“Kill me. Please.”
After those words, a long silence fell. Jaegyeom supported his body with both hands on the sink. He turned his head to stare at the two and smiled.
“Why are your faces like that? I’m just saying I should try it once.”
Standing at an angle, he turned on the faucet. Shwaa, a cool stream of water poured from the inside of the sink as he started washing the dishes with slow hands. A spoon and a rice bowl were all he had to wash. He rinsed the white, thick porcelain thoroughly, but suddenly stopped. Jaegyeom muttered softly as he dipped his hand in the flowing water.
“You know it too.”
Clang!
A loud cracking sound was heard from inside the sink.
“Jaegyeom!”
Jeongju came to his senses and ran to Jaegyeom. As he looked into the sink, he drew in a breath. The rice bowl was shattered. Jaegyeom, who was resting his arm on the sink, gnashed his teeth and lowered his head. He was holding on to the broken fragments.
“I won’t die even if it gets stuck in my neck instead of my hand.”
Jeongju snatched Jaegyeom’s wrist with a pale face. As he opened his fist, the piece of porcelain that had dug into his skin fell out. Red blood flowed down his forearm. Jeongju was startled and pulled Jaegyeom roughly. He was just led meekly.
His blood-gushing palms were deeply cut, revealing his inner flesh. But he looked down at his wounds without expression. He must have been in a lot of pain, but he was just calm. Mesani grabbed Jaegyeom’s hand and burst into tears without making a sound.
“Me- Mesan-ah! Hurry… !”
Jeongju urged in a bewildered voice. Mesani raised his hand, which trembled like an aspen tree as he sobbed. Over his wounds, he hurriedly let a light cluster out. Then, the blood that had been pouring down his floor slowly began to stop. Only then did Jaegyeom put his hand behind his back.
“M- My lord. Don’t do this… Quickly, your hand…”
Even though the wound seemed to be healed, the deep cut in the flesh was still not fully healed. Mesani pulled on the hem of Jaegyeom’s clothes with a wet face but Jaegyeom ignored this and tried to stand up. Jeongju grabbed him urgently.
“Jaegyeom-ah, please. Heal the wound first…”
“Do you guys feel sorry for me?”
Jaegyeom coldly shook off Jeongju’s hand.
“I can’t die and I can’t grow old, I’m confined to a corner of the house. Do you feel sorry for me? I don’t feel sorry for me, so why do you guys feel sorry for me? I feel more sorry for you guys, who are cleaning up after me. Do you think I can’t live without you? I can’t die anyway.”
“Jaegyeom! What are you talking about… !”
“I even tried putting a knife through my chest. I’ve tried to starve for days and days without drinking a sip of water, and I’ve tried falling off a high cliff. But I’m still alive like this. No matter what I do, I won’t die… !”
Jaegyeom got up from his seat and stood in front of the closed door. He stretched out his bloodstained hand and turned the doorknob. He entered the dark room, turned his head halfway and added in a low voice.
“Don’t stick by my side for nothing, live as you like. I will do that too.”
***
It was early in the morning, when the energy of the dawn lingered.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The strong scent of coffee beans filled the staff room. The small tearoom located in one corner was crowded with teachers who arrived early. As teachers have a much earlier start time than other office workers, morning tea time was as precious as a lifeline for teachers.
“Glv cb bcf gfjiis xcbk? Ktja tlr ecmif kjr j mfifyglas.”
“Tfrafgvjs kjr atf olgra alwf P rjk j mfifyglas lc qfgrbc.”
“Zr Jtbl kfca ab atf yjatgbbw sfrafgvjs jcv mglfv.”
Ktf afjmtfgr rlqqfv mbooff jcv mtjaafv lc ktlrqfgr. Frejiis, atflg vjlis ilnfr kbeiv yf atf wjlc abqlm, yea abvjs kjr vloofgfca. Qtfc j raevfca’r uejgvljc kjr mjiifv, atf lcmlvfca lc ktlmt j meggfca mfifyglas mjwf ab atfw mgfjafv jc ecqgfmfvfcafv eqtfjnji rlcmf atf frajyilrtwfca bo Gjfgsecu Llut Vmtbbi. Snfgsbcf, raevfcar jcv afjmtfgr jilxf, ajixfv jybea atf fnfcar bo sfrafgvjs lc eclrbc.
