Chapter 3: 1.3

Part 2 ending, ‘He felt wronged. He, himself, was drinking! The moment Jaeyoon opened his mouth, thinking he couldn’t be beaten like this, the man’s big hand strangled him.

“Ark!”’

He struggled with the hand clenching his neck. The man was really strong.

“That… …let me… go.”

His flailing hand grabbed the end of Sieon’s coat. Was it because of the height difference? It was hard to steady one’s body while hanging. The hand grabbing his neck tightened its grip. Jaeyoon’s eyes opened wide. It was hard to even make a single moan. It really seemed like he was going to die. As he felt the sky turning white, the pressure on his neck was loosened and he breathed in a mouthfull of oxygen. Jaeyoon colapsed to the ground and panted. Both of his eyes welled with tears.

“Just keep this in mind. If you reveal this in the future, I will bury you on a mountain nobody knows about.”

Jaeyoon nodded eagerly. He didn’t know what he meant but he had to survive first. He exhaled dryly.

“How dare a little brat who’s still wet behind the ears try to defame me, did you leave your liver in the refrigerator? Since when have you been aiming for me?”

It was megalomania.1 Technically, it was you who ruined our 100 days celebration!

“What will your glaring at me like that do, hurt me?”

“…unfair.”

“What? Don’t stutter like a dimwit, if you’re human, speak human (words).”

When he drew near, the smell of cologne was palpable.

“It was you, hyung, who drank the alcohol, it’s unfair.”

“It was you who gave me it.”

“Eh?”

What I gave him was cola, though?

“You thought you’d be safe after you dared to give me that cursed poison?”

As his forehead got shoved and pressed by fingers, Jaeyoon only blinked. That was right. Park Jeong Sieon, the man who carried on his shoulders rumours that will go down in the history of Heemoon2 High School, was the owner of a body constitution that wouldn’t even blink at 5 bottles of soju but would get drunk out of a glass of cola. Of course, his drunken habits were him being gentle as a lamb and too obedient. A trained dog. A faithful dog.

“You get drunk from drinking cola?”

Staring blankly at the counterpart that had just strangled his neck, Jaeyoon asked. It felt like he was having a nightmare.

Scribble, scribble.

Only the sounds of pencils rolling could be heard in the classroom full of the examinees going over their workbooks as the exam was quickly approaching. With the pressure of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) just around the corner, everyone was only solving the problems over and over. As he stared out of the window blankly, Jaeyoon screamed in a low voice at the shock of getting hit on the head.

“Ha Jaeyoon! What are you doing when the exam is just around the corner?!”

A homeroom teacher, who was being poisonous lately, scolded the absentminded Jaeyoon with a swing of the roll book. Patting the stinging crown of his head, Jaeyoon hastily buried his nose into the workbook. Looking back at the stabbing sensation in his back, Yoonjae only slightly opened his mouth and asked what was going on. He answered by putting his palms together and putting them close to his cheek in a sleeping gesture. As Jaeyoon usually slept a lot, Yoonjae immediately understood. There was not much time remaining until the date marked red on the calendar on his desk, but Jaeyoon couldn’t concentrate at all. Solving one problem, looking at the sky once, memorising one English word, sighing. The cause of Jaeyoon’s dazed condition these days was ‘the man who gets drunk if he drinks cola and becomes a gentle sheep’.

[I definitely won’t tell anyone. Really.]

[How can I believe that? There’s a saying of not trusting black-haired animals.3 The mouth is lighter than the air. One day, the enemy might notice.]

He was a man with enemies in this time of progressing unification peace negotiations.4 Well, it would have been difficult. If the enemy found out, they might defeat him very easily.

[I will really not talk….]

After two hours of torture, Jaeyoon, who was now on the verge of tears, could even call himself an independence fighter now. No, to be frank, if only Sieon hadn’t come and threatened him like that, Jaeyoon would have just passed by without knowing. Jaeyoon despaired; and to think that he’d thought this person had a kind side to him!  But he was actually a man with terrible pride, immediately running over because of something he could just overlook, strangling his neck, threatening and growling.

[Report everyday.]

[Yes?]

[Report everyday what happened, who you met, what you talked about.]

[…….]

He was released after unwillingly signing a memorandum. Recalling the terrible memory once again, Jaeyoon shivered.

“Autoreverse.”

