Chapter 19: The Puppy and the Clothes

“Jaeyul.”

I only understood what he was doing after a long moment.

He wasn’t wearing a shirt and had stuffed his clothes into the sink, washing them with water.

And he was crying, tears falling in a steady stream.

Jaeyul froze as soon as he heard my voice.

Even the sound of his sobs disappeared.

All that remained in the bathroom was the rush of the running tap.

I couldn’t say anything else.

I couldn’t bring myself to ask what had happened.

Whatever had happened didn’t matter right now.

What mattered was that something had made this child cry like that.

“Why are you here? I looked for you everywhere. Let’s go home.”

Instead of asking more, I took off my shirt, wrapped it around Jaeyul, and hugged him with all my strength.

“It’s okay. It’s all okay now, Jaeyul.”

No matter what had happened, I wanted to tell him he was safe now.

“Hu, waah…!”

He must have burst from the sorrow.

The cry of the child in my arms grew louder.

That was for the best.

If he could release his feelings through tears, he could cry as much as he needed.

I simply repeated that it was okay and smoothed his small back.

For a long time, like that.

Jaeyul was wrapped in a blanket, clutching the monster puppy tightly.

Even after we got home, washed him, fed him, and I made him a warm cup of cocoa, he wore a heavy expression.

“…What is this…?”

Thank goodness.

Thanks to the monster puppy, Jaeyul finally spoke.

The small creature seemed to fascinate him.

But the little monster that had been running around noisily sat quietly like a stuffed toy when Jaeyul held it.

It licked Jaeyul’s hand like it was being affectionate.

“It’s Jaeyul’s friend. Baby… it’s a puppy, so you should be nice to it, okay?”

It felt a bit embarrassing to lie so openly.

Friend—yeah right.

And it wasn’t even really a dog….

Still, judging by its appearance it was close enough, so let’s go with that.

“…Cute….”

“Good. Don’t ever bother it. Be kind.”

I said that while looking the monster puppy in the eye.

A warning.

If it raised a claw at Jaeyul, I’d make it experience hell.

I’d pull Petra out alive.

Whether it understood or not, the creature only allowed Jaeyul to touch its belly.

“What’s your name…?”

A name…?

Hmm. I hadn’t thought about it.

Why give a name to a mere monster?

As if knowing what I was thinking, the monster puppy sat properly and its yellow eyes gleamed.

It looked as if it were saying, “Give me a name, human.”

“Um… well….”

I’d never raised an animal before, so I wasn’t sure.

There were a few names that usually sounded right in situations like this, I thought….

“How about Ppoppi?”

“Aang, aang!”

The monster pup didn’t seem to like the name.

“Or since it’s silver, maybe Eundong… or because its eyes are yellow, Nureongi could work.”

“…I think Ppoppi’s good, hyung.”

“Right? I think so too. Let’s go with Ppoppi.”

“Grroowl…! Aang, aang!”

Shut up, you little thing.

It barked and bared its tiny teeth in protest, but it was decided.

Jaeyul liked it too, so there was no room for debate.

I didn’t want to waste my precious brain cells picking a name for a monster.

So for now, we adopted Ppoppi into our family.

“Jaeyul.”

There was a more important issue than the monster right now.

I needed to know why Jaeyul had been like that earlier.

Even if it was temporary, I was effectively this child’s guardian now.

That meant I had at least a minimal duty.

“…Huh?”

Jaeyul looked at me with anxious eyes, as if he’d guessed what I was about to say—unlike when we were talking about Ppoppi.

“Can you tell me what happened earlier? If I know, I might be able to help.”

“…I’m sorry….”

“Hmm…?”

He instantly pouted.

The hand that had been petting Ppoppi stopped, and his face looked like he might cry again.

“My clothes… the ones you bought me… they got ruined….”

That answer missed the point.

I pushed Ppoppi aside and sat Jaeyul between my legs.

I took his thin arms in my hands and spoke with force.

“That doesn’t matter, Jaeyul. Clothes can be bought again. What I want to know is why you ended up like that.”

It had been his first day at school.

I had deliberately dressed him up in nicer clothes for his first day.

He hadn’t wanted to go, and I insisted.

