Above Your Head

Chapter 2: I Am Kwan Dae-ha (2)

There are three people in my family - my father, elder brother and me.

We were supposed to have a mother, but I was told that she passed away shortly after giving birth to me when she was still a high school student.

Naturally, both my paternal grandfather and maternal grandfather opposed my birth. It was inevitable. How many parents, knowing that their daughter who was still studying in high school got pregnant, would say, "Oh! So I will get to see my grandchild?"

I was slightly sad that they opposed my birth, but I could understand why.

My mother was already terminally ill before she got pregnant with me.

I can't remember exactly the name of the disease but I guess her life was already a ticking bomb then.

Hence, she persuaded her parents by saying that she wanted to leave behind proof of her existence before her death.

Naturally, she had to persuade my paternal grandparents as well.

This might sound somewhat harsh but it's a fact that my mother was irresponsible to say that she wanted to have a baby before she died.

Even if one were to have children at a slightly younger age, it wouldn't be a huge issue if they could raise the child.

But if she was going to just give birth and then die, what would become of my father who was only a high school student then?

A man being labelled as a "high school student with a child" has a really bleak future.

Surprisingly, my grandparents agreed to it without a hitch.

Some might think that it's because they are easygoing, but I still think it's because they already knew about 'it'.

I'm talking about none other than my father.

Trying to impede my father's future with a mere label like married man with a kid was close to impossible.

Having raised my father up, my grandparents knew that very well. Those with bright futures are often those who were better than their peers when they were young.

I'm not joking. My grandparents often said this pet phrase of theirs to me, "With you around, he won't be able to do something like conquering the world."

Anyway, after my father got permission from both families, he surprisingly held a wedding.

With the blessing from both sides, my father and mother officially got married.

At that time, everyone already knew about my mother's terminal illness, so it was a gloomy atmosphere at the wedding. However, my father didn't care about that and went through the wedding, and they even went for their honeymoon trip.

And what was even scarier was that he settled all the incurred expenses by himself!

I heard that my father wasn't from a rich family and he saved all that money by working part-time during his free time. Is it even possible for a student to earn beyond thousands of won by working as a part-timer?

Well, but anyway, my mother passed away after that.

Soon after, my father dropped out of school, took the GED test to earn his high school graduation certificate and then sat for Suneung. [1]

He scored full marks in all subjects.

Yes. Full marks. The score given for not getting a single question wrong.

Shortly after, my father left for America with me in his arms, ignoring the countless universities that invited him to enroll with them.

Counting the time, was it about four years?

The work my father did during that period wasn't made public, so even I have no idea what it was. However, I'm sure it must have been amazing.

Why am I so sure?

Others might not believe this but I had once conversed with the president of the United States on the phone.

He spoke in Korean somewhat unnaturally.

-Excuse me, is your father around?

Ahh, my father…

"Hyung, is it because I'm a Chil-sak Child [2] and that's why I am lacking so much compared to Dad?"

"Huh? Who told you that?

"Everyone around me except for you and Dad."

Yes, I am a Chil-sak Child. Well, not exactly Chil-sak as I was born after almost half a year.

This could be the reason why my body constitution has been weak since I was young and my father had to always take care of me.

"Erm, there would be no end to getting beaten down if you were to compare yourself with Dad. You are smart and good looking."

"Argh, I will only feel ashamed of myself if you phrase it like that."

My brother is a handsome man.

Frankly speaking, there are few women who could surpass my brother's beauty.

He boasts an unimaginable cuteness with his sharp jawline, milky white skin, and a height that was slightly short for a man.

Occasionally, I could also feel a dangerous vibe from him.

Honestly, I think this man should be on TV and not here, standing right next to me.

'Now that I think about it, Hyung's beauty left a deep impression from the very beginning.'

I'm only bringing this up now but my brother isn't my father's biological child.

Well, that's pretty obvious actually given that my mother gave birth to me while she was still in high school and died shortly after.

