Eighteen’s Bed Novel Completed - Chapter 156

The annoying part was that because of that, I had to maintain eye contact with Kang Soohyun. As the place fell silent for a moment, Kang Soohyun asked seriously.

“…What topic did you say you prepared?”

Kang Soohyun pulled his body closer to mine. I finally realized, from the content of the presentation and Kang Soohyun’s actions, that the eighteen women written in that material were Kang Soohyun’s delusion. That’s why I could show my topic with more confidence. The content was simple.

<A Report on Sexual Attraction and High-Class Men in Society>

To be precise, it was the <Go Yohan Report>.

<Go O O Report>

1. Go O O tends to disregard others’ opinions and act as he pleases.

1-1. Alpha XY flaunts his power by sex O_

My gaze lingered on the blinking cursor. My fingers paused on the keyboard, pressed backspace, and rewrote dozens of times. After a long while, my fingers, which had stopped moving on the keyboard, started again. Oh, whatever. It was a feeling of resignation.

This report was written to universally explain the topic of <Sex and Gender> within the <Gender and Marriage> course assignment. Its purpose is to describe in detail ‘what kind of partner humans find sexually attractive and want to marry’ by observing an anonymous real person named Go O O.

Kang Jun (Political Science and Diplomacy), a member of this team, proposed this, and Kang Soohyun (Mechanical Engineering) agreed, deciding Go O O was a suitable person for the report. Go O O was then set as the observation subject, and the observation was conducted secretly from the subject to obtain unvarnished, factual results. Basic information about Go O O is described below.

Observation Subject: Go O O

Age: Early twenties

Height: Early 190s cm

Weight: Direct measurement results show he is heavier than average. Expected to be muscular.

Athletic ability: Seems to exercise periodically as a hobby. Has good natural physical ability.

Financial status: Has no income himself, but his parents have significant assets, and he is expected to inherit them in twenty years.

Appearance_

My fingers stopped again. The blunt tips tapped lightly on the keyboard a few times. The hesitation was brief. This time, unlike before, they moved quickly.

Appearance: Very handsome

While appearance is a subjective indicator, considering objective metrics, Go O O is undeniably classified as an attractive male. For this reason, the observer chose Go O O as the observation subject.

After finishing the introduction, I drank the coffee I had placed next to my laptop. I must have put it there before starting the report, but I had hesitated so much that the hot coffee had turned lukewarm. After filling my mouth with bitter coffee, I was certain. This report was less trashy than Kang Soohyun’s <First Night Report>.

In truth, “Kang Soohyun’s consent” in the description was a lie. However, Kang Soohyun’s eventual acceptance of this topic has a very short history.

After an intense battle of wits, Kang Soohyun and I decided to seek the professor’s help. It was an excellent decision. I can confidently say this was the event that changed my second semester.

Kang Soohyun refused, spouting nonsense like, ‘This topic is too cliché and has nothing to write about. My topic is more global and creative.’ But after hearing the professor’s critique calling it a ‘cliché and uninteresting sexist topic,’ he had to shut his mouth.

And the professor looked at my sub-report and asked,

‘Go-ssi is a man, right?’

Kang Soohyun and I nodded our heads simultaneously. Seeing that, the professor asked again.

‘Who chose this topic?’

‘I did.’

‘Really?’

The professor quietly looked at my face, then smiled leisurely and asked a second question.

‘Political Science and Diplomacy?’

‘Yes.’

‘That’s quite unexpected.’

The professor only said that one phrase, then alternated between looking at the report and me. Why was that? Fortunately, the expression on his face was positive. The professor tossed the material onto the desk and said,

‘This isn’t particularly original either, but it’s better than the previous topic. If you’re going to do it, proceed with this one.’

I felt a little smug, and Kang Soohyun scrunched his face in disgust. I already hated having to work on a team with such an annoying guy—the professor had threatened a grade deduction if we changed teams mid-semester—but it was better to do something I liked than to gag at someone else’s fantasy-filled date.

However, just as I was opening the door to the professor’s office to leave, the professor suddenly said something meaningful.

‘I’m curious to see how attractive a male Go-ssi is through your eyes.’

