Eighteen
Seo Eunho was a student with many problems in various ways. Coming to school whenever he wanted to come and leaving whenever he wanted to leave as if the school were a playground, sleeping throughout his time at school and ruining the class atmosphere, and not listening to teachers’ words even with one ear—all of these were minor problems.
Seo Eunho, together with his friends, committed all kinds of delinquent acts such as stealing money from other students, bullying them, smoking cigarettes, and drinking alcohol. Getting involved in fights was something that happened every other day for him.
Everyone thought of Seo Eunho as a troublemaker. He was frequently called to the teachers’ office, but nothing changed because of it. Seo Eunho listened to the teachers’ scolding with a bored face, letting it flow in one ear and out the other.
His eyes, which sharply covered his dark brown pupils, made him look particularly rebellious. Thanks to that, many people turned pale just at the mention of Seo Eunho’s name.
Whether they did or not. Today as well, Seo Eunho was sleeping with his head down on his school desk. As if he didn’t care what anyone said.
To tell the truth, the rumors about him were half right and half wrong. He did come and go from school as he pleased. It was also true that he slept through entire class periods. He smoked cigarettes too. That was certain.
However, he didn’t steal other people’s money. He had never taken a share of money that others had stolen. He had never bullied other students. Although he occasionally got involved in fights, usually he didn’t fight. If someone picked a fight with him, he just took a few hits and let it go.
Of course, since he hung around with friends who did such things, even if called an accomplice, he had nothing to say. Watching was the same as perpetrating. Drawing a line saying he didn’t do it directly himself was also laughable.
Seo Eunho didn’t think he was all that different from them. That’s why he didn’t make excuses to the teachers’ words. They wouldn’t believe him anyway. There was no need to waste energy on useless things.
“……”
Seo Eunho, who slept all day, would sluggishly raise his body around the time the sun settled at the top of his head. When that time came, crazy bastards who couldn’t feel the heat would be running around the playground under the scorching sun, and inside the classroom, people gathered in small groups would be chatting away.
Among them, Seo Eunho was out of place, but the person in question didn’t care. Seo Eunho stretched his body, still stiff from not being fully awake, and headed toward the lockers.
So, the time when Seo Eunho woke up from sleep was lunchtime. When that time came, the classroom atmosphere would subtly change, and he would wake up without realizing it.
Maybe his biological clock reacted on its own when it was time to eat. In any case, Seo Eunho was now moving to eat.
There was no need to go to the cafeteria. Inside the locker without a lock, snacks to get him through lunch were packed full. Seo Eunho gathered up the food and returned to his seat. Even though they weren’t snacks he had stocked himself, there was no small hesitation or contemplation. It felt like someone somewhere was watching him, but he just pretended not to notice that too.
Whoever put it there, whether that person was watching him—none of it was important to Seo Eunho. He just needed to know that it was someone’s kindness toward him, who didn’t pay for school lunch because his circumstances weren’t very good.
Those who needed to know knew that he was struggling to get by. So if a few people wanted to help out a bit, shouldn’t he just be grateful? Thanks to them, the misfortune of having to skip lunch didn’t occur.
Returning to his seat, Seo Eunho tore open a bread package while treating the bastards running around in a pack like dogs outside the window as a small source of entertainment. To exaggerate slightly, snacks piled up like a mountain on his desk. Seo Eunho generally ate all of it in one sitting.
“Seo Eunho!”
A familiar voice called his name just as he was tearing open his fifth bread package.
“Wow, shit. Aren’t you sick of it? How many have you eaten?”
At the booming voice, Seo Eunho frowned but didn’t answer at all. It was Kim Junseong and Jang Hoyoung. Both of them, having gotten used to Seo Eunho’s lack of response, didn’t bother waiting for his answer.
The two sat down occupying the area around Seo Eunho. They would continue to stay in this spot until lunchtime ended or until Seo Eunho left his seat.
Although quite some time had passed since the semester started, Seo Eunho had never once seen the original owners of these seats ask them to move.
“How do you not gain weight eating like this?”
“It all goes to his height. Fucking bastard who has everything.”
Well, of course. When thugs with “delinquent” written on their foreheads were occupying the seats, there was no reason to create trouble. He didn’t particularly want to be treated the same way, but knowing he wouldn’t look any different, Seo Eunho wasn’t too dissatisfied.
Whatever they thought was their freedom. The same went for these guys arbitrarily thinking of him as their friend.
“No way. The bastard who really has everything is right there.”
He felt like no matter how much he ate, his hunger wouldn’t subside. Into such Seo Eunho’s ears came Kim Junseong’s sneering voice.
Seo Eunho turned his gaze toward the corridor, which had become particularly noisy just then. The bastards did the same.
“He’s going around blowing his flute hard again today.”
Jang Hoyoung chimed in with a giggle. The loud voice, as if meant to be heard, was mixed with envy and jealousy.
Seo Eunho’s indifferent gaze also moved following them. No matter how many people were in the corridor, he could tell at once who the bastards were talking about.
