< Partner (4) >
The radiant Helios, cutting through the dark earth that supports the deep blue sky, came rushing in.
Jin-hyeok’s impression was that of the first bus of the morning, its lights shining brightly.
The bus driver, moving earlier than the diligent country folk, might not be an ordinary human.
‘Oh-, is it because I’m a high schooler now? I feel a bit sentimental.’
Wooong- Kugugugu-.
The bus, which had been racing to open the morning before the sun, slowed down.
‘Hehe-. Riding a bus to school, something to see in a long life.’
A school bag and a gym bag.
Carrying two bags, Jin-hyeok, who had been slowly exhaling into the still cold morning air, lowered his hand.
Stepping onto the first bus in his school uniform felt like a stranger cautiously entering an unfamiliar world. But his legs were full of strength, and his face bore the excited smile of a challenger.
“Good morning.”
“Uheum-. Yeah. Something to see in a long life.”
The bus driver, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, yawned lazily and checked the clock hanging above the driver’s seat. His expression seemed to wonder if he had misjudged the time and left late.
It’s a rare thing.
It’s rare for passengers to board the first bus, but students usually take the next one.
“It’s still dark, so take it slow, okay?”
“Yes.”
Of course, only the driver and Jin-hyeok were on the bus, and it was still too early for his friends to be up.
If he takes this bus and gets off in front of the school, it’ll be around 7.
“Should I turn on the heater?”
“Whatever’s comfortable for you.”
Even in the middle of winter, he used to commute by bike, so a chilly bus was nothing.
His stiff body was just annoying. Because it was his first day of school, he skipped his usual morning workout, and his whole body itched, with his calves and thighs pulsating as if his heart was beating there.
It was because of his mom.
Last night.
Whether it was to prevent the aftereffects of the fireworks or to upgrade the pain, his mom, who had applied Furamin Anti to his dad’s back, which still bore the marks of her hands, called Jin-hyeok.
“Son Jin-hyeok.”
I’m here-. Ah, not that.
“Yes.”
She had never called him like this before, and his mom’s expression wasn’t good. At least, that’s how it seemed to Jin-hyeok. Maybe it was because she still had the momentum from subduing her childish husband.
Sitting across the table, Han Yu-young got to the point.
“Starting tomorrow, take the bus. Exercise is good, but don’t skip night study.”
Jin-hyeok cautiously took a breath.
Why is this mom suddenly cosplaying as a strict mom?
One, is it even possible for a child to understand a parent’s heart? To avoid misunderstandings, it’s best to ask directly.
Mom, why?
Mother, why are you giving such an order······.
Tell me why.
What should I say so mom won’t get hurt? Jin-hyeok unfolded an imaginary script.
But Han Yu-young was one step ahead.
“The roads have improved, and cars are speeding by. I’m worried about you being in danger when it’s dark. And you should hang out with friends, spending time with family on weekends is enough. Now that your dad is busy with work, it’s hard to see him on weekdays.”
The lonely sight of her son seeing off his friends returning from training camp had left a strong impression on Han Yu-young. Now that her son, who had outgrown his dad, was about to leave the nest, it was right to let him go at the right time for socialization.
“That’s how people are. As you grow, you should mingle with many people in the wide world. You have to live among people to be human. Staying only in a small house narrows your thoughts.”
The house they live in isn’t small, but that’s what they say.
Her smart son would understand.
‘It’s time to stop wrapping him in my skirt.’
Well······.
He hasn’t been hugged by his mom since he was about ten, and he’s been doing his own thing, but that’s what they say. His mom, who isn’t good with words, did her best to persuade him, hoping he wouldn’t feel hurt.
“Okay.”
The answer came without hesitation.
A soft smile even appeared on Jin-hyeok’s lips.
See this guy?
Hey, do you have to answer so decisively?
Han Yu-young unconsciously pouted her lips.
‘I don’t even know my own feelings.’
Her son, who had always stayed by her side, whether her husband was farming or starting a business, was now about to leave as if he had been waiting, making her heart flutter.
