By Zephyria 
“What kind of situation is this?”
“Do Yun-hyeok, it would be best for you if you let go of Hae-jun’s hand, speaking nicely.”
“Always with the nice words. Do you have any bad ones?”
“I’m not in the mood for wordplay. Let go of that hand.”
“I grabbed him first.”
“If you don’t want to see this end here, you’d better let go as soon as possible.”
“I grabbed him first.”
“Hae-jun is under the protection of us, the Four Heavenly Kings.”
…What are you two doing?
“Don’t you know first come, first served? If you’re so upset, you should have grabbed him first.”
“…Do you want to cut loose against Jeseong High School today?”
“No, I said let go.”
“…….”
Cut loose? You punks!
While Lee Beom and Do Yun-hyeok were spewing nonsense at each other over me, I found myself directly receiving the curious gazes of the onlookers. My face was burning, and it was hell in every way. Among those who covered their mouths in surprise was Ban Pyo-ran.
If they were going to fight, they could at least let go of my arms. Even as I called out “Hey, hey!” and twisted my arms, they wouldn’t let go.
‘Leave me out of this!’
The two delinquents continued their verbal sparring. They reacted sharply to each other’s words but were oblivious to my face flushing with embarrassment, which was my misfortune.
Perhaps it was because I had vehemently stopped them from resorting to fists, but they just glared at each other and engaged in a childish argument that even a grade-schooler wouldn’t have.
“Then ask Hae-jun and decide.”
“Do Yun-hyeok. Know your place. You, of all people…”
“Scared?”
“…Seong Hae-jun.”
The two who had been locked in a power struggle, holding one of my arms each, turned their attention to me. And they asked me a question so childish that I hadn’t even asked it when I was in kindergarten.
“Is it me, or him?”
“Me or him.”
“…….”
Not only the two who asked me, but the expectant gazes of everyone watching were like darts piercing my face. My cheeks felt numb.
I remained silent. I wanted to disappear from everyone’s sight and hide in a rat hole.
‘Do they have a grudge against me?’
Why is this trial befalling me?
“I asked, me or him.”
Do Yun-hyeok urged me on with a confident expression. I didn’t know what Ban Seo-yi had told him, but he seemed convinced that I would choose him because of Ban Seo-yi. My ears burned with shame and anger, mixed with disbelief.
Seeing such strong conviction in this situation only made me more resentful. Even if Do Yun-hyeok hadn’t grabbed my hand, I would have been able to find Ban Seo-yi on my own.
“You guys…”
“…….”
As soon as I opened my mouth, I felt everyone hold their breath. When I twisted my arms, both of them let go of my hands in a futile gesture. They were finally listening to me. I swallowed a sigh. I wondered why they were all making such a fuss here.
Everything in the world felt pathetic.
“Do you want to be like this, growing old pathetically? Even elementary schoolers aren’t like this.”
Gasp!
I heard the sound of people taking sharp breaths.
‘Life…’
My sigh deepened.
But I didn’t want to be fuel for their fire any longer. If I had one lifelong wish, it was to be left out of whatever antics they pulled.
“I’m leaving. Take me out of your fight.”
I turned my back and bravely left the scene. I felt a little better after saying what I had to say.
“Hae-jun!”
Seong Hae-min, who had been staring at me blankly, snapped out of it and chased after me. I spoke without looking back.
“I’m really tired, Hae-min.”
“Still, you can’t. It’s dangerous…”
“Do you have to be so overprotective?”
“Hae-jun.”
“Can’t you just leave me alone?”
My heart raced, and I snapped at Seong Hae-min like a parent scolding a rebellious child. I regretted it immediately.
‘I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on Seong Hae-min…’
Along with regret, a conflicting feeling of relief washed over me.
Just because we were a family who cared for each other didn’t mean we always had to act like everything was sunshine and rainbows. The timing was bad, but it was a problem that was bound to explode eventually.
I turned back and held Seong Hae-min’s hand, pleading.
“I’ll be back on time, so don’t worry about me. I hate it when people gather around when I’m with you guys. I’m going to hang out alone for a bit.”
Leaving a stunned Seong Hae-min behind, I hurried away. I felt a vibration from the pocket where I kept my mobile phone, but I didn’t check it. Whether it was Seong Hae-min, Ban Seo-yi, or someone else. I didn’t want to know.
After confirming I was completely away from the Four Heavenly Kings, I headed to the place Ban Seo-yi had told me to wait. Just because I didn’t follow Do Yun-hyeok didn’t mean I wasn’t going to find Ban Seo-yi. I had memorized the directions since he had texted me the location when I took the school bus.
