Sixteen, The Age When Secrets Sometimes Need to Be Hidden (1)
The second semester of third year middle school, February. It was that strange, floating period every Korean student experiences right before becoming a real first-year high schooler. Final exams had ended long ago, classes at school had basically stopped, and even the high school placement announcements were over. With no tension left whatsoever, our Yeonhwa Middle School had turned into absolute chaos.
Officially it was self-study time, but in reality it was just free playtime. Some kids brought laptops, hooked them up to the classroom monitor, and played AOS games on the seventy-inch screen. Others sprawled across their desks sleeping, while a few simply left campus entirely to hang out outside with their friends. The situation had gotten so bad that even our homeroom teacher—who usually avoided getting involved—finally snapped and said, “What are you guys, third-years who’ve already taken the college entrance exam?” At that point, the atmosphere spoke for itself.
But.
“Hmm…”
Even in that complete mess of a classroom, I sat there gripping a pen and eraser, solving math problems. It wasn’t because I had some burning academic passion or grand goal that made me study even during free time… Of course not. It was simply makeup work.
Tonight I had tutoring with Kim Yuna, and I’d gotten swept up in the playful mood with the others—including Aki—and completely forgotten to do the homework she’d assigned. Since Kim Yuna said we were progressing fast, she was already making us preview the early second-year high school curriculum. The amount of homework was enormous. If I didn’t carve out time right now, there was no way I’d finish it all today.
“…Ugh, this is hard.”
I was staring at a particularly difficult problem and groaning when a familiar voice came from beside me.
“Dude, you’re actually studying in this atmosphere? If a guy with your looks and athleticism is good at studying too, what the hell are the rest of us supposed to do for a living?”
I glanced over. Sure enough, it was Jaehyun. I set my mechanical pencil down lightly and answered grumpily.
“I’m not studying. I’m doing tutoring homework.”
“Tutoring? Oh, you mean the stuff that pretty college girl is teaching you?”
“Hey, I never said—”
I’d only told them a college student was tutoring us. That was it.
“What? A college girl is teaching you?”
“Wooju is dating a college girl?!”
“Whoa, Wooju you capable bastard. How does a third-year middle schooler end up living with a college student?”
“……”
I tried to deny it, but it was already too late. Jaehyun had deliberately said “pretty college girl” loud enough for the whole class to hear. Before I could do anything, the rumor had spread and twisted and mutated into the completely groundless gossip that “Wooju is living with a beautiful college girl.”
“Sigh…”
I opened my mouth to say something, then just let out a deep breath. Once these hyenas sank their teeth into a topic, there was no getting them off. This wasn’t the first or second time it had happened, and I knew they’d just keep talking over me anyway, so I simply shook my head.
“Wooju, is it true you’re living with a pretty college girl?”
“Of course it’s not.”
“It’s not? With a face like Wooju’s, it’s totally possible. I thought it was real.”
“You never know. Maybe he really is and he’s just hiding it.”
“Yeah, for all we know, when he goes home a college girl has dinner waiting for him. That’s why he always goes straight home instead of hanging out with us.”
“Hey Wooju, be honest. You’re actually living with a college girl, aren’t you?”
Like fish swarming around bait thrown into a calm lake, my friends crowded around me, each throwing in their own comment. Looked like doing my homework nicely was no longer an option… To chase these hyenas away quickly, I deliberately answered with a serious face.
“What living together? I live with my mom and dad.”
“Ugh, what a boring goody-two-shoes.”
“This is exactly when you should joke that you do live together. Wooju, have you lost all your sense of humor?”
“Sense of humor grows on persimmon trees.”
“Whoa, listen to that dad joke. Is Wooju actually a middle-aged man? How does he have so many of those?”
“I don’t mind the jokes, but they’re not funny, not touching, and have zero concept.”
“No, I seriously don’t get it. Why is Fujiwara dating a guy who only tells lame dad jokes? Do girls really not care about anything except a handsome face?”
“Wooju’s big though. That’s probably why.”
“Ah……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
At someone’s casual remark, every friend’s gaze suddenly locked onto me. No—onto my lower half.
“Yeah, now that you mention it, I saw it in the bathroom last time. Looked like a sweet potato the size of a forearm.”
“You saw it too? Wow, when I saw Wooju’s I thought he was half Black or something. I’m not kidding—I seriously thought he wasn’t fully Korean.”
“Wooju, I’m not trying to mess with you, I’m genuinely curious. Is your dad or grandpa Black by any chance?”
“What the hell are you talking about? Both of them are Korean.”