Thinking about it, it was because of Jin-hyeok that she could safely give birth to Yu-jin and worry less when the house was empty. They even went to Hawaii.
Hah-. With an inexplicable sigh, her arm stretched out on its own.
“Oh my- my baby. When did you grow up so much?”
As she stroked Jin-hyeok’s cheek, Han Yu-young’s eyes finally reddened.
Like the day she cut Jin-hyeok’s hair before he entered middle school.
Jin-hyeok was inwardly puzzled.
He was just following his mom’s orders without complaint, but she was acting strict, then getting emotional.
‘Is mom already going through menopause?’
I should ask Il-heon what’s good for menopause.
At the Ssirum Club training ground, he changed his clothes first.
From school uniform to gym clothes.
“Taking off my school uniform- the day we first met-.”
Even though it was a place he used every day, he felt strangely awkward and hummed a song.
After putting on his gym clothes and stretching from his fingers to his toes, he lightly ran around the field. Although his status had changed from middle school to high school, Jin-hyeok’s day remained unchanged.
Huff huff-.
Climbing up and down the rope, doing pull-ups, pulling the wrestler’s tube.
Pababak-.
Measuring his sprint time alone.
Running around the field at a slow pace to cool down, shaking his hands and feet as he walked.
He suddenly stopped.
‘It’s lonely.’
Is this when you feel lonely? It was a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time.
Filling his lungs with the chilly air, he puffed out his cheeks and looked around the school.
The night-duty teacher must have woken up, as the classroom lights turned on one by one, and high school students in uniforms were arriving.
It was a scene no different from usual, but Jin-hyeok, who noticed something different, looked somewhat deflated.
‘It’s because Byeong-taek and Seol-chan aren’t here.’
Although he quit being a track athlete last fall, Yeom Byeong-taek and Jo Seol-chan would often run together or sit on the bench to watch, worried that their friend might be bored. It was a touching meddling from good guys.
‘Noona isn’t here either.’
Hwang Ga-young, who had become close late, would come every morning to chat and teach him the fun of conversation.
University must not have started yet, right? She’s in the dorm, but I wonder if she’s made many friends. Are her friends pretty······? They must be. She’s a college girl.
‘Why am I like this!’
Jin-hyeok quickly shook his head to stop his brain from racing.
Whether running together or alone, having someone watching and cheering him on was a great comfort to Jin-hyeok. It felt like another version of himself was acting as a pacemaker, running alongside him.
Tsk-.
He clicked his tongue hard. To shake off the ambiguous feeling of whether it was affection or regret.
He couldn’t afford to shrink into sentimentality; this was also something he had to overcome himself.
‘Well, it’s a sport I do because I love it.’
In the end, both the effort and the responsibility for the results were his own.
A player’s life without a coach or partner had begun.
Out of seven classes, classes 1 to 3 are for girls, and classes 4 to 7 are for boys.
And classes are assigned based on entrance exam scores.
Jin-hyeok, who had scored perfectly on the entrance exam, physical test, and middle school grades, naturally entered as the top student and was placed in class 4.
Having missed his morning workout and unable to pour his energy into biking, he burned off some energy and took a seat at the very back of the classroom. His physique wouldn’t allow him to sit anywhere else anyway.
He thought about listening to music on the CD player Hong Ki-jun had gifted him but gave up.
Diligent freshmen were starting to enter the classroom one by one.
‘I need to change.’
Jin-hyeok waved to his friends one by one.
It would be silly to avoid eye contact after making it.
“Come on in.”
“Hi?”
Still, they were more mature than middle schoolers, so his classmates responded warmly without being shy.
A bulky figure filled the back door.
Lee Seung-hoon, come on in.
They were in the same class again, just like in middle school.
“Hey-, president. You’re early? Did you work out today too?”
Lee Seung-hoon glanced at Jin-hyeok’s not-yet-dry buzz cut.
“Come on in. When does Ssirum Club training start?”
“Uh, from today.”
“What about the boarding house?”
Lee Seung-hoon’s house is much farther than Jin-hyeok’s.
