Eighteen’s Bed Novel Completed - Chapter 114

Kang Jun poked the roughly chopped green onions with the tip of his toothpick. The single serving was quickly empty. It didn’t matter, as he hadn’t intended to fill up on street food anyway. Shin Jaehyun, who had been deep in thought, biting the edge of his paper cup, tapped the steel table with his finger.

“Indeed, if it’s a dorm, he can’t suddenly burst in.”

So, he’s completely convinced now. Kang Jun subtly changed the subject again and said.

“It probably won’t happen, but just in case.”

“You’re being too careful for that.”

Slurp. The tips of the hands holding the paper cup were red. Kang Jun’s hands had also somehow disappeared into his jacket pockets. Perhaps due to the cold, his legs shook up and down. Summer had been so slow, but winter had arrived in an instant.

“Are you going to cut ties?”

“…Yes.”

“Right, if it’s Korea University, the campus is wide, there are many buildings and many lectures, so it’ll be hard to find him. But if he’s determined, he could find you.”

“He really hates troublesome things.”

“Hmm, if it’s troublesome, he won’t look for you?”

“Why would he go to such lengths to find me? As I said before, I’m not that important to him. He doesn’t feel that way either. I’m just a kid who was good to tease in high school. That’s all. I know him well. Besides, he’ll be busy living his own life. College and all.”

“Still, you never know what will happen in the world. Always be careful.”

“What is there to be careful about? It’s over after graduation.”

“You never know when you might meet by chance again.”

This was Shin Jaehyun’s flaw. He always poured cold water on Kang Jun’s opinions. Kang Jun flared up, feeling as if he was ruining a perfectly cooked meal, and retorted sharply.

“Shin Jaehyun, coincidences don’t happen as easily as you say.”

“That’s true, but they don’t ever happen, do they?”

“More coincidences don’t happen than do. Why does the word ‘coincidence’ exist? It’s because such things are rare.”

“Then what about ‘fate’ or ‘miracle’? If coincidences are so rare, why do we use words like ‘fate’ or ‘miracle’?”

“They have completely different meanings. Fate is when coincidences overlap multiple times, and a miracle is…”

“It still means a low-probability event happening.”

This guy’s Korean scores must be terrible. Is it because he grew up in America until middle school? Kang Jun felt like he was suffocating from frustration. He squinted one eye. It seemed much faster to just state his feelings than to try to persuade him.

“Stop ruining other people’s plans with words that make them feel bad.”

“Okay, got it.”

The half-hearted thumbs-up bothered him, and he frowned. Seeing his gaze, Shin Jaehyun burst into laughter and willingly raised his thumb even higher.

“It means you’re right.”

“Right, thanks for admitting it.”

“Thanks for understanding me too. Are you done eating?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Then shall we go?”

“…Wait.”

He grabbed Shin Jaehyun, who was rummaging in his pocket. Had he forgotten that Kang Jun said he’d pay, or did he think it was a joke? But that wasn’t important. The words he was about to say hung in the air. Staring blankly at the bubbling, thick soup, he spoke the difficult words.

“Can I ask you just one thing?”

“What?”

“It’s just, we’re graduating soon, and we probably won’t see each other again, so I’m just asking one thing.”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“About Go Yohan. Besides me, besides Kim Minho, besides Kim Seokmin, besides Lee Seokhyun… does he have any friends?”

“Yohan, well, he talks to everyone, so wouldn’t he have more kids you could call friends?”

“No, not those kinds of kids.”

“Then?”

“Someone Go Yohan meets outside. He goes out a lot.”

“Why are you suddenly curious about that?”

“Actually, I’m not that curious.”

“If you’re not curious, why are you asking?”

Kang Jun subtly avoided his gaze, feeling strangely interrogated. No, in fact, Shin Jaehyun wasn’t interrogating him, but Kang Jun just felt guilty. Right, why was he asking if he wasn’t curious? But his mouth wouldn’t stop moving on its own.

“I thought there wouldn’t be anyone else who could answer, or who I could ask, besides you. It felt like the last chance.”

“Thanks for trusting me, but I lived in America until middle school, so I wouldn’t know that. And I’m not close with Go Yohan.”

“…Right, I guess so.”

He hadn’t had high expectations. Right, he wasn’t even curious anyway. He kept repeating it to himself. He deliberately brushed it off lightly and pulled his wallet from his pocket. But a soft hand stopped him, pulling out a 10,000 won bill.

“Two servings of tteokbokki and two fish cakes, please. No need for change.”

“Oh my, what do I do, thank you so much. Have another fish cake instead.”

“It’s okay.”

“Hey, what are you doing? I said I’d pay.”

“It’s fine. I’m deliberately creating a debt.”

“I feel bad.”

Shin Jaehyun waved his hand and immediately left the street food stall. Kang Jun followed him. Shin Jaehyun, who was waiting for him at the entrance, adjusting his scarf, suddenly asked.

“But why did you ask me of all people?”

“Well, just…”

He scratched the back of his head. He hadn’t thought about it seriously, so his mind wasn’t working quickly.

“It was kind of like that.”

“Like what?”

“Now that we’re graduating, I can say this, but if I had met you in first year, I think I might have become friends with you first.”

“…”

“Regardless of whether you’re a good person or a bad person. I just thought we were similar.”

It was a remark with no special intention. Perhaps it felt lighter because he thought their connection would end once they went to university. Just like the days he was trying to shake off Go Yohan. However, contrary to his lightheartedness, Shin Jaehyun seemed to feel more guilty.

“I feel kind of bad.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t say it to hear you say you’re sorry. I said it because we won’t see each other anyway. Shall we go now?”