“Damn, so it’s pure Korean genes on max power.”
“By the way, weren’t you dating that girl from the class next door?”
“Yeah, he’s dating a mixed girl.”
“Ohhh, her? I thought he was dating someone else. This two-timing bastard.”
“Two-timing? I’ve never even had a girlfriend before…”
I’d answered with genuine sincerity, but the friend who heard me looked dead serious as he shot back.
“Bullshit. At least put some effort into your lies. We all know you hang out with that girl from next door every day. You’re saying you’re not dating?”
“Does hanging out together automatically mean dating? Then I guess I’m dating all of you too?”
“What kind of nonsense logic is that? How is that the same?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking? He’s saying weird stuff because it’d be embarrassing to admit they’re dating. He probably knows himself how ridiculous it sounds.”
“Hey, Wooju.”
Jaehyun dragged a chair over from an empty desk and plopped down on it.
“I’m actually curious about something. Every time we ask if you’re dating Fujiwara, you always say no. Why is that?”
“……”
I stared at Jaehyun. I’d thought it was just another one of his usual jokes, but his expression as he looked at me was surprisingly serious. It seemed he was genuinely wondering.
In that case, I should answer seriously too. I cleared my throat once, swept my gaze over the friends waiting for my answer, and said,
“…Well, because we’re really not dating?”
“Ah, here we go again.”
“And there it is. I thought since he looked so damn serious this time he might actually tell the truth. I’m the idiot for believing Wooju.”
“The greatest beta male of our time, the one and only JOAT Wooju.”
“I’m telling the truth though…”
“Hey, Wooju. Then answer just this one thing for real.”
The friend sitting next to Jaehyun tapped the desk to get everyone’s attention. I nodded, signaling him to ask. He glanced around nervously, then whispered in a small voice.
“How far have you gone with your girlfriend? Be completely honest.”
“Whoa, I’m actually really curious about this.”
“Haven’t you and her been together for over three years?”
“Three years? Then you’ve probably done everything.”
“Hey, have you done it?”
“……”
“Wooju, answer.”
“Hey, you’re not saying anything? This guy’s suspicious.”
“Ugh, this is so damn frustrating. Say something already!”
“No, seriously, stop laughing and answer! Do you want to see a person die from pent-up curiosity—”
──Ding~ Dong~ Dang~ Dong~
The bell rang at the perfect moment. I stood up from my seat.
“Huh? Hey, Wooju! Why are you getting up?”
“Class is over, I’m heading out.”
“At least answer before you go! Did you do it or not?!”
The friends gathered around me looked up at me with expressions that had gone beyond panic and straight into disbelief. But I pretended not to notice any of those stares and said one thing.
“Yeah, I’m not telling you.”
“…What?”
Immediately after, I quickly escaped the area and dashed toward the back door. My friends stared at me blankly for a moment, then snapped out of it and jumped up to chase after me.
“Hey hey, catch that bastard!”
“Wow, what the hell is wrong with him?”
“This crazy son of a—when I catch him I’m twisting his ankle 360 degrees—!”
After school, during tutoring time.
“Yep, you solved that well. Alright, that’s it for today. Both Wooju and Aki worked really hard!”
With Kim Yuna’s cheerful closing remark, the roughly two-hour tutoring session ended. She patted our shoulders with a smile as if to say good job, skillfully gathered the textbooks, and stood up first. Aki and I quickly tidied up our spots and followed her down to the first floor to see her off.
“Thank you for your hard work, ma’am. Have a safe trip home.”
“You worked hard, Yuna!”
“Yep yep, see you next week~”
Beep. Click—.
“…She’s gone, Wooju~chan?”
“Yeah, I can hear her footsteps. She’s all the way down now.”
“Phew…”
The moment we confirmed Kim Yuna had left for home, both Aki and I let out a sigh at the same time. The reason we were acting like this even though we hadn’t done anything wrong was simple. Both of us, for our own reasons, hadn’t finished the homework Kim Yuna had assigned. Fortunately she seemed to have forgotten about it and didn’t check, but we’d been on edge the whole time worrying she might notice.
“Thank goodness it worked out… She’s scary when she gets mad.”
In two whole years she had never once gotten angry, but last year when someone forgot their homework she had exploded. I remembered her saying once that people who don’t usually get angry are even scarier when they do. Having experienced it once, both Aki and I had been extremely nervous.
“From now on let’s make sure to do our homework, Wooju~chan…”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
“…Now that the tension’s gone, I’m hungry. Wooju~chan, want a snack?”
