Eighteen's Bed-Chapter 23.5

Kang Suhyeon tapped her chin lightly as she continued.

“Your friend really has a wide network. She just searched for the high school, plugged in his age and name, and it popped right up. Apparently, there’s no mention of him anywhere that doesn’t show up.”

I clenched my teeth quietly. I had suspected it, seeing the constant alerts, but it seemed like my number had spread quickly again. I brushed off my wrist, irritated. I had done it without realizing, feeling uncomfortable by the lukewarm temperature touching my skin. However, Kang Suhyeon, thinking I had been holding her wrist longer than expected, spoke in a somewhat shriveled tone.

“Oh, sorry.”

Only then did I realize and awkwardly forced a smile, trying to comfort her.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to. It was a mistake.”

“No, it’s fine. I understand. How would anyone feel with a guy holding their wrist so kindly?”

Kang Suhyeon awkwardly smiled, then continued.

“Anyway, So-yeon sent me a text today asking if she could contact your friend...”

“...”

“She asked if it was okay to contact him using the number she got, and she said she couldn’t wait any longer to hear from him.”

Damn it. My mood dropped sharply, souring quickly. I felt uncomfortable and uneasy. My body tensed up to the point where I couldn’t control it. Damn, how pathetic am I to get so irritated over something so trivial? I lowered my head in shame. I pretended to act awkward in front of Kang Suhyeon, trying to cool off the heat rising in my face.

Then when was it? Does it mean the time I got the shower text? Was that “Hello” from Park So-yeon? Or was it earlier? Before meeting me this morning? My mind was starting to spiral with jealousy. My fingers trembled, and I instinctively clenched and unclenched my fists.

“...And?”

“So-yeon contacted him anyway. I guess she really liked your friend.”

“...”

Damn it. I silently gritted my teeth.

“And then, the ever-loyal Park So-yeon asked something. Apparently, she’s all about loyalty, you know?”

Sigh. Kang Suhyeon let out a big sigh while still deeply tucked into the cabinet.

“‘What the hell is Kang Jun doing, not picking up his phone? Ga-hee is waiting for his call, so hurry up.’”

“What? What kind of meddling is that...”

“Meddling? Yeah. I’m telling you, the vibe between you two was so weird back then. You know, in front of the bathroom? I saw it with my own eyes. What are you talking about? You definitely were flirting with Ga-hee.”

“I said it was being nice.”

I was frustrated. It wasn’t anything more than just showing courtesy because I felt bad for her. But now, why did it suddenly seem like I was getting along with her? In frustration, I lightly hit my chest with my fist.

“So, you just leave that person there?”

“It was way too romantic of a situation to leave behind. Don’t try to deny it. You flirtatious bastard.”

“I’m going crazy... Seriously.”

I rested my elbow on my bent knee and held my forehead. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Kang Suhyeon quickly spoke again.

“Honestly, So-yeon must’ve been nervous. She tried to lighten the mood by joking around half-seriously with your friend. You know she always does that kind of thing. And then she goes ghost on Ga-hee after flirting with her all night, what kind of person does that?”

“Ghosting?”

“Yeah, ghosting. You ignored Ga-hee’s calls. You bad bastard.”

“I really wasn’t anything with her. I didn’t feel anything for her.”

I touched my forehead, my frustration almost unbearable. I tried to explain the truth as best as I could, but no one was listening. Well, there was only Kang Suhyeon anyway.

“Yeah, sure, let’s say that’s the case. But then, after being quiet the entire call, your friend suddenly spoke up?”

“...What did he say?”

My hand, which had been rubbing my forehead, stopped abruptly. A hollow feeling, like a hole was being drilled in my chest, stirred inside me, feeding into my already gloomy mood. Kang Suhyeon, nodding, only made it worse.

“‘What kind of bullshit is that? Damn it...’”

“...”

“...Blah, blah.”

Coughing awkwardly, Kang Suhyeon continued cautiously.

“According to So-yeon... your friend has a pretty foul mouth.”

This time, a different kind of sigh escaped me. But strangely, the frustration that had been squeezing my chest earlier seemed to have faded. I let out a hollow laugh.

“...But why does that have anything to do with you avoiding Go Yohan? Why is he here?”

My heart, filled with emptiness and jealousy, twisted and thrashed as I thought of Go Yohan doing something insane again. It felt like I was rubbing something smooth with a cloth over my chest. If I looked in the mirror, my eyes would probably be the ugliest thing. The fact that I was overflowing with this kind of trashy expectation and wanting to hear about someone else’s psycho behavior was enough to make me feel sick.

“Well, So-yeon says she completely lost interest in your friend after that.”

“R... Really?”

I was so excited that a metallic sound escaped from my throat. At the same time, the position I had been crouching in collapsed, and suddenly, I was sitting with one knee on the floor. I struggled to keep my lips from curling into a smile, making an odd expression.

I quickly snapped back to reality and pressed my palm to my cheek.

Damn it. Kang Suhyeon must have seen the joy written all over my face. I despaired over my mistake and hurriedly tried to control my expression. Damn. I cursed inwardly, and Kang Suhyeon, with an embarrassed look on her face, gently tapped my calf.

