LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 208
Chapter 208
With Lee Young-min quietly following me, I headed toward the balcony. Kang Ji-woo’s piercing glare followed us as if to say, “Why aren’t you going in to rest?”
“My voice may sound like this, but I’m almost recovered, and I don’t have much to say, so I’ll be back soon.”
At my excuse, Kang Ji-woo let out a short sigh and spoke to Lee Young-min.
“Young-min hyung, watch his condition and don’t push him too hard.”
“Yes, understood.”
I couldn’t understand why he was talking to that shameless guy instead of me.
Anyway, as I walked to the balcony, I felt Seo Moon-gyeol’s persistent gaze following us. Once we were outside and I closed the door, the damp warmth enveloped me heavily.
“So, what do you want to say…?”
After confirming there was no gap where anyone could see us, I cut him off, knowing his words would only frustrate me further. To vent my accumulated anger, I kicked his calf with all my might.
I thought my bones would hurt if I kicked him with my shin, so I shoved him hard with my foot. Despite kicking the same spot several times, he stood like an immovable tree, which only made me angrier.
“If you wish, you can kick me a hundred or even a thousand times.”
The guy who quietly took my kicks finally spoke.
“No matter how much you do it, it won’t be me suffering but you, who is already as fragile as a dandelion fluff. In your current state, it could be even worse.”
Ignoring his irritating metaphor, I focused on kicking the unresisting guy.
Anyone who saw this would easily misunderstand, thinking a celebrity was beating up their manager.
But we were hidden from view by the curtains from the living room and the blinds from outside.
Although it didn’t affect him, the impact I felt in my leg helped me cool down a bit.
I shouldn’t resort to hitting someone to relieve my feelings, but here I was.
Finally, after putting my leg down and panting, he calmly asked, “Are you done?”
“I’ll make sure to pay you back with interest later.”
“Please refrain from that.”
“What are you trying to do?”
“Are you asking about my actions earlier?”
“Yes, that and why Seo Joo-won acted that way.”
“I’ll answer one by one. First, taking the photo wasn’t for myself but for you.”
“Bullshit.”
“I understand humans can die from a brief pause in breathing, but I was confident you could hold on until Seo Moon-gyeol caught up. I needed to check something before it was too late.”
Recalling the situation earlier, I realized he wasn’t looking at me but at Seo Joo-won.
“Yes, it’s a type of ability that causes a rampage. The affected person can only recognize the person marked as the catalyst. Judging by your expression, you seem to have a guess.”
“So, touching the people around me…”
“Unfortunately, the currently suppressed ability only affects those who have a low level of affection towards you.”
“Oh, really?”
“The effect of the ability is strongest immediately after the first attack and weakens over time. Once they break free, they become immune for a while.”
Strangely, Lee Young-min’s appearance overlapped with Zero, who had previously disguised himself as Larry and blabbered on.
“…Seems like you’re having a very unpleasant thought.”
Ignoring him, I brought up the main issue.
“You can find the person who posted the exposé about Gyun Seong-ha, right?”
“It would be troublesome, but it’s possible.”
I handed Lee Young-min the Mouth of Truth from my pocket.
“Get it. Bring undeniable evidence that all the posts so far were fabricated.”
Honestly, I’d prefer to handle it myself, but finding the writer quickly without knowing their location was difficult.
Hearing my request, Lee Young-min smirked wickedly.
“Why should I?”
“I’ll let today’s incident slide.”
“Why should I care whether you do or not?”
“Well… Or I’ll tell the company to fire the crazy guy who watched someone get choked without intervening.”
“…”
[Mouth of Truth (single-use) transferred to ???.]
“Tell the company I need two days off due to a cold.”
By then, Kang Ji-woo, who had been waiting for a while, opened the curtain from the living room and mouthed, “Come in.” Lee Young-min and I obediently followed his instructions.
* * *
The next day, as soon as dawn broke, I was dragged to the hospital for a check-up to see if anything was wrong with my body.
My throat was still a bit swollen, but as expected, the diagnosis showed no major issues except for some bruises starting to show up here and there.
“See, I told you I’m fine.”
