.
Eun Jiho laughed quietly next to Yoo Chun Young.
He said, “Wow, Yoo Chun Young surely talks well once he speaks long enough.”
Eun Jiho didn’t really felt great at the moment, but he clapped his hands with a smile nonetheless. He must have been doing do to provoke the sophomore.
The guy turned red, stamping his feet in anger. He then shook off Eun Hyung’s hand from his shoulder and walked out of the classroom.
We even heard the noise he made as he stomped off the room into the hallway from the classroom. The thud kept on for a moment, but after a few seconds, there came total silence. The hallway became so quiet that I could even believe that a ghost was walking about.
The sun was now hanging on the edge of the mountain. It was not long after spring did the sun sank fast.
Ban Yeo Ryung slowly detached her hands from my ears. As I looked at her soft and delicate hands, Woo Jooin’s voice resonated around us.
His voice still sounded like it came from a boy; however, his cheerful and bright tone sounded so down at the moment.
He murmured, “Class 2-4 Hwang Siwoo.”
All of us turned our heads to see him as he muttered out a name. Woo Jooin’s golden eyes were now staring at the schoolyard over the window.
Hwang Siwoo was probably walking across the schoolyard to get back home. Woo Jooin’s eyes moved as he chased the guy’s back with his eyes, then he moved his lips to utter a few words.
“He’s the leader of the sophomore delinquents around here. I also heard about him from others, but I never knew that I would see his face this fast.”
“Why don’t you just call him the captain?”
“Gosh, that word sounds too noble for a man like him.”
Woo Jooin replied to Eun Jiho with a smile as if what he said embarrassed him. The way he talked still sounded like a murmur which did not belong to the usual Woo Jooin; besides, his golden eyes were revealing a somewhat violent temper.
I also did not want to let the person who spoke to Ban Yeo Ryung like that to go back home intact. At least a kick on his shin would calm me down. I, who grew up without knowing violence, even felt this bad, then how awful would Ban Yeo Ryung be feeling right now?
Surprisingly, she raised her head and gave me a bright smile. She then looked at the Four Heavenly Kings who stood blankly far behind.
“Dudes, let’s go. We’re supposed to hang out today.”
“Um, yeah…”
Eun Jiho replied with a puzzled face. Woo Jooin tilted his head in wonder but soon grabbed his bag with a smile and came up to her side. He then patted Ban Yeo Ryung’s head thereafter.
She said with a smile, “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
Woo Jooin responded shortly with a bitter expression but as our eyes met, he showed me a bright grin which was somewhat similar to that of Ban Yeo Ryung.
The three boys wore their bags on their shoulders and plodded behind us. While we all walked across the schoolyard, I continued to stare at Ban Yeo Ryung’s smile. As if nothing had happened, the way she smiled brightly made me remember something.
A female protagonist inside a novel was loved for a reason.
When Ban Yeo Ryung suddenly turned back to look at us on her way out of the school and yelled at the top of her voice, ‘Sorry y’all! And thanks!’ I confirmed that my thought was right. Ban Yeo Ryung was surely the loveliest girl I knew.
Yoo Chun Young giggled quietly and Eun Jiho loosened the frown on his forehead at last. Eun Hyung smiled gently, tapping her head as if things were all okay now. All of us wandered off in peace.
If I thought about it again, it was not really an unlucky day. Instead, it turned into a heartwarming day after a while.
On March 12th, on that day, if I did not stop by the psychic reading accidentally, things would not have turned out like what happened today. Thus, I’d like to recount what happened on that fateful date.
* * *
Let me omit the part wherein high school students hung out since there was nothing special to talk about what we did despite the usual Four Heavenly Kings stuff. Oh, a few kids in the class sometimes said, ‘I can’t think of Yoo Chun Young singing a song,’ so let me just address that part.
Yoo Chun Young was, surprisingly, a good ballad singer. He sang all kinds of ballads including Fly to the Sky’s ‘Sea of Love’ and Tei’s ‘Poisonous Tongue’ so well. His songs were delightful to the ears since he had a deep, resonant voice when he sang.
Ban Yeo Ryung and I yelled out to cheer him on and made enough reactions when he sang; however, he did not care nor enjoyed how others reacted to his songs. When others sang, he would only gulp down a glass of water with a lukewarm expression. In fact, he rarely sang unless we asked him.
Eun Hyung usually sang ballads which went in line with his appearance and style, but sometimes he would rap together with Ban Yeo Ryung. They would often sing some songs wherein a guy would rap while a girl sung in between the rap verses as a featured singer.
Eun Jiho and Woo Jooin enjoyed singing all kinds of songs regardless of the genres. Let’s just say these guys just reserved all the songs they seemed to know. One time, these two sang Nemesis’ ‘Cotton Candy,’ a cute little song, together which made me and Ban Yeo Ryung laugh until our souls escaped through our agape mouths on the couch.
They sang anything, but among them, the best was Dynamic Duo and Epik High’s rap songs, especially Epik High’s ‘Back to the Future’ which was a song they really excelled at singing. K. Will’s song also matched well with their voice.
That is enough info dumps about these boys for now and let’s move on to what I really want to talk about. That day, we had dinner; afterward, we decided that we wanted to go to a karaoke, and then we headed straight to the arcade. As we trudged out of the town in exhausting steps, I saw a flashing sign above a dark alley. It was a shoddy store sign that had the words ‘Tarot/Fortune-telling’ written with a black marker on a cheap-looking signboard.
Ban Yeo Ryung looked at me with twinkling eyes.
“Honey, should we ask the fortune teller about the future of our lovelife”
“Are you drunk?”
We did not even drink though. When I asked that, Eun Jiho burst out in laughter from behind. Maybe my words were that funny. Eun Hyung also laughed in a low voice and spoke gently that he would not mind going there if we wanted.
There was nothing else left for us to do, so we plodded to the psychic’s stall, which was actually a tent.
If I could turn back time, so I could speak to my former self, I would tell him one thoughtful advice. Never go into that place.
I mean, usually, when people go for a tarot reading, didn’t the reader check each card and tell the patron what they mean? For instance, ‘This card is your spirit, and this card is your future’ something like that; however, that’s not what happened to us.
As soon as the psychic, who had purple eyeshadow all over her black eyeliner and dressed up like a witch, flipped all my cards, she yelled at me with glaring eyes.
“You! You’ll soon have a car accident!”
I thought that this woman was definitely possessed while she was reading my card. Besides, I was asking her to read my love fortune after paying 3,000 won.
Holy sh*t, why was she mentioning a car accident while reading my love fortune?
As I had that thought in mind, Eun Hyung suddenly said, “Donnie, let’s get up.”
“Huh, what?”
“Bye.”
As he said to the lady shortly, he pulled my wrist and left the tent flatly. Ban Yeo Ryung and the other boys also trotted off the place and followed behind.
Eun Hyung did not say a word until he took me to the subway to get back home.
It was 11 at night and within the train was bright like midday as always. Eun Jiho and Ban Yeo Ryung, who lived close to me, took the same subway. Eun Jiho’s hair was shining with a pure gleam under the yellow light.
Brown brick walls quickly passed over the dark window. As the train ran over the ground, a pitch-dark sight came into my eyes. Many cars were running over the bridge with headlights on, which looked like a march of the stars.
I stared at the scenery then I opened my mouth.
“Eun Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“You looked rather upset.”
My words made Eun Jiho, who was looking over the window, turned his head to look at me. He looked quite exhausted with dark circles sitting under his eyes.
