MY 5

“Hey, ah. Why are you crying so much? Ha…”

Won Wooje rubbed the corners of the other’s eyes with his thumb. Han Seolwoo only then realized that he was dripping tears. He didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed by the pain.

“I’ll crush that bastard. I saw the whole thing, the way he intentionally kicked you, that son of a bitch.”

“…”

“Ah… shit. I should have just given him the ball. Ah, fuck!”

Won Wooje, turning his head the other way, slammed the seat with his fist. A rough sound of breathing followed.

“Haah… seriously.”

He roughly wiped his sweat-drenched face.

“…Sorry.”

And then he muttered quietly.

Listening to that awkward apology, Han Seolwoo thought to himself. He wanted to ask why Won Wooje was apologizing when he said it was Bae Junhyeok who did wrong. However, due to the pain and his dizzy head, he didn’t have the energy to care. He leaned his back against the seat and closed his aching eyes.

Everything was a breeze after they arrived at the hospital. Thanks to Won Wooje running around here and there making a huge scene, it felt as if he received treatment a bit faster.

The doctor said it was a ligament strain, just as the school nurse had predicted. Still, they put a support on his leg and wrapped it in a thick half-cast.

After taking painkillers, the pain felt much better. He received crutches, but when he actually tried to use them, they were difficult, and he felt a sense of rejection because they made him look too much like a patient.

Han Seolwoo received permission and left school early right then and there. Won Wooje took him all the way home. His parents were contacted, but no one was in a position to come immediately.

Lying face down on his bed, Han Seolwoo turned on his phone. Now that the situation had settled down a bit, he felt embarrassed. The chaotic time he had just spent came back to him. The unbelievable fact was that he had even received an apology from Won Wooje.

Since they had never fought, it didn’t quite feel real, but ‘apology’ and ‘Won Wooje’ were a combination that absolutely did not go together. Moreover, seeing him so restless for the first time made him feel even stranger.

Shat-je: You okay? Should I go back to your house too?

A notification popped up just as he was about to type a message. Letting out a hollow laugh, Han Seolwoo replied.

Me: No schemes allowed. Go study.

Shat-je: What are you saying;;; fuck, it’s because I’m worried, are you kidding me?

Shat-je: Do you have ramen?

Me: Cut the crap.

Me: Just stay in class.

Shat-je: Math doesn’t enter my eyes because of my worry for you.

Shat-je: This is really sincere.

Me: Lol, as if it ever entered your eyes before.

Shat-je: I’m serious, fucker.

Me: I’m serious too, so study.

Shat-je: Fuck, you bloodless and tearless bastard.

Reading the messages, Han Seolwoo let out a low laugh. It felt as if he could hear the voice through the text.

His pale fingers hovered hesitantly over the screen.

Me: Come over after class is done.

Shat-je: Okay.

Shat-je: What should I buy?

Me: Just come.

Shat-je: Okay honey lol.

After reading the last message and turning off the screen, Han Seolwoo picked up the phone again.

Me: Don’t cause trouble just because I’m not there.

The “read” mark disappeared immediately, but no reply came.

Me: Please, hyung-ah.

He waited for a moment, but the second added message remained unread.

Tossing his phone onto the bed, Han Seolwoo let out a deep sigh. Closing his eyes, he imagined Won Wooje flying into a rage and lunging at Bae Junhyeok.

Please, please, he hoped the other wouldn’t do just that.

Snow White Seolwoo: Don’t cause trouble just because I’m not there.

Won Wooje, sitting down heavily against the wall by the flower bed, looked at his phone screen with an annoyed face. He didn’t reply to the message that arrived a moment ago and just turned it off. His sweat-soaked gym clothes were completely covered in dirt.

Snow White Seolwoo: Please, hyung-ah.

The phone in his hand lit up again. Won Wooje stared blankly at the message that appeared as a preview notification.

Even after getting hit out of nowhere and being wrapped in a cast, he wondered why the guy was saying such things just to protect someone else. He was a person Won Wooje could not understand at all.

Clearing the notification, Won Wooje turned on a mobile game. Since he had already skipped, he intended to slack off until the bell rang.

The sixth period would end soon, so he only had to endure one hour of the seventh period. Regardless of after-school study or anything else, he planned to visit Han Seolwoo’s house after the homeroom meeting.

Won Wooje, narrowing his eyes, moved his fingers rapidly. His focused lips were tightly shut.

‘Defeat. Better luck next time!’

As soon as it started, the crashed airplane displayed a black-and-white screen. Won Wooje, who was about to press the retry button, muttered a curse and turned off the phone.

He couldn’t concentrate at all. After running around distractedly for several hours, he wasn’t in the mood for games or anything else.

Won Wooje leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

Han Seolwoo rolling on the dirt floor, Han Seolwoo groaning in pain, and Han Seolwoo dropping tears from his reddened eyes flashed vividly through his mind.

