Chapter 123 – 123 – The Story of the Past (2)
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About three months passed like that.
It wasn’t until every day, but Woojin and Eunseol became close friends.
You could ask if leaving early was not dangerous for the school year, but if I told the teacher that I was sick and had to leave early, he would just let me leave early.
In the first place, the school was a bit of a problem school, and for some reason, the teacher seemed to be uncomfortable with him, so he agreed to Woo-jin’s request.
Woojin was able to get out of school safely due to this situation.
Today, Woojin bought some food from the convenience store and headed to the playground.
When we went to the playground, Eun-seol was sitting alone on a bench as usual.
“I’m here.”
“Yes.”
Woojin started talking nonsense to Eunseol at some point.
Eun-seol, who is older than her, said that she felt a lot of distance, and allowed it first.
“So, what did you buy today?”
Eun-seol rummages through the envelope Woo-jin brought.
“Let’s have lunch and bread.”
Originally, it would be standard to buy 2 lunch boxes and 2 breads, but Woojin, recognizing Eun-seol’s appetite for food, bought 2 lunch boxes, 2 triangular gimbap, and 2 breads.
Except for one lunchbox and one piece of bread, everything belonged to Eunseol.
“Thank you every time you come. Originally, I should have bought it for you.”
“No no. And it’s okay. I have some money to spare.”
It seems like he spends a lot of money for a middle school student, but Woojin’s bank account still has plenty of room.
Now that I think about it, it seems that among the pocket money my parents gave me, the money that Shia’s father gave me was included.
Maybe it’s a reward for protecting his daughter and a reward for being sorry…
“Anyway, let’s eat quickly. Your sister is hungry too.”
“Yes.”
Eun-seol nodded at Woo-jin’s words.
To Woo-jin, Eun-seol seemed happy.
‘Something feels like raising a cat…’
There was little change in Eun-seol’s expression, but seeing her gestures, it felt like raising a big cat in a secret space.
The two of them start eating like that.
“How is school?”
Eun-seol talking while munching on food.
Woo-jin said it was dirty and even swallowed it and told her to talk, but she stopped because she showed no signs of quitting.
“I’m fine these days.”
Unlike a few months ago, Woojin was much brighter.
Because thanks to Eun-seol’s advice, bullying, the cause of suffering, has disappeared.
However, the pain of her past remained in her heart, and she could not find the liveliness or brightness of her past.
It was fortunate that things changed in a very positive way.
“Thank you, my sister.”
“What. You did a good job.”
Eun-seol reached out and stroked Woo-jin’s head.
Woojin blushes as she receives such a touch.
“…”
I once had a serious talk with Eun-seol.
…
At first, the playground was chosen without thinking as an escape from reality.
There he met Eun-seol, and every time he came, he had a nonchalant conversation with Eun-seol.
Of course, I bought bread or something to eat as a condition of conversation.
Unfortunately, Eun-seol didn’t seem to be able to eat well.
Even though Woojin’s money was consumed the more he did, the time with Eunseol was precious to Woojin, and he opened his heart to Eunseol and confessed her worries.
_ She has just come to this school herself, and she is being bullied at school.
He said that the reason for the bullying was probably something that happened at the previous school, and told Eun-seol a detailed story, saying that he did not know what to do.
And he said that he couldn’t stand it and left early without permission and was crying at the playground after Mijin.
“Hmm… It seems like vindictiveness, as you said, but…”
After hearing Woo-jin’s words, Eun-seol started giving advice seriously.
“It seems to me that you touch what kind of kid you are and look at your liver, but since you don’t do anything, you seem to take it lightly, don’t you? At times like this, I think the best way is to turn it over…”
“Take it down?”
Concealment nodding his head.
“I want you to show that you’re not easygoing, so won’t you touch me?”
“But… I…”
Woo-jin says he has no confidence.
Woo-jin was already very depressed because of the bullying.
“Kids your age are simple. Fighting skills? Physical? No, as far as I know, kang is the most important.”
Then he taps Woojin on the shoulder
“I heard what you said earlier. It looks like you have quite a bit of kang, but wouldn’t it be enough if you did it like when you saved the girl you talked about?”
While advising, at the end of her
“Kids who touch you, just knock them over. So that you don’t feel complacent.”
Said even.
When Woo-jin asked Eun-seol if it was a story about her experience, she said that she had had a similar experience and should try it.
