By Zephyria 
“Ah, so that’s my partner! That’s why I asked to see you again back then, remember?”
…Partner?
Countless question marks floated in my mind.
What is he talking about?
What is he trying to say?
Do Yun-hyeok laughed like a mischievous child, picked up the cola, and sipped through the straw. It was the cola I had been drinking. I grumbled quietly.
“That’s the cola I was drinking…”
“Wow! We had an indirect kiss. No wonder it tasted better.”
“…….”
I recoiled from the vulgar joke as if I had drunk poison. As expected, I shouldn’t have anything to do with lunatics.
Then, it suddenly struck me that the lines Do Yun-hyeok was spouting were somehow strange.
Those lines…
Aren’t they the kind of things the male or female lead in a teen romance novel says when they’ve fallen for someone?
A declaration of war, starting with, ‘Hey! I’ve picked you!’ Isn’t that a cliché?
A cold sweat broke out on my back.
No, surely he didn’t mean it that way, especially since we’re both guys. Besides, he’s so, so vile… I don’t know if he’s actually like that in person, but he’s an incredibly petty, immoral, and insensible human being.
Wait a minute.
‘Insensible human?’
A sense of foreboding began to creep in for some reason.
Come to think of it, I’d never seen anything about whether Do Yun-hyeok liked girls or boys in the novel.
‘Of course… I thought he liked girls.’
Wasn’t he supposed to be a womanizer who dated a lot of girls?
Aren’t the delinquents in novels usually like that?
Or not? Did I misunderstand?
I tried to calm my trembling pupils.
“You…”
“Yeah?”
“Do you… like guys?”
“Huh? Why? Suddenly?”
It was a question I’d asked with immense courage, but only an imprecise answer came back immediately. Do Yun-hyeok blinked with a brazen face, as if he’d never even considered such a thing, and chewed on his fries.
“What do you mean by ‘I’ve picked you’?”
“I just liked you.”
“What?”
“Why so many questions? You’re not good at studying, are you? Does this need an explanation?”
‘This idiot is calling me….’
I bristled inwardly but shut my mouth. Do Yun-hyeok was frowning slightly. The thought that he might hit me if I annoyed him made me quickly shove a french fry into my mouth and shake my head.
He seemed like a normal lunatic a moment ago, but he looked scary when he frowned…
It wouldn’t be strange for Do Yun-hyeok to lash out on impulse. And I clearly remembered from the teen romance novels that offending these kinds of delinquents could easily result in a four-week medical leave.
Seeing me immediately shut up, Do Yun-hyeok chuckled.
“At first, I was just curious because I heard one of the Four Heavenly Kings was doting on someone.”
So, the root of all evil was the Four Heavenly Kings. Damn them.
The thought of escaping that group as soon as possible became even more desperate.
“And then?”
“I saw you and liked you? How else can I explain it in more detail?”
“Ah…”
‘He’s just repeating what he said earlier!’
My face contorted into a smile, completely unlike my inner outcry. Survival sometimes required a stance of bullying the weak and serving the strong. And I needed to lean towards the most positive interpretation.
‘Liked me’ must mean he wants to be friends.
Yes, let’s think of it that way. Haha!
I decided to shut down my brain for now and think about it after I safely returned home today. How to interpret Do Yun-hyeok’s intentions, and how to defeat him along with the Four Heavenly Kings – those were things to consider only after I got home safely.
“Can’t you just not think about complicated things and only think about me right now?”
I wanted to say, ‘I don’t want to play with you because my life will get more complicated,’ but Do Yun-hyeok didn’t even give me a chance to answer.
After finishing his burger, he abruptly stood up and dragged me around. Did he not even consider the possibility of rejection, or did he not want to hear my answer in case I rejected him, or was he going to do whatever he wanted anyway? Either way, the result was the same.
Fortunately, we didn’t go to an amusement park. Instead, we visited all the places Do Yun-hyeok had mentioned earlier. We went through a karaoke room, an arcade, and a comic book store, all brimming with the early 2000s vibe.
Every place was surprising.
In terms of being run-down!
At the karaoke room, Do Yun-hyeok sang alone for a full hour. While Do Yun-hyeok was a good singer, I trembled with anxiety, fearing he might do something to me in the enclosed space, and ended up just shaking a tambourine for an hour.
