By Zephyria 
“Hey, hey! How long are you going to stay in there!”
I pounded on the bathroom door, shouting in a fluster, and a voice, as if just woken up, came from inside.
“Mmm…”
“Hurry up and come out! Did you rent it?”
“Yeah… Sorry…”
Only then did Jeon Jae-hyung emerge from the bathroom, rubbing his eyes. Given his usual behavior, he had clearly fallen asleep in there. I hurried him along, eager to get him and Lee Beom out of my house as a pair.
“What were you doing! Hurry up and go. We’ve been waiting forever!”
“Waiting? Me…?”
As I pushed him forward, Jeon Jae-hyung looked down at me. His languid, brown eyes blinked. Why was he acting like this now!
In my haste, I practically shoved Jeon Jae-hyung and Lee Beom out of the house. Fortunately, they left obediently as I pushed them.
“We’re going.”
“See you again, Hae-jun.”
“No? Let’s not.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“No, no. Anyway. Hurry up and go now.”
I pushed them out relentlessly, not even knowing what I was saying.
Thump.
The front door closed, and alone in the house, my legs went weak. I collapsed onto the floor.
What kind of disaster was this during my exam studies? My head throbbed.
This must be what they mean when they say good and bad news come together. Lee Beom showing interest in Ban Pyo-ran was good news, but. And even if I generously considered him buying me a Hallabong orange out of concern for my health as good news. Being called cute was truly the worst possible news.
‘Thinking about it again gives me chills!’
They say good things come in threes, but today is a guaranteed nightmare. My life never seems to be free of nightmares.
❖ ❖ ❖
Lately, I’ve been refraining from mentioning Ban Pyo-ran directly in front of the Four Heavenly Kings. After Lee Beom’s warning, I noticed how the Four Heavenly Kings became noticeably sensitive whenever I brought up Ban Pyo-ran. Feeling that, I didn’t dare to insert myself between them and play Cupid.
Well, they’ll figure it out themselves. They’re the main characters, after all.
While I was getting fed up with their romantic entanglements, time flew by, and the midterm exams were suddenly right around the corner.
One must be cautious even when crossing a stone bridge. I was confident in my studies, but I studied meticulously to avoid the folly of becoming complacent and missing something.
Even though I had already mastered the material, I found myself studying the same scope over and over to reduce mistakes, which made my concentration waver. While I was preparing thoroughly, I wondered if I had started studying too early.
However, at times like these, it was important to cast aside other distractions and immerse myself in my studies.
After school, I spent many days engrossed in my studies at home. Seong Hae-min, whose outings had recently decreased, asked me over dinner one day.
“Oh, Hae-jun.”
“Yeah.”
“Tomorrow, I’m going out with the friends I made at Manhae High. Do you want to come?”
Don’t you guys have exams to study for?
I swallowed the question that was about to escape my lips. Because I already knew the answer to that obvious question. The Four Heavenly Kings were far from being studious!
This novel, despite featuring characters like the top rankers and heirs of corporate groups and chaebol families, had surprisingly realistic aspects for a teen romance novel. Except for Jeon Jae-hyung, who had natural talent, the rest of them didn’t have particularly good grades. It was only natural, as they had no motivation to study.
Regardless, their meeting itself was welcome news. They were handling things themselves. If they were doing so well on their own, how much of an eyesore must I have been for interfering?
“No.”
My head automatically shook in denial. I had no desire to join their hangout. I might face scrutiny again. Besides, the exams were coming up soon.
“Are you not feeling well, Hae-jun? Are you okay?”
Even with a simple refusal, Seong Hae-min was overly concerned. I quietly watched Seong Hae-min fussing over me.
Dense emotion.
The worry that gripped me, preventing me from dismissing this world as a mere novel, was palpable.
People say it’s hard to change, but it was equally difficult to be so consistent.
What am I going to do with that guy? His sincerity was so heavy that I couldn’t even reveal the truth that I wasn’t his real brother.
But carrying the hidden truth was not easy either. Like a irresponsible, heartless modern person who secretly throws trash on the street, I blurted out my words.
“…What am I going to do.”
“Why, why, are you sick? Should we go to the hospital?”
“I’m not sick.”
“Then?”
Looking into his worried eyes, I knew one thing for sure.
