DI Ch 120

“I’m sorry, sunbae.”

“Well, don’t even say it.”

Woo Ji-min said, panting with a flushed face. It looked like he was having a hard time holding on because my weight and the weight of the bag were on him.

“I have to go to the second floor to return the keys.”

“Damn. J-just stay still.”

I was able to get into the elevator, return the key, and get out of the building, but the problem was next. Those countless stairs. I didn’t have the confidence to go down those narrow stairs while being supported by someone shorter than me. Perhaps it was the same for him as well, but his complexion changed. The hands that were firmly holding my forearms and waist and even their gazes were glued to me as if they were scared.

“Hey. I don’t think this is right.”

It was a valid point. If at least one of my legs moved well, it might have been fine, but relying solely on him to walk seemed difficult given my endurance and his strength.

“If we make a mistake, Sunbae might injure his legs too.”

“Should I call someone?”

“Do you know anyone?”

“Of course not? No more than you.”

Indeed, since neither of us had any friends, it was impossible to call someone. We tried asking passersby for help, but everyone seemed to be in a hurry. We stared at the bottom of the stairs in silence for a while, contemplating our options,

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, he stumbled backward. No, someone pulled Woo Ji-min. However, a new problem arose. Since we were leaning on each other, I also fell backward with him.

“Crazy, uh, hey! Are you crazy?”

Woo Ji-min must have been so surprised that he shouted in a raspy voice. It wasn’t directed at me. It was directed at the man who had both Woo Ji-min and me in his arms. He had considerable strength.  I almost fell because of him, but fortunately I didn’t. I didn’t know who it was, but I was thinking about asking this person for help, but I changed my mind after meeting his gaze.

“It’s you again?”

Now, at the sound of the voice filled with hostility that he had no intention of hiding, I lifted my chin and tilted my head back. It was Kang Moo-hyun.

“Sunbae, hello.”

“Is now the time to say hello?”

Woo Ji-min, showing signs of irritation towards me, freed himself from Kang Moo-hyun’s embrace. Thankfully, he released me as well. However, perhaps exhausted, this time he supported me almost as if he would fall.

“Why are you pulling dangerously?”

“…What on earth are you two doing?”

Although it was a bit amusing to start an argument in this situation, I preferred to stay quiet since I also didn’t want to stay in Kang Moo-hyun’s arms.

“Is that important? We almost died because of you!”

I nodded while comically piggybacking on Woo Ji-min’s back. Although we fell backward, it was in front of the stairs. If we made a mistake and leaned forward, we could have rolled over and suffered serious injury. As if he didn’t know it, Kang Moo-hyun’s expression became strangely crumpled.

“Are you two really dating? You’ve had such experiences in your first year. Do you want to go through that again? Especially with him? I told you before. Getting involved with this bastard won’t do you any good.”

“Ah, what the hell. You still spewing that nonsense? I told you it wasn’t like that. I know him better than you! And you, shameless bastard, are bringing that up from your own mouth? The guy who contributed to tarnishing my reputation?”

“I didn’t do that.”

“It’s not ‘I didn’t do that.’ Even if it wasn’t you, at least you were the cause.”

They tightened their necks and muttered lowly at each other. Despite lowering their voices due to the people around, it seemed they were on the verge of exploding. Woo Ji-min was exhausted, and Kang Moo-hyun.

“Stop hugging each other!”

“Hey! I’m supporting him, what do you mean by hugging! Don’t be annoying, just go!”

Woo Ji-min exploded in frustration. Then, Woo Ji-min, who was sweating more than me in the cold wind and acting tough, now seemed to catch Kang Moo-hyun’s attention. Kang Moo-hyun hesitated and loosened his menacingly clenched fist.

“… Where are you going?”

Kang Moo-hyun scanned me up and down. Instead of Woo Ji-min, who looked struggling, I answered the question.

“The health room.”

“Yeah. That’s right. Now that you know, get lost.”

Woo Ji-min, who was getting irritated, gathered himself again and turned his back on me. He muttered to me, ‘Hey, let’s throw away that bag.’ I tried to calm him down by saying, ‘Senior, I’ll buy you a meal. Something expensive,’ when Kang Moo-hyun said harshly from behind.

“…I’ll carry him.”

“What?”

“I will do it, so you don’t.”

When the two people’s gazes became entangled, I stretched out my hand and turned Kang Moo-hyun around and hung on his shoulder. If this had been a scene from a novel, there may have been a moving emotional description. However, I couldn’t let things go that way.

“Great. Ji-min sunbae, you said you had business to do. Please go first.”

