Eighteen’s Bed Novel Completed - Chapter 78

However, I must be crazy too for saying something like this in this situation. I chose a strangely opportune moment. I brought up a question I had been curious about to the point of obsession. I subtly glanced at the innocent air out of the corner of my eye. When I turned my gaze back, Go Yohan was there, raising one eyebrow. It was a habit of Go Yohan’s I hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Who?”

Why was he pretending not to know? I felt annoyed for no reason and replied with a slightly sharp tone.

“You.”

“I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about.”

“You’re not?”

“Of course not. I don’t do cowardly things like running away.”

“Your brother studies abroad in America.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Go Yohan, who had been picking at the tip of his opposite fingernail with his finger, let out a faint sneer. His gaze remained fixed on his fingertips. I immediately understood what he meant. He was mocking his brother. I turned my head and looked at the ceiling. I let out a meaningless dry sigh.

“Still, in Korea, Korea University is better than Harvard. Is that it?”

“Of course. Why else would the heir to the biggest company in our country go to Korea University after failing the entrance exam twice?”

“And it’s still harder to get into Korea University than Harvard?”

“You can create special extracurricular activities and suitable achievements with money. It’s easier than Korea University.”

“Easy for you to say.”

It’s not like I don’t know how hard it is to get in there. I quietly looked at the ceiling and snorted. Go Yohan continued to stare intently at his fingernails.

“And do you think you can get into Korea University with your grades?”

“If it’s a special admission for foreigners, well.”

“Huh, foreigner?”

Honestly, I said it to mock him. Half of it was genuine. But what I heard was a little shocking. A foreigner? And Go Yohan, still with his gaze fixed on his fingernails, replied leisurely at a perfectly appropriate pace, neither too fast nor too slow.

“Didn’t I tell you before that my great-grandmother was Romanian?”

“…Was that true?”

Not a lie? Go Yohan frowned at my question. He seemed quite displeased. Finally, his gaze, which had been glued to his fingernails, met mine.

“Why would I lie about something like that?”

“No, really?”

I was truly flustered. No, I was genuinely flustered. So much so that I was able to shake off the subtle hostility and displeasure I had felt towards Go Yohan for a moment. It was all because of that shocking answer.

“My father is Korean-American, my mother is a naturalized Romanian quarter. Three-quarters East Asian blood.”

“…Really?”

“By the way, my great-grandfather was German. My maternal grandfather was Chinese.”

“Seriously?”

“Have you only lived by being deceived?”

“It sounds like a lie no matter how many times I hear it. Damn, what kind of family tree is that?”

“You’re right. It’s a lie.”

“…”

Damn it. I was fooled again. I unconsciously got up and then lay back down on the bed. I’ll never be fooled again.

“But I do have American citizenship.”

I don’t believe you. I glanced sideways.

“I was born in New York. My parents deliberately pulled strings to get me citizenship.”

“Bullshit.”

“It’s true. Want to see my passport?”

This is just between us. I didn’t even answer that. I just turned my body away. Silence fell again. I wanted to fall asleep or take out the phone that might be in the drawer, but I couldn’t. Go Yohan bothered me. Why did that guy really come here?

I wondered if I was dreaming right now.

My mind was hazy, and my eyelids were heavy. Maybe it was a dream. Then it would make sense that I was having such an ordinary conversation with Go Yohan. I realized the reality and closed my eyes.

Silence. A suffocating, oppressive silence flowed.

“Shin Jaehyun didn’t even come to visit you in the hospital.”

Finally, Go Yohan broke the silence. My closed eyes opened.

I opened my mouth with a hazy mind. Had I been given painkillers? Or was something mixed in this IV drip? It clearly wasn’t a drug that would keep me sane. My mouth moved on its own.

“What does it matter if he comes or not?”

“He didn’t even ask why you didn’t come.”

“So what do you want me to do about it?”

I got up and looked at Go Yohan. The floor swayed. The cold floor went up and down. I felt dizzy. And what did it matter to me whether Shin Jaehyun came to visit or not?

“It’s upsetting, isn’t it?”

