“What did I say?”
“You said there were grades.”
“Grades? No, why is that story suddenly coming up here?”
For those kinds of people, in front of them, I didn’t wear the smile I always wore, and I didn’t use pretty words or nice words. It’s okay if I’m insulted. I can endure schemes targeting me.
But I couldn’t tolerate then, and I can’t tolerate now, when they try to use the members or try to use me to insult the members.
I said to Ka Junjae who was looking at me with a flustered face,
“Do you think Fort and Retro are the same grade as your Grace?”
“What?”
“If you think so, contact me at this number. I’ll convey it directly to the seniors right there on the spot.”
“…”
“That Grace thinks they’re the same grade as Retro and Fort and wants to hang out together. What do you think about that?”
* * *
“How was it today?”
As soon as Ka Jerim arrived home, he met Onseol who happened to be standing near the entrance. Ka Jerim stared blankly at Onseol’s question without any answer, then suddenly staggered toward him and hugged him tightly.
“Jerim-ah?”
Onseol’s eyes widened.
Ka Jerim clung to Onseol like a child, and he who was hugged by Ka Jerim unexpectedly was flustered at first, then soon stopped the hand he had been reaching out to Ka Jerim who was muttering while buried in him.
“It’s hard.”
He was a child who didn’t complain much about things being hard. Onseol’s eyes sank at this child hugging him and muttering as if acting spoiled.
‘Something must have happened.’
But he deliberately didn’t bring it up.
“This is home. Right?”
Ka Jerim had gone to his house today, but he kept thinking of the Abyss dorm. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go to the house where the Abyss members and Fort members were.
The house where Ka Jerim’s family was clearly his own house, but it wasn’t his house.
“You did well.”
Onseol slowly lowered his hand and patted Ka Jerim’s back. If he could give even a little strength to those exhausted shoulders, he could hug him and pat his back any number of times.
‘He won’t tell me about it.’
It had been like that since they first met, but Ka Jerim had so many secrets. He was a child with many wounds, and sometimes he felt like the youngest in the team yet with the most experience, occasionally surprising everyone around him with unpredictable actions.
“You look tired, do you want to go in and sleep?”
“…Thank you, hyung.”
Onseol didn’t want much from such a Ka Jerim. He was grateful just for him approaching like this, one by one, little by little.
When Ka Jerim lifted his head and smiled with difficulty, Onseol lightly grabbed his cheek and shook it, then laughed.
“I’ll kick Seon Hobeom out of the room. Sleep well.”
At those words, Ka Jerim finally burst into a bright smile.
“Yes. I’ll wash up first.”
“Okay. And don’t sleep hugging the chick.”
“Huh?”
‘How does he know that?’
When Ka Jerim opened his eyes wide, Onseol took out his phone from his pocket and showed it. There was a photo of Ka Jerim sleeping with his face buried deeply in the chick doll.
“Eden hyung uploaded it.”
“Wow.”
The photo that Park Eden had just uploaded to Insta today was of Ka Jerim sleeping soundly. Seeing Ka Jerim’s shock at seeing it, Onseol finally smiled brightly at Ka Jerim’s relaxed face.
Just then, Park Eden heard the sound and came out to the living room, and discovered Onseol and Ka Jerim.
“Jerim? When did you arrive?”
“Eden hyung!”
“Huh, why did you bring back the gift as it was…”
“What is this!”
Park Eden was questioning why the gift he gave Ka Jerim had returned home, but soon said with a troubled face as Ka Jerim grabbed him and rattled on about why he uploaded such an ugly photo.
“No. I thought this was, cute.”
“My face is completely squished… I didn’t drool, did I?”
“No, no.”
Park Eden glared at Onseol, but Onseol shrugged his shoulders.
Unaware that Onseol thought it wasn’t bad if Park Eden sacrificed a little to improve Ka Jerim’s mood, Park Eden glared at Onseol saying to wait and see after this was over.
While making such a commotion, the members who had been in their rooms also gathered in the living room one by one.
“Wow. The main culprit who burst our Ari’s head has arrived.”
“Hobeom hyung? What’s Ari’s head?”
“Somehow our Ari originally had a round face, but suddenly its face shape became elongated.”
“Don’t tell me Hobeom hyung’s doll is Ari…?”
Seon Hobeom had quite cherished that Ari, the chick doll. Despite his build, he would brag that it was from a fan and always put it on his room bed.
Knowing that fact, when Ka Jerim apologized with a guilty face, Seon Hobeom was joking around then burst into laughter saying “I can’t even joke with you.”
“Jerim-ah!”
At the same time, Doun approached Ka Jerim with an excited face.
