The Trash Wants to Live

Chapter 22

‘What the hell is going on?’

What were you up to that required you to skip eating? Since I hadn’t told him to do anything, the only people in the school who could instruct him to do anything were the teachers.

Even those teachers did not tell Jung Yi Joon what to do. It was because they knew he was one of mine.

“Do you know where Jung Yi Joon went?”

“Well—”

Jang Eui Yeol seemed to know something, so I asked, but he seemed just as confused. Before I rushed him to answer, getting frustrated, Jang Eui Yeol carefully opened his mouth.

“I do not want to say—”

“What?”

“I don’t know why he endures—”

“What the hell are you hiding from me?”

I had a bad feeling. What the heck is this guy saying, Jung Yi Joon? You were never a patient character. That’s why you were so mean to Ki Yoon-jae!I got angry and my cheeks grew flushed, but Jang Eui Yeol stubbornly kept his mouth shut.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. How could I get the main character to open his mouth? Getting the main character to talk wasn’t an easy decision to make since in the original story, I had seen too many heroines incorporated into the harem by confiding in him with a heavy heart.

‘But wasn’t that the only way…’

He hesitated a little, but there was no way out.

I made curry, but there was no rice in the rice cooker…

After washing the car, when I left the car wash, a bird pooped on the car and flew away…

Wearing new shoes and new clothes, I was too lazy to go around the muddy puddle I came across while walking, so I just stepped on it and it turned out to be deep enough to cover up to my knees…

They were really sad stories that were hard to hear without tearing up.

“You really—”

“…”

“I’m sad…”

“Uh?”

“You’re hiding something from me…”

“Oh?”

Sniff.

As I bowed my head and pretended to weep, Jang Eui Yeol panicked and called my name.I shrugged my shoulders, bowed my head, and pressed my fist against my lips.

“No…It’s good that you two are friendly. Sorry…I must’ve said something useless.”

When I wiped the tears that had been squeezed out naturally with my fingertips and gave out the impression that I was sad, I felt restless because of the pain in my stomach.

He looked at me and said nothing for a moment, sighed and told me to follow him.Jang Eui Yeol took me to the back door. I wanted to leave, but as I continued to follow without saying a word, I saw a small, empty space hidden by a building near the back door.

If you didn’t approach it any further, it was a blind spot, so there were three more people besides Jung Yi Joon. They were the ones I had insulted before.

“Wait.”

Jang Eui Yeol caught me as I was approaching Jung Yi Joon. As I was hiding behind the wall, I saw Jung Yi Joon handing something to them.

“Okay, are you okay now?”

What Jung Yi Joon held out was a package that looked like it came from a convenience store. There was no reason to go to the convenience store because the school canteen wasn’t small, so I couldn’t figure out why it was in Jung Yi Joon’s hand.

The grandson of the World Party leader, Inhyuk, grabbed the package and opened it, before suddenly spilling the contents inside.

“—What else do you need?”

Jung Yi Joon asked with teeth clenched, amongst the tough-looking guys. Upon closer inspection, it was not just one or two bags that had been thrown away in the vacant lot.

It seemed like he had been buying and dedicating something to them all the time he was away.

“I threw away what you bought at the convenience store earlier because I didn’t want to eat it, but do you know why I did so this time?”

“I just don’t like your expression.”

“What?”

When Jung Yi Joon became speechless due to the absurd reason given, the grandson of the World Party leader trampled on the spilled food with his feet. Under those feet, the triangular kimbap and the bread all lost their shape and were crushed.

“If you are a servant, act like a servant.”

“…”

“Did you think you became a special person just because Ki Yoon Jae showed interest in you? Hey, he’s not the kind of person who gets attached to things. He’s a cold person.”

He laughed and told Jung Yi Joon to wake up. Of course, that was if it was the Ki Yoon Jae of before, but he didn’t know that. The original Ki Yoon Jae was someone who saw everyone but himself as a tool.

But the one that now occupied his body was me, and I couldn’t be that cold-hearted. It wasn’t because I didn’t have the temperament to do that, but because I wanted to survive. I’d do anything for that, even if it meant having to put on an appearance of being a good guy in front of everyone.

“In his eyes, you and I are the same, but he is only interested in you now because you possess strange powers. Don’t get him wrong.”

Then he slammed Jung Yi Joon on the shoulder with his fist. Bam! Why are you getting hit! I was on the verge of becoming upset because of Jung Yi Joon, who was so docile.

Usually, you don’t get hit and act however you want with me, so why don’t you say anything to a guy like that!

However, when Jung Yi Joon glared at him as if unable to hide his temper, he shuddered.

