Everyone was surprised by Lee Hyeonseok’s unexpected appearance. Han Taeseok and Cheon Jaekyung frowned at Lee Hyeonseok’s words calling this a shitshow while grimacing. Han Taeseok showed his irritation by making the tendons in the hand gripping my collar bulge.
“Lee Hyeonseok….”
It was Lee Juwon who called Lee Hyeonseok’s name first. Han Taeseok and Cheon Jaekyung, who were already displeased with Lee Hyeonseok’s appearance and annoyed by his attitude, saw Lee Juwon’s attention focused on Lee Hyeonseok and put more force into gripping my collar. The gagging sound came out naturally, and now I had to tilt my head back slightly.
“Why are you even here….”
“And what are you doing over there?”
Han Taeseok took a short deep breath and tried to threaten him, but Lee Hyeonseok, as if he didn’t want to get involved, ignored Han Taeseok’s words and asked me instead.
Wait, he’s asking me here?
Han Taeseok, angry that his words were ignored, cursed under his breath and turned his gaze to me. Cheon Jaekyung, who also never thought for a moment that Lee Hyeonseok would care about me, stared questioningly just like Han Taeseok. Under the unwelcome attention, I was the only one reading the room.
I don’t know what wind blew through, but it was quiet as if everyone was waiting for my answer. In the midst of this, Han Taeseok still wouldn’t let go of my collar. I looked back and forth between Han Taeseok’s hand gripping my collar and him, answering Lee Hyeonseok with ‘Can’t you see?’… but no one understood.
“…I’m in the middle of getting my collar grabbed….”
“Ha. Don’t worry. I’ll let you live.”
Anyway, since Lee Hyeonseok kept waiting for an answer, I eventually barely managed to respond. Han Taeseok, taking that as my defiance, began threatening me in earnest.
“Is picking fights your hobby?”
“You fucking bastard….”
“What?”
Seeing me being threatened by Han Taeseok following Lee Hyeonseok, Lee Hyeonseok laughed as if absurd and picked a fight with me. I guess he can’t see what he’s doing right now. As my body became distressed and my thoughts shortened, a small curse slipped out.
When I had difficulty speaking, Han Taeseok loosened his grip slightly, but as if I’d smeared honey on my collar, he didn’t completely let go.
“Uhhh. Reading the room is my hobby.”
“Right. Keep doing that from now on.”
When I quickly changed my words before Lee Hyeonseok’s mood could sour, he nodded and encouraged me.
“You’re playing nicely together.”
Han Taeseok watched us and snorted sarcastically as if exasperated.
“If you know, then come here.”
“This bastard…!”
“Ah, ugh!”
Lee Hyeonseok accepted Han Taeseok’s sarcasm nonchalantly. Though it was something to be offended by, he acted as if he was dealing with a child’s tantrum. The one who got angry was Han Taeseok. Finally, Han Taeseok roughly threw me aside and charged at Lee Hyeonseok. If he was going to let go, he could have done it nicely, but thanks to him, I couldn’t keep my balance and fell to the floor.
“Ugh!”
“Taeseok-ah!”
While I was regaining my senses from the unexpected impact, there was a loud *thwack!* and someone’s pain-filled scream burst out briefly. Along with a thudding sound, I heard Lee Juwon’s shocked voice calling Han Taeseok.
Looking toward the commotion, Han Taeseok was sprawled on the floor. Lee Hyeonseok’s fist was clenched so tightly that his veins were bulging. It seemed Han Taeseok had gotten hit. I was puzzled about how he got hit to the point of passing out, when Lee Juwon carefully tried to touch Han Taeseok’s jaw. It seemed he’d been properly punched in the jaw and passed out.
Come to think of it, didn’t they say Lee Hyeonseok learned boxing…. Hmm, I shouldn’t mess with him.
“Are you going to sit there forever?”
While I was awkwardly standing there unable to fit in, Lee Hyeonseok gestured with his chin for me to come quickly. Even a rotten rope is still a rope, so I swiftly got up to go to Lee Hyeonseok. I planned to go without looking back, but as I got up, I discovered Lee Juwon’s darkly sunken eyes. Since Lee Juwon was focused on Lee Hyeonseok, he didn’t know I’d spotted him and quickly changed to his characteristic distant expression as if he’d never made that face. Though I flinched in surprise at that quick shift, I kept moving toward where my rotten rope was without stopping.
“What’s your relationship that you’re looking out for him like this?”
But then Cheon Jaekyung, who had only been watching the situation until then, spoke up. His tone contained faint curiosity. It wasn’t positive curiosity. It was exactly the kind of curiosity like ‘What does that insignificant thing do?’
While I hesitated, intimidated by Cheon Jaekyung’s words about whether I should move or not, Lee Hyeonseok slightly furrowed his right eyebrow. Then he gestured as if asking what I was doing there and to come quickly.
“He’s my bitch.”
“What?”
I was dumbfounded by his attitude of treating me like an animal he actually raises, but Lee Hyeonseok really drove the nail in. Cheon Jaekyung looked at Lee Hyeonseok as if he were looking at a lunatic or a pervert instead of me.
“Uh… woof woof.”
Then he turned his head to look at me, so I spoke carefully and quickly moved my feet to Lee Hyeonseok’s side. Before I moved, Cheon Jaekyung’s eyes when he looked back held contempt. Damn bastards.
