Chapter 13

The final exam started on Monday and ends on Saturday, but my exam ended on Wednesday when English was scheduled. I was nervous from the morning, so I don't know what spirit I had when I took the final English test. I've never spent 50 minutes in my life so focused and brain-crunching. It was only when I submitted my answers and the bell rang to end the test that my entire body relaxed. Wow, it's over. I can't believe it, but it's true that it's over. But nothing was as cool as I thought. Rather, I felt empty and dazed.

So even though everyone was bustling around and getting ready to go, I stayed alone. Then, I became worried when I heard the sound of guessing the answer next to me. What if my score sucks? If the score doesn't meet expectations, it's Woo Min-jae's fault. Because my brain and effort were the best. ...Surely it's not a bakery? Afterwards, as I packed my bags and left the classroom, I seemed to be in a daze worrying about my score, something I had never done before in my life. So, I was unable to avoid obstacles that I would have naturally avoided before.

bang! thud!

The class president suddenly tripped, causing me to fall forward and barely hit the door with my hand, but his arm broke and I hit my knee hard on the floor. Damn it... When I lifted my head from my stomach, the class president snickered and walked over me and disappeared with his friends. I stood up with a frown and shook off his clothes. When I turned my head, the kids seemed to be not even interested and everyone was just doing their own thing. Woo Min-jae, what did I say? Because nothing changes. They must have let go of all their guilt by finding the textbook. Most people are like that.

In my 30 years of life, I have often seen people relieve their conscience and become self-satisfied with a little good will. That's why I hate forgiveness. There are many cases where the person being forgiven prays for peace of mind, and the person trying to forgive is simply tired of the hate. My experience is not the truth of the world, but it is to me. Of course, there are people who are completely different. Minjae Woo and a person named Andy. Woo Min-jae is ignoring Andy as not worth forgiving, and she seems to have chosen to forgive Andy because she just wants to be by his side even though she is suffering. The relationship between the two seemed to be tightly knit even after it ended. I've felt this before, but this strangely bothered me. Especially when I remembered Woo Min-jae's empty face that I saw on Saturday night, I understood Andy's concerns about her. Even though I saw him every day, he knew what I didn't know about Woo Min-jae's condition even though he was only watching from afar. That guy is more dangerous than he looks.

“Kim Taek-in.”

As I slowly left the building, my name was called. Woo Min-jae approached, saying that even tigers will come if they say so. He was holding his car keys in his hand as if he was leaving work too.

“Did you do well on the test?”

"..."

“What’s with that expression?”

What does my expression look like? As if asking, Woo Min-jae narrowed his eyes.

“You look like you couldn’t overcome your stupid brain even with the best methods I taught you.”

what do you mean? My stupid brain can't beat the best method he taught... Damn.

“Sir. It’s the other way around.”

“Again? I guess my brilliant method finally worked on your stupid brain.”

“That’s not it, even with my smart head…”

“But don’t relax until you get over 90 points.”

How many points? I couldn't believe my ears and burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! 90 points. I wonder if the sum of all subjects will give that score or not.”

are you kidding? I tried shooting him, but he looked at his watch and left in a hurry.

"See you later."

The unlucky guy disappeared before my eyes. Before, I would have gotten some salt and sprinkled it on that spot, but after seeing his other side, I couldn't really see that side of him. On Sunday morning, I was in a rush to use his bathroom and found several unopened pills in the cabinet above the sink. I looked it up later and found out that it was a sleep inducing drug. I think I was prescribed it for insomnia, but I haven't taken any. Instead, he seemed to compensate for his sleeplessness with the books placed throughout the villa. There really are books everywhere. And that's just a mystery novel. At first, I thought it was a bluff, but when I saw him reading a book while studying and watching from the side, it seemed like it wasn't just for show.

Instead of medicine, it's a mystery novel. Well, I thought that was also very Minjae Woo. Yes, this is what it means to be Woo Minjae. The guy I saw had some restraint. Just like you have to endure medicine as long as you can before taking it. Perhaps because he was a guy who used to exercise and had good patience, he didn't show much pain or anger. Except for one guy named Andy. She was just as merciless towards him. Just because you cheated? So you’re not even going to Canada? well. A word he used well popped out without me realizing it. I just wanted to know more. At that time, a person who I knew in detail came to mind.

Ding dong~

The doorbell rang and a moment later the door to the hotel's private villa opened. And then Andy appeared. With a roar.

“Ugh, ugh!”

what?! I was also surprised. You suddenly screamed. In addition, he had a napkin wrapped around his neck like a baby's bib, and his mouth was covered in red sauce. But soon his eyes shined on me.