She was already living the fast-tracked life by giving birth to me so how could I possibly have a biological elder brother?

I was five years old when my father adopted my brother.

One day, my father suddenly returned home with my brother in his arms.

Yes, I remember that day.

Hyung was cute like a doll but his gaze was lifeless, filled with grief and despair.

I heard that he witnessed his biological parents being killed by a serial murderer.

The serial murderer was a hot topic in society at that time but my father saved Hyung from him just as he was about to kill Hyung after killing his parents.

Though the serial murderer had been killed by my father, it was eventually treated as a case of self-defense. After all, he was a serial murderer.

Even if my brother was saved, his parents were killed right before his eyes.

There was no way that it wouldn't become a childhood trauma.

Was it because of that? My brother was a quiet and taciturn child.

I'm sure he grew up to be this bright and energetic due to the unsparing affection(?) and love(?) from Dad and I.

"What upsetting thoughts are you having?"

"Ah, nothing really."

My brother and I got on a bus and headed to school.

I could feel gazes from all around us, but I ignored it and entered the school building.

“Ah, freshmen.”

“Wow, how fresh. How fresh.”

"You are only a year older, so what nonsense are you talking about?"

Spring. The start of a new semester.

I am now in my junior year of high school while my brother is in the terrifying senior year.

My brother isn't bad at studying, but he's not as perfect as our father, so he will have a hard time at it.

Well, I'm not in a position to comment on others.

"Bye. Pay attention in class."

"Okay."

My elder brother, a senior, went up to the second floor while I, a junior, went up to the third floor.

Freshmen had to climb up to the fourth floor.

I find this system where the lower grades occupy the higher floors slightly absurd.

Well, perhaps it's some kind of privilege for the upper grades where they could climb less stairs.

"Let's see… Was it Class 7?"

There were numerous students walking in the hallway as the first lesson was about to start. They wore different expressions too.

Well, they wouldn’t be in a good mood since school break was over.

Even I…

"Ahh, I hate this. School breaks are really too short…"

I walked trudgingly, placed my shoes on the shoe rack, changed into slippers and headed towards the classroom.

Though we had taken the class placement test, everyone would have to check their individual results on the school's homepage. So, we wouldn't know who our classmates were.

That's why I prayed.

Ahh, please don't put that Boss of Prestige in our class…

Of course, that guy hadn't done anything wrong.

He was a quiet guy and had never given me any trouble.

But even so, I could feel it clearly - his peculiar danger.

There's absolutely nothing good that can come from being in his vicinity. The safe way is to stay as far away from him as possible.

"This is… ah."

I stood in front of Class 7.

The door was closed. I could just enter but my body stiffened.

Wol-il High School

Human Slayer, Lee Kyung-eun

I halted when I saw that title through the door.

Though I have no x-ray vision, I can at least see titles and names on the other side of a wall.

“Huh? Huuh?”

Wait, that's not the important thing right now.

Wh-why am I seeing that title on the other side of the door?

What? How? Huh? Why?

"No way."

Right. No way. It can't be.

Kyung-eun and I can't possibly be in the same class. It shouldn't happen.

That girl is a well-known beauty in our school, no, in this area. Also, she's one of the Twin Roses of Won-il High School and a perfect idol with the label of being a daughter from a rich household, and her grades have always been within the top 10% of the entire school.

However, I have no interest in her title at all. All I want is peace.

If she was in my class instead of Dong-min, the Boss of Prestige, it would bring more trouble.

At least, that dude lived a quiet school life, didn't he?

Swoosh.

"Ah."

"That scared me. Why are you standing here instead of entering?"

1. Also known as College Scholastic Ability Test or CSAT, is a type of standardized test accepted by South Korean universities.

2. Derived from the Chinese characters 七星子. Lit. trans: Seven-star baby. A term used to describe premature birth during the third trimester but before the supposed due date