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n* * *

nI raised my hand. Do I really have to do this…? Instead of saying what I had in mind, I just stared at Eun Hyung, but he strictly shook his head, which showed no signs of a negotiation. I sighed and spoke at last.

n“I swear. In the event of a personal threat, I, Ham Donnie, will report it immediately to the Four Heavenly Kings, Ban Yeo Ryung, or at least to the local police station. 2010… what’s the date today?”

n“17th,” Ban Yeo Ryung responded. Oh yeah… I continued in embarrassment.

n“March 17th. Ham-Donnie!”

n“Wow, mama. Now two times left.”

nAs Woo Jooin noticed me kindly, I just gave him a faint smile. It didn’t comfort me at all. I can’t believe I must do this humiliating oath two more times… I felt like a kindergarten kid repeating, ‘I should ask a staff around me when I lose my mom.’

nSince Eun Jiho had a stinging gaze at me, I said, ok, and heaved a sigh. It was then when I heard a noise from the bathroom connected to the stairway.

nWhat’s going on…? With a frown, I stared at the direction, where the buzz came from. Then Eun Hyung suddenly turned his head.

nEun Jiho asked, “Why?”

n“Um… nothing… did I hear it wrong?”

nAs soon as Eun Hyung murmured in suspicion, wrinkling his face, Jooin, who raised his head in a flash, responded.

n“Hold on, I think I also heard it. Yeo Ryung, don’t you hear that?”

n“What? Oh, wait.”

n“What’s wrong?”

nAm I having a bad ear or are the Four Heavenly Kings and the female protagonist also having good hearing? While I had those thoughts from feeling ridiculous, Eun Hyung mumbled in a pale face.

n“Oh, my god. I’m not hearing it wrong.”

n“What’s up?”

n“It’s Chun Young’s voice.”

n“What’s wrong with that?”

nWhat is so strange about Yoo Chun Young’s voice ringing around? Before I was about to ask back with a grimace, Jooin replied immediately. His words made me turn stiff.

n“I never heard Chun Young yelling like that.”

n“…”

n“Me, too,” Ban Yeo Ryung responded then glanced over me.

nWhen I turned my head to look at the bathroom, the front was crowded with sophomores willing to see what was going on.

nOh, lord… I looked at the clock with frustration. Only 3 minutes were left until the start of the next class. The buzz of the sophomores in front of the bathroom even reached this space. They were all screaming in surprise.

n“Hey, were there freshman that good at fighting?”

n“Oh, the blond hair! Good, nice attack! Awesome skills.”

n“That blue hair is also incredible. He just got up after the attack. How does he react so quickly?”

n“Are they even humans?”

nEun Jiho, who was listening to the conversation seriously, tilted his head in wonder then turned to see Eun Hyung.

nHe asked, “So far from what I heard, it seems that Yoo Chun Young and Yi Ruda are fighting?”

n“I guess it’s true,” Eun Hyung replied in a pale blue face.

nIt was reasonable for him to be that shocked since Yoo Chun Young seldom had a fist-fight against someone; besides, the place where the physical encounter was happening was inside the bathroom. How could that clean-freak Yoo Chun Young have a brawl at the bathroom?

nJooin then murmured, “Wait… didn’t Chun Young say he has a photoshoot today?”

n“Right!”

nAs Ban Yeo Ryung made an agreeable response, we all exchanged eye contact and dashed out of the classroom. Since the fight took place in the boy’s bathroom, Ban Yeo Ryung and I waited from a distance while Kwon Eun Hyung and Eun Jiho smoothly pushed their way through the crowds.

nA moment of silence prevailed among the crowds as they assumed that Kwon Eun Hyung and Eun Jiho were the popular freshmen from their fancy hair colors. Then, Yoo Chun Young’s voice penetrated the sudden stillness and flew into my ears clearly.

n“Who the fu*k are you to break in between us? Sh*t, you fu*king know nothing!”

nYoo Chun Young cursed… My face turned bloodless. When I glanced aside, Ban Yeo Ryung and Jooin also looked as surprised as I was. Yi Ruda soon let out a piercing shriek that struck around me.

