Eighteen’s Bed Novel Completed - Chapter 36

Suddenly, my father’s face looked like he remembered something.

“Ah, could it be that person?”

“Who?”

My mother asked, craning her neck curiously.

“Why, the Youngseong Group.”

“Ah. Ahh! That person? I know him.”

“…Youngseong?”

“Yes, Youngseong. But why him?”

“…Ah, actually, I met him in front of the church today. He said he heard about me from Dad.”

“Did I talk to Chairman Go that much?”

“Chairman Go?”

I had a strange feeling of small puzzle pieces coming together in my head. I recalled the middle-aged man’s face again. That oddly captivating appearance. An appearance that wasn’t unfamiliar. Tall height. Catholic. I swallowed hard.

Go.

“Chairman Go Sangwook. Is that right?”

The spoon I was holding unconsciously dropped onto the table. The small puzzle pieces fit together tightly, and the original picture that the puzzle held came to mind. Who I had thought of at the back of my mind when I saw that middle-aged man. Why I felt a strange sense of déjà vu from the sensation of his hand stroking my cheek. The puzzle told me.

“Is his son’s name Go Yohan?”

My parents thought deeply and then said,

“Well, I’ve never heard about his children, so I don’t know his name.”

From evening until morning, all I thought about was going to school. I could have contacted him on my phone right away, but strangely, I didn’t want to. There was no particular reason. I just felt like I had found a topic to talk about.

In the morning, as I left the front gate, I unnecessarily scanned the street.

What if I run into Go Yohan? I somehow laughed and giggled for a long time.

Unfortunately, I didn’t meet Go Yohan on the street. As expected, Go Yohan had already gone to school and was dozing off. With my heart pounding, I sat down and poked Go Yohan’s shoulder.

“Whaaat.”

His voice, muffled by the desk, was full of annoyance. Why was he so annoyed? I pouted discontentedly, but then, filled with the desire to talk to Go Yohan, with whom I had reconciled yesterday, I decided to understand his annoyance. And as intended, I casually boasted about the information I had learned yesterday.

“Hey. Go Yohan. You live in our neighborhood, don’t you?”

“Huh?”

Go Yohan lifted his head sharply.

“Your house is really well-off, isn’t it?”

As he lifted his head, I saw the lollipop in his mouth. That white stick somehow kept catching my eye. I unnecessarily scratched near my chest. Go Yohan rolled his eyes for a moment, thinking, then frowned and let out a hollow laugh, and then, as if unable to hold it in, burst into loud laughter.

“Haha, hahahaha!”

Now he was bending over with laughter. Through his wide-open mouth, sharp white canines were visible. Go Yohan chuckled until tears streamed down his face.

“You just found out? That our house is super rich?”

Go Yohan said, wiping the tears from his eyes. His tone was full of playfulness. Only then did I realize. This guy. He deliberately didn’t tell me. He intentionally kept his mouth shut.

“I wondered when you’d figure it out.”

“No way… You deliberately didn’t tell me?”

“This isn’t me not telling you, it’s your fault. You’re not interested in me.”

“Now I know, so it’s fine.”

“It’s too late.”

Click-clack. I heard the small lollipop turning in Go Yohan’s mouth.

“If you were any later, I wasn’t going to let it slide.”

“What are you going to let slide?”

“…There’s something.”

Go Yohan winked one eye. I shook my head. Go Yohan was truly an incomprehensible guy. I recalled the middle-aged man from yesterday. His serious demeanor. It felt strange to think of that as Go Yohan’s grown-up self.

A serious Go Yohan. No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t fit.

“I met your father yesterday.”

“…Father?”

The mouth that was sucking the candy abruptly stopped. The playful expression on his face suddenly vanished. It was a moment when his cold face was tinged with tension. I stopped what I was about to say because of the ominous atmosphere.

It was just an experience I intended to use as a light conversational topic, as everyday conversations usually are, but seeing Go Yohan’s attitude, it seemed it wasn’t something to be said lightly. Did I make a mistake? I felt uneasy for no reason.

“Yeah.”

“What did he say about you?”

His cool-colored pupils trembled slightly. I accurately read that delicate movement. As someone who grew up being very observant, my ability to recognize others of the same kind had developed remarkably.

Go Yohan was now being wary of his father. What if saying something wrong would lead to big trouble?

I calmly thought things through. It was something I brought up in a good mood, but it somehow became a headache.

Go Yohan’s sensitive reaction to talk of his parents made me ponder for a moment.

I recalled my first encounter with the middle-aged man. His initial gaze at me. A gaze that looked at an inanimate object, and then I remembered how his expression instantly turned gentle when he knew the name of the neighborhood I lived in, that I was good at studying, and that I was interested in the church.

Right. Go Yohan’s parents are actually no different from mine. They just have different tendencies and personalities. As someone of the same kind, I chose the best answer among them. Purely for Go Yohan’s sake.

“He said to get along with you.”

“…My father? To you?”

“Yeah.”

Since I’m a model student, parents who tell their child to get along with such a student cannot be parents who don’t love their child. I firmly believe that. So I shamelessly nodded.

“He definitely said so.”

At that moment, a strange color appeared in Go Yohan’s eyes. I wanted to take in that change more, but I couldn’t because the school time was almost over and the classmates were rushing in.

“Everyone, sit down. The bell for class will ring soon.”

As I listened to the homeroom teacher who followed them in, I kept imagining Go Yohan’s expression that I couldn’t quite see. When I imagined the positive change in his slender eyes turning towards me, I was thrilled to the point of a tingling sensation in my head.

