Eighteen’s Bed

"I'm sorry. Really. That lady next door told me what kind of food the student likes. If you're curious, ask. It's late, but Happy New Year, student."

I couldn't read the message all the way through. The tears came down like a torrential downpour.

After everything that had happened, I understood the kind of person that lady was. She had threatened me in the kindest way possible. And as long as I was quick-witted enough to act accordingly, she really hadn’t told anyone and never would.

"Shit, of course, I got caught."

I had been acting way too suspicious. I just assumed she was one of those indifferent people who didn’t care about the world. But I should’ve realized—what kind of person like that would choose a job managing a household?

That was my arrogance.

I roughly wiped my cheek with my wrist. Strangely, after reading the message, my head felt lighter. To be honest, after running into Go Yohan, I had already known I’d get caught eventually.

This was just another step forward on the path I had to walk.

The worry didn’t disappear, but at least this wasn’t something I had thought would never happen. At least I had expected it.

"Kang Jun, you reckless bastard."

I scrubbed at my eyes even harder. Then I stared blankly at the dark screen of my laptop.

7. Go [redacted] is bad.

※ But sometimes, he’s kind to me. Only to me. Sometimes.
※ It’s probably just his personality.

Do I really want to be thinking about this right now?

But when reality comes crashing in, the mind has a way of escaping into pointless thoughts.

So I hit an imaginary backspace key on the information that no doubt lay behind the dark screen.

7. Go [redacted] does bad things sometimes.

※ The observer assumes he doesn't know how to gauge the intensity of his pranks. He might not even realize some of them are bad.
※ Probably because of his fucked-up family situation.

"Go Yohan, you poor son of a bitch."

I let the tears continue to fall as I stared at the still-lit message on my phone.

When I thought about it my own way, it wasn’t such a bad thing.

Between that lady and me, I was the powerless one. So of course, she would make a threat while acting subservient.

Who knows what my parents had told her?

Yeah, aside from love, I’ve always been pretty lucky.

I brushed the tears clinging to my chin away with my fingertips. Then I pressed the keyboard firmly.

The first message I sent was a reply to the lady.

"Do you like seafood?"

Then, after wiping my nose, I typed out a message to my parents.

"I'm doing well, Mom. The lady packed me some side dishes, and they were really delicious. Out of all the people who’ve worked at our house, I like her the most. She takes good care of me, so don’t worry too much. Have a safe trip."

Send. Send. Send.

I hit the button aggressively three times before tossing my phone near the laptop. The screen, which had slid across the desk, glowed brightly.

"She has a mild allergy to crustaceans. The chairman of that house is the one who likes seafood."

"……."

The bright screen dimmed. Then, just a few seconds later, it lit up again.

"I'm really sorry."

I stared at the screen blankly until it finally went dark again. Then, as if collapsing, I buried my face into the dining table.

The tears didn’t dry up. But I didn’t rub them away.

Because I didn’t want Go Yohan to find out I had been crying.

****

Idiot.