Thanks to Do Yun-hyeok, I encountered many Jeseong High School students on the way, but no one paid me any attention. This was how it should be, really. My life had become so accustomed to unusual reactions that normal ones surprised me. It was bitter.
I turned down a street with no pedestrians and entered a secluded alley. The route Ban Seo-yi had told me to take included an area where construction for an attraction was underway, so it was a path that someone who didn’t frequent this amusement park or pay close attention wouldn’t find.
Does he live at the amusement park? How did he know about this path? Like that deserted park, Ban Seo-yi seemed to seek out secret places.
Arriving at the winding destination, I found a secluded spot with only construction materials piled up, devoid of people. Since there were no attractions, it seemed unlikely anyone would bother coming all the way here. A girl standing alone in a corner, unnoticed, turned around when she sensed my presence.
Ban Seo-yi, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, hadn’t changed. Not even the way she threw her cigarette on the ground and crushed it with her foot.
“You found it well? Your memory is good.”
“Hello.”
“It’s been a while. But you don’t look happy?”
My already gloomy face crumpled. The absurd events of the day flashed through my mind. I made no effort to force a smile.
I brought up the very last thing that had happened before I came here.
“Why did you send Do Yun-hyeok? You should have told me beforehand.”
“If I had told you beforehand, wouldn’t you have refused? But seeing as you got out of it well, well…”
Ban Seo-yi waved her hand as if to say, ‘It worked out in the end, didn’t it?’ I had no rebuttal. No matter where I tried to go, Seong Hae-min would have followed me. Now that I thought about it, I couldn’t think of any other way to escape that group besides Do Yun-hyeok. I only regretted not realizing it sooner.
“…But the timing was bad.”
Fatigue washed over me. There was nothing else to explain it with. I didn’t want to rehash it to explain. It was an accomplishment just to stand there.
“Why? I told you two o’clock in advance because I thought something like that might happen.”
Ban Seo-yi raised an eyebrow. But I had no intention of explaining in detail, so I shook my head and replied briefly.
“It was already chaotic before that. Misunderstandings, their own petty conflicts…”
“Misunderstandings? What kind of misunderstandings?”
I looked at Ban Seo-yi. It was fortunate to have at least one person who could understand when I confided my troubles.
“It’s quite serious. Min Si-hu mistakes me for liking Ban Pyo-ran, and Ban Pyo-ran thinks I like Lee Beom. They’re all crazy. Even if I explain, the misunderstandings don’t get resolved.”
“What?”
After a brief silence, Ban Seo-yi burst into laughter, doubling over as if her back would break. She couldn’t catch her breath.
Fine, laugh. It must be funny.
I ran my hand through my hair in resignation. I didn’t even feel offended by her open laughter. She was the only one who could understand my situation. I could only chuckle at the absurdity of being the subject of such a ridiculous story.
After laughing for a long time, Ban Seo-yi wiped her tears and stopped laughing.
“I’m sorry for laughing when it’s serious. But isn’t it too absurd?”
“I think so too.”
“But now you’ll definitely believe it?”
“Believe what?”
Ban Seo-yi looked at me leisurely and nodded as if I already knew.
“That you can change this novel.”
I fiddled with the chunky feature phone in my pocket and denied it.
“Honestly, I’m still not sure…”
“Even with the kids going to such lengths to make these mistakes? Why?”
Ban Seo-yi looked genuinely curious. I hesitated for a moment.
“It’s just a misunderstanding.”
“It’s a misunderstanding you wouldn’t have had.”
“But nothing related to Seong Hae-min’s death has changed.”
“Related? What exactly are you talking about?”
“Their bad relationship with Jeseong High School, Seong Hae-min continuing to be one of the Four Heavenly Kings despite my warnings, Ban Pyo-ran’s feelings for Lee Beom probably haven’t disappeared either. The kids still like Ban Pyo-ran…”
“Hey. Are you kidding me?”
Ban Seo-yi leaned in as if she might grab me by the collar. I instinctively leaned back. Ban Seo-yi ignored it and pointed her finger at me, demanding.
“Seong Hae-jun. You don’t know because you’re not me. You are already changing the novel.”
Her tone sounded like she was accusing me of enjoying privileges and benefits without realizing it, so I retorted, unable to help myself.
“Why do you think you can’t change the novel? I just said I’m not sure if I’m changing it. What if the kids act like this now, but later they act like they did in the original novel? That wouldn’t be changing it! That…”
I realized I was getting agitated again today, so I stopped talking mid-sentence. I had come to hear about Yeon Su-hwan and Do Yun-hyeok’s relationship from Ban Seo-yi, but I was wasting energy on pointless things. Realizing my purpose for being here, I relaxed my body.
As I swallowed my words, silence fell around us.