“Why? Mad? Would you like to hit me once? Try it if you think you can afford it. Come on, take a shot.”

“Yeah, fuck it! If you want to hit once, get hit once!”

“What is it, Mr… Ahh!”

I couldn’t stand it and ran. It was because I knew I would be no match without the element of surprise otherwise. As I ran and punched them, everyone’s eyes widened and their mouths opened.

“—Ki Yoon Jae?”

“Yoon Jae—”

Jung Yi Joon, who had stood stupidly listening to what he said, and Jang Eui Yeol, who brought me here after some thought, also stood blankly and looked at me with a puzzled face.

“Ouch! Damn it! It hurts!”

“Ki Yoon Jae, you bastard! What is your problem!”

“What? Where are you even looking?”

When I cried out that my fist hurt, the one who got beaten spit out swear words and grew angry. After hearing that I was in pain, Jung Yi Joon reflexively grabbed my hand and glanced about, clenching his teeth in anger.

“Is this two-headed bastard made of glass… Why did you hit me like this!”

“Oh, it hurts—”

My fist was swollen and red with just one hit. That’s right. My fist’s not made of glass, it’s still usable…

It was a pity that the World Party leader’s grandson was already incapacitated, but the durability of Ki Yoon Jae’s body was not good either. Jang Eui Yeol, who was far away, came closer and looked at my hand.

“It hurts.”

“I don’t think it’s broken or anything like that.”

“— Did I break a bone just by slamming this fist into that face?”

At my question, Jang Eui Yeol smiled embarrassedly and said, “Isn’t it possible if it were you…” and spoke less.

These guys… …how weak did you judge me as? When I became speechless due to embarrassment, the guy who had been hit by me, came up to me and pushed me away.

However, thanks to the strong support of Jang Eui Yeol and Jung Yi Joon, I did not fall or stumble.

“Are you kidding me now? Ki Yoon Jae, have you lost your mind? Aren’t you scared of my grandfather?”

“If you can afford to buy that, why not try it? He did what you said, what’s the problem?”

Even if no one knew about it, Ki Yoon Jae could handle anything. I had nothing to fear except me dying.

“Sungwoon High School doesn’t have cubs who play iljin games, so I thought it had a class that fits its name…Hiya, this is no iljin, but there was a bastard right here.”1

“What? this—”

“What? Aren’t you a gangster? If not, does thievery run in the family then?” I mocked him with words that I never thought that I would say to anyone.

I walked over and poked him in the chest with my finger.

“Hey, if you want a servant, pay money to buy one too. Why are you trying to touch someone else’s?”

Everyone looked stupefied at my words. I smiled, pointed to Jung Yi Joon and said to him,

“This is mine. I have no intention of giving it to you no matter how much you covet it.”

“What the—”

Jung Yi Joon laughed in disbelief. But there was no displeasure in his smile, only a feeling of absurdity.

Then, as if a dam had broken, Jung Yi Joon giggled a little and couldn’t hold back his laughter.

I stared at Jung Yi Joon for a moment, who was laughing, and then said to him,

“Let’s go since we’re done here.”

“Oh, yes.”

“You come here, too,” I said to Jang Eui Yeol.

“Huh?”

As I walked ahead, two men followed me.

“Hey, am I yours?”

Jung Yi Joon asked, still unable to hold back his laughter.

Is it that funny? I don’t understand.

“I don’t know?”

Jung Yi Joon’s laughter grew bigger as I said that while looking down. I accepted that I hadn’t said anything wrong.

For some reason, the situation now seemed like a joke – but as I didn’t have a good response, I just snorted and laughed.

I could hear the guys behind me screaming and swearing, but I didn’t care.

‘I was trying to be patient… Are they fight-crazed-idiots?’

It wasn’t the guys who cursed behind our backs that made me angry. I was angry with Jung Yi Joon for not telling me that such a thing happened.

Why didn’t you tell me? Why? Did you think I couldn’t cover you on something like this? I felt feverish and it was hard to just stay still.

“—I will go home.”

“What? You have class left.”

“I’m going home.”

When I recklessly left school, I had no choice but to let Jung Yi Joon follow. But then, Jang Eui Yeol followed too.

Jung Yi Joon had to, because his body was tied to me, but I wondered why Jang Eui Yeol followed me. However, I didn’t say anything out of fear of embarrassment.

Footnotes
Tn: Members of “Iljin,” or Korean school gangs having strong pride in their membership, insist that their name means “first class” rather than “first-class faction.” The former means “I am truly No. 1.” Students who consider themselves leaders in sports, dance, singing and appearance at school comprise Iljin.