A Surprisingly Polite Friend
Even looking scary, he was a remarkably polite friend. Cha-heon found himself smiling as he spoke. It really didn’t match his size or face, did it?
“You’re not wrong, but honestly, it’s a shame. You’re this good… and so dedicated, too.”
“…….”
“You always leave late in the evenings, right? I know first- and second-years don’t have night study, but I’ve seen you heading out around the time mine ends.”
Cha-heon grinned and waved a hand.
Actually, I didn’t spot you—you were the one glaring at me…
He might not realize it, but getting stared down by those fierce eyes was a little intimidating.
That aside, if he was pouring that much passion into it this late at night, his attachment had to run deep. Quitting not because of injury but out of simple boredom would be a real waste. In the sports world, burnout was more common than people thought, and Cha-heon had seen plenty of talented students drop out because of it.
“Since you’ve already come this far, why not at least try for the National Sports Festival? You’ve worked so hard.”
When Cha-heon said it with genuine regret, the boy met his eyes. Those straight, deep gray irises directed at him trembled ever so slightly.
…But why am I saying all this to someone I just met?
Thinking a little deeper, he realized it might have been pretty careless. Honestly, if he was that skilled, he knew it himself, and deciding to quit meant there was probably a bigger reason, right? Maybe he’d found a dream in academics, or wanted to become a doctor…?
Only then did Cha-heon realize he’d stuck his nose in too far. He stopped talking for a moment, then started rambling.
“Ah, uh…. I don’t even know what your dream is, so I’m sorry for speaking out of turn. If you’re chasing a dream, I won’t stop you. It’s just… I thought you were good, so I said it….”
Being stared at blankly with that face was scary. The sharp, upturned eyes framed gray irises flecked with black that stood out with eerie clarity.
How could a person create such pressure with just a look? It was honestly impressive.
He’d teased Kang I-hyeon earlier for being intimidated by a junior one year younger, but here Cha-heon was—how old was he supposed to be?—feeling the weight of it.
Kang I-hyeon, you were something else after all.
No wonder he’d made captain of the Kendo Club.
Cha-heon laughed awkwardly and slightly averted his gaze.
“…Yeah, right. Come to think of it, I was being way too nosy. Sorry.”
It absolutely was fear…. but anyway, these were highly sensitive teenagers. And someone that skilled must have his reasons for quitting; Cha-heon had interfered too much.
This is how you get called an old fogey. Damn it.
His insides were those of a guy who’d graduated over ten years ago, after all. Sorry, really sorry.
Cha-heon casually turned his back and hurried off as if fleeing the spot.
Even then, the boy’s deep gray gaze remained fixed on the back of Cha-heon’s head.
Thud.
He was flipping through a necromancy book he’d bought for ways to bring Shin Cha-heon home again today when a book fell behind him. He picked it up—it was one he’d never seen before.
“…Huh?”
The Book of Bound Spirits
Judging by the title, this was another book on necromancy. A book for summoning souls, or something like that—but there was a problem.
…Huh? I’ve never seen this one. I don’t think I bought it….
No matter how hard he thought, he had no memory of purchasing a book with this title.
Cha-heon quietly scanned the books lined up on the shelf.
…Hmm, or maybe I did buy it.
Looking at the string of ridiculous titles like Fundamentals of Necromancy, Spirit Summoning, and so on, it seemed possible he’d bought it after all. He’d been picking them up one by one whenever he had time, so a lot had piled up. He couldn’t even remember which ones he’d gotten.
…If anyone finds out, they’ll brand me an occult fanatic.
It was a real relief that his uninterested family never entered Shin Cha-heon’s room.
Cha-heon picked the book up, shoved it into a suitable spot, and took out another.
“…Ah, fuck, Shin Cha-heon.”
On the way home after night study. At the curse that rang out right in front of him, Cha-heon spent a long moment wondering if he’d misheard, until he saw the face and understood.
“What, ‘Shin’ Cha-heon? Shin Jae-heon, didn’t you only have one little brother?”
“Ah, shit. Move.”
Shin Chae-il’s son, Shin Jae-heon.
He immediately pushed past his friend who’d asked and started glaring at Cha-heon.
Ever since the first day, he’d glared and vanished whenever they crossed paths, but today Cha-heon couldn’t figure out what about running into him on the street had rubbed him so wrong. Maybe it was that seeing him outside was even more annoying than inside?
“Hey, I told you not to catch my eye. What time do you think it is to be wandering around?”
…Seemed that was it after all.
What a shitty way of talking.
Shin Cha-heon felt a flash of anger but forced it down.
Night study just ended. What do you want me to do.
In a high-teen romance webtoon of all things, was it even realistic that third-years had mandatory night study three days a week unless they had academy? Cha-heon had never done night study even in his own school days, and now his spine was about to snap from it.
