Bang-!
Hyunsoo, smoking a cigarette, kicked the can on the floor with his foot. Jinhyuk looked at Hyunsoo and said.
“..Go quietly.”
“Hahaha why”
“Oh, I hate it because it feels like I’ve just gone back to how you were in the past.”
Hyunsoo and Jinhyuk have been friends for six years. He was fine through elementary school, but in middle school, he began hanging out with a mean upperclassman, learning to smoke, drinking, and playing the role of a bully. Never a playful person, Hyunsoo was always irritable, and upon entering middle school, his behavior changed, causing a brief rift between him and Jinhyuk.
Hyun-soo, a second-year middle school student who had grown estranged from Jin-hyeok, was involved in a fight in an alley one day. Known for his fighting prowess, Hyun-soo got into a physical altercation with other middle school kids. He emerged victorious, covered in blood, crouched alone, smoking a cigarette.
Normally, if I were standing alone in an alley like this, no one would come down this street, but then someone passed by. Hyunsu was smoking a cigarette, staring at the floor, when a woman spoke to him.
“Hey, what if Mija smokes?”
Hyunsoo looked up, holding up his cigarette in embarrassment.
This was the first time she'd spoken to him so casually. Hyunsoo was astonished at her face. Big, cat-like eyes with double eyelids. A charming mole beneath her eyes. A sharp nose. She was truly beautiful. Hyunsoo stared at her, transfixed. Meanwhile, the woman snatched Hyunsoo's cigarette and tossed it to the floor.
“What are you doing now…”
“Hey, are you Daesinjung?”
“Huh? Why is that..”
“You go to the same school as my younger sibling, so you’ll get in trouble if you do this?”
“Uh..yes..I’m sorry.”
That woman was Jinhyuk's older sister, Sujin. Sujin, just now an adult, had been drinking with friends and was heading home. Shocked to see Hyunsoo covered in blood, Sujin tried to take him in for treatment. Hyunsoo, blushing and unaware that she was Jinhyuk's older sister, followed him.
“Sister, you’re here, Jinhyuk~~”
“Jinhyuk..?”
“Oh my… the smell of alcohol is crazy…”
Hyunsoo and Jinhyuk looked at each other and were embarrassed.
“Why are you..”
“You are..?”
Hyunsoo looked at Soojin and Jinhyeok's faces alternately.
Looking at them this way, they really did look alike. Hyunsoo, momentarily embarrassed, covered his blushing face with his hand, while Jinhyeok looked at Hyunsoo with interest.
“…close your eyes”
"Stop acting tough. It's fucking hilarious."
“…”
Soo-jin treats Hyun-soo like that. Soo-jin smells of alcohol, and he looks at Jin-hyeok and says something to her.
“That lady gets all worked up when she drinks.”
“Auntie! I brought you here because the child was hurt…”
“Huh? So you brought the neighborhood punk with you?”
““Hey..!!”
Hyunsoo covered his mouth in bewilderment at Jinhyeok's words. Soojin tilted her head and spoke.
“Oh really? I really hate gangsters…ㅠㅠ”
Hyunsoo listened to Soojin's words and looked at her. Soojin, drunk, was staggering around. Jinhyuk looked at Hyunsoo and said.
“Stop thinking weird thoughts and get out.”
“…But you had an older sister.”
“Yeah, why”
"pretty.."
"what?"
Jinhyuk looked up, taken aback by Hyunsoo's words. Hyunsoo, his face flushed, stared blankly at Soojin. Jinhyuk shook his head at Hyunsoo's expression. Hyunsoo grabbed Jinhyuk's hand as he tried to enter the room.
"what?"
“…Do you want to be friends with me again?”
"her?"
Jinhyuk was dumbfounded by Hyunsoo's behavior. It was so obvious that a delinquent like him would suddenly act like this because of his older sister. Jinhyuk glared at Hyunsoo, but he couldn't ignore him, because he was the only friend he had ever had in elementary school.
“..You don’t like me because I’m a thug.”
“I just don’t like it because it’s you?”
