Transmigrated as the Side Top used as an Emotional Trash Can - Chapter 75.2
“I told you not to touch me! Let go…!”
“Ugh, I’ll let go once you calm down.”
“Fuck! Calm down, my ass…!”
“Yeah, yeah. Good boy. Our Jihwan.”
Praying for the situation to end quickly, I tightened my arms around him. His entire body was burning hot from how angry he had gotten.
No, getting angry couldn’t make him this hot. He was sick. That was it.
“You know short sleepers? I think I’m one of those. I really am fine with barely sleeping, that’s all.”
Did I give him my cold or something? I had thought it was unlike him to raise his voice on the street, but now his body was going limp.
“I’ll study hard from now on. I’ll cut back on games too. Okay?”
As I continued soothing him and spoke quietly by his ear, Kim Jihwan’s resistance weakened and the trembling in his body subsided. Soon, even the stiffness at the back of his neck relaxed, and his cheek came to rest against my shoulder.
“…Don’t smile. Baek Hanrim.”
“Okay, I’ll try to smile less.”
“Don’t try so hard.”
“If I don’t try, I’ll end up smiling.”
We exchanged words that repeated without an answer, like a Möbius strip.
Once he had calmed down, he walked ahead of me toward the barbecue restaurant. I didn’t walk beside him and only followed from behind. For some reason, it felt like I should.
It feels like something is strangling my throat.
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The moment we entered the barbecue restaurant, the smell of meat, acrid smoke, and heat from the charcoal made my eyes sting.
Kim Jihwan and I looked around for our parents.
“Kids! Over here-!”
It wasn’t long before our parents found us.
“We ordered marinated ribs and pork belly. Is there anything else you want?”
“Steamed egg for me!”
“I want a F*nta. Orange.”
We sat down, acting spoiled with the adults. No matter how mature or physically grown we were, they had taken care of us since we were little, so it came naturally.
“Here.”
I pulled out a wet tissue and gave it to Kim Jihwan, then opened another one and wiped my own hands.
“You little rascal, you haven’t changed at all when it comes to taking care of him!”
“It’s like Hanrim was born for Jihwan-.”
“Maybe I was-.”
“Hahaha!”
We chatted about all sorts of little things.
The winter academy camp Kim Jihwan had signed up for, the story of my mother Kim Jaehwa’s documentary shoot, and so on. We always had plenty to talk about.
I liked these gatherings. It made me happy because it felt like the ideal relationship I had always wanted had taken concrete form right before my eyes.
“We’re definitely going to Manila this winter.”
“It was such a shame when we went during the rainy season, remember?”
Talk of Jeju Island in the summer turned into talk of Manila in the winter. At the same time, the meat we had ordered arrived and began sizzling on the grill.
“Does it have to be Manila?”
I asked as I cut the lightly cooked meat with scissors.
“That’s where we went for our honeymoon. We’ve been saying for years that we absolutely had to go back, and now we’re finally going.”
“That’s where we conceived Jihwan too-.”
“Ugh, Mom.”
I lifted a piece of meat slightly to check it. Some pieces were still undercooked, with red juices showing.
“Is there a reason you’re going this year?”
“There’s someone there we’ve kept in touch with. Apparently, they’re very seriously ill.”
“They’re an elder from a deeply rooted Tagalog family, even among Manila’s upper class. They’re someone very dear to us.”
Kim Jihwan’s parents looked happier than anyone as they reminisced about that time in the past.
I looked at Kim Jihwan. He didn’t even notice me watching him because he couldn’t take his eyes off his parents. They really were a family who treasured one another.
“Why, do you want to come too, Hanrim?”
My father, Baek Junseop, asked.
“No. I’m okay.”
“If it’s Jihwan-ie’s family, I’d feel perfectly comfortable entrusting our Hanrim to you-.”
My mother, Kim Jaehwa, agreed. I flipped the meat with the tongs and answered firmly.
“It’s a family trip.”
I must have flipped it too soon, because the meat was still undercooked.
“Hey, Baek Hanrim. If you want to come, then come. Stop worrying about it.”
Kim Jihwan snapped irritably for no reason. I placed a cooked piece of meat on his plate.
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“What? Hey….”
Clatter-.
Kim Jihwan was about to say something when he dropped his spoon. It fell to the floor and spun around. It rolled near my feet, so I bent down to pick it up, but an employee in an apron bent down before I could and retrieved it.
“Here.”
Then he handed it to me.
“Huh? Wow, hey, Jayo….”
“Hey, but seriously.”
I was about to happily greet him when his next words cut me off.
“Does that punk Kim Jihwan not have hands?”
It was Kwon Jayoon.
Startled, I pulled Kwon Jayoon down by the back of his neck and whispered into his ear.
“Jayoon-ah! Jihwan’s parents are right there…!”
“No, ah, fuck, ah.”
Kwon Jayoon irritably pulled himself away from me. But I didn’t have the attention to spare on Kwon Jayoon. I hurriedly turned around to check Kim Jihwan.
Please tell me he didn’t hear anything…!
“What?”
Oh no….
Kim Jihwan’s glare was vicious when he turned around.
It looks like a fight could break out any second?
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