# Chapter 50
After sending a text message to Kwon Dojin and putting my phone in my pocket, Kang Jinwoo turned to look at me.
“By the way, why are you here alone?”
“I’m earning some pocket money. I was told I’d get paid if I organized those boxes.”
“Ah-.”
Kang Jinwoo, who was looking at the remaining boxes, suddenly began walking toward them. Curious about what he was going to do, I quietly watched as he began opening the boxes and organizing their contents one by one.
“Sunbae?”
“Since you helped me, I should help you too. Let’s organize quickly and finish.”
There was no reason to refuse his help, so I quickly went to his side. Whenever Kang Jinwoo picked up an item, I gestured to show him where it should be placed.
Partly because I had been moving leisurely, but also because we were working together, the amount of items to organize decreased rapidly.
“Has anything unusual happened to you lately?”
“What kind of unusual things?”
When we were down to just one box, Kang Jinwoo broke the silence. I wasn’t sure if I had been living peacefully lately, but there hadn’t been any major incidents, so I tilted my head.
“Tsk, judging by your reaction, you seem fine. Though that shouldn’t be possible-.”
I looked up at Kang Jinwoo as he effortlessly lifted and organized bundles of drinks that I couldn’t carry in one go. He spoke easily while moving around, not seeming tired at all.
“Did you know that Kwon Dojin and Ji Haecheon don’t get along?”
“Ah-, yes. You know too, Sunbae?”
“It would be strange not to know. They’re always at each other’s throats.”
Kang Jinwoo muttered that everyone connected to the rankings knew about it as he opened the refrigerator door and filled it with drinks. I stood up with both hands full of lightweight paper cups.
“But what does Kwon Dojin and Ji Haecheon’s bad relationship have to do with me?”
It’s their business, not related to me. Unless I had some connection to Ji Haecheon too, which I don’t.
“Ji Haecheon is kind of… bad-natured, you could say…”
Kang Jinwoo trailed off as he finished putting down the bundles of drinks he was holding. After carefully closing the refrigerator door, he approached me as I was placing paper cups on the shelf by the counter.
“It seems like he has some kind of subtle inferiority complex toward Kwon Dojin.”
“Inferiority complex? Ji Haecheon has an inferiority complex toward Kwon Dojin?”
Rank 1 having an inferiority complex toward Rank 2? Why?
I must have unintentionally shown my incomprehension on my face. Kang Jinwoo caught my gaze and burst out laughing.
“What’s with that expression? I want to take a picture and show you.”
“I’ll politely decline.”
“Sure.”
Kang Jinwoo naturally reached out and ruffled my hair. It felt like people were unusually quick to touch my hair. I pouted as I combed through my tangled hair with my fingers.
“Anyway, so what about it?”
“Ah, right. Would it be correct to say he has a desire to possess everything that Kwon Dojin has? I think he even entered the rankings about a month after Kwon Dojin did.”
This was a fact I didn’t know, so my interest was piqued. I hadn’t had much contact with Ji Haecheon, so I didn’t know much about him either.
“Kwon Dojin never told me that, so it’s interesting.”
“It would be ridiculous if Rank 1 admitted having an inferiority complex toward Rank 2. That’s why everyone keeps quiet about it. But I wonder why Kwon Dojin didn’t tell you.”
Hearing this, I nodded as it made sense, and Kang Jinwoo chuckled. There was no way he could know Kwon Dojin’s psychology. Even I, who had been constantly with him for the past few months, didn’t properly understand the person that was Kwon Dojin.
“So why would anything happen to me?”
“It’s complicated to mess with Kwon Dojin in various ways… I said he has a desire to possess what Kwon Dojin has, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.”
What does that have to do with me?
I frowned at his roundabout way of speaking, which was frustrating. Kang Jinwoo looked at me and shook his head.
“People say I’m dumb, but you seem even worse?”
“…I’m good at studying, you know?”
“This kind of intelligence is different from book smarts.”
Kang Jinwoo tapped his head, saying “tok tok.” Since this was also true, I decided to stay quiet.
“That desire wouldn’t disappear just because it’s a person. If anything, it would be stronger than for an object.”
I opened my lips as I had never thought of it that way, and Kang Jinwoo burst out laughing. He said my expression was worth seeing and didn’t easily stop laughing. Wondering if my face was really that funny, I touched it with my hand, which only made his already loud laughter even louder.
“Hah, even laughing is tiring.”
“Then don’t laugh.”
“Are you upset?”
“No.”
As I pretended to be busy by rummaging through the already organized items, Kang Jinwoo tapped the top of my head. I’m not sure how many times he had tapped it already.
“You are upset.”
“…Let’s say that’s the case.”
Doesn’t he know you shouldn’t ask someone who’s really upset if they’re upset? Of course, I’m absolutely not upset.
“Anyway, there’s probably a history.”
“What kind of history?”
“A history of Ji Haecheon taking away someone Kwon Dojin cherished.”
“People aren’t objects, so saying ‘taking away’ is a bit…”
“That’s just a figure of speech.”
