Eighteen’s Bed Novel Completed - Chapter 76

Shin Jaehyun didn’t come to the art room where I spent lunch either. I lay on the desk and re-evaluated Shin Jaehyun. He’s smarter than I thought. Well, someone who receives good evaluations from many people wouldn’t be stupid. It meant he managed his surroundings well. He probably acted kindly according to the situation. In the midst of that, a thought secretly crossed my mind.

Still, aren’t I in a better position than Han Taesan? And yet, my weak hope was that Go Yo Han would truly be different from Han Junwoo. It was like a sly wish, worrying about my own safety rather than relying on Go Yo Han.

In dire situations, expectations are lowered.

“Right, at least it’s not that bad.”

I decided to be satisfied that when I grew old and looked back on my high school memories, they wouldn’t be ugly.

<Incinerator Emptying Day. Second and Fourth Fridays>

With nothing to do, all sorts of writings caught my eye. What particularly stood out that day was a notice written on pink paper. I couldn’t even guess when it had been put up. On the surface, reflected in the light, I could see a thin layer of white dust. My surroundings were still noisy, and I was quietly alone.

‘Those who aren’t in our class, get out.’

That phrase suddenly came to mind. I secretly imagined that if I ever heard those words, I would have to leave this class too, which was absurd. Honestly, it was a little funny, and I let out a hollow laugh. When you’re alone, everything is funny.

“What?”

Seeing me laugh alone, the guy next to me whispered quietly to his friend. If they were going to whisper in front of me, they might as well look at me when they talked. That complacent gossiping sapped my energy. I no longer wanted to be in a classroom that treated me like an outsider. Anyway, class was over, and it was hard to keep an eye on Go Yo Han, who was unusually quiet today, so I adjusted my bag. I felt like going home.

However, my footsteps, which were headed home, unexpectedly led me to the incinerator. The longer I thought, the more mistakes I made. Standing blankly in a place where a musty smell stung my nose, I blamed my pathetic obsession.

“What difference does it make if my shoes are there? Are you an idiot?”

Could I even find my shoes in that mountain of trash? Absolutely impossible. I already decided on the first day. The choice not to look for them immediately was proof that I had decided to deny reality. I shook my head alone and turned my body. That’s when it happened.

“Hey! A bat is flying!”

The sound came from the alley behind the school incinerator. And from there, I smelled familiar cigarette smoke.

The song ‘A Bat Flies Fluttering,’ sung to a familiar children’s tune, grew louder and louder as if screaming, and the laughter of enthusiastic fans plunged my mood below rock bottom.

“I’m going crazy, this is the worst.”

I didn’t even have to turn around to know. It was a voice I had been with for a whole year. That bastard Hong Hwijun, whose name was now faint. That trash who was Han Junwoo’s friend. I secretly bit my lip tightly. Of all people, to get caught by such a terrible person now. He was a bastard who readily did things even Park Dongcheol wouldn’t dare to condone. Right, endure it. Ignoring such provocations was the best strategy. Nothing good would come from getting entangled. I walked straight ahead without looking back. But low-life people always live complicated lives. Just like now.

“Ugh!”

Something hit my butt hard. I barely managed to brace myself from falling forward and looked at the ground. A burst-open yogurt, covered in dirt, rolled between my legs. I felt my head go cold. My pants were getting wet. I subtly twisted my waist to look at the spot where the yogurt had hit.

“Damn it, look at that bastard just spilling his shit everywhere.”

“Ah, shit. So disgusting. What is it, cum?”

The sticky strawberry yogurt on my gray pants dripped onto the floor.

“…Damn it.”

My cold head became hot. These, these dog-like bastards. My mouth was full of curses. My hand gripping my pants tightened. The fabric crumpled, filling my hand. I raised my head and saw Hong Hwijun puffing on a cigarette between the buildings and a few familiar faces. Their smirking mouths were utterly repulsive.

“Hey. Come here.”

Hong Hwijun beckoned with his hand. No. I bit my lip with my teeth and repeatedly told myself. I have to endure it. What do you think you’re going to do if you go there? Nothing good will come of it. I’ll lose. I know it for sure.

“I said, come here.”