Come to think of it, since the original leads like Seo Ha-ra and Baek Yu-gyeong were third-years in the story, they must’ve been flirting while doing night self-study….
They’d study together in the library and hold hands and all that.
While the reality was dying like this.
Trying to catch up on high school studies late in life, Cha-heon glared at him out of sheer stress before looking away.
“…Hyung,”
“You crazy? Hyung? Who’s your hyung.”
“…….”
“A bastard born from who-the-fuck-knows-where…”
At the unexpected words, Cha-heon’s lips parted slightly before he dropped his gaze.
…The memories were shaking again. Every so often Shin Cha-heon’s memories would rise up in his mind like a panorama, and this was exactly one of those times.
Moments of enduring the same insults every day flashed through his head.
And at the end of them, Shin Cha-heon was always crying in a corner of his room.
…….
He understood. From Shin Jae-heon’s perspective, Shin Cha-heon couldn’t have looked endearing. Not just Shin Jae-heon—aside from Shin Chae-il, even his wife in this household clearly couldn’t like Shin Cha-heon.
But—
So what.
Why take it out on Shin Cha-heon? If Shin Cha-heon had ever talked back or stood up for himself even once, maybe. But all the memories were of him always cowed and avoiding them.
A high schooler with no mom, no money, no house of his own couldn’t just leave, and this side was just as pitiful.
If he was going to ignore him, fine, but this was nothing but one-sided bullying. The thought of a young student being harassed made him a little angry, so Cha-heon changed his mind.
“Fine, hey.”
“…What?”
“You told me not to call you hyung.”
“…What did you just say?”
Shin Jae-heon also raised his eyes and glared this way. Cha-heon faced him expressionlessly, tilting his head in a “so what are you gonna do” way.
Sensing the atmosphere turning serious, a student who seemed to be Jae-heon’s friend stepped in.
“Uh, Shin Jae-heon’s little brother, uh…. Just go quickly.”
Then he twitched his nose, looked at Jae-heon in bewilderment, glanced once at Cha-heon, turned his gaze back to Jae-heon, and started pushing Shin Jae-heon back.
…Aha, I see.
This student was probably an Alpha.
…To this guy right now, Shin Jae-heon looks like he’s being rough with a little sister… or at least a weaker little brother?
From what he’d roughly read in books, Alphas seemed to view Omegas as something to protect. It was true Omegas were physically weaker than Alphas by structure, and Alphas put Omegas in the category of the opposite sex.
Thinking that at this rate Shin Jae-heon’s school reputation would go to hell, Cha-heon shut his mouth again. In the meantime, another friend trying to stop Jae-heon caught his eye.
“Just hold it in for now, Shin Jae-heon. He’s your little brother, right? You went a bit too far.”
As if the word “little brother” set him off, Jae-heon shook off the arm and shouted.
“Ah fuck, our moms are different so why the hell is that bastard my little brother!”
“…Exactly. If he’s not even my little brother, what else am I supposed to call you but ‘hey’?”
Somehow emotions rose up and Cha-heon snapped back without realizing it. Before Jae-heon could say anything, another guy clamped a hand over Jae-heon’s mouth and shook his head at Cha-heon.
“Hey hey, Jae-heon’s little bro, please just go. You don’t know what this guy’s really like?”
“I’m sorry.”
Cha-heon bowed lightly that way, then glared at Jae-heon.
“I was trying to put up with it as much as I could, you know.”
“Mmph!”
“But there’s you, who even goes after my mother just because I get on your nerves…. It makes me wonder if I should have to put up with it either. If you don’t like me, just badmouth me—why go that far?”
In the end, unable to take it, Jae-heon shoved his friend aside and grabbed Cha-heon by the collar.
“Acting all mad about me touching your mom? Your mom was the one who acted easy and seduced our dad, right? And you, fuck, aren’t you the same, wandering around at this hour?”
Cha-heon let out a short laugh, tapped the hand gripping his collar, and looked up at him. His well-shaped lips curved up cleanly.
“And a guy with a wife falls for that? Wow, but come to think of it, that’s your dad, huh? Amazing, the Shin family!”
“You fucking crazy bastard!”
“Hey hey, Shin Jae-heon!”
Jae-heon’s friend panicked and grabbed him around the waist from behind, but couldn’t catch the arm; Cha-heon took the punch Jae-heon swung.
Ah, did this bastard read where I was dodging?
How was it that when he dodged right, the fist followed right along.
Cha-heon lightly touched his right lip, already split and bleeding, with a finger, then glared at Jae-heon.
What, he hits me and then makes that face.
Looking at him with that flustered expression was suspicious.
“What, you gonna hit me again? Go ahead. What else can you do besides that? Huh? Aren’t you embarrassed in front of your friends?”
Having provoked him like that, Cha-heon lifted his backpack and moved his body a little hurriedly.