Why would I be upset? I was dumbfounded by his incomprehensible way of thinking. Go Yohan was interlocking his fingers, intertwining them.

“A friend got hurt and didn’t even come to visit…”

Were he and I friends? We weren’t friends, and we hadn’t even had a conversation. All I received from Shin Jaehyun was one art room key. If anything, I was grateful and took care of him, but Shin Jaehyun had no reason to do anything for me. What was he to me? It was obvious I wasn’t interested, and he wasn’t interested either.

Moreover, what could I expect from a guy who hated discrimination so much that he wouldn’t make best friends? I frowned. And why was Go Yohan concerned about Shin Jaehyun?

“Well.”

I opened my mouth first. I hung out with trash, but at least I wasn’t trash. That meant I knew what I received and knew how to repay it. There were times when even minimal sympathy was needed. I suddenly remembered the brass key in my pants. The key was probably consideration and sympathy.

“He doesn’t necessarily need to visit me in the hospital.”

“…”

It probably meant nothing to Shin Jaehyun. He just erased some graffiti on a desk, brought me leftover sandwiches, and just gave me a key he had. A good deed that wouldn’t result in harm no matter who did it.

Shin Jaehyun had simply performed a textbook good deed. And it just happened to help me a little…

“Oh…”

There are times when you suddenly realize something you didn’t understand. This was one of those times. I recalled what Han Taesan had said. A sudden headache pierced my head, making me stop speaking and press my forehead.

‘You, you were the only one who helped me.’

“Damn it.”

Crazy, so that’s what Han Taesan meant.

The disgust and emptiness I felt when I was doing the very actions I found repulsive. I almost cursed out loud. To think I had the same way of thinking as Han Taesan. So, I was really in the exact same situation as Han Taesan?

As I was realizing my double standard and feeling confused, something even more agonizing followed. Suddenly, with a light brush, a cold temperature covered my forehead. Instantly, my head felt hot.

“What, what are you doing?”

Startled, I pushed away the sudden presence with my left hand. When I lifted my head, I saw Go Yohan in front of me, his hand reddened and looking flustered.

“…That is.”

Go Yohan rubbed his reddened hand with his other hand. His gaze darted down, then sideways. His long fingers slowly descended and fiddled with an innocent rosary. With a clinking sound, Go Yohan smiled an unreadable smile.

“Should I call a doctor or a nurse?”

Why the sudden kindness? That kindness annoyed me for some reason, so I spoke a little sharply.

“No, thanks.”

“Your head seemed to hurt.”

“No, it’s fine, just leave.”

“Hey.”

A hard voice echoed annoyingly in my ears.

“You’re being too unpleasant to someone who came to visit you.”

“I don’t think that’s something you should say.”

Clink. Finally, Go Yohan closed his mouth. However, whether Go Yohan’s mouth was open or closed, he always stirred up my head and heart. There was truly no other bastard like him. I sighed and clutched my head. That memory resurfaced again. I consciously suppressed the forcibly rising memory and spoke.

“Anyway, you already dumped me, so do I really need to grovel? Is that what you want me to do?”

“That…”

As expected, there was no way the talkative Go Yohan would stay silent. But I couldn’t bring myself to close my ears to those words. What about then? All my curiosity turned towards Go Yohan. Every sense sought Go Yohan.

“You acted recklessly first.”

“…What?”

“I sometimes wondered if you were playing with me, or using me as a minion in your ‘Good Kang Jun’ movie.”

“Hey, you bastard…!”

“You seem to be mistaken.”

Go Yohan pointed to himself and smiled gently. It was a smile I hadn’t seen in a long time.

“I’m above you.”

I was so dumbfounded that I lost my words. It was because a completely unexpected answer had popped out. Go Yohan massaged the back of his neck with the hand that had been on my forehead. That revealed his pale neckline. Idiot Kang Jun unconsciously sent his gaze to that slender line. It was instinct. I wished he would die.

Fortunately, Go Yohan, who was deep in thought and didn’t notice my gaze, continued in a low voice.

“And I really hate being used as a supporting character.”

I felt angry. I grabbed whatever object was immediately within reach and squeezed it tightly.

“So your actions are justified?”

“Well…”