“You’re not a ten-year-old, why do you hate hospitals so much?”
“Who likes hospitals anyway?”
Answering nonchalantly, I informed the group chat about my condition, as the members had been persistently asking me to let them know once the test results were out.
[Me] They say I’m fine.
[Kang Joo-boo] That’s a relief. Come back to the dorm and rest quickly!
[Little Fox] Wow
[Kang Joo-boo] Are you surprised that the youngest is okay?
[Little Fox] No no no, look at this
[Little Fox] (link)
Curious, I clicked on the link, which led to a community site where posts about celebrities were frequently uploaded.
[Honest Thoughts on Gyun Seong-ha’s Personality]
This is my first time on this entertainment site since middle school. Brings back memories.
I only recently learned about the absurd rumors affecting people I had a good impression of, so I decided to write this post, even if it’s late.
The reason I found out late is because I live abroad now… Just in case people think it’s fake, I’ve attached some proof (?).
(A photo of a foreign landscape with a post-it note showing today’s date)
I was in the same class as Gyun Ha-ram in fifth grade.
First, it’s true that Ha-ram was bullied in elementary school. The reason there aren’t many posts clarifying that Gyun Ha-ram wasn’t a school bully is that, except for a few, almost the entire class were either perpetrators or bystanders.
Ha-ram was well-known throughout the school, so there were always various rumors about him. The bullying became particularly severe after Ha-ram hit it big playing Da-eun in the movie *Youth*.
(omitted)
And Ha-ram got me the autograph of my favorite actor. The signed movie poster is in my house in Korea, so I’ll add a picture once my parents send it to me.
I’ll end the Ha-ram story here. If you have any questions, leave a comment.
Personally, I remember Seong-ha oppa more vividly, even though I never had a proper conversation with him.
There was an incident only Seong-ha oppa and I know about.
After Seong-ha oppa fought with the kid who bullied Ha-ram in front of the lockers, he came to our class again a few days later. It was after school when everyone had gone home, but I was still there for a consultation with my homeroom teacher.
I was scared when this tall, sharp-looking senior showed up while I was alone in the classroom, so I just sat quietly at my desk.
Seong-ha oppa reassured me, saying he had permission from our homeroom teacher, and then he started erasing the graffiti about Ha-ram from the desks, walls, and lockers using cleaning tools.
I soon went for my consultation, and when I returned to get my bag, Seong-ha oppa was gone.
I thought he had left, but I ran into him carrying a desk down the stairs.
My memory is fuzzy, but I think Seong-ha oppa looked like he had been crying. His eyes were red, and I couldn’t make eye contact, so I just greeted him and hurried away, wondering why he was carrying a desk.
There was a particularly bad desk in our class that was not just covered in graffiti but had Ha-ram’s name carved into it by the boys who bullied him.
The next day, that desk was replaced with a new one.
I had tried to replace that desk myself, but there were no spare desks, so I couldn’t. I wondered where he got the new desk from.
Half a year later, in sixth grade, I found that desk in our new classroom. I recognized it because there was a gum sticker of my favorite character under the desk drawer.
It’s not hard to guess that Seong-ha oppa swapped the desk from the fifth-grade classroom with his own.
And he didn’t just switch the desks; he covered the carved parts with cute animal stickers. Though pressing the stickers revealed the dents, it was the prettiest desk in the class. Seeing it every day made me feel strange.
Sometimes I still think about Seong-ha oppa, sweating in the summer heat, silently erasing the graffiti and moving the desks.
At the time, I just thought they must be close siblings, but as time passed, I realized how much effort and emotion went into erasing those hateful words and carrying the desk up and down the stairs. Now, living alone abroad, I sometimes get teary thinking about it.
It’s true, Seong-ha oppa was my first love. Though it’s a trivial detail.
It’s a bit embarrassing, but I wrote this with a lot of heart, hoping more people will know how kind and caring Ha-ram and Seong-ha oppa are.
Here’s proof of graduation.
(A photo of Gyun Ha-ram’s graduation picture and the school name from the yearbook)
I just want to say that neither of them were school bullies. Whoever spread those false accusations should be punished.