“So I got mad, like, what are you talking about, he’s Dobum’s little brother? I said there’s no way it’s Cha Ihyun—”
“It’s definitely Cha Ihyun. If you’re talking about Saturday.”
At Cha Dobum’s voice, Cha Ihyun pressed his lips tightly shut. Meanwhile, Baek Seunghoon’s voice grew louder as if excited.
“Ah, really? Ha…… What do I do about this?”
“Why?”
“Well, Yang Gitae said this. At the place where he works, there’s someone famous as a huge spender, and the man who got in the driver’s seat looked exactly like that big spender no matter how he looked at it.”
It was ridiculous nonsense. Even Cha Dobum would know that from there on, it was false rumors mixed with lies. However, Cha Dobum only encouraged Baek Seunghoon’s excitement with a reaction of “Hmm, really?”
“But actually, what that big spender is more famous for……”
Even though he’d lowered his voice considerably, it all reached Cha Ihyun’s ears outside the hallway.
“He’s super famous for sugar daddy arrangements.”
A hollow laugh flowed from Cha Ihyun’s mouth. Following the rumor that ‘Cha Ihyun is an orphan living off Cha Dobum’s family,’ they seemed to have made their own speculations about what came after.
He knew how rumors were inflated in a place called school. Still, he hadn’t expected rumors like this to spread…….
If it was Yang Gitae from Class 5, he was an even worse quality guy than Kim Hoyoung and Baek Seunghoon. If that bastard had been babbling about it, it was safe to say the rumor had already spread throughout the school over the weekend.
Cha Ihyun barely moved his heavy legs and leaned his back against the hallway wall. Half of him didn’t want to dirty his ears further, and half of him wanted to know exactly what rumors had spread and how far.
“Yang Gitae said he watched just to be sure. Because even so, he thought surely they wouldn’t do it so blatantly with him even wearing a school uniform. But that man opened the passenger door for him, patted his head, and it was just crazy.”
Cha Dobum’s laughter could be heard. Why is he laughing? Cha Ihyun bit down hard on the inside of his lip.
Suddenly, he recalled the message that had come from Cha Dobum that day. He hadn’t understood the meaning of those congratulations then, but now he somehow seemed to know.
‘……Even though he knows it’s not like that.’
Or not. Does Cha Dobum think I really did something with hyung? So even though he knows it’s not sugar daddy arrangements or anything like that, he’s just staying quiet.
Then is Cha Dobum sneering at me? Because it’s funny that I, who did dirty things too, called him dirty? The more he continued his thoughts, the more he could taste blood from inside his lip.
“You won’t believe it, but it’s true. Yang Gitae said the car was the same too. It’s a car model that’s rare in Korea, so it’s definitely that big spender.”
“The white Levante?”
“Whoa, h-how did you know?”
“We live in the same house, so I’d know, right?”
At the meaningful words, Baek Seunghoon was shocked.
“House? Wow…… Don’t tell me he dropped him off in front of the house?”
“That bastard does that kind of thing all the time.”
The sound of swallowing could be heard. Even without looking into the classroom, he seemed to see the classroom atmosphere. No one would be looking at the back of the classroom, but everyone would definitely be lending an ear to this story. Even Kim Hoyoung, who had been keeping quiet, asked in a serious voice.
“Crazy, wow…… Dobum-ah, then have you seen that man too?”
“Who. That fucking bastard doing sugar daddy arrangements?”
It was shocking. He couldn’t believe Cha Dobum was just listening to that kind of thing, but even more, that he was actually encouraging it further.
Only then did Cha Ihyun realize the reason he hadn’t been able to take a step. He had believed that Cha Dobum would say it wasn’t true. No matter how much he’d gotten angry and cursed at him, he still believed Cha Dobum was on his side. It had been planted so deep inside for such a long time that he hadn’t even realized it himself.
‘Why……’
Why did I think he’d naturally take my side?
Even if they were family, he hadn’t been that close with Cha Dobum to begin with. His chin trembled at his own groundless conceit and foolishness. No, more than that, his hatred toward Cha Dobum was greater. Resentment colored his chest—how could you do this to me?
“But. Who said they saw it?”
“Huh? Oh, Yang Gitae. He said it’d be fucked if he got caught working part-time so it’s a secret, but most of the kids who know probably all know. We just hushed it up because he’s your little brother, Dobum.”
“Who are the kids who know?”
“Uh…… Hey Kim Hoyoung. Which classes came to last week’s game?”
“Class 5 and Class 3? Almost everyone came.”
“Don’t worry, Dobum-ah. I’ll tell the kids to keep their mouths shut well since you know about it too, Dobum.”
Far from keeping mouths shut, the rumor verified by Cha Dobum would obviously become fact and spread around. Baek Seunghoon now even gave advice in a worried voice.
“Dobum, you’re relatives anyway, so tell him well. To be careful.”
“Careful of what?”
“Well, Cha Ihyun is kinda pale and looks like that, you know. Yang Gitae said at their bar too, guys flock to that type.”
