.  It still frightened me a little to talk about that incident. Just by speaking about it, I had the illusion that the accident would happen again as if it were a curse.

  However, it was a story I had to put out. Being lost in thought for a moment, Yeo Ryung soon nodded.

  I uttered, “You think so too, right? We were supposed to worry and look after Eun Hyung around that time, but instead, he tried to take more care of us. If he argued that he would keep staying in front of the operation room for the whole time, we would definitely understand him with no doubt, but even in that situation, Eun Hyung took care of our meals as if that was his main role. Do you remember him bringing me to the snack bar in the hospital?”


  “Uh-huh, I do……”


  “You know, at that time, I felt like a hamster or something. It seemed like I was his pet just looking forward to him feeding me.”


  While Yeo Ryung cast down her eyes wordlessly, I poked the part on my chest where I drew a circle earlier.

  “When a person gets hurt in their heart, they say only that part stops growing. That’s why the earlier you get the bruise, the more painful and sensitive it becomes to you.” I concluded my words calmly, “So that must be Eun Hyung’s sore point.”


  “.……”


  “Unlike what you just said, Eun Hyung isn’t always perfect. When he gets hurt deeply, some part of his true side reveals his fear, pain, and concern. It’s the part where he returns to a young boy.”


  My room was enveloped in a deafening silence again. Wiggling my fingers in embarrassment, I continued speaking, “Um, anyway, what I’m trying to say is that…… no one is perfect among us. When I was away from you guys last year, I asked myself this question numerous times, ‘What kind of confidence did I have to be so assured that you guys needed me?’ Funny, huh?”


  Yeo Ryung clenched her fist without uttering a word. I kept on talking, touching my hair in embarrassment.

  “The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous I felt about myself. It seemed like I was a swindler selling off some bad stuff. All the mistakes I’ve made to you guys, my thoughtless behaviors, and the memories of our fight came into mind. Why am I so lacking? Why does it get especially so obvious when I’m with you guys? I don’t think I’d be good enough……”


  Smiling, I added, “But it was those memories that brought me back to you guys.”


  “.……”


  “Since we aren’t perfect, quarrels and conflicts are inevitable. It distressed me…… but on the other hand, I came across the fact that we are in need of each other because we aren’t perfect.”


  Once I began to think that way, I couldn’t help but return to these kids. As soon as I heard the incident of both Yoo Chun Young and Eun Hyung’s fathers, I took a seat beside Yeo Ryung and urged, ‘Let’s go to the hospital.’


  As I returned to them and saw Yoo Chun Young’s face asking me to stay here for a little longer, I overflew with some emotions, being assured that my choice wasn’t wrong.

  When I spoke further to that extent, Yeo Ryung pulled me into her arms all of a sudden and put her chin on my shoulder. Blinking swiftly in surprise, then I hugged her back with a smile.

  Patting her back, I uttered, “Recalling our fight, the most embarrassing moment that comes to mind is when I behaved somewhat sensitively for nothing due to the pain I’ve had in the past. Likewise, Eun Hyung might be kicking his blanket right now.”


  “Yeah……”


  “Take it slow,” I added, sweeping back Yeo Ryung’s hair that fell over her face.

  As if she recovered her joy, Yeo Ryung leaned her chin on my shoulder with a smile.

  * * *

  The next day, when I returned to school, Eun Hyung was talking to Ban Yeo Ryung, as usual. Observing the look on their faces a couple of times, I heaved a sigh of relief since they didn’t seem to feel any residual bitterness after their fight.

  And since Ruda accepted my request, there were five people on our ‘way back home party.’ The reason why it wasn’t four people while adding Ruda to the three of us was that Jooin said he would join us too.

  “Ruda hyeong, from now on, I decided to treat you with loving care,” grinned Jooin.

  Looking tired, Ruda replied, “I don’t need it, so get the fu*…… Get out of my sight,” glancing at me.

  I wondered why he was stating the end of his sentence differently when it was so obvious.

