A Scorching Day Chapter 4

Gawon stood in front of the kettle, rubbing his ice-cold, slender hands together. If he forgot to boil water, there would be nothing to drink in the evening, and he would have to spend precious money on buying bottled water.

After studying late into the night for the first time in a while, his head felt foggy. Yesterday, he had scrolled through a secondhand marketplace app and managed to get a few workbooks—only the first few pages of which had been used—for free. He was lucky.

Fortunately, he had also managed to get his textbook again. When he went to the teachers’ office and showed his homeroom teacher the milk-bombed textbook, the teacher silently took out a spare copy and handed it over.

Since the teacher had also been his homeroom teacher in his first year, he must have immediately realized it was Heo Yeonggyu’s doing. The process of exchanging textbooks dryly, without any request for help or interrogation, was absurd. He despised his homeroom teacher for being unworthy of the title, but that was all.

Gawon expected nothing from anyone. He trusted no one and never confided his troubles. That was something you only did when there was even a sliver of hope that things might improve.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Gawon entered the bathroom. Shivering in front of the sink, where hot and cold water alternated erratically, he washed his face. The bathroom, which received no heating whatsoever, was truly freezing, so he had to brace himself before going in to wash his body.

Two rooms, each about the size of a palm, a tiny attached kitchen, and one bathroom. No yard or living room. This was the view inside Gawon’s home—one of the doors crammed tightly together along the alleyway. Leaking rainwater in places and musty mildew spreading, this was the house where Gawon had lived with his mother since the day he was born.

He came out of the bathroom and put on the school uniform he had ironed yesterday. He had soaked the other set, so… he’d have to remember to do the laundry today without fail after coming back. As he mentally calculated such things and was just slinging his book bag over his shoulder—

Bang, the door swung open. Through the gap, he saw the black Bongo truck that had brought his mother drop her off and pull out of the alley.

“Ugh, shit… My head is killing me.”

An irritable voice muttered lowly. The pungent scent of strong perfume instantly filled the surroundings. His mother, staggering in, tossed aside one high-heeled shoe. The heel was so pointed and high it looked precarious enough to make anyone watching feel uneasy.

Whenever his mother moved, the tight-fitting dress clinging to her body rolled up slightly. The cheap fur coat draped over her shoulders reeked of strong cigarette smoke.

Gawon quickly approached and supported his mother, who could barely stand on her own. As if she had been waiting for it, his mother leaned against him, letting all her weight drop. Like waterlogged cotton, she was utterly limp and almost weightlessly hollow, which only made her feel more empty.

“Just… try to steady yourself a bit. You need to take off your other shoe…”

He hadn’t even finished speaking. His mother’s brow furrowed fiercely, and her throat bobbed roughly up and down. In an instant, Gawon understood the situation, but he couldn’t just let her fall to the floor, so he held his ground.

In the end, Gawon had to take the full brunt of vomit on his body. He tried to lead her to the bathroom, but his mother groaned and shook her head in pain. Gawon couldn’t fully grasp what state of mind had driven his mother to force all of that down the night before. So all he could do was silently pat her back and assist her.

After wiping down his mother’s completely limp body with a damp cloth, changing her clothes, and putting her to bed, and then cleaning up everything, his whole body was soaked in sweat. He had already shed the soiled uniform long ago.

Fortunately, he had woken up early, so if he left now, he could avoid being late—but he had no uniform to wear immediately. Gawon bit his lip and stamped his feet in frustration. Of all times, his gym uniform too… yesterday, Heo Yeonggyu had soaked it in dirty mop water, and both sets of his uniform were unwearable.

At times like this, he felt so furious he just wanted to sit down and cry. Should he just skip school? As he agonized over it, Gawon reluctantly pulled out jeans and a t-shirt and put them on. Going to school and at least trying to explain the situation seemed better than being absent entirely.

His steps toward school were heavy. Even before the day had properly begun, he felt as though he had already exhausted all his energy. Dragging his feet, the sound of his footsteps echoing through the quiet alley was pitiful and shabby.

As he turned onto the main street, he saw kids wearing the same school uniform. Among them, some familiar faces shot Gawon curious, puzzled glances. Gawon kept his head bowed low and silently quickened his pace. If he was going to get in trouble for his attire anyway, he at least wanted to avoid being late.

At that moment, a low voice called from behind, “Hey.”

‘…It’s not Heo Yeonggyu.’

The kids who bullied him didn’t care about time or place, so getting harassed on the way to school was a common occurrence. But it was a bit unexpected that the voice didn’t belong to Heo Yeonggyu and his gang.

The voice sounded oddly familiar, but Gawon pretended not to hear and hurried his steps. Then, a hand landed firmly on his shoulder. Reluctantly turning his head, Gawon’s eyes widened.

…The transfer student?

“Hi.”

