A Bolt from the Blue

A bolt from the blue!

Noise spilled out of a rundown alley.

"Hey, who's asking you to just hand it over? I'm only asking to borrow a little."

"You borrowed last time too... and you never ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠paid it back..."

"Shit... I've got somewhere I need it, okay? So lend it to me while I'm still asking nicely."

That's... bullying, isn't it?

There were six of them. With this frail body of mine, there was no way I could take them on.

Director Kang Wonseong told me not to cause any trouble, no matter what.

Even so, I couldn't just leave that kid there. I scanned the area, picked out the CCTV cameras, and called the police. When it came to something like this, they were the ones who could actually help.

That'll be too late...

Even if they rolled out immediately, it would take at least five to ten minutes. That was more than enough time to beat someone and run.

The operator's frantic voice spilled from the phone.

Stepping into the middle almost never made a situation better. Worse, maybe — but better? Almost never.

I still have to stop this!

A fight? Obviously I couldn't win one. But I could still help that person, even if it meant throwing my own body on the line.

"Stop. What do you think you're doing?"

Every delinquent's gaze snapped toward me at once. They all looked like they worked out. Their shoulders were broad, and even through the thick clothes you could see the solid bodies underneath.

Ah, crap... did I just stick my neck out for nothing?

My legs started to tremble under those stares. If I let any fear show on my face, their momentum would go through the roof. I kept my expression as blank as I could and walked toward them like I had every right to be there.

"What are you doing? Looks a lot like bullying to me."

"None of your business. Why don't you just keep walking? And we're just hanging out. Friends."

"We're friends." That line was always a winner. No matter how much they bullied someone, hit them, or shook them down for money, the moment they said they were just friends, most people backed off.

It didn't work on me.

"That's a joke. Anyone can see you're shaking them down. The second your hand went up on that kid's shoulder, their whole body started shaking. They've been hit more than once, haven't they? And you still want to call that friendship?"

I knew how this went. I'd seen it more times than I could count — kids who latched onto a delinquent crew for a sense of belonging, only to watch their lives fall apart. Did hanging around together mean the delinquents actually treated them like friends? Not even close. They kept them around because they made convenient toys. Something fun to mess with. That wasn't friendship. It wasn't even acquaintanceship.

"Hah... hey. Walk away while I'm still being nice, yeah? You think it won't hurt just because you're a girl?"

A girl delinquent who'd been watching from the side stepped up in front of me. The stench of heavy makeup hit first, then the reek of cigarettes clinging to every inch of her. I wrinkled my nose.

"Phew. What, I stink? So what — you gonna report us? No, wait. You don't look like you've got the guts to come here alone. Already called it in, huh? Too bad. Even if you did, we won't get punished."

"Why? You think you're juveniles who can't be charged? From where I'm standing, you look like grown adults stuffed into school uniforms."

"You little bitch..."

Being told she looked old must have scraped a nerve. Her hand rose toward my head.

Good. Even better.

If I took a hit here, it would help prove their violence later. I closed my eyes and tilted my cheek out a little.

I've already been hit once. This time I can take it a little easier.

About three minutes had passed. The police would be here soon. If I could just keep these guys here until then...

That was when a sharp woman's voice cut in from the mouth of the alley.

"Hey! Cut it out!"

I turned without thinking. A strikingly pretty woman stood there, her face twisted with fury.

"I told you not to mess with this kid! Get lost!"

At her words, the delinquents started peeling off one by one.

No — this is the opposite of what I need. The police would be here any minute. I needed even a single line on their record at the station. That would make it so much easier to get them punished the next time they pulled this.

"Wai—"

I reached after the ones running, but the woman cut me off.

"Just leave it. Those guys run this whole area. Sticking your nose in won't do you any favors."

"That's completely—"

She stepped in close, all friendly. I took a step back and put space between us.

"Can't help being suspicious, I guess... Well. See you around, pretty."

With that, she vanished. The police arrived shortly after, and the whole thing wrapped up with me pointing them in the direction the delinquents had fled.

"Wait — where did that kid go?"

While I was talking with the officers, the one who'd been getting bullied had disappeared.

Unnie's gone too. Should I just head back?

"I... I'm over here..."

"Unnie?"

I checked around at the voice coming from somewhere in the alley. Nobody in sight. If someone as timid and perfect for picking on as Lee Boram had been nearby, they would have gotten caught up in this for sure.

"Where are you?"

"H-here..."

Lee Boram stepped out of a spot that had been empty just a second ago, and I startled a little.

"Where on earth did you just pop out from?"

"Th-that's... I-I was hiding because I was scared of the delinquents... I-I'm sorry. I should've told you sooner."

Tears started welling up in her eyes from the leftover fear, so I changed the subject fast.

"Want to... talk a little more about the VTuber stuff?"

"O-okay..."

We met a few more times after that, and our conversations about the VTuber bloomed.

"So the name is Kuro? That's fine, right?"

"Yeah. The black and blue look really good together, too."

"There's something I've been wondering, though... why clocks, of all things?"

I'd been curious about the clock hands and gears drawn all over the avatar. Lee Boram waved it off like it was nothing.

"It's nothing special. I just... I used to think Jiwoo was an adult who'd turned into a kid. N-not that I'm saying you're old! I just... felt like you were deep. And warm. That's all!"

That startled me...

I'd thought I was holding it in as much as I could. And yet, without even realizing it, I'd been looking at her with the eyes of a warm adult.