“The whole school is in a frenzy, a frenzy.”
At that time, the dean with a pale face appeared, tilting his head left and right. Maybe it was because he had a headache all day yesterday, but he looked particularly tired today. The middle-aged dean, who liked to socialize with the young teachers, naturally joined the group at tea time, opening a green tea bag.
“Ahem, I must have been the closest to him? He was handsome.”
The dean coughed for no reason as he slipped in his bragging. Then, the teachers threw a look of envy and poured out a baptism of questions. The unexpected visit of a celebrity was a big event. However, he came as a guardian instead of a celebrity, and since he was called for an unfortunate situation, everyone was hush-hush about it.
Everyone expressed regret, saying that because of the inevitable situation, they just looked from a distance, so they couldn’t even shake hands, let alone sign an autograph. While the dean, with a proud face in his heart, was laying out real celebrity reviews,
“Oh! Mr Yoon, you are here early.”
The teachers greeted Yoon Taehee as he walked in without a sign.
“Hello.”
Yoon Taehee smiled and bowed slightly. He was dressed in a black shirt with a Mandarin collar, and stood with his mug in one hand. The mug was decorated with an abundance of cute ribbons. It was a cute design that didn’t go well with his dark and sober outfit.
Yoon Taehee, who normally resided in the library, often came down to the staff room. Three or four times a day, he whipped up a full cup of coffee in his ribbon-painted mug. As he put water in the pot and waited for it to boil, he naturally exchanged words with some of the teachers.
“I have some coffee left over, would you like some?”
“It’s alright.”
“It’s still warm. I just made it a minute ago.”
One of the teachers held out a glass pot half filled with coffee beans. Yoon Taehee smiled and politely declined.
“Thank you. But I only drink coffee mix.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“I like it sweet.”
Yoon Taehee tore off two cups of coffee mix and poured them into his mug. The dean, who came to his side, bumped him on his shoulder. It was a sign of friendliness. The dean had favorable feelings towards Yoon Taehee from the moment he first saw him.
“Mr Yoon, come down to the teachers’ office more often. The atmosphere in the staff room is lively when you come down. A young and handsome person needs to show his face often so that other teachers are more inclined to work. Hm?”
Yoon Taehee laughed silently. A shallow dimple dug in one cheek.
“It’s an overstatement.”
“Uh-huh, goodness. Mr Yoon. I know it’s not my place to ask, but I’m just curious. Are you seeing anyone?”
The dean whispered slyly, and the eyes of the other teachers all turned to Yoon Taehee. Since he was one of the few young people in the school, everyone was curious. Yoon Taehee understood at once the meaning of the question posed. He displayed a bashful expression and smiled.
“Not yet.”
“What? No! You mean such a handsome person is alone?”
“Haha, sir. Stop it, you are embarrassing Mr Yoon.”
Yoon Taehee laughed quietly as he poured boiling water into his mug. Hot steam rose with a fragrant smell. In the friendly atmosphere, the dean lowered his voice slightly.
“Hey, did I say something wrong? I’m just saying without any ulterior motives. The celebrity uncle who came yesterday was also handsome, but it’s better to see him on screen. In real life, our Mr. Yoon is much more handsome.”
Yoon Taehee, who was tapping his teaspoon, raised his head.
“Did any celebrities come yesterday?”
“Oh. Mr Yoon must have been in the library, so he didn’t know.”
The dean changed the topic, slurping green tea.
“His name is Kim Jaegyeom, second year. He just transferred, but he got into a fight, so the school was in a frenzy. So his guardian was called, and a celebrity came.”
His hand, which was stirring the coffee with the teaspoon, stopped abruptly.
“But Jaegyeom is also quite a surprise. He was so quiet in class that I thought he was a well-behaved kid. And if you have a celebrity in your family, don’t you usually lay low? He has guts.”
“I know, right. Juyeol has always been rowdy. Last year, Ms Jinkyung, who was in charge of his homeroom, even took leave. I thought he might have quieted down as he went up a grade, but it’s still the same.”
A topic that had been forgotten for a while was rekindled. The dean began to recount what happened in the drawing room with an expression of disgust. The teachers perked up their ears. It was a time when everyone was focusing on the account.
Yoon Taehee, who was drinking coffee and listening to the story, suddenly opened his mouth.
“By the way, which of the two got the first hit?”