I don’t know if she meant to give herself confidence, or if it was just a story from her own experience.
Maybe it looks like a story from experience…
“Okay, I get it.”
Woojin decided to follow Eunseol’s advice.
…
Following Eun-seol’s advice, Woo-jin starts fighting against the kids who bully him.
Bullying is no longer treated with indifference, but with action.
If his seat was dirty, he threw his desk like a madman, and he boldly responded with violence to the ringleaders who rushed at Woojin in a fit of anger.
It was because he felt that Woo-jin was kind-hearted and that violence was unnecessary, so he hadn’t fought back until now, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t fight or he didn’t have the knack.
Even the salvation of Shia, which can be said to be the starting point of bullying, is an action that can not be done with a gentle nyang. It was an act that could lead to a group lynching if done wrong.
Even so, the reason why Woojin stepped forward and saved Shia was that she did it out of a sense of justice because she just wanted to stop bullying her girl.
She and Shia had known each other since childhood.
Above all, it may be that Woojin’s father was greatly influenced by him because he was a man with a high sense of justice.
Anyway, maybe it was because the girl who had been quiet until now suddenly acted like her madman, and her bullying of her Woojin subsided, and at some point, the bullying kids calmed her down.
Then, as time passed, the bullying masters disappeared to other schools and a peaceful school life began to unfold.
By the way, the homeroom teacher who was standing by had also gone somewhere.
It is said that she was demoted, but no details such as where she went were not heard.
…
Overall, if it wasn’t for Eun-seol, she wouldn’t have been able to achieve it.
It may have been a simple advice to simply push his back, but it was clear that it was helpful to Woojin.
It was because Woo-jin, who was weakened by his spirit, was not in a state to think such things by himself.
In such a difficult situation, Eun-seol became a support for Woo-jin by talking to him when he was having a hard time and pushing him on the back.
With all of these things put together, Woo-jin started to feel a crush on Eun-seol.
Eun-seol’s outward appearance is scary, but it’s because of her tattoos and big size.
More than anything…
“…”
Maybe it was because Eun-seol’s appearance was on the not-so-bad side.
After stroking Eun-seol, Woo-jin lowered his head in shame.
As Woojin tried to eat the remaining bread, something caught his eye.
“What is that on your chest?”
“Oh this?”
Eun-seol rolled up his collar and showed Woo-jin his collarbone and chest.
At Eun-seol’s sudden action, Woo-jin blushed and tried to move his gaze reflexively, but he couldn’t help but look at him because he couldn’t not look at him even though he asked.
The flowers started from Eunseol’s shoulder and continued toward the center of her collarbone.
It was not just on one side, it was engraved on both sides, so it looked like wings.
“I’m learning tattoos these days.”
“… Huh?… Are you learning?”
I was learning, but I asked what it had to do with engraving on my body.
“There, the boss said he wanted to get a tattoo on my body instead of learning under him. Well, I wanted to get a new tattoo, and they said they would provide a place to sleep, so I just accepted it.”
Although she has a home to return to, Eun-seol, who is in fact a runaway teenager, the tattoo shop owner’s suggestion would be quite tempting.
If Woo-jin were in the same position, he might not be familiar with the tattoo, but he thought that if he provided a place to sleep, he would probably accept the offer.
But Woo-jin felt a little uncomfortable.
“Is the president, by any chance, a man?”
Woojin asks directly.
Having heard on the news that there are bad adults who do this and that to runaway teenagers, Woo-jin asked Eun-seol with a mixture of worry and jealousy.
“The boss is a man.”
“Isn’t there a problem then?”
“Don’t worry, what you think won’t happen.”
Eun-seol pats Woo-jin’s hair again and calms him down.
By the way, the president of the tattoo shop said that he didn’t think he would lose in a fight because he looked insignificant.
“Then there is no problem, right?”
“Yes. No problem.”
Meanwhile, Eun-seol hugs Woo-jin tightly.
Although a little taken aback by the sudden hug, Woojin decided to feel the sensation.
…
…
Since then, Woojin and Eunseol have become closer.
“Sit here.”
“Yes…”
Eun-seol hugs Woo-jin.
The routine of eating together the food Woojin bought and talking about the things that happened to each other was the same, but what should I say? Should I say that the distance between the two has gotten closer?
There were many times when Eun-seol hugged Woo-jin from behind and talked.
