Chapter 22: The Broken Umbrella and the Gym Key

My low-muttered monologue was buried by the pouring rain. I was actually relieved that I could barely hear my own words as they left my mouth.

Since I was going to be staring out the window anyway, I decided to move. I walked over to the seat where he always sat. Does he rub his cardigan against the desk or something? Just sitting there, his faint scent wafted up. My heart gave an unexpected thump at the encounter with his smell. At that exact moment, the phone in my pocket began to ring.

It was a call.

I pulled it out without hesitation. The unsaved eleven-digit number on the screen had long since become familiar to my eyes. There was no time to waver. I pressed the call button.

“…….”

⌜…….⌟

I answered without a word. I listened to the silence on the other end, waiting. Even if I spoke first, I wouldn’t know what to say other than barking at him to tell me where he was hurting. Perhaps my silence was disappointing, because I heard the faint sound of him clicking his tongue first.

⌜…I went through the trouble of calling, and you don’t even have a word for me.⌟

My brow furrowed. His voice was cracked and hoarse. Was he really that sick? Was he at a hospital? Was I relieved that it wasn’t the kind of “sh*tty situation” I had imagined? I held my breath, unsure of what to say. Then, I caught the sound of his breathing—it was trembling ever so slightly. It couldn’t be that he was catching a cold in July. …It felt strange.

“What’s wrong with your voice?”

⌜I told you, I’m sick.⌟

His voice was as weak as his words suggested.

“Where does it hurt?”

⌜…….⌟

“I asked how much you’re hurting. Why aren’t you answering?”

Anger finally seeped into my tone.

It was an emotion I’d been suppressing all day. No, I wasn’t even sure if it was just from today. The messy scenarios I’d been running through my head all evening lost all meaning at Song Yun Jae’s next words.

⌜…Can you… apply some ointment for me?⌟

F*ck.

A curse escaped me. Normally, he would have let out a small laugh at the rough language, but instead, I heard him let out an unstable breath. The faint trembling in his breathing grew more pronounced. Was he crying? I tried to focus more on his state over the phone, but the sound was suddenly drowned out by a surge in the rain. I hurriedly slammed the window shut.

Song Yun Jae remained silent despite the noise of my frantic movements. I pictured his expressionless face from the time he’d brazenly handed me the ointment after I’d thrown the milk carton at him. No matter what nonsense I spouted, that simpleton usually did his best to hide his emotions. I hated how practiced he seemed at it, but it was painfully obvious that this was how he’d survived.

‘…If I dodge, my mom gets hit.’

Song Yun Jae’s indifferent voice flashed in my mind like a jagged fragment.

“…Where are you?”

⌜…….⌟

“Song Yun Jae.”

It was obvious he was holding his breath. Even now, holding his breath to keep from being caught crying—it was so typical of him. My heart felt even more bruised.

How badly did that piece of sh*t use his hands this time to make a fool like Song Yun Jae hold back his tears? My blood boiled. A stinging anger rose from my gut all the way to my throat. I barely managed to grit my teeth.

“Yun Jae.”

“Mm-hmm,” a muffled, broken response barely reached me.

He said his mother was at home. He said that shtstain had flipped the house upside down before heading back out to the gambling dens. But since his mom was home alone, he said he had to go back soon. Just in case—because that piece of sht shouldn’t be allowed back in tonight.

Even through the tears, his voice tried not to spiral. Realizing that a voice without much range could sound even more pathetic, I swallowed the curses leaking through my teeth.

‘So where are you right now?’

⌜…I came to school.⌟

‘…What?’

⌜I know self-study is over… but the classroom lights were on…. I have the gym key, too….⌟

‘You’re at the gym?’

⌜…….⌟

‘Wait there. I’m coming.’

⌜…Were you… at school…?⌟

‘Don’t hang up.’

Stepping out of the first-floor entrance led to the open campus with no structures to block the rain. If I walked just a bit along the path of stone steps at the edge of the field, I’d reach the gym entrance. It wouldn’t take long to get to where Song Yun Jae was.

I briefly thought about going to the staff room to grab an umbrella to cover him, but then I shook my head. Checking his condition came first. I dove into the rain. I turned the call volume to the maximum, fearing I might miss a sound from him.

Throughout the run down the stairs from the third floor to the first, and through the driving rain to the gym, Song Yun Jae didn’t say a word. I didn’t push him further, either.

The rain I’d ignored, thinking I’d be quick, soaked more than I expected. From my hair to my school shirt, socks, and the hems of my pants—everything was drenched. Transparent streams of water carved paths down the arm I kept raised to hold the phone.