And right after I sent him to school, something bad had happened—of course I was curious.

“So that’s it… the other kids asked why I was wearing nice clothes….”

“Huh…?”

“They said I’m poor, why am I wearing nice clothes… they said I must have bought them with welfare money… and they threw paint on them….”

Kids are cunning.

And far from innocent.

They’re not generous either.

I know that well because I’ve experienced it countless times.

Kids who always wear the same clothes never make friends easily.

There were plenty who cried and threw tantrums, saying they didn’t want to sit next to a dirty kid, not wanting to be paired with me.

Where someone lives, whether they own or rent, what car their parents have—those become criteria for making friends.

Those kids, when they grow up and are exposed to more information, only pretend to care for the socially weak.

You can’t entirely blame the children.

It’s the adults who fed them wrong ideas that are the problem.

Where else would the children have heard such things?

From bad parents, from wrong words.

It’s the adults’ fault for not guiding those twisted kids back on track.

Adults who weren’t properly formed led children down the wrong path.

“…I see.”

“You thought I’d be sad if my new clothes were ruined….”

Sad, huh.

A similar feeling, but different.

Seeing a child washing his ruined clothes alone was simply shocking.

After hearing what Jaeyul told me, I felt anger.

This is why I hate people.

To think I risked my life fighting for such garbage.

“Jaeyul. If something like this happens, you must never just take it.”

“…Huh…?”

“If you just stay still, they’ll do it again. If you give in, they’ll hit you again; if you accept it, they’ll keep bullying you. Being poor doesn’t mean you can’t wear nice clothes or eat good food.”

That line hit me hardest.

They asked why he was wearing nice clothes with welfare money.

So people who receive assistance should live eating instant noodles and in rags?

Moreover, the money spent on Jaeyul’s clothes wasn’t welfare money.

It was money I had earned.

I didn’t know if Jaeyul could fully understand what I was saying.

“…If I don’t just take it, what should I do…?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it this time.”

Never, ever!

He won’t just keep taking it.

No matter how nice you try to be, you lose out in the end.

I won’t let Jaeyul live like that.

My fighting spirit surged up again after a long time.

You’re all finished, you lot.

“Isn’t school supposed to at least protect students?”

“No, it was just kids playing and a small problem happened.”

“A small problem? Hah… right. Problems can occur. But did the teacher do anything? Did you contact me? Did you call the parents of the students who did this?”

“Wh-what do you mean ‘perpetrators’! If someone heard you, they’d think a school violence incident happened!”

Sometimes you want the world to just burn down.

Instead of trying to rehabilitate trash like this, it’d be better to reset humanity with extinction and start over.

Or maybe it’s better not to attend a school like this at all.

How could a teacher be so out of touch?

I had come at the time school was letting out the day after Jaeyul’s incident, and the teacher treated me as if it was no big deal.

“And Jaeyul also doesn’t really fit in, so that’s part of it.”

“Oh. So if he doesn’t fit in we can bully him? That’s the bully’s logic you’re using perfectly. Then you wouldn’t have any problem if someone treated you the same way for not fitting in, would you?”

The young teacher’s face contorted.

You could read his thoughts: “This kid can talk too well. I’m annoyed; let’s let this slide.”

I might look seventeen, but I’m thirty-two inside, you punk.

“Call all the parents of the perpetrators. I can’t let this go, and I’ll file a complaint with the education office, just so you know.”

“Jaeyul’s brother! Uh, there’s no need to blow this up—can’t we handle it by talking….”

“No. I’ll escalate it as much as possible. I’ll file a complaint with the superintendent’s office and post it on the national petition board. I will never entrust Jaeyul to a teacher like you. I recorded everything you said. If you’re so confident, you shouldn’t have any problem with me filing a complaint, right?”

The teacher was the problem.

Knowing an incident had occurred in his class, he hadn’t contacted me and had sent Jaeyul home alone.

Now he sided with the perpetrators.

Perhaps realizing the gravity, he hurriedly contacted the parents of the offending students.

“Bring the ‘perpetrator’ students too.”

We’ll see.

I’ll make sure no one ever dares to touch Jaeyul again.