Woojin silently accepted such an act of concealment.
There were some things that he couldn’t move because he was shy, but Woojin stayed still because he wanted to fully feel that sensation.
“It calms me down because I’m holding something like this…”
“Am I being treated like a doll?”
“Why don’t you like it?”
“No…”
“Then are you okay?”
“…”
It was clear that they had a crush on each other, but perhaps it was because they both had no experience of dating, and the two, who were clumsy in expressing themselves, had no choice but to stay between more than friends and less than lovers.
“Come to think of it, it has grown again.”
“What?”
Woojin casually rolled up Eunseol’s sleeve.
Like I said before, the two of them were pretty close, so Eun-seol didn’t say anything and wasn’t offended either.
The tattoos that come out when you roll up your sleeves.
The first time I saw Eun-seol, I could barely see it, but now her arms are covered with tattoos.
“Well, the old man said he wanted to engrave it again, so he let me engrave it.”
Eun-seol, who was the boss in the past, has changed to Mister.
No one else would feel that way, but Woo-jin felt that she and Eun-seol had become close.
“…Something I hate…”
“Are you jealous?”
Woo-jin shakes her head violently as if stung by Eun-seol’s words.
“No, it’s not like that… My sister’s body isn’t even blue, so why do you keep getting tattoos? Don’t you hate your sister too?”
Not only the arms, but also the collarbone, chest, and legs are getting more and more tattoos.
As much as Woo-jin likes Eun-seol, he respects her taste, but he feels that she is gradually overstepping the mark.
It’s hard to see, but it looks like it’s tattooed from the neck to the back.
At some point, I could see that Eun-seol was starting to find it difficult, and before, he showed it to himself without hesitation, but lately, it was noticeable that he was covering it up as if he thought it was a monster.
“I’m okay…”
“Are you okay?…”
“Yeah, it’s okay… Thanks to you, I’m learning skills and earning money.”
It didn’t look okay at all, but when Eun-seol said it was okay, Woo-jin couldn’t say anything.
Come to think of it, at some point Eun-seol bought herself something to eat.
I asked what was going on, and it’s been a month since I started making money while drawing a V with my fingers as if I was bragging.
However, behind such a good thing, quite a few tattoos were engraved on Eun-seol’s body.
Fortunately, it wasn’t something that Woojin was really worried about, but seeing the person he liked was uncomfortable, it didn’t bother him.
“Tell me if anything happens. I…”
“You?”
I will save my sister… Woojin swallows the words.
No matter how loud Woojin shouted, he was still in middle school.
There was nothing I could do.
In fact, they are no different from the socially underprivileged.
Eun-seol, who doesn’t go to school but has the age of a high school student, can’t do anything, so what would he do as a middle school student?
“Don’t worry, in a few months I’ll be an adult too, and then I’ll be independent there.”
Eun-seol’s intensity of hugging Woo-jin grew stronger.
“So until then, we have to hang out.”
…
“Now that I think about it, I should have noticed then…”
Woojin made a bitter expression while reminiscing.
“Ah. The story is long There is only a little bit left now, so I hope you listen to it until the end.”
…
Months passed and the year changed.
As the years passed, Woojin turned 16 and Eunseol turned 20.
Even though the years have changed, the two continued to meet.
As promised last time, Eun-seol tried to become independent from the boss, but felt it was difficult due to the timing, so she made a promise to Woo-jin to become independent in the spring.
I couldn’t see her often because it was vacation, but I met Eun-seol once a week at the playground on a set day.
Even on that day when the cold wind blew, Woo-jin forgot the cold and headed to the playground in anticipation of meeting Eun-seol.
“My sister is here.”
In case Eun-seol, who is waiting for her, is cold, she buys bread from a nearby convenience store and a warm drink.
The contrast was colorless, and the figure of Eun-seol was nowhere to be seen.
“He hasn’t come yet.”
If there was a way to contact her, she would have contacted her, but Eun-seol didn’t even have that common cell phone, so she couldn’t.
“You can wait here.”
In the end, Woo-jin decides to wait for Eun-seol to come.
“It’s cold…”
But the silver lining was nowhere to be seen…
“…”
Woojin, who had been waiting, finally gave up and went home when the sun started to set.
…
The buns and hot drinks Woojin had bought were already cold.
…
…
“Stop it, mister… Hehe… I have to go…”