“You’re here!”

“You told me to come.”

“I really didn’t know it was coming.”

Hehe, he smiled brightly. Maybe it was because his mouth was big, but his smile was so refreshing that I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

“Come in quickly. It’s good. I was eating something delicious right now. Let’s eat together.”

When it comes to spicy pig's feet, I already vomited over the weekend.

“It’s spicy chicken feet and it’s really, really delicious.”

"!"

“Drink milk. Eating spicy food can cause stomach pain.”

Andy kindly put a straw in the milk and placed it in front of me. Only then did I come to my senses. I ate chicken feet, forgetting not only the purpose of coming here but also who I was. ...It was very delicious. At least the person named Andy seemed to have good tastes.

"I really enjoyed the meal."

I nodded and said hello, and he kept looking at me with a smile. I was wary and pulled my upper body back.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“Huh? Ah~ Taekin eats well. I feel good when I see people eating well. Maybe it’s because I don’t eat well, but it’s really nice to see~”

What are you talking about? He has already destroyed a poultry farm. I pointed at the chicken feet piled up in front of him, but he just smiled brightly.

“Well, since it’s the growing season, you should eat well. Isn’t it enough? Should I order more?”

"it's okay."

“Isn’t it spicy? Should I eat red bean shaved ice? Let’s eat red bean shaved ice!”

Before I could stop him, he already ordered two melon shaved ice.

“I love Korea because there are so many delicious things. That’s why I end up overeating whenever I come to Korea. Hehe~”

“I guess you come to Korea often?”

“I can’t come often. This time, it’s been almost two years since I came here. If it wasn’t for Minjae…”

His expression suddenly became gloomy. But he looked at me again and grinned.

“Thanks to Minjae, I’m so lucky to come to Korea and eat such delicious food.”

That's a huge positivity. There are always bright people. Even though it's hard, there are definitely people who work with a smile rather than annoyance. These people are easy to work with and can be called anywhere. Of course, it's rare to find. It won't be that easy. I looked around the villa where Andy was staying. It had the same structure as Woo Min-jae’s villa. Then the cost of accommodation would be huge. There's a lot of money. He has a nice personality and a nice face. Although he was a man, he felt like a woman, perhaps because his shoulders were narrow and his body looked thinner. So, I didn't feel rejected that that person was in a relationship with Woo Min-jae.

“You might be lucky, but it’s sad. You can’t say a word to the person you like.”

“...Yes, it’s sad.”

“You know it’s self-employed, right?”

“Maybe it’s because he’s still innocent at this age, but he’s blunt.”

then. Thirty is a pure age. He smiled faintly with calm eyes, wondering if he was offended by the direct question.

“Do you like Minjae by any chance?”

I paused. I should have answered, “No,” but the answer didn’t come right away. It’s true that Taek-in likes Woo Min-jae. Instead of answering, I asked him why he was asking such a question.

“Your face turns red when you’re with Minjae. Your eyes sparkle when you look at Minjae.”

“Your face may be red, but your eyes are definitely not.”

He must have mistaken me for glaring at him. When I strongly denied it, he laughed again and said, “Let’s pretend that’s the case.”

"Actually, I was very curious. Minjae doesn't really like people approaching him. Especially if he knows that someone has special feelings for him, he keeps his distance beyond a certain point. It's not because he doesn't like the other person, but because he thinks giving hope to the other person is worse. . I followed Minjae for three years, but he was never seen as anything more than a Jinja fan.”

How did someone who I only saw as a fan for three years suddenly come to be seen as a lover? I was curious, but the person who would answer was not the person in front of me, but Woo Min-jae, so I just swallowed the question. Andy continued her words, looking at me curiously.

“But it was obvious to me that you liked Minjae, and I was surprised that Minjae seemed to accept you naturally. Minjae is seeing someone else, but you come to the villa more often.”

Because it's the same person. Since I couldn't tell the truth, I just shrugged my shoulders.

“I learned how to study from a teacher. Current teachers are not allowed to teach, so it has to be kept a secret, so I came here.”

“That’s right. That’s proof that Minjae thinks of you as special. Even if it’s a temporary job, the fact that Minjae acts against his work ethics means he cares for you that much.”

So, there's a more complicated situation there...

“At first, I misunderstood that Minjae liked you.”

“That’s not it.”

“Really? It would have been better if it were you...”

“Would you rather me?”

I asked back because his tone of voice was strange. He answered honestly.

