Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 196

196

“Hey, loser.”

I was heading out the door to go to school when I heard a rough voice behind me. It was my oldest brother. I looked at him with a slightly uncomfortable feeling. He was a bit shorter than average and skinny. He wasn’t as intimidating as my second brother, who was as huge as a bear, but he was the more uncomfortable type in a different way.

“Hey, loser, are you going to answer me?”

“…What.”

“How much money do you have?”

“Money?”

“Is this punk pretending he doesn’t know? You have a part-time job. How much have you saved up?”

“…Why are you asking?”

I had a bad feeling. I frowned and subtly took a step back to defend myself. I kept my body close to the front door so I could open it and leave at any time. My oldest brother smirked at my behavior.

“You know I have a girlfriend, right? It’s our 100th day anniversary soon, and I’m planning something special, but I don’t have enough money. Give me some.”

“What?”

“Seriously! Do I have to repeat myself? If you have money, give me some. Dad gives me too little allowance, so I don’t have enough to buy a ring.”

“……”

I stared at my oldest brother, feeling a bit dumbfounded. How old is he now? 21? 22? Anyway, he’s definitely a college student. The college he attends is outside of Seoul, but my father couldn’t bear to see his eldest son living alone and struggling, so he made him commute from home. Instead, I knew he was receiving plenty of allowance, including transportation costs.

Does he even know that the small allowance he’s talking about is more than my monthly wage? What’s more, I’ve never received an allowance. The reason I started working part-time is because my parents stopped paying for my tuition after I became a middle school student.

“Hey! Are you listening to me? Give me some money.”

“…I don’t have any.”

“Why don’t you have any? You have a part-time job.”

“I use my part-time job money for school tuition, transportation, and lunch. I put all the rest in a savings account, so I can’t take it out.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t have any money to spend at all, but it wasn’t entirely wrong either. After all, what my brother wanted was a lump sum, and the cash I actually had on hand was only a few tens of thousands of won [Korean currency]. Of course, my oldest brother didn’t give up easily.

“You can just break the savings account, you jerk!”

“I, I can’t. I don’t have the bankbook.”

“What kind of bullshit is that?”

“I, I left it with Taejin. I’m supposed to get it when I graduate.”

At those words, my oldest brother looked like he’d been hit in the back of the head. Seeing that, I sighed in relief inwardly. My family, though harsh at home, is kind outside and never treats others carelessly. Besides, Taejin was from a wealthy family, and I heard that his parents’ business was closely linked to the company my father works for. That’s why I left it with Taejin. No matter how much my brothers try, they won’t be able to threaten him. My oldest brother seemed to realize my intention right away.

“Ha, you’re full of tricks? You’ll regret it if you keep acting like that.”

“…I can’t give you what I don’t have.”

“Fine. We’ll see.”

My oldest brother smiled with a twisted expression and turned away. In that gap, I quickly opened the door and ran outside. This was almost the first time I’d resisted my brother. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would jump out of my mouth.

“Ouch! That hurts! Be gentle!”

“Shut up, you idiot! Just stay still!”

The day when PE [Physical Education] is in the fourth period is the day when the competition in the cafeteria is the fiercest. It’s because it’s right after the kids in their prime eating age have done the most activity. Today was that decisive day, and Taejin had been watching for an opportunity since morning. But now that it was lunchtime, Taejin, who should have rushed to the cafeteria first, was holding my arm and wrestling with me. I sighed inwardly as I watched him lay out various medicines and plasters that he had somehow obtained and diligently apply them to my arm.

While exercising, I carelessly rolled up my sleeves because I was hot, and unfortunately, the bruise was caught. It was a mistake I don’t usually make, but today I was in better condition than usual, so I forgot I was hurt. I made up an excuse that I fell down the stairs to his questioning.

“Seriously, you have to be moderately clumsy. How do you fall down the stairs? Besides, if you got hurt like this, you should have gotten treatment sooner! Why are you just leaving it like this?”

I smiled lightly at Taejin’s nagging. Taejin frowned at me.