It was the first time. Seeing the transfer student this close. He was so tall, it felt like standing next to a telephone pole. As if they had known each other all along, Ki Joon greeted him casually and tilted his head slightly, asking.

“But why are you wearing casual clothes?”

“…I don’t have my uniform.”

He answered before he could think. “Oh, really?” Ki Joon asked nonchalantly, then suddenly unzipped the top of his gym uniform he was wearing with a sharp ziiip.

As he took off the gym top, the white short-sleeved t-shirt he wore underneath was revealed. The body scent wafting off the transfer student, unlike the rank smell of others, was mixed with detergent—fragrant and sweet. In an instant, Ki Joon was left in just his gym pants and white t-shirt, and astonishingly, he handed his removed top to Gawon.

Gawon blinked silently. He couldn’t figure out what this kid was doing.

“…What?”

“Put it on.”

“…Why?”

“Can’t you see? The dean is standing over there.”

Ki Joon gestured with his chin toward the school gate. At the same time, he urged Gawon by holding out the gym top once more, but Gawon wouldn’t accept it readily, only looking up at Ki Joon.

“But why… are you giving me yours?”

The school rules required wearing the uniform when coming to school, but they usually let gym clothes slide. If he walked in wearing only the gym top, of course he’d get in trouble, but it would be far better than wearing casual clothes for both top and bottom.

That wasn’t what he didn’t understand. What he was really curious about was why, on earth, Ki Joon was helping him. If he walked in wearing only gym pants, Ki Joon would get an earful from the dean too.

He was confused. Why would he so readily take off his own clothes and give them to him? Was this also a new form of harassment…? If he accepted this and wore it, what kind of excuse and pretext would they use next to torment him? Bad memories he had buried resurfaced.

It was right after he entered high school and was targeted by Heo Yeonggyu and began being bullied. When he reported the facts to his homeroom teacher and asked for a school violence committee to be convened, only to have it brushed aside, there had been a kid who approached like a savior and extended a hand.

That kid was in the same class. He ate lunch with Gawon, who always ate alone, and stopped Heo Yeonggyu when he tried to bully him. So Gawon thought he was a good kid. It felt like he could finally breathe a little in his miserable school life. But then….

‘Fooled you, didn’t I? Dumbass.’

‘Heh heh, did you see that stupid bastard following me around with that touched look on his face?’

When he saw that kid sitting with Heo Yeonggyu’s gang one day, snickering and making fun of him, Gawon cursed himself instead of that kid. Himself for being fooled like an idiot and thinking of a jerk like that as a friend. Himself for greedily and desperately lapping up any affection offered, like a thirsty plant.

Gradually, the confusion cleared. With a much calmer heart, Gawon looked at Ki Joon standing before him. Go ahead and hit me. Mock me with crude words like the others. I won’t be fooled again. I expect nothing from you. He repeated these words to himself internally.

Perhaps not expecting Gawon to react that way, Ki Joon just silently stared at him. But only for a moment—then he abruptly thrust the gym top into Gawon’s arms. Along with that familiar, playful smile.

“Just, you know, so you don’t get chewed out by the dean.”

“…”

So why do you care about that? He was about to ask. But the moment he saw the kids checking their phones and rushing over in a crowd, Gawon snapped back to his senses.

“We’ll be late. Let’s just go in first.”

The kid nodded very naturally toward the school gate. After a brief moment of hesitation, Gawon accepted the gym uniform. Whatever scheme this was, his priority was to at least avoid being late.

He quickly hurried his steps and put on the gym top. He shoved his arms into the impossibly long sleeves, but his hands just wouldn’t come out the other end. His cheeks flushed hot at the sight of him looking like a little kid wearing adult clothes. After finally freeing his hands from the sleeves and zipping it all the way up to his neck, the fragrant scent of detergent wrapped around his body sweetly.

“Well, well, well. Both of you sold your uniforms for cash, huh? One’s only wearing the top, and the other only the bottom? You there, you think school’s a playground?”

“I’m sorry!”

The dean looked back and forth between Gawon and Ki Joon with a disapproving glare, then made a motion of lightly tapping Ki Joon’s shoulder with the stick he was holding. Ki Joon shrugged his shoulders and flashed a sheepish grin.

“You two better wear your uniforms properly. And you, kid—what’s with the jeans, huh?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Hurry up and get inside. I’ll let it slide just for today.”

As they passed through the school gate safely, Gawon quietly let out a sigh of relief. If he had come in casual clothes for both top and bottom, he would have been scolded much worse and his name would have been written down.

Even if this was all some scheme to get him later… right now, he did feel grateful. Summoning his courage, Gawon lifted his gaze. The moment he glanced at Ki Joon, their eyes met.

“Let’s go.”

Ki Joon grinned, curling the corners of his mouth slyly. Watching his refreshingly bright smile, Gawon thought for an instant that this kid was more handsome than anyone he had ever known. It was a calm, objective observation, without a trace of admiration.