# Chapter 7
I reluctantly stretched out my arm to the surprisingly persistent guy. The uniformed boy looked at my wrist, clicked his tongue once with a short “tsk,” and personally unbuttoned my shirt sleeve to check the condition of my arm.
“Oh my, that’s going to bruise.”
What’s with this person?
He was examining my wrist with such a serious expression that I blinked and looked down at it too. The spot where the big guy had grabbed me was visibly swollen and red. It would probably turn purple in a few hours. I was lucky it hadn’t resulted in a fracture or break.
“Do scumbags like that often bother you?”
“No.”
I wasn’t sure if they bothered me often or not, but this was the first time since I entered this novel. I shook my head. The uniformed boy then reached out and stroked my hair several times. His face was full of amusement as he ruffled my hair.
What kind of treatment is this?
But remembering that he had been suspended before, I stopped myself from protesting.
“I should tell your brother to take better care of you.”
“You know Seong Haemin?”
I asked with a shocked expression. Then I realized my mistake. Thinking about it, he was someone who had been suspended—of course he would know Seong Haemin, one of the “Four Kings.”
‘I should have avoided this guy too!’
The uniformed boy covered his mouth with his fist and chuckled, “Kook.” Despite hearing it several times already, his laugh was still…
“You don’t know me?”
I don’t.
Nothing came to mind immediately. I just stared blankly.
“Kook kook. You’re really funny.”
“……”
“Kook, ask Haemin. Ask if he knows Yeon Suhwan. And make sure to tell him that I helped you, okay?”
“Ah… wait a moment, please.”
I hurriedly grabbed him as he was about to turn and leave. The guy I had grabbed smiled like a kind and handsome prince. Of course, to me, even that smile was annoying.
“What? Do you recognize who I am now? Remember hearing about me?”
“Not exactly. I’m sorry, but if you know Seong Haemin, could you please not mention today’s incident to him?”
If he found out about this incident, I might end up having to ride on the back of Seong Haemin’s motorcycle to school from now on. I wanted to avoid such a horrifying scenario.
After hearing my request, the guy paused for a moment, stared at my face as if reminiscing about something nostalgic, and then let out a small laugh.
“Kook, sure. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
“Now I see why Haemin is so protective of you.”
I didn’t understand what he meant, but I knew it couldn’t be good that someone I should avoid was showing interest in me.
The uniformed boy stuck his hands in his pockets and sauntered away. Acting all cool while going to the same school.
I continued on my way too. Since we had the same destination, I ended up trailing behind him.
‘He told me to ask Haemin. Are they close friends?’
I pondered again on the name Yeon Suhwan that I had heard earlier. Where did he appear in the novel? The “Four Kings” had made such an impact that, unfortunately, I couldn’t clearly remember the other extras besides the main villains, Do Yunhyuk and Ban Seo-i. Even squinting and digging through my memories, nothing came to mind immediately.
“Hey there, Yeonga-nooom!!”
“Yo~ Bulldozer teacher, long time no see?”
I covered my ears at the unpleasant exchange happening in front of the school gates and hurried toward my classroom.
I felt like I’d heard something I shouldn’t have, but it was probably just my imagination. Maybe I hadn’t been sleeping well lately.
***
It seemed that the Yeon-whatever guy had kept his promise not to tell Seong Haemin, as Haemin didn’t mention anything about it. That was a relief.
If Seong Haemin became determined not to let me go to school alone, I would inevitably end up riding on the back of his motorcycle for every commute, and my life would truly hit rock bottom. I wasn’t sure what the other two “Four Kings” thought, but Min Sihu clearly didn’t approve of his “precious friend’s” overprotected twin brother…
When classes ended and it was time to go home, Min Sihu, who was waiting for me in the hallway as usual, waved his arms and greeted me.
“Jooni!”
“……”
“Kiss?”
“No.”
“Shall we go home?”
“…Are we going together today too?”
“Yes!! Jooni wants to go with Sihu too!! Sihu does too!! Hehe.”
Infuriating. I clenched my fist discreetly.
“But today Sihu can’t go with you! Were you looking forward to it? I know you must be disappointed, but it can’t be helped! Kyaa!”
“……”
Seriously, what is wrong with this person?
“Because Sihu~ has a group date with Jeilyeogo today!”
But this was good news. Today, I could overlook Min Sihu’s babbling with indifference.