“The umbrella—…f*ck, what is this?”

I lost my words at the sight of the figure before me, unable to care about my own state.

He was in a corner of the gym entrance. Despite having the key, he hadn’t even thought of opening the door; he was crouched in a corner far from it. Drenched hair, a white t-shirt, and beige cotton shorts clung to his body. The curves of his thin back were visible through the wet fabric. The umbrella lying haphazardly beside him was a mess—from the way it was folded, the ribs were clearly broken.

At the sound of my presence, he lifted his head slowly. His face was a disaster. His lip, likely split by a fist, hadn’t even stopped bleeding yet. His eyes and cheeks were swollen red, certain to bruise. Clinging to a pale face, he managed to curl his lips into a smile and opened his mouth.

“…You must be cold, you’re all wet.”

“Who’s worrying about who right now?”

It felt like my insides were being clawed at.

He had never shown up with marks on his face before. His face, which remained pale without tanning even in the transition from spring to summer, was now stained with the color of blood. Why are you swollen red and bleeding everywhere? Why are you here in this state? Why, you…

A question of why he’d just taken it threatened to burst from my churning gut, but I forced it down. Seeing me grinding my teeth, he unfolded his crouched body and held out what he’d been clutching. It was the key.

“…Let’s go in. Let’s just stay inside for a bit.”

“Why were you out here? Are you an idiot? If you have the key, you should have gone inside.”

“…I wanted to see the light in the classroom.”

You foolish bastard.

The irritation and worry that had clawed at me over his absence and condition finally crossed over into anger toward him.

“A guy as smart as you—why do you act so foolishly?”

“…….”

“Your face—f*ck—why did you just stand there? If you couldn’t run alone, you should have brought your mother out. Why did you just sit there and take the beating!”

A ripple disturbed the surface of the water that had been kept unnervingly still. Moisture seeped into Song Yun Jae’s quiet eyes. The arm he’d extended to hand me the key dropped limply. I saw his red-rimmed eyes begin to swell again.

“Go inside. You’ll catch a cold.”

It was hard to watch him bite his lip to hold back his tears, looking as if he’d crumble from being so drenched. I bent down, snatched the key from his hand, and opened the gym door immediately. Leaving the door open, I went back to him and grabbed his arm to pull him up.

“Ugh….”

Reflexively, he tensed his arm and flinched. It was clear that piece of sh*t had laid hands on whatever part I’d grabbed. Letting out a faint groan, Song Yun Jae grabbed my arm in return and slowly pushed himself up. It was too dark to see clearly, but his exposed arms and legs didn’t look like they’d been spared either.

“…Should we go to the infirmary?”

He shook his head.

“I don’t have the infirmary key.”

Ha. He’s even making jokes. A faint, forced smile sat awkwardly on the corners of his lips that were struggling to hold back tears. When I didn’t react to that pitiful effort, Song Yun Jae led the way into the gym. The moment I followed him inside, I locked the door.

“Take it off.”

Song Yun Jae’s thin back flinched at my short command.

After a moment of hesitation, Song Yun Jae shook his head without a word. He walked into the storage area and leaned back against a stack of thin mats as if collapsing. Watching his precarious form, I followed and found the light switch. Snap. As the space brightened, Song Yun Jae lowered his head and curled his body into a ball.

“…Turn off… the light.”

Traces that hadn’t been visible outside now came into full view. His legs, his forearms… every exposed area was covered in bruises. Even on the neck bones protruding as he lowered his head, a blue bruise had taken root. A hollow laugh escaped me. He wasn’t beaten just today. The fact that the colors were different from the freshly swollen red spots grated on me. Anger surged to the top of my head.

“Cha Hyun Uk, …the light.”

“Why did you ignore my text yesterday?”

“…….”

“You’ve been getting hit since yesterday, haven’t you? F*ck.”

His weakly huddled body flinched. He slowly lifted his head from where he’d been hiding his face. Even in his reddened eyes, blood was beaded like a fresh scratch.

“…Yeah. I think it’s the worst I’ve been hit in a long time.”

“Fck, what do you mean ‘long time’? Don’t you know you get hit like sht every single time?”

“…He came for money, but Mom didn’t give it to him. He asked when the scholarship was coming, and I told him I wouldn’t get it because I messed up this exam, and… he just lost it.”

“Why didn’t you call the police? Is your phone just for show?”

He let out a faint, powerless chuckle.