IRLPLBIO Chapter 5 Part 1

“…Damn it, Jae-gu, you son of a bitch. You shouldn’t forget things like that.”

“Ah, sorry. So what’s your name?”

“Joo Hae-jun! It’s Joo Hae-jun!”

Memories resurfaced, following the shouting voice.

Joo Hae-jun. It was an uncommon name, so news about him sometimes came up even after Jae-gu went to Seoul, and it stuck in his memory.

The stories included: how he suffered greatly after his leg was broken when their hideout collapsed and it was improperly treated; how his family’s fortunes declined sharply after he sued the hospital; and finally, how he dropped out of school and disappeared.

Joo Hae-jun, of whom there had been no news for a while, was later said to have become a lawyer. He became the surprising protagonist of a story about a delinquent high school student turning over a new leaf.

Although he died in an unfortunate ‘accident’ not long after, he had accomplished a lot in a short time. One of those accomplishments was a lawsuit against ‘Daeyeong Chemical,’ a subsidiary inherited by Han Seong-cheol.

Jae-gu felt uneasy. The accident that killed Joo Hae-jun wasn’t his doing, but he couldn’t say he was entirely unrelated. The fact that the accident happened precisely when he was going after Daeyeong Chemical smelled suspicious. Even if it wasn’t Jae-gu, it seemed like another one of Han Seong-cheol’s hunting dogs was involved.

Memories of Hae-jun complicated Jae-gu’s mind. So he just took the punches the guy threw a few times.

“Hey… Joo Hae-jun, you absolutely have to study.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to say things like that?”

“It’d be a waste not to use that brain. Don’t just use it for headbutts. Got it?”

“Wow, are you making fun of me?!”

Hae-jun finally flared up. He even shoved his not-so-pretty head forward just because Jae-gu mentioned headbutts.

In the end, Jae-gu attempted to communicate physically. Fists were an effective teaching tool then, and they still were now.

Jae-gu grabbed Hae-jun, who was blindly rushing him, and punched him in his unprotected torso, then patted Hae-jun as he slumped to the ground without even a scream.

“Cough, choke…”

“See? Why do you keep attacking?”

“Da-damn it…”

Hae-jun, sprawled in a crouch on the asphalt, trembled. He must have been exaggerating, as he hadn’t been hit that hard. When Jae-gu nudged him with his toe, he still couldn’t control his temper and swatted it away.

“The bet…! Damn it, you said a bet, right? Let’s do it!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’ll do it! I’ll definitely do it!”

As the saying goes, all roads lead to Seoul, and Hae-jun accepted the bet. Seeing him grind his teeth and glare made Jae-gu feel somehow annoyed, and he wanted to hit him one more time.

“Ugh!”

His fist shot out faster than he expected.

Ah, I really need to stop hitting people so much.

Perhaps interpreting Jae-gu’s regretful expression as something else, Hae-jun clutched his punched stomach and muttered.

“Damn it… I’ll definitely win. I will win. And then I’ll beat that Jae-gu bastard…”

“Oh, right.”

“What, what?! What about me?! I didn’t say anything!”

“Do you happen to know where my textbook is?”

“Hmph.”

Hae-jun sneered. His mouth, which had been spouting nonsense, finally shut, but his thoughts were all over his face.

‘How’s a guy without a textbook going to get good grades?!’

Jae-gu felt a sudden surge of irritation. It seemed like 30% of the reason that guy died was because he got on other people’s nerves like that.

Jae-gu hit Hae-jun on the head one more time.

He had made up his mind to live properly.

Looking back on his day, Jae-gu realized his resolve hadn’t been kept very well, right from the first day.

What if it’s already a mess? He still had so much to do…

Jae-gu, utterly drained, trudged along. He didn’t even feel like adjusting his constantly slipping backpack strap, so the bag hung down to his forearm.

Just then, Park Kwang-cheol waved towards Jae-gu, who looked half out of it.

“Hyeong!”

Jae-gu’s head snapped up. Seeing Park Kwang-cheol smiling brightly in the distance, Jae-gu’s own face brightened.

What could one day possibly tell him? Instead of having his mind gnawed away by someone like Han Seong-cheol, it was right to prioritize Park Kwang-cheol.

He wouldn’t let Park Kwang-cheol follow him in a terrible state; he would ensure Park Kwang-cheol could enjoy everything there was to enjoy and have everything he deserved. For Park Kwang-cheol, who had given everything to him, this time, Jae-gu would do everything for him.

Jae-gu quickly ran over and hugged Park Kwang-cheol.

“My Kwang-cheol!”

“Hyeong, you haven’t eaten dinner, right? Mom came home early, so let’s eat together.”

“Yes, yes! Great! Sounds delicious!”

Jae-gu nodded unconditionally, not even knowing what the menu was.

Park Kwang-cheol was already taller than Jae-gu. His physique was so good that even though he hadn’t fully grown, his build was broad and strong. Moreover, according to Jae-gu’s memories, he would grow even bigger.

Jae-gu stroked Park Kwang-cheol’s back, which felt so solid when hugged, as if he were dealing with a child. Meanwhile, he didn’t realize that he himself was being moved along, practically lifted, by Park Kwang-cheol.

“My Kwang-cheol, Hyeong will definitely make sure you succeed! Definitely!”

“Hyeong, really, you were saying that earlier too. Okay, I get it.”

Park Kwang-cheol comforted Jae-gu.

The feeling of Park Kwang-cheol’s large hand subtly stroking his back, almost enveloping it, was strange. The spot where Park Kwang-cheol’s hand touched felt somehow warm, and then a little ticklish…

Jae-gu, who had been momentarily dazed, quickly pushed Park Kwang-cheol away.

“You, you smell good? Is it shampoo?”

He had blurted it out in embarrassment, but surprisingly, Park Kwang-cheol reacted immediately. His smiling eyes briefly glinted.

“You can smell something on me? What kind of smell?”

“Well… isn’t it shampoo? It’s cool, but also a bit heavy… If not shampoo, then cologne? Do you already wear cologne?”

“Hyeong.”

Jae-gu’s babbling stopped.

Park Kwang-cheol’s eyes, met at close range, were deeper and more intense than Jae-gu expected. His distinct brow bones and high nose bridge added a certain weight to Park Kwang-cheol’s still-young face.

Come to think of it, he was really handsome.

Without realizing it, Jae-gu traced the image of Park Kwang-cheol in his memories. The Park Kwang-cheol he was used to had half his face completely disfigured by burns, and his throat was damaged by smoke and heat, leaving his voice ruined.