TFEB 08

Chapter 8…

 No Difficulty Level

The accommodation for seven people, which I had heard had been hastily renovated during the off-season, had a huge swimming pool. It was long enough for someone as fully grown as Cha Junjae to swim comfortably, and it even had a slide that children would enjoy playing on.

The accommodation consisted of a mansion with three large rooms and a small cabin on the opposite side of the swimming pool, both of which we would be sharing. It seemed that the small cabin had been assigned as my personal space for tonight.

But then, why wasn’t I going inside and instead standing around outside?

The mansion, which had a bungalow-like atmosphere, happened to have a small bar and kitchen. And right now, I had been lured over to the long bar counter, where I was watching Cha Junjae pour beer.

Out of courtesy, Cha Junjae had put on a plain white short-sleeved T-shirt. His hair was still wet as he poured the alcohol.

I hope you catch a terrible cold.

“Junjae. By the way, wasn’t it incredibly difficult for you to get these vacation days?”

There was only one reason I had agreed to drink with Cha Junjae, despite having plenty of excuses to turn down his invitation.

I couldn’t let my paradise sink into the swamp that was Cha Junjae.

My parents were Difficulty Level 1, and the adults who had come along with them were upgraded to Difficulty Level 2 because of my guilt. But once the final boss, Cha Junjae, entered the picture, everything changed.

Cha Junjae had no difficulty level whatsoever.

After all, my score against him was probably around zero wins and fifty losses.

“There’s nothing much to see here, so most people only stay for a day or two. Snorkeling and swimming only keep you occupied for a little while, and all the restaurants serve is pizza and hamburgers… You’re someone who has to maintain your physique, too.”

Cha Junjae, who had neatly filled the beer glass, slowly raised his gaze.

Whether he had heard my words of concern disguised as reasons not to recommend this place or not, his expression only seemed to grow more cheerful. There wasn’t a trace of worry on his face.

“Then what about you?”

“Hm?”

“Why have you been staying on an island where everyone else only stays for a day or two for three whole months?”

Whenever Cha Junjae looked at someone with such gentle eyes, something bad was bound to happen.

Kind, good-natured, perfect class president material, student council president material, sociable.

The things people said about Cha Junjae were always surrounded by a fragrant flower garden. But the truth lay in the roots of those flowers.

People said those things because they didn’t know about the poison hidden in the roots.

The butterflies and honeybees drawn to Cha Junjae’s flowers always met the worst possible ends. Naturally, I was the only one who looked crazy for constantly putting up warning signs telling people to beware of Cha Junjae’s flowers.

For that very reason, what I was most wary of was his gentleness.

Didn’t people say that a soft sword could cut even better than a hard one?

That was the perfect description of Cha Junjae.

The situation just one second ago had been exactly the same. Knowing that I was trying to push him away, he had suddenly changed the subject to something completely unrelated.

“I just like quiet places. I also have things I need to do here. But that’s not the case for you, Junjae. How could you waste your hard-earned vacation in a place like this?”

“Why is that a waste?”

Cha Junjae, who had been merely spinning his beer glass around without drinking, calmly asked in return.

The closer we got to the end of a conversation, the more worked up I became, while that guy sat there listening like some superior.

But this time, I was firmly determined not to be the only one making a scene.

“Like I said earlier, this place isn’t really suitable for someone like you. My mom and dad will probably get sick of it and leave soon, too. I’m busy enjoying myself and doing absolutely nothing… And you know how busy you are, Junjae. That time is precious. Such a waste, such a waste.”

I felt like I was putting on a one-man show.

I talked away with a smile, matching Cha Junjae’s expression. Then I gulped down beer because my throat was dry. After that, I stared at the mannequin-like Cha Junjae, who wasn’t reacting at all, with an exhausted look.

No matter how many disadvantages I brought up, whether it was hygiene, scenery, or weather, Cha Junjae only responded by taking a sip of beer.

He listened to my long-winded explanations as though he were listening to an old friend’s stories about the past.

“Oh, right. There’s one more thing. Remember how I mentioned the horse carriage earlier? That thing is actually really exhausting…”

I didn’t want to look like someone who kept repeating the same stories after drinking.

But I still had to say something. My head was getting foggy, and I was getting sleepy.

No matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn’t come up with anything that would leave Cha Junjae bewildered or dumbfounded.

