ICYM Ch 16

Episode 16

“Since winter’s coming soon, I figured I should fix up the shelter a bit.”

Kendrick, who had somehow gotten hold of two large Styrofoam boxes, was cutting insulation panels to line the inside with a serious expression.

A little distance away, the dog and cat were quietly eating their food.

“I’ll help you.”

Even though I’d gone to the back of the garden every day for the past week, I hadn’t achieved what I set out to do. In fact, it was the opposite.

“Then could you cut out the entrance?”

“Yeah, sure. I can do that.”

I quickly nodded, recalling how messy the entrance had been before. Cutting out the opening and reinforcing it with tape to prevent wear seemed like a good idea.

“But wouldn’t it be better to just buy a house at this point?”

Is the mafia low on funds lately? Or is he just pretending to care about the cat and slapping something together?

I didn’t know about the first, but the second definitely didn’t seem like the case.

As I mentally calculated how much money I could realistically pitch in, I asked the question casually.

Kendrick, who had finished cutting the insulation and plopped down in front of me, said he’d considered that too and started taping the cut entrance.

“Someone bought a proper cat house and left it here last year, but it got reported and taken away immediately.”

“…That’s harsh.”

No wonder he was hiding the Styrofoam house behind the bushes.

“Technically, the land past the bushes belongs to the neighbor.”

“That’s true.”

It felt harsh from our point of view, but from the neighbor’s, it was only natural.

“This was the best I could do.”

Was it just my imagination, or did he seem oddly deflated? Wondering if I had pressed him too hard, I glanced at Kendrick and gave an exaggerated nod on purpose.

“…Yeah, I get it. It’s not like we can build a house inside the dorms.”

“Exactly.”

The dorms even discouraged feeding cats because they might follow students inside.

A cat house on dorm property?

Even without asking, the answer was obvious.

It was just the two of us now, but during school hours, the groundskeepers would come and go to tend the garden, so doing anything in secret was impossible.

“This really is the best way.”

I nodded as I tested whether the insulation fit properly inside.

“If we wrap the outside in black plastic, it’s even less noticeable.”

“Really? We should’ve done that before taping the entrance.”

“Sorry.”

“No, I didn’t say it to blame you. It’s something we can do quickly anyway.”

By the time everything was finished and I looked to the side, the dog was lying down, and somehow the cat, already acting like they were friends, was sitting peacefully on top of it.

“Those two are seriously funny.”

“Yeah, they really are.”

Kendrick pulled a fresh water bottle out of his bag and handed it to me as he sat down beside me.

“Here, water.”

“Thanks. I was just getting thirsty.”

Seeing how he hadn’t broken a sweat even though he had moved more than I did, I clicked my tongue internally.

After quenching my thirst and letting out a quiet sigh, my original reason for coming here finally surfaced again.

Even though I’d defended Kendrick in front of Sunbae, hadn’t I also seen a side of him that left me unsure if I could fully trust him?

“Ahem… Hey.”

“Yeah?”

At my call, Kendrick, who had been leaning against the wall and looking up at the sky, turned to face me.

The dog, now asleep, was softly snoring, the grass was cool beneath us, and dragonflies flitted through the air overhead.

The moment that peaceful scene filled my vision, the words I was going to say momentarily vanished.

“Weren’t you about to say something to me?”

It was only after hearing Kendrick’s concerned voice that I came back to my senses.

“Ah, yeah. So, um…”

I couldn’t just outright ask, “Are you the culprit?”

Nor could I say, “There’s a rumor going around that you’re from a mafia family. Is it true?”

What finally emerged, from among all the questions hanging on the tip of my tongue, was the most roundabout question imaginable.

“Have you decided what you want to do in the future?”

Kendrick raised his eyebrows, clearly caught off guard by the kind of question you’d hear at a parent-teacher meeting.

“Huh?”

Even I realized how weird it sounded, so I rushed to tack on an excuse.

“I didn’t do well on the last exam, so I’m wondering if I can even get into college.”

“……”

“I don’t know if you know this, but… I don’t really have many friends I can talk to about this kind of stuff.”

In trying to make an excuse, I ended up unwittingly exposing something vulnerable about myself. My heart pounded, worried Kendrick might notice how foolish I sounded.

He seemed to take my words more seriously than I’d intended, carefully choosing his response.

“You’ve been worried about which university to go to?”

“Uh… Yeah, I guess?”

“I haven’t decided for sure yet either. There’s still time.”

“So it’s not like you haven’t thought about it at all, then.”

