Chapter 30
“No! I was just thinking about something…”
“If you have any concerns, tell me. I might be able to help you with something.”
“Yes! Thank you, Sunbae.”
“Ah, of course I might not be able to help. But talking to someone about it might make you feel better, right?”
“…If you ever need to share your worries and need someone who can keep a secret, please use me. I’m very tight-lipped.”
“…Yes, thank you.”
They continued their conversation, fidgeting with their coffee cups. Igeon did his best to keep Yuhan entertained so that the atmosphere wouldn’t become awkward. Then the counseling session began. Yuhan carefully counseled Igeon on everything from minor to major issues—whether he had any recent difficulties, psychological pressure, painful experiences, and how he felt about the people around him—and Igeon answered diligently. After recording and saving everything, Yuhan read through what he’d written and smiled slightly. Seeing that smile, Igeon felt relieved that he seemed to have answered well.
“You really seem healthy. Not just physically, but mentally. You’re always so positive.”
“Han Taekyung constantly nags me about that. He says I’ll get badly burned someday, so I need to be careful.”
“I agree with him on that. This world isn’t a place where good people can survive.”
In Igeon’s eyes, his sunbae actually seemed more at risk and precarious than himself.
“You should be careful too, Sunbae. Like I said earlier, if you ever have any trouble, please call me. I’ll rush over wherever you are.”
“Like a hero?”
“Heroes take responsibility for a lot of things. I probably won’t be able to do that. I’m not capable of that. But I can protect one sunbae.”
Oh, now that he’d said it, it sounded like a confession. Igeon’s heart pounded as if it would jump out of his mouth again. What if his sunbae felt burdened? What if he told him to stop saying nonsense? What if he was offended? Igeon worried. But fortunately, Kang Yuhan accepted his kindness, saying “Thank you.” He was truly a gentle person.
“Shall we get going now?”
Ah, is it already time to part ways?
“Do you have time right now?”
“What?”
“I told you I’d buy you a meal to thank you for the medicine. I want to treat you to dinner.”
It felt like bells of blessing were suddenly ringing from the heavens. Ah, if he’d known this would happen, he would have dressed more carefully.
“Yes! I have plenty of time.”
“Alright, then should we walk a bit? There’s a good place near the station.”
“Yes.”
Igeon followed behind Kang Yuhan. Then Kang Yuhan told him to walk side by side, and Igeon matched his pace, walking slowly next to him. Glancing occasionally at the man who was a bit shorter than himself, Igeon had the somewhat childish thought that he wished time would stop.
It was then. Suddenly there was the sound of car tires skidding, and a car invaded the center lane and crashed into another car coming from the opposite direction. Many people froze in shock, and Igeon, startled, pulled Kang Yuhan behind him while looking at the road situation. Bang, bang, bang—cars that had been driving without preparation collided in succession, and in that brief moment, it became a scene of chaos.
While people were calling 119 and the police, trying to check whether the accident victims were alive or dead, one by one stepping forward, suddenly the driver of the car that had crossed the center line opened the door and started running away.
“Someone catch that person!!”
“Are they crazy?!! How can they hit and run!!”
The accident victims appeared to be seriously injured at a glance, but the person who caused the accident was running hard on perfectly fine legs. Isn’t he a crazy bastard?
“Sunbae, hold my bag please. And please call the police in the direction I’m heading.”
“What?!”
Igeon ran in the direction the man had fled. Thanks to the trail left by the man bumping into several people while escaping, Igeon could run without hesitation. But why do guys like this always escape into alleys? It’s not like they know the area well. Clicking his tongue, Igeon entered the alley in front of the one the man had gone into. This was because those alleys were connected by one path, and the man would have no choice but to run back out. Fortunately, this was near the school, so Igeon knew the area somewhat.
Igeon stuck himself to the corner wall and concentrated on the sound of footsteps.
“Ah, damn it, where the hell am I?!”
The man, with a slightly slurred voice, cursed while running toward the path that had no exit. As the footsteps grew louder, Igeon extended his arm at the right moment.
“Ugh!”
The man’s neck caught perfectly on Igeon’s arm, and Igeon tripped him by hooking his leg. He quickly kicked the man in the stomach, and when the man groaned in pain, Igeon grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up.
“Wow, this bastard’s been drinking.”
Did he have such a hard time that he had to drink in broad daylight and drive drunk? This was behavior that no sane person could imagine.
