Without a doubt, that was the first time he’d used his fists on others, unable to control his exploding emotions. However, even he himself was confused whether his father had said those words knowing his true nature that he himself didn’t know, or whether he was looking at him with prejudice while knowing nothing.
Am I originally that kind of guy?
When his parents’ recognition and praise disappeared, Yumyeong’s purpose also began to waver. That was why he lost the motivation to become a good son, a son who lived up to expectations.
Yumyeong was still stuck in a deep swamp, not knowing what to do about his misfortune.
But it couldn’t be helped. He had no choice but to wander seeking invisible answers, taking one step at a time. For a person to walk, they must lift the next foot before fully planting one foot to move forward. He was just letting each day flow by like that.
“It’s chilly.”
Hakyoung said.
As he said, as the sun slowly set, the night breeze was a bit cold. Yumyeong lazily got up from his seat.
“The clothes I gave you?”
“Ah… they’re in my room. I’ll give them to you later.”
“It’s fine.”
Cutting him off, Hakyoung stood up from his seat. Yumyeong followed behind him.
The two walked sometimes ahead, sometimes behind, like people who had come separately. Occasionally kicking stones, looking down at the stream under the bridge, chasing the crows circling overhead.
Walking under the cherry tree path where flowers had yet to fully bloom, Yumyeong occasionally grabbed branches within reach and shook them. It seemed he wanted to see the petals fall.
That sight somehow remained deeply in Hakyoung’s mind.
***
“Here, take it.”
Returning to the dorm, Yumyeong handed one of the hamburger sets in his hand to Hanju. As soon as he saw it, Hanju’s face brightened. Hanju said he’d eat it later and carefully set aside the packaged hamburger on one side of his desk.
On Hanju’s desk, the workbook he’d been solving since yesterday was still spread open.
“Studying?”
“The exam is right around the corner… are you asking the obvious? What about you, what are you going to do?”
Yumyeong groaned and held his head.
“Ugh, you’re the third one in a row. Everyone’s just telling me to study… Ah!”
Suddenly Yumyeong snapped his fingers.
“Is that why the sunbaes have been quiet lately? Because it’s exam period.”
“Probably? The sunbaes are seniors now too.”
Without knowing that, Yumyeong had been thinking recently that strangely fewer people were picking fights with him.
He had as many enemies as he had admirers. Especially the sunbaes he’d fought with big last year were his biggest enemies.
From the time of admission, the sunbaes made strange rules like ‘don’t greet while raising your head and making eye contact’ or ‘if the elevator is full, juniors should get off so sunbaes can get on first,’ and forced juniors to follow them.
They were especially obsessed with greetings. The reason was that some students just vaguely bowed their heads or showed unfamiliarity with sunbaes, which showed a lack of respect.
Yumyeong also followed that atmosphere at first. However, the bad customs only got worse, and Yumyeong, who was in the basketball club in first year, received even harsher drills because of the sports team’s unique hierarchy.
No matter how traditional it had been, even the teachers said that the current third years enforced discipline at an unprecedented level since the school’s opening. And these things tended to be led by a few who colored the whole.
If you had to pick just one person who was the biggest problem, Yumyeong would choose basketball club sunbae Hwang Gyeongjin without hesitation. He was also the person he’d beaten up nicely last year. Thanks to that, whenever they ran into that group on campus, hostile glances were exchanged as a matter of course.
Was it only the sunbaes? There were also teachers dying to get Yumyeong.
When Yumyeong’s attitude in class started to worsen, there were teachers who worried about him, but on the contrary, there were also those who openly disparaged his conduct in a manner like ‘he’s cocky just because he’s smart.’ Unfortunately, not all teachers loved students, and some complacent teachers vented their life stress on students. Yumyeong was in just the right position to touch their switches.
Eyes that caused misunderstandings as if playing on top of teachers’ heads.
A problem child who incited public opinion among students.
The existence of parents who showed indifferent attitudes even when he caused trouble.
For these reasons, in the eyes of some teachers, Yumyeong was both a thorn in their side and good prey. There were cases where they used Yumyeong to establish their authority as teachers, making unjust remarks and actions.
He wasn’t unaware of this either. However, when subjected to unjust acts, he responded by refuting and questioning, so his relationship with such teachers only worsened.
“Anyway, I hope it stays like this. Seniors should study, where would they have time to manage second years?”
Yumyeong desperately hoped this peace would continue.
As the night grew late, the entire dormitory gradually quieted down. However, only the noise subsided, as the lights on in each room showed no sign of turning off.
Yumyeong’s room was no exception. Unlike Yumyeong who lay in bed to sleep at his usual time, Hanju remained seated at his desk with the lamp on. Hanju, who seemed to be immersed in studying, suddenly asked with a worried face.