Lately, the mailboxes of the upperclassmen had been stuffed with pamphlets from universities you could apply to through their websites.

So naturally, even our year had started getting swept up in thinking about college.

Checking this year’s exam scores would come first, followed by writing the personal statement. But before that, researching universities for motivation wasn’t a bad approach.

“I’m thinking about Oxford or King’s College.”

At Kendrick’s words, my eyes practically popped out of my head.

Why are names of world-renowned universities suddenly being mentioned here?

“…That’s… a pretty high goal.”

“Is it?”

There are always those types. The ones who don’t yet understand how hard it is to get into university and assume that prestigious schools are easily within reach.

In reality, even getting into a university from the next town over that you’ve only heard of once or twice is tough.

To think Kendrick was one of those types… I couldn’t help but feel sorry.

He reminded me of myself back in my first year of high school, going around saying I should at least aim for Korea University. 

Korea University, huh? Ended up having to retake the exam anyway.

“Ah… I see.”

Overcome by a strange mix of a sense of kinship and pity, I replied in a voice tinged with sorrow, then snapped myself back to awareness.

I forced my wandering thoughts back on track.

“Ahem… So, what about after that?”

“Huh?”

“What are you going to do after university?”

It was such a broad question that neither Kendrick nor even I could probably grasp the intent behind it.

“I want to follow in my parents’ footsteps.”

Finally, we were getting to the real point. I’d laid the groundwork this much, so surely he’d give me the answer I wanted now?

“…I’ll probably end up helping with my father’s work too.”

Just as I intended, Kendrick answered without resistance.

He didn’t seem the least bit reluctant about helping with his father’s work. I wet my bottom lip with the tip of my tongue.

“What does your father do?”

At my question, Kendrick visibly flinched. And seeing his reaction, I tensed up right along with him.

Why is he so startled? Like I just asked something I absolutely wasn’t supposed to…

“He just… does a bunch of stuff.”

“A bunch of stuff…?”

“Yeah.”

The atmosphere strongly hinted that he didn’t want to say more.

The water bottle in my hand crinkled slightly under pressure.

He might not have said “mafia” directly, but wasn’t this basically the same as admitting it?

No one would dodge a question so blatantly unless they had something to hide.

Suspicion quickly hardened into certainty.

But the mood didn’t lend itself to pressing further, so I decided to wrap up the conversation there.

“…I see. You must be close with your parents.”

“Just… normal.”

“I see.”

Maybe my expression had turned a little melancholic because Kendrick gave me a strange look.

“Hayden.”

Come to think of it, this was the first time he’d called me by name. The pleasant low tone gave me chills up both arms for a moment.

Was I suddenly getting scared because he said he’d take over his father’s work?

Either way, I just wanted to get out of this situation. Before the thought could spiral any further, I caught a whiff of Kendrick’s pheromones as he stepped closer and I jumped to my feet.

Kendrick looked up at me, startled. I fumbled for an excuse.

“Huh? No, I just suddenly really need to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

But Kendrick didn’t let me leave so easily. Just as I tried to walk away, I felt a warm touch on my index finger.

He didn’t grab me roughly. He was only holding the tip of my finger. Even so, I stopped in my tracks.

The breeze blew between us.

Though he had stopped me like that, Kendrick only looked at me with those clear eyes, then slowly let go of my hand.

“Are you… close with that person?”

“…Who?”

“Augustine Rogers.”

The sudden mention of Sunbae’s name made my shoulders flinch.

Did he overhear what we talked about in the lounge? I searched his face, but he didn’t look angry.

More than that… he just seems kind of down.

Whether I was close to Sunbae or not had absolutely nothing to do with whether Kendrick looked disappointed—those should be completely unrelated matters. I was being overly sensitive, and it felt ridiculous.

It’s not like Sunbae was the type to openly express dislike toward Kendrick Bardi. And even if he was, that still wouldn’t be a reason for Kendrick to look so disheartened.

“Yeah, why?”

“…Ah.”

He was the only upperclassman who had ever helped me. If I had to name the person I was closest to, without hesitation, it would be him.

As soon as I confirmed it, Kendrick’s gaze wavered slightly.

“It’s nothing. Sorry for stopping you when you said it was urgent.”

“Oh, that was what you wanted to ask?”

“…Yeah, I was just curious.”

Kendrick stood up and started collecting the empty cans the dog and cat had left behind.

I hurried my steps and left the garden. I felt a gaze on my back, but I didn’t look back.