Shit. I exhaled slowly. I let go of my crumpled pants and looked forward again. At the same time, I didn’t forget to take out my phone from my pocket. My only weapon was to find an adult, after all. Seeing my action, Hong Hwijun ran over and snatched the phone from my hand in an instant.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey! Who are you calling? You shouldn’t do that, uh-uh.”

“Give that back.”

“Hey, you don’t even have anyone to call anyway, do you? Or are you going to call the police? Crazy bastard, you’re not an idiot.”

The police, he said.

Hong Hwijun chuckled, clutching his chest and laughing. The laughter spread, infecting those around Hong Hwijun. The familiar faces laughed. They were faces I had hung out with at least once in my first year of high school. It seemed Hong Hwijun had filled the vacancy left by Han Junwoo. Damn, he’s moved up in the world.

“Or are you going to call Go Yo Han? Hey, enough. The rumor that Go Yo Han beat you up has spread everywhere.”

Hong Hwijun tapped my right arm cast with my phone.

“Who makes mistakes at just the right time like that? One arm, one leg. Broken, broken.”

“I fell, and I stepped on glass, so stop fantasizing and get lost.”

“Get lost? Hey, he said get lost. Kang Jun told me to get lost.”

The chuckling wouldn’t stop. That laughter drove me crazy. I couldn’t help but frown. I lowered the hand I had raised to get my phone back and asked with a sharp tone.

“What’s so funny?”

“Why are you like that? Of course it’s funny. We know, don’t we? There was a kid just like you in the middle of second year. Don’t you remember?”

“I don’t know. What in the world do you want to tell me?”

“You don’t know? You know best. Han Taesan, I mean. Han Taesan. The Han Taesan who got beaten up by us. The one who reeked of a punching bag.”

Hong Hwijun opened his hand. Finally, my phone left Hong Hwijun’s hand and plunged to the floor. Hong Hwijun grabbed me by the collar in an instant. And with his disgusting face close to mine, reeking of dirty cigarette smoke, he said,

“You smell like that punching bag.”

Heheheh. Hong Hwijun shook his shoulders and laughed disgustingly.

“You, you know. We were close for over a year, but you just completely ignored me and acted like such a rude bastard, didn’t you?”

“……”

“And you just slipped away all by yourself… Hey, I seriously thought I was going to die from how annoying you were.”

“Right. Who told you to do that?”

“What?”

The hand gripping my collar tightened. I lowered my eyes to look at his hand and said,

“It’s your fault for not even realizing what kind of bastard Han Junwoo was and continuing to go along with him. Why are you blaming me?”

“You…”

“And you can’t say a word to Park Dongcheol, who also sided with Go Yo Han, but you’re only doing this to me now, it’s just too…”

I forced a heavy smile onto my lips.

“Obvious.”

If I fought, I would definitely lose. I could never beat Hong Hwijun. The reason I was always a second-stringer was always clear. It was because I wasn’t good at fighting. I was small and weak.

And yet, I didn’t avoid the provocation Hong Hwijun was giving me now.

First, unlike when I was beaten by Han Junwoo, this place was a very public area. There were definitely more than ten guys watching this scene from the windows of the building upstairs.

Second, even if there were no guys watching, there were Hong Hwijun’s friends as witnesses.

Third, as this bastard said, my situation was very precarious.

And finally, fourth, someday, guys with ill intentions would come for me again. Just like this. For that time, I had to warn them as much as I could.

That Kang Jun would never be easily defeated.

“Guys. Looks like Kang Jun really wants to get hit by me.”

I absolutely had to win this fight, no matter what dirty trick I had to use. But no clear method came to mind. It was clear, and yet. Words full of stubbornness burst from my mouth.

“Who in the world wants to get hit?”

Slap. Hong Hwijun’s palm struck my cheek from top to bottom. For a moment, my eyes spun, and my head felt dizzy. My brain felt like it was rolling inside my skull. Damn it. There was a metallic taste in my mouth.

“How does it feel to get hit? Shitty, right?”

Yeah. It feels shitty.

I licked the injured spot with my tongue and glared at Hong Hwijun. There was no way for me to win. Everyone said it. The one who throws the first punch wins. I couldn’t hit Hong Hwijun first, nor did I have the advantage in posture. Thick, hard fingers poked my head. The sensation was so unpleasant and irritating that I glared at the owner of the fingers.

