"…Should I quit working out?" No. The summer vacation deadline is the problem; will I even be able to beat them up before graduation? "Or should I convince Dohee to buy a self-defense weapon with me?" No. If I mess around with it and a guy like Go Jihun snatches it, it could become a deadly weapon.
Doyoung pulled the small recorder from his pocket. When his chest was stepped on earlier, he had been inwardly sweating bullets because of this.
'To think this tiny thing is my only hope.'
It was so absurd that his hand, gripping the recorder, angrily slammed the ground… or he tried to, but he regained his senses and carefully put it back in his pocket. He was so pathetic, he was afraid someone might see him.
He should quickly brush himself off and run to at least get the last scraps of lunch, but he'd lost all motivation.
He flopped his body, which he'd been trying to lift, back onto the ground and stared at the sky. It was an incredibly high, clear, and beautiful sky, as if it had been painted, but Doyoung's cheeks were puffed out in a pout.
'Author-nim, are you up there?'
A surge of irritation made him flail both his arms and legs at the sky, as if punching it.
"I'm pissed off!"
As he was doing that, he thought he heard someone chuckle, "Pfft."
He quickly sat up and whipped his head around. But in the empty dump, there was, of course, no one, only silence. Doyoung, feeling a bit awkward, fiddled with his ear. Was he hearing things now? He felt a shiver, suddenly scared, and scrambled to his feet.
After class, Doyoung was planning to call a taxi and go home, just like yesterday, but he tilted his head, seeing an unusual crowd of people murmuring at the school gate. What is it? Did someone come to promote something and hand out snacks? Not many things could get a group of high school boys this excited.
'All I have at home is meat, so if it's a snack, maybe I should grab one?'
With that thought, Doyoung casually joined the crowd and was peeking around when his eyes landed on something that, unlike his expectations, absolutely should not be here.
In his shock, Doyoung unknowingly shouted, "Cha Dohee!" and Dohee, who was standing at the school gate, beamed at him.
"Oppa! I came to pick you up!"
This kid!
'So this is why you let me go so obediently this morning!'
For her to get here on time from her school, which was in the complete opposite direction from their house, meant she must have left early, possibly even skipping class. I can't deal with her. Doyoung frantically grabbed Dohee's hand and practically ran from the school gate. Though she looked confused, Dohee obediently followed his lead.
When they were a reasonable distance from the school, Doyoung let go of Dohee's hand.
He felt sorry, wondering if he had pulled her too hard, if it had hurt. But his worry took precedence, and for a rare, no, for the first time, Doyoung raised his voice at Dohee.
"What on earth were you thinking, coming all the way here!"
"No, I was just worried about you, so…"
Dohee flinched at his tone, but Doyoung didn't notice. He was far more worried that something might have happened to her while she was standing at the gate.
Faces flashed through his mind. Ha Sangwoo, or if not him, Go Jihun and the guys around him… Doyoung spun Dohee around, checking her from front to back.
"O-Oppa. Oppa, what are you doing?"
As the flustered and bewildered Dohee asked, Doyoung, feeling a bit relieved that she seemed okay on the outside, asked.
"Were there any weird guys? Did anyone try to talk to you or hit on you?"
At that, Dohee, who had been listening quietly, finally burst out laughing, "Heehee."
Doyoung was dumbfounded.
"What's so funny?"
"I'm just happy."
Watching her smile bashfully like a child, he lost the will to scold her any further.
"I'm sorry for yelling. But it's really dangerous here."
"Whyy? Are all men wolves?"
"No, that's not it…"
Dohee, smiling and teasing, seemed to have no intention of listening to his lecture.
"Anyway, you didn't meet any weird guys, right?"
"Nope. Though everyone was staring."
"This won't do. Don't come here again."
Dohee just giggled, finding the serious Doyoung funny. Even as he warned her, "I'm serious, I'm only letting this slide today," his oppa dignity had long since lost its effect on the all-too-happy Cha Dohee.
Still, it was a relief that nothing had happened. And he was, in fact, grateful for her kind thought of coming to pick him up out of worry. He stopped being angry, and they decided to walk home together.
"Is it meat again today?"
"It's meat again today."
