Love for Love's Sake - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
“Huh?”
“Nothing. I mean, Cha Yeowoon. I’m looking for Cha Yeowoon.”
When I hurriedly corrected myself, Glasses, who had called out to me, blinked again with a vacant expression. On top of my already bad reputation, at this rate I might even hear rumors that I had slightly lost my mind.
“But class is about to start…”
Indeed. As soon as Glasses finished speaking, the school bell rang suddenly.
Triiing–Triiing–
It sounded just like the high school bell from my memory.
If I was really 19, I might have ignored the start of class and rushed out of the classroom, but I was 29 years old.
Unlike my days as a hot-blooded youth, I had become more familiar with the endless cycle of going to work, leaving work, going to work again, taking a brief break on weekends, and welcoming another dreaded weekday.
Reminiscent of the spinning daily life of a working adult, I sat obediently in my seat like a well-behaved servant…or so I tried.
“By the way, buddy. Where’s my seat?”
Glasses stared at me as if I was strange and pointed to the corner by the window.
Wasn’t that the typical spot where the troublemakers sat? How absent-minded could I have been? Earlier, I sat there and solved problems without even realizing if I was by the window or in the center.
Just as I settled into the perfect spot to doze off, the wind blew in from the slightly open window, causing the curtains to flutter. It felt like a scene from a youth drama.
The white curtains gently fluttered and settled. The sight of the classroom came into view again.
A blackboard and teacher desk, and the timetable and handouts attached next to them. Backs of children sitting amongst the rows. The smell of dust in the classroom gave rise to a strange sense of nostalgia.
Memories surged back like fishes swimming against the current.
I noticed the grooves that had been cut into my desk with a utility knife. When I scratched the part where the wood had splintered with my fingernail, the wooden splinter pricked my skin, causing a sharp pain.
Red droplets formed in a round shape at my fingertip. It hurt, and it was bleeding. The pain sobered me in a straightforward manner.
I was here now. My worst 19.
To change Cha Yeowoon’s 18.
* * *
High school classes I hadn’t taken in a long time made me drowsy. Of all things, there was also the addition of English class.
In my sluggishness, coming down to the 2nd year students’ hallway wasn’t easy. Everyone subtly avoided me, perhaps fearing we might make eye contact.
I couldn’t follow the children into their classrooms, so I barely managed to grab someone who was dragging their feet.
“Do you know which class Cha Yeowoon is in?”
I got straight to the point as soon as I grabbed the child. The student I had detained was very timid and seemed to be already looking for a chance to escape.
“He’s in my class.”
“Really? Where is he?”
I was wondering if I should at least explain that I wasn’t going to hit him, but it would be strange to say such a thing without being prompted. I also had the thought of letting him go quickly. At least, if I could find Cha Yeowoon.
“Cha Yeowoon didn’t come to school today.”
The response shattered my thought.
“Why?”
Really? Cha Yeowoon wasn’t that type of person. Was he attending a competition or something? But the hesitant response felt ominous.
“His grandmother passed away. So he’s busy with the funeral.”
The sentence that had followed was like a blow to the back of my head.
I was aware that Cha Yeowoon’s grandmother had passed away while he was in high school. But I never imagined it would be happening now.
“Do you happen to know where the funeral hall is being held?”
I asked urgently. The student hesitated before faltering.
“I only found out after some classmates and the teacher came back. Cha Yeowoon will be back at school tomorrow.”
They had already been to the funeral hall. Cha Yeowoon would return to school tomorrow. When I pieced together what I had heard, something clicked in my head.
My heart started racing.
Thump–Thump–
It pounded loudly, as if it was hitting my eardrums.
“Where does Cha Yeowoon live?”
“I don’t know, really.”
“Do any of your classmates know?!”
“I-I don’t know! I’m not even close to him. I’m sorry.”
The student who had been grabbed by both shoulders cowered and sobbed.
A transparent window appeared in front of my eyes.
[ Would you like to find ‘Cha Yeowoon?’ ]
It was strange.
As if it knew exactly what I wanted, the transparent window, emitting a faint light, was asking me.
Beyond the rectangular system message, a student who was scared and had his eyes tightly closed was reflected.
“Thank you.”
After taking a deep breath, I patted the student’s shoulder and turned toward the stairs.
The transparent window, which had been floating in front of me, became more transparent and seemed to cover me as it grew larger.
Shining lines drew the surrounding roads and buildings. It was a rough map.
I knew it instinctively.
The blinking point in the middle of the intersection was undoubtedly Cha Yeowoon.
Running down the stairs two and three steps at a time, my view changed rapidly. I heard the school bell signaling the start of class as I exited the school lobby, but I didn’t turn back.
Cha Yeowoon’s high school days were briefly described in the novel.
His mother had passed away, his father was a terrible person, and he lived with his grandmother.
The only adult he could rely on, his grandmother, passed away from a chronic illness before he graduated from high school.
After his grandmother’s funeral, he became involved in a car accident and injured his leg, which left him forever unable to run.
His plans to enter college as a scholarship student for athletics were naturally canceled. All the money left after the funeral expenses went into his medical bills.
Cha Yeowoon’s high school days were, in other words, just as dark as mine.
That was why I supported him.
Because he was just like me.
I saw the large school gates. It seemed to be securely closed, probably due to security measures.
“It’s been a while since I climbed over a wall.”
In the old days, I used to skip over the walls when I was bored. I looked around to see if there was anything to use as support under the secluded wall, but there was nothing, so I stepped on a tree instead.
I stepped on the tree trunk, grabbing the wall, pulling my weight up, and jumping down. If it was like a gymnastics routine it would have been skillful enough to score around 8 points out of 10.
My motor skills hadn’t died. Maybe it was because I had a healthy teenage body, but I felt like I was moving better.
Once I came down on the other side, I saw an apartment complex and a crossing.
Their first encounter… wow.