Eighteen’s Bed

“Shells tied together...”

Go Yohan hummed an old-fashioned song. At the same time, he was tying each piece of caramel candy in its wrapper, a process that seemed oddly familiar. I think I’ve seen something like this before, maybe when I was in kindergarten. As I quietly watched, Go Yohan smiled softly. The song didn’t stop.

“She wore it around her neck…”

Before I knew it, the candy necklace was complete. Go Yohan proudly admired the colorful creation in his hand, then half-raised his body and draped it over my neck.

“Sit across from me at the Buddhist altar.”

I didn’t mind and continued reading a small English vocabulary book, the size of the palm of my hand. We were in a small pavilion behind the school, just after lunch. I sat on the bench, but Go Yohan, who had sat down on the ground, was still humming and took out the last remaining piece of candy to unwrap it.

“She whispers all night long.”

Go Yohan tossed the small candy into his mouth. The crunching sound echoed in the quiet pavilion. I glanced at the violent movement, then returned to reading my problem set.

A lot had happened in a short time. Kim Minho had ultimately not returned. He dropped out. That’s what Go Yohan said, so I’m not sure if it’s true.

I heard that Lee Seokhyun was about to be forcibly transferred. The principal, who had dreamed of a ‘violent-free prestigious high school,’ had taken extraordinary measures. How much influence the parents had in all this, I wasn’t sure.

For a month, Lee Seokhyun was absent, and Kim Seokmin and Park Dongcheol lived like mice in hiding. The atmosphere felt odd, and one day, I secretly caught Shin Jaehyun on his way to the bathroom. He pulled his clothes out of my hand and said:

“Sorry… but I don’t want to talk right now.”

He wasn’t angry with me, nor was he blaming me. It just seemed like he was very sensitive to the uncomfortable situation. I decided to respect his wishes. After all, I knew he was much wiser than me.

“Okay.”

I let go of his clothes cleanly.

Contrary to Shin Jaehyun’s attitude, I was fairly well integrated into the class. The rumors about me had quietly disappeared, and it wasn’t just me who felt that way. The atmosphere spoke for itself.@@novelbin@@

Still, even in that situation, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being subtly isolated. As the college entrance exam approached, Ahn Jisoo began acting friendly toward me. However, what Ahn Jisoo was curious about was how I had managed to get two school competitions scheduled at the same time. There was no way she didn’t know. I thought her face was incredibly cheeky as she asked.

“Then I’ll take the gold, and you take the silver.”

“...Oh, really?”