Transmigrated as the Side Top used as an Emotional Trash Can - Chapter 8.2
I dashed over and caught Kim Jihwan, and that familiar sullen face glared at me as though asking what I wanted.
Yeah, this is it-.
“What were you doing, getting out of school this late? Ah, I had my Swimming Club entrance test today.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“Yeah, and they praised me for doing well.”
“So what.”
Kim Jihwan was holding a printout of essential TOEIC vocabulary.
It seemed Kim Jihwan had also applied for his club today and was leaving late after listening to the explanation.
“Do you want strawberry milk? I bought it at the school store earlier-.”
I rustled through my bag, pulled out the strawberry milk, and waved it in front of Kim Jihwan.
As expected, Kim Jihwan rebuffed me once in his usual irritated voice.
“Drink it your damn self.”
“Okay!”
If I actually ate it just because he told me to, he would call me a pig. It was easier to think of ‘drink it your damn self’ as nothing more than an interjection like wow, aha, or oh yeah.
I placed the strawberry milk in Kim Jihwan’s hand, then took out a carton of apple juice, inserted the straw, and drank it.
“Why do you only ever give me strawberry milk?”
“Because it makes me think of you-.”
I had simply chosen it because it somehow suited his image. Pink looked good on him. But maybe there was something else he wanted to drink. I hadn’t thought that far.
“Send me a message if there’s something you want. I’ll buy it in advance.”
“Shit, what are you, my snack runner?”
“I thought I was something like that?”
“Hey! Don’t make me sound like a bully!”
Tap- Tap-.
At the sudden weak sounds, I stopped teasing Kim Jihwan and stared blankly. What had just happened to me?
“Uh… You seriously meant to hit me just now, right…?”
“?”
Kim Jihwan looked at me as though he didn’t understand the problem.
“How do you hit someone with your fist and only make a tap sound….”
‘Tap- Tap-’ was the sound of Kim Jihwan raising his fist and striking my upper arm. Was that a fist or a cotton ball?
“Well, that can happen.”
“It… can’t… happen….”
How was he planning to survive this harsh world with that pretty face and those soft punches….
“Ah, what the fuck do you want me to do, shit…. I’m already pissed off because of the social studies homework…. It’s the beginning of the semester. Can’t that teacher be a little flexible?”
Whether or not Kim Jihwan knew what I was thinking, he began grumbling as he told me about the trivial things that had happened at school that day.
“Looks like it’d only take thirty minutes though.”
“Whatever. I’m just pissed homework was assigned at all.”
We continued talking about this and that, and even when the bus stop came into view, we walked straight past it as though we had communicated telepathically. Without saying anything, we both understood that walking home would let us talk longer, so we silently chose to do so.
Even after talking for such a long time, the conversation never stopped, as though we still had endless things to say. Because of that, even after we reached our houses, we leaned against the wall and continued talking.
“I’m going to start private tutoring and attend an academy too.”
Kim Jihwan declared that he would attend an academy in addition to receiving private tutoring. He really intended to start studying seriously. His drive was impressive.
“My mom said she was going to hire one more private tutor for me too.”
“Unless you’re seriously planning to pursue sports, you should attend an academy too.”
“Haha, let me have some fun until the end of freshman year-.”
“You say you’re having fun, but you still do everything you need to do. You’re such a fucking irritating bastard.”
As we talked, I began to feel a little lost at the thought that I would have less time to stay beside Kim Jihwan from now on. Maybe I should have chosen to study too.
“I’ll try it, but if I miss you, I’ll drop everything and come to you.”
Yeah, right. I could try slowly putting some distance between us for now, and if zombies or something appeared again, I could push everything else aside and go back to clinging to Kim Jihwan like a piece of gum. I had done it once in middle school. Why wouldn’t I be able to do it twice?
“Gross.”
At my answer, Kim Jihwan twisted his face as though he had seen something disgusting, pushed away from the wall, and slipped into his house.
And just like that, the day ended. I sank to the ground where I stood and curled up, resting my head against my knees as I felt relieved that I had made it through another day safely.
“…Haa….”
I let the tension drain from my facial muscles. By now, I could barely remember what I had once looked like, so I tried to recall how I was supposed to hold myself when I was simply me. It seemed I had worn the mask called Baek Hanrim for too long. Even when I tried to take it off, it wouldn’t come away, and it felt as though the skin of my face would be torn off with it.
“…I miss my mom.”
March was nearing its end.
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