He jumped up on Kang Moo-hyun’s back. I thought he might wobble, but he surprisingly supported me quite steadily. Perhaps he had been exercising. When I deliberately exerted pressure, his head turned ominously. His stare was frightening. In the midst of the staring match, I hear an insensitive voice behind my back.

“Me? I don’t have anything like that?”

No, that’s not what I meant. I turned my head to answer with my gaze, but Woo Ji-min couldn’t see my firm resolve and hesitated.

“I didn’t have any, so I came right away when you asked me to come. Let’s go together.”

This wasn’t it. Woo Ji-min’s eyes showed deep distrust. Things had suddenly become strange. Kang Moo-hyun, who didn’t care about my condition, walked slowly, following the pace of an exhausted Woo Ji-min. I frowned as I watched them from above Kang Moo-hyun’s head.

Their story was coming to an end, and even though I knew they’d meet again next year, no matter how fated it was, I was sick of it.

“The teacher is not here right now. Are you sick?”

“Oh, my leg hurts, so I was going to lie down for a while. Is that okay?”

When we arrived at the health room, there were only working students, but there were no problems. While Woo Ji-min was briefly describing my symptoms and recording my student number on my behalf, Kang Moo-hyun naturally opened the door to the next room and threw me onto the bed.

“Ji-min sunbae is right next to us?”

“Thanks to Ji-min, you can come here comfortably.”

Reacting irritably, he expressed his annoyance. Not wanting to make a fuss, I carefully put my bag down on the bed while listening to the voices of Woo Ji-min and the working students through the door. Then he spoke.

“I saw him first.”

“…”

“I liked him before you did.”

The only thing that lit up the gloomy room was a ray of light shining through the drawn curtains. The sunlight shining on Kang Moo-hyun’s cheek, who was standing tall, caused his eyes to sparkle. He seemed to be the only one shining among the dust clouds in the air. I suspected what he had for Woo Ji-min might not be love, but rather obsession. As if that wasn’t the case, I could feel the pain of unrequited love from him.

Creak! The old iron door suddenly made an unpleasant noise. The gaze naturally moved, and Kang Moo-hyun also turned to look at Woo Ji-min, who was standing tall. 

Although he heard it, Woo Ji-min didn’t look like the person who had received the confession. I looked at Kang Moo-hyun with a face that showed no expression or feelings.

“Ji-min.”

“…”

“I love you.”

Kang Moo-hyun muttered dryly.  How many times had he said those words? I didn’t know. I didn’t know if it was always sincere or if he sometimes said it as a joke. However, this time, it didn’t seem like a spontaneous outburst. I didn’t know if Ji-min was aware of it, but his expression remained indifferent.

“I know.”

“…”

“I hate you.”

He turned away without any lingering emotions. The health room door closed, and silence settled with the dust. What did he expect? Why did he do that when he clearly knew Woo Ji-min would hate it? I realized as I met his cold gaze.

Those words were not a confession to Woo Ji-min but a warning to me. Perhaps, he had no intention of giving up, so he warned me not to interfere. I had realized it since Ji-min said he was crazy. It was certainly not something a sane person would do.

“Sunbae.”

I could feel his cold gaze in the darkness even if I didn’t look, but he didn’t answer, just turned his head nonchalantly. It wasn’t a new experience, but he didn’t seem to want to speak with me.

“Sunbae, can’t you just give up?”

If he would just let Woo Ji-min go, I could live a quiet life. Next year, neither Woo Ji-min nor Kang Moo-hyun will be at school. The main stage will be changed to Kang Moo-hyun’s company. It was a little challenging since I knew it would get increasingly difficult to disrupt.

“Haa.”

Kang Moo-hyun scoffed and stared me straight in the eyes.

“This is really insane.”

“…”

He said what I needed to say… Somehow, I felt like he was furrowing his brows as much as I was. The glaring gaze was unfairly harsh. The innocent and gentle smile that he showed to others would have turned cold when directed at me.

Even though he appears to be kind to others, and despite his yearning looks and sorrowful words toward Woo Ji-min, he seemed incredibly harsh to me. I thought it was too much, but that didn’t mean I expected the same treatment. On the contrary, I would refuse.

“Seo Seung-won.”

I winced at the thorny soft tone. Just calling my name, and yet, how different it could be for another person. I guess he really hated me. I could feel the malice on my skin. Fortunately, I had no resentment towards him, so I didn’t feel terribly offended. Still, it was uncomfortable.

“I think you are misunderstanding something. You are nothing.”

And yet, Woo Ji-min thought differently and cared about me a lot.