He has moist, dewy eyes, but unlike his appearance, he’s a guy solidly packed with stubbornness. If things go wrong, he might talk back to the seniors.
“Shin Yumyeong, you know why you were called here, right?”
Just as his name was called, Yumyeong raised his head. A senior shorter than him was posturing as if looking down at him to the fullest. Thinking that sight was quite pitiful, he answered.
“I walked on the inside of the stairs.”
“Is that all?”
“……I think that’s it this time?”
“This bastard…… You cursed!”
“Ah, did I?”
Yumyeong thought carefully and nodded.
“I think you’re right. I was angry at myself, so my language habits are absolute shit, I’ll fix it!”
Yumyeong answered with bright, sparkling eyes like a good student. However, the senior seemed to feel mocked instead. Yumyeong immediately got kicked in the shin.
“Urk…….”
“Push-up position!”
It was when Yumyeong was fumbling to get into push-up position.
“Sunbae-nim.”
Unexpectedly, Hakyoung’s calm voice was heard from beside him. In the middle of getting into push-up position, Yumyeong looked up at Hakyoung.
“What, you?”
“Shin Yumyeong injured his ankle recently. You shouldn’t hit his leg.”
“Who cares about that shit?”
“He’s still receiving treatment, and if he goes to the hospital with this and gets a medical certificate, it will become evidence of assault later, wouldn’t that be disadvantageous for you, sunbae-nim?”
The senior, with a considerably flustered face, but as if even expressing embarrassment was shameful, burst out in anger.
“Who cares. Are you threatening me? What’s this bastard’s name? What class are you in?”
“My name is right here.”
Saying that, Hakyoung pointed with his finger at the embroidery on his shirt. Yumyeong lowered his head and laughed silently, shoulders shaking. The seniors asking for a name wasn’t because they were really curious but a warning sign that ‘you’re marked from now on,’ yet it was funny that it didn’t work on Hakyoung at all.
“Ryu Hakyoung?”
“Hey, wait a minute…… That guy.”
Meanwhile, the seniors’ expressions became serious. It seemed some of them knew about the existence of transfer student Ryu Hakyoung, the child of a famous celebrity. Yumyeong interestingly eavesdropped on the sound of the seniors urgently conversing among themselves.
“Who called Ryu Hakyoung?”
“It wasn’t me?”
“Me neither? Why is he here?”
“Hey! Don’t you really know? His parents…….”
After urgently sharing opinions, the seniors soon said to Hakyoung.
“Hey, you go.”
Even after the embarrassing meeting, it was an attitude of not losing pride until the end. At the senior’s swaggering chin gesture, Hakyoung shook his head.
“I can’t do that.”
“What? We’re letting you go!”
“I want to know the reason I’m the only one leaving.”
“Go! Even when told to go, causing trouble.”
“You seem to know who my mother is, and if that’s the reason, I hate preferential treatment.”
“What? Fuck, when did we…….”
When he pinpointed the cause they had been hoping against, the seniors couldn’t hide their embarrassed faces.
“I’m sick and tired of preferential treatment. I must have done something wrong too, so I should fix it. Please tell me, sunbae-nim.”
“Ah, which bastard called Ryu Hakyoung?”
Saying that, the seniors began to fracture among themselves. It seemed they were trying to find out which clueless bastard had called Hakyoung. While the seniors were murmuring like that, saying you called him, I didn’t know, Hakyoung, who had been quietly watching them, pulled up the knee part of his pants a bit and then suddenly voluntarily got into push-up position.
Yumyeong’s eyes widened as he watched this.
“Hey! Why are you doing something we didn’t even tell you to do! Get up!”
“This is driving me crazy. This bastard really doesn’t get it.”
“That guy’s really fucking crazy.”
In the chaotic atmosphere, Yumyeong saw a long arm extend from the edge of his vision and a hand touch the floor. Long, straight, pretty fingers unhesitatingly pressed against the dirty lounge floor.
Watching the young master’s bold behavior, Yumyeong chuckled.
‘This guy also has a rebellious streak.’
I like it.
Yumyeong only thought to himself.
Like that, a row of push-up positions was completed. It should have been the picture they wanted, but just because Ryu Hakyoung was included, the seniors were restless. It was the first time laughter seeped out faintly even while doing push-ups.
“Ah, fuck, everyone get up!”
In the end, the seniors made everyone stand up after just 15 minutes. Glancing to the side, Hakyoung was still looking straight ahead with his neck stiff all by himself. It was exactly the kind of attitude that seniors, who hated to death when underclassmen, especially tall guys, raised their heads and made eye contact, would find fault with. Though he might not know some things since he just transferred, for some reason Yumyeong thought Ryu Hakyoung would be like this even after knowing.
Yumyeong lowered his head while deliberately making a serious expression to suppress his laughter.
In the end, that day’s summons ended in record shortest time.
