DI Ch 137

“Oh, hello.”

Gu Min-joo bowed her head in a panic. Though momentarily hesitant, I managed to accept her greeting naturally and succeeded in handing Seo Seung-joon a tissue. It was just a tissue, but why was he clutching it preciously instead of wiping his tears?

The boy who was just blankly looking at the white tissue suddenly raised his head.

“Do you remember now?”

“…”

I shook my head with a calm expression. His disappointed drooping brows were pitiful, just like before. Though still awkward and uncomfortable, surprisingly, I felt sympathetic and sorry for him. Why was that? Was my heart wavering now that I considered him family?

I put my bag down in front of the two people and sat down. As we looked at each other, neither of us spoke, and the silence grew longer.

I looked around to ease the tension. The room looked very different from the last time I saw it. Instead of books, the empty desk was filled with toys, and there was a strange bag under the chair. Was that called a kennel?

There were no cats, yet it was full of cat items. It seemed more convincing to say that a cat was living than two adult men.

“Let’s talk.”

We spent a long time just looking at each other, so I spoke first because I thought it would get late. I’ve never really paid attention to things like voice or tone when speaking, but I’ve had a few instances where I spoke coldly to Seo Seung-joon, so I felt nervous for no reason. Trying to speak as gently as possible, I spoke again.

“Did you talk to your parents?”

“Oh, yeah. I told them for sure this time. Oh, and Dad gave me pocket money. He said to buy something delicious.”

He sniffled and rummaged through his pocket, though there was no need to show me. Seeing his innocent behavior, I realized anew that he was just a child. I stopped him and took 50,000 won out of my wallet. I knew how much growing teens could eat and play. The fatter their pockets, the better.

“Sure, since you’re here, eat lots of delicious food with your friend. Buy anything you want too, and go home safely afterward.”

Feeling guilty for never being good to him from the start, I tried to be a little nicer, but he suddenly looked at me with a teary face.

“Hyung, are you angry?”

“What? No?”

“But why are you telling me to go? I just came, why are you asking me to go again…”

“No, I’m not telling you to leave right now.”

I meant to say that since they came all the way here, he can go play with his friend and then go home after we finish talking… The boy, who was whimpering but trying not to cry, scratched the back of his stiff neck in frustration and embarrassment.

Thinking I should wait for him to calm down, I quietly closed my mouth. Each second felt like a minute. I didn’t feel particularly anxious or impatient, but it seemed like I was the only one. Gu Min-joo, who was biting her lip anxiously, poked Seo Seung-joon’s side with irritation.

“Hey, cut it out.”

“The tears, hic. Keep coming… what am I supposed to do?”

“Did you come all this way for this? Why are you like this, really? You could have just waited for your brother. Why insist on coming and then act like this?”

The sight of them exchanging harsh glances and whispering harshly to each other was really… It looks familiar.

I kept feeling strange, so I lowered my head and looked at the empty floor. To calm my churning stomach, I dug my nails into the back of my hand, making crescent moons. When I saw the two moons side-by-side, I quickly rubbed away the marks. I had promised to never hurt myself again, but I had forgotten again.

“I… umm.”

As soon as I parted my lips, their focused gazes made me unintentionally pause.

“I may have said I was leaving, but that doesn’t change what I wanted to say since you already came… Anyway, I’m not angry about that, so don’t cry.”

It was my fault to warn him in advance, considering his knack for unexpected actions. Besides, this wasn’t something to fight over, and even if it were, I didn’t have the energy to be angry. I patted my trembling chest.

“Still, you should’ve contacted me beforehand.”

But I have to point out what to scold.

“Oh! Sorry. I’m really sorry. I didn’t know if Hyung had a roommate.”

… Didn’t he forget he barged in like this before and caused a whole commotion? He really lacks tact sometimes.

Seeing Seo Seung-joon not knowing what to do, I subtly avoided eye contact. Maybe, just maybe, I don’t need to wonder if it’s really true. Yeah, it’s him. I may not know how the girl turned into a guy, but they’re still familiar. Feeling a bit uneasy, as if I could hear the infuriated voice of Tae Seong-je I heard somewhere before, I sighed. But lately, I’ve been behaving well and listening well…

Gu Min-joo grabbed Seo Seung-joon’s forearm and softly shook him while I was trying to calm myself by stroking my head due to a pounding headache.

