patting a puppy’s head, soon the sound of the engine starting was heard along with vibration felt below his buttocks.
“Then shall we go? To feed our princess sundae.”
Cha Ihyun, who was looking at the back that filled his entire view, suddenly placed his hand on his chest. Whether it was because of the motorcycle’s vibration, his heart was still pounding.
“Hold on properly. Want to fall backward?”
“Where am I supposed to hold?”
“Hold wherever you want. The butt’s good too. Ah, the thighs are a bit dangerous?”
At the giggling sound, Cha Ihyun stuck in a punch. It was annoying that he didn’t even pretend it hurt. Shaking off his tingling fist, Cha Ihyun awkwardly wrapped his arms around the waist.
The body built with muscle was harder and thicker than it looked. No matter how he held on, rather than the feeling of ‘wrapping’ his arms around, it felt like he was barely hanging onto the back. As he fumbled with his hands trying to find a comfortable position somehow, the chest shook greatly.
“Ah fuck, it’s ticklish as hell.”
Cha Dobum pulled Cha Ihyun’s hands to an appropriate position while giggling.
“Isn’t this pure pervert behavior? Calling me out in the dead of night and groping all over. Did you call me for this?”
Without even a chance to retort, the motorcycle moved. Cha Ihyun, who was on a motorcycle for the first time, tensed up and pressed his body close.
But something was strange.
The motorcycles he had seen on the road all ran while making loud noises. So he had expected that kind of speed, but this motorcycle moved at a speed too ambiguous to call ‘running.’ Rather than a motorcycle, it was more like a scooter, or no, pedaling a bicycle would be faster. The motorcycle that looked much more menacing and sleek than the motorcycles seen on the road crawled along making a rattle-rattle-rattle sound like a sick dog.
Cha Ihyun, whose tension was released, looked around. Since it was a late-hour residential area, there was no one on the road. Moving as if they had rented the empty road made a memory from when he was very young suddenly come to mind. Was it when he was about five, the memory of when he rode a two-person bicycle with his dad for the first time.
The doctor had earnestly urged him to be careful when riding a bicycle, saying that getting hit hard by cold air was dangerous for the bronchial tubes. But his dad, who noticed him looking sullen, would occasionally ride the bicycle together late at night when there was no one on the road.
Was it because that sensation came back to life? He felt strangely excited. No matter how slow it was, the feeling of pushing air backward and moving forward felt good.
“Can’t you go a bit faster?”
Now that he was older, he could control his breathing to some extent. Moreover, since the helmet was blocking the air like this, it didn’t seem like there would be a big problem if they increased the speed a little.
But Cha Dobum had no answer. It seemed he couldn’t hear because of the engine sound, so Cha Ihyun raised his voice.
“I’m telling you to speed up a bit. There’s no one here, why are you going so slowly?”
He definitely must have heard, but still no answer came back.
‘What? Making people feel embarrassed.’
When Cha Ihyun poked his waist as if telling him to answer, an indifferent voice was heard.
“Ah, why do you keep trying to talk to a dirty bastard?”
…What, suddenly?
Both coming out at this time of night and how he had been joking around as usual until just a moment ago, so he thought things from the laundry room had all been resolved. It was absurd.
“Why are you suddenly picking a fight?”
“What am I supposed to do when I suddenly remember and get pissed?”
He knew his moods fluctuated, but he didn’t know it would be to this extent. Does he really have a personality disorder? But he didn’t say that out loud. Moreover, it was his fault too for speaking harshly in anger.
“I’m sorry about that time.”
Even though he endured the embarrassment and apologized, Cha Dobum shut his mouth tightly again. If he’s going to sulk, he should do it consistently, but he didn’t know why he was taking him to the snack bar while obviously showing he was upset like that.
“I said I’m sorry, you little shit.”
“You look so fucking sorry.”
“Were you that angry about it?”
“I was fucking pissed.”
“…But why did you do it?”
“What.”
Cha Ihyun asked hesitantly.
“I pissed you off, but why did you take my side?”
“Because those bastards pissed me off more.”
