Homeboy

No matter how hard I wracked my brain, I couldn’t come up with a suitable response to his earlier question, and my nerves grew taut. Stealing glances at him, I finally met his gaze full-on. He looked delighted, his eyes glinting mischievously. Panicking, I shut my eyes tight. His irritatingly cheerful laughter rang clearly in my ears.

Some say unrequited love is bittersweet. For me, it required persistence and patience. Confess, get rejected, confess again, and get rejected again. This repetitive, stagnant relationship that’s been going in circles for three years was something I’d grown accustomed to. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger at Jung-in for exploiting the fact that he held the upper hand emotionally.

He cornered me, observed my flustered, restless state, and took pleasure in it. His actions were no better than a bully’s. In moments like these, I felt less like the pitiable protagonist of a one-sided love story and more like the lead in a revenge saga—a boy who’s spent ten years sharpening his blade to avenge his parents.

And today was exactly one of those days.

‘I’ll get my revenge.’

Drawing a sharp blade honed to perfection, I vowed for victory. The anxiety clouding my mind quickly cleared as my thoughts raced. Today, I was determined to see Cha Jung-in’s smug face twist in discomfort. Opening my previously closed eyes, I responded calmly.

“First, I don’t like you just because of your face or body. I have countless other reasons, and if you want, I could talk about them for hours.”
“Oh-ho.”

“But…”

I rolled my body away from the wall and scooted closer to Cha Jung-in. Moving slowly, I stopped until I was lying so close that our noses nearly touched. Then, glancing up, I fixed my gaze on his perfectly shaped lips.

“I do want to try something with you.”
“…Oh.”

“And you asked me what I’d do specifically to treat you well, right?”

Lifting my head slightly, my lips brushed against the tip of his nose, barely skimming it. Startled, Jung-in jerked his head back. A thrilling sensation shot from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.

“I’ll give you everything.”

The corners of Jung-in’s lips, which had been curved playfully, slowly lowered until his mouth pressed into a tight line. His eyes, brimming with mischief just moments ago, flickered with sudden confusion.

“You know, don’t you?”

Cupping my hands like a megaphone, I leaned close to his ear and whispered as though I were revealing a monumental secret.

“I’m still a virgin.”
“……”

That was where our conversation ended. The sound of rain tapping against the window and the taut tension in the air were all that remained in the silent room. Time seemed to drag. After what felt like an eternity, the faint clatter of dishes in the distance broke the stillness. That small sound seemed to signal the end, and Jung-in let out a long sigh. His face and neck flushed crimson, as if he had forgotten how to breathe and was now gulping down air.

Cha Jung-in seemed to be replaying my words in his mind, trying to grasp their meaning.

“You…”

At last, as realization dawned, his brows knitted together before his face crumpled in frustration. Not wasting the opportunity, I bolted upright from the bed and flung the door open. Bright sunlight poured in, dazzling my eyes. Even though it was hard to keep my eyes open, I rushed out of the room, shouting.

“Mom! I want breakfast!”
“Son Yeo-il! Get back here!”

Cha Jung-in’s shout grew faint behind me as I ran.

Contrary to my expectation that he’d come chasing after me, he didn’t make a move. Feeling slightly relieved, I helped my mom set the table. Just as I was about to take my first bite of rice, Jung-in wandered into the kitchen, snatching up a spoon like it was a knife.

“Put your hand out.”

His tone was sharp and commanding, his expression menacing.

“What? No way. I don’t want to.”
“Put your hand out, now.”
“What’s your problem again?”

My mom, who had just brought out some stir-fried pork, glanced over at us and asked, having clearly seen this kind of scene too many times before. Her additional comment, ‘You two have so much energy this early in the morning,’ carried a note of exasperation as she shook her head at us.

“He’s been running his mouth.”

Jung-in answered without taking his eyes off me. Under his intimidating gaze, I quickly stuffed a piece of pork into my mouth and feigned distraction.

“You’re eating too, right, Jung-in?”

Cha Jung-in’s unsatisfactory answer was lightly ignored. Her mother, who asked in a nonchalant tone if he wanted to eat, disappeared into the kitchen before Cha Jung-in could say anything.

“Put your hand out while I’m asking nicely.”

Despite the harsh tone, I pretended not to hear and instead made an exaggerated nasal sound, burying my face in the rice. Cha Jung-in, who was silently glaring at me, suddenly bent down and came closer to me.

“Should I tell Mom? You asked me to take your virginity…”

Hearing that far, I jumped up from my seat in surprise. In a hurry to reach out, I dropped the chopsticks I was holding, making a loud clanging sound. Again, and again. The objective and undeniable fact that I was a virgin was somehow distorted into the vulgar phrase ‘asked me to take your virginity’. If it went through Cha Jung-in’s head, even a fairy tale would end up with an X-rated label.

Cha Jung-in grabbed my outstretched hand at once. With his other hand, he carefully rubbed my palm and straightened it. A cold metal object slapped my flat palm. It didn’t hurt, but the whole process was strangely humiliating. My face turned red with humiliation. Throughout the strange act, Cha Jung-in’s gaze remained on my reddened face. When I glanced at him, Cha Jung-in smiled lazily, curling the corners of his lips.

“…You pervert.”

“When does the semester start?”

Ignoring me, Cha Jung-in sat down opposite me with a completely refreshed expression and asked.

“Starting next week.”

My mother replied, putting down the tray with brown rice and seaweed soup on the table.

“And you, Mom?”

“I’m fine. Your mother brought me some kale this morning, so I blended it with banana and a little honey and drank it, and I’m still full.”

In-sun Aunt and Jung-myung Uncle, Cha Jung-in’s parents, had recently become very interested in gardening. They spent the entire weekend at their Yangpyeong villa from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, working the fields. When they arrived in Seoul late Sunday afternoon, they usually had dinner at our house, and each time, they brought a basket of harvested produce as a payment for the meal. I guess this week’s product was kale. Thinking about that, I took another bite of meat.

“It’ll take at least three hours to get ready and go to the movies. Are you okay with that?”

“Don’t worry, I also had a ginseng that Choi Seo-bang left behind last time.”

Son Yeo-jin, the eldest daughter of the Son family and my older sister, married Mr. Choi four months ago and was now enjoying her honeymoon phase. For me, it was a relief—one of my most bothersome rivals had taken herself out of the picture. The couple had recently become enamored with the joys of camping. It seemed they intended to visit every camping spot in the country, as they hadn’t been home for three weeks. Today, they were off to a campsite in Gangwon Province with an observatory.

As a result, the three of us left in Seoul spent our Saturdays going to musicals, movies, exhibitions, and the like. Typically, Cha Jung-in was the one who planned, booked tickets, and drove. We obediently got into Jung-in’s car, watched whatever he had picked, and then went to a restaurant he knew or had newly discovered. I mentally went over the schedule I had written in my diary the night before.

[11:05 AM Cinema, Eternal Love]

It was a romantic comedy chosen with Mom’s preferences in mind.

“We can snack while watching the movie.”
“Sure. Mom, you like their pretzels, don’t you?” 

I mechanically chewed my rice while watching Jung-in converse with my mom as naturally as if he were her real son. With his face puffed from sleep and his messy black hair, Jung-in looked much younger than his age. His long, thick eyebrows, like strokes of a fine brush, complemented his monolidded eyes perfectly. Paired with his full lower lip and upturned corners of his mouth, his overall look was strikingly sharp and refreshing. His sleek nose and clean facial lines added a touch of austere sexiness.