A Scorching Day Chapter 17

Ki Joon, leaning against the wall, tilted his head back. A sigh burst from deep within.

He’d almost been caught following her. He hadn’t expected Gawon, who had been running looking only ahead, to turn around.

What on earth was all this about?

Not content with having followed Yoon Gawon like a dog, he was now hiding in the alley like a rat. He’d never acted so pathetically and shabbily before, so this version of himself felt incredibly unfamiliar, but that wasn’t the issue right now.

Watching Yoon Gawon’s back as he ran away as if fleeing made him feel strange. Why was he running like that, as if his life depended on it? The scene of him genuinely shuddering with disgust, slapping his face and knocking his hand away, was still vivid in his mind.

Ki Joon desperately racked his brain. He reviewed the trivial conversations they’d had throughout the day, and the currents that had flowed between him and Yoon Gawon. Where had it gone wrong? What mistake had he made?

Surely there had been no sign of anything from morning until lunchtime. If he had known about the note in the locker, he wouldn’t have acted as if nothing had happened. Up until they’d eaten lunch together, everything had been normal.

And then Gawon had suddenly gotten angry in front of the school gate. With a deeply hurt expression, he’d said, ‘Ki Joon, you’re the worst bastard.’

…If it was something that would make him that angry.

A bad feeling brushed through his mind. That it must be related to the note he’d seen in the locker today.

Anything but that. Ki Joon, as if suddenly realizing something, hurriedly reached into his pocket. He took out the notes he’d kept there without throwing them away, as evidence, and examined them.

There were definitely three.

…One is missing.

‘Shit, fuck…’

Ki Joon roughly rubbed his face with his palm and groaned.

He could quickly guess the situation. That he’d stupidly dropped the note from his pocket, and Yoon Gawon had seen it and been hurt.

Considering if another kid had found it, it was fortunate that Yoon Gawon’s name wasn’t directly written on it. But Yoon Gawon himself would know that the contents of the note were about him.

Then, had Yoon Gawon misunderstood that the person who wrote that note was him? Just thinking about it made his head spin.

‘…No.’

But Ki Joon soon shook his head. Gawon had acted too suddenly hurt for that. If he had suspected him, he wouldn’t have willingly walked with him all the way to the school gate.

That meant the problem lay in the conversation they’d had while standing at the gate. But no matter how much he thought about it, he hadn’t brought up any topic that would make Yoon Gawon angry. All he’d said was coaxing him to come over to his house and talk about the cat.

…Come to think of it, Yoon Gawon had….

‘…Sunny?’

Ki Joon narrowed his eyes sharply. Yes, that was definitely the word. As soon as he heard the name Sunny, Gawon had worn an expression as if he’d heard something he shouldn’t have. And then he’d exploded with volcanic rage.

“Fuck… No way.”

His muttering voice was sharp and dazed. A sinister premonition flashed. With hands that had begun to tremble finely, Ki Joon took out his phone. But who could he ask, and how, to confirm this?

Ha, fuck…. He roughly shook his head several times. He opened the messenger and scrolled through his saved list. Scanning the names of the guys he hung out with in class, Ki Joon picked one and called him.

Brrrr— Before the ringtone had even finished once, the call connected.

―Oh, shit. You scared me. What’s up? Is this really Ki Joon? What’s the occasion, calling me?

The recipient, Kim Wonjae, sounded bewildered but brimming with delight. Ki Joon got straight to the point.

“Do you have anyone with you right now?”

―With me? …No? I’m on my way to the academy, so I’m alone. But why, suddenly?

“There’s something I want to ask. Do you know Heo Jaegu?”

―Heo Jaegu? …You mean Heo Yeonggyu?

“Yeah, that big, loud fucking bastard.”

―Uh…? Uh, yeah…. You really hate him, huh.

Since Ki Joon had never openly expressed his likes or dislikes about anyone before, Kim Wonjae answered, sounding perplexed. But only for a moment; he soon offered a sharp agreement.

―Well, that bastard does act like hot shit, doesn’t he? Says he’s got connections and is tight with some senior guys who play around. He was doing the same shit last year too, and there wasn’t really anyone who could step on him….

“Last year.”

Ki Joon cut off Kim Wonjae’s continuous stream of words with a single phrase and paused. Yoon Gawon, wearing a first-year name tag. Thinking about how Yoon Gawon, who was a bit more fresh-faced and a bit smaller back then, must have been tormented by that fucking bastard made his temples burn.

“…Did that bastard bully Yoon Gawon last year?”

―Yoon Gawon? Why bring him up all of a sudden?

The reaction was one of, ‘Why is that name coming up here?’ After a moment of stunned silence, Kim Wonjae answered readily.

―Yeah, he bullied him like crazy. He was basically Heo Yeonggyu’s punching bag. Anyway, that guy’s got guts too, sticking it out without dropping out.

“…How did he bully him?”