Tae Shinwoo. It was a name that even Seo Eunho, who had no interest in anything other than his own affairs, had heard until his ears had calluses. Seo Eunho looked him over carefully. He was bending down toward someone whispering something.
A face that looked kind and friendly with a moderately upturned smile, yet strangely cold-looking perhaps due to his sharp eyes and straight nose bridge. A height that was a head taller than others, and a body that looked solid enough to be unbelievable that he was the same age.
“Everyone loves him to death.”
“Ugh. I find that bastard a bit creepy. A human should have at least one flaw. He has no humanity.”
“Like Seo Eunho, who has a fucking handsome face but not a penny to his name?”
“Hey. Speak properly. Does Seo Eunho only lack money? He has no manners either.”
Even he, who didn’t know much about him, could see that he was a considerably accomplished person. He was at a perfect level where you couldn’t find a single fault. Of course, even that became fodder for bitching to those bastards.
Seo Eunho just let slide the evaluation of himself that the bastards threw out. It wasn’t wrong either.
“But I heard Tae Shinwoo is kind of stupid.”
“What are you talking about? To a kid who’s playing at the national level.”
“No, you bastard. Not his grades. How should I say it? Kind? You know, those who are stupid because they’re too kind. So if you ask him to lend you some money, he just gives it to you to use. He doesn’t even try to get it back.”
No matter what the two were chattering about, Seo Eunho’s gaze was fixed on Tae Shinwoo. He carefully scanned from his jet-black hair to his eyes that seemed even darker, and his utterly clean skin and distinct features.
Everyone was looking at him anyway, so was there a need to tear his gaze away? Along with thoughts he wouldn’t normally have, Seo Eunho’s eyes became even more tenacious.
“Really?”
However, soon enough Seo Eunho had to turn his head because of Kim Junseong, who was now drawing a curve on his lips while tapping his shoulder.
“Hey, Seo Eunho. How about it? Since he’s offering charity, let’s go get some.”
Did he really have the guts to steal money from Tae Shinwoo? Seo Eunho of course didn’t answer, and didn’t even turn his gaze.
He just kept looking at Tae Shinwoo, who wore an artificial smile on his picture-perfect face.
“Huh? Stop ignoring people, you bastard. It’s hot and I’m saying this because I feel sorry seeing you suffer.”
But Seo Eunho could no longer keep his gaze on Tae Shinwoo. It was because he heard a voice filled with pressure for him to agree with their opinion. Knowing that even at times like this, if he didn’t respond it would become very bothersome, Seo Eunho eventually turned his gaze and looked blankly at Kim Junseong.
The reason for deliberately calling him out even though they knew he didn’t want to be involved in what they were doing was obvious. They wanted confirmation that Seo Eunho was the same kind of human as them. It was a strange wish that he too would find this story interesting like them, and thus would be interested.
Seo Eunho swallowed the sigh that was about to burst out automatically. The competitive spirit on the two people’s faces was laughable. It was too transparent that they considered such trivial things as beating Tae Shinwoo.
Who was calling who stupid?
“You guys—”
Seo Eunho slowly opened his lips and turned his head. However, his words couldn’t be finished. It was because at the end of his gaze, which had moved again without him realizing, he caught Tae Shinwoo looking straight at him.
Had he felt his tenacious gaze, or was it a coincidence? There was no need to gauge it. It was because Tae Shinwoo slowly scanned him and then raised the corners of his mouth.
A smile that looked as if it had been drawn was directed precisely at Seo Eunho. Seo Eunho immediately frowned, but the other person showed an even deeper smile instead. The corners of his mouth rising more and more looked very much like he welcomed him. It was ridiculous.
“……Ha.”
Well, so what?
Seo Eunho let out an empty laugh and turned his head. Then, as if he didn’t want to sit there any longer, he abruptly stood up from his seat. Jang Hoyoung and Kim Junseong looked at Seo Eunho with puzzled faces.
“Leaving already?”
“Don’t touch him.”
“Huh?”
“If you don’t want to get fucked, don’t touch Tae Shinwoo.”
A somewhat out-of-the-blue statement was thrown out unilaterally. Questions asking what he was talking about immediately came back, but Seo Eunho ignored them all, picked up his bag, and left the classroom. There was no reason to explain in detail. He hadn’t intended to bring up talk about Tae Shinwoo in the first place. In the moment, he got pissed off by Tae Shinwoo smiling while looking at him and spouted nonsense.
Tae Shinwoo’s gaze persistently followed behind his back as he walked down the corridor. It was so tenacious that the back of his head felt hot, but Seo Eunho acted as if he couldn’t feel it at all.
Making eye contact was a mistake. The best policy was not to get entangled with a guy like Tae Shinwoo at all. It didn’t matter whether they envied or admired his glossy outward appearance. As long as it was done from afar. A clear distance was needed from him.
‘……Oh.’
Recalling Tae Shinwoo’s appearance that he had coincidentally seen a few days ago, Seo Eunho’s face crumpled. That image of him tilting his head to the side and laughing carefree remained too strongly in his mind.
It would be nice if things could just be glossed over. A very bad premonition grabbed hold of Seo Eunho’s ankle.
