OMLM | Chapter 2

At the sound of his mother calling from outside, Yebon opened his swollen eyes with difficulty.

Fumbling around on the bed with barely visible vision, he picked up his phone. As soon as he turned it on, message notifications popped up. Most of them were from Lee Seunggu.

「20XX 09 XX」

「Lee Seunggu: Hey, why aren’t you coming???」(10:01 PM)

「Lee Seunggu: Seriously, did you run away????」(10:07 PM)

「Lee Seunggu: Hey Kang Yebon!!!!! Did you really go!!!!」(10:08 PM)

「20XX 09 XX」

「Lee Seunggu: Hey… something wrong??? Why aren’t you answering your phone」(11:34 AM)

「Lee Seunggu: Nothing’s wrong, right? At least reply when you see the message」(11:35 AM)

…

…

…

「Lee Seunggu: Kang Yebon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!」(10:33 PM)

From Friday evening until today, Sunday, Yebon had kept his phone off. He was afraid he might accidentally contact Woochan.

A mix of resentment wondering if they were really breaking up, pleading not to leave because he would do better, and lingering affection asking if hyung didn’t like him anymore.

Unable to stop crying, he sobbed until dawn on Saturday before finally falling asleep.

With his swollen eyes, Yebon touched the cold phone to his eyelids until a knock made him get up and leave his room.

“Oh, what do we do.”

His mother, who met him as soon as he came out, looked at his swollen face with concern.

On Saturday, Yebon had to pretend he was sick from the flu because his mother was shocked, even going so far as to visit a hospital.

The only good thing was that his cheek, which Woochan had hit, was just swollen, not bruised.

“Son, are you really okay now? You’re just sick, right?”

“Yes, I think I was a bit tired since it was my first time back at school in a while. Don’t worry too much, Mom. I’ll be out after a quick shower.”

“If anything really is wrong, you have to tell me right away!”

Yebon immediately went into the bathroom.

Thankfully, his mother didn’t ask more questions even while going to church.

She only occasionally glanced at him, which made Yebon feel more suffocated.

Under the pastor’s sermon, Yebon stared blankly at the Bible stand. Nothing the pastor said registered.

Since then, the only contact from Woochan came early Saturday morning.

「Yebon, I’m really disappointed in you. I understand your feelings, but did you have to express them like that?

Despite our past and our parents knowing each other, I wanted to end things nicely, but it seems I misunderstood you. Disappointing.

From now on, let’s not run into each other if possible, and I hope you won’t contact me at all.

Still, I’m sorry for hitting you. But I was really shocked. How could you do that in public? You know as well as I do.」

It was a message typical of Woochan.

Until the very end, he was neat and calm, as Yebon had always admired, making Yebon cry even harder. It felt like he was the only one who had loved so deeply.

Instead of saying his feelings had cooled, or he was busy, or it was about social status… it was the worst reason.

The moment this reason was given, Yebon couldn’t hold onto Woochan anymore.

Amid all this, the regret of why he had impulsively kissed Woochan after hearing hyung was disappointed in him crept up.

Yebon swallowed hard to prevent the tears from welling up again and lifted his head.

Then, his gaze landed on something black sitting at the far left.

The man in a black sleeveless t-shirt was small in stature, but now whenever Yebon saw anything black, that man came to mind.

A man with eyes darker and more sinister than the night sky, heavy with cologne and a rough voice.

Someone from a world Yebon should never be involved with.

“See you again.”

Was that last thing he said just a joke? Yebon hoped so, murmuring “Amen” along with the congregation.

His voice trembled.

Whether it was fear that this terrifying man might come looking for him, or guilt weighing him down, he couldn’t tell.

Not long after, Yebon encountered that terrifying man once more.

In an utterly unexpected place, in an unexpected guise.

“Do you know how worried I was?”

“…I said I’m sorry, really.”

Yebon apologized insincerely to Seunggu, who clung to his arm. Now Yebon was paying the price for leaving during the orientation meeting, being out of contact until Wednesday.

He forced a smile, trying to appease Seunggu.

“It wasn’t anything serious, right? Your phone was off the whole time, I was about to go to your house.”

Seunggu seemed to want more explanation, but Yebon didn’t open up further.

In the end, it was always Seunggu who gave up first. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay now,” he said, shrugging.

“But did you say you have a class?”

“Yeah, a liberal arts one.”

Yebon and Seunggu entered the Humanities building and got into the elevator.

Even though they weren’t in the same class, Seunggu naturally joined him in the elevator, probably wanting to walk him to the lecture room.

“You could go first.”

“The OT¹ should end early. Let’s have lunch after. I’ll wait nearby.”

“…It might end late.”

The elevator doors opened, and Yebon stepped out with a long sigh.

“What class is it?”

“The Development of World Philosophy.”

At the mention of the lecture, which even sounded boring, Seunggu grimaced, his face asking why take such a class.

“I’m not taking it because I want to. I lost all my preferred courses, so I had no choice.”

Yebon couldn’t understand how everyone else seemed to get good classes based on reviews.

He had never managed to get one even by his sophomore year. He couldn’t drop it because he needed the credits.

As they approached the lecture room, Yebon pondered how much he’d have to struggle this time. Seunggu, still by his side, was fiddling with his phone.

