I've Been Possessed, But What If I Get Pregnant First? - C94
#94
“So. Why did you cry until your eyes became like a rabbit’s?”
The man asked, tapping under my eyes. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and saw I looked like a goldfish. The man cutely called it rabbit-like, but to me… it wasn’t like that at all.
“Just… had some things happen.”
Thinking of them again, tears welled up. I quickly sucked up the grape juice the man had bought me through the straw. Only the sound of drinking could be heard in the restaurant.
“Kid. You know about survival of the fittest, right?”
I nodded slightly at the man’s words. Then, looking at my messy school uniform, he continued with narrowed eyes.
“If you’re weak, you get eaten. Build up your strength.”
Those words made my heart surge. Who… who doesn’t know that already? Emotions welled up, and a tear dropped onto my knee. I quickly rubbed my eyes.
“How…”
The man smoking a cigarette looked up at me. Seeing the man who looked incredibly strong at a glance, I opened my mouth as if grasping at straws.
“How can I become strong…?”
At my words, the man’s hand suddenly reached out. He touched my thin, soft forearm, stubbed out his cigarette, and sighed.
“Are you an omega? I can’t smell any scent though.”
I bit my lip at the man’s words. That was the reason I had become their target. ‘Disgusting like an omega brat.’ Before I knew it, I had become their plaything because of that relentless label.
The words I never wanted to hear from others came out of the man’s mouth. It felt like a dagger in my chest. Enduring the pain, I lowered my head and answered. If I could escape this terrible bullying, I could endure this much.
“…No. I’m not an omega or anything…”
“Then it’s innate, huh.”
He didn’t mean to hurt me. Still, the man’s words wounded me. Not wanting to meet his eyes, I kept my head down and fiddled with my drink.
“Kid. Are you good at studying?”
Neither good nor bad. I just work hard because I have to.
“Then is your family rich?”
Not likely. At my silence, the man tapped the table with his fingertips and said,
“If you don’t have strength, and you’re not smart…”
“…”
“Just act like a crazy bastard.”
“…Pardon?”
I put down my drink at the unexpected answer. Even though no grape seeds were stuck in my throat, I couldn’t stop coughing. Finding my reaction funny, the man curled up the corner of his mouth and rested his chin on one hand.
“I’ll take responsibility for the meals you’ve eaten at the old lady’s place. So try acting like a crazy bastard for once.”
“…”
“Don’t just endure whether they smash your head with a brick or stab your hand with a mechanical pencil. You’ll get sick that way.”
With those words, the man pulled out a tissue, scribbled something on it, and stood up.
“Contact me if you need to, kid.”
Watching the man’s back as he quickly left the restaurant, I lowered my head. On the tissue he handed me were 11 numbers and his name.
Kwon Taebeom. So that’s his name. Even his carelessly scribbled writing looked strong like him. Wanting to be like him for no reason, I rubbed the writing and recalled his words again.
‘I’ll take responsibility for the meals you’ve eaten at the old lady’s place. So try acting like a crazy bastard for once.’
What did he mean by acting like a crazy bastard? Looking down at the blood stains left on my hand, I shook my head.
“No… what am I thinking, Cha Yuwon.”
It was ridiculous how easily I was swayed by the words of someone I’d just met by chance. This is why I always get fooled, betrayed, and end up crying. I didn’t want to regret trusting people again. I sneered softly at myself for still clinging to hope despite being hurt so many times.
Nevertheless, the voice telling me to do as I wanted captivated me. Unable to erase those words from my mind, I squeezed my eyes shut.
“What do you want me to do…?”
***
After the incident at the karaoke, Kim Sangchul and his group bullied me even more. As if seeking revenge, they tried to forcibly drag me away and even threatened to find my grandmother’s store.
But I didn’t just take it like before. Kwon Taebeom had changed me. Survival of the fittest. If you’re weak, you get eaten.
After hearing those words, I started exercising. On my way home from school, I found myself walking towards a boxing gym I spotted.
My heart felt like it would burst when I took out the money I had hidden at home, afraid it would be taken if I brought it to school. Anyway, I safely registered at the boxing gym with the money Kwon Taebeom had given me.
For a month after joining the boxing gym, I did jump rope every day. Maybe because of that, I grew 5cm taller in just a month. I felt it was a waste to just do jump rope after paying money, but my body seemed to have become more agile than I expected.
