My Only One Chapter 1.2

“This isn’t a fight. It’s a one-sided beatdown.”

At Hajun, who was suddenly only speaking the truth, Jinseo felt shame rising up once more.

“…Please just say it was a fight.”

“Haha.”

Hajun laughed out loud. Hajun’s brightly smiling face was so pretty that, for a moment, it was hard to breathe.

He felt his airways finally open up only after turning his gaze elsewhere. Just then, perhaps because he was done applying the ointment, Hajun moved the cotton swab away from his face.

In sync with that, he tried his best not to show his pounding heart and pulled his upper body back. Then, he leaned stiffly against the seat. Hajun spoke as he cleaned up the medicine and cotton swabs he had used to treat Jinseo.

“I am curious. But not today.”

“…Pardon?”

“Shall we talk about it over a meal next time?”

Hajun smiled gently. Jinseo thought about the meaning of Hajun’s words and smile, then cautiously opened his mouth.

“Thank you, sunbae. I’ll… buy you a meal.”

Hajun, smiling even more at Jinseo who was expressing his thanks in a stiff, robot-like tone, opened his mouth.

“It’s still too early to say thank you.”

“…Pardon?”

When a dumbfounded Jinseo asked again, Hajun pointed a finger at his upper body.

“Weren’t you hit here, too?”

Hajun’s hand unexpectedly touched Jinseo’s shirt. Startled by the touch, Jinseo’s heart sank, and he reflexively slapped Hajun’s hand away. In an instant, the air was filled with an awkward silence.

“H-here, I’ll do it myself. I’m okay.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’m really okay.”

Just in case, Jinseo fumbled with his upper body and straightened his clothes. Hajun quietly looked at his own hand, which had been left in an awkward position after being pushed away by Jinseo, then naturally gripped the steering wheel.

“I’ll take you home.”

“Don’t you have more classes left, sunbae?”

“They’re all over already. It’s fine.”

“Still…”

Jinseo didn’t want to trouble Hajun any further. He had gotten involved in a fight because of him, and he had even gone to the pharmacy in this cold weather. Hajun had also treated his wounds, so wasn’t it too shameless to ask for a ride home as well?

Hajun, who had been watching Jinseo’s hesitation for a moment, spoke in a leisurely tone.

“If you want to walk home alone, get treated first and then go.”

“…Please take me.”

In the end, Jinseo was the first to raise the white flag. Who in the world would have the gall to casually take off their shirt in front of the person they like? At Jinseo’s weak reply, Hajun smiled faintly and started the car. The smoothly moving vehicle, unaware of Jinseo’s feelings, picked up speed.

While driving, Hajun made small talk with Jinseo. Hajun, who checked whether Jinseo was cold or uncomfortable, slowly stopped the car in a residential area surrounded by large mansions, along with the words that he must go to the hospital.

Jinseo, who had answered all of Hajun’s questions with a consistent ‘yes’, had a complicated mind. If he went home in this state, no one would let it go quietly. Jinseo, anticipating that the house would be turned upside down, just let out a small, impassive sigh.

Just then, Hajun’s hand grabbed Jinseo’s shoulder. Startled by this, Jinseo hurriedly turned his gaze toward Hajun. Hajun looked at Jinseo’s face, which had turned nearly pale, and opened his mouth.

“Does it hurt a lot? Do you want to go to the hospital, even now?”

“Ah, no. Thank you for the ride.”

Jinseo forced a smile and unbuckled his seatbelt.

Jinseo, who had flatly refused Hajun’s offer to take him to the hospital, closed the passenger side door. Jinseo, who had stood in one spot as if he had become a built-in wardrobe until Hajun’s car left, wiped the smile he had been struggling to maintain off his face.

Just as he was pacing in front of the main gate, wondering if he should get a motel room, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“Who was that?”

Startled by the voice that had appeared without a sound, Jinseo turned around. Had he just come back from school? His younger brother, Jeonghan, was standing there.

