I Became the Lousy Side Top - Chap 44
‘This can’t be happening.’
The principal, the vice principal, they both were the same. If you offered them enough money, they’d sell their own grandmother. So Taeho’s mother had willingly donated to the school, but now they were taking someone else’s side. Why was it like this?
It felt like the rug was being pulled out from beneath her.
“So, you’re telling me I have to apologize?”
“Wouldn’t that make sense?”
Taeho’s mother looked aggrieved. Her opponent was just a disorderly child with no parents, and his guardian seemed like a low-level worker as well. She could tell just by looking at the clothes he was wearing. But then this man in a suit appeared out of nowhere, and the whole situation changed. Who on earth was that guy?! She asked the principal, trying to remain calm.
“Exactly who is this person, anyway?”
She wanted to know more than just his name, but the principal brushed her off condescendingly.
“Does it matter who this person is? We still need to find a satisfactory resolution to our current situation.”
“Principal!”
“Yes, that’s who I am.”
This was wrong. The principal was already firmly on their side. Her stomach was roiling, and she felt like she was being backed into a trap. Still, Taeho’s mother decided to place her hopes on her own child one last time. She looked at Taeho and asked.
“Taeho.”
“Y-yes?”
Taeho flinched and answered.
“Did you really do what they’re claiming?”
Say no, say no! Tell them there wasn’t any proof. Taeho’s mother was hoping for that, but the answer she got shattered that idea.
“Yeah, I did. It was weird! I only had gimbap and snacks in my lunch box, but he had Harold in his! He doesn’t even have a mom or a dad! I got mad and started teasing him with my friends, and he got angry and hit me.”
Although his words were broken and came out in bursts, it was easy enough to understand what he meant. Taeho began to sob.
“M-me too, I wanted a lunch box like that too!”
“Hey, hey!”
Taeho’s mother was embarrassed and scolded her child.
“You like gimbap!”
“No I don’t! I don’t like it!”
Taeho screamed and cried loudly. In the end, this whole mess started because a child felt a little envious.
While this was going on, Hyunjin was watching, feeling dazed. Jaewoo approached him and helped him up.
“Hey, wake up.”
“Is this really you?”
“Who else would it be?”
Jaewoo grinned and slapped Hyunjin on the back. He’d appeared out of nowhere and helped Hyunjin out when he least expected it, like a hero from a movie. Hyunjin’s heart couldn’t stop pounding. He knew it was an immature image, but he couldn’t help it. Jaewoo had been so cool.
Then Jaewoo approached Taeho. He crouched down and made eye contact with him. Taeho took a step back, maybe out of fear.
“Taeho.”
“… …yes.”
The child answered calmly, even though he was crying.
“You know what you did was bad, right?”
“I don’t know that.”
“Yes you do, Taeho.”
Taeho lowered his eyes at those words. Yes, actually, he did know. So far, no one had stopped him or told him no, so he’d just continued with his behavior.
“Taeho.”
The scary-looking person spoke in a soft and kind voice.
“Were you jealous of Woohee’s lunch?”
“… …yes.”
“Then next time, instead of making fun of someone, ask them if you can share your lunches. If you’d done that, I bet Woohee would have let you have some.”
Taeho blinked his tear-filled eyes. ‘Was that really what would have happened?’ his face seemed to say.
“It’s true. And if you make a mistake, the right thing to do is to feel regret for your actions and apologize. Of course, Woohee might not accept the apology. But you should still apologize anyway, even if he doesn’t. That’s the right thing to do. Then you can avoid making the same mistake in the future.”
“But what if he doesn’t accept my apology?”
“You still need to try.”
What was he going to do now? The expression on the scary person’s face seemed to be asking. No, now that Taeho looked at him closer, he really didn’t seem that scary after all. The light from outside sparkling off his brown hair was really pretty.
Taeho wiped away his tears with the back of his hand and spoke to Woohee.
“Sorry.”
Woohee, who’d been hiding behind Hyunjin, looked surprised.
“Taeho!”
Taeho’s mother also called out to him in a surprised voice, but Taeho didn’t stop.
“I’m sorry for teasing you, and I’m sorry for hitting you. I just wanted a Harold lunch like you had.”
When he spoke the truth, Taeho felt strangely relieved.
“Well done.”
Clap clap clap.
The principal clapped his hands together. Next to him, Taeho’s mother looked like she wanted to burst.
“What a heartwarming sight.”
“Principal!”
“Taeho’s mother, you should stop here.”
“What? Why?”
As she rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment, the principal whispered in her ear.
“I’m saying you should stop now, while you’re ahead.”
That was a warning of some kind. Goosebumps ran up Taeho’s mother’s back. That young man who’d come with the principal, Jaewoo, it seemed like he had someone strong backing him. That would explain why the principal had taken sides like this. If she kept pushing, would something bad happen to her?
Taeho’s mother bit her lip. Then she took a deep breath and changed her expression.
“Taeho.”
Taeho, who had apologized without his mother’s permission, looked back at her with a scared expression. But she had no intention of scolding him.
“I’m proud of you. If you do something wrong, you should apologize.”
