Chapter 24: A Troublesome Cousin and Unsettling Secrets

I slowly rose from my seat. Beyond the square window, the sky glowed a deep yellow, indicating I was preparing to leave earlier than usual.

“I’m going home.”

“Okay.”

Yoon Heesung looked utterly exhausted, so it seemed best to leave early. Although we had sat side by side, flipping through workbooks today, he couldn’t concentrate at all. He also appeared to be in a foul mood; when I announced I was leaving, he didn’t even try to stop me.

The saving grace was that he saw me off from the second floor, saying, “Yunwoo. I’ll go to school tomorrow.” Feeling as though his mood had lifted slightly, I smiled and waved back, but the moment I turned my back, my own expression soured. I exited the annex, my face crumpled like a plastic bag.

The reason for Yoon Heesung’s dispirited state was painfully obvious. It was undoubtedly because of that Yeon Hoyoung, or whatever his name was. Given his crude mouth, I suspected he had dragged Yoon Heesung into a corner and showered him with insults. Yeon Hoyoung’s expression, the last I saw before entering, had also been unsettling.

“Hey!”

I froze. My steps halted, and my thoughts shattered. Reflexively, I turned my head towards the shout.

Standing there was the root cause of all my troubles.

“Why are you only coming out now?!”

Yeon Hoyoung burst out of a car parked beside the main gate, shouting. With a resounding bang, he slammed the car door with enough force to shatter it, then practically flew towards me.

“Is there nothing but the sea to look at around here? I thought I’d die of boredom waiting. How can anyone live in a place like this?”

“You still haven’t gone home?”

Regardless of my astonishment, Yeon Hoyoung approached me, then peered down at my chest.

“Lee… Yunwoo. Lee Yunwoo.”

Yeon Hoyoung, who had been muttering my name several times as if trying to memorize it, then asked.

“Hey, what exactly is your relationship with Yoon Heesung? You said his aunt didn’t bring you here. So you’re voluntarily getting close to Yoon Heesung, but why? Because you’re in the same class? Does he even go to school?”

“Why are you so full of questions…? What business is it of yours?”

Recalling Yoon Heesung’s subdued state from moments ago, I spoke harshly. I had no intention of letting this slide amicably as before.

Yet, Yeon Hoyoung remained unfazed by my rather sharp retort.

“How heartless, making someone wait like that. It’ll only take a moment, so come with me.”

“What is it, suddenly? Let go of me, let go and talk! Hey!”

Yeon Hoyoung grabbed my backpack strap and pulled. Absurdly, his forceful grip triggered memories of past terror—the bullying tactics of Im Namwoo’s gang. I was unable to resist and simply let myself be dragged along.

Yeon Hoyoung led me around the villa’s wall until we reached a sharp corner, then abruptly pushed me against the wall, trapping me between his arms.

“Are you really not someone his aunt put here? I thought you were at first.”

“What are you talking about? Who is this ‘aunt’ you keep mentioning? You’re not talking about the madam, are you?”

I belatedly regained my composure, my back aching from the rough shove. To calm myself, I mentally chanted: ‘He’s not Im Namwoo. He’s Yoon Heesung’s cousin, so he wouldn’t hit me, Yoon Heesung’s friend.’ I composed my expression, feigning nonchalance.

At my reply, Yeon Hoyoung spoke with a suspicious tone.

“Aunt or whoever, didn’t someone forcibly assign you to him?”

A hollow laugh escaped me. Forcibly assigned, indeed—Yeon Hoyoung’s imagination was running wild. It was true that my mother and the madam had asked me to look after Yoon Heesung, but my mother worked here, and the madam was Yoon Heesung’s mother. It seemed only natural for her to say something like that to her son’s friend.

I pushed Yeon Hoyoung away as he leaned in, threatening to press his body against mine.

“Stop talking nonsense. Dragging someone here by force like this… And what did you say to Yoon Heesung when you took him away earlier?”

I forced strength into my voice. It seemed I needed to interrogate this guy to find out why Yoon Heesung was so dispirited; I couldn’t ask Yoon Heesung directly, but I could ask Yeon Hoyoung.

“What did I say? I barely said anything, why?”

“Yoon Heesung is clearly dispirited because of something you said.”

“…”

At my words, Yeon Hoyoung’s eyes widened, as if he’d never heard such a thing in his life. Yeon Hoyoung, who had been wearing an expression of intense amusement, suddenly burst into uproarious laughter. Ha ha, ha! After laughing for a long time, Yeon Hoyoung rubbed his tear-filled eyes and asked.

“You… you’re really not close to Yoon Heesung, are you? You truly don’t know anything.”

“We are close?”

At my remark, Yeon Hoyoung smirked mockingly.

“Oh really? Close? You’re close to him?”

“…”

“Hey, someone who claims to be close wouldn’t say something like that, would they? Who’s dispirited? Yoon Heesung?”

His playful tone was clearly meant to tease. Then, without warning, he thrust his phone at me, making a demand.

“Hey, give me your number.”

“No thanks.”

‘What would he do with my number? I’d be lucky if he didn’t just prank call me.’ But regardless of my refusal, Yeon Hoyoung forcibly pressed his phone into my hand.

“No time for this. How many eyes do you think are watching here?”

