LMO 57

“Ah!”

Startled, I fell backward, landing on my rear.

This guy was conscious?

Do Yun-hyeok’s lips moved, his face obscured by blood-matted hair. I squinted, trying to decipher his faint lip movements.

Ah…? Al? I couldn’t make it out at all.

“What did you say?”

“No, 119 is…”

Do Yun-hyeok furrowed his brow and managed to speak. Even then, his voice was very weak and rough. It sounded like he had swallowed a mouthful of blood.

He was on the verge of death, and his first words were that I shouldn’t call an ambulance. It was outrageous. I tried to pull my wrist away from his grip, but even in this state, Do Yun-hyeok’s strength was formidable. Confused, I shouted.

“Are you crazy? You’ll die like this!”

“Shut… up… No…”

He must be saying this because he can’t see his own condition. Objectively, anyone who found Do Yun-hyeok on the street would immediately call an ambulance. Do Yun-hyeok’s appearance warranted immediate transport to the emergency room. Even if he took a taxi, the driver would likely drop him off at the nearest hospital.

“What do you mean no? You can’t be like this!”

“…….”

Despite my strong refusal, there was no response. The hand holding my arm suddenly dropped to the floor.

I forgot to breathe and checked again if Do Yun-hyeok was breathing properly. Fortunately, he was breathing raggedly.

I picked up my mobile phone again to call an ambulance. But this time, Do Yun-hyeok, whom I thought had truly fainted, grabbed my wrist again.

I was dumbfounded. Unable to move his whole body, he could barely lift his arm, yet he stopped me from acting because he disliked ambulances so much?

“What are you going to do, in this state!”

“If I rest a bit… I’ll get better…”

“Stop pretending to be tough!”

Frustrated and annoyed, I spoke to Do Yun-hyeok, who was blindly obstructing me. What was initially baffling was now making me angry. Seeing him stubbornly persist while gasping for breath made it worse.

He’s being difficult when I’m trying to help, and he doesn’t even know his own condition…

“Pretending to be tough…”

“What? I can’t hear you.”

“Yes, pretending to be tough.”

“What did you say?”

“In front of my darling…”

“Hey.”

Does he really have to say that when he’s half-dead?

It was an inappropriate remark, making me wonder if it was all an act. But seeing the dried bloodstains on my wrist where he had held me, those thoughts vanished.

Meanwhile, the police car was getting closer. What should I do? Like a cat caught in a downpour, countless conflicts arose within me.

But the most important thing to consider is always oneself. I brushed off my knees and looked away. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to help Do Yun-hyeok, but I had to avoid getting involved with the police. I couldn’t leave any trace of my involvement in this incident.

“I, I don’t know. The police will be here soon, so you’re on your own.”

“It was you… the police.”

Do Yun-hyeok’s lips moved, and he gave a faint smile. I had intended to be harsh, but seeing him look like someone making a dying wish, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. This damn guy…

I brainwashed myself, reminding Do Yun-hyeok of the facts once more.

“You’re the one who said not to call an ambulance. I’m leaving!”

The police car was also getting closer, and I had to return the whistle to the PE teacher’s office. The silver whistle felt as heavy as handcuffs. I bit my lip and turned my back cruelly.

Then, over my shoulder, I heard the sound of Do Yun-hyeok staggering and struggling to stand. A wheezing, metallic sound came from Do Yun-hyeok’s breath. I turned back in surprise and was aghast.

He was literally standing like a stumbling zombie.

“Hey, hey… can you stand?”

“Darling… I…”

Do Yun-hyeok, with his swollen, bruised, and battered face, struggled to lift the corners of his mouth. Even though his smile wasn’t fully formed, he looked so pained that I flinched involuntarily. Yet, Do Yun-hyeok was spouting something utterly bizarre.

“Just… take care of me for a bit.”

Is this like saving someone from drowning and then asking them to hand over their belongings? He was the one who told me not to call 119 earlier! I was so frustrated I felt like I would explode.

“I can’t.”

“Then… I’ll just follow you…”

“Follow me in that state? If the police come, tell them a Seoyeon High School student beat you.”

“No…”

“Why on earth!”

“No matter… what, no.”

His mouth was split, raw, and swollen, making his pronunciation slurred. He had to swallow his words, interspersed with groans, but seeing the mad dog stubbornly clinging to a resolve tougher than iron sinew left me speechless. No ambulance, no police. What was the point of paying taxes and living in Korea?

“No, I have to go back to school. I have something to do.”

“…Really?”