“If you’re the one Minjae likes, I think there’s a good chance.”

Thirty is definitely an innocent age. Does that mean Taek-in is easy-going?

“Even if the other person is a three-year-old child, there is no hope for them.”

“Yeah, I guess so?”

He stretched his shoulders and obediently agreed. Seeing his dejected appearance, my displeasure from a moment ago changed to a little bit of pity. Of course, I have no intention of apologizing.

“Yes. There is no hope. I heard this clearly from Woo Min-jae and the teacher. After you have eaten all the delicious food, please return to Canada.”

“Is that what you came to tell me?”

“No. Woo Min-jae, you said you were curious about the teacher’s condition.”

“Huh! I’m curious!”

“I’ll let you know. Please let me know if I have any questions.”

He paused. Then he looked at me with anxious eyes.

“What... I’m curious about?”

“What exactly happened? We broke up simply because he cheated on me, and Mr. Woo Minjae got into a fight with the cheating partner and hurt her shoulder? No?”

"... Even if it's not everything, I can't tell you. It's our own business."

There's definitely something different. But it's just us. Those words made me feel strangely uncomfortable again.

“But why do you want to know that?”

“Just like that.”

just? He muttered and looked at me quietly.

“You really like Minjae.”

“No. That’s not it...”

 

I was embarrassed and denied it, but he smiled as if he knew everything.

“It’s okay. Everyone can’t help but like Minjae.”

“That’s absolutely not the case.”

This time, I denied it with all my heart. However, he still smiled happily, as if he were a teenager hiding his true feelings.

“Then why are you curious about Minjae’s job? Isn’t that what you’re interested in?”

That's not it... I repeated the same thing again and before I knew it, I blurted out a reason.

“I want to make you laugh. I’ve never seen you smile before. I was wondering if knowing more about the situation would help make teacher Woo Min-jae laugh. Of course, this isn’t because I like it, it’s just that I’m trying to repay the help I received from you.”

“...You never smile?”

“Yes. No one has seen it.”

He froze with a shocked look on his face. Her eyes looked like she might be crying, but the voice coming out of her mouth was normal.

“You laughed better than anyone else. You laughed better than me.”

"..."

“But what do you mean by help?”

“Yes. I had some problems at school, so the teacher gave me counseling.”

“What problem?”

he asked with a worried face. The real problem is different, but first, I told them about Taekin’s problem.

“It’s bullying.”

There was no reaction. Didn't you hear?

“I was bullied in class...”

“Taekin!!!!”

Oh my, it's deafening! I was startled by the loud sound, but I couldn't express it. Andy took the first step and came right in front of me, holding my hands tightly. And I saw it clearly. Even when I was talking about Woo Min-jae, tears that had not been shed were flowing down my cheeks like a waterfall. What, why is this person...

“I was an outcast too!!! Uhehehehe!!!”

In the drama, the cheating partner is a villain who only cares about himself, but the reality is completely different. A man named Andy held Taekin's hand and comforted me through tears for over an hour. He was so desperate that when he took my hand away after holding it for over an hour, the blood stopped flowing. And the inside of his chest became warm. Although it was weak, it was definitely the warmth I felt from the lottery room lady. I think Taekin's heart couldn't help but react as he cried for me for over an hour, sympathized with my pain, cheered me on that everything would be okay, and even felt sad.

Of course, I don't think he will wake Taek-in. Because he was showing the greatest sincerity he could show, and only a little warmth was spreading. What surprised me was that I could cry this much for someone I didn't know very well. All this while, I vaguely thought he wasn't a bad person, but I didn't know he was this good of a person. I am not happy about this. In fact, it would have been nice if he had been a villain in the drama, but I even heard bad wishes.

“Don’t you know your English score?”

I told him to come if he couldn't sleep, but Woo Min-jae actually came and was sitting in my store. At the same time, he was like a polarizing parent asking his son what his score was after completing the test. Why don't you know that? With eyes that don't understand.

“I don’t know because the report card hasn’t come out yet.”

“After the test was over, the class president would have called out the answers. Didn’t you try to match the test paper?”

"huh."

"why?"

“Well, just…”

“Weren’t you scared that you might come out of nowhere?”

I flinch. He hit the nail on the head, but looked back with a straight face.

“Siba, it’s definitely not a point.”

“Aren’t you curious what your score is? You did some studying.”

What about me? I worked hard despite you, why are you like this? If I had studied like that when I was in high school, I would have gotten into a 4-year university anyway, let alone Seoul National University. ...You must have gone, right?

“I’m not really curious.”

