Filled with anger toward Lee Euishin, Kwon Yunsu shouted aggressively, and the first strike from the newly arrived group naturally came crashing down on Kwon Yunsu’s face.
* * *
It wasn’t like he just trembled with anger toward the guy all day. Repeating countless times “that bastard isn’t here” was truly fucking awful, but it was still fun. Talking casually to people he was meeting for the first time, laughing shoulder to shoulder with idiots who wished for the same thing, his heart chilling at balloons flying toward his face but the next moment bursting into silly laughter.
The shock of strikes that numbed his brain resembled catharsis, and the weather heading toward early summer was clear and bright. It wasn’t a bad day. It was a strong and enjoyable college life even without Lee Euishin.
But the moment he returned to the club room after wrapping up the booth and lay down on the sofa, Kwon Yunsu was completely exhausted. He was tired enough not to want to move a fingertip, felt empty, and at the same time fiercely wanted to play. That thirst right after taking midterm exams rose up, burning his mind dry.
“Let’s play.”
When Kwon Yunsu said that with eyes heavy with dark circles, the first to nod was Ahn Shinwook, who always played coy and lukewarm about everything.
“Sounds good.”
The guy even politely threw the bills he’d been counting into the money box. Song Taesu, who’d been lying down using Ahn Shinwook’s thigh as a pillow, also jumped up and pointed at the money box.
“That! Let’s spend all of that! Let’s raid the mart with it!”
“Good!”
It was a bit funny when even Lee Eunsub, the icon of exemplariness, roughly stood up and replied like that. Shin Jaewoo, who’d been lying on the bare floor, also quietly raised his hand (‘I’m for it too.’), and the representative of the surprisingly flexible and positive soccer idiots laughed while holding his stomach. Then he shook the rolling money box and looked around at everyone and asked.
“Want to do it tomorrow too?”
“……”
“No!”
“Fuck that shit!”
“Forget it!”
Each shouted only what they wanted to say, but this time too they were of one mind.
* * *
“Come by often, okay? You just became independent, why is it so hard to see your face?”
Listening half-heartedly to his mother’s words following him out through the garden, Lee Euishin checked his phone that had been off all afternoon. Two missed calls and one text with dozens of ‘ㅗ’ [middle finger emoji]. Light. He couldn’t help but smirk.
“I spent half of middle and high school away from home, what are you talking about now?”
“Mom waits for your contact every day.”
“I don’t wait.”
Though she says that, he knows well that her lifestyle and socializing are more precious than anything. After a moment of silence, his mother asked something unexpected.
“Is school fun?”
When he turned his head, his mother in a black dress with a thin summer cardigan was looking this way with a blank face. Fun? Well…
“Not yet.”
I think it’ll be fun when I get to the point of being naked side by side with Kwon Yunsu.
“Not yet? Then when will it be fun?”
Mom doesn’t need to know.
Lee Euishin got into the driver’s seat and closed the door.
In the past, this would be unthinkable. Twice a month—he’d responded to the summons that fell at good timing to avoid Kwon Yunsu, but even he was a bit surprised at himself. When he obediently nodded even to the suggestion to stay for dinner, not only his father but even the working staff all opened their mouths in surprise. The good country bumpkin is now even being filial. He didn’t feel bad. And he became very curious about what kind of day the guy spent. Did our country bumpkin shed some tears? That’s what you get for looking down on your master.
Since it was past rush hour, traffic wasn’t too bad. Expecting to hear a squealing sound, he made a call, but only the dial tone continued for a long time. I’ll hear it in person. Without even stopping by home, he headed straight to school. Kwon Yunsu would definitely be with those irritating bastards. Whether playing somewhere on campus or drinking heavily in the university district, it was all in the palm of his hand.
And he didn’t have to search long. When he opened the door to the gloomy club room while passing through the boisterous campus, all the faces were there.
“……You!!!”
Kwon Yunsu, who’d been reaching for a beer bottle, jumped up and immediately rushed over. Lee Euishin for the first time had his collar properly grabbed with force by the country bumpkin. He was momentarily startled, thinking he might get hard.
“Hey you bastard! How could you do this!”
Once the alcohol had made its round and their hearts had calmed down, the guys just watched. Thanks to Kim Younghwan’s quick thinking, the panel was safely borrowed, and in the first place, if Lee Euishin had no intention, it wouldn’t have succeeded anyway. As for the original borrowed panel, well, the guy who said he’d compensate with his name on it would take care of it well.
