By Zephyria 
Do Yun-hyeok was completely unfazed by the girl’s abrupt departure. Well, when has this mad dog ever paid attention to anything? He always does whatever he wants.
Do Yun-hyeok, sitting opposite me, pushed a beer glass towards me. It was so natural, as if he were an adult. I was dumbfounded by his audacity.
“I brought you beer.”
I looked down at the yellowish liquid topped with cream-like white foam. The cold glass smelled faintly of bread.
“I’m underage.”
“Hae-jun, you just realized that now?”
Crazy bastard, crazy bastard, crazy bastard! I cursed Do Yun-hyeok in my mind. Three curses of “crazy bastard” earn you immunity from murder.
“That’s not the problem, you’re underage too.”
“You just realized that too?”
Do Yun-hyeok spouted nonsense and gulped down the beer. I watched his Adam’s apple bobbing as he drank, with a look of disgust.
What is wrong with this guy? I was genuinely concerned for him as a human being.
“Do you know that minors shouldn’t drink alcohol?”
“Ah!”
“…”
“Right. That’s why the cops sometimes come looking for us!”
“…”
I gave up on having a sensible conversation.
That guy isn’t human, he’s a mad dog that barks ‘woof woof’. I kept forgetting that fact and trying to treat him like a human, I really lacked the ability to learn. He’s a stubborn puppy that bites its owner when things don’t go his way, woof woof.
I watched Do Yun-hyeok set down his beer glass with a clink and shook my head. I crunched on the snacks he brought. They were salty and made me thirsty.
The music playing from the club changed. I had vaguely imagined clubs in high school would be filled with loud EDM, but at least the club Do Yun-hyeok brought me to wasn’t like that. I didn’t know if there were different kinds of clubs, or if it was just because this was an older place.
People were tangled together, dancing on the stage. Cheers erupted from the crowd for someone’s dancing skills. I remembered the girl who had left earlier. It might be nothing, but… her attitude seemed strange, and it bothered me. It wouldn’t hurt to know and be cautious.
“Who was that girl from earlier?”
I asked as casually as possible, to prepare for Do Yun-hyeok to act up again. Lightly, like flying a paper airplane.
“Why are you curious about that?”
But Do Yun-hyeok’s reply was a bit cold. This was almost the first time Do Yun-hyeok had acted so prickly, wasn’t it? It was almost on par with Lee Beom’s attitude towards Ban Pyo-ran. His reaction made me want to pry further. I asked again.
“Who is she that you can’t tell me?”
“Hae-jun.”
Do Yun-hyeok sighed and put down his heavy beer glass. Under the dark, flashy lights, his wine-colored hair and ear piercings stood out.
“Didn’t I tell you I had my eye on you? Did you forget already?”
Why did that come up? I looked at Do Yun-hyeok with bewildered eyes.
“But it makes me sad when you keep talking about other people.”
What nonsense is this…
Do Yun-hyeok sighed. The piercings covering his ears jangled.
How did this person, who had a perfectly good face, turn into such an unreasonable human being? How did I end up sitting across from such a delinquent in a club, drinking together? The thought suddenly struck me. Honestly, I had a mountain of questions for Do Yun-hyeok, mostly about what went on inside his skull. This guy was truly a subject for research.
Do Yun-hyeok took out a cigarette from his pocket and rolled it between his fingers. The white stick drew a circle. Alcohol and cigarettes at a club. The perfect trifecta of a delinquent student. It was the end of days.
“Hae-jun, your cluelessness is part of your charm.”
I didn’t want to hear that kind of thing from Do Yun-hyeok. I was a hundred times better at studying than him, so who was he to spout such nonsense? Filled with anger, I glanced at Do Yun-hyeok, but his expression seemed unusual. I lowered my eyes submissively again.
Do Yun-hyeok is a mad dog. Let’s not associate with him. If I get bitten, I might catch rabies.
“But it’s okay.”
Do Yun-hyeok stopped fiddling with his fingers and lit his cigarette. Wisps of acrid smoke curled up. Given the setting, he seemed like a different person than when we had visited karaoke rooms, arcades, and comic book stores before. He seemed twice his age and five times more arrogant!
I quickly hid my fingers, which were starting to curl up, under the table, but I couldn’t hide the fact that my complexion had worsened. Seeing my expression, Do Yun-hyeok let out a puff of air and chuckled.
“Even if Hae-jun is clueless… I’m even more clueless.”
“…….”
“So it’s okay.”
“…….”
My stomach felt uneasy.
