Chapter 4

　　Sujeong had probably planned this all along. He’d deliberately provoked him, knowing exactly how it would end. Ihyun turned his head to look at him again. Those arrogant eyes staring down at him. His very first act of rebellion had been a complete failure.

　　And the price was far too high.

　　“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry… It was an accident. I’ll—I’ll take full responsibility for it.”

　　Ihyun clenched his fists and pleaded with Sujeong’s parents. His words only seemed to stoke their fury, but he knew they’d work on Sujeong. The other boy hadn’t taken his eyes off him this entire time. If Ihyun just promised to go back to being his quiet, obedient toy, Sujeong would be thrilled.

　　“Jeong. I’m sorry.”

　　He met Sujeong’s gaze and spoke directly to him. Jeong. Jeong. You said I was the only one allowed to call you that. Under Ihyun’s desperate gaze, Sujeong’s eye wavered, dancing with twisted delight.

　　“…Mom, let it go. It really was just an accident. Right, Ihyun?”

　　Salvation spilled from Sujeong’s lips. With a single sentence, he pulled Ihyun and his father back from the brink of absolute ruin. His parents, who worshipped the ground Sujeong walked on, couldn’t possibly deny him. They continued to scold Ihyun for his insolence, but it didn’t last long. Sujeong stood up, grabbed Ihyun by the wrist, and dragged him upstairs to his room.

　　“You know you messed up, right?”

　　Sitting on the edge of his bed, Sujeong looked up at Ihyun, who stood before him like a child waiting to be punished. Ihyun had naively thought that even if they got kicked out, his dad could just find another job. But in the end, the two of them had crumbled so easily.

　　“It hurts. They said it’s going to scar. What are you going to do about it?”

　　Sujeong watched him with absolute glee. Every ounce of Ihyun’s emotional turmoil was written plainly across his face. See? You should have just listened to me.

　　You sick bastard. Ihyun wanted to break down and sob. What kind of twisted karma tied me to you?

　　“Let me… just ask you one thing. Why are you doing this to me? Why do you have to ruin every single thing I do…”

　　You don’t even like me. You don’t even consider me a friend. Is it really that fun to torture someone who can’t even fight back? Ihyun sobbed. Faced with his raw, desperate tears, Sujeong actually looked flustered for once.

　　“Does there need to be a reason?”

　　“…What?”

　　“There isn’t one.”

　　Ihyun was treated worse than a dog. Sujeong was looking at him the same way a child looks at a colony of ants they’re torturing under a magnifying glass—without a single ounce of malice. Just a toy to be played with for no reason. Mine. Completely in my grasp.

　　“So what are you going to do about this? You said you’d take responsibility.”

　　Because Sujeong had made sure he ate when even his own father didn’t, because he’d given him clothes to wear, because he’d knocked on his door and laid beside him during those lonely nights—Ihyun had been completely delusional. He’d stupidly thought that maybe Sujeong considered him a friend. That despite his twisted personality, they could actually build a real bond. Ihyun furiously wiped his tears away.

　　Sujeong picked up a hand mirror and admired his reflection. He had never been struck by anyone in his entire life, but surprisingly, he wasn’t even mad. If anything, seeing Ihyun panting with pure rage had been hilarious. How was he even planning to deal with the fallout? When he’d fallen backward and seen the sheer terror on Ihyun’s face, he’d almost burst out laughing.

　　Getting stabbed with a pencil meant it was definitely going to scar, and his parents had thrown an absolute fit, but Sujeong loved it. It was a mark left by Ihyun. I hope it scars beautifully… Humming to himself, Sujeong stared fondly into the mirror.

　　“What do you want me to do?”

　　“Hmm… What should we do?”

　　Ihyun awaited his sentence. Sujeong slowly closed his eyes.

　　“First, let’s start by teaching you to obey.”

　　School was no longer a safe haven for Ihyun.

　　“Jeong, here’s the homework.”

　　“Yeah.”

　　“Jeong, do you want some water?”

　　“Hmm. No.”

　　“Jeong…”

　　Ihyun had to sit glued to Sujeong’s side, waiting on him hand and foot as if he were desperate to cater to his every whim. The rest of the class sneered at him, mocking him for becoming Sujeong’s ultimate lapdog, but Ihyun didn’t care.