“What are you talking about? There’s no one here.”

However, Yeon Hoyoung was persistent. Realizing it was futile, he changed tactics, speaking as if he were granting me a concession.

“Damn it. Fine. Then give me yours. I’ll give you my number, so contact me. It’s because I have something to tell you about Yoon Heesung. Just listen, okay?”

At the three syllables of ‘Yoon Heesung,’ I naturally hesitated. And Yeon Hoyoung was not one to miss such a subtle cue; seizing the moment, he rattled off more.

“This is all for your own good, to help you. Do you think I have nothing better to do than this? I’m a busy person too. I need to leave soon.”

“…”

“This is really, *really* important. You absolutely need to know. Understand?”

His increasingly verbose explanations struck me as suspicious. He was undoubtedly lying to manipulate me into doing what he wanted. Unable to trust Yeon Hoyoung, I did not lower my guard.

“I’m telling you, it’s related to Yoon Heesung! If not me, no one else will tell you.”

But honestly, I was curious about this ‘Yoon Heesung story’ Yeon Hoyoung kept mentioning. It might turn out to be useless information, but my curiosity, usually dormant, only stirred at the three syllables of Yoon Heesung’s name.

Yoon Heesung’s sharp demeanor from earlier today, a side I had never seen before, came to mind again. His profoundly low mood must have been connected to Yeon Hoyoung. Furthermore, Yeon Hoyoung clearly knew things about Yoon Heesung that I didn’t.

‘I can’t ask him directly…’

How could I press for more details from someone who had explicitly told me not to be curious about Yeon Hoyoung? Just mentioning Yeon Hoyoung’s name would surely stress Yoon Heesung.

I cautiously asked.

“What is it, then? If you’re going to tell me, do it now.”

“I don’t have time right now, no time at all. It’s a long story. I have to go too.”

Yeon Hoyoung, having regained his composure, wore a sly smile once more. His tanned skin looked healthy, and his chestnut hair, caught in the early summer evening sun, shimmered with a bright hue.

They said the monsoon season would begin soon, yet not a single drop of rain had fallen. Today, too, Yeon Hoyoung laughed refreshingly under the beaming, though slightly less intense, sunlight.

I tried to find Yoon Heesung in that face. Earlier, I had felt their atmospheres were vaguely similar, but now I saw not a single resemblance.

However, Yoon Heesung had said they were cousins. If Yoon Heesung said so, it must be true; even if Yeon Hoyoung couldn’t be trusted, Yoon Heesung could.

Ultimately, unable to resist the impulse, I extended my hand.

“Give me your phone.”

“You brat. You should’ve done this sooner. Playing hard to get.”

Ignoring Yeon Hoyoung’s almost paternal tone, I typed in the number. He then called my number and asked.

“I’m Yeon Hoyoung.”

“I know. Yoon Heesung told me.”

“He… he told you?”

I frowned at Yeon Hoyoung’s exaggerated reaction to such an insignificant detail.

“Why? Isn’t he allowed to tell me?”

“There’s no reason why not…”

He shrugged broadly, just as he had earlier.

“How would I know what’s going on in that guy’s head? I’m leaving.”

As if he had been waiting for me solely to get my number, Yeon Hoyoung climbed straight into his car with a quick goodbye the moment we exchanged contacts. The car departed instantly, heading down the sloping road ahead of me.

I soon followed, descending the road myself.

****

It was July, yet the sky was clear, without a single cloud. The news had reported that the monsoon season would be late this year, and indeed, any rain that fell only lasted briefly at dawn, leaving barely a trace by morning. Despite this, the air was sticky and unpleasant, thick with humidity rolling in from the sea. Even with the air conditioning running since morning, the classroom remained damp and muggy.

Just as afternoon self-study began, the homeroom teacher entered the classroom.

“I mentioned we’d have our first college admissions consultation before the finals, didn’t I? We’re doing it now. Number one, come to the faculty office.”

There were supposed to be two admissions consultations, one before and one after the finals, and it seemed today was the first. The teacher added a litany of nagging remarks, then grumbled as he left. He seemed utterly bothered by the consultations, though I had never seen him approach any task with enthusiasm. Was that how everyone became at that age?

“Lee Yunwoo, your turn.”

As expected, he was rushing through the consultations, and my turn arrived before 6 PM. I finished checking the answers to the problems I was solving and headed to the faculty office.

Still, the teacher had at least prepared, with my grade graph displayed on his computer screen, waiting for me.

“Yunwoo, you’re here?”

“Yes.”

“Yunwoo, well… your grades are good, so there’s not much to consult about. If your grades are bad, there’s nothing to consult about, and truthfully, even if your grades are good, there’s not really much to consult about.”

The teacher muttered, looking at the monitor. My grades were consistently similar, but the most recent bar on the graph had subtly risen. “But you haven’t written down your desired university?”

“Ah, about that…”

Not long after transferring, I had to submit my target universities. I had written ‘Business Administration’ for my major, but I couldn’t bring myself to write down a university. In the end, I submitted it to the teacher with the target university section blank. At the time, I was afraid to tell anyone. I felt that no matter which university I wrote down, the teacher would invariably say it was out of my league. The only person I had ever confided in was Yoon Heesung.