I Never Force Anyone
Morning light filtered in. An expression I'd read in novels occasionally popped into my head. This is what a good bed feels like. The mattress felt incredible. Amidst it all, Shin Jaewoo twitched slightly. He wasn't lying alone in this bed.
"Mm."
A woman stirred, letting out an uncomfortable groan. The front of her hotel robe had slipped open just a bit. The glimpse of skin inside brought back the pleasures of last night.
Ah.
Lee Sooyoung. The woman who'd brought him here and seduced him. They'd shared their bodies once. Or maybe it couldn't even be called just once. It had felt like today was their only chance, going on three or four times.
Recalling it now made him embarrassed. But on the other hand, it had built a certain intimacy with Lee Sooyoung. He could almost reach out to her subtly even now.
...Let's hold back. They hadn't made any promises, but there'd be another chance. And her words came back to him. She wasn't his "girlfriend." He felt the same. He didn't feel the same romantic emotions toward her as he had with Kim Hyeju back then. Sure, they'd grown close physically and emotionally, but loving this woman was a different story.
If I put it like that, do I sound like trash?
He shifted his focus. For instance, to the modern essential: his smartphone.
"Hm?"
There were more missed calls and texts than expected.
First, Lee Haein.
Just a casual message. Then Kim Minseo.
Kim Minseo, still nagging out of curiosity. Up to here, it was all understandable. The problem came next.
The following contact was from 010-0000-0000.
...Should've blocked it. Kim Hyeju. He'd deleted her contact, so her name didn't show, but he hadn't forgotten the number. Texts and calls had come in. He blocked them without even checking.
And...
Then an unexpected person.
Han Taeho. The guy who'd strutted around like he owned the place among their peers. But yesterday, he'd seen it. The way his pride crumbled in front of Kim Dongsu.
A message of complete surrender from him.
That prideful guy went this far.
Shin Jaewoo's eyes grew complicated as he watched. Han Taeho. He definitely wasn't someone he liked. And their bad blood was real, but recalling what he'd endured from Kim Dongsu...
He's kinda pitiful.
He replied to him. Nothing else. Just his hotel room number.
Lee Sooyoung woke up, embarrassed, and headed out. But before leaving, she planted a kiss on his cheek.
Does this mean it's possible again next time?
Last night's fun had been different from times with other women. Until now, Shin Jaewoo had always been conscious of the woman's reactions. But yesterday, he hadn't. That's why it felt even better.
Anyway, now it was time to focus elsewhere.
"Thank you so much for actually calling me, hyungnim."
Han Taeho had arrived. A college classmate. Among them, the one who'd always been busy showing off. His old frenemy.
"I swear I won't mess with hyungnim ever again. And... about Hyeju and everything, I'm truly sorry. It was all my fault."
Shin Jaewoo had pondered what to say when they met. But he flinched.
What the hell happened to him?
There were wounds on his face. Scars that definitely hadn't been there at the party. Han Taeho dropped to his knees the moment he entered, head bowed low.
"Hyungnim, please just spare me. It was all my fault. If you can't forgive me, then just beat me instead."
"Haa."
Shin Jaewoo sighed at his words.
I didn't know he was this kind of guy...
He was seeing a new side of Han Taeho. Utterly weak to the strong, strong to the weak. That was Han Taeho.
Shin Jaewoo stared at him blankly.
"...How could I hit you?"
And then his question. Shin Jaewoo kept thinking. How to handle this guy.
"Then... you're forgiving me...?"
Yes, forgiveness. Begging for it meant admitting fault. And Han Taeho had wronged him. The pain of those wounds was gone now, but that didn't excuse it.
Getting beat by someone else doesn't count as paying for his sins...
Shin Jaewoo shook his head.
"No, that's not it."
A firm tone. Even he was a bit surprised. He'd thought the hurt had faded, but his voice sounded colder than expected—even to himself. No need to mention how Han Taeho felt. He bowed his head lower, pressing his forehead to the floor.
