“…What?”
At the sudden attack directed at him, Huiseo’s eyebrows shot up, and the guys around them who had been listening to their unusual atmosphere looked at Donghyeon with shocked gazes. However, Donghyeon seemed to gain more strength from those gazes and continued.
“You think I don’t know? You kept going to the PE teacher and pushed that bastard Lee Hwan.”
There were more than a few listening ears around. It was a bombshell statement made in the midst of them.
‘Is he doing this on purpose?’
Huiseo put strength into both eyes to keep from showing a wavering expression. Thinking that if he hesitated here he’d be pushed back, Huiseo forced out a laugh that said “Ha,” how absurd. He made an effort not to forget composure in the voice he spat out afterward as well.
“Does the PE teacher do everything you say? By that logic, why didn’t you go and say something yourself?”
Then afterward, as if he’d forgotten, he even clapped his hands.
“Ah, you did say something and got in, right?”
So conversely, Donghyeon’s face turned bright red. Not missing that opening, just as Donghyeon had done, Huiseo sneered for everyone to hear.
“You got in by speaking up, so why are you picking a fight after getting in? Why? Wasn’t yesterday actually fun?”
He asked with an innocent face.
Donghyeon found himself at a loss for words at that moment. It was so irritating, but the problem was that it wasn’t wrong either to argue against. Because of that, while he was only chewing on his lower lip for a moment, the murmuring of the other guys newly rang loud in his ears. The gazes that had given him strength moments ago now all felt like they were mocking him.
Ridiculously, he became unbearably embarrassed because of this guy’s single statement.
This wasn’t a guy who was called smart for nothing—there seemed to be no way to win with words.
He felt like running away, but his legs had stiffened and he stood alone facing the rushing shame. He wanted to pretend to be composed in his own way too, but it was at that moment when his tightly clenched fist was trembling unconcealed. In his eyes, Huiseo’s lips standing opposite seemed to briefly curve upward.
‘Was it my imagination?’
It was so brief he couldn’t be certain.
However, it clearly drove the last step of Donghyeon, whose feelings were already cornered on the edge of a cliff. With no more room behind him, Donghyeon’s eyes blazed and he finally raised his hand to the worst means.
Of course, even that was immediately caught pathetically by Hwan, who was standing behind Huiseo.
Hwan, who grabbed Donghyeon’s arm, glared at him with bloodshot eyes that seemed to spark flames and muttered lowly.
“This bastard, has he lost his mind?”
His earlier action seemed to have provoked Hwan, who was behind him this time.
“How dare you try to hit someone right now?”
Then as strength entered Hwan’s grip, Donghyeon’s brow soon creased. He tried to shake it off by putting in his own strength, but he was no match at all. The ignorant one only has strength! No matter how much Donghyeon clenched his teeth, far from being shaken off, it only tightened more and he could no longer pretend otherwise.
“…Ugh!”
A pathetic groan burst out from between Donghyeon’s lips.
‘This won’t do.’
Huiseo wasn’t pleased with this structure.
In the blink of an eye it became a fight between Hwan and Donghyeon again, so Huiseo, who’d snapped to his senses, grabbed Hwan’s arm. Even if there was a fight, it had to be with him. After all the aggro he’d drawn. A fight with Hwan was absolutely not allowed.
Seeing the other party’s hand go up too, there was no more recourse now. Wasn’t that the worst behavior of a cornered human? With that judgment, Huiseo hurriedly looked at Donghyeon and spoke.
“It seems better for both of us to stop here.”
If they went any further, Hwan would also be criticized for fighting, but it would be hard for Donghyeon to see a good outcome either. As Huiseo had shouted earlier, the matter of ‘hitting a prince’ would cause no less of a headache. If they persisted further and Hwan happened to get hit by a swinging hand? Then there would be no escape.
‘You don’t want that, do you?’
Huiseo compelled him with his eyes.
But Donghyeon’s thoughts seemed a bit different.
‘If I stop here, I’m the only one who gets beaten up.’
These guys would stick together as usual, giggling and going around just fine, while only he would have to endure the murmuring alone—the thought made him feel wronged. Resentful. He couldn’t stand how much he hated them.
Even Jeong Huiseo’s attitude, as if telling him to leave while he was still being nice, got on his nerves. Looking at how quiet he was being, really, this guy was worse than Hwan. Just because he studied well and got some affection from the teachers, he tried to swing things around as he pleased. He should know moderation, but this guy didn’t.
What’s so great about being a prince, and what are you anyway?
“…Just the son of a eunuch at best.”
Donghyeon finally spat out such words that had been raging in his chest and sneered at Huiseo.
***
“What?”
At the utterly unexpected, bewildering words that came back, Huiseo looked at Donghyeon for a moment, unable to close his mouth. What did he just say? His disbelief could be felt from the other guys around them who held their breath as well.
It was none other than Hwan who broke that coldly settled silence.
“This crazy bastard, just because your mouth is open doesn’t mean you can say whatever…!”
Enraged, Hwan grabbed Donghyeon by the collar.
Just the son of a eunuch, he said.
Just the son of a eunuch!
It was so hard to even put in his mouth again that Hwan helplessly moved his lips.
Through the imperial modernization work, the word ‘eunuch’ had long since disappeared.