“Snack? Wait, I’ll go to the living room and see if there’s anything.”
“No, Wooju~chan, you stay in the room. I’ll go find some.”
“It’s my house though, I should go. You go up first. I’ll be right there.”
“No, Wooju~chan stay in the room. I’ll find it and bring it up.”
“It’s still my house, so I should go. Go up first. I’ll come up soon.”
“Ah… Okay. But come quickly, Wooju~chan? I’ll be waiting!”
Aki, who had started calling herself atashi instead of watashi and had become even cuter, carefully walked up to the second floor. I watched her back for a moment, and once her silhouette disappeared from view, I headed to the living room.
“Mom, is there anything to eat?”
“Something to eat? There’s plenty. We have cookies—should I bring some with milk?”
“Put them on a tray. I’ll take it up myself.”
“So now you’re going to personally take care of your girl’s snacks, huh? Alright, Mom won’t interfere and be a third wheel.”
“……”
I’d only said I’d take it myself to save her the trouble since I was going up anyway, but she had to say all that. I pretended not to hear and idly fiddled with the magnets on the refrigerator.
“Here you go, my son. All ready.”
“Ah, thanks, Mom.”
“No need to thank me, we’re family. …Oh, but Wooju?”
Just as I took the tray and was about to head upstairs, Mom stopped me with her voice. I turned my head slightly. She was looking at me with a worried gaze.
“You know Mom and Dad are starting work at the U.S. embassy in March, right? Are you really going to be okay?”
I was about to answer I know, but paused. The meaning behind “Are you really going to be okay?” was whether it was fine for me not to follow them to the States.
“Um…”
I had decided to stay in Korea alone instead of following my parents, who would be moving to the U.S. this March. The reason was long and complicated, so I’d skip it for now. Anyway, since it was already a settled matter, I answered casually.
“It’s fine. I’m not a little kid anymore.”
“This kid… Just because you’re tall doesn’t make you an adult. An adult is someone who can take responsibility for everything by themselves. You’re still a child, Wooju, a child.”
“Ah, there you go again. Okay, I’m a child, got it.”
It wasn’t the first or second time I’d heard it, so I responded smoothly. But Mom still seemed incredibly worried as she stroked her chin anxiously.
“Iroha and the Sumimoto family are nearby, and we’ll send plenty of living expenses, so there probably won’t be any big problems… Wooju, are you really sure you’ll be okay living alone starting next month? Can you make sure to eat properly?”
“Yes, don’t worry. I can handle it by myself.”
“Wooju, why don’t you just come with Mom and Dad…”
“──I’m going up, Mom!”
If I stayed any longer I’d only hear unnecessary things, so I quickly left. From behind I could hear “Wooju, don’t be like that—think about it one more time~!” but I pretended not to hear. I went straight up to the second floor and knocked on my bedroom door.
“Aki, I brought snacks.”
The reason I knocked even though it was my own house was simple. Mom had said that even if we were comfortable with each other, precisely because we were comfortable we needed to be even more careful about keeping proper boundaries if we wanted it to last.
“That’s strange. Is she not there?”
Anyway, I knocked twice but there was no response. Figuring she must have gone to the bathroom, I set the tray down, turned the doorknob, and carefully opened the door.
“Huh.”
I could see Aki’s back as she sat in front of my computer desk. It looked like she was searching for something on the computer. What was she doing?
‘…Wait, she hasn’t noticed me?’
I was about to walk over without thinking when I stopped. She seemed so focused that she hadn’t even heard me come in, so a mischievous idea suddenly popped into my head. This was a good chance. I should sneak up and surprise her.
‘…Don’t make a sound.’
I crept forward silently. Like a dead mouse—truly without making even the slightest noise—I approached. It was so quiet that even I was impressed with how stealthy I was being.
And then, finally, I saw the monitor screen in front of Aki.
She was watching some kind of video. A video where most of the screen was filled with skin tones.
‘…What?!’
What the—?
I doubted my own eyes. The fact that Aki was watching that kind of video on my computer was shocking enough, but there was something even more shocking.
It was the exact same video I had watched just yesterday.
In other words, the one with the actress who looked strangely similar to Aki, blindfolded and gagged, being roughly ravished by the male actor—
“…Ah, no.”
How on earth did she find this?
Beyond normal surprise, I was so stunned that I unconsciously staggered backward. Of course that made a rustling sound.
“……”
“……”
Our eyes met in midair.
“……”
“……”
“……”
“…Wooju~chan.”
“…Y-yeah?”
“What… is this…?”
“……”
The greatest crisis of my life had arrived.