A Scorching Day Chapter 39

On the way home, Gawon’s shoulders drooped as he trudged along. It was already past 10 PM.

“…Ha….”

A deep sigh escaped. The night air brushing against the tip of his nose felt bitter, unlike usual. When he’d walked with Ki Joon, it had smelled so sweet.

His shoulders felt heavy. Gawon let his head droop weakly. The commotion that had lasted from morning until night was profoundly heavy. Today felt abnormally long.

The absurd things done to him by Heo Yeonggyu’s group. Ki Joon appearing when he opened his eyes. The sight of Ki Joon, like a man who had lost his mind, beating Heo Yeonggyu. And, Ki Joon’s actions stopping only at the sound of his small voice.

When he came to his senses, the police had arrived at the school. Heo Yeonggyu’s mother, the secretary of Heo Yeonggyu’s father, and an older man claiming to be Ki Joon’s guardian had also arrived shortly after. Gawon went with them to the police station, and Heo Yeonggyu was transferred to the hospital.

As soon as they arrived at the station, Heo Yeonggyu’s mother rolled up her sleeves. Having already learned that Ki Joon had been forced to transfer schools, she pointed at him and screamed at the top of her lungs.

‘How can you expect me to trust a kid like this to study in the same classroom as my son! You saw my son’s face, didn’t you? Completely destroyed! Violent kids like this can’t be dealt with by just a forced transfer or school service. He should be sent straight to juvenile detention!’

At that moment, Gawon, trembling, stepped forward. Though his voice shook, he delivered the facts clearly and firmly.

That Heo Yeonggyu had been bullying him for a long time, and that on the day of the incident, he had suffered severe school violence. That Ki Joon, who was close friends with him, had only tried to stop it and gotten caught up in the fight.

He also revealed in detail the violence Ki Joon had unilaterally suffered from the senior students last time, and the transactions that had taken place between Heo Yeonggyu and those seniors. Heo Yeonggyu’s mother jumped up and down, screaming about how an unrelated kid was interfering, but Gawon finished speaking firmly, ignoring her.

‘And what about the damages Yoon Gawon has suffered all this time, counselor?’

Ki Joon, who had been sitting quietly the whole time, suddenly spoke up.

‘Well, that would be a matter to resolve by first contacting Yoon Gawon’s parents, I suppose.’

‘So Heo Yeonggyu will face two school violence committees. One as the perpetrator, and one as the victim.’

Ki Joon’s steady gaze turned toward Heo Yeonggyu’s lawyer. His snake-like stare then shifted to Heo Yeonggyu’s mother. She, who had been clenching her fists and shaking, stood up and screeched.

‘Are you crazy? Hey! You beat a kid up like a thug, and now you’re threatening me!’

‘Well, well. Hold on. I’ve been listening to you for a while, and your words are getting a bit harsh, don’t you think?’

This time, a displeased voice came from Ki Joon’s guardian. Seeing the guardian’s massive build, covered in tattoos, Heo Yeonggyu’s mother was momentarily speechless, but quickly regained her fierce momentum and shrieked.

‘I don’t know who’s the victim and who’s the perpetrator here! And for that matter, you! Do you have proof that my son bullied you? Do you have any evidence!’

‘Yes. I do.’

Under the sudden convergence of gazes, Gawon pulled out his phone. It contained photos of the countless instances of bullying and violence Heo Yeonggyu had inflicted on him over the past year, organized by date. He had gathered them in preparation for the school violence committee before, but since the committee had been mercilessly scrapped, he hadn’t expected to use this material this way.

The expressions of Ki Joon’s guardian and the accompanying lawyer, as they closely examined Gawon’s evidence, changed. Faced with undeniable proof, the situation clearly turned. Heo Yeonggyu’s mother, sitting beside them, paled and then flushed repeatedly.

Meanwhile, Representative Heo’s secretary and lawyer spent a long time exchanging whispers, looking alternately at Gawon and Ki Joon. After sorting out their position, Heo Yeonggyu’s secretary spoke first.

‘First, since our representative and Chairman Ki are acquaintances, they’ve agreed to settle this at the adult level. We’ll contact you again once the medical certificates are issued.’

And so, Heo Yeonggyu’s mother and lawyer fled the police station. Gawon also left the station side by side with Ki Joon.

‘Joon, the Chairman is looking for you. You need to go right now.’

The guardian said this with a somewhat somber expression. Ki Joon bowed his head without a word. Before getting into the car, he turned back to look at Gawon for a moment.

‘Gawon.’

‘…Yeah.’

‘I’ll contact you. Don’t worry too much, just wait for me.’

Ki Joon promised in a low voice. The emotions threatening to overflow from both their eyes intertwined.