  Anyway, Jooin kept babbling yet with a pure expression on his face, “I never saw someone this much the same as me, so I thought that we wouldn’t be able to build a good partnership unless we share our weaknesses, threats, and power struggles.”


  “Are you dissing me in a weird way?” asked Ruda, still looking very uncomfortable.

  Showing a swiveling smile, Jooin replied, “But I guess it’s better to establish a cooperative relationship without doing all that.”


  “Excuse me, sir, you don’t seem to understand the meaning of ‘cooperative relationship’ when you aren’t even a foreigner like me. That kind of relationship is established by mutual agreement, not by a unilateral decision.”


  “Then, should we start with a love and hate relationship?”


  “No! That’s even worse!” Ruda objected in disgust.

  Looking at those two, I came across something in my mind.

  In thoughts of Ruda resembling himself, Jooin determined that he wouldn’t be able to deal with Ruda unless he finds his vulnerable point and uses it as a threat. However, that Jooin was now announcing that he would try building a normal relationship with Ruda……

  Then wouldn’t it also mean Jooin would make up with himself? In other words, Jooin would accept the fact that he wasn’t as bad as he thought. Rambling such thoughts in my head, I stared at Ruda and Jooin walking ahead of me from behind them.

  Anyway…… pointing out Jooin’s attitude toward Ruda seemed to have opened the threshold of Ruda’s hardship-filled future. I guess I’m not getting it wrong.

  Praying for Ruda’s welfare in his near future, I bent my steps toward my house.

  There weren’t any surprise attacks for the last two days while we all returned home together. After the weekend of the Ranking Battle qualification preliminary round, groups of tough-looking folks wandering around in the streets mostly disappeared.

  “Those who didn’t qualify in the preliminary round might have returned to their hometowns already,” said Ruda, looking at the street.

  I nodded, responding in my thoughts, ‘Yeah, I thought I was suffering from choosing the wrong life genre, but now I’m getting out of this lawless world, eventually.’


  Eun Hyung, beside me, spoke with an embarrassed look, “Then no more bodyguards, right? Well, I’m not talking about going back home with Yeo Ryung and Donnie, but Ruda and Jooin protecting me.”


  I sent a piercing gaze to Eun Hyung. The situation of himself relying on others might have pressured him quite much. Although Yeo Ryung instantly scowled at him, Eun Hyung didn’t step back but just revealed a look of bewilderment.

  Ruda responded, looking dumbfounded, “Hey, even though the preliminary round is all over, who can guarantee that there’s no more surprise attack?”


  “You have to qualify those rounds to join the main games, so at the point where I wasn’t able to participate in the preliminary round last week, I’m already disqualified for the Number one candidate. Doesn’t it mean the attacker lost his reason to take action against me?” explained Eun Hyung composedly.

  It sounded quite reasonable; however, Ruda replied yet with an attitude as if telling Eun Hyung to stop talking crap.

  “Enough. They say all is well that ends well, but if you suddenly get attacked today, how empty will I feel, huh?”


  “But……”


  “Watch your steps, Prince Eun Hyung.”


  Jooin cut Eun Hyung off in a cheerful voice, which made Eun Hyung grimace in the end. Heaving a deep sigh, Eun Hyung swept back his hair and walked beside the two boys totteringly. Yeo Ryung and I giggled from behind them.

  Bending his steps, Eun Hyung still uttered like a grumble, “All the qualified fighters for the main games of the Ranking Battle are now there, so why would he keep me in check? Thank you guys for worrying about me, but this is too……”


  The moment he turned around the corner, my eyes fastened at him suddenly widened.

  “Eun……” Before I got to call his name, Ruda quickly pushed his body forward like a spring. They say the hand is quicker than the eye; Ruda’s physical ability indeed proved that old saying.

  “Step back!”


  Shouting, Ruda seized Eun Hyung on his nape and threw him to us in the blink of an eye. Losing his balance, which seldom happened, Eun Hyung was about to stumble. We barely grabbed him and raised our heads to look at the front.