Considering how every problem had always unfolded like this, was I going to lose again this time?

It was just a brief moment when I closed my eyes to fight off the overwhelming drowsiness.

At the sensation of cold glass touching my skin, my sleepiness hurriedly disappeared.

“Don’t fall asleep.”

A newly opened beer bottle was pressed against my cheek.

I had only closed and opened my eyes, yet Cha Junjae was now sitting in the chair across from me. The distance between us seemed unusually close, so my body instinctively leaned backward.

The hand that had been holding the beer bottle against my cheek also withdrew as though it had never been there.

“I wasn’t sleeping.”

“You closed your eyes and stopped talking, so I thought you had fallen asleep.”

“…Honestly, I am a little tired. I’ve drunk too much beer.”

“Want to go inside and sleep?”

It was a night that made me even more irritated by how handsome Cha Junjae looked as he filled my empty glass with beer.

I had to persuade Cha Junjae.

I had to threaten him.

Those two sentences were running wild in my head when his lips parted.

“If you’re not going inside to sleep, at least talk like you were earlier.”

What am I, some radio DJ you requested?

This was bad.

I felt like if I opened my mouth, my honest feelings would come spilling out.

My feelings toward Cha Junjae were already at rock bottom, so every now and then, they escaped without my permission.

Sometimes, they came out as harsh words, sometimes as an unpleasant expression, and sometimes my true feelings simply burst out with a reckless to hell with it attitude.

Of course, the results always came back to haunt me in the form of embarrassing situations and regret.

“But you must be bored, too.”

“Why would I be?”

Cha Junjae, who had quickly emptied another glass of beer, flashed a grin as though he were getting tipsy.

Feeling spiteful, I deliberately turned my face toward the swimming pool before speaking.

“It’s not like you’re going to hang around with the adults. And you don’t know anyone here, either.”

I had said it indirectly, but Cha Junjae would have understood exactly what I meant.

That even if I died, I would never go around with him.

It wouldn’t be so bad to watch him waste his time trapped on this island.

I let out a small chuckle and was about to lift my beer glass out of habit when I suddenly became suspicious of how quiet he was.

I reluctantly turned my stiff neck just enough to check on him.

My heart dropped heavily. I had been expecting to see him sprawled out drunk, but there was no trace of alcohol on his face, nor any resentment toward me.

There was nothing but an indifferent gaze and a faint smile.

My eyes, which had only intended to glance at him briefly before looking away, became fixed on him.

His unwavering, detached attention made my hands clench into fists.

I couldn’t understand how you could always remain so calm, as though my burning emotions and anger meant absolutely nothing.

I was struggling desperately just to protect my little island, yet you acted as if even that was trivial, giving me no reaction whatsoever.

And that hurt.

“Eundam.”

Perhaps because I was drunk, my vision was growing blurry.

I couldn’t let myself make a fool of myself in front of him, so I forced my eyes to stay open with all my strength.

Through my gradually blurring vision, I could see that the smile on Cha Junjae’s face had shifted slightly.

“Sometimes, you know. When I listen to you talk…”

“…When you listen to me?”

“Sometimes, I get the feeling that you hate me.”

Rather than being surprised by his calm, subdued voice, I felt puzzled.

To make it seem as though I hadn’t answered because I was drunk, I rested my head on the table.

I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t have to meet his gaze, and the sound of rain began to wrap around my ears.

As if to confirm that it wasn’t my imagination, his gentle voice settled over me.

“It’s raining.”

That’s because it’s the rainy season.

It rains here even when the sun is shining brightly.

My answer only echoed inside my head.

After the quiet sound of footsteps, a warm sensation settled over my shoulders.

It was just as I was beginning to drift off to sleep, feeling the touch of soft fabric.

The irritating sound of rain brought back memories that had been lying dormant.

“Eundam, sometimes, you know…”

A boy who was shorter than he was now, thinner, and a little paler and colder-looking had once said exactly the same thing.

He had been wearing a white school uniform shirt.

“I feel like you hate me.”

I admit that I hate him.

But strangely enough, I find it utterly disgraceful to let him find out.

In this world where everyone loves him, supports him, and envies him, the fact that I am the only one who hates him…

It feels like an inferiority complex of mine that I simply cannot do anything about.