***
“Keke kek…… You’re really hilarious. Did you want to receive punishment training that badly?”
Yumyeong pulled out a cold beverage that rolled out of the vending machine and threw it to Hakyoung. Hakyoung, who easily caught the can thrown carelessly, stared at the beverage and said something odd.
“Why are you buying this for me?”
“What? Well…….”
Yumyeong scratched his head. It wasn’t something he did after deep thought. There was cash left over that his mother had given him recently, and there was no reason to be petty with Hakyoung.
“You always extorted from me though.”
At Hakyoung’s words, Yumyeong muttered “Hey.”
“Just drink it when I buy it for you.”
“I’ll take it with me.”
“You don’t like carbonated drinks? Just say so.”
“…….”
Hakyoung didn’t say more and took the beverage. It was because he wanted to keep it if it was something Yumyeong gave him and cherish it while drinking it.
Yumyeong flopped down on a chair and opened the beverage can. The sound of refreshingly opening the can lid was heard along with the sound of swallowing liquid. Hakyoung glanced in that direction and briefly watched Yumyeong’s tilted white neck and his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“It wasn’t because I wanted to receive punishment training. I…….”
Hakyoung, swept up in a feeling difficult to explain, averted his eyes.
“I know.”
The two’s eyes met. Yumyeong unhesitatingly opened his mouth again.
“As if you really asked because you didn’t know? Thanks.”
“…….”
Hakyoung silently turned his head.
“There were kids called for the first time today. They were lucky. Everyone will be fucking grateful to you.”
“They don’t need to be grateful. I just thought it was strange that everyone was silently taking it.”
“They didn’t silently take it. Everyone rebelled as much as they could. For the past year.”
Saying that, Yumyeong drank the carbonated beverage and frowned at the stimulation.
“Especially don’t say I stayed silent. I was the least still. I’ve even fought with the seniors who were there.”
“I know, I heard.”
“Really? Did my exploits become rumors that far?”
Yumyeong was pleased, his eyes shining. Watching the pupils sparkling with an eye-smile, Hakyoung’s heart felt stuffy.
“Exploits, good for you. You said you had a headache because of that.”
“That’s true.”
“Do you have to make things bigger?”
Yumyeong stared at Hakyoung, who was frowning.
“So am I wrong? No.”
Yumyeong said decisively and shook his head.
“What’s wrong with saying what’s unfair is unfair, what’s wrong is wrong…… Of course, I didn’t just use words.”
Saying that, Yumyeong showed his fist. Hakyoung unconsciously let out a chuckle.
“Use a method that’s a bit more advantageous to you. Being aggressive in everything isn’t a strength.”
At those words, Yumyeong smiled faintly.
“So what do you think? Those parents who cover up pathetic acts like that, saying ‘our kid might do that, as long as they study well.’ Don’t you think those seniors get worse because they have something to rely on?”
“…….”
“On the contrary, my parents.”
Then Yumyeong cut off his words and just moistened his lips. Hakyoung somehow couldn’t take his eyes off that face with lowered gaze.
“They weren’t interested. So even though I was right, I became disadvantaged.”
The words “became disadvantaged” contained many meanings.
The reason the seniors groveled in front of Hakyoung was because they anticipated his parents would have tremendous wealth and influence.
Even if not to that extent, all kids have their own thing to rely on. Parents become something to rely on just by existing. Those who noticed after last year’s violence incident that Yumyeong lacked that picked up on it like ghosts and singled out and bullied Yumyeong.
“By the way, who called you? Those seniors were there. Which one of them?”
Yumyeong asked as if just remembering.
Hakyoung kept his mouth shut.
If there was someone who called, if you had to find it, it would be Yumyeong. Because he thought he should follow wherever he went.
“How could I not know you? Even if I don’t know the face, I’d know if I see the name.”
That was when.
“Shin Yumyeong.”
That was when. An unexpected voice was heard from behind.
Yumyeong and Hakyoung turned around at the same time. There stood the senior who had been giving punishment training just moments ago, Hwang Gyeongjin. It was the appearance of a not very welcome person, but Yumyeong took his hands out of his pockets and roughly greeted him.
“Yes, sunbae…… You didn’t leave?”
Wondering if he had heard the conversation, Yumyeong looked at him with an uncomfortable face.
He didn’t even do anything to fall out of favor, but surely he’s not going to find fault again.
Thinking that, he waited for Hwang Gyeongjin’s words, but the words he spat out next were enough to ruin his mood.
***
After Hwang Gyeongjin left, Yumyeong, with a gloomy face, gathered those who had received punishment training together in his room.
“Everyone’s here, right?”
Some perched on the lower bunk beds, some sat on the floor in a circle, and toward those gathered, Yumyeong opened his mouth with a depressed face.
“……So, they’re telling us to do that shit. Why aren’t the second-years going after the first-years now?”
