Yes, It’s Me. The Obsessive Side Top

#026

After eating porridge, Sun Woo stopped in front of a cafe.  

“So it’s not a cold then?”

“Yeah.”

“Let me see.”

Sun Woo’s hand reached for my forehead again. His touch lingered for about 2 seconds before withdrawing, leaving a slight sense of disappointment. It felt nice and cozy.

“You don’t have a fever. Want to drink coffee then?”

“No, not really.”

To drink coffee, I’d have to take off my mask. At my refusal, Sun Woo simply said okay and headed back to school. He asked nonchalantly,

“You got hit by your father? Why?”

“Ah…”

“You don’t have to say if it’s uncomfortable.”

“It’s nothing much. It might feel a bit empty if you hear it.”

“What is it?”

Sun Woo waited for my answer. When I actually tried to talk about it, I felt pathetic being hit by my father at this age.  

“He’s probably worried my grades will drop. Since he invested money and I suddenly said I’ll do it on my own, he must have gotten pissed. And the thought that he can’t trust Ha Jin is dominant.”

How will Sun Woo view me getting hit over grades at this age?

“You know I’m a bit lacking from studying with me. Father must have seen that too.”

“Is there no other reason besides that?”

“Hmm, for now, that seems to be it.”

“For now? Sounds like there were times you got hit for other things in the past.”

“It hasn’t been long since I got my act together. You know too. That I partied a lot.”

Sun Woo seriously examined my expression as I spoke. His demeanor was like looking at a precarious delinquent youth, so I smirked.  

“My family situation isn’t that pitiful. Father just has high expectations, that’s all. He’s worried I might not be able to meet them. His expression of it is just a bit intense, that’s all.”

“So if the grade issue is resolved, there will be no reason for you to get hit?”

“Probably?”

Sun Woo grabbed my arm and stood me up.

He looked endlessly serious facing me. What is he setting the mood for to say something?

“Let’s study together, Ha Jin.”

“Huh?”

He’s saying he’ll study for exams with me again? Sun Woo?

Is he crazy? I’m totally fine with it. I immediately nodded with a bright expression.  

“Really? Then should we do it in the department room during free periods?”

“No. Let’s do it at your house every day after school.”

I did wonder why it had to be at my house, but is now the time to nitpick that? I firmly grasped the lifeline thrown to me.

“I’d be grateful if you do that. It’s more comfortable too. But don’t you have a part-time job?”

Sun Woo was busy working part-time every day. The only day he didn’t have work was Friday.

“I quit them all.”  

He quit them all. Even though he was working so diligently to make money.

“Why?”

“I have something to do this vacation.”

I wondered what that could be. But since the webtoon starts from the third year of college, I didn’t know what he did during the summer vacation of his second year.

“Really? Then let’s eat dinner and study together every day.”

Sun Woo nodded at my words.

Why did the kiss with Sun Woo come to mind at that moment? As expected of a body captivated by pleasure. Why am I needlessly anticipating something?

* * *

I sought out Kim Shin to get help from his files for this final exam as well. He was sitting on the club room sofa looking bored, but his face bloomed with color when I entered.

“What brings our Ha Jin here? To the club room and all?”  

Kim Shin asked in a slick tone and sprang up to stand in front of me. With a delighted air, he playfully touched my hair with his long fingers. I slapped his hand away and simply stated my business.

“I was hoping to get the files for the final exam too.”

“Hmm, the files again? Is that why you came? Nothing else? Like you missed me. Or you want to eat together. Or watch a movie. There’s a lot, you know.”

“Just having the files is enough.”

It’s not like I have that kind of relationship with Kim Shin.

At my answer, Kim Shin grinned and took out a stack of papers from his bag that was sprawled on the table.  

“I prepared them in advance. Aren’t you grateful?”

“You prepared these in advance?”  

Well, this aspect was convenient at least.

As I admired his preparedness, Kim Shin linked arms with me and clung close, pestering me.

“Grateful, right? Then let’s go to the get-together this time. It’s the regular meeting this time. I don’t know about the rest, but at least come to the regular meeting. You know the kids come because of you. Hmm? I went through the trouble of getting the files for you too.”

Kim Shin kept urging me to go in a soft voice. Thinking I would never go to a thug gathering, I ignored him and tried to leave the club room, but Kim Shin brought up something that might tempt me.

“We decided on the place you like, the shooting range, this time.”

My steps came to an abrupt halt. The corners of my mouth twitched slightly, revealing my pleasure. Fortunately, I had my back turned to him. I turned my head, struggling not to show that I liked it. Kim Shin smiled at me as if he expected this.

“Shooting range?”

“You love shooting to death. Feel like going a little now?”

Ha Jin and I unexpectedly have something in common? I was called a sharpshooter in the military. With skills that never missed once I shot, I even got close to 5 days of vacation as a shooting reward before. For someone like me, I couldn’t help but perk up at the mention of shooting.

“…Where is it?”

In the end, I couldn’t resist the temptation and readily accepted attending that gathering.

* * *

“Phew, this is hard.”

The final exams are even more difficult. I took my hands off the laptop and sighed.

I’m barely keeping up, but it’s still hard as expected.  

“You’ve gotten much better compared to the midterms.”

Sun Woo also took his hands off his laptop and leaned back in his chair.

