LFG 45

[Ki Jae-eon]

Who is he?

Born into a well-off family.

Born with blessed talent.

With parents who look at him whether he’s ugly or pretty.

Hogging attention with just a flick of his finger.

A human who has only lived a life that has never been broken.

What is he daring to discuss in front of me?

“Nor, normal… haha!”

Kim Ju-won swept back his wet hair and burst into a short laugh. He tried to hold it in, but unable to, he shook his shoulders, “Pu-ha!” Laughter flowed out of his lips incessantly. Haha! His slightly frowned brow and the bridge of his nose changed his fierce face into a cheerful one. The laughter in the bathroom continued without ceasing.

“Want to be normal, ha, hahaha!”

Kim Ju-won looked at Ki Jae-eon and shook his head as if he was dying of laughter.

It wasn’t acting. Kim Ju-won was sincerely amused by the current situation. No, it was ridiculous. Yes, his situation was so ridiculous that he couldn’t stop laughing.

“Haha… shit, really. Haha….”

I prided myself on having collapsed miserably enough, but it wasn’t. I’ve never felt this much humiliation before.

Overcome the frustration and stand up? Bullshit.

A person who can’t make it will never make it.

The pride, beliefs, and aspirations that I had clenched my teeth and protected were all shattered in front of that bastard’s one word, ‘I want to be normal.’

‘……It’s too pathetic.’

If the effort I’ve endured is only the same weight as the words ‘I want to be normal,’ then I’m too wronged. Kim Ju-won’s eyes stared intently at his face reflected in the water. There was nothing in that gaze. Really, nothing.

The giggling gradually subsided.

Kim Ju-won, with an empty heart, dragged out his voice as if amused, “Ah….” Then he soon tilted his head back and let out a deep sigh, “Haa.” His prominent Adam’s apple moved up and down several times. A short silence flowed, and Kim Ju-won straightened his head. After staring blankly at Ki Jae-eon for a moment, he soon scooped up the bathwater and washed his face, “Hoo-.” He made a refreshing expression under his thick eyebrows from which water was dripping. However, his eyes were subtly twisted.

Kim Ju-won slowly rose from the tub. As the water fell with a “Chwaaa-,” his nude body, filled with muscles, was revealed. Kim Ju-won spat out a dry voice towards Ki Jae-eon, who was staring at him silently.

“Hey.”

His lips, which had already sunk coldly, showed no trace of laughter.

“Don’t be extravagant in front of me. I want to kill you.”

The gaze that finally met was one of deep disgust.

Kim Ju-won turned his back without regret.

As he stepped on the damp, cold tiles, he thought.

Maybe we’ll never understand each other in our lives. Ki Jae-eon.

-‘Don’t be extravagant.’

The long shadow disappeared, and Ki Jae-eon, left alone, stared blankly at the empty space. His head, unable to tell what he was thinking, soon dropped powerlessly towards the surface of the water. His withered and shabby face was reflected on the rippling surface of the water. A dazed gaze, with fatigue clinging to it.

-‘I want to kill you.’

Ki Jae-eon slowly stirred the water. Splash. With a single gesture, the face that had floated to the surface was distorted messily by the waves of the water. The ugly, rippling face was like himself in the distant future.

…That time when his face was half melted by it.

“……”

It was when meaningless slow blinks were repeated several times. As a drop of water that had trickled down his forehead fell with a “Drip-,” his bloodless lips moved slightly. The whispering sound, which was barely audible, was pronouncing ‘extravagance’ if you listened closely.

Extravagance. Extravagance.

Ki Jae-eon rolled the word over his tongue several times.

Then suddenly, splash! He submerged himself completely in the hot tub as if diving.

Extravagance. Extravagance. Extravagance.

……Ah, that’s right.

Why did I forget?

Then, now, the future, the past, and the present, all of it.

‘The ordinary life I yearn for hurts someone.’

It was like that back then too.

Every time I hit a limit, I tried to live the rest of my life like others, but every time, people stopped me. They didn’t allow it.

You can’t be like that… please, fight.

‘I shouldn’t be greedy.’

The answer I found in the boundary of death where I was suffocating was truly cruel.

“Poo, haa, ha-!”

Chwaaa! Ki Jae-eon, who came out of the water, gasped for breath and covered his wet face completely. The curly black hair covered the back of his hand where the bones stood out, and the water droplets that formed on his whole body slid down his pale skin.

‘I was mistaken.’

That it would be okay to be normal, even if it was just for a moment.

‘I shouldn’t have said it.’

Water droplets dripped from the gaps in his hands covering his face.

After that day, changes occurred in both of them.

Kim Ju-won treated Ki Jae-eon as if he didn’t exist at all, and Ki Jae-eon tried to avoid Kim Ju-won’s eyes as much as possible. They weren’t originally close, but there was some affection built up while living in a group. Now, there was no sign of that. It seemed even more uncomfortable than when they first met. It was a complete severing of ties. Especially Kim Ju-won’s attitude. Like the rain and wind before a storm, it was precarious, like walking on a knife’s edge.

‘I thought I was going to choke while eating.’

‘What’s with the atmosphere these days? It’s so ominous.’

‘Did the hyungs fight?’

The children soon noticed the sharp air flowing between them.

They gossiped every day, but no one came forward to resolve the situation. More precisely, there was no one with the ability to do so. It was natural. It was a discord between Kim Ju-won, who was called the pillar of the main office regardless of age, and Ki Jae-eon, who everyone admired. What crazy person would call those two and give them the ridiculous advice to reconcile? Moreover, since they didn’t fight openly, it was ambiguous to interfere rashly.

But that didn’t mean they could just leave it alone, saying, ‘We don’t know, so just sort it out between yourselves.’ To put it bluntly, Kim Ju-won was a ticking time bomb, and Ki Jae-eon was at the end of his avoidance tendencies.

Even if the landscape changed so much that the earth split in half, there would be no progress between the two.

Eventually, about two weeks passed in a cold war that wasn’t a cold war.

As children of the main office who prioritized unity, they judged that the continued ignoring for several days was not a simple fight and decided to take appropriate action. It was called [Snitching to an adult!]

Above all, a person who was very suitable for this field was always residing in the main office.

It was Kim Yeong, who valued etiquette and ethics.

The children sent him a text message equivalent to [SsaeamㅠㅠIjjanayong] SOS.

“Tell me.”

So, Kim Yeong had called Kim Ju-won out separately. He was trying to lead the conversation by handing him a warmly brewed chamomile tea, but unfortunately, Kim Ju-won didn’t seem to have any intention of cooperating.

“Did something happen with Jae-eon?”

No matter how much he asked, he remained silent.

“Ju-won.”

When Kim Yeong urged him with a worried expression, the lips that had been tightly closed like a clam finally opened.

“It’s not what happened-.”

Kim Ju-won stared at the teacup with hot steam rising without blinking once. Soon, a dry and mechanical voice flowed out.

“Isn’t what you want to ask is, what did I do?”

“…Ju-won, what are you talking about.”

“So, you called me first instead of that bastard Ki Jae-eon. Does it make sense to start a conversation with the perpetrator already marked? Just get angry. Why are you asking?”

“Ju-won.”

“Why am I always the culprit when I’m involved with that bastard? I hit him a few times last time? Ha, I’m so tired of it.”

“Ju-won, Kim Ju-won.”

Something was wrong. The story was going in a completely different direction. Talking with the perpetrator already marked?

‘His condition is a bit strange?’