Even though I was the one who pointed it out, I didn’t find a suitable alternative expression, so I nodded somewhat reluctantly. Suddenly, I was reminded of my past dislike for Korean language studies.
“So be careful. You never know when or where Ji Haecheon might make a move on you.”
“When I’m outside my house, I spend almost all of my time with Kwon Dojin, so I don’t think there would be time for me to get involved with Ji Haecheon.”
No matter how I thought about it, there was no gap for Ji Haecheon to approach me. Especially since we attended different schools, it was even more unlikely. My calculation must have been clearly visible on my face because Kang Jinwoo clicked his tongue and flicked my forehead.
“Ow!”
“You’re thinking too simplistically. Wake up.”
I moaned, “Nng,” and rubbed my forehead where there was a lingering pain.
“Stop exaggerating. Anyway, I’ve told you everything, so let’s finish organizing the rest of the stuff. There’s not much left.”
“It’s ending earlier than I expected. Thanks for helping.”
Only then did I realize that we hadn’t finished organizing the items, so I moved away from the counter.
“I received help first, so it’s only fair.”
“Still, you didn’t have to help.”
“That’s because I’m not an ungrateful bastard.”
Following Kang Jinwoo, I sat down in front of the box and took out snacks from the nearly empty box, holding them in my arms. Kang Jinwoo, who carried even more at once than I did, stood up briskly and headed towards the shelf where the snacks were displayed.
“But why does a pool hall have so many snacks and drinks?”
“People eat and drink while waiting for their turn, things like that.”
“Is billiards fun?”
“Playing is fun, but waiting and losing aren’t fun.”
“That’s true for all games.”
We chatted idly while organizing the items neatly. The pool hall was particularly quiet when we weren’t talking, and the simple repetitive work was also boring.
If I had done it alone, I would have moved leisurely due to laziness and finished late, but thanks to Kang Jinwoo’s help, we finished quickly. After dismantling the empty boxes and placing them in the recycling area, I took out the phone I had put in my pocket.
What greeted me wasn’t the standby screen but a call from Kwon Dojin. Since I had my phone on silent, I hadn’t noticed the incoming call and was momentarily flustered, but I moved my finger to press the call button.
“Hello-“
[Are you hurt anywhere? Why aren’t you answering the phone?]
Among other things, he also asked if I was really okay, and with so many words pouring out, I was stunned. As I was stammering, unable to respond properly, Kang Jinwoo naturally approached and took the phone from my hand.
“I was the one being chased, so Lee Habin is fine.”
[…Kang Jinwoo?]
“Yeah.”
[Is he really unharmed?]
“Should I send you a photo?”
“I’d rather not.”
Kwon Dojin’s voice was loud enough to be heard through the speaker, so I calmly listened to their conversation while trying to calm my surprised heart. But the moment the topic of photos came up, I quickly interjected.
“That’s what he says.”
[As long as he’s safe, that’s fine. Please give the phone to Habin.]
Before Kwon Dojin finished speaking, Kang Jinwoo handed the phone back to me. The phone that had looked so small in Kang Jinwoo’s hand returned to its regular size in mine. I had been thinking about it all day, but Kang Jinwoo really had big hands.
“Hello?”
[Habin-ah, how did you end up with Kang Jinwoo?]
As soon as I answered the phone, something resembling a nagging flowed out. Explaining the circumstances of being with Kang Jinwoo would be lengthy, and if I told the truth, I would likely be scolded for doing something dangerous, so I maintained an appropriate silence.
[You’re really not hurt, right?]
Realizing that I had no intention of speaking, Kwon Dojin sighed and asked about my well-being again.
“Yeah. I’m healthy.”
This was something I could say without hesitation. Unlike before, when I promptly answered, Kwon Dojin let out a hollow laugh.
[It’s fortunate that this time passed without incident, but from now on, don’t get involved in dangerous situations. I’m afraid you might get hurt, Habin.]
There wasn’t much I could say in the face of a voice that seemed to gently soothe while also pleading. It was true that I had voluntarily put myself in danger this time.
“I can’t promise, but I’ll try. My own safety is important to me too.”
[Yes, that’s enough.]
After that, we continued with some small talk since it seemed awkward to hang up immediately. Of course, it didn’t last long, perhaps because Kwon Dojin was busy.
Kang Jinwoo, who had been leaning against the wall until my phone call with Kwon Dojin ended, looked at me with narrowed eyes. His expression suggested he had a lot to say, so I tilted my head slightly.
“At this point, aren’t you two dating?”
“Ah that, you’re still misunderstanding. I told you we’re not.”
When I firmly denied it, Kang Jinwoo showed a puzzled expression.
“He cares this much about you even though you’re not dating?”
“It’s probably because I’m a civilian.”
I murmured weakly with a sigh, as it was an misunderstanding I was tired of explaining. However, Kang Jinwoo still didn’t withdraw his suspicions, seemingly not finding my explanation credible.
“Is this one of those secret relationships that’s so secret even the parties involved don’t know about it?”
“Ah! We’re really not!”
Anyway, we’re not, really!