“…Okay.”

“Alright, then I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

As soon as the greeting was over, he turned away without lingering. He walked, soothing his bloated stomach, and replied to the accumulated messages. The first message was this:

「Don’t worry about me, I’ll be busy with friends on graduation day anyway.」

And the second, even less sincere message, was this:

「Home」

He blocked the third message. There was no need to pay attention to the desperate last words of a defeated person. He was just a bastard who lost the fight and only knew how to bark like a dog anyway.

After sending all the replies, he put his phone in his pocket along with his hand.

A sudden gust of wind grazed his cheek. He instinctively squeezed his eyes shut and stood, waiting for the wind to stop. After the wind stopped, he sensed a presence.

“Hey.”

He turned his head at the familiar voice. Standing behind him was clearly Shin Jaehyun, who had turned back.

“Do you have something to say?”

“…Nothing much.”

“What is it?”

“If you have more time, want to have one last coffee before you go?”

“…Coffee?”

It was a remark that made him wonder if he’d misheard. He stared at him blankly, and Shin Jaehyun added, as if making an excuse.

“There’s a really good drip coffee shop nearby.”

“…You said you couldn’t understand eating pasta?”

“Coffee and pasta are different.”

Shin Jaehyun’s embarrassed smile was both familiar and new. He hadn’t seen it often, but he had seen that expression before. A wry smile naturally appeared on his face. He understood the intention well.

“Are you doing this because you feel sorry for me now?”

“Hmm…”

Shin Jaehyun averted his gaze and seemed to think for a moment, then met his eyes and smiled.

“Yeah, a little.”

“Then one last cup?”

“One last cup.”

There’s no harm in that. He nodded lightly.

It was good until he ordered an americano and sat down. They understood each other even without much conversation. Things to do in college, the hardships of college entrance exams, etc. – these were all topics that any student preparing for exams would understand.

The problem arose when he was halfway through his coffee, trying to gauge the timing to leave. Could his luck be any worse?

“What are you two doing here?”

Why, of all things, did Go Yohan’s voice brush past them?

The moment he heard that familiar tone, it felt as if all his internal organs instantly spilled onto the floor. He couldn’t believe his ears. He didn’t want to believe it. But his body reacted honestly. It felt like all his joints and bones were dislocating. He even thought he heard a creaking sound. When he glanced sideways, Shin Jaehyun in the seat opposite him had turned almost deathly pale.

“Go Yohan?”

As expected, it was Go Yohan. Damn it, he should have realized that Go Yohan also lived near where he lived. He had been careless because the guy usually wasn’t seen around.

“…What brings you here?”

“I was just passing by this area and saw you two by the window.”

Go Yohan shamelessly sat down on the sofa where Kang Jun was sitting. Consequently, Kang Jun was forced to slide further into the seat. In other words, he was surrounded. He was ambushed.

“You said you were going home?”

Go Yohan’s long finger tapped his temple. But his gaze, looking down intently, was not gentle at all. Kang Jun met that forceful gaze and took a deep breath. His wildly beating heart slowly calmed down. It’s okay. There’s nothing to worry about.

“I was about to go.”

“…”

Go Yohan’s narrowed eyes stared at him for a moment, then turned to the seat opposite him. Kang Jun naturally looked at Shin Jaehyun. Shin Jaehyun had his head bowed and his lips tightly sealed. Go Yohan stared at him for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“Did you two agree to meet here?”

“No.”

“No.”

Both answered simultaneously. And their eyes met. Kang Jun was the first to speak. Shin Jaehyun closed his mouth again. And, biting his lip slightly, he mumbled something with a mix of English. Kang Jun instinctively knew it was something bad.

“We met by chance. He was sitting here when I came.”

He lied. Not for himself, but for Shin Jaehyun. After all, Shin Jaehyun hated being entangled with Go Yohan in a bad way. Fortunately, Shin Jaehyun was smart, so he trusted that he would understand his intention. And he was sure that Go Yohan would understand and let it go at this point. However, it seemed to be far from enough for Go Yohan.

“Then you could have just said hello and left. Why sit at the same table?”

“…Friends can do that.”

“Oh, are you two friends?”

“Yes.”

“You two?”

“…Yeah.”

“This situation is really interesting. I had no idea.”

Kang Jun knew he wasn’t truly surprised. A sneer was plastered on his lips. His eyes were even dead. Coldly, chillingly. Go Yohan stood up from his seat and slowly, very slowly, walked over to Shin Jaehyun’s seat. But he didn’t sit next to him. Half-standing, he put an arm around Shin Jaehyun’s shoulder. Shin Jaehyun’s bitten lips turned even whiter.

“Jun’s best friend is me. Why did I only just find that out?”

The hand on his shoulder tapped the earlobe nearby. Thump, thump. It hit so hard that the tip of Shin Jaehyun’s ear turned red with pain. Shin Jaehyun finally closed his eyes. As if he had given up everything. And Kang Jun, who understood Shin Jaehyun, knew well. This was the moment Shin Jaehyun had avoided his entire life.

“…”

It was unpleasant. Not the fact that Go Yohan was tormenting Shin Jaehyun, but simply that a pitiful weak person being tormented was right before his eyes. Moreover, it wasn’t the first time for Shin Jaehyun. Kang Jun felt disgusted with himself for knowing this and condoning it, and disgusted with his own fate for having to close his eyes to all this unreasonableness.

Why should he? He was about to become an adult. Shin Jaehyun was passive but on his side, and the only person who took care of him when he was being bullied. At the very least, Kang Jun owed Shin Jaehyun.