Originally, he should have gone to middle school in that area, but he enrolled in Taeyang Middle School solely for Ssirum, and Lee Seung-hoon had to live in a boarding house since middle school.
“I found a self-catering place. I can eat three meals at school, and we often have dinner gatherings, so I’ll live alone starting high school. It’s a nuisance for someone who eats as much as me to board.”
Lee Seung-hoon said the grandmother who had taken care of him until middle school passed away last winter. She was the kind of person who kept feeding him even when he was full, saying he needed to eat well during his growing years and while doing strenuous sports.
There are hardly any students from other regions who could be considered international students, so there are almost no boarding houses left in the town.
“The area near the school is expensive, so I found a place at the foot of the mountain over there.”
If you own a medium-sized fishing boat, you could be considered rich.
Still, Lee Seung-hoon showed a frugal side, saying his father was suffering because of his athletic son.
‘This guy, too kind for his own good.’
Because of that, Lee Seung-hoon would hang on the horizontal bar alone during PE or only hang out with Jin-hyeok. He said he didn’t want to hurt his friends if they bumped into each other.
In Lee Seung-hoon’s thick hand scratching his sideburns, Choi Tae-yang’s image was reflected.
“What did you do for breakfast?”
“Ate at the cafeteria. It’s not as good as the dried pollack soup grandma used to make every morning, but it’s edible. They don’t say anything even if I eat a lot.”
Lee Seung-hoon sat next to Jin-hyeok.
Unlike middle school, there were individual desks, so there was no relationship, but just sitting side by side made the classroom feel full.
“Let’s move to the window seat.”
“Yeah-, that’s better. If we sit here, the kids will feel cramped-.”
Leaning his arm on the windowsill, resting his chin on his hand, he looked out the window.
This was also a posture he had taken throughout middle school, so it wasn’t new.
The new thing would be his classmates.
Out of 200 male students, about 120 are from Taeyang Middle School.
With about 370 graduates from Taeyang Middle School, over 250 had left for high schools in other regions. To big cities, nearby cities, or the countryside. That means 40% of the freshmen are from other middle schools.
A journey with unfamiliar faces from different schools than his past life had begun.
‘But they should be more mature than in middle school, so it should be quiet, right?’
Was that really the case?
As if ignoring Jin-hyeok’s wish, peace was broken in less than 10 minutes.
Buzzing-. The classroom filled up, and a heated commotion started.
“Sex! Sex!”
Wow, scared me.
Is that the same guy from middle school?
Jin-hyeok, with a comically distorted expression, rolled his eyes to find the sex bird.
It’s a different guy.
You can’t leave out the freshmen having sword fights with brooms.
“Cheonma’s Great Destruction!”
“Venomous Snake’s Exploration!”
Sigh-, these crazy guys, really.
*
Under the homeroom teacher’s guidance, they went up one by one for self-introductions.
Jin-hyeok didn’t have much to say. Nor did he need to.
“I’m Son Jin-hyeok.”
Oooo-. Clap clap clap-.
Just bowing his head on the podium earned him a big response.
Perhaps it was a natural reaction.
He had greeted his friends one by one early in the morning and had become more famous in Taeyang County than his father, Son Kwang-yeon.
“Brave citizen!”
“I’ll drink milk well!”
After self-introductions, they elected a class president.
It felt like there was some manual forcing this, but it was a process you had to go through at the start of a new semester.
The result was also natural.
‘Now it would be weird if I didn’t become class president.’
During his self-introduction, he only said his name and came down, but his acceptance speech was a bit longer.
“I hope we can have a fun school life without accidents, without anyone getting sick or lost. I’ll strive to be a positive partner in your school life, not just as a class president but as a friend. In that sense, I want to share the power with all of you. From now on, the greeting for each teacher will be done by rotating duty······.”
Huh?
Is that sharing power?
Isn’t that just passing the buck?
Looking at the buzzing classmates, Jin-hyeok couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘These sly guys, not falling for it?’
Their insight is extraordinary.
Is this what high schoolers are like?
They seemed quicker on the uptake than Jin-hyeok.
