Yes, It’s Me. The Obsessive Side Top

#055



#055

The shocking news made me forget to even look for Ha Jin’s childhood photos. I turned back without even taking a single step inside the house. I drove absentmindedly and when I arrived, I realized it was the hospital parking lot.  

“I didn’t expect this. Well, it does seem to suit them more than getting along… Haa… Even the most dysfunctional families aren’t like this.”

It’s slowly becoming too much for me to handle. I enjoyed watching makjang dramas knowing they were obviously fiction and not something I was going through, but now that my family is heading down the makjang path, my mind became complicated.

“No way. The two of them can’t be lying and secretly meeting to cook… and eat ramen together. Absolutely not. Why would a married couple meet in secret?”

I really don’t want to know Ha Jin’s hidden narrative. I made up my mind to no longer care about Ha Jin’s family and got out of the car. Walking blankly in a dazed state, I somehow arrived in front of Grandmother’s hospital room. Standing in front of the room and looking at the letters spelling ‘Kim Ok-bun’, I suddenly missed Grandmother’s embrace. I opened the door and entered with my arms wide open.

“Ok-bun!”

I need to quickly purify this dirty mind. By being embraced by our lovely Grandmother.  

Instead of Grandmother smiling warmly and welcoming me from the bed as I expected, Sun Woo who was standing in the room discovered me, hugged me tightly as I entered.

“Sun Woo. Where’s Grandmother?”

I asked in a serious tone, but Sun Woo’s arms only held me tighter.

“You’re late, Ha Jin.”

“I wanted Grandmother to hug me?”

“She went to the cafeteria to eat. She seemed to have heard they’re serving janchi guksu (feast noodles) today.”

“What about you?”

“I was waiting for someone who hasn’t contacted to see when they would come.”

“What? You should have contacted me instead of waiting. What if I didn’t come?”

Right. If my parents were really cooking ramen at home, there’s no way I would be here right now. Haa… Damn it. How can I erase this memory? It didn’t seem like it would be erased easily. That’s how shocking it was. As I leaned my body on Sun Woo powerlessly, he stroked my hair with his large, pretty hand. It’s not as much as Grandmother’s embrace, but Sun Woo’s arms were nice too.

“I knew you would come.”

His single sentence made me choke up for a moment. The fact that there was someone waiting for me brought comfort to my heart. I put my arms around Sun Woo’s back. As I buried my head in his shoulder, Sun Woo’s chest that was touching me moved slightly twice as if he was laughing.

“What’s this, staying still in my arms unlike Ha Jin. It doesn’t seem like you drank alcohol.”

“There are days like this too.” 

“Shall we stay together today?”

“…Okay.”

I accepted his suggestion that I would have usually declined. Sun Woo kissed my head and stroked my hair again as if soothing me.

“Did you have dinner?”

“No.”

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

At Sun Woo’s question, ramen suddenly came to mind. I also wanted to eat ramen full of someone’s affection.

“Ramen.”

“Really? Let’s go to the gimbap restaurant in front of the hospital.”

“It would be nice if you cooked it for me, Sun Woo.”

At my request, Sun Woo finally burst into laughter out loud. His breath tinged with laughter ticklishly touched my ear and disappeared, and his sweet voice enveloped me once again.

“Then shall we go to your house?”

“Okay.”

“What’s this, Ha Jin? Why do you keep doing cute things today?”

Sun Woo’s voice was filled with laughter as if he was happy. When I thought this might be what Ha Jin wanted, my nose felt stuffy again for no reason. The pitiful Ha Jin was a child who craved this kind of affection. Since he never received love, he didn’t know what to do, that stupid fool.

* * *

On the way home, we stopped briefly in front of a convenience store to buy ramen for Sun Woo to cook. As Sun Woo went inside to buy the ramen, I sat in the car waiting for him to come out.

– Thud thud

Suddenly there was a sound and the car shook slightly. When I turned to look with an indifferent face, three students in school uniforms were passing by, pounding on the car with their fists.

“…”

I only heard that kids these days are scary. My goodness, they had the guts to hit this kind of supercar with their fists. Clicking my tongue in disbelief, I got out of the car.

Under their short summer school uniforms, their arms had flashy tattoos sitting bravely. Well, that’s their taste, so I’ll respect it. 

“What are you doing?” 

Even after seeing me get out of the car, they didn’t look surprised or apologetic.

“I said, what are you doing?”

I asked again. Then they exchanged glances with each other and made a very delinquent-like expression. Even so, in my eyes, they were just high school students with scribbles on their arms. That’s all.

“What do you think we’re doing?”

