……Is he a pervert? Why is the affection rising? Just as I was wondering, Joel got down from the dresser he’d been sitting on and plopped down carelessly on the floor by the bed.
“Why do you think that?”
“What?”
“Why do I look like someone who wouldn’t do that kind of thing? You said my personality is fucking terrible. And stupid, you’re scared of me.”
“……”
Ah shit. He caught on to all the times I was intimidated. I hesitated, then got down from the chair and sat on the floor too. I was facing Joel, and the edges of our sneaker soles—the same brand—were lightly touching.
“Um, just? A feeling. I have good instincts.”
I tried to think of a specific reason, but still didn’t know. I tilted my head and answered.
“Sometimes I think you might be crazy enough to have done drugs, but it doesn’t seem like it. I don’t know much about drugs, but anyway.”
“……For a stupid kid, you’re sneakily insulting me?”
“Ah!”
The tip of Joel’s sneaker kicked my shoe sole. It didn’t hurt, but my foot was pushed back, making my legs spread into a V shape.
“Hey, bourgeois young master.”
“What?”
“You’re naive as hell and stupid.”
“……”
“I’m not completely sure yet, but still, well…… It’s not bad, yet.”
What does that mean? Is he insulting me or not? I tilted my head crookedly and pondered for a moment, then just gave up and asked a different question.
“Why don’t you get along with David?”
“Pass.”
Joel waved his palm. Pass? Does that mean I can ask the next question?
“Did your whole family really go to prison? Then do you visit often? Do they call? Do you send letters back and forth and stuff?”
“You’re fucking curious about a lot.”
“Ah, was that too sensitive a question? Sorry.”
“They didn’t go, so…… put away that disgusting expression.”
I just lowered my eyebrows and the corners of my eyes because I felt sorry, but he says it’s disgusting. Son of a bitch. He’s even scrunching up his face in disgust. I asked back in a sulky tone.
“If they didn’t go, then what?”
“Don’t have one, and she’s dead.”
“……What do you mean?”
“I don’t have a bastard called dad, and my mom died. So…… yeah. Strictly speaking, it was last year.”
Joel shrugged his shoulders. Despite it being quite a sad family history, his face was calm. Instead, it was my expression that contorted. Ah, so that’s why he lives here alone. Joel laughed, “Pfft.”
“Your pitying expression is stupid too.”
“……I’m not stupid.”
“No, you’re stupid.”
“……”
I lost my words at his firm tone. Just because he knows a few languages, he really looks down on people.
“Why do you like movies?”
I quickly changed the subject because I didn’t want to keep hearing I was stupid. Joel glanced once at the movie poster on the wall, then sipped his kombucha.
“Movies are…… because if you become a director, you can create the world however you want.”
“Do you want to become a director?”
“……I did. But, fuck, I can’t anyway.”
One of Joel’s cheeks bulged. It looked like he was pressing the inside of his cheek with his tongue. After running his tongue over the inside of his mouth for a moment, Joel finally spoke. Somehow it was a small, powerless voice.
“Why?”
“What does it matter? Anyway, I can’t escape this shitty school or neighborhood!”
As if my question disgusted him, Joel suddenly stood up and stepped over my legs. Then he roughly snatched the kombucha bottle from my hand and threw everything into the small sink. Clang, clang-clang, clang! It made a noisy sound.
Was he talking about his family circumstances? Like the bourgeois young master I am, I said something too naive.
“You can escape.”
“……How would you know, stupid.”
Joel stood with his back against the sink, twisting his lips in a big sneer. He’s calling me stupid again! Even hearing it repeatedly, I just can’t get used to it, so I jumped up from my seat. Was it because I consumed too much caffeine? I got excited and shouted loudly.
“I’m not stupid! If I help you escape from this neighborhood, will you admit I’m smart? Huh?”
“……Yeah, sure. I’ll admit it then.”
“Fine! I’ll help you escape from here! Absolutely! Definitely! For sure!”
I can help him with studying and assignments, right? Then he’ll get a scholarship and be able to enter university. I’ll have you know I was ranked first in my whole school! Me! Even though I failed to get into Korea University Medical School! My college entrance was ruined! But I’ll help with your college entrance, you fucking bastard!
I pointed at Joel and huffed.
**NEW!**
**’Joel Gomez’s’ affection has increased by 1!**
Joel seemed moved by my reliable speech too. No, but my head is dizzy. My heart was also pounding loudly—thump, thump, thump! Ah, this damn caffeine. I should have drunk it in moderation. Joel grabbed my swaying body and clicked his tongue.
“What, did you chug beer by yourself?”