Strangely, that remark lingered unpleasantly in my head. Right up until now.

Since I was the one who chose this topic, and I was the one who stayed by Go Yohan’s side the longest, writing the report became my sole responsibility. Producing the presentation also became my sole responsibility. I couldn’t get caught up in Kang Soohyun’s engineering-style bombardment anymore.

In the end, Kang Soohyun was only in charge of the presentation, but he still complained despite having less work. Most of his complaints were things you could just ignore without affecting the conversation.

After spewing complaints, he suddenly changed, smiling brightly at a phone call from somewhere, and that was the last I saw of Kang Soohyun. He was truly a strange fellow.

Left alone, I looked at the desk cluttered with used tissues and sighed, as if trying to bore a hole through the floor.

“How did I ever get involved with a guy like that?”

No matter how much I thought about it, my college life seemed to be drifting further and further away from what I wanted.

After much deliberation, I precariously picked up a tissue with my thumb and forefinger. Ah, seriously. Why am I hanging out with a guy like that? I felt disillusioned with life.

The messily crumpled tissue plummeted into the blue trash can. My fingertips felt teeming with germs. Ugh, I want to die. I frowned deeply, went back to my seat, and took out an alcohol spray. I sprayed my fingertips and the spot where Kang Soohyun had been twenty times each.

And the first proposition and observation began behind the building where economics classes were mainly held.

1. Go O O always stands out the most in any group.

It was a Wednesday, and Go Yohan’s class ended earlier than mine. However, due to the professor’s schedule, the lecture ended in an hour and a half, disrupting my plans. Anyway, I had no friends, going to the student lounge felt awkward, and I had nothing to do even if I went to a cafe. So, packing my bag in the empty classroom, I suddenly decided.

“This seems like a perfect opportunity to surprise that bastard…”

I spoke to myself and instantly clapped a hand over my mouth. I felt like my personality was getting weirder and weirder.

“What’s wrong with me?”

I lightly slapped my cheek. At least I should stop talking to myself. Anyway, what came to mind was a pretty good plan.

First, I shouldn’t tell him my class ended early. Then, I’d wait in front of Go Yohan’s classroom with a drink. Then Go Yohan would be surprised, right? It wasn’t anything grand, but it seemed like it would be fun. Go Yohan was surprised, just thinking about it makes me laugh.

As I got older, I became more childish. What’s so funny about such a trivial thing?

With an unusually light body, I went to find Go Yohan. When I got there, his class had already ended. The plan was ruined from the start.

“Ah, what the hell.”

Disappointment flooded in like a tide. The childish excitement quickly faded.

Still, I had bought an ion drink, and there was still a way to tease him. I’d find Go Yohan, who must be waiting for me, and secretly press the drink against the back of his neck. He’d be surprised by the cold, wouldn’t he?

The thought of Go Yohan turning around with a strange sound made me laugh again. I tried hard to suppress my laughter, thinking there was no one stranger than a person who laughs while walking. Thanks to that, my lips hurt. It wasn’t hard to find Go Yohan. You just had to go anywhere there were a lot of people. Go Yohan was always at the center of the commotion. And my thoughts were accurate.

As I moved towards the back of the building, I heard low, whispering conversations. And the smell of cigarettes. But amidst that cigarette smell, I caught a familiar scent. A blue scent. It was Go Yohan’s scent.

“Go Yo…”

“So he’s the only one here with a girlfriend? What are you guys doing? Idiots. The school name is crying. Crying.”

“You don’t have one either, so stop being such a pain. Ah, damn it—. I’m so jealous of Yohan. She must be pretty, right?”

I stopped my steps forward upon hearing those words. My location was half a floor up the stairs, behind a fence, from where the five men were gathered talking. I naturally bent my knees. My mouth was dry, so I moistened my lips. So, Go Yohan said he had a girlfriend, huh?

Kang Jun has a bit of a cheeky side. And I was certain that ‘girlfriend’ referred to me. I scratched my innocent pants with my fingernail. My whole body, from head to toe, itched with anticipation.