Gawon deliberately nodded his head bravely. He told Ki Joon, who seemed unable to tear himself away, to get in the car first, and turned around. It felt like that was the only way this guy could leave.

Returning home, Gawon first took off all his clothes and took a shower. Then he swept and wiped the empty house. He also washed all the dishes his mother had used. Even so, time barely passed.

After hesitating for a long while, he ended up calling Ki Joon. He couldn’t shake the worry about his father being strict enough to break a leg. He tried to calmly wait for Ki Joon’s contact, but couldn’t help the growing anxiety.

Even after calling several times, Ki Joon didn’t answer. Gawon, restless and sitting in the empty house, suddenly jumped up.

Following his memory, he caught a bus. Having been there before, it wasn’t difficult. But when he actually saw Ki Joon’s house, he hesitated.

The large mansion, shrouded in darkness and lit only by minimal lighting, felt entirely different from when he’d come with Ki Joon. The oddly oppressive atmosphere seemed to push Gawon away, asking what he was doing here. Moreover, unlike last time, a couple of men who looked like guards were standing watch at the gate.

‘Who are you? You.’

The ones who asked in a rough tone were the very image of the thugs Gawon had always feared. His tongue froze at the root, and his body instinctively shrank back.

Hesitating, Gawon said he was Ki Joon’s classmate and gave his name. But the man, after a short exchange via his earpiece, immediately shook his head.

‘Not right now.’

‘Ah….’

His heart pounded with more unease. Being blocked only intensified his anxiety. His imagination branched only toward ominous directions. He’s not getting beaten by his father, is he? Surely not. Surely…

‘…Then, can I wait in front of the house?’

‘Just leave when you’re told to. You won’t be able to see him for a while.’

It was a sharp refusal. He couldn’t stubbornly insist any longer. As he reluctantly turned away, his feet still wouldn’t move.

Trudging along, he kept staring at his phone. Hoping for a contact even now. He wanted to call more, but worried that his phone might have been confiscated. After much deliberation, he sent one last message: [Contact me for sure when you see this.] and decided to wait for Ki Joon’s call.

Swoosh— The blowing wind shook the branches above his head. Gawon slowly looked up. Petals dyed crimson by the streetlights fell like autumn leaves, softly touching the bridge of his nose and his cheeks.

A few days ago, when he’d walked in the park with Ki Joon, he too had been showered by this beautifully falling petal rain. That scene felt close enough to touch.

The petals that had landed on his broad shoulders. The sweet scent carried on the wind. The trembling voice of that guy, standing under the cherry blossom tree with a serious face, telling him he wanted to kiss him and whisper in his ear…

‘I like you, Gawon.’

At the distant resonance of those words, he closed his eyes. In the darkness that covered his vision, feeling the petal-laden wind tickle his hair and earlobes, Gawon realized. Why he had been swept away by that wave of immense despair earlier.

‘What are you doing, you piece of shit. If you’re on your knees, you better beg like your life depends on it.’

He couldn’t bear it. The boy who had given him a fresh, flower-scented confession, the only person who had become his first spring—that he was the same person who could trample people without hesitation and reduce them to bloody pulp.

Even with blood all over his hands, Ki Joon had seemed emotionless. The guy who made Heo Yeonggyu kneel with cold eyes had acted as if he was utterly accustomed to dragging people down to the very bottom.

That Ki Joon looked far too much like ‘those people’ Gawon feared. No, perhaps it was more accurate to say he was exactly that.

It was incomparable to school kids who just threw punches until noses bled and engaged in petty dominance struggles. The sinister, bloody scent emanating from the violence Ki Joon wielded originated from the place he was born and raised. Having grown up in the same kind of environment, Gawon couldn’t possibly miss that smell.

This was what he had feared. The reason he had pushed away the first spring of his life with his own hands. The reason he had struggled to reject Ki Joon’s heart, offered with trembling hands, was because he was afraid of the wounds he would receive later if he gave his heart to Ki Joon, who belonged to their world.

But.

Probably, even Ki Joon himself hadn’t wanted to show that side of him. No, looking back, Ki Joon hadn’t wanted to reveal his circumstances to anyone. And yet, the reason he had so readily exposed his own background in front of everyone was one thing.

Yoon Gawon. It was because of him.

Seeing him crying in a miserable state, Ki Joon had rushed in like a man with no tomorrow. He had been the one who, even when unjustly beaten by those thugs, acted like it was nothing. The guy who had awkwardly smiled, saying he couldn’t fight anymore for the sake of his dream, had thrown away all those vows in an instant.

All because of me.

“…”

Do I even have the right to worry about Ki Joon?

Because of me being by his side, Ki Joon ended up suffering…

His head dropped heavily. Strength filled his empty fist, grasping at nothing, then just as quickly gave out. The road back home felt longer and darker than usual.