Romantic Gangster

#48

Rather than focusing on his advantages – being handsome, tall, and well-endowed (though Ji-woo didn’t know about the last part yet) – Hyun-joon worried that Ji-woo might think he could turn violent if provoked because he was good at fighting, or that he would surely become a gangster since he had been cast as one, or that there was nothing good about dating someone equally poor.

“So, have you come to an answer?”

“No. I was too sleepy yesterday, so I just washed up and went straight to bed without thinking at all.”

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to stay up all night worrying after receiving a confession like that?”

“I tried, but I think we hugged for too long yesterday. I didn’t have the energy to think.”

Hugging for too long… Shit, how can he say such erotic things? Feeling his lips dry, Hyun-joon licked them unnecessarily and rubbed his tingling fingertips hard against his thigh.

“Then think about it at school today.”

“How can I think about that at school? That’s something you should do when you’re alone.”

“But you don’t have any time alone. Just that short time before you go to your part-time job and before you sleep after your job, right?”

“That’s right. I’ll think about it seriously before I sleep tonight.”

“You don’t need to think about it too seriously, right? It’s not like I’m asking you to marry me, just to try dating or something.”

Hyun-joon wanted to lighten the mood a bit, knowing that if things got too serious, Ji-woo would likely focus on the negatives rather than the positives. There was zero chance of Ji-woo suddenly becoming impulsive and shouting, “What’s life without risks! Let’s just date!”

“Can you just casually date anyone if you’re not going to marry them?”

“Are you crazy? I wouldn’t date just anyone. Do you know how high my standards are? And with this face and body, why would I date just anyone?”

“It’s the same for me. I don’t want to make a decision without thinking it through carefully. It’s important, and it’s also my first time… So honestly, I’m not sure how I should think about it.”

“Tell me what you’re unsure about. I’ll help you.”

“I’ll think about it and ask if I have any questions. If you keep rushing me, my mind will get flustered and I won’t be able to think at all.”

Hyun-joon had no choice but to nod. He wanted to spout nonsense like “If you don’t dislike it, then you should date,” but knowing it would likely backfire, he thought it was better to just keep his mouth shut.

“So… what’s your type? What standards or conditions do you have for someone you’d date?”

“I haven’t really thought about that either… Hmm… I’ll think about it as we walk.”

Ji-woo’s pace slowed a bit. Hyun-joon matched his speed, walking slowly. The chilly early morning air settled over Ji-woo’s head as he walked, deep in thought. The weak morning sunlight glinted off his long eyelashes, making them sparkle.

Hyun-joon thought waiting for an answer might be frustrating, but he lost track of time as he observed Ji-woo’s hair swaying in the breeze, his dense eyelashes, his serious eyes, and his closed lips.

As they were almost at school, Ji-woo’s lips parted.

“Ah, I’ve thought of something.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“Someone who can stay with me for a long, long time.”

“That’s me.”

“Someone who thinks about me a lot…”

“That’s me.”

“I’d like someone who can do various things with me. It doesn’t have to be anything extraordinary, just… buying a cake together on birthdays, going out to see Christmas trees, small things like that… Someone who doesn’t find it bothersome to have a small party for our 100-day anniversary.”

“Don’t look far, just look beside you.”

As they entered the school gate, Ji-woo turned his head and met Hyun-joon’s eyes looking down at him. Hyun-joon’s gaze was so intense that Ji-woo felt he could be sucked into it.

“That’s me, I’m telling you. These days, I only think about you. And I can stay with you constantly, and anniversaries? I’ll celebrate them until you tell me to stop.”

“……”

“Bonus points?”

“…Call.”

Hyun-joon smiled at Ji-woo’s cute response and placed his hand on the back of Ji-woo’s head, ruffling his hair.

“Now you just need to be able to kiss me. If you can’t imagine it, we could try it once.”

“I’m taking back those bonus points.”

“Hey, why are you talking like that again?”

Just as Hyun-joon moved his hand from the back of Ji-woo’s head to his shoulder and was gently squeezing Ji-woo’s soft cheek, they heard a whistle blow from behind them.

“Hey, you there. Lee Hyun-joon. Why are you bullying that kid first thing in the morning?”

Hyun-joon’s face automatically scrunched up at the sudden confrontational tone. Even without turning around, he could tell it was the PE teacher just from his annoying voice. Hyun-joon turned around with a scowl, looking down at the much shorter PE teacher.

“I wasn’t bullying him.”

“What do you mean you weren’t? I thought it was strange you’ve been coming to school regularly these days. So you found yourself a target. Hey, you want to bully someone much smaller than you?”

“I said I wasn’t.”

“What do you mean you weren’t? Shut your mouth, you bastard.”