"…As thanks for going to all the trouble of picking me up, how about I make you something delicious tomorrow?"
"Great, totally great! Then, lunch after school?"
"...? Tomorrow is Saturday."
"...? That's why I said lunch."
"You go to school on Saturdays?"
"Of course, doesn't everyone?"
....
"…They really nailed the era-specific details."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying I'll make you lunch after school. So don't wander off anywhere, come straight home."
"Okay!"
Doyoung smiled brightly at the excited Dohee.
It was the refreshed face of someone who had resolved all his recent worries.
It was a bit annoying to have to go out, but "Saturday" was a pretty peaceful and good thing.
Since he didn't have to stay at school long, no one came to bother him. He thought that if the rumor spread that Dohee had come to the school, Ha Sangwoo might come running to start a fight, but it was surprisingly quiet. Is Saturday his day off, too? he thought, amused.
In any case, he bolted as soon as class ended, and it felt so refreshing.
In his pocket, which usually only held his recorder and phone, was the card he had received from Dohee. A single card had never felt so reassuring.
Cha Dohee, pleased with his offer to make lunch, had told him he could buy whatever he wanted. Of course, he wasn't planning on buying everything, but... 'Is this the leisure of someone who has?' he thought, heading cheerfully to the large mart near the school.
He had talked big, but he wasn't skilled enough to make anything grand. He was just at the level of mimicking real food, thanks to living alone when he started college. Besides, the housekeeper who came every few days prepared all the side dishes, so it wasn't like they were missing much.
But still, this was a nice change of pace. He was grateful to Dohee, and he also wanted to show her that there was more delicious food in the world than just meat. It was a small, happy shopping trip in that sense.
He'd dutifully sent a text that he was on his way, and was walking out to catch a taxi.
From a small alley to his side, a loud 'Thwack!' sound, one that had recently become all too familiar to Doyoung, rang out. Doyoung's body flinched.
He instinctively pressed himself against the wall, hiding. It seemed this was also becoming a trauma; his heart was pounding.
Immediately after, there was a clatter as something fell. Then, after some more loud cursing, a group of guys turned and disappeared.
In the spot they left, one person remained, sprawled on the ground in a mess.
'But why isn't he moving?'
Doyoung's heart raced. He was anxious.
He wouldn't have known if he hadn't seen it, but he had even seen him get hit. He couldn't bring himself to leave. Doyoung, who had been peeking out, noticed that the person left behind was wearing a school uniform. He seemed to be his age. But it wasn't the same color as the one Doyoung was wearing. A different school nearby?
'No, why is school violence so rampant here?'
He was even more bothered because the sight of him collapsed on the ground, unable to get up, felt similar to his own state yesterday.
He craned his neck, looking like a meerkat, checking if those guys were coming back.
After a long time of deliberating and watching, Doyoung finally made his decision and quickly ran to him.
"Hey. Are you okay?"
Up close, he was in much worse shape than he'd thought. His face, which looked like it would be quite handsome with its sharp nose and long eyes, was swollen and ruined. The words he spat out as he painfully opened his swollen eyes were even worse.
"What. Piss off."
His personality.
'What an impressive attitude to have toward someone who ran over to help.'
Muttering internally, Doyoung was about to check his wounds when he suddenly noticed the name on his uniform jacket.
Lee Jinha.
At that, Doyoung's heart sank.
'Lee Jinha? The Lee Jinha I know? Why is he here?'
Seeing the name, Doyoung's feet stumbled back.
'Am I allowed to meet him? Is it okay for me to help him right now?'
After the trouble he'd gone through after meeting Kang Hyun, Doyoung was scared. As if representing that fear, his shoes made a small screech as he took another step back from Jinha.
Seeing Doyoung, Jinha closed his eyes as if in resignation.
It sounded just like if you're going to piss off, just piss off already. It was a sharp-edged remark, but to DoyGoyoung right now, it felt like permission to leave. Unable to resist the temptation, Doyoung fled just as quickly as he had approached.
He ran back to the wall where he had been hiding.
"Heok, heok," he panted, and his heart gradually calmed. He was relieved that he was safe, but at the same time, guilt for abandoning an injured person reared its head. He couldn't feel more like a pathetic, despicable coward.
read more on brightnovels.com