He was still nineteen, but it had been a long time since his build and height had surpassed Jinseo’s. He could only see the chest of Jeonghan, who was wearing his school uniform neatly, so he inadvertently raised his gaze and then quickly lowered it, but their eyes had already met. Jeonghan had seen what kind of state he was in.

“It’s nothing. Just… ah!”

Just then, Jeonghan, who had abruptly approached, grabbed Jinseo’s chin and lifted it up. His split-open mouth and bruised cheek were pressed by Jeonghan’s strength, and it was painful. Jinseo grabbed Jeonghan’s wrist with both hands and tried to pull it off, but it was no use.

“What are you doing!”

“I asked who it was. The person who gave you a ride.”

There was no change in Jeonghan’s expression. It was the gentle look of a model student that he always wore. However, his grip and his voice were not so gentle.

He was finally able to shake off Jeonghan’s hand. It was because he had loosened his grip. Physiological tears welled up because of the stinging pain. On the other hand, Jeonghan still looked calm. Jinseo glared at him once and then quickly averted his gaze.

He never answered Jeonghan’s question. He wouldn’t know who it was even if I told him. He couldn’t understand why he kept asking so persistently.

This was Jeonghan, who had been interested in everything he did since they were young. Jinseo avoided his burdensome gaze and changed the subject.

“You don’t need to know. You go in first.”

Even at Jinseo’s words, Jeonghan didn’t budge. He knew Jeonghan’s direct gaze was on him, so one of his cheeks felt like it was stinging.

Jeonghan, who had been silent for a while, took off the overcoat he was wearing over his school uniform and covered Jinseo’s face with it. The warmth of Jeonghan’s that remained in the collar suddenly enveloped his face.

“It’s because of Father, isn’t it? Let’s go in like this.”

“…Hey.”

Jinseo was momentarily dumbfounded. It’s not like his entire existence would be hidden just by covering his face and going into the house. Whether he knew Jinseo’s feelings or not, Jeonghan kept adjusting the overcoat covering Jinseo. Jinseo tried to remove the overcoat from his vision, which was instantly covered in darkness, but Jeonghan slapped his hand away.

“It’s more conspicuous. Aren’t you going to move it?”

“What was that? Hyung, I can’t hear your voice at all.”

There was a hint of laughter in Jeonghan’s voice. At the hand that grabbed his arm and tried to lead him into the house, Jinseo tried to resist as much as he could, but he couldn’t win against Jeonghan’s strength. In the end, Jinseo was helplessly dragged along, relying only on Jeonghan’s touch.

He heard the sound of a password being entered, and the sound of the door opening. And after a few more steps, with a thud, the sound of the door closing let him guess that he had entered the foyer.

When he came home after dinner time, he would always run into his father, who would be working in the living room. When he entered the foyer, his father would click his tongue once, tsk. At that, it was routine for Jinseo to just say he was home and go straight to his room.

So he thought he would hear the sound of a throat being cleared first today as well. But his surroundings were quiet. Just then, the overcoat that had been tightly wrapped around his head was removed. He frowned at the sudden light. He could see Jeonghan looking down at him with a smile-tinged expression. Jinseo ignored Jeonghan and looked around. But there was really no one in the living room. Was he not home yet, he wondered, when Jeonghan spoke.

“They both went on a business trip today.”

“…What?”

“They said they won’t be home for a while.”

Jinseo, realizing that he had been tricked by Jeonghan, belatedly let out a small sigh. A sense of irritation toward Jeonghan welled up, but he had no desire to go out of his way to be angry. It was because he had used up all his remaining energy in the time it took from meeting Jeonghan to entering the house’s foyer. And now that he knew his parents wouldn’t be home for a while, a sense of relief came over him more strongly than his displeasure with Jeonghan.

He shot a glance at Jeonghan, who was blocking his path, and was about to head to his room, but his hand stopped Jinseo’s movement.

“Let’s ride to school together from now on. I’ll tell Secretary Kang.”

“…Why would I ride in that? I’m good.”

That’s something Father only does for you. The words rose to the tip of his throat, but he couldn’t spit them out. He feebly pushed away Jeonghan’s hand that was holding his arm and immediately moved his feet as if to avoid Jeonghan.

