Kang Tae-hyun and I don't fight much. Perhaps we know we're not compatible, so we never fight in the first place?
I think it's because if we don't understand each other, it seems like the only answer is fighting.
Of course, it wasn't like this from the beginning.
First year of high school,
“Hey lady, can you do this for me..?”
"Huh..? Ah.. "
I'm always the group leader during performance evaluations. I don't usually step up, because I need to take care of everything, but I always take the lead.
Anyone who has ever been in charge of a group will agree that scraps that seem to have never been investigated and free riders are like a pair of friends.
" ..you can do it!"
"Really?! Then can you do this for me?"
“Huh? Oh yeah!”
Refusing... is too much of a hassle. I think it's better to work hard and be praised than to not do something and get criticized behind your back.
In the end, I ended up staying up all night for more than two days.
"Ugh... I'm crazy. I can't even stand caffeine anymore."
"Reject what you have to reject. Why do you keep buying it and making it difficult for yourself?"
"... No. I just feel more comfortable doing everything myself."
" really.. "
Unlike me, Kang Tae-hyun is the type of person who refuses to do anything he can. He never overexerts his abilities, but instead tries to do just what he can.
Kang Tae-hyun, a passionate individual, truly excels at whatever he's assigned. Free riding doesn't work for him.
“We will begin our group presentation.”
Swish,
“..? What is that?”
"Why do you only have 4 crew members?"
“We decided to remove the names of those who rode without paying.”
“Crazy...”
Kang Tae-hyun, who is tough on the outside but tough on the inside, can't even beat his teachers. Well, that's not wrong... but how can you take his name off? It's refreshing.
As a result, the child received the lowest score on the performance evaluation, and the child, angry at this, became extremely angry at Kang Tae-hyun.
“Hey!! Do you know you ruined my future?!!”
“ … ”
“What are you going to do?! Huh?! Are you going to take responsibility if I don’t go to college?!”
" .. under "
“Did you just sigh?! Huh?! ”
Swish
widely,
“..Shouldn’t I be thankful instead?”
" what..? "
“I think I gained some insight through this opportunity.”
“ … ”
“What are you going to do with that ability if you go to college?”
" you.. "
"If you go there and do that, you won't be able to graduate. Why go to college if you won't be able to graduate?"
"This is real..!!"
widely,
“From the beginning, I said I would remove the name of the free rider.”
“ … ”
"If you have any objections to the grades already calculated, go to your teacher and tell him directly. What are you doing, you shameless fool?"
“ … ”
Yes. Kang Tae-hyun was even more sullen at that time than he is now. No matter how angry I was, I didn't think it was right to be so blatantly dismissive in front of the kids.
In the end, I said something to Kang Tae-hyun.
“You were a bit harsh earlier. You.”
“If he hadn’t made such a fuss in the first place, I wouldn’t have said that.”
“..but don’t do that again in the future”
“No, he’s causing a fuss..k “
"So, from now on, even if he does that again, you have to endure it"
" what..? "
"You're nicer than him. So just be patient."
” … “
The decisive event that led to our fight was not this incident, but what happened in the next performance evaluation.
“Uh.. Then can you take care of this part for me?”
"Okay! Got it!"
“I want you to do this part. Can you do it..?”
"Okay. Just trust me."
The problem started when that kid who had ridden without paying ended up in the same group as me. Up until then, I'd always thought people could be changed.
However, that was definitely my mistake.
“Ha.. why don’t you contact me?”
Even though the performance evaluation was due the next day, I still hadn't received the child's data. I'd already been sleepless for two days. Add to that the stress of the performance evaluation, and I was a hypersensitive boss.
In the end, I stayed up all night again and finished it alone, and the next day arrived.
“Ah… my head hurts”
“Did you have a cold yesterday too?”
“Huh? Oh... that’s not it.”
“Go to the infirmary and get some headache medicine.”
I couldn't be honest with Kang Tae-hyun. If I did, I'd be met with a barrage of complaints, and I felt like if I were to be hit with that barrage in my current state, my true personality would crumble.
I usually get really bad headaches when I don't get enough sleep. So I went to the infirmary and got some painkillers, and it was time for my presentation.
" under.. "
“What’s wrong, leader?”
“Huh? Oh... It’s okay. Don’t worry.”
I didn't want to make the kids worry unnecessarily. Then it was our team's turn to present, and I went forward, clutching my aching head.
“Let’s begin our team presentation...”
Swish,
widely,
“ ..!! ”
Kwadang,
As I was moving to the computer next to me to pass the PPT, my vision started spinning and I ended up collapsing.
When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital, with a Ringer's solution in my arm. Next to me were Kang Tae-hyun's school jacket, tie, and bag. I looked at my watch and saw that school was already over.
at that time,
Swish,
"Are you awake?"
"Ah.. yes"
"I'm exhausted from lack of sleep. I guess I haven't been sleeping well lately."
"Yes.. I'm preparing for the performance evaluation.. "
“Is the boy next to you your boyfriend?”
" yes..? "
“I was watching a student earlier, but I can’t see him anymore. I don’t know where he went.”
" ah.. "
I had a gut feeling that I was screwed. Ha, Kang Tae-hyun, if he sees me, he'll start nagging me again.
“I think it would be better to take it easy a little more and then go.”
" thank you.. "
After the doctor left, I closed my eyes again. It was the only way to avoid hearing Kang Tae-hyun's nagging...
at that time,
"You know what happened?"
" ah.. "
"..If it hurts, close your eyes"
“Not to that extent.. “
"Why on earth are you... like that..."
"..I told you. It's easier to do it alone..ㄱ"
"That's your opinion. Doesn't your body think?"
” … “
“Do you know how shocked I was?”
" .. still "
"I told you to reject what I had to reject. Why are you torturing your body like this because you can't do that one thing? Huh?"
“ … ”
Thinking back, it still feels wrong. To some, this personality might seem frustrating and gullible. But I've never once thought there was anything wrong with this.
I just thought I was more considerate of others and wanted the outcome to be perfect. I didn't like conflict with others.
And this isn't my problem right now. It's the guy who fare-paid, so it's unfair that Kang Tae-hyun is saying this to me.
I hated that situation so much, where I was so sick and sensitive I thought I was going to die, but I couldn't rest even though I was with my person.
"..it's not my fault"
" what? "
"It was the guy who rode without paying, so why are you mad at me?"
".. I said.. "
“You’re mad at me right now, don’t you get it?”
” … “
“It’s true that I’m sick and sensitive right now, so whatever you say doesn’t sound good to me, but it’s also true that you’re angry.”
” … “
At that moment, tears came out of my eyes because I felt wronged.
Gulp,
“Hmm.. If you’re so good at rejecting people, why don’t you reject them for me! Sigh.. Hmm, really.”
"Kim Yeo-ju.."
"I really hate the sight of you.. For the first time, I really hate you.. "
“ … ”
“I’m going home alone, so hurry up and go!”
“..Okay, just get some rest then.”
” … “
It was our first big fight. The chill from this fight lasted longer than I expected, and we didn't speak to each other or even smile.
I felt like this was how we were going to say goodbye. It was as if this silence and chill were heralding our separation, like the cold before the rain.