Under Creature Chapter 6.3

Dohyun reassured Jewoo, saying it was nothing. Relieved, Jewoo patted his chest.

Meanwhile, Yigeom asked grumpily,

“Yes, kids can fight while at school. But who’s going to pay for the repairs?”

The homeroom teacher, who had been listening to the guardians’ conversation, ready to mediate in case of a problem, quickly answered,

“Ah! The repair costs….”

“It happened while trying to avoid Doa, so I should pay. Jewoo, are you hurt anywhere besides your cheek?”

Dohyun cut off the teacher and asked kindly.

“Sniff…, yes. My cheek stings a bit, but I’m fine everywhere else, Dohyun… I mean, Doa’s guardian.”

As if they had agreed to pretend not to know each other at school, Jewoo quickly changed his address while sniffling.

“Thank you both for coming. Normally, I would have resolved this on my own, but since it involves money for repairs….”

Hearing that Doa’s side would take care of the repair costs, the teacher’s face brightened as they spoke gently,

“Yes, I understand completely. Now, since that’s settled, Doa, you should apologize to Jewoo.”

And Seo Dohyun thoroughly acted the part of a kind guardian.

If Doa had fought with someone other than Jewoo, would he have reacted the same way? Rather, he would have praised her for not just standing there and taking it.

If Doa or Jewoo had been hit by someone else, he would have charged the maximum for medical expenses.

Doa frowned, looking at Jewoo’s swollen cheek. By tomorrow, the swelling would settle into a colorful rainbow. Even I think I hit him too hard.

“Hey, sorry for hitting you. But Busan is mine. You pick another place. You only wrote four lines anyway. It’s easier for you to change.”

“…Even those four lines were hard to write.”

“Oh, really! I can help you!”

As Doa raised her voice, Jewoo quickly nodded.

“Oh! I’m sorry too. We could have solved it with rock-paper-scissors, but I insisted you change. You can have Busan. I’ll pick something else.”

“Okay.”

Doa held Jewoo’s hand and swung it back and forth.

“Teacher, Cha Jewoo and I made up.”

“Oh…. You did? But what was that about Busan just now….”

These kids are brazenly talking about forging a field trip report in front of the teacher. Yigeom rubbed his face with his hands and made an excuse.

“Buru, haa…. Buru×Bli. I guess they were fighting over a game.”

🦅࿐

With the two reconciled, the guardians not being overbearing, and the repair costs issue resolved, things ended quickly.

After receiving simple treatment in the nurse’s office, Jewoo headed to the classroom with Doa for the remaining classes. Before leaving, he apologized to Yigeom, saying he was sorry for calling him during class.

It can’t be helped since it already happened. He left the school gates, resolving to accept that his grades would drop to a B this semester due to various incidents, despite always aiming for an A+.

Since he came in a hurry from university, he was carrying a crossbody bag with his textbooks. Dohyun pulled on the strap and asked,

“Jewoo’s guardian? Where are you going? Back to class?”

“What class? My lecture’s already over. I missed it.”

“Oh, dear. I was going to give you a ride.”

What ‘oh dear’? Since he had missed his class, Yigeom hurried to go home and rest, but Dohyun stopped him.

“If your class is over, let’s eat together. You don’t have any prior engagements today, right?”

“Not really, but….”

I want to rest a bit now.

“Then let’s go. And keep tomorrow free too.”

“Why?”

“Hang out with me.”

“Why would I hang out with you…. Oh, next week when we go to Busan, we’ll see each other for a whole week anyway.”

Yigeom, who spoke carelessly, quickly changed his words. Dohyun smiled knowingly.

“Well, I don’t get tired of that.”

In the end, after being pestered by Seo Dohyun, Yigeom ate with him, and just as he was about to go home, he was caught again and headed to the office.

“I don’t have any work today.”

He lamented inwardly, wondering why he had to be with Seo Dohyun when there was no work, but didn’t show it.

Even if they were in the office together, they weren’t chatting. They were just doing their own things separately.

They were simply sharing the same space, not influencing each other or anything like that.

Yigeom killed time, replying to Kang Taeha, who said he was coming to his studio apartment after class, that he was currently elsewhere due to work.

Taking a taxi home from the office was a waste of money, using public transport was bothersome, and walking was even more so. He knew very well that if he killed time here, Seo Dohyun would drop him off at his studio apartment on his way home from work.

After spending a long time doing odd jobs, Doa and Jewoo came home from school.

“You’re here, teenagers.”