For advice, it was a tone that felt subtly snickering. He could tell what kind of imagination they were making in the back. Was it because he’d unconsciously put strength in his eyes—the floor seemed to shake slightly.
Cha Ihyun raised his head. He hadn’t done anything wrong, so there was no reason to cry. Moreover, there was no reason to be eavesdropping like this either.
Just as he was about to enter the classroom defiantly, Cha Dobum’s loud laughter rang out.
“Wow, you guys talked about that kind of thing among yourselves too?”
“Of course! No matter what, he’s your relative, Dobum, so we’re worried!”
Between Baek Seunghoon’s voice, some sound could be heard. It was a sound like a zipper going ziiip— opening.
“That sugar daddy fucking bastard, he plays really dirty. If you hear to what extent, even you’ll be shocked, Dobum.”
“Me? I know well.”
“Huh? Really? You know who that bastard is too?”
“Of course.”
Click. Only after hearing the following sound could Cha Ihyun infer what that sound had been.
It was a pencil case. Someone opened a pencil case,
“Because that fucking bastard seems to be my hyung.”
And it was the sound of pressing down a mechanical pencil tip.
After a brief silence, Baek Seunghoon asked “What?” in a dumbfounded voice.
“The story about my little brother who’s pale and looks ‘like that,’ is that all done?”
It was still a voice full of laughter. The moment Cha Ihyun whipped his head around thinking no way, an ear-piercing scream burst out.
His legs, which hadn’t budged, moved quickly. When he entered the classroom, the scene he’d hoped against hope was spread out before his eyes.
Baek Seunghoon’s jaw was roughly grabbed as he opened his mouth like a clamshell. The moment he saw the thumb firmly holding down the tongue, and the mechanical pencil stuck right above it, Cha Ihyun covered his mouth.
Baek Seunghoon, whose tongue was pierced, had his pupils unfocused. Unable to close his mouth due to the forcefully prying grip, he only let out bizarre moans like “Ugh, aeh……”
“Say it again. What flocks?”
At the innocent question, Baek Seunghoon’s eyes fumbled toward Cha Dobum. Watching tears stream from both reddened eyes, Cha Dobum grinned.
“Why the fuck can’t you talk?”
Click—the moment he pushed the mechanical pencil lead in one more time, Baek Seunghoon convulsed. The blood that had been trickling slowly was now pooled full in his mouth and dripping down below his chin.
The classroom had no sound, no movement, as if time had stopped. Confronted with the abnormal scene before their eyes, everyone had frozen, unable to even think of running away.
The moment his eyes met with Baek Seunghoon’s, a moan leaked from Cha Ihyun’s mouth. The eyes shaking in shock turned toward the ceiling and soon disappeared behind the eyelids.
The moment Cha Dobum pulled the mechanical pencil out from the tongue, a scream burst out from nearby. It was Kim Hoyoung. Kim Hoyoung, who had staggered backward and fallen to the floor, urgently shouted the moment he saw the figure take one step toward him.
“I-I-I didn’t say anything! Th-that time too, I…… I just, I just listened!”
“You just listened?”
Cha Dobum climbed on top of Kim Hoyoung while spinning the mechanical pencil in his hand. Kim Hoyoung’s face turned ashen at the shadow cast over him.
“R-really, D-Do, huk, Dobum-ah, I, I just listened……”
Cha Dobum, who grabbed the trembling chin and turned it to the side, raised his other arm. The mechanical pencil that had been spinning in his hand was now held upside down like a knife. Click—the sound came from the mechanical pencil once more.
“So I’m not trying to pierce that earhole right now.”
Cha Ihyun squeezed his eyes shut. At the sound of something thrusting down pak—, his fingers covering his eyes flinched.
Kim Hoyoung sobbed breathlessly. At the sound that was different in quality from the scream Baek Seunghoon had let out, when he opened his eyes slightly, he saw the mechanical pencil stuck in the floor right next to Kim Hoyoung’s ear. The mechanical pencil, stuck into the floor so deep that the sharp metal part wasn’t visible, would have pierced straight through Kim Hoyoung’s eardrum if it hadn’t missed.
That’s when Kim Hoyoung struggled as if in a frenzy. Like a crazy person, he twisted his body and escaped from Cha Dobum, then ran straight out of the classroom. Or rather, he tried to, but his legs gave out and he collapsed in front of the door. His crotch was soaked dark.
Nevertheless, Kim Hoyoung’s figure continuing to crawl outside became a signal flare. The stopped classroom became noisy in an instant, starting with someone’s scream. Without distinction of who was first, they pushed chairs and shoved each other to run out of the classroom, and sobs mixed with curses and screams filled with terror burst out here and there.
In that commotion, Cha Dobum pulled out the mechanical pencil stuck in the floor and stood up.
“T-teacher, we should get……”
The class president, who had been muttering, clamped his mouth shut. But as if he hadn’t heard that, Cha Dobum passed Kim Hoyoung and walked out to the hallway.
