In January at the age of 17, when the inner storms and waves were more severe than ever, the days were particularly cold and bitter.
Tay considered the transition from middle school to high school to be the most hectic period in his life. He got a piercing as if he were no longer a student in his middle school, where he interfered only minimally, and he had no idea what would happen to the high school, which had yet to be decided.
Everything was precarious and boring. Unlike other students, Tay did not have a specific school to attend. Even though he was considering attending an industrial high school, on the advice of his older brother, he wanted to attend several educational high schools, but this was because the announcement had not yet been made.
He had no intention of attending university, but looking back, he regretted it for nothing. It was simply a matter of spending time wisely and playing as usual. If he had nothing to do after graduation, he could join the military early and learn to work under his parents’ supervision. His father asked him what was so good about putting a knife on an animal’s skin and told him to go do his own thing. But that was his father’s butcher shop, and several meat restaurants were operating as a chain.
Thanks to that, Tay has been able to live his life without lacking or missing anything. Of course, there was no greed. At best, it was just a bunch of guys getting together to drink, smoke, or hang out with girls, which wasn’t appropriate. It wasn’t difficult enough to flirt with the opposite sex while turning his eyes like the other guys and making a fuss in a group didn’t fit his personality.
Tired of killing time in a motel where his friends stayed in groups, Tay sat alone in a chair he pulled out in front of a convenience store. His breath spread every time he took a deep breath. There were a total of three parasols. He was sitting in the center and next to him were middle-aged men in sloppy clothes who had been drinking alcohol since daylight. He has also been drinking since daylight. Tay inspected them up and down, he then pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
Tak- When the lighter caught fire, the flame spread to the wick. The cigarette smoke naturally permeated his throat as he inhaled slowly.
He was wasting his time because he had nothing to do. With a jingle sound, a boy emerged from the convenience store. He was small and slender. His skin was flawless, with no blemishes. His bangs were quite long, and the corners of his eyelashes were softly falling. His red lips were swollen from ripping off dead skin cells. The boy in the navy blue padded jumper held cup noodles in his hands. The wooden chopsticks were cut in half and inserted like tongs into the lid.
Maybe the boy was around his age. Tay, who was more mature than his peers, did not have his ID card checked even when purchasing cigarettes. There was also a reason why he was so big. He was already 190 centimeters tall before he started high school.
The boy glanced around and made eye contact with Tay. His eyes widened with surprise, but he quickly averted his gaze. There was nothing to see, but he just stared at the ramen (Korean noodles) lid. He looked like a rabbit with its ears raised in surprise. He tried hard not to show it, but he couldn’t help himself.
The boy soon sat down on an empty seat and put the ramen on the table.
“It’s cold.”
The boy put his hand to his lips and exhaled while muttering to himself. Then he shifted his bag from behind him to the front and pulled out a wad of paper. Even though the street was lined with motels and bars masquerading as restaurants, there was a fairly large apartment right across the street, and he appeared to be attending an academy nearby. Tay looked at the boy while smoking a cigarette in his mouth.