“Why are you apologizing so much? It’s not like it’s your fault.”

Was my face really that of someone apologizing? I thought it was a relief and opened my mouth.

“It’s nothing, really... I think he got angry yesterday because something happened. I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

“Really? Something happened?”

But my excuse seemed to have given Kang Suhyeon an unexpected hope.

“Oh, thank goodness. I thought it was because of me.”

“…Why? What happened?”

“Well, So-yeon got flustered and said my name. Apparently, she mentioned how you and Ga-hee were being all flirty in front of the bathroom a few days ago, like you were almost about to date... She just said it all, ugh.”

I really shouldn’t have spoken like that. Kang Suhyeon pouted and hit her mouth as if she felt wronged.

“Your friend said, ‘Where is that bastard? I’m going to kill him.’”

“Seriously, what the hell.”

“Around two or three hours ago, So-yeon was going wild and called me. Oh, I heard all this back then. Anyway, your friend probably thought you weren’t the kind of person to ignore people’s calls, so he was just angry as a friend. But I’ve seen it all, so I thought I should explain. I was going to call you.”

Thud. The sound of a door closing in the lecture room echoed. Kang Suhyeon and I stiffened like ice, both of us freezing in place. We silently exchanged glances in the dark. There was no real reason to be nervous, but somehow I felt cold all over, as if I’d been pulled into something unnecessary. Kang Suhyeon, who had abruptly stopped talking, quietly asked in a trembling voice.

“Is, is it your friend?”

After being in the dark for so long, my vision had adjusted. I slowly stood up, trying to focus on the sound that followed. But nothing was coming through.

“No, maybe it’s another classroom door that closed because of the wind.”

“Ugh...”

Kang Suhyeon, who had been frozen with fear, sighed in relief.

“Anyway, I thought I needed to calm So-yeon down and get your number, but it turns out I didn’t need to.”

As if recalling the events, her face, which had been crammed into the cabinet, began to show signs of fear. She rubbed her arms as goosebumps formed and continued with a trembling voice.

“As soon as I hung up with So-yeon, I got a call right away…”

I could even feel her slight shivering. When she muttered to herself, “But how did she get my number? We never exchanged it, never contacted each other…” I, too, was absorbed into the tension, my fingers damp with nervousness.

Could it be that she got it from my phone beforehand? When did that happen?

“I didn’t recognize the number, but I just knew it was your friend. I don’t know why, but when I answered, she asked where I was. And her tone was really polite. She wasn’t angry at all.”

“...”

“So, I told her I was doing an assignment at school. She told me to wait.”

Her wide eyes showed regret. I could already guess what would come next. But I didn’t want to hear it, yet Kang Suhyeon blurted it out first.

“I said I understood and was waiting while doing the assignment, right? I also wanted to say something. So-yeon said something a little harsh, so I figured I should say something to her. Tell her to apologize. So, while I was doing the assignment... a little later... out of nowhere, I felt a chill on the back of my neck.”

I was about to raise my knees and stand up, wanting to look around in the tension.

“Where are you going?”

But Kang Suhyeon seemed uneasy about me moving. Her body, which had been moving so much, caused the empty cabinet to rattle as she called out to me in a hurry.

“Let me just check outside.”

“Are you going to drive me away if you find something?”

There was a strange hint of force in her voice. I could sense the subtle pressure. Whatever happened with Go Yohan, it was clear she was thoroughly startled. After all, when I first saw Go Yohan, I thought he wasn’t in his right mind either.

“I’ll handle it.”

“Do you think I’ll survive if you help me?”

“Not sure.”

It was an honest answer. But when I said that, Kang Suhyeon stiffened. A faint glimmer of hope seemed to rise from her and chase after me.

“Why? You guys seem like really close friends. If you stand up for me, I might be able to survive.”

I scratched my head. Really close friends? It was about a year ago that I thought I could control Go Yohan. Unfortunately, I failed. Suddenly, I thought of the old Go Yohan from high school. I smiled lightly, thinking about that uncontrollable period.

“When Go Yohan was in high school, his nickname was…”

I felt the heat rise in my chest. I swallowed dryly and opened my mouth.

“He was a fanatic.”

“A fanatic?”

“Crazy, idiot, lunatic.”

I added with a sigh.

“I’ve never been able to stop Go Yohan from doing what he wanted. He’s the kind of person you just can’t control.”

“...”

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“Pray for mercy. At one point, he was a devout Catholic.”

“Catholic? Wait, are you talking about that church? The holy church? Hallelujah?”

Kang Suhyeon asked incredulously, but I had no choice but to betray her expectations. It was the truth. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it at first either.

“Yeah, that church.”

Then, for a moment, I had an odd thought. Wait.

…But can you really say Go Yohan has no religion now?

According to him, his religion is me.

No, I must be losing my mind. What the hell am I even saying?

I shook my head and even smacked my neck to get a grip. Keeping my hand pressed against my neck, I slowly lifted my gaze toward Kang Suhyeon.