It was quite a simple answer. But the words that followed didn’t sound so simple.
“You hate that kind of thing. Making dirty jokes.”
“…”
‘I told you not to make such dirty jokes.’
The words he had shot at Cha Dobum in the laundry room came to mind.
It was really strange. Back then he was sincerely angry at Cha Dobum, but now, how should he say it, he felt a bit embarrassed. There were other guys who actually spread dirty words around, but he felt like he had only said something to Cha Dobum for no reason.
But then Cha Dobum suddenly accelerated again and hit the handlebar.
“No fuck, I’m getting pissed again thinking about it. Why the hell is me looking at your armpit sexual harassment?”
“What?”
“And why is it not okay to ask who appeared in your dream? Huh? I can tell you everything from one to ten about who appeared in mine, where and what we did?”
No matter how much there were no people on the road, it was still a residential area. Even if they talked quietly it would be heard, but Cha Dobum’s voice sounded like it would burst. Cha Ihyun buried his face deeply.
“Be quiet…!”
“Should I tell you first? I can tell you really vividly. When was the very first time—”
“I’m not curious so just be quiet!”
Somehow, serious conversation was impossible with Cha Dobum. Just when he thought they might be able to talk, he would inevitably veer off in another direction, and when that happened, he would end up getting angry at Cha Dobum every time.
“Fuck. Always telling me to shut up.”
Cha Dobum grumbled quietly. The mouth slightly reflected in the side mirror was pouting.
When they exited through the back road of the residential area, a bumpy unpaved road continued. The motorcycle that was rattling shook with a slightly larger amplitude. As Cha Dobum stretched one arm backward, Cha Ihyun also pressed his body close.
Looking at the arm that supported his body and then disappeared forward again, Cha Ihyun newly realized that there were more than one or two of Cha Dobum’s actions that seemed ingrained in his body like this. Then a suddenly random thought crossed his mind.
‘Does he do this with his girlfriend too?’
Thinking about it, he had never seen him treat women. He must do this with women too, right? That’s why he met women constantly. …No, wait. Why is that any of my business?
Cha Ihyun, who shook his head vigorously, brought up a different topic.
“What have you been doing lately anyway?”
“Running around doing all sorts of shit here and there. Community service, education, there’s so much fucking stuff to do.”
It seemed he hadn’t been going around meeting women. To think he was really spending time in self-reflection, Cha Dobum looked different.
Just then, vibration sounded from below. It was from Cha Dobum’s back pocket. Light leaked from the phone screen stuck in there.
“You have a call.”
“Leave it.”
It buzzed endlessly to just leave it. Since their bodies were pressed together, it was hard to ignore.
“It keeps ringing? Shouldn’t you answer it?”
“Then answer it for me.”
“How am I supposed to answer it now? Then should I just hang up?”
Cha Ihyun, who took out the phone, hesitated when he saw the letters on the screen.
[Incoming Call: Long-haired Shooting Noona]
This person…
What Baek Seunghoon had made a fuss about, Ferrari noona or whatever, came to mind. And also Cha Dobum who didn’t deny their fuss.
His gaze turned to the clock. It was a bit late to be making a call. Looking closely, back then too it was right in the middle of school time. Cha Ihyun’s eyes grew cold.
Does this person know Cha Dobum is a minor and still do this?
Cha Ihyun, who was glaring at the screen, turned off the power. Not meeting women my ass. A disgruntled remark naturally popped out.
“Is now the time for you to be meeting women?”
“What?”
“Why are you so thoughtless? Even back then. You should have just beaten him with your fists, what were you thinking doing something like that?”
Cha Dobum muttered while cleaning his ear.
“Right. I should’ve hit him a few times.”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m saying use your head before you act.”
“Head? Ah, headbutt?”
Cha Ihyun bit his lip. How could he be so hopeless? While delinquents like Baek Seunghoon and Kim Hoyoung would graduate safely, only Cha Dobum would end up with a middle school education, which was frustrating to death, but the person in question was only saying carefree things.
“I told you to at least graduate safely. …What is this with only you being an idiot.”
