By Zephyria 
“Th-that bastard… I’ll kill him…!”
“Aaaargh!!”
“Beat the kid up!!”
The group in black surged towards Lee Beom. I watched anxiously, biting my lip, but my fears were unfounded.
‘What is this…’
Was he some internet novel protagonist who dominated with his fists? With a single kick from Lee Beom, three or four men went flying. Dodging, striking, dodging, striking. Lee Beom was like a fish in water, rampaging and overwhelming opponents who vastly outnumbered him.
There was no sense of danger. It was as if he had three eyes on each side of his head, as he easily sensed and evaded the surprise attacks from behind. His movements were agile, dodging punches that whistled through the air with such ferocity that they seemed to cut through the wind.
Watching him, I listlessly closed the folder on my mobile phone.
If I call the police now, they’ll probably drag Lee Beom away…
Actually, given the current situation, Lee Beom was the one who should be taken away. But since he stepped in because of me, I couldn’t report it to the police.
It didn’t take long for Lee Beom to knock down all the men in black.
After finishing the fight, Lee Beom dusted off his fists. Around him lay the men in black, sprawled like a flock of crows.
“W-what… a monster…”
The bald man, left alone, lay sprawled grotesquely, trembling as he backed away. Lee Beom approached him with steady steps, then crouched down in front of the bald man and lifted his chin with a straight index finger.
…Does he really have to do it like that?
“Get out of my sight. Now.”
I rolled my eyes, thinking, ‘What’s with the dramatic pose?’
“You… just you wait! I’ll remember that face!”
“Go ahead.”
The bald man, getting up awkwardly, quickly fled with his subordinates. He didn’t forget the obligatory finger-pointing before retreating in defeat. His plump fingers waved furiously towards Lee Beom.
They say those who threaten to wait are never scary. Lee Beom merely waved his hand dismissively. After all, with such strength, he had no reason to worry about anyone showing up.
‘Good thing I was hiding!’
I was relieved my face wasn’t exposed.
The men in black, beaten by Lee Beom, scrambled to leave. Only after they had completely disappeared from his sight did Lee Beom brush off his sleeves.
He spun around and looked at Do Yun-hyeok with a nonchalant posture.
“Pay your debt.”
“……”
Do Yun-hyeok offered no reply. While Lee Beom was fighting, or rather, while Lee Beom was one-sidedly beating up the opponents, Do Yun-hyeok had simply stood behind them. Seeing how he perfectly defended against the rare stray attack, he seemed capable of fighting himself, yet he didn’t help Lee Beom and instead kept looking around.
Even now, after the situation had ended, it was the same. He completely ignored Lee Beom, who was speaking to him, and continued to scan his surroundings as if searching for something.
‘Come to think of it, why was Do Yun-hyeok just running away?’
The question arose, but it wasn’t the most important issue right now. Seeing that the situation was completely resolved, I bravely poked my head out. My intention was to quickly retrieve Lee Beom and leave. But my eyes met Do Yun-hyeok’s.
“Hae-jun-ah!”
The guy with a huge bruise on his face spotted me and waved his arms. I rolled my eyes, checking if anyone else was looking at me. Although I had confirmed the men in black had left, it was a reflexive action.
Fortunately, there was no one around. Since our eyes had met, it would be awkward to hide again, so I slowly revealed myself from behind the car. Perhaps he had been looking for me all along, as he had been scanning the surroundings during the fight, Do Yun-hyeok ran towards me with a bright smile.
He stood bravely in front of me. His cheekbone, swollen to a dark purple, looked incredibly painful. The black hoodie that had covered his red hair had long since been thrown back.
Why does this guy always end up looking like this?
“Thanks for saving me.”
“I didn’t save you.”
After watching Lee Beom do all the fighting, he was thanking me?
“If you want to keep it a secret, I will.”
But Do Yun-hyeok was as shameless as ever. I had argued pointlessly with someone who was beyond refutation.
Lee Beom, hands in his pockets, sauntered over. He didn’t seem to care that he had heard everything Do Yun-hyeok said.
“But… who were those people earlier?”
The words “just you wait” from the men in black lingered like a threat, so I asked cautiously. I was worried that my meddling might have entangled Lee Beom in some strange organization.
“Just some riff-raff.”
Do Yun-hyeok replied, playfully sweeping his bangs aside, but it only emphasized his bruised cheekbone. I wondered if he knew he was the one being chased so chaotically.