If Go Yohan’s reaction had been good from the start, I might have casually mentioned Go Yohan’s father to kids like Lee Seokhyun. However, Go Yohan’s reaction to his father was subtle. The atmosphere was such that it was better to keep my mouth shut. So I did. I didn’t want to be disliked for no reason.

But contrary to my expectations, Go Yohan openly brought up his father first.

“Hey. Jun saw our father yesterday.”

“Father? Fa-ther? Ugh, your tone makes me sick. Hey. Just say ‘Dad’! Don’t be pretentious.”

Kim Minho made a retching gesture. I subtly took in his barbed words. He’s subtly putting me down, isn’t he? I keenly felt the finely aimed hostility. Go Yohan just smiled faintly and pushed Kim Minho’s head hard with his palm. As always. Kim Minho stumbled. His face turned bright red. His mouth was trying to smile, but his eyes weren’t.

“Ah, damn… You hit my face.”

Everyone in this classroom noticed the atmosphere of this sensitive pecking order struggle, but they pretended not to. Even I did. Go Yohan was still the insurmountable apex, and I thought Kim Minho would fall into ruin like that. Still, I subtly hedged my bets, just in case I got involved in something unfavorable to my life.

“Minho is just awkward. Not many kids call their parents ‘father.’ Only you and I do, right? Isn’t that so?”

Let’s all get along and not fight. I said words demanding neutrality. In fact, neutrality is an action that only somewhat successful kids can take. I secretly puffed out my chest. Among them, wasn’t I the closest friend who could be generously understood even if I defied Go Yohan?

“Right.”

Suddenly, I felt someone touch the back of my head. Startled, I looked up to see Go Yohan with his arm around my shoulder, stroking my head. My body froze as soon as I realized who it was. Winter-like eyes looked down at me. For no reason, my throat felt dry and stuffy, and I felt hot.

“…Why?”

“Nothing.”

Go Yohan, who was stroking my head, smiled. I shifted my gaze slightly and saw Kim Minho, Lee Seokhyun, Kim Seokmin, and even Park Dongcheol looking this way. My body stiffened. No, this atmosphere is strange. It’s exactly like Han Junwoo’s atmosphere. It’s like what Han Junwoo used to do to Han Taesan when he was in a good mood.

“What are you…”

I quickly looked back and forth between Go Yohan and the other kids. Cold sweat trickled down. I put my hand on Go Yohan’s shoulder. And I tried to push him away or stop him, but he beat me to it.

“Because what you’re doing is cute.”

With that gloomy expression? He felt that way about me? It’s a lie. Absolutely a lie. I hastily looked at the other kids’ expressions. Kim Minho and Kim Seokmin’s faces were thoroughly distorted.

“…”

No. The kids will think it’s strange. I quickly pushed Go Yohan with all my might. I thought I acted a bit too urgently, but Go Yohan, who was obediently pushed back, smiled shamelessly and said,

“You heard from my father that he told you to get along with me… Are you sure?”

“…Huh?”

“Really?”

Why is he doing this? Just because I brought up his father? I looked around nervously and quickly put on a smiling face as if nothing had happened.

“Right, so stop playing pranks like Han Junwoo.”

Did I gamble too big? The word ‘Han Junwoo’ entangled other gazes. Among them was Han Junwoo, who had slowly straightened his bowed back upon hearing his name. Our eyes had to meet due to our positions, but I didn’t avert my gaze. I curved my eyes and continued speaking with a bright expression that could win anyone’s favor.

“Yohan’s new joke these days. Doing Han Junwoo’s thing.”

“What is that? That disgusting thing?”

Despite my desperate protection, Go Yohan didn’t take his hand off and poked the back of my head that stuck out. Goosebumps rose on my neck. I quickly shook my head to avoid his persistent touch. Go Yohan’s hand remained in the air, just as it had been stroking my head.

Why would Go Yohan suddenly do something so risky? Why would he willingly do something that harms himself? I couldn’t understand Go Yohan’s almost self-destructive behavior.

Nevertheless, I grabbed Go Yohan’s back. Because Go Yohan was the biggest insurance that would protect my high school life. Yes. Because he was insured. That was all. I erased all other emotions that came to mind. My hand, holding my thoughts, subtly gripped his back.

“Why. You know ‘that thing’.”

At my words, Han Junwoo’s eyes, which met mine, turned cold. His eyes clearly said it: a look of humiliation. So what am I supposed to do about it? I met Han Junwoo’s gaze with a sneer.

You get a taste of it too. The kids who noticed my gaze turned their heads in Han Junwoo’s direction. And their expressions changed. They understood. Yes. Please think that way. That Go Yohan deliberately imitated Han Junwoo to torment him.

“This bastard, he’s really crazy!”

The first to react positively was Lee Seokhyun. Lee Seokhyun held his stomach and laughed heartily. Next to laugh was Kim Seokmin.

“Ah, damn. I knew it felt really disgusting. What a crazy bastard!”

Park Dongcheol chimed in.

“Wow-. Damn. I was really surprised. I got goosebumps. I thought maybe Yohan was gay too.”

And I saw Kim Minho laughing with a face that didn’t know how to laugh. I desperately held onto Go Yohan’s back. Through my shaking vision, Han Junwoo, who was crumpling a page of his textbook, came into view, and as his glaring eyes approached, I quickly turned my gaze to Go Yohan.