He had often seen him cry when they were little, but it was the first time since they had grown up, so it was natural to be surprised. It was also largely because, unlike himself who wandered all over the place, the guy only went modestly between school and home every day, so there were no chances for him to get hurt.

Unknowingly, a sigh mixed with annoyance escaped him. His heart, which had been startled earlier, felt like it was still thumping. Suddenly, Bae Junhyeok, who had tackled Han Seolwoo’s ankle, came to mind.

“That fucker…”

A curse popped out of him instinctively. He had seen with his own eyes the guy coming in and striking Han Seolwoo’s ankle openly. It was a very intentional tackle.

He felt a surge of anger again. It was also incredibly frustrating to see Han Seolwoo acting like a teacher, telling him not to cause trouble, not even knowing he’d been hit on purpose. Won Wooje had often seen guys who, while trying to do something kind, were looked down upon and ended up being dragged into endless trouble. It was a separate story from his own, so it wasn’t something he should care about, but Han Seolwoo was different.

He was the type of guy who only knew how to laugh things off with his pretty, delicate face, saying that things are good if they are good. That was why guys who were testing the waters a bit would often poke their heads out and try to put him beneath them.

Won Wooje’s brow narrowed sharply. Thinking of that bastard Bae Junhyeok made his anger boil over. The fact that Han Seolwoo was looked down upon by nobodies felt horrific. This wasn’t the time to be shielding idiots with useless high-and-mighty moralizing.

You’re dead, you bastard.

The moment he pushed himself up from his seat, the school bell rang. Won Wooje roughly brushed off his dirt-stained pants and took a step forward, full of rage.

Rattle, bang. As he opened the door roughly, the eyes of the chattering students focused on him. Won Wooje, the only one in gym clothes, scanned the surroundings. He saw Bae Junhyeok standing in front of the window curtains. After breaking a perfectly fine guy’s leg, he was sitting there chatting idly.

“Hey, you son of a bitch.”

Won Wooje strode forward and kicked the cleaning locker next to him with a bang. A startled Bae Junhyeok looked up flinchingly.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you.”

Won Wooje grabbed him firmly by the collar. With his rough grip, the shirt buttons that were fastened all the way to his neck tore off with a snapping sound. The kids who sensed the radar slinked to the side and cleared a path.

“No, it was a mistake.”

Bae Junhyeok, with a firmly stiffened face, shook both palms. Won Wooje, with a furrowed brow, readjusted his grip on the collar firmly and thrust his face forward burdensomely.

“Mistake? Mistake? Is it a mistake for you to kick someone’s ankle on purpose?”

“…No, it was really a mistake. I saw you setting up a shooting angle and tried to help…”

Won Wooje let out a hollow laugh.

“Does this son of a bitch think it’s over just because he spits that out? Want to die?”

And then he raised his clenched fist high. Bae Junhyeok, startled reflexively, lowered his gaze. Won Wooje’s expression crumpled fiercely.

“Hey, hey, Wooje. Stooop it. You’ll get in trouble with Seolwoo.”

Choi Sangyoon, who suddenly cut in, spoke with a playful drawl. Of course, he only threw out a joking remark from a distance and did not intervene directly.

“…That’s right, that bastard Bae Junhyeok was always bad at soccer. Surely… it wasn’t on purpose…”

Park Seongbin followed up behind him. Neither of them spoke in a very confident tone. They seemed to be cautiously watching Won Wooje, not knowing when he might lose his mind.

“Just, hit me if you want to hit me.”

“…”

“…If that makes you feel like your anger will be resolved.”

Bae Junhyeok, with his head bowed, muttered quietly. At those words, Won Wooje’s frozen eyebrows distorted fiercely. Anger surged within him because the guy was talking out of turn, telling him what to do.

Won Wooje, staring at him intently from a close distance, curled the corners of his mouth and laughed.

“You fucking bastard…”

“…”

“Acting up, are we?”

He quickly hardened his expression and raised his fist.

Bang! The hand that hit the hard concrete wall made a loud sound. A startled Bae Junhyeok shrank back significantly. Won Wooje, raising his arm again, hit the wall once more with a bang, bang, bang! It was a roar so loud it made the listener feel the pain.

When he let go of the collar roughly, Bae Junhyeok’s body shook greatly. It was as he let out a small groan, ‘Ugh.’

Won Wooje, unable to overcome his rage, kicked the cleaning locker with a bang. He shouted loudly, “Ah!”, and then whirled around. The sound of him sitting down with a clatter followed.

Won Wooje, sitting as if sprawled out, let out an annoyed sigh. It was while he continuously muttered all sorts of curses, ‘Fuck, goddammit.’

Letting out a deep sigh, Won Wooje wiped his face with both palms. His chest repeatedly expanded greatly and then subsided. The reason he stopped his actions was not because of Choi Sangyoon, not because of Park Seongbin, and not because of Bae Junhyeok.

‘Don’t cause trouble just because I’m not there.’