By Zephyria 
“Do what?”
“…I don’t understand what you were thinking, Sunbae.”
“You’re overthinking it.”
Yeon Su-hwan smiled leisurely, as if he had expected me to ask that. I wanted to retort, asking how I could possibly think of this situation as simple.
Even if Yeon Su-hwan had roughly figured out our plan to leave the Iljinhoe, it was still a mystery why he helped us when neither I nor the Four Heavenly Kings had directly asked for his assistance. And if he truly intended to help us, why did he leak the information to the third-year seniors that I had consulted with the gym teacher, causing Seong Hae-min to get hit? It didn’t make sense.
While it was true that Yeon Su-hwan provoking Kim Un-gyeong and causing the incident was helpful… Was he just trying to mess with both the third-years and us, or did he change his stance after seeing the media reports?
I tried to organize my thoughts to question him, but they only tangled further, like a ball of yarn.
“As I told you, Hae-jun, I said I would help.”
“Help?”
“Yes. With what you’re trying to do.”
Yeon Su-hwan looked at my stiffened expression and elaborated.
“You said you’d ask me if you needed me, but you weren’t going to rely on me no matter how hard it got. So I stepped in first.”
Having finished speaking, Yeon Su-hwan curled one side of his lips into a bitter smile.
“I know your type well.”
So, Yeon Su-hwan had intended to help me from the beginning? If I hadn’t been so suspicious and guarded, could this have been resolved simply by asking for cooperation earlier? Had I been too exclusive?
As my mind became more confused, an uncomfortable sensation began to stir from my chest. I clearly remembered him muttering cryptic remarks about how I reminded him of someone whenever he saw me. I couldn’t figure out who he was comparing me to, but it certainly didn’t feel good.
And with the fact that I felt that way, a strange sense of guilt intertwined. In reality, I wasn’t the real Seong Hae-jun, yet I was being treated as him. Given that, I didn’t feel I had the right to be offended by such things.
To shake off the uncomfortable feeling, I asked directly.
“Then what about Hae-min?”
“Seong Hae-min? What does Seong Hae-min have to do with it?”
“You were the one who told the third-year seniors that I had consulted with the gym teacher. You knew that the blame would fall on Seong Hae-min. Why did you do that?”
As I pressed him, Yeon Su-hwan showed a rare look of surprise. It seemed I had hit a nerve. Quickly returning to his usual flippant demeanor, Yeon Su-hwan looked away.
“Why do you think?”
“Do you dislike Hae-min?”
At my direct question, Yeon Su-hwan’s eyes widened. I met his steady gaze without flinching, and he covered his mouth with his fist, chuckling.
“That’s a pure thought. That’s why I liked it. It’s not out of malice, but more like sacrificing the few for the many.”
“You let him get beaten up for such a reason?”
“Well…”
Yeon Su-hwan tapped the cover of the book he had placed down.
“What should I say to make our Hae-jun feel better? Hae-jun is too smart for his own good. How can he resemble someone in that aspect too?”
“What?”
As I furrowed my brows at his nonsensical remark, Yeon Su-hwan gazed into the distance and murmured to himself.
“If only he were a little less worldly-wise and thought of me as just a good person…”
I doubted my ears. What on earth was he talking about? A shiver ran down my spine.
“If I ask you to look at it favorably because it turned out well in the end, you’ll get angry, right?”
Yeon Su-hwan asked playfully. Is this guy a complete psychopath? I couldn’t see my own expression directly since there was no mirror, but it was clearly not a pleasant one.
“Anyone would get angry.”
“I knew you would. I know your type well.”
If you’re human, getting angry is normal. What do you know about me… I pursed my lips. Yeon Su-hwan, with a gentle smile, picked up the book he had put down. Seeing Yeon Su-hwan turn his eyes back to the book, as if he didn’t want to continue the conversation, I finally couldn’t hold back and pressed him.
“Excuse me, but what kind of person am I, exactly?”
Yeon Su-hwan hesitated. But as if wanting to focus on his book again, he merely rubbed the corner of the paper. There was no ready answer.
Yeon Su-hwan ignored my question for a long time, fixing his gaze on the book. It would have been reasonable to give up, but my stubbornness kicked in, and I glared at him persistently, waiting for an answer.
After a persistent silence, Yeon Su-hwan finally closed the book and let out a hollow laugh.
“…Su-yeon was just like you. From one to ten.”
“Su-yeon?”
“Yeon Su-hwan, Yeon Su-yeon.”
My hands froze at the pairing of two names, differing by only the last character. Yeon Su-yeon, if…
Yeon Su-hwan delivered the confirmation.
“My younger sister.”
She was someone I had never expected to be mentioned. My tongue felt stiff, as if I had bitten into a sour lemon.
“No matter what happened, she’d just keep it all inside. Stubborn too, she’d never rely on me, even if it meant dying…”
Veins bulged on the back of Yeon Su-hwan’s hand resting on the book. The clenching of his fist radiated passion.