“Wasn’t it fun?”
“…….”
“You can be honest, you know.”
As I nervously lowered my head, Do Yun-hyeok smiled and lifted my chin with his finger. I was surprised that he understood that I couldn’t speak honestly.
With my chin held, I cautiously answered honestly.
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s never go there again.”
His reaction was more accommodating than I expected. Couldn’t he just never see me again?
The problem wasn’t the karaoke room itself, but the ordeal of sitting alone with an uncomfortable person in a dark, enclosed space. So, if I didn’t meet Do Yun-hyeok, the problem would solve itself.
However, Do Yun-hyeok seemed to have no intention of doing that. I was worried about how to get rid of this leech.
Do Yun-hyeok grabbed my hand and hummed a tune as he dragged me everywhere (my timid question, “Can’t you let go of my hand?” was ruthlessly ignored). After being dragged around all day by Do Yun-hyeok, he finally tried to take me to a club, just as he had said, and I, terrified, managed to break free.
Then, I nervously glanced at Do Yun-hyeok, completely intimidated. Do Yun-hyeok looked down at the hand I had just pulled away.
Ah, I’ve offended this vile human, so I’m definitely going to get beaten up. I pitied my unfortunate fate.
But instead of hitting me, Do Yun-hyeok gently cupped my cheek and looked into my eyes, saying, “Then let’s go together next time.” I couldn’t even curse him for fear of being hit, and awkwardly smiled, pulling my head out of his grasp. He was truly an unusual lunatic.
I wasn’t even curious about what was going on in that brain of his anymore.
Because I probably wouldn’t understand even if I opened it!
After we even rode the swings side-by-side at the playground (a swing I worried about getting my fingers caught in the chains), Do Yun-hyeok finally let me go as the night grew late. He even kindly offered to walk me home. When he asked where I lived, I replied I could go alone, but then I heard, “If you don’t tell me where, I’ll assume you want to spend the whole night with me,” so I quickly gave him my address.
“Here?”
“Yeah.”
“Hae-jun lives in a place like this.”
I didn’t know what he meant, but I was tired and wanted him to leave quickly. The resentment that my precious weekend had disappeared spending time with someone like him surged belatedly.
I felt pathetic.
“Go home safely.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you just going to leave like that?”
What else was I supposed to do?
Do Yun-hyeok approached me without hesitation as I tried to head home quickly without saying goodbye.
I took a step back for every step Do Yun-hyeok took towards me. It was an instinctive movement. If the physical distance closed, I, who lacked strength, would be at a disadvantage. However, due to Do Yun-hyeok’s superior height, the distance gradually narrowed.
Just then, a savior’s voice, like lightning, stopped Do Yun-hyeok.
“Stop, Do Yun-hyeok.”
“Hae-min!”
It was the first time the twins’ appearance had been so welcome. I called out to Seong Hae-min with relief.
Do Yun-hyeok stopped, and Seong Hae-min burst out of the apartment entrance. He seemed to have rushed out of the house, wearing mismatched slippers.
“Hae-jun-ah, call me by my name like that too.”
Do Yun-hyeok said petulantly, and Seong Hae-min glared at him.
“Get lost right now.”
“Why are you so hostile? We had quite a good time. Right, Hae-jun-ah?”
Do Yun-hyeok smirked and shrugged. Seong Hae-min stepped in front of me, blocking Do Yun-hyeok’s gaze.
“I’m telling you to get lost while I’m being nice.”
“Is ‘get lost’ a nice thing to say?”
“Don’t be sarcastic unless you want to fight here.”
“The Four Heavenly Kings are so cold and heartless.”
I wished they wouldn’t fight in front of my house, but my wish was in vain. All I wanted was to go home, wash my feet, and sleep. Fighting here would only cause more trouble, and they were truly exhausting people.
“Cold? That’s not something I’d expect to hear from a vile bastard.”
“Vile? Hae-jun doesn’t think so, does he?”
No, I do.
“A coward who only sticks to Jeseong High School territory.”
“Why is that cowardly? Should I have just appeared saying, ‘Behold, I am here’?”
Seong Hae-min and Do Yun-hyeok’s tense verbal sparring continued. Do Yun-hyeok’s smug smile was more irritating than ever.
But…
If you two are going to fight, can I just go inside?