“You must be happy to laugh. Does it make you laugh when it hurts? Are you a masochist?”

“It didn’t hurt that much? It hurt because you pressed it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Argue about something else! How can it not hurt when you have such a bad bruise!”

Even while grumbling, Taejin’s hands didn’t stop and continued to treat me. His face, examining the bruised mark, didn’t relax.

“Are you sure this is really a wound from falling down the stairs?”

“Of course. Did I fly down the stairs?”

“Don’t joke.”

“Really.”

When I pretended not to know, Taejin stared at me quietly and then sighed softly. He wrapped the affected area with gauze and said.

“Don’t you know that bruises from being hit and bruises from falling are different shapes?”

“…Huh?”

“Never mind. If you fell, you fell. It just seems like it wasn’t you who fell, but something else?”

Silence flowed for a moment as our eyes met. He had an expression that he wouldn’t let it go if I kept lying, so I sighed.

“My father… came home quite drunk. An ashtray flew, and I just couldn’t avoid it.”

It wasn’t wrong. It’s just that he aimed and threw it on purpose, so I couldn’t avoid it even if I wanted to. But if I said that, he would be shocked, so I didn’t add any unnecessary explanations. Besides the bruise on my arm, there were more injuries in unseen places.

In fact, this wasn’t the first time Taejin had noticed the injury. It seemed like it had already been caught more than ten times since I became friends with him. My father was a very violent person when he was drunk. He drank every day, and the target of his violence was mainly me. Yesterday was relatively mild, so it ended with being hit by an ashtray and stepped on a few times, but when I was unlucky, I was beaten so badly that it was difficult to move. So, no matter how careful I tried to be, minor injuries were bound to be revealed. Most of them were passed off as my mistakes, but as it continued to happen, Taejin became suspicious, and I eventually told him about my father’s drinking habits. Of course, I didn’t reveal everything honestly and explained it in a moderately softened way. Taejin nodded as if he understood.

“I knew it. Did he throw things around again because he was drunk? He used to be a shot putter in high school, so he throws things when he drinks, right?”

“Yeah, well, something like that.”

“Geez. Shouldn’t you stop your father from drinking at that point? And you should try to avoid it as much as possible. He just throws it randomly, right? How can you get hit every time if your agility is so low when he’s not even aiming?”

“Haha, I guess.”

“…Well, it’s probably easier for you to say that now, right?”

“Yeah. …Huh?”

What, did he notice I was lying? I was startled and looked up, and Taejin was looking down at me with a complicated expression. I couldn’t look him straight in the eye because of the pity and reproach mixed in his gaze.

“Do you think I’m stupid just because you’re an idiot?”

“…Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Anyway, I won’t ask you anymore because you don’t want to talk about it. But tell me honestly later. What are friends for? Don’t keep it all to yourself. I’m always on your side. Got it?”

I nodded slowly at his emphatic words. My face was burning because my weakness was exposed, but I felt relieved inside. Maybe I wanted someone to know my situation. I felt sorry and embarrassed to Taejin, but I was glad that he didn’t despise or pity me.

Yeah, so I ended up telling him everything then. Even then, Taejin seemed to be silently protecting me like this. After graduating and becoming a high school student, he grew taller, so just being with him was very reassuring.

High school student? Did I just say I’m a high school student? I stared at Taejin blankly. It’s early in the first semester now, and I haven’t decided on a career path after graduation. To reminisce about things that haven’t even happened yet, I don’t know why I feel this way. His face, which is smiling, overlaps with his face that has grown a little more. It should be the first time I’m seeing it, but this side is more familiar and friendly. Is this just my wishful thinking? Or is this place now…

“What are you looking at?”

Only after hearing the grumpy voice did I barely come to my senses. Taejin was making a bewildered expression. His body shape and face have returned to their original appearance. What kind of phenomenon did I just experience? I felt like I was about to realize something, but it felt empty as if it had evaporated as soon as I reached the summit. I didn’t know what to say, so I just made something up.

