ORAS | Chapter 1.5

He muttered, tapping each of their chests one by one. With even the slightest gesture, the kids slowly stepped back. Their faces were full of irritation, but under the oppressive aura, they all clammed up like clams.

“Bring 260,000 won by tomorrow.”

Wooyoung casually placed his soccer shoes on top of a locker. He rummaged through his uniform shorts and pulled out his phone.

“Before I tell everything.”

Without hesitation, he grabbed Lee Soohwa’s chin and lifted it. With a click, the white, round face, wet hair, and cracked glasses were captured on the screen. Tsk, Wooyoung clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes.

He threw his neck back and stretched his arms upward. He took another shot, this time of the whole group of kids behind Soohwa. The shot turned out perfectly clear. Wooyoung put the phone back in his pocket and grabbed his soccer shoes.

“I wasn’t joking.”

Muttering nonchalantly, he walked back to his seat. With a grunt, he crouched down and pulled out his textbook from the desk drawer. He shoved it into his black backpack and threw it over his shoulder.

His thigh hurt from a rough tackle during the game, and he could feel it getting stiff. He’d probably have to apply some homemade ointment from his grandmother when he got home.

Wooyoung, walking toward the back door, suddenly stopped. In the silent tension, he turned his head slightly.

“Soohwa. Aren’t you coming?”

He briefly glanced at him and turned away again. Even though it had only been half a year since he entered the school, Wooyoung called out the name of a kid he had never seen before with ease.

The sound of footsteps quickly followed behind him. Soon, a scalp brushed against his side. Wooyoung gave a cold look at the boy following him with his head down.

Tch, damn it…

And then, the moment Wooyoung opened the back door, his eyes met with Ko Taeseong’s.

“What’s this?”

Wooyoung blinked in surprise at the unexpected face. He could see the neat collar of his shirt, which was fastened all the way to the neck, along with his vest and tie. It seemed like he had just stepped out of the classroom, with a black backpack hanging neatly over his shoulder.

Wooyoung hadn’t expected to see him again today. The sudden rush of warmth made him feel awkward, and he scrunched his nose.

“Didn’t you go to the academy?”

He grabbed Soohwa’s stiff arm and pulled him out, closing the door behind them. With a heavy thud, the door clicked shut.

“Yeah. I saw you passing by, so I came to greet you.”

Soohwa’s gaze shifted back to Wooyoung after brushing past him.

Wooyoung nodded and wiped the sweat from his brow with the hand holding his soccer shoes. He usually avoided running into Taeseong after a game. He hated the idea of showing his sweaty, disheveled face in his uniform. The moment he became self-conscious, the smell of his sweat seemed to hit him all at once.

Shit. Wooyoung cursed inwardly. If only he hadn’t looked so disheveled, he would’ve walked out with Taeseong to the school gate. He didn’t want to show a shabby side to him. He needed to leave quickly.

“Alright, take care. I’m going ahead.”

He grabbed Soohwa’s arm and forced himself to hide the sense of reluctance.

“Who’s that?”

Wooyoung turned his head at the voice coming from behind.

“Who?”

When Wooyoung pointed at Soohwa with his finger, Taeseong nodded calmly. Wooyoung glanced at Soohwa’s face before answering.

“Soohwa.”

“Who’s that?”

Taeseong remained silent, his expression unchanged, as he continued to look at Wooyoung. His eyes, sharp beneath his long eyelids, gave off an unexpectedly cold impression today. Wooyoung narrowed his eyes, realizing that Taeseong was seeing Soohwa for the first time as well. It was a strange question to ask when Soohwa was right there.

Wooyoung grabbed Soohwa’s arm again, and Taeseong’s gaze followed the movement of his hand.

“Who else? Don’t you recognize him? He’s from our class.”

Wooyoung shrugged nonchalantly. He could feel Taeseong’s intense gaze on him, which made the smell of sweat rise again. He was also conscious of his messy hair, which looked like it had been through a storm.

“Stop with the nonsense and go already, you idiot. I’m leaving.”

He waved his hand dismissively and quickened his steps. But Taeseong didn’t try to stop him any longer.

As they walked down the hallway toward the bathroom, Soohwa didn’t say a word. Wooyoung, who had brought him along out of concern, felt uneasy seeing him so downcast.

Was there such a kid in class? From head to toe, he had no particular features that stood out. He seemed unusually lacking in presence.

Wooyoung had always been sensitive to bullying since he was young. He was tired of the kids from Riverpark Castle who tried to divide people based on their wealth. Even after he entered middle school and started hanging out with Taeseong, he had slowly forgotten about it, but it still disgusted him that there were kids who still enjoyed such things, even in high school.

When they reached the bathroom, Wooyoung stood in front of the sink. The water came rushing out. As he washed his hands, he suddenly looked up and met Soohwa’s eyes in the mirror. He was hunched over, looking down at his head, which seemed to be covered in something he didn’t recognize.

“What are you doing, at least wash your hair properly?”

“….”

“Are you really going to go to study hall like that?”

Soohwa hesitated but slowly approached, turning on the water and gently bending over to wash his hair.

Wooyoung, who had been wiping his hands with a tissue, now took a good look at Soohwa. His small frame, possibly a little over 170 cm, pale skin, frail body, thin arms and fingers…

…Is he even a guy?