“With that personality, would he meet someone not pretty? He’d be super picky about looks. Yohan throws up when he sees ugly guys. That’s why he threw up when he saw Oh Kyung-chul.”

“Really?”

“I’ve seriously never seen a guy openly throw up yellow bile while looking at someone’s face.”

It was a voice I hadn’t heard before. At least, it wasn’t anyone I knew. I slowly lowered my head and peered into the alleyway where cigarette smoke was billowing. Go Yohan was sitting below a slightly low fence. A lollipop was in his slightly chapped lips, due to the dry weather.

“I couldn’t help it. Looking at that friend made my stomach feel so bad.”

“Look at this guy, his personality is rotten. Why on earth does your girlfriend even meet you? Is she Mother Teresa?”

“What are you talking about? Her personality is terrible too. Worse than mine.”

What? Me? Go Yohan is talking about my personality? Absolutely unacceptable.

The cheeky Go Yohan poked the tiny candy with his canine tooth. With the impact, the cracked candy dropped to the floor with a thud. Go Yohan looked down at the candy, now covered in dirt, and simply extended his index finger and thumb, letting the white stick fall. He showed no sign of guilt.

“That’s odd. If her personality is bad, why are you dating her?”

“Because she’s pretty, I guess. Guys who look decent like this tend to like girls who are pretty but have bad tempers.”

“Really?”

Go Yohan, who had been sitting alone on the fence among the five men, asked. And as he subtly smiled, his sharp canine teeth were revealed. ‘Really?’ With that one word, all eyes turned to Go Yohan. He was certainly excellent at attracting attention. He probably intended that remark too.

Go Yohan was in the process of inheriting another throne in a new place. Satisfied with the reactions directed at him, Go Yohan slightly lifted his chin and asked the guy who had just defended him again.

“Then let me ask you something. What kind of guys do pretty girls with bad tempers like?”

“Them? They usually date nice guys.”

“Oh, am I nice?”

“No? You’re about to get dumped, aren’t you?”

The tone was clearly meant to tease Go Yohan. I saw traces of high school in the fleeting conversation.

Anyway, guys with dicks still haven’t changed. The act of nitpicking each other and subtly establishing hierarchies was the same even at twenty years old, and it was still rampant in college. But Go Yohan is still Go Yohan. He didn’t let that impudence slide.

Go Yohan instantly wiped the smile from his face and mouthed a small curse.

“Do you want to die?”

Then he kicked the shin of the guy who had answered his question. To an observer, it might have looked like a light tap, but seeing the guy groan, bend over, and collapse, it clearly wasn’t a light kick. In a normal situation, he would have surely apologized, but Go Yohan shamelessly smiled warmly as if it were a joke.

“Think before you speak, you idiot.”

“Ah… Augh, ah, damn it…”

“You shouldn’t ruin someone else’s love life.”

Go Yohan still had a certain arrogant yet sinister side to him. With just a simple reach of his hand, Go Yohan instantly pinched the nose of the guy who was groaning and holding his shin. All while still not having stood up from his seat.

“Ah, ow!”

The guy caught in Go Yohan’s sudden outburst was truly pitiful. No matter how much he bent over, if his nose was pinched by Go Yohan’s middle and index fingers, he wouldn’t have been able to properly balance his body. Today’s victim gasped for air, choked, and then pushed Go Yohan’s wrist.

It won’t do any good, I thought, and I was right.

Go Yohan revealed his fangs and smiled brightly. Thanks to his exaggerated features, Go Yohan’s smile was as brilliant as a sunlit lake, but the underlying poverty and melancholy on his face also gave off a somehow chilling feeling. Moreover, if Go Yohan was the one playing the prank, the gloomy, melancholic, and chilling smile was amplified.

His left index and middle fingers, gripping the nose tightly, violently shook his hand from side to side like car wipers. The guy whose nose was caught comically stomped his feet to the left, then to the right, matching the forceful movement. The remaining people watched the atmosphere, gauging the mood.

However, just as I was thinking, ‘Isn’t this a bit too much?’ Go Yohan released his hand. Then, with two fingers in a V-shape, he lightly tapped the tip of his friend’s nose, the one whose nose had just been pinched. Tap-tap, alternating with two fingers.

