Eighteen's Bed

Chapter 6.1

It was a weekend just before winter break. The cold air rippled through the atmosphere, as if foreshadowing snowfall. After finishing my tutoring session, I thought about stopping by a bookstore for the evening. As I walked, I happened to notice an unfamiliar spire.

The building had clearly existed before I moved here, yet I was only just now seeing it. Drawn in as if under a spell, I approached the spire.

The cathedral, the only one of its kind in this district, stood grand and elaborate. A white plaster statue at the entrance bore the serene face of a woman. The church, built with dark brown bricks, was silent.

I carefully approached the largest building and pushed against the door, which was likely twice my height. Through the opening, I saw dozens of heads bowed neatly forward in unison.

"The Lord be with you."

"And with your spirit."

The congregation slowly moved their fingers, first touching their foreheads, then their chests, left shoulders, and right shoulders before bringing their hands together. Light filtered through the stained glass, casting an orange glow on the floor.

Among the sea of black hair, the scattered white cloths caught my eye. A grand, unidentified organ sound filled the space, its volume overwhelming. The sudden impact of the music startled me.

This wasn’t a place I belonged. And the timing—why did I have to come when it was packed with people? My face heated up, embarrassment crawling up my spine. I instinctively reached for the door, trying to slip out unnoticed. But as usual, my luck wasn’t great today.

"Damn it."

"Oh, I—I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine."

In my haste to pull the door open, I hadn't noticed the middle-aged man pushing from the other side. He lost his balance slightly, stumbling for a moment. Flustered, I instinctively grabbed his arm.

Fortunately, the man had an imposing build that didn’t suit someone of his apparent age. Through the slightly thick and luxurious fabric of his clothing, I felt the firmness of his skin. Had I not caught a glimpse of the wrinkles near his eyes, I might have assumed he was in his late thirties at most, rather than middle-aged.

"......."

The man lightly took hold of my hand, gently peeling it away. Even in that subtle motion, I could sense his strength. His notably large and powerful hands let go of mine with a motion that reminded me of the claw of a crane game at an arcade—grabbing and then tossing away.

Feeling unsettled, I rubbed my now-empty hand. When I looked up, I was met with an icy gaze.

It wasn’t exactly hatred or disgust. It was just that kind of look—like he was observing something inanimate, something neither interesting nor worth caring about.

After scanning me with that dispassionate gaze, he casually asked a question, the kind you could ask anyone.

"Are you a student here? I don’t recall seeing you before."

"Oh, I just..."

"Just?"

"I live nearby..."

"Nearby?"

The man's narrow eyes widened slightly. I forced an awkward smile.

Well, considering this area, that reaction made sense. There weren’t many residential houses—just a few scattered homes, large compared to the vastness of the neighborhood itself. From his attire and way of speaking, he seemed to be a local as well.

"Uh, you know, the house with the brown roof. In the second alley..."

"The brown-roofed house in the second alley? Don’t tell me—SE Global?"

This time, his widened eyes curved into a crescent moon shape. The cold gaze softened, and the previously indifferent look transformed into one of warm interest. The abrupt shift made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

How could someone change so quickly?

I barely nodded, worried that my voice might come out shaky.

"You're Kang's son, huh?"

"What? Oh... Yes, hello."

"Yeah. I’ve heard a lot about you in passing. They say you're a top student?"

"I just try hard enough not to fall behind."

"So, what rank are you in the school?"

Heard about me in passing? Where? From whom?

I had planned to be politely modest and move on, but the way he bluntly asked for my ranking was baffling.

As he waited for my answer, he slowly removed his black leather gloves. A simple silver ring caught my eye between his unnaturally long fingers. He draped the gloves over the pocket of his long coat, as if settling in for a full conversation.

I pressed my lips together slightly, then smiled faintly.

"First place."

The corners of his eyes lifted just before his pupils vanished behind his lids.

Why did my answer make him so happy?

He rubbed his hands together slowly, his long lips curving into a smooth arc. Even the wrinkles at the corners of his mouth seemed refined—an elegant sort of middle-aged man.

"I heard you were impressive, but damn, you really are."

"Thank you."

"So to you, being first in the school is just ‘not falling behind,’ huh?"

His words felt a little off. Was he mocking me?

But even as I lifted my head from my polite bow, the only thing I saw in his expression was warmth—an overflow of interest.

"That must mean you're more focused on your national ranking than just school rankings."

Huh? How did the conversation end up here?

"Well, your school's just a place with a good location, really. It’s full of riffraff. The real competition is with students from independent or specialized high schools."

"......Yeah."

"My son goes to your school too, actually. But he’s so bad at studying that I gave up on him a long time ago."

"......."

"If only you were my son. Smart, ambitious, good-looking..."

The man brushed his knuckles lightly against my cheek.

"I've never envied Kang so much before."

"Ah... Thank you."

"While other kids are probably grinding their asses off studying on a weekend just for a shot at first place, here you are, visiting a cathedral. Impressive."

"Oh, no. I was just passing by and decided to stop in."

At my response, the man’s smile brightened further.

"Are you interested in Catholicism?"

"What? Oh... a little."

The answer came out automatically, just as it always did.