I slipped my phone from my pocket and checked the time. Still too early for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dinner. My parents had suggested we eat together tonight, as it happened. I used that as my excuse and chose to run. In other words: I fled.

I rose quietly from my seat and gave a small bow to Lee Boram, who was staring at me blankly.

"Unnie, I'm sorry. I forgot I had a family thing."

Lee Boram waved it off like it couldn't be helped. The only thought in my head was getting out of there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as fast as possible. Left alone, she watched me leave the café with her eyes.

That was when an unidentified person appeared in front of her.

"Been waiting, Unnie?"

"Oh, y-you're here. Wh-why are you so late..."

"Ah... I was just off saving some pretty girl. You were there too, weren't you, Unnie?"

"That's..."

"Whatever. Make me a VTuber avatar too."

"O-okay... Hyun-kyung."

"Our daughter's starting high school tomorrow, huh? Want Mom to buy you an enrollment present?"

"I'm fine. I'll earn what I need and buy it myself."

"Hing... but still."

Ji Hyuna's face fell at my firm answer. I'd already figured out that once she slipped into that mood, it took a long time for her to bounce back.

"Then... just buy me a laptop for online lectures."

"You're going to study again?"

Ji Hyuna's eyes flared as she looked at me. The reason she was like this: a few days ago, I'd nearly collapsed while studying in my room. Of course, that day I'd burned through my stamina doing workouts and trying to work on the VTuber and recordings at the same time on a computer that barely ran. I didn't usually go down that easily... as long as I was careful.

"I still need to study a little. If I don't make it in entertainment, I'll have to look at other paths."

"What kind of talk is that? Who on earth is prettier or more talented than my daughter?!"

Ji Hyuna's booming voice pulled every eye in the restaurant our way. A murmur rippled through the room. It wasn't a quiet place, but a noise that loud was still something you wanted to avoid. She knew it too. Her face went a little pink with embarrassment.

"I agree with Jiwoo. She's not going to spend her whole life in entertainment. She needs a certain amount of studying."

Ji Hyuna glared at Lee Hyun-woo for taking my side. If a look could stab someone, that would have been it.

"Honey. After seeing the state Jiwoo was in..."

"Jiwoo knows now, too. What happens to her body when she overdoes it. You have to go through it yourself to know your own limit. Still..."

Lee Hyun-woo set his glass on the table and looked at me with worried eyes as he went on.

"Just don't make your mother worry too much. That's what a child owes their parents."

"...Yes. I understand. I'll manage it so you don't have to worry."

He nodded and held a card out toward me. I stared at it, wondering what this was supposed to be.

"Buy whatever you want with this. The card you've got now has a limit. You won't be able to get what you actually want."

Buy whatever I want? Did I even mention the laptop's price?

I ran back through my recent memory. Not only had I never named a price — today was the first time I'd even said I needed a laptop.

It'll start at a million won, at least.

I tried to hint that it would be expensive.

"Even so, I can't take this. I'll buy it with my part-time wages."

"Part-time wages..."

Ji Hyuna, who'd been listening, bit her lip a little. Something about her expression looked uneasy.

"Sweetheart. When I was going through the account statements... you'd transferred five hundred thousand won to someone named Lee Boram. You didn't send that to some shady person, did you?"

Five hundred thousand? Ah. That. I pulled out my phone and opened the gallery. Lee Hyun-woo started to shift at the sight of me fiddling with my phone at the dinner table — and then I showed them both the five-hundred-thousand-won VTuber illustration.

"The five hundred thousand was for this. Lee Boram is an unnie I work with at the part-time job. She drew this for me. She said she'd give it to me for free. I refused. I originally wanted to pay her more, but she fought me on it to the end, so we settled at five hundred thousand."

The two of them studied the picture with serious eyes, going over it carefully. It was the look of people assessing whether the piece was actually worth five hundred thousand won.

Don't worry. I wasn't any kind of art expert, but even I could tell. This picture was worth far more than a mere five hundred thousand.

"It does look like it's worth more than that, honestly. She said she drew it herself?"

"Yes. She said it took about two months."

Ji Hyuna's expression shifted into one of satisfaction as she looked at the picture. Then she turned her gaze on Lee Hyun-woo. He was staring at the illustration in silence, as if something were on his mind.

"Is there a problem?"

"No... she said she'd just give this to you, and you paid her anyway?"

"Yes. We even wrote up a contract and handled the tax notice properly. There shouldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be any copyright issues."

"Good... you did well. No matter where you go, you have to lock that kind of thing down. Your dad had a real headache over a copyright lawsuit once, you know."

A copyright lawsuit? Did he use someone else's work without permission? That's not something you do. I'd had something like that happen before, too — the company had nearly been on the hook for a huge sum.

"All right. I understand what that money was for. Buy whatever you want with this."

".....Okay."

Lee Hyun-woo hadn't forgotten. In the end, he pressed the card into my hand.

"You can buy something expensive. Around... 2.58 million won?"

Ji Hyuna said it in a small voice from beside me. I flinched.

How... did she know?

2.58 million won. It matched the exact price of the computer I'd been planning to buy.

"How..."

"Hehe. This mom doesn't have a single thing she doesn't know about her daughter."

"And someone like that just left her daughter until she collapsed?"

A pitiful little smack rang through the restaurant.

The day before the entrance ceremony, a call kept buzzing and buzzing on my phone.

It showed no sign of stopping, so I paused getting ready for school and picked up.

A familiar man's voice came through the speaker.

PD Kang Wonseong let out a small sigh, as if the words were hard to get out.

It was a bolt from the blue, and I lost every word I had.