Of course. If I was an empty can during midterms, now I’m a can with a bit of a bottom. This is all thanks to my blood, sweat, and tears.

“Should we call it a day?”

“Yeah.”

As I was closing and organizing my laptop, Sun Woo quietly looked at me. Seeing him suddenly reminded me of the gathering.

“I don’t think I can study this Saturday because I have plans.”

“What plans?”

“A get-together with friends. It happens twice a year and they said it’s this Saturday.”

“Ah, those friends?”  

His tone sounded somewhat sarcastic. Sun Woo seemed to be thinking about something, then frowned as his eyebrows twitched.

“Is it a drinking occasion?”

Sun Woo’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

“No, we’re meeting around lunchtime and it’ll end before dinner. Since we’re meeting at a shooting range, there probably won’t be alcohol.”

Only then did Sun Woo relax his expression at my answer.  

‘…What was that?’

Sun Woo’s reaction felt strange.  

* * *

The place we arrived at was a high-end shooting range located not too far from Seoul. The outdoor parking lot was filled with expensive vehicles as if it were a supercar exhibition. I handed my car over to the waiting staff and entered the beige-toned building, where a neatly dressed employee guided me to a spot. Bulletproof glass separated the exterior and interior, and luxurious leather sofas were widely spread out in a row on the inside. Outside, a wide lawn was laid out, and there was something like a dirt-covered hill at a slight distance.

A gathering of the offspring of Korea’s top corporations. This group, led by Ha Jin, holds a regular meeting twice a year. It seems they meet often even when it’s not the day of the regular meeting.

Those who were already there welcomed me warmly as I showed up at the gathering after a long time.

“Ha Jin. Wow, I thought you were dead. Why is it so hard to see your face these days? It’s no fun without you.”

“Why has it been so long? Your number is out of service. Give me your new number later?”

“What the. Why does Ha Jin keep getting more handsome?”

I saw a few familiar faces from school. As everyone said something to me, I spotted Kim Shin behind them. His fierce face that was talking with others turned gentle with a smile as soon as he saw me. Kim Shin approached me with a grin.

“You’re here, Ha Jin? It would have been even better if we came together. While going on a drive too.”  

Seeing people shaking their heads behind him, it seemed this kind of nonsense wasn’t a one-off. Kim Shin, not minding it, took me to the sofa. I sat down on the plush sofa and surveyed my surroundings.

In front of the bulletproof glass, long shotguns were lined up neatly in a row. They seemed to be personal firearms, each with a name tag attached to the shotgun. 

While the news of shooting was welcome, I was a bit worried since I had never handled a shotgun even in the military. Well, shooting is probably the same.

Judging from the outdoor environment, it’s probably clay shooting.

“When are we starting?”  

“What’s the rush? We’ll do it when we’re in the mood after eating and drinking a bit.”

Handling firearms while drinking alcohol. These guys seem completely out of their minds.

“I prepared the non-alcoholic drink for you too. Want me to bring it?”

“No. It’s okay.”

Despite my refusal, Kim Shin was simply happy that I came. Looking around, people were greeting each other and drinking in a relaxed atmosphere.

Kim Shin, who was sitting next to me, considerately drank from a glass of beverage instead of alcohol and deliciously ate a side dish he picked up. If someone saw, they would think it was alcohol, not a beverage.

“Are your studies going well these days?”

“Thanks to you getting me the files. Somewhat.”  

“Why are you studying when you didn’t before?”

Kim Shin stared at me intently as if trying to grasp my hidden motives. You guessed wrong, Kim Shin. I’m really studying. 

When I didn’t answer, Kim Shin laughed softly.  

“The professor gives you the answer key.”

I flinched at Kim Shin’s words but quickly composed my expression as if it was nothing.

“You knew?”

“How long have I been stuck to you? You think I wouldn’t know that? Isn’t it overwhelming to suddenly study? It must be hard. You haven’t touched studying since middle school. You only did a bit of English because you were forced to at home. The rest is completely.”

Kim Shin made a slashing motion across his throat with his fingertips.

What, Kim Shin knew Ha Jin’s head was empty too? He seems to know more about Ha Jin than I do.

“It is overwhelming, but I’m catching up little by little.”

“Hmm, so you got hit by the chairman because of that?”

“Yeah.”

“Does he still do that these days? I thought he stopped after you entered college…”

Kim Shin muttered with a gloomy face as if he was the one who got hit.  

So Ha Jin has been getting hit since a long time ago. Well, it was irrelevant. I won’t do things that will get me hit in the future… so I won’t get hit, right? But come to think of it, I wondered if saying I’ll study is something to get hit over.

‘Damn it, Ha Jin’s family!’

“Is Actress Baek still the same too? A relationship worse than strangers?”

Kim Shin really doesn’t seem to not know anything about Ha Jin.

“Still the same.”

“That’s too much. She can’t blame the chairman so she’s redirecting her arrow to innocent you… In a way, you’re a victim too.”

Kim Shin erased his gloomy expression and pointed to himself with a smiling face and outstretched finger.  

“Someone who is more like family than family despite not being related.”

“Who?”

“Huh? You don’t see this finger?”

“I don’t see it.”  

“How disappointing. Am I the only one who cherishes Ha Jin? Can’t you give me even a small handful of affection? I’m someone who is extremely thirsty for Ha Jin’s love.”

I let out an absurd laugh at Kim Shin’s words.