Eunuch originally referred to a position that served the emperor closely, but in modern times, eunuch had come to mean ‘castrated official,’ in other words, the meaning of ‘castrated man’ had become too strongly established. In the old days, castration was indeed an essential element to becoming a eunuch, but in modern times there was no need for that at all, and such cases no longer existed.
They were all collectively called palace attendants, could commute to and from work, and could even form families and have children outside the palace.
Huiseo’s father held a high position as Chief Secretary among them.
Yet bringing up the past name of ‘eunuch’ was clearly meant to hurt Huiseo.
‘Your father isn’t a castrated man, is he?’
‘Then how were you born?’
‘You weren’t picked up from somewhere, were you?’
When they were young, there were often cases when less-developed little demons would nonchalantly spout such devastating words. Each time, Huiseo responded with a contemptuous gaze, but those bad words must have stuck in his small chest. Being a smart kid at that, there was no way he couldn’t understand or could easily forget.
Fortunately, as their heads grew, didn’t they learn about ‘words that shouldn’t be said’?
So he thought he wouldn’t hear it anymore.
Yet such a devastating thing happened once again.
If such words, no, even worse words, had been said to himself instead, he wouldn’t have been this angry. But to say it to Huiseo. How could he say such things without changing his expression even once? He trampled on both Huiseo’s father and Huiseo, making them seem pathetic.
Unable to forgive that, Hwan clenched his fist tight.
Storm-like emotions raged inside him.
Huiseo said he shouldn’t, said it was the worst action, but he absolutely couldn’t bear it without at least planting a fist in this guy’s face right now. Look at that smug grinning face. He thought he was practically begging to be hit.
However, the reason Hwan ultimately didn’t swing his fist was also because of Huiseo.
Because he knew that wasn’t what Huiseo wanted.
Honestly, his insides were boiling and churning over, but Hwan recalled once more the words Huiseo had earnestly urged him with, and he too gave a bitter smile. Right, what Huiseo had allowed him was only his ‘mouth.’ Then he had no choice but to fight using that.
“Whose son of a high-ranking official are you? Is your father the Prime Minister or a Minister or something?”
Having a father who was the Emperor helped at times like this.
“Hm? Tell me. What does your father do? Let’s trace your lineage.”
Hwan asked, pulling the collar he held as if choking Donghyeon’s neck. Actually, even harsher words kept surging up his throat, but that was the most refined statement he could manage with his remaining reason.
Go ahead and sneer at me too—Hwan watched Donghyeon, thinking that if he did, he’d pull out and threaten him with something like the nominal, obsolete law of ‘lèse-majesté.’ So his father must not be a Prime Minister or Minister, as Donghyeon seemed somewhat intimidated and avoided Hwan’s gaze.
It was the most pathetic sight he’d shown so far. He was just thinking about whether to laugh at him thoroughly.
“Let’s go.”
The one who broke the silence between the two was none other than Huiseo.
“Huiseo.”
“He’s too ignorant to even deal with. Your Highness, please don’t bother with him either.”
“……”
Cutting it off so definitively, Huiseo pulled Hwan’s arm.
Even the class bell that rang just then seemed to urge him on.
Hwan, who wanted to humiliate Donghyeon a bit more, hesitated a bit, reluctant to back down like this, but soon discovered the shadow cast over Huiseo’s eyes. Seeing that, how could he not comply with the words to go? He was angry, but still Huiseo came first for Hwan.
Though he said it that way, he might have wanted to quickly escape this place. Looking around, there were more than a few gazes directed at them. Those mouths attached below would surely chatter busily about today’s story. With such thoughts, Hwan, who ultimately frowned, released the strength from the hand holding Donghyeon.
Confirming that sight, Huiseo gave the guy one look with a cold gaze, then turned around first and headed to the classroom.
Following such Huiseo from behind, Hwan left a warning to Donghyeon.
“Today’s matter, we’ll talk about it again later.”
Donghyeon smirked and laughed as if it was funny, saying there was never a scary “wait and see,” but Hwan ground his teeth, vowing to make him shed tears of blood on that face soon.
***
As Hwan expected, the rumor spread in an instant.
Including that devastating word Donghyeon had let out of his mouth, entirely intact.
Having recently moved to the very front seat, with everyone staring and murmuring from behind, the back of his head stung. If he knew it, how could Huiseo not know? Hwan watched Huiseo’s mood very carefully from the seat next to him.
Despite such an incident, Huiseo sat upright and was listening to class composedly.
That really hurt his heart.
It felt like it was his fault too.
Thinking that way, suddenly wanting to cry, Hwan pressed down and endured it, pretending to be composed like Huiseo beside him. That state continued until class was completely over. Full of wanting to quickly return to the palace and comfort Huiseo, Hwan grabbed Huiseo’s hand and escaped the classroom as if fleeing.
‘So he can’t think of other things, I’ll hug him tightly.’
‘I’ll spout curses at that bastard until Huiseo waves his hand saying he’s sick of it.’
‘We’ll put our heads together and chatter all night about how to get revenge.’
There was so much to do.
His quick steps, matching his impatient heart, were striding toward the parking lot.
But at that moment, some message arrived on Hwan’s phone.
Hwan, who checked that message, momentarily doubted his own eyes.
‘…Choi Yuwon?’