"Hyungnim. If you just forgive me, I'll be your dog—bark if you say bark, grovel if you say grovel. Give me one more chance."
Han Taeho, who was nothing without his pride, had gone this far.
If our classmates saw this, they'd be floored. No one would believe it.
As that thought crossed Shin Jaewoo's mind, an idea flashed.
"Taeho-ya."
"...Yes, hyungnim."
"I'm not actually your hyung."
"N-no, you are. You're my hyungnim. Please take me as your little brother."
Han Taeho hesitated, then answered. Watching this, the corners of Shin Jaewoo's mouth curved.
This could be fun.
Another idea struck him.
"You really wanna be my little brother?"
Shin Jaewoo asked again.
"Of course, hyungnim! If you give me the chance, I'll devote my loyalty completely!"
Shin Jaewoo crossed his legs. Looking down at Han Taeho still prostrated before him, he spoke.
"Well, there is a way you could become my little brother."
"R-really?"
"Of course. I... won't hit you like your previous 'hyung' did."
Shin Jaewoo added lightly. Han Taeho flinched at the words. That alone told Shin Jaewoo everything.
He really got beat by that guy.
Kim Dongsu. The man who'd seemed quite friendly toward him.
Behind that nice-guy face, what he'd said to that club president boss made him seem awfully arrogant.
He didn't want to get close. Seeing Han Taeho like this only reinforced it. Separate from his dislike for Han Taeho, it was revulsion toward Kim Dongsu.
"But first... we have mutual connections, right? And now those connections all know what you did to me."
"Y-yes. I'm truly sorry."
In truth, only Kim Taeksu really knew about it. And Kim Taeksu was tight-lipped, as far as he knew.
But I can't be sure the others don't know.
Among the classmates he hung with, Kim Taeksu was truly his man. A real bro. The others were a bit different. They were Han Taeho's friends too. Connections made through him.
Some were my friends who switched to Han Taeho's side.
They might already know about him and Kim Hyeju. Anyway, the crew Han Taeho had lorded over, just like he'd served Kim Dongsu. Classmates, friends, in that ambiguous spot.
"What do you think our classmates will say?"
"I-I'll handle it somehow. If any bastard disrespects hyungnim, I'll take him out."
"Heh. They're my classmates and friends—why would you do that?"
Flich. Han Taeho started feeling uneasy.
"Taeho-ya."
Shin Jaewoo called him calmly.
"Yes, hyungnim."
"You really gonna be my little brother?"
It was like an ultimatum. Shin Jaewoo continued.
"We can't stay classmates or friends anymore, obviously. But even so, you wanna be my real little brother?"
Han Taeho shed invisible tears inside.
"...I'll be your little brother. Please let me."
"Seeing you like this, I almost feel sorry for you..."
Mid-sentence, Shin Jaewoo's lips quirked up.
"You'll have to clear up the thing with Hyeju yourself."
As he said it, he knew.
He'll pin all the blame on Hyeju to save himself.
Kim Hyeju. To survive, Han Taeho would bite her hard. Bad rumors about her would spread among his classmates. Couldn't be helped. Karma.
Cheating with another guy while engaged was the first mistake.
And he still hadn't gotten her apology. Probably never would. She was out of his life now.
"Of course, hyungnim."
Han Taeho said. Shin Jaewoo spoke again.
"But my friends would be your hyungs too, right?"
Hierarchy sorting. Han Taeho's face hardened.
Shit!
He realized what Shin Jaewoo wanted.
"You gotta tell our classmates how things stand between us. We're all connected—cleaner that way, no?"
At Shin Jaewoo's question, Han Taeho's gut twisted. The classmates he'd always led. Kneeling before Shin Jaewoo in front of them.
And that wasn't all. Shin Jaewoo's earlier words.
-My friends would be your hyungs too.
Serve all those he'd looked down on as hyungnims.
"If you don't want to, no need. I never force anyone."