When the preliminary bell rang, the homeroom teacher didn’t leave, but instead named the two of them. It was now a nickname even the teachers had picked up. Two people were called at once so even if they weren’t the class representative, Jaeyoon and Yoonjae were in charge of running small errands. Watching the roll book hitting the hand, Yoonjae and Jaeyoon followed their homeroom teacher. The homeroom teacher had carried a sturdy club the size of a forearm and made of oak until just a few years ago; but ever since the incident where that guy had broken the club in two right before his eyes, the roll book was flying. Of course, it was Park Jeong Sieon, the legend of Heemoon High School, who’d easily broken the oak club in two in front of the teacher.

“Ha Jaeyoon, I won’t let you off if you’ve gone loose just because you lowered your college of choice.”

The homeroom teacher added harshly as he handed over a stack of prints. In the corridor, as they went back, Yoonjae said regretfully.

“Have you decided on Hanshin Graduate School?”

The two who had attended the same school from elementary to high school had different university choices.

“Because state ones are cheap.”

He had wanted to also go to Inse College like Yoonjae. But since his younger twin siblings were also entering high school next year, and one of them had started learning to play the cello on top of that, Jaeyoon decided this way because he didn’t want to burden his parents. He did think about doing part-time jobs while attending school, but since private college tuition couldn’t be covered by a part-time job’s pay you’d do in your spare time, it was wiser to go to a national university.

“Should I also go to Hanshin?”

Jaeyoon turned around and asked what nonsense he was spouting.

“That guy is a senior at that school. He’s really smart so he won’t be held back, but I really hate that one year.”

“That cousin?”

Jaeyoon furtively asked Yoonjae, who was whining that there was nothing he could do if he met that hyung.

“…You didn’t possibly give your cousin my phone number, or provide information or anything?”

“Why would I?”

“Ah, nothing, just that I saw your cousin for the first time then. He’s a celebrity in his own way, hahaha.”

“…….”

When Yoonjae stared at him without a word, Jaeyoon felt embarrassed, as he seemed to have overreacted alone.

“What celebrity… More like a nuisance.”

Yoonjae grumbled while frowning, as if he was still thinking about what had happened that time.

“That guy is very tenacious. He’ll figure it out even if I don’t say a single thing. And I don’t really want to tell him anything.”

Then how did he know? Did he go through my clothes while I stepped out? Thinking it would be a very fitting behaviour (of his), Jaeyoon shook his head. Anyway, the conclusion was that he was perfectly captured. And this fact could be proved after school ended. After he pressed the power button to call home at Yoonjae’s suggestion of going to eat something, the handphone trembled as if it had been waiting. 4444. It had the same effect as the Devil’s number 666.

[It’s me.]

“Yes.”

[I’m in front of the 3rd subway line.]

The simple phone call, which was to the point, cut off scarily. Jaeyoon, who was summoned today, too, without fail, let out a heavy sigh. Leaving behind the puzzled face of Yoonjae, he tried not to fall. A man whose inner workings were abnormally persistent and horrid, with an outer appearance more handsome and charismatic than a movie star’s, was standing at that place when he arrived. His stubbing of a cigarette cooler than was necessary.

“Can’t you run faster?!!”

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Sieon bellowed loudly as soon as he discovered Jaeyoon. What did he eat to grow this hot-tempered and impatient? Sieon roared a few times until Jaeyoon got closer. When Jaeyoon who couldn’t look at him straight had lowered his head, he lifted Jaeyoon’s chin with his long fingers, like an emperor who was choosing his royal concubine.

“Report.”

“Yes?”

Again abruptly throwing words out of the blue.

“Date of death.”

“Gasp.”

“The method.”

“I, I did… didn’t say anything, though.”

“You didn’t report!!”

As he shouted right before him, his ears were ringing. Report, he says. Does he really mean it? Every single day? What the hell does he want him to report from his day-to-day life of always being stuck at school?

“I’m a senior in high school, I have studying after school, I also go to the study room-“

“Is that more important than my enemies?!!!”

It was but I couldn’t reply.

“Then what do we do?”

When asked in a timid voice, a stupid answer came back.

“Don’t study after school.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t go to the study room.”

“That is a little….”

He has made an unbelievable demand he wasn’t able to concede to. Jaeyoon was an examinee. With less than 100 days before the CSAT, at this important time, saying he shouldn’t be going to after-school studying nor the study room, it would be better off just killing him.

“I’m going to study.”

“Oh my. Are you going to a specialized college?” 

“…….”

He resolved to put rudeness into his character.

“Specialized on evil.”

Which one is more wicked!!! He couldn’t believe the word ‘axis of evil’ he’d seen in the current topics section would hit his heart like this. Thinking he’d be unable to concentrate on his studies at this rate, Jaeyoon made up his mind and raised his head. He had to tell him clearly. He thought he’d understand how important this time was after he said it well, as he had also once been a senior in high school.