His clenched fist tightened with force. It was clear his patience was at its limit, but Ki Joon tried to stay calm.

Because it was safer to lead the conversation gradually to get answers, rather than immediately asking about Yoon Gawon’s mother. He didn’t want to unnecessarily poke around when he wasn’t even sure if Kim Wonjae knew about that fact.

―Just, you know. The usual stuff. Hitting him all the time, graffiti on his locker and desk. The things that bastard did were kind of sneaky, and the level wasn’t high enough to definitely get the school violence committee involved, you know? It was just stuck right in that ambiguous zone.

“…”

―For normal kids, it would’ve been enough to get the committee involved, but honestly, those things are all family power struggles. Can you even compare Yoon Gawon’s family background with Heo Yeonggyu’s?… First off, Heo Yeonggyu’s connections are no joke, and Yoon Gawon’s family is, well… you know, sort of. Because of his mom. And he said he doesn’t have a father either.

“…What about Yoon Gawon’s mom… what’s the deal with her.”

Ki Joon bit his lip hard. Even as he asked, he wished he’d heard she was nothing. It was a contradictory feeling, but that’s how it was. That the rumor hadn’t spread that far. But Kim Wonjae, so matter-of-factly, gave the answer Ki Joon didn’t want to hear.

―You didn’t know? His mom’s a whore.

“…”

―That’s what Heo Yeonggyu uses to run his mouth. He said his dad and the other councilmen’s associates used to go around getting secret entertainment from her, and it turns out Yoon Gawon’s mom was a regular.

Fuck…. Ki Joon couldn’t help but sigh. What kind of bizarre coincidence was that? How could that be? Just imagining it made him choke up.

―That bastard Heo Yeonggyu is always pulling that Sunny, Sunny shit on Yoon Gawon, right? That’s his mom’s thing. What do they call it? A pseudonym? Stage name? …Anyway, it’s the name she uses at that place.

The scenario he had hoped most wouldn’t be true had become reality. Ki Joon squeezed his eyes shut and roughly rubbed his eyelids with his hand. Curses that couldn’t be voiced swirled chaotically in his chest. He said he understood and dryly hung up.

“Ha… what the fuck….”

It was a situation where Yoon Gawon could easily misunderstand. The note that came from Ki Joon’s pocket, and the name of his cat, Sunny, popping up today of all days. It was an unbelievably shitty coincidence.

Above all, he was most worried about Yoon Gawon, who must have been deeply hurt. He couldn’t forget the expression on Yoon Gawon’s face, frozen in shock the moment he’d cheerfully mentioned the cat’s name without knowing anything. He’d simply thought he’d misread his expression, but he should have held him and asked right then and there. Why are you suddenly like this.

Sighs kept bursting out. Ki Joon cursed under his breath and kicked the low stone wall a couple of times. He pressed his hot, feverish temples with his hands. But regretting it now was useless.

First, he had to clear up the misunderstanding. With impatient movements, Ki Joon took out his phone and called Yoon Gawon. Though they exchanged trivial messages every day, this was their first phone call.

―The customer is unable to take the call….

The first call ended in vain. He tried again without giving up, but the result was the same.

[Gawon]

[Please pick up my call]

[I’m sorry for making you upset. But really… it’s a misunderstanding]

[I absolutely, absolutely did not mean it that way.]

[It was my cat’s name. I swear]

He wanted to talk face to face, but clearing up the misunderstanding before being blocked entirely was more urgent. Ki Joon fidgeted his leg anxiously and sent several messages, but no read receipts appeared.

He desperately searched through his photos and messenger history. There were plenty of people around him, but few knew his cat’s name. He wasn’t the type to casually mention such things, and practically no one had been invited to his home.

Ki Joon, frantically searching his phone, finally managed to find one messenger record with Sunny’s name in it. It was a text from a girl, which made him a bit self-conscious, but this wasn’t the time for that.

Choi Yirim

[Your cat’s name is Sunny?? So cute!]

Choi Yirim

[Can I come see him sometime? haha]

[Maybe later lol]

He took a screenshot of the chat and sent it to Yoon Gawon. She was a girl from the same middle school. She had proactively approached him asking for his number, but Ki Joon had responded lukewarmly, so they’d only exchanged a few messages before it fizzled out.

Still, no read receipt appeared. Anxiously waiting for Gawon’s reply, Ki Joon tried calling again, but this time, he didn’t pick up until it went to voicemail. Letting out a troubled sigh, he ended the call and sent one last message.

[Can you come out and talk? I’ll wait. I’m in front of your house now.]

[Sorry for following you without asking.]

Putting his phone in his pocket, Ki Joon leaned against the wall again. He stared intently at the old, small door Gawon had opened and entered, waiting endlessly.

He raised his hand and rubbed the spot where he’d been hit. Somehow, rather than the pain that kid had left, the face trembling as he slapped him was lodged more painfully in his heart.