And Lee Euishin saw the unfamiliar wooden board leaning against the wall and his face changed in an instant. Lee Euishin batted away Kwon Yunsu’s hand and grabbed his nape. When he gripped his chin and looked closely, the area under his eyes was sunken and his hair was wet.
“Let go, bastard!”
“…Did you do it?”
“What?”
At Lee Euishin’s coldly sharp voice, Kwon Yunsu felt like he was going to burst with anger.
“Did you get hit by water balloons?”
“Yeah I did! So what!”
…Fuck.
“Is that what’s important?! Huh? Why did you do that! Did you make me work and collapse so you could do that shit behind my back?! You petty bastard, if you didn’t want to go just say so, why cause trouble for others! Didn’t you learn morals?!”
I didn’t want to see your bastard face get fucked up so I made it into a rag and left, but you…
“Fuck…”
“You think it’s time for you to curse?!”
Kwon Yunsu’s face, throwing a fit, instantly turned bright red. His white skin burning up all over, from his nape to everywhere, was quite a sight. Lee Euishin frowned and retorted.
“Then did you think I’d just let your ugly face get smashed up?”
Pfft…! At those words, Ahn Shinwook spewed the beer he’d been drinking well.
What did I just hear? Turning his head in fury, Lee Euishin was still gripping Kwon Yunsu’s chin. One guy was clearly well-built with a good physique, and one was thin with delicate bones, so seeing them stuck together made a picture. …What is he saying? What am I saying right now? Those crazy bastards, I thought the alcohol was finally kicking in nicely, but they instantly made the atmosphere fucking awful, and now they’re trying to make it a flower garden? What kind of appearance what? Where do those bastards think they are, doing romance, my prayers aren’t working at all…!
However, fortunately that didn’t happen. Thanks to stupid Kwon Yunsu who didn’t understand the intent of Lee Euishin’s words at all.
“Yeah, I’m ugly, so what! What! I really wanted to see your handsome face get fucked up and smashed, why! You said you’d do it! You promised!”
Around then Lee Eunsub stopped Kwon Yunsu.
“Yunsu, don’t do that and come here and drink. It’s water under the bridge anyway.”
“Yeah, stop it. No matter what, you still have to go into their house today and stretch your legs.”
“Let’s just quietly wait for damage compensation. Come here, soccer fanboy!”
Kwon Yunsu, who’d been trembling with shoulders shaking, finally turned around at Kim Younghwan’s calling while banging on the desk. Then he slapped away Lee Euishin’s arm and returned to the sofa.
“What’s the use of getting angry, you’re just upset. We decided to spend all that money and blow off steam today.”
Lee Euishin watched in disbelief as Kwon Yunsu readily ate the snack Shin Jaewoo put to his mouth. He didn’t care what nonsense the country bumpkin was spouting or at which point he’d gone crazy. But seeing that even after throwing that fit, the guy still docilely got hit by water balloons and was now playing around with Shin Jaewoo by his side, the fuse was truly dangling. Lee Euishin swore. After deliberately eating him up, he would absolutely never allow such a sight.
“Euishin, you come too.”
And to Lee Euishin trembling with anger, Kim Younghwan spoke in a calm tone.
“Come and let’s have a public hearing on how much and how you’ll compensate.”
“Does that compensation range include our mental damages too?”
Lee Euishin, who’d been glaring fiercely at the guys, finally steadied his breathing. Then he pulled over a chair and sat down, nodding.
“Mental damage included.”
“Wow!”
“The condition is you take Kwon Yunsu out of your plans.”
“Fuck!”
Kwon Yunsu slammed down the bottle he’d been holding. Shin Jaewoo quickly wrapped Kwon Yunsu’s hand with his fist while brushing off the beer that had splashed on the guy’s hair. Their bodies were stuck too close together. Kwon Yunsu didn’t even know that and just glared this way with reddish eyes, growling cutely.
Lee Euishin reached for the beer can. He wanted to strip the oblivious country bumpkin bastard naked and lock him at home.
“What, why! Drink more! What are you gonna do about it!”
Lee Euishin looked pathetically at Kwon Yunsu, who was conversing with an enemy in the air while traversing the midnight campus. Holding a half-eaten bag of snacks in his hand and swaying as he walked, he looked exactly like a drunk ahjussi.
‘I’ll pay for the second round.’