　　“Wow, like father, like son. Both of them are expert bootlickers.”

　　Jinsu and his lackeys tore at Ihyun’s pride, but Ihyun just suffered it in silence.

　　Sujeong also agreed.

　　…If that boy tells you to drop dead, you better at least pretend to die, his dad had urged him last night after Ihyun returned from Sujeong’s room. Yes… I will. Ihyun had no one to protect him in that house.

　　“Kang Ihyun is so fucking pathetic. Remember when he used to walk around ignoring everyone?”

　　He’d had no choice but to ignore them back then. Sujeong had been watching his every move. But now that he had completely submitted, Ihyun had become the entire class’s plaything.

　　“Sujeong, make him do something else.”

　　“Tell him to go buy some bread. I’m starving.”

　　“Make him go dance in the classroom next door. It’s an all-girls class.”

　　Ihyun stood completely still, waiting for Sujeong’s command. The other boys kept egging him on, but Sujeong just stared silently at Ihyun.

　　“Do you want to dance for them?”

　　He didn’t answer.

　　He bit his lower lip so hard the metallic taste of blood bloomed on his tongue. Ihyun looked up, searching Sujeong’s face.

　　“Oh shit, let’s record this.”

　　“Who’s that girl in the next class? The really pretty one. Make him dance right in front of her. This is gonna be hilarious.”

　　“Oh man, here comes the Dancing King, Kang Ihyun!”

　　Sujeong did nothing to stop it. In the end, he personally took Ihyun to Class Six and made a stage for him. Ihyun’s face burned crimson with absolute humiliation. What’s going on? What is this?

　　I don’t know, they said he’s gonna dance. Who is that guy? The hallway buzzed with excited whispers. A massive crowd of students quickly formed a circle around him. Half a dozen phones were already pointed right at his face, recording.

　　Sujeong stood off to the side, leisurely taking in the show. Why is he blushing? He couldn’t help but laugh.

　　“Hey, recess is almost over! Hurry up and dance!”

　　“You need some music?”

　　Someone blasted a song with a heavy, sensual beat, drawing loud cheers from the crowd. Ihyun looked at Sujeong one last time, his eyes silently begging for mercy, but Sujeong just stared back, unyielding.

　　“Go on. Dance.”

　　You son of a bitch. Forcing his stiff, uncooperative body to move, Ihyun awkwardly swayed to the beat. He wanted the ground to swallow him whole. He resented his dad. He resented him for not being rich, for being completely incapable of protecting him…

　　The roaring laughter of the crowd stripped Ihyun bare.

　　Ihyun had a lot of nicknames now. Some days he was Sujeong’s servant, other days he was the class errand boy, or the dancing loser… The other kids uploaded the video of him to Facebook and racked up the likes. Ihyun couldn’t say a single word in protest. Because Sujeong had sanctioned it all.

　　“Do you want to go dance again, Ihyun?”

　　On the rare days when Ihyun let even a sliver of his resentment show, Sujeong would lean in and whisper quiet threats into his ear.

　　“…I’m sorry.”

　　Sujeong stared at him.

　　“I’ll do better.”

　　“Good. You’ve been slacking lately.”

　　I know you will. You owe me a lot, after all. Sujeong would also casually ask how Ihyun’s dad was doing from time to time. Ihyun’s relationship with his father had deteriorated so much that there were days they didn’t exchange a single word.

　　Sujeong worked Ihyun to the bone. He forced Ihyun to sit right next to him, demanding he open his textbooks and take all his notes for him. Sujeong never actually paid attention in class. It was obvious he was just doing it to stop Ihyun from paying attention, too.

　　Even though his eye had fully healed, he wore an eyepatch to school every single day, complaining that his right eye stung. Because of that, Ihyun was forced to act as his right eye, constantly guiding and supporting him.

　　Ever since the dancing incident, Ihyun had become a complete outcast, but he was exclusively Sujeong’s victim.

　　Jinsu and his crew had found the whole thing hilarious and kept begging Sujeong to make him do more degrading things, but Sujeong was already perfectly satisfied and refused to push Ihyun any further. Still, having plummeted to the absolute bottom of the social food chain, Ihyun was treated like garbage by everyone else.

　　“Hey, beggar. Let me borrow your gym uniform.”