“Hey, the reviews for this class are crazy. It’s supposed to be hell.”

You didn’t have to tell him that.

Seunggu was good, but sometimes he got on Yebon’s nerves. Yebon knew he was trying to help, so he didn’t stop him.

“Oh, but there’s no group work. Instead, you have to submit a report every week on a topic given by the professor. And the professor’s strict, plus both midterms and finals are essay-based, so it’s really tough. Can you handle it?”

His tone seemed more teasing than informative. Maybe because Yebon had been overly sensitive lately, it sounded like mockery.

Finally, unable to bear the annoyance, Yebon glared at Seunggu, who then smiled with narrowed eyes. It looked like he was teasing after all.

“I got two easy classes.”

“…Wow, I’m jealous.”

“I’m thinking of dropping one. Want to take it?”

“Really?!”

The irritation on Yebon’s face vanished as he turned to Seunggu with a bright smile. Seunggu shrugged, twitching his lips.

“Good, right? Don’t you feel lucky to have a friend like me?”

Seunggu puffed out his chest and made a cheeky face, beckoning Yebon to praise him quickly.

Yebon knew what he was after, but he was aware that his loud response had drawn attention to them.

He quickly put on his usual calm smile.

“Yeah, it’s good. Let me know a day before the registration period ends if you’re dropping it.”

“Wow, that’s all? You’re so cold. You seem warm but you’re not, huh?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Seunggu grumbled, but his tone was light, not truly upset. As Yebon reached the lecture room and was about to enter, Seunggu grabbed his shoulder.

“What, you’re going to the OT?”

Yebon turned and nodded.

“Even if you drop it for me, there’s no guarantee I’ll get it. After it’s over, text me…”

Seunggu suddenly looked behind Yebon, mouth agape. Following his gaze, Yebon also made the same face.

Slicked-back hair, thick eyebrows, towering height, and a large build. Black shirt, suit pants, shoes, and… those very dark eyes that seemed to envelop everything.

It was that man.

The one from the alley, exuding danger, unforgettable.

Yebon’s whole body stiffened, and the man, looking straight at him, slightly raised his eyes.

Didn’t I say I’d see you again? The rough-edged voice seemed to crawl into his ears slowly. His heart beat faster.

The man scanned Yebon from head to toe before entering the classroom. Only after he was out of sight did Yebon realize he had been holding his breath.

Did he recognize me now?

The man certainly seemed to know him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have smiled at him while entering the room.

Letting out a breath, Seunggu, who still had his hand on Yebon’s shoulder, whispered.

“Wow… First time seeing him in person. His vibe is insane.”

First time seeing him in person? Not like seeing a gangster for the first time, but saying he’s never seen him in person felt odd. Yebon turned back and asked.

“Do you know him?”

Seunggu looked at him as if to say, are you really asking that?

Yebon, unable to understand Seunggu’s reaction, asked sharply, “What’s with him?” His tone was harsher than usual due to his anxiety.

“There’s been a huge fuss about him since the beginning of the year. On Eta.”

For Kang Yebon, Eta was just an app for checking schedules and occasionally looking at course reviews.

‘Was the fuss about a professor, not a gangster?’

Now that he thought about it, that man had gone into the lecture room he was supposed to enter. Yebon tried to recall the professor’s name he’d glanced at.

Kwak… Kwak Cheolyong…? That seemed to be the name, fitting yet not at all.

“Is he a new professor this year?”

“Wow, you really know nothing. He’s not a professor…”

Seunggu made a shield with his hand by his mouth and leaned close to Yebon’s ear. “He’s a freshman this year. In the Psychology Department.”

“You’re lying. Seriously.”

The response came almost reflexively. But Seunggu looked genuinely offended, his eyebrows drooping.

“Why would I lie about this? It’s true. I have a friend in Psych. He told me this guy came to the freshman orientation, and everyone was so intimidated they couldn’t do anything properly.”

His voice was a whisper, sounding sincere. This made Yebon close his eyes tightly and sigh.

So, this gangster was attending the same school as him. Unknowingly, Yebon had kissed Woochan in front of this gangster.

“…Does he have a lot of friends…?”

Yebon hoped not. At least then, he could ignore him now, grab the liberal arts course Seunggu offered, or find any other course.

Seunggu furrowed his brows in thought before shrugging.

“I don’t know if he has many friends, but I heard a lot of people want to get close to him.”

“…Why?”

“He kind of stands out. Most people would find his face familiar.”

The fact that you didn’t know is surprising.

That comment made Yebon realize his situation was dire.

Someone from school knew a secret he desperately wanted to keep hidden.

Even though they weren’t friends, the fact that someone close by knew his hidden secret was unsettling.

And that man had said to him…

“See you again.”

Now, those words felt like a threat, a warning to someone who had vented their anger on him.

‘What will happen now that we’ve actually met again?’

Yebon couldn’t even begin to guess.

Even though he wanted to ignore it and run away, he couldn’t because he had no idea what rumors might spread from places he didn’t know.

Sweat beaded on his palms. As Yebon remained silent, Seunggu added in a more secretive tone than before.

“This isn’t certain, but they say he’s much older than us, and there’s talk he might be a gangster.”