“Did you just say he was Catholic…?”

Kang Suhyeon didn’t get to hold on to that thought for long. A loud slam rang out from somewhere nearby.

She clamped her mouth shut again like she was having a seizure. And since she was stabbing me with her gaze, I let out a sigh and tensed my body. I braced one knee against the floor while bending the other, ready to get up—but something felt different this time.

“……”

“……”

Footsteps echoed through the dark hallway. A slow, deliberate pace. The sound of someone carefully scanning their surroundings.

I turned my head toward Kang Suhyeon. She was covering her mouth with both hands, but one hand reached out and grabbed the cabinet door. Then, still locking eyes with me, she closed it.

“…Ah, this is driving me insane.”

I exhaled sharply, pressing my palm against the floor. If only the damn lecture hall door hadn’t opened when I came in, I would’ve stood up already.

“……”

The sharp creak of hinges tore through the silence.

The noise scraped against the floor and crawled toward me. The dim hallway light seeped through the open door for a moment—before the door closed again, snuffing it out.

My eyes, already adjusted to the darkness, immediately recognized the silhouette that had stepped in.

It was Go Yohan.

He scanned the lecture hall like he was browsing for something to buy, then frowned. One of his eyebrows twitched up before lowering again.

It hit me just then—Go Yohan’s irises were smaller than most people’s. That meant his pupils were also tiny. Wouldn’t that make it harder for him to see in the dark?

“Suhyeon-ah~?”

His voice was unbearably sweet. I knew that voice, but not that tone.

“Suhyeon-ah, where are you?”

Tap. Tap.

His fingertips drummed lightly against the desk in front of him as he walked forward. Even though I’d done nothing wrong, my whole body locked up.

Suddenly, I remembered high school.

The memory latched onto my ankles and clamped over my mouth.

My wrist throbbed—one I was sure had long since healed.

“I looked for you everywhere.”

His steps, firm and unhurried, stopped just in front of the presence he had sensed.

Then he let out a soft “Ah.” A slow, sharp grin spread across his face. His thumb and forefinger pressed down on the desk’s edge.

“Suhyeon, is that you?”

His voice carried a kind of gentle menace.

Like a doll with stiffened joints, I forced myself to rise. I was certain I’d hear the sound of my bones creaking.

I had been crouched in the back of the lecture hall, suspiciously close to the cabinet.

Twisting my dry throat, I managed to speak.

“…No, it’s me.”

And in that instant—

The cold, creeping air that had been slithering across the floor vanished, melting away like frost in autumn.

It was as if a gust of wind had sucked the dry ice fog right out of the room.

It happened so fast that even I felt caught off guard.

The oppressive atmosphere, almost visible to the eye, dissolved in a blink.

Go Yohan, standing at its very center, rubbed his eye with the back of his hand. Then, blinking at me through half-lidded eyes, he broke into a brilliant smile.

“Jun?”

The eerie, bone-chilling grin from earlier disappeared instantly.

Even I was thrown off by the drastic shift.

“What are you doing here?”

Avoiding his gaze, I pressed my toes together and muttered a half-assed excuse.

“Well… because of Kang Suhyeon.”

“Why?”

“…I had something to say to her.”

“…What?”

Go Yohan dragged his fingernail across the desk’s chipped corner.

Scrape. Scrape.

The plywood splintered beneath his touch.

I tried to sound as natural as possible, forcing a scolding tone into my voice.

“She keeps thinking there’s something going on between me and that girl, Ga-hee.”

I clicked my tongue and threw in an extra jab, glancing sideways toward the cabinet as if annoyed.

If I framed it this way, at least Kang Suhyeon would be better off.

“…Drunk off her own delusions.”

“Oh, really?”

A soft plop sounded.

Something round and sticky bounced off the floor before settling into a gooey mess.

I knew exactly what it was.

A melted sugar candy, its syrupy liquid pooling around my foot.

It must’ve fallen out of Go Yohan’s mouth.

I stared down at my toes, barely breathing.

Just now… it felt like Go Yohan had grabbed my foot.

“She kept saying weird shit to So-yeon or whoever, so I was telling her to cut it out.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I called, but she wasn’t picking up. And I remembered she said she’d be here all night finishing an assignment, so I came…”

“Mhm.”

“…But she’s not here.”

Silence settled between us.

Neither of us spoke.

Go Yohan ran his fingers over the back of his head before murmuring in a low voice.

“…For a second, I thought that bastard dragged you into his mess again.”

“……”

I had no words.

He was too accurate.

This should’ve been enough.

I figured it was time to take Go Yohan and get the hell out of here.

I took a small step forward, lifting my hand toward his forearm—but hesitated for a fraction of a second.

The tips of my fingers twitched from the tension.

I steadied myself, then gently wrapped my fingers around his arm.

“Let’s go.”

“…But can I ask you one thing?”

“What?”

Go Yohan didn’t move.

Instead, he lifted a long, slender finger—pointing it toward the cabinet.

His lips curled into an amused smile.

“Who’s inside there?”