“Don’t lie. It’s so obvious when you lie.”
“;; Oh, so what”
"I won't do anything gangster-like anymore. I promise."
“Huh? That’ll be awesome.”
“No, really.”
Hyunsoo grabbed Jinhyeok's arm and spoke as if he had made up his mind. Jinhyeok sighed at the sight of Hyunsoo, but secretly felt hopeful.
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The next day, they ran into each other at school. Hyunsoo approached Jinhyeok nonchalantly and put his arm around his shoulder.
“Jinhyuk~”
Jinhyeok says, embarrassed by Hyunsu's appearance.
“Are you crazy? Why is this kid like this?”
Hyun-soo, who always smelled like cigarettes, no longer smelled like cigarettes. Jin-hyeok smelled Hyun-soo's clothes and spoke.
“What, you didn’t smoke?”
“Yeah haha your older sister told me not to smoke”
“That crazy guy..”
Hyunsoo really stopped being a bully after that. His personality brightened up a lot and he no longer hit anyone.
Jinhyuk looked at Hyunsu like that and thought, "Is this the power of love?"
In that way, my relationship with Hyunsu became even closer, and we have been together like that ever since.
But seeing Hyun-soo act like that, angry, didn't seem all that bad. This was revenge for Ji-hoon, and he was helping himself. Jin-hyeok chuckled, watching Hyun-soo foolishly playfully beside him.
“Hey, just smoke today.”
"really?"
"Yeah, just today"
"Hahaha, you little punk, I'll help you a lot today. You have to watch carefully and learn."
"That's not really..."
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“Oh shit… this hurts so bad.”
A group of Hasang High School kids were sitting in an alleyway, chatting. The one who had bullied Ji-hoon the most was angry at Kim Jin-hyeok and Ha Ji-hoon, and was at a loss as to what to do.
“…Fuck, that bastard Kim Jin-hyeok is so annoying.”
The Hasang High School kids were smoking cigarettes, each treating their own bodies. While they were smoking, they suddenly started talking, playing a video of Ji-hoon stripping naked and filming him.
“Hahaha, should I just throw it away?”
“Hahahahahaha just throw it away.”
The Hasang High School kids laughed at Ji-hoon's videos. They couldn't bear to see Ji-hoon improve even a little, so they planned to continue to harass him.
thud-
Suddenly, a thud came from somewhere. This place felt like a secret hideout only we knew about. Who on earth could it be? The Hasango kids walked towards the sound.
“Hey! Who’s there!”
“Hello~”
The figures peeking through the alleyway were Jinhyeok and Hyunsoo. Hyunsoo greeted the Hasango kids with a bright smile, and the Hasango kids paused for a moment.
“Haha, our kids were here?”
Hyunsoo was a famous fighter since middle school. At some point, they stopped hearing from him, wondering where he had gone. Then, he suddenly appeared before their eyes, leaving them bewildered.
“N..you…”
“Haha, it’s been a while, right?”
Hasango's eyes wavered. How does that kid named Kim Jin-hyeok know Lee Hyun-soo? No, is he acting like this because of Ha Ji-hoon alone?
Hyunsoo smiled and slowly approached the Hasango kids, saying:
“…You know, you messed with my kid...”
One of the Hasango group, frightened, dropped his phone, leaving the video of Jihoon still playing. The video continued to show Jihoon's screams of pain, and upon hearing them, Jinhyeok was instantly enraged and tried to run to the Hasango kids.
“You fucking bastards..!!!”
Hyunsoo stopped Jinhyeok and calmed him down.
“Calm down, Jinhyuk.”
Jinhyuk exhaled heavily and glared at the Hasango kids. The Hasango kids were frightened, but they tried to act all right and spoke to Hyunsoo.
“Ha..ㅋㅋ What did that little bastard Ha Ji-hoon say that made you come here?”
"what?"
The Hasango kid sneered at Hyunsu. He figured that since the Hasango kids were significantly more numerous, Hyunsu, who hadn't fought before, would likely win.
"Oh my... Dirty... Lee Hyun-soo, are you gay too?"