In the silent hospital room, I could no longer press Yeon Su-hwan. It wasn’t that I had no intention of questioning him further about Seong Hae-min’s incident, but with his sister’s story brought up, I wanted to end it here. I rubbed my brow, creased with fatigue.
“I am not your younger sister, Sunbae.”
“…You’re just like her in that very aspect, it’s driving me crazy!”
Startled by his sudden outburst, I flinched. Yeon Su-hwan, who had suddenly yelled, grumbled and covered his face. He looked like he was crying. It seemed difficult for him to continue speaking. Indeed, attempting to converse with someone unreasonable was not a good choice.
I sat there, gauging the situation, then moved my stiff hands to quietly gather my belongings.
“…I’ll be going now.”
“Hae-min…”
As I tried to stand and open the door, suppressing my presence, Yeon Su-hwan murmured, as if making a confession in a low voice that seemed to grip my ankle.
“It was intentional, too.”
“What?”
“I thought if Seong Hae-min got hurt, you might come to me. That you might rely on me. Like you did before.”
“……”
“But… you didn’t come.”
His voice, tinged with pain like moisture, carried excuses and resentment. Feeling bewildered, I turned back from my attempt to leave and looked at Yeon Su-hwan. Does he think I owe him something? I shot back coldly.
“Sunbae. I’m telling you again, I am not your younger sister.”
“……”
“To be honest, it’s a good thing Seong Hae-min is alright. If something had happened to him, I would never have forgiven you in my life.”
If Seong Hae-min had been seriously injured anywhere… the thought alone made my vision blur. I forced my ragged breath to even out and stood calmly. Yeon Su-hwan muttered as if sighing.
“That’s for the best, perhaps.”
“What?”
I thought I misheard. A chill ran down my spine. What kind of twisted affection is this, that I never asked for?
“Hae-jun-ah, I… Ah, wait. My head.”
As I frowned, watching him hesitate, wondering what he was trying to say, Yeon Su-hwan suddenly clutched his head, complaining of pain. I watched, wondering what he was doing, but his expression was serious. Shouldn’t I call a nurse? Startled, I stumbled closer to Yeon Su-hwan.
“Are you alright?”
Yeon Su-hwan, his brow deeply furrowed, slowly lifted his head. Our eyes met. His face, contorted in pain, made it hard to read his expression. Yeon Su-hwan, looking bewildered, babbled incoherently.
“Wait a minute… What did I say?”
“What?”
“Who are you? Why am I like this?”
“Did you hit your head? You were hospitalized after fighting with a third-year Sunbae.”
“No, that’s not the issue… Ah, my head…”
“…Shall I call a nurse for you?”
Did he get hit on the head by Kim Un-gyeong? The sudden turn of events left me bewildered. Yeon Su-hwan, still clutching his head, lowered his gaze and waved his hand. His headache seemed so severe that he couldn’t spare me any attention.
“No, no, it’s fine. I think I’ll be alright if I rest for a bit.”
“If you feel uncomfortable, please call a nurse… Then I’ll be going. Goodbye.”
I didn’t want to continue the conversation anyway, and in his state, there was nothing to say. I gave a slight bow and quickly left the room.
I wondered what that was all about at the end, but my mind was already saturated from the conversation we’d had before. My questions about why Yeon Su-hwan acted that way were answered, so I didn’t want to ponder new mysteries.
I hope I never have to see him again. Shaking off the last lingering sense of unease, I turned my back.
❖ ❖ ❖
The large-scale gang fight scheduled for late July was called off inconclusively. I heard that due to recent media coverage and government intervention, many schools had their Iljinhoe disbanded, and a significant number of members had withdrawn nationwide, making future events uncertain.
What was certain was that Seoyeon High School decided not to participate in that fight. Jeseong High School also gave up on the ranking matches, reportedly because Do Yun-hyeok had quit being a delinquent.
I was greatly relieved to hear the news. Honestly, I hadn’t even expected other schools’ Iljinhoe to be disbanded, nor that Do Yun-hyeok would quit being a delinquent, but as a result, the threats to Seong Hae-min’s life had been largely resolved, so it was a good outcome.
However, even with the Iljinhoe disbanded and Seong Hae-min moving away from the novel’s ending, school life didn’t become smooth. In fact, the sensational reactions from those around him intensified due to this incident.
“Kyaa! It’s the Four Heavenly Kings!”
I’d heard it so many times that I could now ignore it, but couldn’t I avoid hearing it at all…?
The Four Heavenly Kings were still called the Four Heavenly Kings. I didn’t understand it, but I tried to understand it logically. Four handsome guys hanging out together, perhaps people just couldn’t stand not grouping them together somehow?
…Or not?
Is it just because it’s in a teen romance novel?
“Hae-jun-ah! Let’s go.”
“Uh, yeah…”
At Seong Hae-min’s call, I started moving my feet.
‘Right, if Seong Hae-min can live, then what does this kind of talk matter?’
Thinking that way, I felt like I could laugh off anything said to me as a joke. After all, it was the admiration of students that would fade once they went to college.