He immediately spoke informally. Judging by their build and height, they were as big as me, so I was planning what to do if we ended up fighting. I thought if I could knock out just one properly, they would get scared as high school students and not be able to respond properly. I felt like I could fight three high school students.

“You’re not asking because you don’t know, are you?”

“If you know, why are you asking?”

“I’m wondering if you know what you’re doing.”

“I saw a car parked on the street where people walk by, so I just pounded on it.”

“How was it when you pounded on it?”

“…”

My reaction must have been different from their expectation, so they seemed to hesitate a bit. Usually in this situation, most people would cower or something. But I’ve never seen a truly strong person among those who have tattoos in visible places. Especially if they’re high school students.

“I’m asking you. How was it when you pounded on it? And it may be a place where people walk by, but it’s an alley. There’s no distinction between the sidewalk and the road. Don’t you see that I parked the car right against the wall? I didn’t purposely block your way as you were passing by.”

At my words, one of them glanced sideways with shaky pupils. I also carefully observed the direction he was looking at, as it would be problematic if more people gathered here. Then I saw someone hiding in a corner. When I discovered the camera covering half of his face, I wondered what that was.

‘What?’

The camera was pointing at me, and at that moment, the picture of the shooting violence incident came to mind.

“Did someone tell you to do this?”

“Wh-what are you talking about!”

“Tell me. Who told you to pick a fight with me?”

The three looked at each other’s reactions in bewilderment. Seeing that, I was convinced. Damn it, why are they messing with me? Do they want to take a picture of me fighting that badly, even by manipulation? 

For what reason?

“What nonsense are you talking about by yourself!” 

One of them swung his arm at me. Did he think I would stay still and get hit knowing my picture was being taken? Am I afraid of some photo that I would go around getting hit? As I was about to fight back against his attack, the other person’s arm was suddenly grabbed by someone who appeared. Sun Woo had somehow appeared and was stopping him.

“Ha Jin. What’s this?”

“Argh!!”

Sun Woo twisted the student’s wrist, ignoring his scream of pain, and asked me in a quiet tone. His cold, calm gaze was quite murderous.

“Young students trying to pick a fight with me?”

“Why would students pick a fight with you?”

“Who knows. Maybe it would be a bigger issue if I hit a student?”

“…”

Sun Woo made a face that he couldn’t understand and pushed the body of the student whose wrist he had twisted with his arm. It looked like he just gently pushed him, but he fell on the asphalt floor haphazardly. The other two hurried over and helped him up.

“Do you know who I am as you’re picking a fight?”

The students made puzzled faces and alternately looked at me and Sun Woo. They must have felt that the opponent was too strong to fight. More than that, who is the person trying to put me in a difficult situation by recruiting these kids who don’t know how the world works?

When I turned my gaze to the spot where the person with the camera was, they had already disappeared. They must have thought the tables had turned.

“Your life will become tiring if you mess with us.”

They must have seen the person disappear as they also looked somewhere, and they hurriedly left the scene.

“Ha Jin. Why did you get out of the car? Don’t stay alone. It’s dangerous.”

“Am I a one-year-old baby?”

Ignoring my words, Sun Woo grabbed me and looked me over here and there.

“You’re not hurt anywhere?”

“No. I was about to get hit, but you appeared and saved me.”

Not even a prince on a white horse. You appeared with good timing.

As if Sun Woo really didn’t want to leave me alone, he held my hand and entered the convenience store. It seemed he had hurriedly come out while paying, as his card and a bag with ramen were placed on the counter.

“Are you okay? I called the police, but…”

The convenience store employee asked with a worried face while packing the items.

“Fortunately, I didn’t get hit. The kids ran away. Please cancel the police report.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll do that. We have a CCTV installed outside because of illegal dumping. Shall I send you the footage?”

At the employee’s words, I shook my head, and Sun Woo called out his number.

“Please send me the footage.”

“Huh? Ah… Yes. I’ll cut out just the footage and send it to you.”

While Sun Woo was doing that, I went to the dairy section and picked up a chocolate milk. Smiling brightly, I went to the counter and Sun Woo saw what I was holding and laughed.

“Ha Jin. You want to buy that in this situation?”

“I told you. It’s my habit to buy this whenever I come to a convenience store.”

When I gave him a big smile, Sun Woo put his hand on my cheek. I was feeling the warm temperature of his palm cupping my face when the employee in front of us cleared his throat and made a coughing sound.

“Shall we… pay?”

“Ah, ah… Yes.”

I had forgotten that the employee was there and was too immersed in our own world. Being with Sun Woo, I felt like I became the protagonist of a sweet romance story instead of a makjang, and I was getting lost in it absentmindedly.


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