It was then. The pain must have subsided somewhat because the man raised his arm and hit Igeon’s head. Thanks to that, his cheek stung a bit, but it wasn’t a big impact; rather, it just made him laugh. He’d been hit countless times during training and practice, so this was really nothing.
“You still haven’t come to your senses.”
When Igeon released the collar he was holding, the man fell to the ground with a thud. Thinking he was free, the man hurriedly tried to escape, but Igeon pushed and kicked him, sending him flying and collapsing at the end of the alley. Just then, the police arrived and caught the fallen man.
“That person’s been drinking.”
“Ah, yes! Thank you!!”
The police took the man away, and Kang Yuhan, who had been behind them, approached Igeon.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I didn’t even get hit once.”
“Your cheek is red though.”
“Ah, I guess I did get hit once. But really, compared to getting hit during practice, it was like being tickled by an ant…”
Igeon spoke as if it was really nothing. However, Kang Yuhan was very worried and placed his hand on Igeon’s cheek. When that touch—warm yet cool, the perfect temperature of another person—reached his cheek, Igeon froze.
“What is this? It must hurt.”
“It really doesn’t hurt.”
“When you ran after him like that, I was so surprised. Don’t do that. Leave such things to the police. It’s fortunate you weren’t seriously injured…”
“Yes, I’ll do that from now on.”
“Ah, you did a good thing, but I scolded you too much, didn’t I? I’m sorry. I was just worried.”
“I know.”
“Still, you were so cool and brave. A real hero. You are.”
With that gentle touch caressing his cheek once more, Igeon thought it was truly worth it, even if his sunbae scolded him. If he hadn’t chased after the man, his sunbae wouldn’t have stroked his cheek like this. And then they went to the restaurant together, ate a delicious meal, even had dessert, and parted ways around curfew time for the dormitory. Since he hadn’t expected to spend so much time with his sunbae today, it became a truly meaningful day.
“Where have you been?”
When Igeon returned to the dormitory and opened the door, Han Taekyung was changing clothes, apparently having just finished showering.
“Oh? When did you get back?”
“About 30 minutes ago. Anyway, where have you been? Today is a day with no practice or training, right?”
“Today was the day to meet with Sunbae. So I was with Sunbae until now.”
“Hmm…”
Han Taekyung paused and looked at Igeon. That gaze somehow felt too heavy. He couldn’t be jealous that Igeon had been out with his sunbae.
“Ah, how’s Jae-woo doing?”
“He’s fine. He was discharged today.”
“That’s good. I don’t know what happened, but it’s been resolved well?”
“Sort of.”
He deliberately changed the subject while changing clothes. Actually, it was something he was curious about too. He wanted to ask via message this morning but didn’t want to disturb them, so he couldn’t ask. And it was sincere that he hoped nothing was wrong with Jae-woo, who seemed like a good kid when he met him yesterday for the first time.
“Huh?”
As Igeon pulled his T-shirt down and poked his face out, he was startled. Han Taekyung was right in front of him.
“Hey, you scared me.”
“What happened to your cheek?”
The spot where the crazy guy had hit him earlier must not have completely subsided, as Han Taekyung noticed it immediately and stroked it with his hand.
“Ah, this.”
“Don’t tell me it’s nothing—it clearly looks like someone hit you. What happened? Don’t tell me your sunbae hit you?”
“Hey, how could that be possible?”
Though it was annoying, Igeon told him about what had happened earlier. After listening to the whole story, Han Taekyung sighed deeply.
“You’re too meddlesome.”
“Hey, I had no choice in that situation.”
“Was there anyone else like you? Everyone else waited for the police.”
“What if he escaped? If you can catch him, you should.”
“What if you got hurt? What if that guy had a knife like that pervert before? What would have happened?”
“That… but nothing happened, right?”
“It’s good that you think of others. I acknowledge and like that about you. But prioritize yourself. Understand? Don’t come back injured like this.”
“Ow, ow, ow, ow!!”
Han Taekyung touched Igeon’s cheek once more, then pinched it hard. The spot where Han Taekyung pinched hurt more than where he’d been hit by that crazy guy. As Igeon was nursing his cheek and exaggerating his pain, Han Taekyung laughed, sat on the bed, and checked his phone. Seeing him looking at his screen with a serious face, something he rarely did, it seemed like there was something bothering him.
“Jae-woo… what happened? He said I should ask you if I’m curious. Of course, you don’t have to answer if it’s difficult.”
“Attempted kidnapping.”
“What?”
What the hell, what did I just hear? Attempted kidnapping??
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