Yigeom greeted them with his face buried in his assignment at the sound of the door opening.

“Who’s a teenager?”

“Who else? You two, who fought at school and called your guardians.”

Doa strode towards Yigeom, who was rebuking them in a calm tone.

“No. I had already used up all my field trip days, so all I had to do was submit it, but Cha Jewoo suddenly told me to write a new one! Wouldn’t you be angry if you finished your assignment and were told to resubmit it?”

…If you put it that way, I have nothing to say. As Doa made a perfect analogy, Yigeom quietly agreed. Right. It’s understandable to be angry if you’re told to redo your assignment after finishing it.

“Okay. Jewoo, why did you tell her to rewrite it?”

When Yigeom asked, Jewoo spoke passionately.

“I… I finished writing it too! Even though it was only four lines, I put a lot of effort into it! I just had to submit it, but then I realized it was similar to Doa’s. The same date and the same destination…. One of us had to change it.”

“So why me? It’s easier for you to change since you only wrote four lines.”

“Even if it’s four lines, I put effort into writing them! Doa, are you… are you the kind of person who only judges by what they see? Like, the effort put into those four lines is nothing compared to yours, or something?”

Yigeom agreed once more. Right. Effort cannot be seen with the eyes, so Jewoo must have worked as hard as Doa to write it.

With the two standing side by side in front of Yigeom, who was sitting at the table, engaged in a heated discussion, the scene resembled a courtroom.

“And you should resolve things through conversation, not by hitting people! Can’t you see this bandage? How am I supposed to eat now because it hurts?”

Jewoo’s cheek was even more swollen than when he saw it at school earlier. Doa is really strong.

“…I’m sorry about that. I didn’t really mean to do that. Chew on your left side for a while.”

Doa apologized obediently. She had just swung her arms around in anger, and Jewoo’s cheek happened to be nearby. Although she didn’t intend to hit him, she apologized and promised to fix her habit of lashing out physically when angry.

“Okay. It’s good to see you two reconciled. I saw earlier that Jewoo decided to change the field trip report. Doa, help him out.”

“But, 형, you’re not Solomon or something. Why do you keep agreeing, saying my words are right, then Doa’s words are right?”

“Exactly. You know you guys fight more than we do, right?”

“We don’t fight these days.”

Though we’re trying not to.

After finishing his words, Yigeom picked up his pen and focused on his assignment again. He couldn’t avoid missing classes because of the trip to Busan next week, but he could ask a friend to submit his assignments for him, so he was determined to work hard on this.

“But 형, have you packed yet?”

“There are still 3 days left. Why would I pack already?”

It’s not just a trip, it’s for work.

“I’m going shopping with Cha Jewoo now. Do you want to come?”

“Too much trouble.”

“Yeah, it’s cold and bothersome. Then we’ll go by ourselves.”

Doa muttered cheerfully, as if she hadn’t expected anything else from Yigeom.

Moreover, despite having fought to the point of calling their guardians to school, they were getting along well, going here and there together, whether they were rivals, friends, or whatever.

“Hyung! I’m really sorry about earlier. You must have been in class….”

Jewoo apologized cautiously, looking sheepish. He knew from experience that Yoon Yigeom was serious about his studies, so he seemed to feel bad about causing him to miss class.

“It’s okay. It’s fine to miss a day or so.”

As he brushed it off cheerfully, Jewoo sniffled with a touched expression.

“If I see any nice clothes while shopping, I’ll buy you some too, Hyung!”

“No… it’s okay.”

“Doa! Let’s go quickly!”

Jewoo, with a bandage the size of my face on his cheek, shouted cheerfully, ignoring Yigeom’s words.

“Yeah. Oppa, can I have your card?”

As Doa naturally held out her hand, Dohyun nodded towards his jacket, which he had taken off.

“Jacket pocket. Use it for Jewoo’s things too. Buy some medicine on your way back.”

“Yeah. I’ll be back.”

“We’ll be back!”

Yigeom watched the students excitedly leave with Dohyun’s wallet, then called out to him.

“You didn’t even ask me to go with you. Aren’t you upset?”

“Not really.”

Even if Jewoo didn’t know, Doa… She invited me but not her own brother. Is this what they call typical siblings? As long as their brother gives them money, it’s fine? Isn’t that a bit much?

Seo Dohyun himself didn’t seem to mind, but Yigeom felt strangely bothered and kept twirling the pen in his hand.

Then Seo Dohyun spoke.

“Even the kids know.”

“……?”

“There’s no way I’d go if you weren’t going.”