“Really? I know what your score is.”

"what?!"

Cradangtang~! I jumped up and the chair fell backwards. The guy looked up at me calmly, but his eyes seemed to be filled with laughter. is not it? Are your eyes like that originally? This is not what is important.

“Your score is...”

“Hey, don’t say that. Never say that!”

“Twenty-nine…”

“Ugh!! Twenty-nine points?! No!! I told you not to tell me!”

I sat down, pulling out my hair. Twenty-nine points?! Still, it seems like more than half of them were correct, but it wasn't at all? This is all because of Woo Min-jae.

“Hey! It’s all because of you! You taught like shit so I only got 29 points!”

“Who said twenty-nine points?”

“You now have twenty-nine points...”

“I meant 29 days. I heard you are on vacation from the 29th to the 29th, is that correct?”

Ah, vacation. I calmed my startled heart and sat down in the chair that had collapsed.

"Yes why?"

“What are you going to do?”

“Why are you sleeping at home... AC?”

I couldn't help but curse. What if it's still like this on vacation? I have to go on vacation as a high school student. I suddenly became depressed. It's a vacation that you only get once a year, but you can't just sit back and relax.

“How is the class leader these days?”

What are you talking about all of a sudden? I looked up and saw that he was looking at me seriously.

“The class leader is still bullying Taekin? In what way?”

“It’s similar to giving. They swear at me in passing, or they suddenly push me from behind. But these days, since it’s exam time, I’ve done less.”

I frowned at him, remembering how I tripped over his feet today.

“What happened?”

“Today he suddenly tripped on his foot and fell to the floor. It hurt because he didn’t expect it. You bastard.”

I briefly cursed and asked back. “Why are you asking?”

“Have you ever thought about why the class president is bullying Taekin so much?”

“I guess he hates gay people. He said he sent a text message to you too.”

“What if there is another reason?”

“Any other reason? It wouldn’t be a big deal if there was one. It’s obvious that a person who bullies in a childish way also has a childish reason. Does that matter?”

“It might be important. If I can’t wake Taekin, I’ll have to find another way. I might have to solve some of Taekin’s other problems that you missed.”

What he said made sense. But he didn't want to think about it, because he came this far believing that he had found a way to return to his original self, and if it didn't work, he would really explode. Here's the worst case scenario I think. It was so terrible that I deliberately tried not to think about it, but now it has taken over my mind. What if I have to live two lives like this?

“I’m not a class president.”

I shook my head firmly.

“Taek-in’s heart doesn’t react much to the class president. If the class president is the cause of Taek-in’s suicide, there will definitely be a big reaction of fear or hatred. But no, the class president is unlucky, but not that big.”

Although he gave a clear reason, I felt bad because his eyes were staring at me as if they were looking into my inner thoughts.

“You’re not so sure because you’re scared?”

"what?"

“If you really want to get out of that body, you have to find every possible way. You don’t even want to think about the possibility of failure, so you’re obsessed with just one thing like a coward. Keep in mind the possibility of failure and try everything. That’s the way to get back to the real you.”

There was nothing to refute. Still, I couldn't ignore being called a coward, so I swore at him for no reason.

“Fuck, who are you calling me a coward?”

“You. I’m warning you in advance, don’t get upset just because I failed when I held your hand.”

what? Vaginal? no. This... But before I could say anything, he tapped me on the shoulder.

“You’re afraid to hear it because you might not have gotten your grades, but I’m already worried, you. I’m telling you this because it’s me. If a guy trembles because he’s scared of something like that, he’ll be laughed at, man.”

This bastard wants to see him! I got angry and tried to get up again, but something caught me. huh? I think I've heard that before somewhere? And I remembered it right away. Similar thing to what I said to him.

‘I’m saying this because it’s me. You may be good at English, but your idioms seem weak. Don't use it in the future. If you say something like that somewhere, you'll be laughed at, man.'

The advice he gave me, proud of being a true friend, came back to me as an ancient thing. just as expected. The guy looked at me and emphasized.

“I’m telling you this. Aren’t you disappointed?”

“... What a disappointment.”

My nostrils fluttered as I tried to hide my anger and control my facial expression. I need to quickly give this kid the advice of a true friend. We need to become true friends quickly. My heart became impatient and I opened my eyes to find some advice to give him. Fortunately, due to his bad personality, he had plenty of advice to give. The downside was that it was difficult to choose one.

“Hey, I have something to tell you too…”

“That drama.”

Minjae Woo was the first to interrupt. drama? Ah, what I saw at dawn. Why is that?

