MY 16

He watched Han Seolwoo’s strange behavior closely with a broad mind. He always listened with an open attitude, pretending not to know anything. If Seolwoo confessed the truth, he intended to reason with him well and guide him toward the right path.

“Wooje-ya.”

“Yeah? Our princess, what is it?”

“…Why are you acting like that?”

“Like what, why did you call me. It’s okay, I’m fine, so just talk comfortably.”

“No, I was just asking you to pick up the mechanical pencil under your feet…”

However, no matter how broadly he smiled, Han Seolwoo remained indifferent. He did not confess the truth. He simply acted as if nothing were happening.

In that manner, one day passed, then two, then three, and even four. Even after several days had passed, he still didn’t utter a word, nor did he even make a gesture to bring the subject up.

By this point, he was getting pissed off.

Every time he left his seat, the way Seolwoo looked at his phone as if he had been waiting, the way he didn’t even bother to be curious unless called, and that face of his while sitting there sending messages back and forth while laughing—it all became fucking eyesores.

“Talk.”

Won Wooje’s patience was reaching its limit. He spoke to Han Seolwoo, who was looking at his phone again, with a voice full of the emotions that had surged up. It was because he wanted Seolwoo to confess the truth to him, even if it meant giving him a hint.

“I said talk.”

“…Talk about what.”

However, looking at Han Seolwoo who was just babbling fucking obvious lies, Won Wooje felt a bizarre emotion that was difficult to describe.

It was stress. His mind became more fatigued than the anger filling his chest.

Thus, Won Wooje forced a smile. Far from turning things upside down, he covered up Seolwoo’s fault by acting unlike his usual self.

“What did you munch on by yourself. Strawberry? Is it lemon?”

Fine, do whatever the fuck you want. Let’s see how far you go.

Won Wooje, who had been lying down pretending to sleep, opened his eyes slightly and looked at Han Seolwoo. He wanted to throw a fit and tell him to stop fooling around and just study, but he suppressed it with effort. Glancing at Han Seolwoo’s profile, he forced his eyes closed. He grew curious about just how long the guy would hide the truth from him.

Since Han Seolwoo was set up with Lee Narin, Won Wooje felt that every day was shitty. And among them, the shittiest day arrived before long.

“She was really famous back in Hanseo Middle School too. For being pretty.”

Park Seongbin, who was tapping away at a keyboard excitedly, muttered.

“Agreed. I know a ton of guys around me who confessed to Lee Narin and got rejected.”

Kim Chanju nodded and chimed in.

Those who did not know Won Wooje’s rotting inner thoughts often spoke about ‘Han Seolwoo’s girl’ without hesitation. It was because Won Wooje’s attitude of moving past it slyly made them perceive it as no big deal.

“There’s that guy. Who was it, that really handsome guy. Even he got rejected.”

“Who, me?”

“Don’t you have a conscience?”

“It’s him. Tha…t… Seo Juhwan.”

“What’s handsome about him? He’s just average.”

“Then what about you.”

“What. You’re not one to talk, are you?”

Won Wooje glared at the characters on the monitor as if he would kill them while tapping the keyboard brilliantly. It was as if yellow fire were flashing from his eyes. Amidst his fast hand movements, the sound of the keyboard almost breaking rang out.

‘Triple Kill!’

‘Quadra Kill!’

‘Penta Kill!’

A thunderous voice echoed from Won Wooje’s speakers. The kids shrieked at the sudden massacre.

“Hey, hey, hey, this isn’t right!”

“Ah, shit, what is this!”

“Whoa, Wooje, nice!”

「Won Wooje is on a rampage. He is unstoppable.」

‘The enemy is legendary.’

“Aw, man!”

Kim Chanju, who had been looking at the monitor with his neck extended like a turtle, slammed the desk. Soon he clutched his head and groaned as if it were a waste.

“Ah… Wooje is so fucking good. I guess he only does this all day.”

He sprawled back in his chair as the black-and-white screen filled the monitor. Park Seongbin, who had been killed repeatedly, also let go of his mouse. Choi Sangyoon, the only one on the same team as Won Wooje, clicked his mouse with a laugh.

“Wooje was just born with it. I told you his hands are incredibly fast.”

“Ha, this guy…”

Park Seongbin, who was rotating his chair left and right with a creaking metallic sound, fixed his posture again.

“So, did you say Seolwoo is meeting her today?”

“Yeah, yeah. He’s probably doing it right now?”

“Ah! Doing what, shit.”

“No, I mean he’ll be on a date. Seongbin, what are you thinking about?”

Kim Chanju laughed lewdly. Choi Sangyoon, who was listening, cackled while slurping through a straw.