“Wow, look at him glaring. So scary.”

The owner of the fingers scoffed at me. Four or five mocking voices surrounded me. Another hand, as big as a pot lid, went up. Slap. One cheek burned.

“Ugh, so refreshing. Doesn’t that sound really refreshing?”

Slap again, forcefully. This time, the other cheek went up. I instinctively grabbed Hong Hwijun’s hand to loosen his grip on my collar, but no matter how hard I pulled, his hand wouldn’t budge, and I only felt frustration. I couldn’t do anything with one hand. Damn it. My eyes were burning up again.

“Hey, look how skinny he is. If you’re going to fight with this arm, you should have thrown the first punch.”

Hong Hwijun’s fist thumped my arm. And then he slapped my cheek again. My lip felt like it had been cut by a knife. It seemed to have split. It hurt, it hurt. Yeah, at least I should have hit him first. First, I should have… Slap-, my head turned again. This time it was the spot that had been hit first. Hong Hwijun threw his head back and laughed, as if greatly relieved. At that moment, a voice flashed through my mind like lightning.

‘You saw me win even when Han Junwoo threw the first punch, right? See, Jun-ah. I’m strong.’

‘That’s amazing. How did you win when Han Junwoo hit you first?’

In the days when Go Yo Han and I hadn’t ended things yet. In my memory, Go Yo Han smiled gently in my room. Why did he do that? Suddenly, my eyes welled up.

“Hey, what’s wrong? This guy looks like he’s about to cry?”

“Wow, I’ve never seen Kang Jun cry before.”

“Record it! Hey, get your camera. This is awesome. Hey, if he cries, record it right away and upload it to the school website. So everyone can see.”

The loud laughter spread even wider.

‘Our Jun is weak, so I’ll teach you a simple way to win even if someone provokes you first. If someone provokes you, Jun-ah. Remember me first, okay?’

Go Yo Han’s bright eyes, Go Yo Han’s mouth, Go Yo Han’s hand gently gripping my index finger. Thankfully, I had a good memory. I immediately grabbed Hong Hwijun’s index finger tightly with one hand.

“What are you doing? You? What are you doing, pathetically holding onto one finger?”

The mockery grew louder. I mustered my last bit of strength, bent Hong Hwijun’s index finger backward, and leaned my body back. At the same time, Hong Hwijun screamed and tilted with me. His surprised hand loosened. Honestly, I really didn’t think it would work.

Nevertheless, I had been prepared to fall, so as soon as I landed on my butt, I sprang up like a roly-poly toy and grabbed Hong Hwijun’s long hair.

“You son of a bitch! Hey!”

‘If you get grabbed, intentionally fall down. Reset the hierarchy that bastard created. And take advantage of their carelessness to grab their hair. Do you know why gangsters are bald? Because if their hair gets grabbed during a fight, it’s over. The best spot is between the ear and the crown of the head. Stick your fingers in there and twist your wrist once. Don’t just grab their head, grab it like a net.’

Go Yo Han’s long fingers swirled in the air. I, who was happy, nodded. ‘Ah—.’ My voice of admiration was calm. In contrast, Kang Jun, with his cheeks about to burst and who had lunged in a vulgar manner, vigorously swept his hand through Hong Hwijun’s hair and gripped it firmly.

“Hey, you bastard, what are you doing!”

‘And press down with your weight. Press down with your whole body. Press down as if you’ll die if you lose your position there. If you lose it there, you really lose. And if you never lose that position, you win.’

In my memory, Go Yo Han’s palm had pressed hard on the table. I put all my strength into my shoulders and pressed Hong Hwijun’s head to the ground. Hong Hwijun, pinned to the ground, flailed like a cockroach and shouted,

“Get off! You bastard!”

At the same time, I felt a kick to my shoulder. My back was hot and aching. My head was kicked like a ball. Amidst the pain of being beaten, the imaginary Go Yo Han whispered quietly.

‘Beat one guy to death.’

Even if you get beaten to death, as long as you win the head, it doesn’t matter if you become an idiot or not, only the result that you won the head remains, that’s the common sense of this game.