“Heh.”

Go Yohan laughed, making a sound so ridiculous it made him seem almost idiotic. With that laugh, the atmosphere shifted from suspicion to a comfortable awkwardness. Go Yohan’s methods were becoming increasingly subtle. However, I, observing from a third-person perspective, was the only one who realized this was Go Yohan’s intention.

Go Yohan, taking his hand away from the light tapping, pulled it back and continued.

“Let’s live with manners between friends. Unless you want to live asking about your parents’ well-being.”

Did he keep his manners? Go Yohan seemed to be the most ill-mannered person here. That’s how I felt, but the people in that spot probably didn’t think like me. It wasn’t that they couldn’t, but that they wouldn’t. Just by looking at their positioned stances, it was clear. The situation was already settled the moment only Go Yohan sat and looked at the others, and the remaining people slightly bent their backs to meet Go Yohan’s gaze.

As expected, the situation and people revolved around Go Yohan. I knew it by looking at their joyful faces.

“Okay, you went too far. He takes care of his girlfriend terribly.”

“No, ugh… Ugh. I just said it as a joke. Ah, damn it.”

“You joke in a very hurtful way.”

Go Yohan’s eyebrow twitched again. It was a mischievous but malicious expression.

“Okay, okay. I get it. I was thoughtless. Stop it. Sorry, really sorry.”

“Yeah.”

It was a word ended with a blank expression. And then he suddenly laughed. Puhaha. Go Yohan was the only one laughing in that atmosphere. He killed the mood, then suddenly laughed by himself. “Yeah?” In my opinion, he still looked furious.

“But what was that just now, grabbing my nose and shaking it? It scared the hell out of me.”

“Isn’t that the kind of prank you play? Huh?”

Go Yohan said that, patting the surprised student’s arm. Everyone seemed to have decided Go Yohan was joking, and the atmosphere softened. Meaningless laughter bloomed in the group. That really wasn’t a joke, though.

Thus, even in college, Go Yohan’s tyranny did not cease.

I am no exception. In exchange for gaining Go Yohan, I lost May. Although I naturally chose the path of an outsider, having already failed to even establish a hierarchy or join a group. Perhaps someday, exhausted by the loneliness of losing a group as a social animal, I might enter that cycle.

We both lost May, but Go Yohan is still in that position. It would be strange if I weren’t jealous by now. Go Yohan will probably never know. The heart of an ordinary person who has to struggle at the bottom to survive.

Nevertheless, I didn’t hate Go Yohan. Now he’s too transparent for me to deny it. Why am I always weak for the person I like? Even his actions of so easily gaining the position I have are lovable.

But what girlfriend? Crazy bastard. He’s definitely talking about me, I think. But since when were Go Yohan and I dating? We never said we were dating. But we do everything and even live together, so aren’t we dating? Then Go Yohan is right, isn’t he? We also said we liked each other. Why does Go Yohan go around saying such things?

I trembled with anxiety but couldn’t stop my lips from twitching. Am I becoming like Go Yohan? This is driving me crazy. When did I change like this? My dual feelings manifested in my actions. While blaming Go Yohan inwardly, I had been hiding near the wall, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Wait, am I being a bit… no, very creepy right now?

“I’m sorry for joking about your sister-in-law. Honestly, I didn’t know you were that serious.”

“Why? Don’t I look serious?”

“Look at his face hardening again. Hey, loosen up your expression. Even as a joke, it’s a bit scary. This bastard is scared now.”

“Don’t I look serious?”

Go Yohan pressed his thumbnail hard with his teeth. He looked at the face of the guy whose nose he had pinched with narrowed eyes, then grinned again. This time, it was a smile completely devoid of humor.

“Okay, hey, from what I see, there’s no one as serious as you. Your sister-in-law must be head over heels because of you. Happy now?”

There is a pacifist everywhere. Though ‘pacifist’ is just a word for someone closer to a coward who dislikes scary atmospheres. The irony of a man’s entire life is that even this pacifist turns violent when the situation revolves around him. There is a pacifist everywhere, and here too, a pacifist appeased Go Yohan. Only then did Go Yohan smile brightly. Not with the satisfaction of being praised, but as if he thought it was commendable that someone had appeased him.