“It’s because of the caffeine……”
Ugh, I’m not usually sensitive to caffeine…… Ah, maybe this body is sensitive to it? Come to think of it, I forgot to drink the coffee I brewed the other morning too. The morning after I stayed up all night worrying that Dave might be asexual.
“Can I lie down for a bit?”
“No.”
“……”
How fucking firm, you bastard.
“Ugh!”
“Come out. I have something to give you.”
Pushed by the forceful shove, I barely managed to stand while leaning against the wall in confusion. Leaving me there looking clearly unwell, Joel, with his hands shoved in his pants pockets, went outside the trailer by himself.
“What is it?”
“Fuck! Just come out!”
“Getting angry again, again!”
When I asked before completely going out, a thunderous yell poured out. That bastard, a day will definitely come when he collapses clutching the back of his neck from high blood pressure from always losing his temper like that.
“What on earth are you giving…… huh?”
“Take it.”
“You fixed this? How?”
“You think I’m stupid like you? There’s nothing I can’t do.”
Following Joel to the back of the trailer…… I saw a bicycle. It was my bicycle. From Harper’s party, the one that had been torn apart into pieces and had its saddle stolen by someone, the broken bicycle I’d left in Joel’s car trunk and hadn’t gotten back.
But it was now intact as if time had been rewound. No, the saddle was different. I don’t know where he got it, but a new shiny saddle made of black faux leather was attached.
“What the……”
I placed my palm on my chest at the strange feeling. My heart fluttered. Am I a little moved? That Joel Gomez actually fixed my bicycle…… That bastard, he’s not as bad as I thought. I glanced over and made eye contact with Joel. Joel rang the bicycle bell twice for no reason—ding-a-ling-a-ling!—and said.
“Take this, and give me what you brought. Since I fixed it for you.”
“……Aren’t you a thug?”
The hyung’s bicycle I’m currently riding was a shiny new product bought less than six months ago. Meanwhile, the bicycle Joel fixed had been disassembled and broken once.
He coveted my bicycle? A non-driver pedestrian’s bicycle? That bastard, where did his conscience go! When I glared with a frowning face, Joel raised his eyebrows with his arms crossed.
“Then how are you going to ride both of them home!”
“I’ll figure it out! Somehow!”
What’s it to you! They’re both my bicycles! The gratitude for repairing the bicycle completely disappeared. As I was huffing, Joel ran his hand through his bangs and let out a “Hah!” sigh.
“Anyway, this is why I can’t have a conversation with a kid. Even when I make a joke, you curse at people and yell loudly, your temper is really…… Worse than a chihuahua! And you look even dumber than a chihuahua.”
“……Who throws around jokes like that?”
So it was a joke. I felt a bit embarrassed about yelling. A person who was hanging laundry nearby looked at me with wide startled eyes. But wait, calling me a kid. You’re the same age as me, you know? And chihuahuas are small, but I’m big! 183cm! Converting to feet……
About 6 feet!
Right! About 6 feet! You and that bastard David Evans are just too tall! And my IQ is over 135, but a chihuahua’s IQ is……
(Do I really need to tell you that?) 🙁
……Anyway, chihuahuas have low intelligence. I’m on the intelligent side. But that bastard always calls me stupid. It lowers my self-esteem. Still, since he fixed the bicycle, I should let it slide one more time. The bicycle I thought I’d never see again has returned in perfect condition.
“But really, how do I take both of them?”
“Why, you said you’d figure it out somehow?”
Joel picked a pointless fight at my muttering. I thought about whether I should show him a stunt and really ride both bicycles home. But as I’ve said repeatedly, I knew my life was precious.
“……I don’t have that kind of skill.”
I don’t think I’ll have any reason to come to this house again, so what do I do? I furrowed even my eyebrows while worrying.
“Ah.”
But then—thwack!—Joel’s hand pushed my head.
“I’ll leave it in the parking lot the day after tomorrow, so take it or don’t.”
The day after tomorrow was the day Joel’s suspension would be lifted. Then on that day, I could take the school bus to school and ride the bicycle back home. I looked at the grumpy Joel and grinned.
“……You’ll do that for me?”
“Don’t make me say it twice, it’s annoying.”
“Really, yeah?”
“Get that stupid face away from me! I said I won’t say it twice!”
“Okay!”
Joel Gomez, that bastard. His mouth was foul, no…… his actions were rough too, but he had some decent aspects. Even though he could get a few dollars from selling the used bicycle, he didn’t sell it and fixed it to return it to me. Is that what they call tsundere? No, but can you be a tsundere even with such a terrible temper? Isn’t he just a nasty moody person?