“Hey. Don’t leave out important things and just tell him quickly. When exactly are you planning to talk?”

“How can I say it right now?”

“Then when will you?”

“Ah, just hold on a bit.”

I can hear everything. Should I pretend not to hear it?

According to what I heard, Seo Seung-joon seemed hesitant to speak the truth for fear of being treated like a crazy person, while Gu Min-joo seemed like she wanted to talk about the novel, even if it meant risking being treated like a crazy person.

I understood both perspectives. I also don’t want to say something that might sound crazy, and even if I did, I’ve thought intensely about when to say it. There were times when I almost went crazy because I couldn’t wait to tell them, and there were times when I felt like I was going to die of frustration, so I understood both of their positions.

If Seo Seung-joon mustered up the courage to tell his parents, it would be a truly despairing day. They’d probably think even their remaining child has gone crazy too. Unlike Lee Hyun-wook, I was fortunate to have memories. It was lucky for me but not for Seung-joon. So he shouldn’t have kept his mouth shut.

“I think you have something to say, tell me.”

Seeing Seung-joon’s tense expression, I remembered how he freaked out when he saw me with Tae Seong-je. So what about today? What did he think when he saw the main character not moving according to the plot and living as he pleases? Did he feel a sense of crisis like I did before?

“Well, Hyung. Um. I had thought about what to say before seeing you. But now that I’m about to say it, it’s difficult.”

The hesitant guy seemed to have finally made up his mind as his expression turned serious.

“Hyung. Remember what she wrote before? The, uh, novel.”

Seo Seung-joon’s finger pointed toward Gu Min-joo. Unlike before, Gu Min-joo seemed a little embarrassed and uncomfortable as she couldn’t keep her fingers still and kept shifting her hips. Seeing her like that, my shoulders shuddered as I remembered the time I unnecessarily made a presentation in front of Tae Seong-je.

“She just wrote it for fun, and I’d read it and give some comments, just fooling around, you know. But when I mentioned you… it was just… just like, saying that you went through something like this in college, as a reference.”

Ah, so that’s what it was. I understand a little bit. If something I went through at that university over there was repeated here, and one person mentioned my story while the other wrote about it, then that feeling of déjà vu could be explained.

“Then, as a joke, Min-joo jokingly, really as a joke, wrote a character similar to you hyung.”

“I used the same name, but it was really just a joke. Oppa, you barely appeared a few times. It wasn’t anything special, just a few appearances.”

“…”

When Seo Seung-joon, who was explaining quickly, fell silent, Min-joo hurriedly added to his words. I just listened quietly, not nodding or gesturing, just listening.

“It was a joke, Hyung.”

“…”

“Just between us, for fun… So, we tried making it like a real book.”

Seung-joon grabbed me with pleading eyes and a trembling voice. I didn’t shake off his hand or move away. Still, it seems like they were anxious about that alone. He appeared visibly agitated.

“At first, it really was just a joke, but my feelings changed when I found out you still meet that person.”

“…That person?”

I could only chew on my lips and couldn’t easily continue the conversation. Tears welled up in Seung-joon’s eyes again.

“I really… thought it would help. I hoped you would realize on your own rather than me telling you directly.”

“…”

“Ugh, I wrote it as a warning, not because I hate you hyung. If I hated you, I wouldn’t have done something like that. If I had known this would become a reality, I would have never done it.”

“Which one?”

“Hmm, huh?”

“Which one? You becoming a guy? Or is this world here where I commit suicide? But even if you feel that way, are you writing about me dying?”

“…!”

Huh, Gu Min-joo quickly covered her mouth.

“How… Hyung, how did you?”

Seo Seung-joon froze in a way that completely described the phrase “frozen stiff,” his expression hardened as if carved from stone and he was so surprised that he couldn’t even blink his eyelids. It was a reaction I hadn’t anticipated. He must have only thought I was crazy and never expected that I would actually know everything.

To summarize, the school story was written by Gu Min-joo, and the second part of the story was written by that guy. No wonder the atmosphere felt so different.

“When did you guys find out? For me…it’s been almost 2 years now.”

I muttered about how time flies. It wasn’t just a casual remark; I genuinely couldn’t believe how fast time had passed. I buried my face in one hand and slowly closed my eyes. I felt like I was about to understand the underlying reason Seo Seung-joon seemed off, like he was concealing something I hadn’t realized.