.
I blurted out, “Ah, that’s why…”
Everyone in the room turned their heads to look at me.
Feeling bewildered, I uttered, “I mean… last time, while the three of us, Yeo Ryung, Eun Hyung, and I, were walking on the street, we heard someone taking a photo. Considering that it’ll be another bastard sneaking a picture of Yeo Ryung, we caught him and checked the photos, but they were all about Eun Hyung, so we let him go, thinking that he sucks on adjusting the focus properly on the target.”
“The sender used the picture taken that day to make a fake one,” replied Jooin, narrowing his eyes. Tilting his head, he asked, “Do you remember the person’s name who took Eun Hyung’s photo?”
“Uh-huh, Yeo Ryung checked his nametag and school.”
“Then let’s go dig some things from him tomorrow. I already have in mind who ordered him to take Eun Hyung’s pictures, but just in case…”
Speaking that way, Jooin switched his gaze to Ban Hwee Hyul. He murmured, “Someone can be pouncing on the innocent.”
‘Joo… in…’ I carefully called his name only in my thoughts.
The actual person who pounced on innocent people, Ban Hwee Hyul, looked intimidated, not being able to face Jooin in the eyes. Having understood both their situations perplexed me even more.
In some ways, both had their brothers involved in the situation. Jooin’s closest cousin, Woo San broke his arm and leg; Ban Hwee Hyul had his little brother being hospitalized.
Since I was the only child, it didn’t seem to reach me immediately; however, putting Yeo Dan oppa or Eun Hyung into the situation, the answer came out easily.
If someone sent me a photo of them getting beaten, my blood would boil hard that I couldn’t help myself fuming with anger. If someone tried to harass those innocent people from misunderstanding them, it would enrage me too. In this aspect, it was understandable why Jooin kept sending a threatening glance to Ban Hwee Hyul.
None of us, except those who were directly involved in the incident, could move an inch easily.
At that moment, Jooin heaved a deep sigh out of the blue. He insisted, “You fix it up.”
“What?”
Ban Hwee Hyul, who had been dropping his gaze at the floor until now, quickly raised his head.
Jooin continued speaking in an annoyed tone, “It’s on me finding out who the culprit is; you fix things up.”
“But…”
“You committed all these, but you aren’t even trying to handle the rest?”
Ban Hwee Hyul shook his head urgently.
Slightly lowering his voice, Jooin added, “If I find the culprit, the original photo can be found too. You’ll be able to get even with the right person then, or whatever. That’s also up to you.”
As if it was beyond his expectation, Ban Hwee Hyul’s eyes widened.
With the last sentence he had dropped, Jooin turned around abruptly and left the room. For quite a while, not only me but also Ruda, Eun Hyung, and Yeo Ryung were at a loss of words.
Those who didn’t know Jooin well would regard him as a nice kid and just move on. However, to us, who were very aware of Jooin’s personality, this was close to a revolution.
Well, it was, of course, true that Jooin had a kind personality, but aside from that, he had been thoroughly calculative when it came to things that involved people around him. Thus, what on earth had happened to him? Asking questions in my head, I cautiously came out of my room.
The night came before I knew it. All the spaces in my house including the living room and kitchen were dark. Wandering around for a moment, I touched the wall and found the switch to turn on the living room light. As soon as the space brightened, there was a noise from the kitchen.
Once I approached there, I saw Jooin taking and drinking a cup of water. He then put his hands down on the sink and stood still for a second.
Getting close to him, I carefully asked, “Is that really enough?”
That was when Jooin heaved a small sigh and turned to look in my direction.
“What else I can do although it isn’t?” Jooin tossed a question. As if he dusted off all the anger he had against Ban Hwee Hyul during such a short period of time, Jooin showed a faint smile. However, everyone, who knew him even just a little, could grasp that he actually wasn’t able to do that.
Jooin kept on speaking, which sounded even refreshing, “After his little brother became that way, he got beaten by the upper grades, but they say he still didn’t try to fight back.”
“Uh-huh.”
“That bastard broke his own promise and threw a punch here and there, which later turned out to be someone deceiving him. He may be struck dumb too.”
Speaking that way, Jooin diverted his gaze back onto my room where Ban Hwee Hyul might be sitting inside.
Staring at him, I tried to call his name cautiously, but before I was about to do that, his brows slightly met in the middle.
Covering his forehead with his hand holding the cup, Jooin uttered, “He’s too naïve that someone’s fooling him around. Regardless of having such great strength, all he can be is just someone’s hunting dog.”
Jooin’s voice conveyed his mixed feelings of confusion, anger, and even admiration. It reflected the exclamation when looking at a huge remain, frustration while knowing that it’s already ruined, and the emptiness when noticing how dumbfounded the process was.
While I became at a loss for words, Jooin put down the cup.
He muttered, “Alright since things have turned out this way, I’ll use him too. Holding a winning hand, I’ll avenge San hyeong’s incident while staying home, not moving an inch. Sorry to use him again, but who cares when he already has been someone’s hound…”
“Jooin, your weird habit comes out again, speaking badly about yourself.”
When I intervened in his words with a sigh, Jooin quickly turned his head to look at me.
Crossing my arms, I continued, “To be specific, you offered Ban Hwee Hyul a chance to get even with someone who used him. Plus, you told him the way to find out those who attacked his brother. How does it become the same as the opposite side using Ban Hwee Hyul? Why are you mad about yourself when you can show your teeth to others?”
Jooin cast down his eyes again. A low voice returned.
“I am mad about myself. It’s correct.”
“Why?”
“I want to get angry as much as possible; however, all the situations including his circumstances are comprehensible that I couldn’t lose my temper at all.”
“…”
“I wish I couldn’t understand him. Being in his shoes won’t change the fact that he had hurt San hyeong and other innocent people, but once I’ve got to understand him, I can’t do what I’m supposed to do.”
Jooin then lifted his hand and suddenly pretended to hit his head. Quickly grabbing his wrist to stop him from doing that action, I used my other hand to dishevel his hair.
“That’s because you’re nice.”
“Ah, mama, no, that’s wrong.”
As I’d always seen, Jooin was not immune to, particularly, the word ‘nice’ describing his character. Blushing with embarrassment immediately, he avoided my hand, but I grabbed it again.
“Jooin, you’ve put Hwee Hyul’s situation first than yourself being mad. How can it not be nice and kind?” I uttered.
“…”
“What if you keep making a loss while being this kind? I must keep an eye on you.”
“Oh, mama, that’s not true! If you say things like that in front of Ruda hyeong, he would make fun of me.”
That was when Jooin complained while his face flushed with heat. Someone knocked on the door so hard that it struck the entire house like a clap of thunder. It was too loud that both Jooin and I, who were in the kitchen relatively close to the front door, and even the kids in my room came outside hurriedly.
When we met in front of the shoe rack, we exchanged eye contact and dropped questions.
“What’s going on?”
“No idea.”
“Oh, now I come to think of it…” With that said, I took out my phone. Every eye was on me then.
“I did call Yoon Jung In though…” I added.
Since our teacher assigned us as a search party for the missing Ban Hwee Hyul, it seemed right to let Yoon Jung In know about this. While we were all together in my room right now, I thought it’d be also good to have Yoon Jung In here and check Ban Hwee Hyul’s face, but…
Unless he wasn’t being chased by someone, I couldn’t come up with a reason why he was knocking on my door that urgently right now.
That was when a shouting voice reached my ears from outside.
“Urgh! Why are you banging on the door when there’s the intercom here?! People will think you’re here to rob! Are you a bandit? A barbarian?”