Today, Ma Doun recalled how bored he had been all day. His roommate Onseol only watched strange philosophical movies whose identity was unknown, Seon Hobeom only kept doing SNS.
And even Park Eden who used to play with him well was holed up in his room saying new friends (medicinal herbs) had come after a long time, so no one played with Ma Doun.
“How was today… Ugh.”
Ma Doun opened his mouth. But at that moment, Onseol hit Ma Doun hard.
It happened so suddenly that the members including Ma Doun were flustered and looked at Onseol, the culprit who hit Ma Doun, but only Onseol calmly patted Doun’s clothes and said,
“Ah, sorry. There was a bug on Doun’s shoulder.”
“Really? So Jerim-ah, how was home… Kup.”
“There’s another bug. Strange. Did it lay eggs already? Should I call the exterminator?”
Onseol hit Ma Doun again.
‘Where is there a bug!’
Ma Doun now looked at Onseol with an aggrieved face, but Onseol just whistled and tidied Doun’s clothes.
Finally, when the slightly angry Ma Doun was about to timidly say something to Onseol, Onseol grabbed Jerim and hurriedly said,
“Jerim-ah, go wash up quickly. After you wash, I’ll wash too.”
“Okay.”
While Ka Jerim immediately grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom saying okay, Onseol kept Ma Doun’s mouth firmly shut like a time bomb the entire time.
And when Ka Jerim entered the bathroom and turned on the water, only then did he release the hand that had been shutting Ma Doun’s mouth.
“—Pa. Onseol!”
“Are you saving your sense to use it somewhere?”
“What?”
Ma Doun looked at Onseol asking what he meant. Except for Park Eden who knew his gift had returned, the other members also seemed puzzled, and Onseol continued,
“You know Jerim went home, right? But he didn’t come back in a good mood, he must have had a really hard time.”
“Ah.”
“Director Gye said he’d reconcile with Jerim’s parents this time, but it seems it didn’t go well. So everyone be careful with your words.”
At Onseol’s words, the members nodded saying they understood.
In the midst of that, there was one person with complaints. It was Ma Doun who was making a dying face because of his still stinging shoulder.
“No. You could have gently hinted. But saying there’s a bug and then hitting me hard…”
“Whoa, it’s really a bug.”
While Ma Doun was speaking, Seon Hobeom who was watching him opened his eyes wide and pointed at Ma Doun. Ma Doun flinched at first at that finger-pointing but soon snorted.
“Hey, Seon Hobeom. Don’t lie.”
“It’s real though…”
“Whatever. I’m not falling for it?”
When Ma Doun shrugged his shoulders triumphantly, the members’ reactions were strange. As Ma Doun shrugged his shoulders, the members simultaneously stepped back one step as if avoiding something.
Ma Doun at first thought it might be real, but since he’d been pranked so much usually, he frowned thinking they were joking around again.
“No. Why do you always tease only me? Am I easy?”
“Ma Doun, don’t move.”
Onseol said that while stopping Ma Doun who was trying to approach him. Ma Doun felt aggrieved thinking he was now even being treated like a germ.
“No, when people talk, listen a bit. I’m being serious right now? You all tease me like that and look down on me. Actually, I also—”
“Okay, okay. We’re all sorry so we’ll reflect in our rooms.”
“What?”
“I’m going into the room. Doun-ah, fighting.”
“Hey, hey!”
And as soon as Onseol finished speaking, in an instant the members scattered thoroughly as if they had made a promise and entered their respective rooms.
Ma Doun who was standing blankly hurriedly called the members’ names, but the members had already all entered their rooms.
“Onseol, Seon Hobeom! Even Eden hyung?”
Ma Doun who was grumbling that the joke was going too far also tilted his head for a moment because the members’ reactions were too realistic. That was brief, and Ma Doun hummed saying would he fall for it again as he headed to the kitchen.
“They look down on me. How smart am I. I won’t fall for such bad acting…”
Ma Doun who was speaking hesitated and stopped in front of the mirror he passed by.
“…I definitely won’t.”
Doun’s mind turned incredibly fast at that moment. Even combining all the recent incidents and accidents, it couldn’t turn as fast as now.
‘Did my white hoodie have that pattern?’
Doun’s face turned as white as his white hoodie color. Near the inside of the white hoodie’s arm, something was moving diligently.
And a moment later, Ma Doun who learned the identity of the green lump wriggling on his clothes belatedly screamed and desperately knocked on the doors of the tightly closed members’ rooms.
“…Ah, guys. Save me, guys!!”
It was because he had just discovered the stink bug diligently doing rock climbing.