‘I don’t want to let Seong Hae-min die.’
I didn’t want to stand by and watch his fated death under the guise of an unavoidable plot.
But…
‘How?’
“I… I don’t know how to live without you.”
“……You were thinking that?”
“Yeah. Every day.”
Seong Hae-min’s eyes widened. His expression was comically exaggerated, as if his eyes might pop out, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
This kind of novel. I wanted to stay far away and just watch, but somehow I had become deeply involved, and though I thought I was living calmly, I acted impulsively when it came to Seong Hae-min. Even thinking that, I didn’t hold back my words.
“Hae-min.”
“Yeah.”
“I… suddenly feel sick.”
“What?! To the hospital right now!”
“No. I don’t think I need to go to the hospital.”
“Then medicine at least!”
“That’s fine too. You’re not going to the outing tomorrow. Just take care of me.”
Seeing Seong Hae-min’s eyes widen for a moment at my playful declaration, then fill with quiet concern, I finally understood the original Seong Hae-jun. Perhaps Seong Hae-jun in the novel couldn’t accept Seong Hae-min’s death. He couldn’t endure life without making someone pay the price.
It couldn’t be helped. No matter how much I tried to ignore it, he was still precious family.
“Okay, let’s rest well tomorrow. Then for lunch, porridge and…”
“Can’t we eat something other than porridge?”
“What kind? Is there something you want to eat?”
Chatting away. Just talking about what we’d eat tomorrow with Seong Hae-min, my heart felt inexplicably at ease. Could this really happen? So, it couldn’t be helped. He was the one who bound me to this absurd novel world with all his might. The one who made me unable to look away.
Perhaps Seong Hae-min was my real family now.
If so… I had to become his real family too.
Until that night, I struggled to shake off the clingy person who kept coming to me, insisting I needed to be covered tightly with a blanket. A brief regret followed, but I didn’t dislike this excessive clinginess.
Even when he forced me to endure the torture of sleeping with my blanket pulled up to my chin on a long spring day, sweating profusely, I didn’t find him hateful. I had to admit it.
We were both foolish family.
‘Plot points I can’t change,’ ‘Characters unrelated to me.’
I swallowed a premonition, a resolve that one day I would have to shatter all my assumptions.
The next day, I thought it was good that I had kept Seong Hae-min from the Manhae High kids’ appointment. But then, facing the commotion of the uninvited guests who boldly entered the living room, I couldn’t bring myself to smile.
“So, what’s going on here?”
I didn’t have the leisure to notice Seong Hae-min glancing at me. Even with the door closed, the sounds from the bustling living room were clear.
“When I told them you were sick and I had to nurse you, so you couldn’t go today, the kids all asked if you were okay and said they wanted to visit. They just want to see your face for a moment. You can just lie down, Hae-jun.”
“Why on earth?”
“Should I tell them to go?”
Seong Hae-min whispered cautiously. Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to be so surprised, his face was full of bewilderment and apology. Seeing his earnest face, the words I was about to say vanished. I couldn’t even question who had instigated this visit, saying they wanted to see me.
What crime did Seong Hae-min commit? It was my fault for lying about being sick!
I couldn’t just chase away the people who had come all this way with a stick. I could have had Seong Hae-min lie that I was too sick to see anyone, but who knew what kind of boomerang that might become. I need to be careful.
“No… Since you’re here, it would be good to see your faces… right? Uh.”
There was no other option. I uttered words that didn’t come from my heart.
When Hae-min invited them in, the kids who had been milling about in the living room poured into the room through the doorway. The room, which I had never thought was small, was now packed with people.
The Four Heavenly Kings, Kim Yi-dam, and Ban Pyo-ran. The main and supporting characters of the novel surrounded me, and the scene felt surreal.
“Hae-jun, are you feeling any better?”
“Si-hu was really worried!”
“Do you have a fever…?”
They each only said a few words, but with so many people, I was completely overwhelmed. I just nodded vaguely. The air in the room already felt hot. Seeing them gathered so closely made my skin prickle.
I tried to find Ban Pyo-ran among the crowd, but then I suddenly remembered Lee Beom’s warning not to show interest in Ban Pyo-ran. My eyes instinctively darted to Lee Beom.