Hyunsoo laughed at Hasango's words and replied.
"Hahaha, what if you're gay? What should I do?"
“Ah.. you guys are really dirty.. What do you think is good about a kid like Ha Ji-hoon that you guys do that for.. You guys don’t know much about Ji-hoon, do you?”
Hyunsoo looked at Hasangoae with a serious expression and said.
“If you said something weird, then stop. I feel like I’m going to kill you today.”
But Hasango didn't even listen to Hyunsu's words and pointed at Jinhyeok.
“Hahaha, hey, you. Why don’t you think about Ha Ji-hoon being subjected to something like this?”
"what?"
“Ha Ji-hoon. That’s because he keeps hitting people on the back of the head.”
"what..?"
"ㅋㅋㅋ When I was in high school, Ha Ji-hoon seduced a male senior and threw him away. Ha Ji-hoon is such a piece of trash, and you guys are saying you'll help a guy like that?"
Jinhyuk was taken aback by Hasango's words. He couldn't believe such a kind and innocent child could do such a thing. Hyunsoo, dumbfounded by Jinhyuk's trembling eyes as he stared at the Hasango kids, spoke.
"Hey, are you out of your mind?"
"what?"
"Huh... You believe those guys? Do you really think Jihoon would do something like that?"
“…No, absolutely not”
"Oh, shit, this won't work."
Hyunshu ran quickly to the Hasang High School student and struck him in the face with his fist. The surrounding Hasang High School students were startled by his speed, and the student who was hit fainted on the spot. Hyunshu clenched his fists and looked at the remaining Hasang High School students one by one, speaking in a cold voice.
"If you come one by one, my sister will be late and worry, so come all at once."
So, the Hasango kids, armed with weapons, all rushed at Hyun-soo, and he took them out one by one as he advanced. Jin-hyeok tried his best to help, but as expected, he wasn't as good at fighting as Hyun-soo, so he fought hard, armed with weapons himself.
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After a long fight, Jinhyeok and Hyunsu emerged victorious. The Hasang High School kids were all lying on the floor, and Hyunsu, still smoking a cigarette, approached the Hasang High School kids and picked up their dropped phones. After deleting the video of Jihoon from the phone, he grabbed the Hasang High School kids by the hair and spoke.
"...If you catch my eye again, you'll be in big trouble. Be thankful it ended like this today."
“…Fuck”
Hyunsoo took Hasango's cell phone and left the alley with Jinhyeok. Then he spoke to the Hasango kids.
"I'll take this phone. Just in case~"
Hyunsoo said with a smile and headed to the hospital with Jinhyeok.
On the way, Jinhyuk looked at Hyunsoo. He stared at his phone, pretending nothing was wrong. When a cute cat video came on, he would shout at Jinhyuk in a hoarse voice.
“Hey, what do you think? Isn’t it cute..ㅠㅠ”
“Hey.. you seem crazy.”
"why?"
He was smoking a cigarette and his clothes were stained with blood, so it was hard not to feel uncomfortable. Jinhyuk was dumbfounded by Hyunsu's appearance, but he still felt grateful to him.
“Phew-”
“What, why are you laughing..”
Jinhyeok burst into laughter at the sight of Hyunsu. Confused, Hyunsu continued to speak to Jinhyeok, but Jinhyeok simply smiled and walked away without saying a word. And then Janhyeok thought.
‘..He’s a good kid.’
"Mr. Lee's tickle attack!!"
“Hey you crazy bastard!!!!”
"lol"
The two of them returned to the hospital after bickering like that.
“I’m back~”
Hyunsoo entered the hospital room and greeted them warmly. Sujin went to greet them and was surprised to see Hyunsoo and Jinhyeok.
“Hey..what’s wrong with you guys..?”
“Haha I rolled down the stairs a little.”
Sujin was dumbfounded by Hyunsoo's lies. She slapped Hyunsoo on the back and said,
“Where did you lie so blatantly, Mr. Lee;; You smell like cigarettes. What is this blood again!”