No wonder he gets picked on. If Wooyoung hadn’t had a different bone structure since he was young, he probably would have been bullied long ago. It was an unavoidable reality for those who had to survive among the kids who only picked on the weak.

Wooyoung frowned as he threw the tissue into the trash. Letting out a faint sigh, he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. The only sound in the stillness was the water running.

While he was lost in thought, Soohwa stood up straight, and the water dripping from his wet hair trickled down his neck, wetting his collar.

Wooyoung straightened up, pleased. He grabbed a crumpled-up cheap tissue and handed it to Soohwa. Soohwa’s eyes, tightly shut in silence, flickered as they glanced at it.

Wooyoung motioned again, urging him to take it. Soohwa awkwardly accepted the tissue. He pushed his glasses down under his nose and started wiping his forehead and wet hair in a hurry.

Wooyoung, now leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, quietly watched him. He couldn’t believe that a kid in high school was still dealing with bullying and harassment. It must be tough to live in a world like this when you’re busy with schoolwork as well.

“Are you okay?”

Soohwa’s gaze gradually lifted at the question. When his thick-framed glasses rested on the tip of his nose, his relatively decent face became visible. His large eyes and round nostrils made him appear gentle and round overall.

Wooyoung’s eyes narrowed as he quietly studied his face.

“What’s this, you.”

“Hmm…?”

Soohwa flinched and looked up at the sudden remark. Wooyoung stared at him with serious eyes. The unwavering gaze caused Soohwa to hesitate in fear.

“Damn…”

“…”

“You look like Chopper.”

A smile accompanied the softened words.

X-Piece was Wooyoung’s favorite comic. The big, round eyes of the reindeer character there resembled Soohwa’s, who looked like he could burst into tears any moment.

“So cute.”

Wooyoung straightened his body, which had been leaning sideways. He took a step closer to Soohwa and stood tall. Not noticing Soohwa’s rigid posture, Wooyoung inadvertently chuckled.

“Hey, take off your glasses.”

He pinched the frame of Soohwa’s glasses with two fingers. Playfully, he moved them up and down, watching Soohwa’s eyes grow bigger and smaller with amusement.

“Then the kids who like X-Piece will hang out with you.”

“…”

“Agreed?”

A slight smirk tugged at Wooyoung’s lips. Just as he was about to laugh smugly, Soohwa’s gaze slowly met his smile.

And in an instant, Soohwa’s face contorted. His eyebrows drew downward sharply.

Wooyoung blinked in surprise at the sudden change in expression. Rapidly, tears filled Soohwa’s eyes, rising quickly along his lower eyelids.

“What…”

Caught off guard, Wooyoung closed his mouth. Stunned, he looked on as Soohwa desperately reached for a tissue.

“Hey, why…”

With a frown, Wooyoung bent down to look at him. He felt a bit awkward. He didn’t have many friends, so he hadn’t seen anyone cry much. The last time he had witnessed a meltdown was when Kihyuk had a breakdown over an OMR card in sophomore year.

Tears began to fall in droplets down Soohwa’s pale cheeks. It seemed that Wooyoung’s careless remark about his favorite character had hurt him more than he realized. It felt a bit unjust seeing this kid, who had always endured bullying—even when his glasses were broken—crying over such a small comment.

“Ah. Why are you crying…”

“Uhh…”

With a troubled face, Wooyoung balled up the tissue he was holding and awkwardly pressed it to Soohwa’s eyes. However, what was even more embarrassing was that Soohwa’s crying face, with the downturned mouth and drooping eyebrows, made him look even more like the character Wooyoung had just mentioned, causing Wooyoung to unconsciously stifle a laugh.

“Shit, hey, don’t cry… sorry.”

Wooyoung bit his lip tightly as he frowned. He knew he couldn’t console him, but he was laughing, making him feel like a complete jerk. But the bright red nose and his pitiful crying face really did resemble the character.

“Ugh, ugh. Uhh…”

Soohwa squeezed his trembling eyes shut. His damp eyelashes twitched. Wearing his cracked glasses perched on his nose, Soohwa started to shake silently.

“Ah… what’s wrong with you?”

Wooyoung, standing with his hand on his waist, pressed his palm gently against Soohwa’s eyes. He swallowed the absurd laugh and exhaled a deep breath. Glancing down at him from under his palm, he saw Soohwa crying with a grimace, his tears falling uncontrollably beneath his furrowed brows.

Did he really hate it that much? …Chopper’s cute though.

Wooyoung didn’t know what to say and felt awkward. The sound of Soohwa sniffling seemed to fill the bathroom, and the more he heard it, the more uncomfortable he became. This was completely out of the blue.

Ugh. Wooyoung muttered under his breath as he stared at him again. Water still dripped from Soohwa’s wet hair.

“Damn it.”

Whatever Wooyoung thought, grabbing some tissues and pressing them onto the top of Soohwa’s head in a rough manner. Although wiping his hair with tissue wouldn’t dry it, it was Wooyoung’s way of apologizing.

“Crying over something like this…”

His muttered voice echoed low in the silent bathroom. Wooyoung continued to use up all the tissues by the sink, and Soohwa didn’t stop crying until the last one was gone.