Go Yohan is less about playing hierarchy games and more about acting as he pleases. But a child born from the heavens from the beginning does not know how to descend from the heavens. They only know how to rule. Thus, Go Yohan always sits in a position to suppress others.

Consequently, the self-proclaimed ‘Go Yohan’s girlfriend’ was now called ‘sister-in-law.’ If you look closely, they call the girlfriend of someone lower in rank ‘sister-in-law.’ College has a wider variety of people, which makes observing them interesting.

As I observed with interest, Go Yohan spoke. Very openly, in fact.

“Oh, I’m going to marry her.”

Shit. My interesting emotions plummeted.

What, what is he saying? My eyes widened in alarm as I scrutinized Go Yohan. Heh heh. Go Yohan, uncharacteristically, twirled his right and left index fingers, looking shy. What’s wrong with him? Now I’m really going crazy.

“I felt it the first time our eyes met. I’m going to date and marry this bastard. It was just fate.”

“Why call your sister-in-law a bastard?”

“What are you talking about, damn it. And you have grand dreams at twenty. Did your sister-in-law agree?”

Go Yohan paid no attention to the issue raised earlier. He simply ignored it. He looked up at the four people talking, but it didn’t feel like he was making eye contact. It just felt like Go Yohan was still superior. Go Yohan rubbed his jawline with his fingertip and said,

“Well, she did say she’d marry me, but I have a question. Does she want to marry me? What kind of guys do girls like that? First of all, she likes me.”

Cough. Go Yohan cleared his throat and continued.

“She said she likes me.”

“Are you crazy? Ah, damn it. That’s so cheesy. Your dating life is so childish.”

“Hey, of course you don’t know when you’re first dating. Clearly, this is the early stage of his relationship. At that time, you’re blinded by love, so you can’t judge properly. Let’s hear it. What kind of style does your sister-in-law usually like? No, I know she likes you. But she must have a preferred style, right?”

“…Hmm.”

Finally, Go Yohan closed his mouth. He then put his thumb in his hand and pressed it hard with his canine tooth. His flat brow furrowed, and his slightly hoarse throat moved.

“She likes guys who are tough and a bit wild. She’s a bit pretentious, you see.”

When did I ever? I almost went crazy wanting to refute him right then. This bastard looks at people like that. When did I ever say I liked that kind of style?

“Oh, isn’t that you?”

“Oh, really?”

“This bastard just said that to brag.”

“Do you want to eat beef?”

Go Yohan grinned and offered a meaningless compliment to the pacifist. I, who had seen Go Yohan up close for nearly three years, knew. That wasn’t a genuine offer to buy beef; it was just a sudden, impulsive compliment. Why would he give such a compliment? I didn’t understand the meaning either. It was cute, though.

The guy who received the sudden compliment seemed happy. He grinned and hastily continued talking.

“No, when I first saw Go Yohan, I wondered why a guy like him was at our school. I was surprised to see someone who looked like he absolutely couldn’t get into our school. He looked like he’d go around bullying kids when he was in school.”

“How could I do such bad things? I have a religion. I can’t do such bad things.”

He’s full of it. I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t even laugh. Of course, I, hiding and watching this conversation, dumbfounded, was also dumbfounded. What’s wrong with me?

“Crazy, you had a religion? What religion?”

“Huh? I’m in a cult.”

“…”

…

I quietly pressed my forehead. A headache was coming.

It seemed that about half of the guys over there thought Go Yohan was joking, and the other half seemed to be trying to laugh it off as if they hadn’t heard. The truth of that statement would probably never be revealed. This is how Go Yohan’s lies are born. I caught a glimpse of Go Yohan’s life.

“First of all, women who like wild and somewhat tough men are those who like stimulating and flashy things. You know? Women who date gangster pigs. Then you shouldn’t act so rigid. You smoke, right?”

“That’s right. I smoke because of that bastard.”

“Why are you talking like that, damn it? Anyway, good job. Your sister-in-law’s type goes crazy for a man who smokes a cigarette deliciously.”