I should have run away through the back door as Seong Hae-min suggested. One small wrong choice had led to this enormous butterfly effect, and I felt solemn.
I considered asking where the restroom was, but knowing the mad dog’s personality, I figured he’d follow me even there, so I stayed put. As I just stared down at my full beer glass, Do Yun-hyeok suddenly leaned his face towards me.
The scent of cool mouthwash mixed with cigarette smoke. I flinched and pulled back, widening the distance between us. Do Yun-hyeok rested his chin on his hand and stared at me with a bored expression.
“Hae-jun. Am I strange?”
“…….”
“I’m always sincere.”
He didn’t wait for an answer. As if he never expected one, Do Yun-hyeok began to mutter to himself with a dejected look.
“How can I make…”
“…….”
“Hae-jun like me as much as I like him.”
With that, Do Yun-hyeok crushed his unlit cigarette in the ashtray. In the ashtray lay a clean, unsmoked cigarette that had briefly caught fire and then been extinguished. He wasn’t the age to play with fire, so why did he light the cigarette just to throw it away? Cigarettes aren’t scented candles.
Do Yun-hyeok lowered his gaze and fell into thought with a gloomy expression. I stole a glance at Do Yun-hyeok, who seemed to be in deep contemplation. He was truly sculpted.
Against this mad dog, I should give up thinking, and in my life, I’ve always detested people who acted selfishly outside the bounds of law and common sense, but somehow this guy kept bothering me.
Was it because he was subtly different from the Do Yun-hyeok character in the novel I knew, or was it because he kept insisting he liked me?
‘Why me, of all people?’
I couldn’t know.
However, even though I found him awkward, burdensome, and truly strange, seeing him seriously contemplating made a desire to correct what was wrong surge within me. Maybe I was addicted to making correction notes from mock exams, I couldn’t even understand my own feelings. Anyway, I hated delinquents, regardless of gender!
“Haa.”
“…….”
Do Yun-hyeok let out a long sigh. The curve of his jawline was perfect. Perhaps people should only be moderately good-looking, and maybe his extreme handsomeness had led to a bizarre personality for the sake of world balance. Sometimes, his reckless, crazy personality was understandable when looking at his face.
But the important thing was that I had my own problems to deal with. Instead of worrying about a mad dog who might do bad things in the future, I should focus on myself.
Do Yun-hyeok, who had been burying his head in thought, soon got up and suggested we leave. I was surprised, as he seemed like the type to enjoy dancing and partying more at the club. But I had been waiting for him to say that, so I readily followed him. We left the club anticlimactically.
Do Yun-hyeok walked me home, just like last time. The difference from last time was that Seong Hae-min wasn’t running out of the house barefoot; instead, he was pacing outside, waiting for me.
“Seong Hae-min?”
“Hae-jun!”
Seong Hae-min rushed over. Even though it was spring, it was quite chilly in the evening, and I couldn’t understand how Seong Hae-min could think of waiting outside for hours, no matter how worried he was. Seeing his eyes filled with 100% pure concern, I could only sigh.
You’re usually busy drinking with the Four Heavenly Kings and riding motorcycles, aren’t you? Why are you waiting for me?
In the meantime, Do Yun-hyeok had recovered and waved his arms enthusiastically, saying we should meet again, and we parted ways. I was handed over to Seong Hae-min and returned home.
Despite his worries, I returned home safe and sound, but I felt uneasy. The girl of unknown identity, Do Yun-hyeok’s quiet, muttering demeanor, and the dejected attitude of my twin brother, who would normally have fussed, all contributed to this feeling.
“Are you… hurt anywhere?”
I gazed at Seong Hae-min, who asked cautiously. In my opinion, Seong Hae-min should act selfishly only half as much as Do Yun-hyeok, and Do Yun-hyeok needed to consider others only half as much as Seong Hae-min did. Seeing his cautious demeanor, it was clear he was still dwelling on what happened earlier that day.
“Seong Hae-min.”
“Hae-jun, what? Are you uncomfortable? Do you have a headache like last time? Should we go to the hospital now? I’ll call an ambulance. Oh, I’ll make you some warm tea…”
Just calling his name made Seong Hae-min flustered and noisy. Yet, his own lips were blue from being out in the night breeze for so long. If an ambulance came, it would probably take Seong Hae-min away instead of me.
How could he have waited outside in this chilly weather? That made my frustration boil over even more.
Unable to stand it any longer, I blurted out.
“Do you believe Do Yun-hyeok like an idiot?”