“Hey, but are you really not studying? Don’t you need to at least open a book?”
“I already skimmed through it.”
“That’s why! What are you going to do about your internal grades?”
“I’ll just do really well on the college entrance exam…”
“The way you’re playing around now, you’re hardly going to study for the college entrance exam.”
Yumyeong turned over as if he didn’t want to hear it. After a moment, Hanju spoke to him again in a subdued voice.
“Um… you can’t sleep because of me, can you?”
“Huh? Don’t worry about it.”
Yumyeong looked back and answered roughly, then turned to face the wall. However, Hanju muttered apologetically.
“You can’t sleep with the light on.”
That was true.
Yumyeong usually slept lightly even with the bathroom light seeping through. Thanks to that, before falling asleep, he always made the room pitch dark. Hanju, who’d been sharing a room for two years now, couldn’t not know this.
“You’re going to study more before sleeping, right?”
Yumyeong eventually sat up from the bed. Hanju nodded while looking apologetic.
“So it’d be good if we studied together. Want to study and then sleep?”
“No thanks. I’ll go sleep in another room.”
“Hey! It’s not my fault, is it? Isn’t it normal to pull all-nighters during exam period? What is this, feeling guilty about studying because of Shin Yumyeong? You used to be a kid who studied until your nose bled!”
Leaving behind the aggrieved Hanju, Yumyeong left the room holding only his pillow.
Yumyeong, who was unnecessarily dragging his slippers and wandering the hallway, came back and looked at the door across from his room. The only rooms that weren’t full four-person rooms were his room and Room 310.
When he flung the door open, an unexpected scene met his eyes.
“Well well, these traitors are studying too?”
Room 310’s roommates, Hakyoung and Sunmin, were studying while facing each other with a low table spread out in the middle of the room. Seeing Yumyeong burst in in the middle of the night, Hakyoung had a face full of doubt. Sunmin noticeably reddened his ears and hurriedly flipped through his workbook.
It was an uncomfortable three-way confrontation with the arrows of love wildly misaligned. Even knowing this, Yumyeong went inside, wanting to stir things up.
“Hey, you guys have a good atmosphere. If the two of you stay up all night facing each other like this…”
“Why are you here?”
Before Yumyeong could finish speaking, Hakyoung cut off his words with a single stroke. Yumyeong shamelessly sat on the edge of the bed.
“Hanju’s staying up all night studying for exams. I’m sleeping here. Wow, you even have curtains here. This is nice. Should I get something like this too?”
Yumyeong was about to lie down on the empty bed no one was using when his gaze was stolen by the spot next to it. That bed clearly had an owner, but he didn’t care. The bed had a small curtain that separated the inside and outside of the bed. It would help block at least some light.
Thinking he’d chosen this room well, Yumyeong comfortably settled in and lay down on the bed.
It was none other than Hakyoung’s bed.
Hakyoung glared at Yumyeong, who had wriggled into his bed. Seeing that fine-textured black hair scattered like seaweed over the pillow somehow made his stomach turn.
What was absurd was that Sunmin was envious, knowingly or unknowingly. He was looking that way wistfully with eyes hoping ‘if only Yumyeong would lie on his bed.’
Hakyoung was exhausted by this entire situation and unconsciously let out a deep sigh.
“That’s my bed.”
“Ah, really?”
“Get out.”
“I’ll get up when it’s time for you to sleep.”
“If you don’t want to be thrown out in the middle of the night, it’d be better to get out now.”
“Why? Don’t throw me out, let’s sleep together.”
At those words, Hakyoung’s pupils noticeably wavered. Even knowing that Yumyeong was deliberately teasing him wanting to see his disgusted reaction, he couldn’t help his heart sinking for a moment.
“Two people can sleep together fine enough. As long as they don’t have terrible sleeping habits. Well, I’ve even slept with three people… Last year in our room too…”
Yumyeong, who had been muttering to himself, suddenly pulled the blanket over his head. Then he became quiet as death.
“He’s really sleeping. Yumyeong.”
Sunmin said. Hakyoung quietly replied, “I know.”
“He sleeps really well even when his sleeping place changes.”
“…”
That voice held a smile. Hakyoung turned his eyes away, not wanting to see Sunmin’s face that must be looking pleased while gazing at where Yumyeong lay.
Lee Sunmin had a quiet personality and had common sense, so it wasn’t bad being around him, but every time he showed signs of liking Yumyeong like this, it made him uncomfortable.
He hated Shin Yumyeong even more for easily capturing someone’s heart and taking no responsibility.