I tried not to show how happy I was. If I appeared pleased that he couldn’t accompany me, I didn’t know what kind of revenge he might take. Min Sihu’s thoughts were impossible to understand with an ordinary human brain, so I always tried to prepare for the worst.
However, despite my efforts, Min Sihu left me with a big mess.
“So ta-da! I brought Jehyung to take you home! Didn’t Sihu do well? Ung, ung?”
“……”
A guy who’s less helpful than dog poop.
Min Sihu practically shoved Jeon Jehyeong, another member of the “Four Kings,” at me before leaving. Jeon Jehyeong, who would be walking home with me today, was quiet and taciturn.
He always had a doll clutched to his chest, which didn’t match his large frame and height, but he was better than the constantly chattering Min Sihu… For the sake of my mental health, I tried to think positively as I looked up at Jeon Jehyeong. He was much taller than me. I met his downcast, brown eyes with their drowsy expression. His languid gaze made my breath catch.
“Let’s go…”
“Yeah.”
Jeon Jehyeong and I walked in silence without conversation. It was a blessing that he didn’t talk much. If he had been as talkative as Min Sihu, my overworked ears might have started bleeding.
But if I was going to be accompanied by the “Four Kings” in rotation like sausages on a string, how was this different from spending time with Seong Haemin at school? At this rate, maybe it would be better to walk home with Seong Haemin…
“Oh my god, look over there! It’s Jeon. Je. Hyeong. of Seoyeon High’s Four Kings! His looks exceed his nickname ‘Male God’! Kyaa! But who’s that next to him?”
“Oh my, don’t you know? That’s Seong. Hae. Jun., the twin brother of the Four King Seong. Hae. Min.!”
“That’s… Seong Haejun?! He’s so handsome too! What should I do, should I go bump into him? I might even get to meet Seong Haemin!”
But after hearing the whispers about Jeon Jehyeong and me, I immediately corrected my thinking. I was wrong. Seong Haemin wouldn’t work either.
Seong Haemin was so kind that it might be even more exhausting? Imagining him smiling and waving at such comments made my stomach churn. Min Sihu, who would smile while giving the finger, or the silent Jeon Jehyeong was better. Of course, the best option was to walk alone.
“Seong Haejun…”
Jeon Jehyeong finally opened his mouth when we were almost at my house. I didn’t answer. I didn’t really want to have a conversation. Unless there was a frightening threat like Min Sihu’s “kiss if you don’t answer,” I didn’t want to get entangled. Today, all I wanted was to get home quickly and rest.
“……”
“……”
“Be good… to Haemin…”
“……”
“Well, I’ll be going…”
Jeon Jehyeong left like a slow turtle. I stupidly watched his retreating back as he walked away with his hands in his pockets.
‘What was that just now?’
I wondered how long these “Four Kings” had been hanging out together to develop such deep friendships. How many times would they tell the indifferent twin brother to be nicer to his twin? They were really persistent. I shook my head and headed home.
Seong Haemin often came home late. I guessed he was busy drinking, riding his motorcycle, and getting into fights with delinquents from neighboring schools, as Min Sihu had mentioned.
But I was just an ordinary extra. Every evening, I made do with the side dishes Seong Haemin had prepared and spent my time studying in the quiet house. The house was better than most study rooms. Since Seong Haemin took care of all the housework, I didn’t have much to worry about.
However, today I couldn’t concentrate on studying because I was so shocked at directly hearing someone say “Seong. Hae. Min’s twin brother Seong. Hae. Jun!” I tapped my workbook with my mechanical pencil a few times before putting it down and locking my fingers behind my head. I was tired.
After spacing out for a moment, I made a firm decision.
‘Tomorrow, I’ll sneak home before classes end!’
I couldn’t keep living like this, taking turns walking home with the “Four Kings.”
If I left a bit earlier than when classes ended, even Min Sihu wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. If Seong Haemin asked why I went home alone, I’d claim Min Sihu wasn’t there. Given Seong Haemin’s personality of adoring his brother, he wouldn’t accuse me of lying. He might even hold Min Sihu responsible. If I was lucky, their friendship might be ruined, but that wouldn’t be my problem!
I smiled for the first time in a while, thinking I had come up with a perfect plan.
But where my thinking fell short was that while I might be able to avoid the attention of the tough guys at our school, I couldn’t escape the attention of the tough guys from other schools.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