“If you get to know him, this guy is the most obsessed. You pervert.”

Crash. Suddenly, a breaking sound rang out. An empty pot, a tray, and a finished cola can rolled around the floor.

“Ah, fuck…”

Thump! Won Wooje slammed the table with his fist. The kids who had been laughing and chatting wore startled faces. Everyone’s gaze gathered on Won Wooje.

Won Wooje, who had leaned his head back with his eyes closed, rubbed his forehead hard. He looked considerably angry.

Screech. Standing up from his seat, he snatched his bag which was hanging on the chair. There was no hesitation in his strides as he stepped outside.

“Wooje, where are you going!”

“Hey!”

“What’s wrong with that guy.”

Dazed voices were heard from behind him, but Won Wooje did not stop. His face was stiff as he pushed the PC room door open roughly.

Meeting? They’re meeting? A guy who should be in the middle of evening self-study is lying and meeting a girl? Fuck, he’s meeting a girl without saying a word to me?

Won Wooje was furious. When he checked his phone, the message he sent hours ago still remained in an unread state.

The trust he had tried to protect collapsed, and even small hopes scattered like dust. The wish that he would reveal the truth before long became an illusion and shattered into pieces.

His mind burned up. A reckless, boiling impulse surged. He was swallowed by a rotten mood in an instant.

He headed straight for River Castle. He sharpened his blade while waiting for Han Seolwoo, who would return soon.

How much time had passed since he started waiting? An hour, two hours? Won Wooje was submerged in anger without even doing anything else. When he lifted his head at the sound of a presence, he saw a figure walking with a limp from the far end. It was Han Seolwoo.

It was quite late. Thinking about how he had struggled to stay with a girl until now in that condition made him even more annoyed.

Han Seolwoo was as surprised as a person who had seen a ghost. It was even more absurd that he was making that kind of expression upon seeing his face. Anger flared at those tightly shut lips that seemed to have no intention of even making an excuse.

His insides were drying up, but he laughed intentionally. He was on the verge of going crazy wondering what kind of forgiveness Seolwoo would ask of him. However, the answer that finally came back was unexpected. Han Seolwoo was shameless, and he even acted high and mighty without avoiding his eyes.

Won Wooje thought he had endured a lot. He felt he had endured for a very long time. However, he could no longer tolerate Han Seolwoo, who evaded the subject by babbling about parfaits or lemonade. He felt he was at his limit. However, it seemed that wasn’t the case only for Won Wooje.

“Who do you think you are.”

Those blade-like words sliced right through Won Wooje’s chest. All at once, a sharp pain hit the back of his head. He was completely at a loss for words.

‘Who do you think you are.’ That was a phrase Won Wooje was never supposed to hear from Han Seolwoo.

Ha. Won Wooje burst out laughing, and the corners of his mouth turned up. The end of his tightly compressed rationality was cut away. An enormous anger burst out through the narrow gap.

“…What did you just say?”

Won Wooje’s eyes narrowed. A sense of loss greater than shock overwhelmed him. Even if he had thrown a fucking fit, that ‘Han Seolwoo’ could not do this to ‘Won Wooje.’

It’s all because of you. Who do you think you are. Who do you think you are to grill a person like that and give them tiring stress. Is being friends everything? If you’re friends, can you just swing a person around? It’s your fault. You’re the one being extreme. It’s all your fault.

The voice arguing while huffing and puffing filled his ears. It was a massive sense of impact, the likes of which he had never felt in his life. It hacked and crushed Won Wooje’s pure heart and threw it into a trash can. His ears felt muffled. Nothing was being heard properly. He didn’t understand the meaning of Seolwoo’s words in the slightest.

Won Wooje, unable to settle the matter, trudged down the hill. He was heading toward Rose Mansion in Unil-dong. There was no better place than there to stay quietly alone.

Who do you think you are. Who do you think you are. Who do you think you are. Han Seolwoo’s voice filled his ears. His complicated mind was filled with that one sentence from Han Seolwoo. It was a phrase he hadn’t even imagined. A massive sense of betrayal, like a shock he had never felt in his life, overwhelmed him.

Beep, thud.

Having opened the door and entered, he flopped down on the hard floor without even changing out of his school uniform. As he placed the back of his arm over his eyes, his head, which had been heating up, cooled down.

Sigh. A deep sigh escaped. Han Seolwoo’s forceful shout still filled his head. The same was true of the annoyed gaze, as if looking at something he truly hated.

‘The way you act, it’s really excessive.’

Won Wooje’s brow furrowed violently. A vein bulged on his sharp jawline.

…Fuck, how can you say that to me.