Eighteen’s Bed Novel Completed - Chapter 72

And he covered his mouth with his hand and smirked again. Is that fun? Shit. My eyes felt hot, like they were going to burst. My hand gripping the mechanical pencil trembled. Unlike me, the relaxed Go Yohan unclenched his hand and stroked my head.

“From now on, I’ll buy it for you, so eat that for lunch. Don’t eat weird stuff. Got it?”

“……”

“Say, ‘Yes.'”

The hand stroking my head remained incredibly soft. I still glared at the floor. I swallowed involuntarily. It felt more like words were being swallowed than saliva. I forced out words that tried to hide in a corner of my mind.

“No.”

“……”

The hand stroking my head stopped abruptly. Go Yohan’s smirking face turned cold.

The hand that had been shaking my head slowly moved down my ear and cheek. When I flinched in surprise as it touched the tip of my ear, Go Yohan’s hand deliberately circled near my ear.

I lowered the hand not holding the mechanical pencil and gripped my thigh tightly.

Shit, you bastard.

Go Yohan’s hand moved down to my cheek, then lightly slapped my cheek. Between playfulness and sincerity. Just that much.

“Do you really have to talk like that?”

“……”

“That hurts.”

Who’s the one truly hurting whom?

I didn’t answer Go Yohan’s words until the very end. And I lowered my head again to look at the problems that didn’t even register in my eyes. I circled numbers and underlined letters, pretending to solve them. Go Yohan, who had been sitting in front of me for a long time, either watching me or thinking, suddenly stood up and stormed out of the classroom. The door slammed shut with such force that it sounded like the window would shatter, and I reflexively squeezed my eyes shut.

The classroom remained quiet until the next break time, and I desperately tried to suppress my surging emotions. Only when the kids’ interest in the brief incident waned did I escape to the restroom. My steps quickened as I approached that cramped, damp place.

As soon as I opened the stall door, I hastily locked the latch. And then I sank to the floor.

“……Ugh.”

I wiped away tears silently.

Now, I was completely finished. After Go Yohan left the classroom, none of the other kids asked me if I was okay. Instead, several people gathered around Go Yohan when he returned and asked him.

‘What happened?’

‘Hey, why’s the atmosphere like that?’

As soon as I heard those words, I knew. I was truly finished.

“……Ugh.”

I forcibly suppressed the sobs leaking from the corner of the restroom, letting the tears flow freely. Afraid my eyes would swell if I wiped them with my hand. Afraid it would show I had cried.

The classroom could not be a comfortable refuge. No one harmed me, but they didn’t welcome me either. In the square classroom, I alone was an island. The reason I truly wanted to die was because that bread, which I had chewed and chewed for weeks until I was sick of its sweet smell, was suddenly dropped in front of me.

It was lunchtime. And it was Go Yohan who had caused trouble again.

“You like this, don’t you?”

Is he teasing me or what? I’m getting angry.

Why have I been eating this bread for weeks? And whose fault is it? His intention in giving me this bread was truly malicious.

In the empty classroom, the seat in front of me was, of course, empty. That meant I was forced to face Go Yohan. I didn’t want to eat the dry, sponge-like bread, so I glanced at the bread dropped in front of me and said,

“No.”

“You’re lying again.”

What’s with him acting like he knows everything? I’m annoyed because I feel like my feelings are being forcibly denied. Go Yohan picked up the bread I had pushed away and slowly peeled off the wrapper. Just like before.

“I brought it for you to eat deliciously. You know?”

A secret breath perched on my desk. The hand holding the chocolate-flavored bread approached my face. A deathly sweet smell wafted from right under my nose. I didn’t lift my head all the way. How could I know what he had done to that bread? Playing tricks with food is a classic bullying tactic. I absolutely shouldn’t eat it. But it must have definitely irritated Go Yohan.

“Hey.”

“……”

“Are you ignoring my sincerity?”

It was a gentle threat. His words were thorny.

I suppressed the urge to immediately stand up and punch Go Yohan, ignoring his malicious words.

“Ah, you’re chewing me out. That really hurts.”

A sneering laugh escaped him. He said it hurt, but his tone was filled with contempt. Damn it. I stubbornly resisted, trying not to show it. Yes, so please, stop messing with me and get lost. Thousands of words I wanted to shout echoed loudly in my mind. And Go Yohan was always Go Yohan.

“What can I do? If you don’t want to eat it, you’ll have to throw it away, I guess.”