The teachers’ gazes were all focused on Yoon Taehee.
“…”
“…”
“…”
The conversation stopped as if cold water had been poured on it. It was a question posed in a polite and respectful tone as usual, but the content was strangely radical. Yoon Taehee brought his mug to his lips with a calm expression. While everyone was flustered, he raised one of his eyebrows and took a sip of his coffee.
“Hmm. I heard that Kim Jaegyeom hit him as soon as he entered the classroom.”
At the moment when the atmosphere was about to become awkward, the dean cleared his throat and continued talking in a deliberately nonchalant tone. A smile spread across Yoon Taehee’s lips, which was attached to his mug. It looked like he had heard something interesting. Yoon Taehee, who had been laughing silently, muttered in passing.
“As expected. He’s cute.”
Meanwhile, the teachers just reacted with amazement.
“Really? Didn’t Juyeol hit him first?”
“Oh my. That’s surprising.”
“From the looks of it, it looks like he was trying to hold it in, so I asked him, “What did Juyeol do wrong?” But no matter how many times I asked him, he wouldn’t answer?”
The dean’s expression subtly subsided.
“Maybe they’ve been arguing a few times. Even though Kim Jaegyeom’s face does not look like it, apparently his temperament is not normal. Uhoho. Goodness. I didn’t know at first, but he beat him very badly.”
He laughed bitterly. He recently abandoned the hairstyle he had been sticking to for years. This was because he realized that just as you cannot cover the sky with your palms, the essence remains the same even if you cover the empty top of your head with the side of your hair. At first, he was angry and resentful, but it was the truth.
“If you’re going to have a temper, you should do it until the end. He keeps his mouth shut, so who knows what happened. That’s why it’s a problem with boys who are tenacious. They think they have to handle it by themselves and solve it alone. They think they’re something but they’re mistaken. This is not a world where they live alone.”
Maybe that’s why. Inwardly, the dean felt sorry for Jaegyeom. He was a brazen and reticent guy, but thinking about it, there was something likable about that spirit. Because of this, he hoped that Jaegyeom would become a little more bold, like the time when he fearlessly raised his head in front of him.
However, Jaegyeom calmly took all the arrows flying at him. The parents of the other party, who became more energetic, poured out abusive language under the guise of strong protest. Since their child must have been seriously injured, it wasn’t that he couldn’t understand the feelings from the parent’s point of view as a parent as well.
But even so, there was no reason Jaegyeom should be listening to it, the dean thought. Likewise, it was from the same position as a parent. Because of this, as soon as he heard that there was nothing wrong with Lee Juyeol, who had returned from the hospital, he felt relieved, but inside he felt angry.
“If the kids stick together, they’ll fight once in a while. Sigh. There is nothing to make a big deal out of. You don’t know how much the vice-principal sweated. It seemed like he broke a bone, from the parent’s personality. Sigh, I don’t even want to think about it. Since they gave and received equally, they should both do school service, well.”
After speaking, the dean sighed deeply. He felt like he was getting old in one day.
In the end, it seemed that it was settled as a light children’s fight. The teachers made jokes about calling Jeongju one more time, using the excuse of a parent-teacher conference, and when Ms Seo came by, they joked about asking for his autograph.
“Oh no! I lost track.”
At that time, the dean, who was looking at his watch, jumped up.
“Has the time already become like this? It’s almost time for the kids to come, so I’ll go down quickly.”
He gulped down half of the remaining green tea. Then the other teachers finished their chat one by one and went back to their seats. Yoon Taehee, who was naturally among the teachers, also took his mug and left the staff room. The dean hurriedly returned to his seat, put down the cup and picked up his pointer. It was a must when he went out to check in the morning. Just when he hurriedly opened the door to the staff room, grabbing the pointer stained with finger marks,
“Teacher.”
Someone popped up from the doorway.
“Ugh! You surprised me!”
He exclaimed in shock and grabbed the precious pointer.
“Ah, Mr Yoon. You almost made me fall! Haven’t you gone up yet?”
“I have something to ask of you.”
“Uh, oh? Yeah. What do you need?”
He nodded his head, calming his pounding chest. Yoon Taehee was standing with his dainty mug and looked at him kindly. He brushed his flowing hair and whispered in confidence.
“About school service.”
Thank you!
Thanx for the chapter!