Back Then, Back Then, Back Then (7)
My mother stayed by my father's side...
And for the first time in a long while, I was left to my own devices.
No, it wasn't freedom. It was just isolation masquerading as it.
The bus arrived, and I took a seat.
My grandfather's memorial service was canceled this year due to this sudden crisis.
Our promise to gather as a family this week and find our smiles again...
Who knew when we would ever be able to keep it now?
Through the bus window, the school was drawing closer.
Last weekend, I discovered that Lee Ga-rang's parents were members of the Baekyeom Sect, and I had a late lunch with the two Na-rins.
The memorial service scheduled for Sunday was ruined when unidentified assailants attacked my father and the others.
While trying to hold them off, my father was severely injured. He was now hospitalized, comatose, and unlikely to wake up for at least a year.
He would inevitably face dismissal or forced retirement. He was going to lose his position as a prosecutor...
Oh, and the parents of my classmate, Yu Min-su, had burned to death.
Min-su still wasn't answering my calls. Only the cold, automated recording telling me the line was unavailable echoed from my phone's speaker.
A moment later, the bus doors hissed open coldly, and I stepped out toward the school.
The Baekyeom Sect...
That bizarre, persistent cult refused to let their embers die. They kept piling kindling all around me.
I couldn't just sit back and watch them do it.
But what could a mere high school student do against them?
There was no answer.
My father was in a coma, and our family was...
"Hae-in, senior. You must be feeling pretty lighthearted. Your suffocating life must feel a whole lot easier now."
Lost in my tangled thoughts, I heard an unfamiliar voice call out to me. It was that massive underclassman.
His name was... Jeong Min-jae.
His acid reflux seemed to have cleared up, but for his very first words to me to be a sarcastic, provocative sneer...
I used to think Park Jun-woo was arrogant, but you're the one who's truly insolent.
"Poking fun at someone else's family tragedy. You're pretty petty for a guy your size," I said.
"You're rich and have plenty of powerful connections, senior. Why not just let whatever a guy like me says go in one ear and out the other?"
"Rich? Powerful connections? What on earth makes you think that?"
"Well, your illustrious grandfather was a high-ranking prosecutor, and your collapsed father was a chief prosecutor. There isn't a single soul in this school who doesn't know that."
Clicking my tongue, I ran a hand through my hair, suppressing my anger at this incredibly insolent junior.
"Hey, kid. You really only see the surface, don't you?"
"Like what?"
Dropping the honorifics already?
Compared to this guy, Park Jun-woo was a saint.
To think I had to waste my morning commute bickering with a petty underclassman...
I decided to clear up his misunderstanding as kindly as possible.
"Listen closely. My grandfather and father were incredibly upright, honest men. They rejected lucrative offers from major law firms and dedicated their lives to public service on a modest government salary. They aren't people you can speak of so disrespectfully. They never sought post-retirement privileges, nor did they rely on favors or connections. While others respected them, they never once wielded coercive power. They were men of true dignity. Do you understand?"
"Still, your grandmother or your mother must be loaded, right?"
"Unfortunately, neither of them came from wealthy, prominent families. Our family doesn't measure relationships solely by money. Now that your curiosity is satisfied, shut your mouth and run along."
After snapping at him, I turned toward the main gate. He watched me from behind and called out.
"Oh Hae-in, senior! I almost forgot. Do-hun senior wants to see you later because of your date with Na-rin senior last weekend. He said he'll come find you himself, so just sit tight and wait~"
Wow...
I couldn't help but be amazed by his parting words.
How did he know I was with Eun Na-rin?
It wasn't the fact that this arrogant, boar-like junior was acting as if he were doing me a favor by telling me to wait.
It was what Kim Do-hun felt toward Eun Na-rin...
It was dangerous.
I recalled the group chat... the one named Baekhwa for no apparent reason. A network where privileged children of wealthy families mingled.
There was a member with the surname Yang, but I couldn't jump to the conclusion that he was connected to the counselor known as 'Shepherd'. I had resolved not to make reckless assumptions.
But whatever the case, Kim Do-hun's obsession with Eun Na-rin...
It wasn't normal.
I ignored Jeong Min-jae, who was smirking behind me, and walked away.
It was as I was stepping up the hallway stairs, my feet pressing down on the steps like piano keys.
"Hae-in, do you have a moment?"
I turned to meet the polite voice.
It was one of the seniors who had helped support me when I had caused a scene due to hallucinations from sleeping pill side effects.
She was a friend of Eun Na-rin's.
"Thank you for your help back then," I said. "I couldn't sleep, so I took two sleeping pills... I didn't expect to hallucinate. I'm sorry for scaring you."
"No, it's fine. Scared? I was just worried something terrible had happened to you. Anyway, could we talk for a bit?"
I nodded silently, and the senior began to speak, her tone pleading.
"Na-rin... she's a good girl, even if she's a bit mischievous. But... I'm sorry to say this, but you transferred here because of something bad. Even though there's only a year left, I'm worried Na-rin might get dragged into some unsavory rumors... I'm truly sorry, but could you stop seeing her? The college entrance exam is coming up soon..."
She was asking me to stop seeing Eun Na-rin.
It was the kind of request that could easily make someone angry, but logically speaking...
It made sense. It was only natural to worry about her associating with the instigator of a severe school violence case—which was practically a major crime.
For my sake, my father had bowed his head and swallowed his pride for the first time in his life.
It was only because of my grandfather's and father's reputations that I had gotten off with just a forced transfer...
"I don't think others should interfere in who I choose to associate with," I replied. "But... given my reputation, I'll think about it."
"I'm sorry... But honestly, you don't seem like the kind of person who would do such things. Maybe that's why Na-rin took a liking to you..."