Slender fingers spread out before my eyes. The transparent plastic crumpled in his hand also unfolded noisily. The chocolate-flavored bread, losing its support, tilted into his large palm. It was a deliberate movement. Thud— The tilted bread landed directly on my workbook.

“Right?”

“……”

You bastard. I miserably looked down at my chocolate-smeared workbook and quietly closed my eyes. A terrible sweet smell rose to my face. My stomach felt tight. When I opened my eyes, reality was still the chocolate-smeared workbook. Damn it. I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

I didn’t answer Go Yohan’s words, simply picked up the workbook from my desk, and stood up. Without looking back, I walked between the rows of desks. Passing the back of the classroom, I saw the trash can in front of the mirror.

“What are you doing?!”

I threw the workbook I was holding directly into the trash can.

Suddenly, I lifted my head, and in the mirror, I saw Kang Jun, always with a calm expression.

Yes, my face didn’t reveal my weakness. I saw a cold face that thoroughly hid the fact that I was still being shaken by Go Yohan, that I was dying with every word he spoke. Good job. You’re doing well. Kang Jun, who showed neither sadness nor anger, immediately opened the back door in front of him. I’m leaving like this. That’s what I’m doing. Then I met eyes with Lee Seokhyun and Kim Seokmin, who were outside the classroom.

“……”

Perhaps there was no moment more humiliating than that. When I saw the eyes of those four people, whose thoughts I couldn’t fathom, I hastily tried to get away. No, I tried to get away.

“Where are you going?”

My shoulder was grabbed. A firm hand gripped my shoulder and forcibly turned me.

Damn it, my weak body couldn’t withstand the force Go Yohan exerted and spun around completely. My body was automatically pushed backward, dragged back into the classroom. Thanks to that, a shirt button tore off, exposing one of my shoulders.

“……Ah.”

I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to. Because I had a useless body that would turn whenever Go Yohan spun me. Because I was always the weaker one when it came to strength. My face burned with shame. I hastily clutched my torn shirt. I buried my head and bit my lip. Damn it. A long hand reached over my shoulder. I reflexively flinched at the sudden movement.

The hand that reached over my shoulder created a strong gust of wind. Bang. The classroom door slammed shut. Even then, I pathetically tried to act unfazed, holding my head high.

Even at the last moment, I struggle like this.

Go Yohan, who I faced, slowly closed and opened his eyes. Go Yohan, who was biting his lip just like me, grabbed my shoulder again. His long fingers dug into my flesh with a strong grip. And he shook my body back and forth, as if urging me.

“I asked you where you were going.”

“……”

“When someone talks, damn it… you should listen.”

“……”

“Why are you ignoring me and acting like this when I’m talking…?”

Weren’t you the one who ignored me first? I tried my best to resist and stood straight, not wanting to be swayed. My swaying body awkwardly stepped forward to maintain balance. It was an instinct to keep from falling. When I moved my foot, Go Yohan’s hand, which had been shaking my body, stopped abruptly.

This was my chance. I quickly twisted my body and pulled my shoulder away.

His claw-like fingers that held me slipped off my shoulder. “Oh.” I thought I heard Go Yohan’s short voice. I took a step back, afraid he might grab me again.

I had to answer well. I couldn’t fall into Go Yohan’s trap. This bastard might just be scheming how to drag me down. I didn’t know how he would betray me. No, he’s already doing it. I couldn’t let him create the possibility that I would end up like Han Taesan. I couldn’t let him look down on me. Even if it wasn’t like that, I had to defend myself as much as possible. I tapped my thigh with my fingers.

I had to answer well.

“Isn’t it over now?”

In the end, I made a cowardly choice.

I could never rise above Go Yohan. So I prostrated myself. I subtly looked back. Two faint shadows were vaguely visible behind the opaque glass. I instantly lowered my voice.

“……What?”

“You said it was over, didn’t you?”

I understood. So just stop here, and please don’t get involved with me anymore. Please,

That’s better than bullying.

“I thought you meant we’d go back to being strangers…”

So don’t bully me either. I won’t bother with you anymore. I’ll do that for you. I’ll get out of your life. Yes, just like I ended Han Junwoo by myself, I can end Go Yohan too. That will make life easier. If I ended Han Junwoo, whom I suffered from for a year and a half, what’s so hard about cutting off Go Yohan, who’s only been around for half a year?

“Please, don’t pick a fight with me anymore. Please. Huh? I can just live like a mouse.”

“……Ha!”