“How did you end up being chased?”
I changed my question. Do Yun-hyeok bared his neat teeth and grinned.
“Why? Worried about your hubby?”
“……”
Tsk, tsk. If someone’s going to go crazy, they should at least do it gracefully.
Do Yun-hyeok was someone who spewed nonsense as easily as he breathed, so I wasn’t particularly moved, but my eyes inevitably turned cold. Looking at Do Yun-hyeok as if watching a failed joke, Lee Beom suddenly grabbed Do Yun-hyeok’s shoulder and growled.
“Who said you’re his hubby?”
If he wanted to object, he should have pointed out the logic that as a man, he couldn’t have a hubby. What was Lee Beom doing?
“Jealous?”
Do Yun-hyeok let out a playful groan and used his other arm to pry Lee Beom’s hand off. Seeing the veins bulge on Lee Beom’s arm, it must have taken considerable strength, yet Do Yun-hyeok’s grip on each finger seemed effortless. Seeing that, I was convinced.
Do Yun-hyeok must have let them chase him. But why?
“Stop talking nonsense and explain how you got chased.”
“Hmm… I was walking down the street, and I saw a rabbit doll that looked like you.”
I asked for an explanation, but he started with nonsense again. A million things I wanted to retort came to mind, but I decided to listen quietly for now.
“It was trapped inside a claw machine.”
“……”
“I got into an argument while trying to win it.”
“I was just standing there.”
“I got frustrated while trying to win it, so I kicked a nearby can.”
“And?”
“I don’t know whose head it flew into.”
Do Yun-hyeok declared proudly.
So, if I interpret that, the can he kicked hit someone else’s head?
‘It’s entirely your fault!’
I looked at Do Yun-hyeok with a bewildered expression, but his face was smooth and shiny, like a perfectly peeled hard-boiled egg.
“Did you apologize?”
“No. As soon as they saw my face, they threw punches. It was like they were aiming for the can.”
“…And that’s why you ran and got chased?”
“In return, I poured the drink I was holding on their faces.”
“……”
So that’s why the bald man’s face was so sticky and moist… My vague question was answered, and I was left speechless. Just when I thought, ‘Did they pick a fight with him first?’, Do Yun-hyeok would always do something that dug his own grave. He created the reason for them to chase him, then shamelessly looked at me with an expression of injustice. It was so infuriatingly typical that I was dumbfounded.
Lee Beom, who had been listening silently, subtly slipped between Do Yun-hyeok and me, as if to separate us. His broad back blocked half my view.
“Why did you just take the hits?”
Lee Beom seemed to have also realized that Do Yun-hyeok was deliberately avoiding a fight. After all, Lee Beom would surely know Do Yun-hyeok’s fighting capabilities.
Do Yun-hyeok let out a deflated laugh, as if finding Lee Beom’s question ridiculous. His expression was odd due to his swollen face. His bruised cheekbone looked painful just to look at, making me wince. My own face felt sore.
“Hae-jun said…”
“……”
“He said he doesn’t like me fighting?”
And now he’s using my name as a shield? I was speechless at his audacity.
No wonder he had answered so readily back then. “Don’t fight” meant quitting being a delinquent and living righteously, not getting into fights and then just taking the hits!
As soon as my name was mentioned, Lee Beom’s demeanor turned menacing. Do Yun-hyeok wasn’t one to back down either. The atmosphere between them, as they glared at each other, was unsettling.
“Hey, hey. I don’t like anyone fighting. I’m a pacifist.”
I gently nudged Lee Beom’s arm, as he had stepped in front of me. Even if it was just a pretext, I couldn’t let them fight if my name was the excuse. Thinking of Seong Hae-min, I needed to reduce the number of hostile forces, and the road ahead was long.
“Hae-jun. Are you upset because I’m hurt?”
Do Yun-hyeok asked with an expectant smile. It was a twisted sense of humor.
The lie I had told to brush it off, that I would be upset if he got hurt, had come back to haunt me. Truly, one should not lie. The elders’ warnings weren’t for nothing; they came from experience.
Lee Beom once again blocked my path.
“Stop your tricks, Do Yun-hyeok.”
“You should try some. What can you do?”
“…I’ll handle it myself!”
“You think you can?”
Their standoff was tense. So engrossed in their power struggle, they seemed to be talking without thinking. I should have probably ignored Do Yun-hyeok and walked away if I had considered my own safety. But regret was always too late.