It seemed like I had gained some muscle in my arms and legs too. With a sense of pride, spending more time looking in the mirror was another change that had occurred. I felt confident that if I worked hard to build my body and stamina during the break, I wouldn’t be disrespected like before.
“Our youngest. Shall we see some jabs today?”
I smiled broadly at the coach’s words as I put down the jump rope. After watching the older guys and uncles around me all this time, it seemed it was finally my turn. When I put on the gloves the coach handed me, it felt different. With the heavy yet firm feeling, I clenched my fist and stretched it forward.
“That’s enough.”
“Haa… haa…”
“It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s tough, right?”
The coach took off the mitts and handed me some water. I nodded at his words while catching my breath. Still, sweating like this always left me feeling refreshed. I took a deep breath as the cold water went down my heated throat.
“But you’ve improved a lot since the beginning. Seeing you grit your teeth and follow along even though it’s your first time today, it seems like you’ve got guts.”
“I’ll work hard!”
I had to work hard. I clenched my fists inside the gloves, opening my eyes wide. The coach patted my back once and said,
“Going straight home without showering again today?”
Like most gyms, the boxing gym had showers, but having no experience of undressing in public, I was still a bit reluctant. When I nodded slightly with an embarrassed face, the coach ruffled my hair as if finding me cute.
“Alright, get home safely and I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Yes, thank you.”
It wasn’t far from home anyway, so I could quickly run back before the sweat cooled. As I was gathering my water bottle and belongings to leave the boxing gym, it was about closing time and no one was expected to come in, but the front door chimed as someone entered.
“…Kid?”
It was the mister. It was the first time seeing his face since that day, and neither of us could understand why the other was here.
“…Mister?”
The man’s brow furrowed at me calling him ‘mister’.
“Uh… then, hyung?”
“Hyung sounds weird too. Call me whatever’s comfortable.”
The man shook his head with a smirk, as if gauging our age difference.
“Um… how old are you?”
When I cautiously asked, Kwon Taebeom repeated “How old…” after me and then laughed as if finding it ridiculous.
“Twenty-six.”
“Ah… then hyung is right.”
Kwon Taebeom kept rubbing his lips as if something was funny and put down the bag he brought.
“You come here?”
“Yes!”
“Since when?”
“It’s been about a month now.”
This time too, he nodded as if understanding while calculating the time and said quietly, “That’s admirable.” For some reason, I felt proud and smiled broadly as I asked him,
“Do you come at this time every day, hyung?”
“Not every day, just sometimes. Mainly at this time.”
I see. Then I should come at this time from now on too. I looked at the clock hanging on one wall.
“Have you eaten?”
Shaking my head, I thought to myself, ‘I wish we could eat together…’
“Follow me.”
“What?”
“You haven’t eaten, right? Your grandmother would faint if she knew you were starving until this hour.”
As he walked ahead, I hurriedly followed him. I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from rising slightly.
‘If I had known this would happen, I should have just showered earlier.’
Still, worried about smelling of sweat, I sniffed myself and walked a step behind him.
The restaurant Kwon Taebeom took me to was a Chinese place near the boxing gym, and maybe because it had been a long time since I ate with someone, it was really delicious. After finishing a bowl of jajangmyeon and all the sweet and sour pork, we went outside, and Kwon Taebeom put an ice cream in my hand.
“Eat it before it melts, kid.”
“Okay~”
I ate the sweet ice cream while walking beside him as he smoked. The alley leading home was eerie due to the late hour. If it weren’t for Kwon Taebeom, I might have been a little scared.
As we got closer to home, my steps slowed down. The distance between Kwon Taebeom and me gradually increased, but I wanted to go slowly rather than walk side by side. However, we soon arrived in front of my house.
“Well, go on in then.”
“Thank you for walking me home.”
“Sure.”
I watched his retreating figure endlessly as he nodded once and turned to leave. Kwon Taebeom never looked back, and I didn’t turn away until he became a dot in the distance.
And finally, when he disappeared from my sight, I tightly clenched the fingertips that had just touched his hand. I felt my heart beating, not unpleasantly. Bringing my fingertips to my heart, I could finally understand my feelings.
It seemed I didn’t want to part with Kwon Taebeom after all.