Chapter 450: Chapter 450
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At that moment, the door burst opened from behind us; a loud voice flew over from it.
âHey, Hwee Hyul! Why arenât you coming inside?â
âDid you go make some trash, not throwing it outside?â Adding some silly jokes, the man soon gaped at Ban Hwee Hyul and me, who were standing in the middle of the alley.
I turned my head as the man switched his gaze to the sight behind our backs. Yikes, the two people, who flew over and got stuck on the pile of dumps by Ban Hwee Hyul, were still groaning in pain while being knocked down.
Looking at those guys, the man soon turned to look at Ban Hwee Hyul and shouted, âWhat the heck? Ban Hwee Hyul, did you take off your glasses?â
I was astonished to hear those words that slipped from his mouth so naturally.
Ban Hwee Hyul replied indecisively, âGun Woo hyeong⊠I wasnât trying to take them offâŠâ
âIâm Kyun Woo, not Gun Woo! No, thatâs not the point. Anyway, if you werenât trying to do that, how could these people turn out this way? Hold on, are your glasses broken right now? Are they?â
As if the man called Kyun Woo found the glasses placed askew on Ban Hwee Hyulâs nose ridge, his face turned deathly pale. Glancing around the space hurriedly, the man then held the mop standing against the wall.
âOkay, bring it on. Iâm ready,â he said heroically.
Ban Hwee Hyul spoke in a voice that sounded like he was having a slight headache, âNo, Gun Woo hyeongâŠâ
âUh, excuse me?â I carefully intervened in their conversation.
The two threw their glances at me. The man then slightly loosened up the strained atmosphere on his face maybe because I was a girl or wearing a school uniform.
At that very moment, I uttered, âSorry, itâs my fault. Please donât blame Hwee Hyul. He was the one who helped me from getting caught and being chased by those bullies.â
Listening to my words, the manâs face turned more relieved. Placing the mop back onto the wall, he asked, âOh, reallyâŠ?â
âYeah, Hwee Hyul didnât take off his glasses on purpose. It was them who took them out. Uh, anyway, I think he returned to his usual characterâŠâ
The man, who was lost in thought for a moment, then turned to look at Ban Hwee Hyul.
âHwee Hyul, but can you still work with those glasses on?â he asked.
ââŠâ
âAre you able to guarantee that those glasses wonât get off while working?â
Watching Ban Hwee Hyulâs face turning dark, I also became grim.
The man continued, âYou know that if those glasses get off, even just once, there would be a big accident compatible to a ferocious dog getting unleashed. Are you confident that the out-of-court settlement wonât exceed your paycheck?â
âThatâsâŠâ
Looking at Ban Hwee Hyul quickly hardening his face, I also turned severe. âBan Hwee Hyul, are you that much seriousâŠ? Do you have to be concerned about the settlement money of that day once you get your glasses off?â
On the other hand, I had a heavy heart as much as Ban Hwee Hyul. Ever since he told us that he was doing a part time job as a student, I thought that he would have some complicated circumstances. However, the look on his face seemed like he was sincerely in needs of money as soon as possible.
However, I wasnât able to help this person but made him turn this way.
Heaving a sigh, I raised my hand and said, âUm, if you donât mindâŠâ
The man and Ban Hwee Hyul looked in this direction at the same time.
I continued speaking, âThere must be an optical store still open near the station, so can I bring Hwee Hyul there for a second?â
âOh, really?â he asked.
Checking out the man and Ban Hwee Hyulâs faces brightening up simultaneously, I heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully, I had found the way to pick up the pieces.
I checked the time on my watch. It was already 11:20 at night. There was no possibility that any optical stores would be open right now, but we could resolve the problem by getting a new glasses frame from the street vendor.
Bowing at the man, I pulled Ban Hwee Hyulâs arm and quickly got out of the spot. That was when I suddenly realized something.
âOh, right!â
While Ban Hwee Hyul turned to look at me, I tore my hair out. How could I forget the reason why I jumped into this alley while taking the risk?! Looking at the opposite side of the alley with nervous eyes, I turned my head to divert my gaze back onto Ban Hwee Hyul.
I asked, âIf youâre okay with it, do you mind if I can stop by at Nam Gye High School for a second?â
As if he put back his glasses on, Ban Hwee Hyul didnât show any signs of denial but just gently nodded.
With hurried steps, I walked toward the main entrance of Nam Gye High School while having Ban Hwee Hyul beside me. However, since it was twenty-five minutes passed the end of school, I knew what the result would be like. I didnât leave any message to Yeo Dan oppa that I would be there, so wait for me. Besides, he wasnât a type of person who would spend time in front of his school or inside the building.
Indeed, the main entrance of Nam Gye High School was empty. Watching the sight for a moment, I soon dropped a question carefully to Ban Hwee Hyul.
âCan I borrow your phone for a second?â
Having found my phone broken in half, Ban Hwee Hyul handed me his phone willingly. After a moment of hesitation, I sent a message.
[To: 010-xxxx-xxxx
Mom, Iâm Donnie. My phoneâs broken, so I borrowed my friendâs TT Iâll be there soon.]
Hesitating for a moment, I soon returned the phone to Ban Hwee Hyul and bent my steps again.
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Since it was the beginning of the semester and near the university town, the way to the subway was bright and crowded.
Between the crowdsâ noise, I repeated the question I had dropped to him earlier.
âWhy are you wearing those glasses when you donât have a bad sight?â
I couldnât help wondering about the relationship between his glasses and fighting power.
Unexpectedly, this time, Ban Hwee Hyul answered to my question without making a fuss. Touching his flimsily connected eyeglass frame, Ban Hwee Hyul replied, âWhen I have this on⊠I become patient.â
âBecome patient?â
âA-ha,â I nodded. Well, a person couldnât have a huge change in his or her athletic ability just by wearing or taking off the glasses. Thus, it was just a matter of patience.
Lowering my voice, I carefully asked, âThe missing nationwide Number 1, thatâs you, right?â
Ban Hwee Hyul didnât deny but nodded, then he turned his head to look at me.
âSo, I thought you approached me to use me,â he uttered.
âOhâŠâ
Recalling the conversation that we had in the rooftop, I smiled awkwardly. In his point of view, I confidently declared that I was so aware of his identity, so how ridiculous would I have looked?
Casting down his eyes, Ban Hwee Hyul continued speaking a little gloomily.
âI donât wanna fight with other people anymore⊠but no matter how much I try, I canât fix my hot temper.â
âI see,â I replied.
âIf I keep on this way, Iâve thought I will never change. The moment I almost tried to give up, I wore these glasses andâŠâ
My heart pounded in tension for some reason.
I tossed a question, âYou wore those glasses andâŠâ
Ban Hwee Hyul replied with his usual, meek face, âThose stupid faces didnât come into view.â
ââŠâ
Winnie the Pooh was actually the strongest animal on earth. I stared at Ban Hwee Hyul with a look of a kid, who discovered the fact and ruined my childhood innocence.
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