“No, just. You look kind of old today.”

“Huh, look at what this pitiful creature is saying? You’re not just ugly today, you’re just consistently ugly?”

“What! I’m average if you consider my standards!”

“Tsk tsk, only ugly people don’t know reality like this. I’m seriously advising you as a friend, you’re ugly. Calmly accept and adapt to reality.”

“Do you want to die? How handsome are you then?”

At those words, Taejin smirked arrogantly and crossed his arms haughtily. It was as if he had been waiting for this question.

“This body’s beauty is a fact recognized by everyone. Now, look. This handsome face, smooth skin, and flowing hair! Don’t you know that girls rush to me when they see me? The flower boy [a Korean term for a strikingly beautiful young man] born of the era is me, that’s what I’m saying!”

If shamelessness is about this level, wouldn’t it be a national treasure? I stared at Taejin, who was lost in self-admiration, with a dumbfounded expression. It’s best not to touch people like this. I wanted to pretend I didn’t know if possible, but just as he advised me as a friend, I thought I should also make him realize the cruel reality.

“Sigh, poor guy. You haven’t seen a real flower boy yet.”

“A real flower boy?”

“Listen carefully to this brother’s words. A real flower boy, you see. Women are so nervous that they can’t even approach him. All they do is step back three meters and glance at him. Do you know why? The moment they see his face, they just lose their minds. You’ve heard of a halo, right? His face shines so brightly that you wonder if he’s even alive?”

“It’s like you’ve actually seen someone like that?”

“Of course. Starting with Eluien, Trowel, Lapis, Isana, etc. How handsome are they all?”

“El… what? Who are they all?”

“Huh? Well, who were they?”

“…Was the ashtray hit on your head instead of your arm?”

Instead of answering his suspicious question, I hit him on the head. Ignoring Taejin, who was shouting that it hurt, I headed to the classroom first, but I felt uneasy. Actually, I think I’ve been a bit strange lately. I feel like I’m talking nonsense more and more, but I wonder if I have some strange disease.

When I entered the classroom, the atmosphere was very noisy. Most of the kids in the class were crowded at the window, looking outside. I thought I could hear screams from the girls’ classroom next door.

“What, what? What’s going on?”

Taejin, who followed, quickly joined them and looked out the window. Then he reached out only one arm and started hitting my shoulder. It was the injured part, so I frowned.

“It hurts!”

“Oh, sorry. Hey, but look over there. There’s someone who perfectly meets the conditions of the flower boy you mentioned.”

“Huh? Where?”

Taejin pointed to the front of the school gate. As soon as I looked in that direction, my eyes widened. It was because the person standing there was a foreigner.

A delicately sculpted and small face, a slender figure, and a tall height were the first things that caught my eye. His hair, neatly tied back and draped behind his back, was a brilliant platinum color. He was wearing a black cape coat over a neat suit, and it suited him as if it were drawn on. Is he even human? Even though I couldn’t see him properly from a distance, I could feel a glow from his appearance. It was as if a being from a painting had jumped into reality.

He was leaning against the school gate, smoking a cigarette idly, as if waiting for someone. Then, he suddenly sensed our gaze and stared this way.

Was it my imagination? At that moment, I felt like his eyes met mine. Then, for some reason, his face seemed to stiffen. Of course, the expression I saw from such a distance couldn’t be accurate.

“Wow~ He’s a really handsome guy. Who is he here to meet? Even a decent celebrity can’t hold a candle to him in front of that person. Right?”

“Yeah. But that person, doesn’t it seem like he’s been looking this way since a while ago?”

“Really? Gasp! Maybe he’s jealous of my beauty? Oh no, what should I do? What if a duel is sent to me…”

“Ugh, just get lost. I won’t say anything.”

I don’t know why this guy’s narcissism is getting worse and worse. I wonder if his parents know that their son is acting like this?

While bickering with Taejin, I completely forgot about the foreigner standing in front of the school gate. It was the same until school was over and I went home.