The senior in front of me looked thoroughly confused by my demeanor.
Of course she was.
I wasn't the actual perpetrator of the school violence.
Then, a thought struck me.
"Excuse me, senior. Why is Kim Do-hun... showing such an intense interest in Eun Na-rin? I want to help her, so could you tell me everything you know?"
Even if I couldn't see her anymore...
I wanted Eun Na-rin to at least remember me as a decent person.
"Ah... Do-hun is, to Na-rin..."
"Yes. He has an abnormal obsession with her. He even sent someone to tell me he wants to see me today because I met up with her over the weekend."
"That boy is truly..."
The senior let out a short sigh. She looked around to make sure no other students were nearby, then leaned in to whisper in my ear.
"Na-rin's parents work at DM Industrial Development, which belongs to Do-hun's family. A long time ago, when Do-hun had a birthday party at his house, Na-rin's parents were invited and brought her along. Do-hun must have fallen for her then, because that's when it all started. Na-rin has never shown the slightest interest in him, but lately, Do-hun seems to be crossing the line... It's still barely within bounds, but..."
The senior finished speaking, her expression dark.
She kept glancing around, anxious that someone might have overheard.
"So that's how they met... And now he's throwing his weight around, relying on his family background. Is that about right?"
"Y-yes. A few students, drunk on the favors Do-hun hands out, have been helping him set the mood... At first, even though he liked Na-rin, he wasn't like this. But ever since he became the student council president... it's just..."
"So here you are."
It was Kim Do-hun.
This time, he had come to find me alone.
The senior gasped and quickly hid behind my back.
I greeted him with a pleasant, easygoing smile.
"We've barely known each other, yet we've gotten so close. Haven't we?"
"Indeed. We've become very close," Kim Do-hun replied, undeterred. He smiled back at me, stepping even closer, bolder than before.
"Senior, why do you look so frightened? You're looking at me as if I'm some kind of school bully."
"Oh... no, it's... it's not like that..."
"No need to tremble. I need to have a chat with Oh Hae-in... so I'd appreciate it if you left. You'll do that for me, right?"
Kim Do-hun pressured the upperclassman with a low, gentle tone. The senior could only clutch at my sleeve, trembling.
I patted her shoulder reassuringly, then turned back to Kim Do-hun, maintaining my smile.
"Do-hun, it seems the senior remembered something unpleasant... She's crying quite hard. I should comfort her, so let's talk later. That's fine, right?"
"Sure. Well... there's no rush. I'll come find you, so just stay right where you are."
The student council president spoke with a relaxed smile, but his eyes...
They were filled with pure hatred.
Only after confirming that Kim Do-hun had completely walked away did the senior hiding behind me finally let out her suppressed tears.
I gently comforted her as I spoke.
"What on earth does Kim Do-hun do to make you so scared? He's just a high school student. I think you're letting his title as a conglomerate chairman's grandson get to you too much, senior."
"Hae-in... he... using that background... to Na-rin... and to us... *sob*."
She was crying too hysterically. I carefully supported Eun Na-rin's friend and guided her back to the third-year classrooms.
As we walked, several students stared at me, their eyes accusing me of having done something terrible again.
"Oh my god, what do we do? Did he... again?"
"What did he do to a senior...?"
It felt as though the passing moments were only adding to the pile of rumors against me. I led her to the classroom where Eun Na-rin was.
Eun Na-rin was whispering with her friends, unaware of my arrival.
Ignoring the hostile glares of the seniors who recognized me, I helped the sobbing girl into her seat.
"Are you feeling a bit better now?" I asked.
"...Thank you."
"What exactly... does Do-hun do to make you so scared?"
I spoke quietly, asking her to tell me more about Kim Do-hun's behavior, but she only offered an apologetic gesture.
I turned my head, giving up, and was about to head back—
"If you're here, you should report to me first."
Eun Na-rin, having patted her friend's back, was now greeting me.
"Report? The bell's about to ring... I'll see you la—actually, no. I don't think we should meet anymore."
"Huh? Why? ...Ah, did she say something? Telling you not to hang out with me?"
Eun Na-rin pointed at her crying friend. I nodded in response.
"So what? She's just a worrywart. Don't let it get to you. Come here."
Eun Na-rin looked up at me and gestured for me to follow her into the hallway. The two of us stepped out, closing the classroom door behind us.
It was just the two of us in the corridor. She leaned in close, as if whispering in a narrow alleyway.
With her soft breath brushing against me, Eun Na-rin's unusually serious words echoed in my ear.
"Hae-in... I saw the news about your family. Promise me... you won't do anything rash."
"...Don't worry, I won't. I'm a bad guy, remember? I don't go down easily."
"A bad guy? The more I see you, the less you seem like one. If something happens to you... I think I'll just cry forever. Got it?"
"You'll cry? Maybe I should get into trouble then. I bet Eun Na-rin looks pretty when she cries."
As soon as the words left my mouth, Eun Na-rin stepped back, instantly reverting to her usual playful self.
"Ugh, so cheesy. You really have no class, Oh Hae-in."
"My class disappeared a long time ago."
"The bell is about to ring! Go be late and get scolded. That's your mission!"
"No way. I'm off."
Eun Na-rin crossed her arms and waved goodbye. I smiled like a child...
My steps back to the classroom felt surprisingly light.
Class ended, but there was no sign of Kim Do-hun, despite his promise to come find me.
I flipped through the pages of my tattered aquarium magazines over and over again.
Eventually, I tossed the magazine onto my desk.
...I tried calling Yu Min-su again.
He still didn't answer.
With no other choice, I was about to hang up the unanswered call when—
He picked up.
"Min-su. Are you ok—"
The call cut off immediately.
He must be going through a lot.
That was the only conclusion I could draw.
Back then.