Even if Do Yun-hyeok was a mad dog, returning to that den in his current state was impossible. He must have known that better than anyone. Do Yun-hyeok scowled, then yelped in pain. I realized that even a handsome face was no match for swelling.

“Then, just to there, walk with me.”

“Haa…”

Honestly, he was such a troublesome guy, only satisfied when he got his way.

I shook my head and quickly left the scene. I could hear Do Yun-hyeok staggering and groaning, but I didn’t help him. I was too annoyed by his stubbornness.

I told you I’d call an ambulance!

Walking with Do Yun-hyeok trailing behind me, I fiddled with the whistle in my pocket. The stolen item felt heavy and uncomfortable. I desperately wanted to return it to its place. Though my heart raced, my steps slowed.

Why on earth did Do Yun-hyeok crawl all the way to school and get caught up in this violence? Just for a single pizza? Even though the relationship between the high schools was bad, did he not expect Yeon Su-hwan to be this hostile towards him? I spoke loud enough for the limping Do Yun-hyeok to hear.

“It’s dangerous, so don’t come to school again.”

“…No.”

I said it out of concern, so why was he being stubborn again? Of course, Do Yun-hyeok had never acted within the bounds of reason before, but getting beaten up was a different matter entirely.

“Yeon Su-hwan is out to get you, eyes blazing. I couldn’t even stop him because it was so brutal. Did you have a past life feud with Yeon Su-hwan?”

I turned around, emphasizing that this was something one wouldn’t do with even minimal reason and common sense. My eyes met his bloodied face. Do Yun-hyeok, who was always so proud and confident, stammered for the first time.

“Not a past life…”

Did that mean he did have a feud? I was dumbfounded. It wasn’t like I didn’t know; he knew Yeon Su-hwan hated him enough to beat him up, so why did he come!

Seizing the moment Do Yun-hyeok seemed dejected, I pressed him.

“Then why did you come all the way into the school? It’s dangerous. Do you have two lives?”

“…To apologize to you, ugh…”

“Apologize? For what?”

Come to think of it, when I gave him the pizza earlier, he said he came to apologize, which led the surrounding kids to spread rumors that Do Yun-hyeok had attacked me or something. But there was nothing in my memory that warranted such a risk to apologize for.

Do Yun-hyeok lowered his eyes. His eyelids were stained purple like a sweet potato. Black scabs of blood clung to his temples. I unconsciously tightened my lips. I didn’t care who got beaten up, but I hated seeing anyone in such a sorry state.

“Back then, in Myeongdong.”

“……”

“You said you were embarrassed…”

“You came knowing you’d get beaten up if you got caught apologizing? Don’t you know how to calculate your losses?!”

“……”

An anger, incomprehensible even to myself, surged at Do Yun-hyeok’s answer. I yelled, furious. I couldn’t control my temper. I even regretted talking to him.

Then, I left Do Yun-hyeok standing there and headed towards the school. He didn’t follow me any further.

‘He’ll figure it out himself.’

Swallowing back a sigh that threatened to escape, I cautiously returned to the back gate.

The school gates were usually open because students were attending self-study sessions, but no one was around. Except for the third-year classrooms where self-study was in progress, the school was plunged into a quiet silence with all the lights off.

I hurried towards the physical education teacher’s office. I intended to return the whistle. But when I arrived, the office door was locked.

Even if the door was closed, if teachers were inside, I had planned to knock, enter, and shamelessly leave it there, saying I found it in the hallway. But the PE office lights were off too. They had probably packed up and left, or gone to supervise study hall.

Still, I felt I couldn’t rest easy until I returned the whistle. I didn’t want to carry this uncomfortable object home and then bring it back to school tomorrow.

I checked if I could slide the whistle through the gap under the PE office door. Unfortunately, the gap was slightly too narrow.

Pondering other methods, I reluctantly hung the whistle on the doorknob. The security was a bit lax, but no one would come to such an out-of-the-way place, and even if they found the whistle, who would steal an item that smelled like the PE teacher’s saliva?

Shaking it off, I hurried out of the school.

If Seong Hae-min asked why I was so late, I’d say I was studying. I had an excuse ready as I was about to leave the deserted school gate when suddenly, my arm was grabbed from behind.

“Ack!”

“Hae-jun.”

A chillingly low voice. A cold breath brushed against my neck. As my gaze traveled up the hand gripping my shoulder to his face, I felt my breath catch. Yeon Su-hwan, with his gentle expression, was looking down at me.

…Why is this person here?