Passing him and entering his room, Jinseo was finally able to properly look in the mirror. Bluish-green bruises had already settled in and covered his cheeks. The split eyebrow and lips had beads of blood mixed with the ointment Hajun had applied.

When he took off his shirt, his upper body was not much different from his face. His side and stomach, kicked by a blunt foot. And both of his arms, which he had used to try to block the assault, were red.

His whole body ached just from changing one piece of clothing, so he immediately lay down on the bed and looked at the medicines on the nightstand. It was the ointment and painkillers Hajun had given him before he got out of the car. He remembered Hajun’s request to eat a snack or something and then take the medicine, but his body felt like it would sink into the floor, making it difficult to get up again. He didn’t even feel an appetite, so Jinseo slowly closed his heavy eyes.

His tightly shut eyes fluttered briefly. It was because of a ticklish sensation around his upper body. He just tossed and turned in his sleep, and as his consciousness slowly returned, he dazedly opened his eyes. Only then did he realize that the sensation was because of someone’s touch.

With half-open eyes, he absentmindedly looked down to see that his shirt was pulled up to just below his neck. The hand that was fumbling with his upper body belonged to none other than Jeonghan. Surprised, he tried to sit up immediately, but Jeonghan pressed down on Jinseo’s shoulder with one hand. His relaxed muscles throbbed more painfully than before he had gone to sleep. A suppressed groan escaped through his clenched teeth.

“Ugh, hey!”

“Stay lying down. I’ll put some medicine on for you.”

“I told you I don’t need it, ah!”

Jeonghan pressed firmly on his bruised side. He did it on purpose. With half-asleep eyes, he glared at Jeonghan and tried to at least pull down his shirt, but that too was blocked by Jeonghan’s hand.

“You went to sleep without even eating dinner, I thought you were dead.”

“Hah…”

A few more struggles with Jeonghan ensued. But because Jeonghan flawlessly deflected all his hands, he eventually had to let all the strength go from his body. Even though it seemed he had slept for quite a while, he couldn’t muster any energy at all.

Jeonghan glanced at the now-quiet Jinseo and didn’t stop applying the medicine. His touch was quite careful. But even that was uncomfortable for Jinseo. It was just… every single thing Jeonghan did to him was awkward.

Jeonghan’s hair was wet, as if he had just showered. Through the part in his not-fully-dried hair, Jeonghan’s smooth forehead was visible. On the right side of that forehead was a small scar. Jinseo, who had been looking at it for a moment, immediately turned his head to the opposite side. A look of guilt briefly washed over Jinseo’s face before disappearing.

After he had been holding his breath for a while, Jeonghan’s hand left Jinseo’s body. At that moment, Jinseo sat right up and pulled down his rolled-up t-shirt. Even during all this, Jeonghan seemed to have no intention of leaving.

Just as Jinseo was about to speak, Jeonghan picked up something that had been on the nightstand and abruptly held it out to Jinseo. It was a glass of water and two white pills.

“What is it.”

“Painkillers. These are better than the ones they sell at the pharmacy.”

“…Those are the ones you take.”

“It’s fine. I can just get more.”

Jeonghan smiled slightly as if to say not to worry. For a moment, Jinseo’s stomach churned and he felt suffocated. It was because he was reminded of the day Jeonghan got the scar on his forehead. A green ambulance. A siren that seemed to deafen his ears. And the thirteen-year-old Jeonghan, lying on a stretcher with blood streaming from his head.

Jinseo slowly closed and opened his eyes. And in the end, he took the medicine and glass of water that Jeonghan was offering. He couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Only after watching Jinseo swallow the medicine and drink all the water did Jeonghan take the water glass Jinseo offered back, as if he was finally satisfied. And only after confirming that Jinseo was lying down again did he leave Jinseo’s room.

Jeonghan, who had placed the water glass Jinseo had used on the kitchen sink, took out the ointment and painkillers that had been in his pocket. They were the ones from Jinseo’s nightstand. After mercilessly crumpling them up and throwing them in the trash, he narrowed his brow ever so slightly before relaxing it.