“Just like you said, the secrets are revealed in 1/3 pieces at a time. If you look at the fact that it took two episodes to find out that the person with curly hair who works with her husband is the female protagonist.”

...huh?!

“Hey!! What if you say that!!”

It rattled. The old chair I bought second-hand was pushed back roughly this time. I stood up and pointed a point at the guy.

“I haven’t seen it yet, why are you telling me that!! Do you want to die? Huh?!”

“You expected it.”

“Is it the same as what you expect and what it actually is?! Ugh! I hate hearing things in advance in the world.”

You damn bastard. I was tearing my head out in agony when I saw the end of his lips twitch very briefly.

“You laughed just now, right?”

Woo Min-jae immediately looked at me with a straight face.

“Do you think you’re making me laugh now?”

“Of course not.”

“But what do you ask?”

What is this anger? I glared at him with narrowed eyes and sat back down.

“Anyway, don’t tell me the plot in advance. And you didn’t like that drama, right?”

“I’m curious about the end.”

“Isn’t it fun? My mom says everything she recommends is fun. Later, I’ll also recommend morning dramas that have over 100 episodes.”

“Mom, you watch a lot of dramas.”

our mom? That's it. I laughed helplessly.

“I’m a total fanatic. I don’t care about genres. Nowadays, I can watch all the old dramas again, so I’m watching things I haven’t seen before.”

“Is that the problem?”

"uh?"

“Because your expression is dark.”

I? I frowned, lowered my gaze, and opened my mouth a moment later.

“My mom hasn’t been able to watch dramas since I was in high school. When things weren’t going well at home and she had to go to work, she couldn’t watch any of the dramas she had been watching for the past few years. Now, what I mostly watch are the dramas from that time.”

“You seem to care a lot about your mother.”

“What are you talking about? It’s just that my mom raised me alone since I was in high school, so she cries a lot. Don’t make her a dutiful child of me, you bastard.”

I scolded him and looked away. I was pretending to do something else for a moment, but I felt Minjae Woo looking at me. I had no choice but to turn my head.

"why?"

“Just because you’re grateful?”

what do you mean. As if asking, he added indifferently.

“I didn’t bet much back then, and when I saw that he thought so much of his mother, I thought there was something else to it than gratitude.”

Woo Minjae draped one arm over the back of the chair and tilted his head.

“You said that the reason you don’t like Taekin very much is because he was the victim of an accident. Isn’t it for another reason? You said Taekin’s family situation is similar to your high school days. Relive those times you don’t want to see. “Isn’t it because you have to do it that you don’t like it?”

".... no."

“If not, I’m glad.”

“What’s the good thing about that?”

“At least you don’t have anything to hide.”

It was difficult to understand what he was saying. He explained that the guy was sitting in a more comfortable position than the owner of his other person's store.

"When people hide something, it's often their own fault. You want to bring out other people's mistakes and tell someone, right? But when you think it's your fault, you hide it. If it's greed or selfishness that can never be seen on the outside, it's even deeper. "He hid it somewhere. In order not to reveal it, he disguised it as the exact opposite of the secret. No matter how much he hid it, it was still his own appearance. That's why a secret makes a person half a person."

“...Are you half-baked too?”

Instead of answering, he glanced outside. I followed his gaze and looked outside when I saw someone hastily hiding behind a pillar. Andy, you're back again. At first, I thought there were all these thick-faced guys out there. But now I feel a little sad. This is not because the chicken feet I got were delicious. Of course it was very delicious.

“Did you come today on purpose to show me off?”

“There is something like that.”

okay? Why do I feel a bit sad?

“That guy is the only person I know who comes close to being one. He knows how to expose his own mistakes.”

“Then what should I do? I shouldn’t have done anything wrong in the first place. But honestly, I don’t understand why he cheated on me even though I like you so much and seem like such a good person.”

“I guess people’s emotions aren’t that simple.”

emotion? I wanted to ask more, but instinctively I knew I had to stop.

“Yes, it’s not as simple as it seems. When you hear the circumstances, you seem like the good protagonist who was harmed in the drama, but in reality, that person fell for them because they were nice, and you ended up being a bad person.”

After saying what I wanted to say, my lips started to curl. He immediately added, feeling the guy's stinging gaze.

“Hey, smile. So how does that make it look like you’re interested in me? Huh?”

“Don’t worry. I know enough. More than that.”

The guy looked at me and narrowed his eyes.

“Aren’t you really curious about your English score? What is your score?”

“Ugh!!! Don’t do that!! Don’t say it, you bastard!!!”