n“Fu*k, I advised you because I couldn’t stand this!! Isn’t it too hopeless for such a relationship of 3 years?!”

n“All you see is what you want to see. What do you know about us?”

n“Geez, everything’s so obvious?!”

n“No, you know nothing. Watch your mouth. Don’t talk like you know everything about Ham Donnie!”

nYoo Chun Young gave a pause. I was sure that someone interrupted or attacked him.

nThe words soon continued. Yoo Chun Young’s uniquely flat voice; it seemed that he regained his composure than before.

n“It’s not as simple as it looks, and I don’t want to attempt too much. I’m taking a steady step; I’m ready to wait. So no excuse for your sh*tty advice. You’re crossing the fu*king line! Get off me!”

n“Yoo Chun Young. You’re going too far.”

nEun Hyung’s calm voice made me surprise. I never saw Yoo Chun Young getting pissed off that much, so I wondered if I were about to see the two boys fighting in front of me for the first time.

nYoo Chun Young’s words continued. It sounded relaxed than before.

n“I told you to get off me. As you’ve said, it’s me not you who endured for the last 3 years, but why are you telling me what to do out of the blue… gosh, get off!”

n“I don’t know what exactly happened but I know that you don’t pick fights. You got caught up in the heat of the moment. This is the sophomore’s bathroom, not ours and you have a photoshoot today. Does that sound enough to chill?”

n“…”

nNo one talked for a while then soon the buzz was all gone. The first one who showed up through the sophomores, who were standing in a circle, was Yi Ruda.

nAs if she took off Eun Jiho’s hands from her, she was gasping in anger and her face looked awful. She even had some bruises on her face. What surprised me more was that she had a fist-fight in the boy’s bathroom but showed no signs of hesitance.

nShe seemed to walk toward this side, pushing her way strongly through the group of boys, but when she met Ban Yeo Ryung’s eyes, Yi Ruda frowned her face. She then glanced at me for a second and just went upstairs.

nGeez… While I blinked my eyes, I saw Eun Jiho stepping toward me with a tired face.

nI asked, “Dude? What happened? Why did Yoo Chun Young fight?”

n“No idea. Wow, do you know what I’ve thought? I think I saw Yoo Chun Young getting pissed off a few times, but compared to what just happened, those were just like turning sulky.”

n“…”

n“Once the person who always stayed chill turns aggressive as hell, it’s hard to get him to calm down again. Wow, so scary.”

n“What about Eun Hyung?”

n“Yoo Chun Young went blind at first but I don’t know. He’ll come out if Kwon Eun Hyung makes it happen.”

nWhat if he doesn’t make it happen…? Ban Yeo Ryung mumbled in a pale face, standing next to me.

nEun Jiho shrugged then came next to my side. He didn’t look that nervous at all, which seemed like he was thinking Eun Hyung will successfully handle the situation. Eun Jiho swept down his lips and said to himself as if he was feeling the difficult situation.

n“Oh, Yoo Chun Young… Since he’s a well-known model, we told him not to come after school but how could he fight in such a place?”

n“…”

nWhile listening to what he said, I fixed my gaze at Eun Jiho. After school means after class. What are you guys trying to do after class…? As if he noticed my gaze, Eun Jiho turned to look at me. He then became surprised but soon concealed his emotion by putting a serene look.

nHe asked nonchalantly, “What? Why? Why why why…?”

n“Oh, I totally forgot. Dude, what’s with that number song? I’m dead? Do you want to die?”

nWhen I punched his side, Eun Jiho, who would usually exaggerate pain, remained silent, however. He was hesitant for a moment then pulled up the corner of his brow and laughed naughtily.

n“Dude, was it too cute to die?”

n“It freaked me out! Do you know that song? The black carriage passes the entrance… The ghost story that says about a carriage passing such places then arrives at where the last person sings.”

n“Oh, I know that,” Ban Yeo Ryung responded from aside.

nWhile I punched Eun Jiho a few more times with a grimace, I heard a noise coming from the bathroom entrance. As soon as I turned my head to see that direction, I saw Eun Hyung and Yoo Chun Young walking out together. Gosh…! When I saw Yoo Chun Young’s face, I fetched a sigh in spite of myself.

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