Then, like a kind mother, she stroked her child’s head as she spoke.
“Sorry. It seems like I misunderstood.”
“A misunderstanding, huh?”
Jaewoo’s voice suddenly became sharper. But when he noticed the children staring at him, he softened his voice again.
“Misunderstandings can happen. However, I hope next time you won’t do something like this before finding out all the circumstances first. Don’t discriminate against people either. Do you understand?”
Taeho’s mother’s face started trembling as she responded with a smile, carefully considering every word he said.
“…I’ll be more careful in the future.”
“Yes, please do.”
Jaewoo fervently hoped he could change Taeho’s mother’s thoughts.
“Then, we have to take Woohee to the hospital, so we’ll be leaving now.”
“Oh my, yes, you should leave quickly. He’s still so young; it must be painful. I’ll take care of the rest here.”
“Thank you, Principal.”
Jaewoo gave the principal his thanks and immediately approached Woohee and crouched down, turning around as he did.
“Hop on my back.”
“I can walk by myself!”
“It’s okay, just hop on.”
“Really?”
Woohee hesitated, then he climbed on to Jaewoo’s back. As he was getting on, Hyunjin offered to carry him instead, but Jaewoo refused.
“You’ve had a rough day, too. I’m the one that was least affected, it’s only right for me to carry him.”
Then the three of them quickly left the school and caught a taxi.
“Please go to the nearest large hospital.”
In the taxi, Woohee awkwardly fidgeted with his hands. Next to him, Hyunjin gently rolled up Woohee’s sleeves, his face turning angry at the sight.
“I’m so sorry, Woohee. It’s my fault this happened.”
Woohee shook his head at Hyunjin’s words, holding his hand tightly.
“What? How?”
“It’s because I’m not enough…”
“That’s not true!”
Woohee was upset at Hyunjin’s words. Not enough? No way. His brother was the coolest person alive. Why was he so sad? Was it because Woohee had fought with his classmate? Woohee felt like he was going to cry again.
“Hey, cut it out. Right now we should be focusing on getting Woohee treated.”
Jaewoo, who was sitting in the front seat, spoke in a stern voice.
“None of us are at fault in this.”
“But!”
“Am I wrong? Let’s talk more once we’re there.”
Sensing the serious atmosphere, the taxi driver remained silent the entire time. He drove there quickly and dropped the three off in front of a large hospital.
Since it was still during normal business hours, the three of them were immediately registered and brought to a waiting room.
“Let’s look at the overall situation first.”
“Yes.”
Jaewoo looked to the side and almost burst out laughing. He knew the situation was serious, but the sight of the brothers sitting side by side with identical sullen expressions on their faces was too much.
“As I said before, what happened today wasn’t the fault of anyone here.”
“Yes.”
Woohee answered calmly, but Hyunjin didn’t even open his mouth. It seemed like Hyunjin and himself had a lot to talk about. But first, he needed to make sure Woohee was taken care of. He was a child who’d been through a big upheaval today, and it must have been hardest on him.
Jaewoo gently held Woohee’s hand as he spoke.
“Woohee, do you know that you were very brave today?”
“I was brave?”
“Mmhm. Even when it was hard, you stood your ground, and that makes you brave.”
At those words, Woohee’s sullen expression gradually cleared up.
Jaewoo continued.
“Actually, I probably shouldn’t tell you this…”
“Huh? What shouldn’t you tell me?”
“The next time someone bothers you like that, fight back.”
“Fight back?”
“That’s right, fight back. Don’t let them get away with it.”
Woohee tilted his head at those words.
“Of course, if you can talk it out first, that’d be better. But… sometimes, kids can be really cruel, and you might end up getting hurt, like you did today. I don’t want you to get hurt, so you do whatever you have to, and I’ll take care of everything afterward!”
Woohee’s eyes widened.
“No one’s ever told me that before.”
There was only one thing he’d been told, over and over again. Be patient. If you fight back, it’ll just make things harder for you. So whatever you do, don’t stand up for yourself. That’s what Hyeonu had told him. But now his uncle was saying that it was okay for him to fight back. That he could stand up for himself and it would be okay because his uncle would take responsibility for it.
Woohee’s small heart was pounding.
“Is that really okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
Woohee laughed brightly. Just then, their turn came. Fortunately, Woohee’s injuries weren’t serious. There were bruises here and there, but no fractures or broken bones. At first the doctor had suspected domestic violence, but Woohee was able to explain it fully and clear up the misunderstandings.
“Kids these days can be terrifying. I’ll prescribe you some ointment and painkillers. If you notice anything strange, make sure to come back here.”
‘Kids these days can be terrifying.’ Jaewoo heard those words and his expression secretly turned bittersweet. This was a world inside a novel; in the real world, Jaewoo hadn’t been around kids enough to know if this was what they were really like or not. Still, Jaewoo was glad that things hadn’t gone as written. If that had happened, Hyunjin and Woohee would have been left with irreparable scars.
They stopped at the pharmacy, got the ointment and painkillers, and returned home.
“Woohee!”
As soon as they arrived home, Hyeonu came running out with a nervous expression on his face.