“Hyung-nim!”5

“Are you a punk?”

“What?”

“Who are you calling hyung-nim?”

“…….”

Frankly speaking, the ‘hyung-nim’ term suited him extremely well, but as he had refused it himself, Jaeyoon decided to take out the ‘nim’ honorific.

“Oh, anyway. My exams are just around the corner so it’s day-to-day everyday. I didn’t leak anything to the enemies, either. I don’t have the time as I’m so busy with studying.”

He was rambling but he was desperate. Jaeyoon couldn’t waste his time on this. The exam was nearing and every minute and second were important. Jaeyoon wanted to get out of this difficult situation relying on being treated well as he was a Korean examinee.

“You dare to be busier than me?”

However, only on this man it didn’t work.

“Get in.”

“Where are we going?”

“You said you wanted to study. Then get in.”

So maybe he did get it. With a slight hope, Jaeyoon immediately jumped into the car. However, contrary to Jaeyoon’s expectation that they’d go to a study room, Sieon’s destination was Jaeyoon’s house. Why did we come to my house? Jaeyoon stared with anxious eyes at Sieon, who sat in front of his parents. He, who had entered the house he was coming for the first time ever to without the slightest hesitation, met Jaeyoon’s parents in a polite manner. His mother, who had suddenly brightened up at the handsome man who had unexpectedly come in, couldn’t conceal her joy at the sight of the student ID (card) he held out.

“… and so I’m trying to help Jaeyoon a little.”

“Oh my, but you must be busy. It’d be a nuisance, then.”

“I’ve seen him since we were kids, and he’s like my little brother, so this much help is nothing.”

Liar. Though he muttered so inwardly, Jaeyoon was looking at him with surprise. What had Sieon just said? He’d offered, of his own initiative, to give Jaeyoon private lessons. Jaeyoon recalled his memory of such an appealing thing he had said a little while ago.

“If you’re majoring in law, you will already have a lot to study just for yourself, so wouldn’t our child be in the way? You don’t even want to get paid for the private tutoring.”

His father didn’t seem to be against it either. Indeed, the parents might wonder what lies are those, when a someone from Inse University comes to offer free private tutoring which they couldn’t even dare to dream of. But to the party directly involved, Jaeyoon, it was nothing more than a calamity. In the end, in that welcoming atmosphere, Jaeyoon watched his mom and dad repeatedly thanking him while holding his hands; things proceeded so rapidly that soon everything was out of the hands of the party concerned, himself. At Sieon’s parting words of ‘Looking forward to tomorrow’, Jaeyoon collapsed after saying, ‘I’m screwed’. The failure of developing telepathy and not being able to send his parents SOS became his eternal regret.

“How could he be so handsome and behave so maturely. He must have a girlfriend, right?”

His mother was as excited as a single woman on a spring day.

“If he did, it’d have to be either an alien or a saint.”

He couldn’t even imagine it. With such a wicked smiling face, having a lover.

“Oh my, look at you. Why are you jealous over such a thing? I gave you birth so you also can go anywhere without feeling small. I’ve given you the basics, so now it all depends on you.”

The mother was perfectly calm, unaware that she had pushed her son into the depths of an evil abyss.

TN:

1) megalomania – an unnaturally strong wish for power and control, or the belief that you are very much more important and powerful than you really are, a tendency to exaggerate (link)

2) Heemon – nonsense lit., burlesque, lit. parody, humorous writing meaning

3) not trusting black-haired animals – 머리 검은 짐승은 거두지 말라 – Not completely sure, but what I found from the interent, it’s idiom which basically means to not believe even the saints (all living beings)

4) unification peace negotiations – South Korea and North Korea

5) hyung-nim – Gives more respect to the person, also often used by gangsters for their boss etc.

(Still looking for TLC if you’re interested ^^)

Sorry it took so long again this time, I had trouble with 2/3 lines but at least I finished the monstrosity that is chapter 2 (70 pages in Word, 70! I mean it’s with the raw in it but still! this one was just 54 pages if you want to compare)

Also for future chapters, when the RAW will be in English, I’ll bold it without TN (with TN when the English word is written in Hangul (Korean characters)), when the text puts stress on a word, I’ll bold and cursive it, and when the text/author uses this (?) after a word to indicate if they’re using the right wording (it seems to be a thing in Korean, especially in TV captions), I’ll cursive(?) it like this, is that understandable? Please, leave a comment if something isn’t so I can adjust it, hopefully will see you in two weeks (it’s just that there’s few parts that are confusing so hopefully it won’t slow me too much again T_T If so, I apologise in advance T_T)

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