“Ah, sis, I’m sick.. Don’t hit me ㅠㅠ”
So Hyun-soo and Su-jin went out of the hospital room, and Jin-hyeok went to Ji-hoon's side when he woke up.
"are you okay?"
“…..”
Ji-hoon woke up, but his eyes remained unfocused. He just stared blankly, not responding immediately to Jin-hyeok's words.
Jinhyuk carefully came to sit next to Jihoon and looked at him.
“…Where have you been?”
"uh?"
“..it smells like cigarettes”
Jinhyuk seemed flustered by Jihoon's words and spoke while trying to get rid of the smell on his clothes.
“This isn’t me..! Lee Hyun-soo is spreading it..”
“…”
"Sorry... I'll be careful not to smell."
Ji-hoon simply stared at Jin-hyeok. Jin-hyeok bit his lip, heartbroken at the sight of Ji-hoon's soulless eyes. Ji-hoon turned his head slightly and spoke to Jin-hyeok in a low voice.
"Sorry.."
"what?"
“I’m sorry I’m so weak.”
Jinhyuk was heartbroken by Jihoon's apology. Why was a child who had done nothing wrong apologizing to him? Jinhyuk smiled affectionately at Jihoon's appearance and patted his head.
"You did nothing wrong. You don't have to be sorry at all."
Ji-hoon flinched when Jin-hyeok tried to pat his head. Jin-hyeok, sensing he'd crossed a line, lowered his hand. He then spoke to Ji-hoon affectionately.
"I'm sorry I startled you. Are you feeling okay?"
"…huh"
It was disheartening to see Ji-hoon even more withdrawn than when he first met him. As Ji-hoon continued to gnaw at his own innocent hand, Jin-hyeok thought.
‘How on earth has Ji-hoon lived his life to be so insecure?’
Jinhyuk silently watched Jihoon, and Jihoon couldn't even meet Jinhyuk's eyes. The more he looked at Jihoon, the more distraught Jinhyuk became, and he decided to leave for a while.
"..I'm going to buy something. Wait here for a moment."
chin-
Ji-hoon suddenly grabbed Jin-hyeok's hand as he was about to leave. Ji-hoon trembled slightly, as if he was anxious, and spoke to Jin-hyeok.
"…don't go"
Jinhyuk sat back down after seeing Jihoon like that. Then Jihoon spoke.
“…I’m okay…so just stay here.”
"What's okay?" He doesn't look okay at all. Why does Ji-hoon keep saying he's okay? Jin-hyeok feels frustrated by Ji-hoon's constant insistence. Then, with his head bowed, he speaks.
“…It’s not okay.”
"huh..?"
“You’re not okay…why do you keep lying?”
"Huh..? Why..?"
Jinhyuk suddenly hugged Jihoon. Jinhyuk held Jihoon tightly and cried.
“You idiot.. you’re not okay.. sob.. why do you keep pretending you’re okay… you idiot…..”
Ji-hoon was taken aback by Jin-hyeok's actions, which he had never seen before, and didn't know what to do.
"Why... won't you tell me...? Yeah? Tell me... if it's hard, let me know... trust me and lean on me just this once..."
Ji-hoon found himself in tears, watching Jin-hyeok hug him and talk. Ji-hoon had always pretended to be fine despite his father's strictness, but was it really okay to vent to someone else like this? Could he really tell Jin-hyeok all the hurt he'd kept inside? That I'd been through so much, that I'd endured so much.
Ji-hoon hugs Jin-hyeok tightly and cries as if the tears he has been holding back are about to burst out.
“..I’m sick.. It hurts so much… It’s hard, Jinhyuk.”
Jinhyuk was surprised by Jihoon's honesty for the first time. His heart ached even more at the sight of Jihoon, and he patted him on the back.
“Good job.. I promised I’d protect you.. Tell me everything, Jihoon. Don’t go through this alone.”
Ji-hoon shed tears at the comfort he received for the first time, and Jin-hyeok also shed tears and continued to hug Ji-hoon.
Jinhyuk and Jihoon held each other for a long time. Jinhyuk continued to stay by Jihoon's side and care for him until he got better.