Still, since I’m a rational person, I decided to hide behind Lee Hyeonseok.
“You hit your head once and completely lost it.”
“Hey. Between someone who’s crazy with people who were crazy without hitting their head, and someone who went crazy after hitting their head, which one do you think is more crazy?”
Cheon Jaekyung was being sarcastic to Lee Hyeonseok, but Lee Hyeonseok dragged me into it. He’d already been sarcastic once, that should have been enough, but I hadn’t fully realized his twisted nature of demanding from me too.
“In conclusion, aren’t they both equally crazy…?”
“…….”
“I think, but still someone who was crazy from the start is more… I guess….”
I weakly resisted Lee Hyeonseok’s twisted nature, but subtly took his side at his cool gaze. Lee Hyeonseok smiled with satisfaction and nodded his head. Then Cheon Jaekyung stared at me with a cold gaze.
“That’s enough! Taeseok collapsed like this, both of you.”
“Fuck. You stop your whining.”
Lee Juwon cried out tearfully, but Lee Hyeonseok cut off his words and threatened him. He was particularly harsh to Lee Juwon. I guess he was really annoyed that Lee Juwon had come at him. Lee Juwon probably spoke to stop the situation, but in the cut-off words there was subtly a feeling that excluded me. I don’t think I’m usually that sensitive, but somehow I felt like I alone was completely left out of this incident.
When Lee Juwon flinched at Lee Hyeonseok’s threat, Cheon Jaekyung carefully embraced Lee Juwon as if to reassure him. Lee Juwon obediently settled into Cheon Jaekyung’s arms. Lee Hyeonseok laughed as if it was ridiculous.
“Keh. Look at you protecting him. Well, without him how would the story roll on? Don’t worry, I’ll let you live.”
With his eyebrows furrowed in an inverted V and only one corner of his mouth raised mockingly, Lee Hyeonseok looked like a total villain. I don’t know how Lee Juwon was since he was in Cheon Jaekyung’s arms, but unlike Han Taeseok who quickly lost his reason, Cheon Jaekyung maintained his rationality calmly. Rather, as if trying to figure out Lee Hyeonseok’s thoughts, he stared at Lee Hyeonseok for a while.
“Lee Hyeonseok.”
“……!”
“Honestly, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but don’t treat Juwon like shit.”
I was the one surprised by Cheon Jaekyung’s words. It was so natural that I didn’t notice, but thinking about it, both Lee Juwon and Cheon Jaekyung were calling him ‘Lee Hyeonseok,’ not ‘Han Hyeonseok.’ I fell into confusion once again. Was it because Lee Hyeonseok and I met, was it because they told each other their original names?
“He’s already having a hard time because he’s hurt.”
“That? I hit him.”
“…What?”
I was lost in other thoughts alone when I came to my senses at Cheon Jaekyung’s words taking care of Lee Juwon. Even though I didn’t hit him, I felt guilty for no reason, but Lee Hyeonseok nonchalantly dropped a bomb. I wasn’t flustered anymore. I was just dumbfounded.
I opened my eyes wide and asked him what he just said. Lee Hyeonseok answered with his eyes saying ‘So what?’ Meanwhile, Cheon Jaekyung asked again as if he couldn’t understand.
“What did you just say?”
“If you’re talking about the cheek, he got hit by me.”
“…….”
Cheon Jaekyung asked again as if he never dreamed that Lee Juwon would have been hit by Lee Hyeonseok. Lee Hyeonseok calmly answered in more detail. Even after that, Cheon Jaekyung made an uncharacteristically blank expression as if he couldn’t believe it. Lee Hyeonseok looked confident as if he alone was so great.
After being like that for a while, Cheon Jaekyung belatedly turned Lee Juwon’s face toward him.
“Is it true?”
He even asked Lee Juwon as if it was such an impossible thing. Lee Juwon answered by lowering his gaze. I found that appearance quite pitiful, but Lee Hyeonseok’s eyes were dead. He seemed to really hate the sight of the two of them. Well, I understand that it’s unpleasant to see others’ lovey-dovey display, but Lee Hyeonseok was especially so.
“So it’s true.”
Cheon Jaekyung, who accepted Lee Juwon’s answer as affirmation, finally believed Lee Hyeonseok’s words. Cheon Jaekyung’s voice was so chilling that goosebumps rose all over. Lee Juwon and Lee Hyeonseok entered into a full-fledged confrontation.
Han Taeseok, who got hit by Lee Hyeonseok and passed out sprawled on the floor, and Lee Juwon pitifully nestled in Cheon Jaekyung’s arms. Lee Hyeonseok and Cheon Jaekyung having a staring contest as if thinking whoever looks away first loses.
…Let’s pretend I didn’t see anything. I didn’t see anything.
The infirmary door was fortunately half-open since Lee Hyeonseok didn’t close it when he came in. Thinking that now when they had absolutely no interest in me was the opportunity, I started backing away without making a sound.
Just as I barely reached the infirmary door, Lee Hyeonseok said without looking back:
“Where are you going?”
“I thought I’d close the door….”
I quietly and carefully closed the infirmary door that had been open.
Just as coming in wasn’t up to me, even going out wasn’t up to me either.