The PE teacher jabbed Hyun-joon’s shoulder with the yellow baton he was holding, clicking his tongue obviously. He swung the baton towards Ji-woo, who was standing next to Hyun-joon, as if telling him to come closer. Ji-woo moved to one side, avoiding the students entering the school gate.

“You’re that kid from before, right? The one Teacher Jung asked this guy to meet?”

“…Yes.”

“Ah, really. I told her there was no need to waste time on a bastard like him, but she didn’t listen to me and now an innocent kid is caught up in this. He hit you, didn’t he?”

Looking at the PE teacher’s face, who was speaking with the certainty that Ji-woo had obviously been hit, Ji-woo responded clearly without any hesitation.

“No, he didn’t.”

“He didn’t? Then did he take your money?”

“No.”

“Hey, you can be honest. It’s okay. I’ll make sure this bastard can never set foot in school again, so tell me.”

Even though Ji-woo had clearly said no, the PE teacher didn’t seem to believe him at all. Ji-woo felt annoyed listening to the teacher urging him to say how bad Hyun-joon was, insisting it was okay. Feeling displeased, Ji-woo opened his mouth again.

“He really never did anything like that. I became friends with Hyun-joon, that’s why we’re together.”

“Became friends?”

“Yes.”

“Who? You with that bastard?”

“Yes.”

“I see this guy has started threatening people now. Did he tell you to say that? Did he force you to say that?”

It would have been less frustrating to talk to a stray cat than this. Why wouldn’t he even try to believe what Ji-woo was saying? If he wasn’t going to believe, why did he keep asking? Ji-woo couldn’t understand. Still, he tried to calm himself. He didn’t want to see Hyun-joon being labeled as a strange kid like this.

“If you’re not going to believe me anyway, why do you keep asking? I said it’s not true.”

“What do you mean it’s not true! Hey, you gangster bastard. Do you think your past actions are just one or two? Who would believe you? Who?”

At the sharp voice that suddenly burst out, the PE teacher sneered and pushed Hyun-joon’s shoulder unpleasantly with his baton. Hyun-joon, who was staring at the PE teacher while standing firm without budging at all, let out a low curse.

“Fuck, really.”

“What? Fuck? Fuuuck? Hey, you bastard. Can’t you open your eyes properly? How dare you!”

The PE teacher raised the baton high over his head and swung it down. Hyun-joon caught it as it was coming down towards his face and threw it to the ground. The PE teacher, who had his weapon taken away so easily, flinched for a moment looking at the baton rolling on the ground, but then hardened his face even more and started yelling.

“Look at this bastard.”

With that, the PE teacher’s hand struck Hyun-joon’s face. With a slap sound, Hyun-joon’s head turned halfway. Startled, Ji-woo quickly grabbed Hyun-joon’s arm and pulled him to his side, separating him from the teacher. Hyun-joon was still looking down at the PE teacher, confronting him.

“…Hyun-joon.”

Ji-woo could feel Hyun-joon’s arm trembling violently in his grip. Seeing him shaking with his fist clenched tight, it seemed he was trying to hold back from hitting the teacher. Ji-woo quickly lowered his hand and wrapped both hands around Hyun-joon’s tightly clenched fist. If he were to hit the teacher here, it would really become a big issue. He had to prevent that at all costs.

“Just endure it for now. You can do it.”

He spoke almost just mouthing the words so only Hyun-joon could hear, but fortunately, the message seemed to get through. Ji-woo felt relieved as he saw the strength leaving Hyun-joon’s arm and his clenched fingers loosening.

“Sorry.”

An unexpected apology landed on top of Ji-woo’s relief. Hyun-joon pulled his arm from Ji-woo’s grip and handed him the bag he had taken off his shoulder. Ji-woo blankly watched Hyun-joon leave through the school gate, holding his own bag to his chest. He couldn’t bring himself to stop him.

“That, that bastard! He doesn’t even need to come to school! A gangster bastard ruining people’s mood first thing in the morning, shit.”

The words “the teacher seems more like a gangster than Hyun-joon” circled in Ji-woo’s mouth, but he didn’t say them out loud. He knew that if he threw that spark, the anger would be directed at Hyun-joon. Accusations like “You’ve changed since you started hanging out with Hyun-joon,” “Don’t hang out with him,” “Are you going to become a gangster like Hyun-joon?”… He felt like he had already heard a ton of nonsensical nagging even though he hadn’t actually heard it.

“Look at how obvious it is that he grew up without proper education.”

Ji-woo turned away from the PE teacher, who was still cursing towards the gate where Hyun-joon had left. He didn’t want to hear any more badmouthing about Hyun-joon.

‘Sorry.’

The words Hyun-joon had left behind echoed in his ears. He felt like he might cry from the injustice of it all.

“…Sigh.”

Ji-woo swallowed his unsettled feelings and walked into the school. The image of Hyun-joon’s back as he left through the gate lingered before his eyes.

* * *