The man seemed quite pleased with that. I could tell from the way his softened expression showed traces of satisfaction.

"I see... That’s good."

His cold hand brushed against my cheek again, this time with more care.@@@@

"I hope to see you around often."

With that, the middle-aged man gave my cheek a couple of light pats. His touch was roughened by time, the hardened skin slightly scraping against mine.

Then, he retrieved the gloves that had been hanging from his pocket.

I quickly lowered my head.

"Goodbye."

"Mm, take care."

The puzzle had given me the answer.

"Is his son’s name Go Yohan?"

My parents took a moment to think before answering.

"Hmm... I’ve never really heard him talk about his kids, so I don’t know."

****

From dinner until morning, all I thought about was going to school. I could have just contacted him right away on my phone, but for some reason, I didn’t want to. There was no particular reason. I just felt like I had found something to talk about.

When I stepped out of the house in the morning, I found myself scanning the street.

Wouldn't it be funny if I ran into Go Yohan? The thought made me laugh, and I chuckled to myself for a while.

But unfortunately, I didn’t run into him on the way. As expected, Go Yohan had arrived at school first and was dozing off. Feeling unusually excited, I sat down and poked his shoulder.

"What?"

His voice, muffled by his desk, was full of irritation.

Why was he so annoyed? I pouted in dissatisfaction, but I wanted to talk to him, especially since we had made up yesterday. So I decided to let his bad mood slide. Then, as if I were boasting about some great discovery, I threw out the information I had learned the day before.

"Hey, Go Yohan. You live in my neighborhood, don’t you?"

"Huh?"

Go Yohan suddenly lifted his head.

"Your family’s really rich, huh?"

Now that he was up, I could see the lollipop in his mouth. That white stick kept catching my attention for some reason. I scratched at my chest absentmindedly.

Go Yohan rolled his eyes as if thinking for a moment, then frowned and let out a scoff.

And then, as if he couldn’t hold it in anymore, he burst into laughter.

"Haha, hahaha!"

He bent over, laughing so hard that his shoulders shook. His wide-open mouth revealed his sharp white canines. He kept laughing until tears welled up in his eyes.

"You’re just figuring that out now? Our family is filthy rich."

He wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes, his tone full of mischief.

And that’s when I realized—this bastard had kept it from me on purpose. He had deliberately stayed quiet about it.

"I was wondering when you’d notice."

"Wait... You mean you purposely didn’t tell me?"

"This isn’t me not telling you. It’s your fault for not noticing. You don’t pay attention to me."

"Well, I know now, so it’s fine, right?"

"It’s way too late."

The tiny lollipop spun inside his mouth with a soft clinking sound.

"If you had taken any longer, I wouldn’t have let it slide."

"And what exactly wouldn’t you let slide?"

"...There’s something like that."

Go Yohan winked one eye.

I shook my head.

This guy really made no sense.

I thought back to that middle-aged man from yesterday. That serious, heavy presence. Thinking that Go Yohan would grow into someone like that left me feeling... strange.

A serious Go Yohan. No matter how I pictured it, it just didn’t fit.

"I met your father yesterday."

"...My father?"

His lips froze mid-suck on the lollipop. The face that had been full of laughter just moments ago instantly lost all traces of amusement.

In that brief moment, his cold face tensed.

I hesitated, thrown off by the sudden change in atmosphere.

It was just something I had brought up as casual conversation, but seeing his reaction, it didn’t seem like something I should be mentioning lightly.

Did I mess up? I felt uneasy.

"Yeah."

"What did he say to you?"

His cool-colored eyes wavered slightly.

I caught that faint tremor immediately.

Having spent my life watching others, I was eerily good at recognizing people like me—people who had grown up constantly reading the moods of those around them.

Go Yohan was gauging his father’s reaction.

If I said the wrong thing here, it could be bad.

I thought carefully.

I had brought this up in good spirits, but now it had become a headache.

I fell into brief contemplation as I watched Go Yohan’s guarded reaction to his parents being mentioned.

I thought back to my first encounter with that middle-aged man.

The way he had looked at me at first, like he was observing something lifeless. The way his demeanor had suddenly softened the moment he realized where I lived, that I was a top student, and that I was interested in the church.

Yeah.

Go Yohan’s parents weren’t much different from mine.

The only difference was their personalities and tendencies.

As someone from the same world as him, I picked the best possible answer. One purely for Go Yohan’s sake.

"He told me to get along with you."

"...My father? Told you that?"

"Yeah."

A parent who tells their child to befriend a good student surely can’t be one who doesn’t love their child.

I was absolutely sure of that.

So, with absolute confidence, I nodded.

"He definitely said that."

At that moment, a strange glint flickered in Go Yohan’s eyes.

I wanted to take in that change for a little longer, but before I could, the classroom filled with students rushing in just before the bell.

"Everyone, take your seats. The bell’s about to ring."

Our homeroom teacher walked in right behind them.

I wasn’t able to see what kind of expression Go Yohan made in response.

But throughout the day, I kept imagining it.

When I pictured his usually sharp, thin eyes softening, even just slightly, I felt a thrill so intense that it left my head buzzing.