　　“…We have PE next period.”

　　“I know that, fucktard. You think I’m blind? I said hand it over.”

　　“Fine.”

　　Junhyuk raised his hand as if he were going to strike him, and Ihyun obediently handed over the uniform. Dragging the argument out would only end badly for him.

　　Thanks to Sujeong, he was the class punching bag now. If they hit him, he just had to take it. Since he couldn’t participate in PE wearing his regular uniform anyway, it was easier to just fake being sick and sleep in the nurse’s office. Thankfully, Sujeong had been called away to the teachers’ lounge, so Ihyun didn’t have to worry about him catching on.

　　Sujeong was popular even among the teachers. With his family’s incredible background, it was a given. Did they take bribes or something? Ihyun wondered. Whenever Sujeong visited the teachers’ lounge, he’d return with an armful of workbooks and snacks, tossing them onto Ihyun’s desk.

　　The kids who actually cared about studying envied him for it. Too afraid to ask Sujeong directly, they’d demand Ihyun share with them instead. Hating the idea of accepting anything from Sujeong anyway, Ihyun would gladly give it all away in a heartbeat.

　　“I think I’m coming down with a cold,” Ihyun lied. “Can I rest here for a bit?”

　　“You’re faking it, aren’t you? Come here, let’s take your temperature first.”

　　The school nurse let it slide, even though she knew exactly what he was doing.

　　“Just rest for an hour, then head back to class.”

　　“Okay.”

　　Ihyun lay down on the narrow bed behind the partition. The humidifier near his head puffed out silent streams of mist. Lately, he hadn’t been able to sleep at home. Sujeong’s parents hated him.

　　And rightfully so—he had ruined their precious son’s face. Because of that, Ihyun had been temporarily banned from the dining room. But because Sujeong insisted on eating with Ihyun, even if it meant joining him in Ihyun’s room, Ihyun was eventually dragged back to the dinner table.

　　The demands at home were so suffocating that Ihyun actually looked forward to school. Try this on. Eat this. Sing for me.

　　Like a puppet on a string, Ihyun smiled when told to smile and cried when told to cry. Because his father told him to. Because Sujeong told him to.

　　Ihyun was given his own room. Whether it was out of consideration now that Ihyun was in middle school, or just to make it easier to isolate and torment him, Ihyun was left alone. However, the lock on his door was completely broken, leaving it vulnerable at all times.

　　The uninvited guest came and went, day or night. Rummaging through Ihyun’s sparse desk and yanking open drawers to inspect the contents—Sujeong acted like the overbearing parent of a high school senior. He watched closely, checking to see if Ihyun was actually studying or doing something else.

　　Ihyun couldn’t understand why Sujeong insisted on sleeping here when he had a perfectly good room of his own. They’d lie together on the narrow bed—they absolutely had to lie side by side—and try to sleep. Sujeong’s sleeping habits were terrible.

　　As if terrified Ihyun might run away, he would hold him in a crushing grip. Thanks to that, Ihyun had to endure the night completely immobilized, trapped in a state akin to sleep paralysis. Sujeong himself seemed completely oblivious to it.

　　Exhausted, Ihyun drifted off in an instant. With no one to bother him, he fell into a short but deep sleep. When he woke up, the nurse was nowhere to be seen; she must have stepped out.

　　Checking the time, he saw it was already nearing lunch. I guess I slept for about thirty minutes. Ihyun straightened the blanket. He was debating whether to leave a note when the clinic door burst open.

　　“Whoa, Kang Ihyun, you were in here?”

　　“Hey, hurry up and get to Sujeong.”

　　Two classmates walked in, supporting Junhyuk between them.

　　“Kang Ihyun, you little shit,” Junhyuk spat the moment he saw him. Furious, he tried to lunge, but the boys flanking him held him back.

　　“Hey, hey, you want to start something again? Just let it go.”

　　“Right,” he muttered, backing down.

　　Ihyun brushed past the boys. A tray of stainless steel tools crashed to the floor behind him, as if taking the brunt of Junhyuk’s boiling anger in his stead.

　　The voices of the kids trying to calm him down echoed in the hallway as Ihyun quietly slipped out. He’d noticed Junhyuk’s face—both of his cheeks were busted and swollen red, like someone had beaten the hell out of him.