How to Fix a Psychopath

Chapter 9

 

How to Fix a Psychopath Episode 9

 

 

“There’s no reason for that. That’s just… … a made up thing to stop the exploitation against weak and maintain fairness.”

 

I say that because hitting someone makes you feel bad and guilty. When someone does something wrong, you shouldn’t hit them, but correct them and guide them in the right direction. This isn’t right.

 

I spoke absentmindedly to Lee Eun-woo.

 

But you never know.

 

It seemed as if a glimmer of hope was whispering to Eunwoo that it could lead him to the right path. It seemed as if it was giving him the confidence that he could do it, even if others might not.

 

But Eunwoo Lee’s expression was still the indifferent expression of someone watching from afar.

 

I heard the sound of someone cruelly trampling on the sprouts that had just emerged from the ground. The face that rolled as if it had nothing to do with me looked at me in confusion and

 

smiled affectionately as if turning over the palm of my hand.

 

“I didn’t know…”

 

“……uh?”

 

“That kid. I tried hard to convince him with words, but he didn’t understand.”

 

Neither a person nor an animal.

 

Lee Eun-woo muttered to himself. Does that mean that Lee Eun-woo and that child met after leaving school early yesterday? If so, what on earth did Lee Eun-woo convince him about?

 

No, you say it’s persuasion, but how do you know it’s not a threat?

 

“… …So it you?”

 

I knew it, but I didn’t know Lee Eun-woo would reveal it so easily. The person from whom he wanted to hide it the most was me. When I looked up at Lee Eun-woo with an expression of disbelief, Lee Eun-woo laughed ‘Haha!’ as if someone had epilepsy. His face was so damn beautiful.

 

So I felt a sense of disconnection.

 

“Do you think I would have done that? Made those other kids… … do that?”

 

What on earth does he want?

 

I don’t know. I really don’t know anymore. Eunwoo Lee was too strong for me to turn back.

 

Tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn’t understand Lee Eun-woo with my head. No, I didn’t want to understand him anymore. Who could understand you? Why would you beat a child who only helped me?

 

I nodded slowly.

 

Then Eunwoo Lee laughed even more earnestly.

 

“Soyoung-ah. Can’t you just do nothing like before? Just accept what I gave you, only receive my help, and only be close to me… huh?”

 

Eunwoo Lee lifted my hand, which he was holding with an expression that said he could die from love, and kissed it. The hand that was being held by Eunwoo Lee’s hand was trembling.

 

Trick, trick, tears flowed silently.

 

“It was peaceful and nice before. It was like it was just the two of us. But these days, you don’t want to be with me, and even when you’re alone, you don’t tell me what you’re thinking. I feel so sad and disappointed, Soyoung. It seems like you’re trying to get away from me… … That’s why I was so impatient. I think it was my fault. I won’t do that.”

 

Eunwoo Lee, who was leaning his face against the back of my hand as if nothing had happened while I was trembling in fear of him, continued to speak.

 

“Then let’s go back to how it was. I think it would be easier for Soyoung to manipulate me as she pleases. I listen to everything you say, Soyoung.”

 

As I gasped for breath from the crying, Eunwoo Lee quietly looked down at me and let go of my hand. With a thud, my arm returned to its original position without strength. Then, like soothing a child, Eunwoo Lee hugged me.

 

The spicy scent of Lee Eun-woo’s soap filled my nose.

 

Lee Eun-woo knew everything. As much as I changed, Lee Eun-woo changed too. Did he change? No. Yes, rather than saying he changed, it would be more correct to say that he revealed his true colors.

 

Lee Eun-woo thought that if he acted like before, who would drag me along without any notice, I would completely run away, so he thought that the best way to catch me was to scare me and use his power.

 

It just instills a lot of fear about what will happen if I rebel any more.

 

“I’m sorry. You were scared Right? It’s okay. No one will touch you.”

 

If things had gone as planned, the attack on others that should have happened when I was a college student would have happened now because of my changing behavior. Because of this, Eunwoo Lee hid the toy he had been watching quietly in his bosom.

 

I couldn’t breathe even though I wasn’t hugging him tightly.

 

The school violence case was quickly resolved. After much coaxing, Eunwoo Lee went down to the teachers’ office and made a suggestion about school violence. The grade head teacher immediately gave the students a disciplinary action.

 

It was wrong to hit someone under the influence of someone in power. However, the one who was completely at fault was Lee Eun-woo. Lee Eun-woo spoke nonchalantly about what he saw

 

and heard.

 

I wanted to shout out that it had nothing to do with them, that those kids were afraid of retaliation if they didn’t listen to Eunwoo Lee, and that was why they had no choice.

 

But, since Eunwoo Lee was right next to me, holding my hand tightly, I couldn’t open my mouth easily.

 

Even if I take the risk and do that, no one will believe me.

 

I was a child who lacked social skills and couldn’t get along with other kids in the class unless it was Lee Eun-woo, and Lee Eun-woo, who was trusted by the teachers because he was good at studying, always ranked first in the whole school. You’ll probably think I’m lying. It’s not a big deal.

 

Everything went by quickly.

 

Eunwoo Lee, who had been gently touching me as if he was obsessed with me, changed it into a thumb that was blatantly rubbing my palm.

 

Eunwoo Lee realized that it was convenient for him to keep me.

 

I watched all of that with a dumbfounded face.

 

As soon as Lee Eun-woo finished speaking, the head teacher quickly found the boy and the group that had beaten him. The only place he was hidden in was the cleaning booth in the boys’ bathroom.

 

After Lee Eun-woo cleaned up the spilled water, I finally felt relieved, and then I saw the child being dragged out of the teachers’ hands. There were blood stains all over his white shirt, and no part of his hair or clothes was unwet, as if he had done something in the bathroom. Did they lock him up and pour water on him? His face was pale and limping, just like a corpse.

 

As my face suddenly distorted with guilt, Lee Eun-woo hugged me. To Lee Eun-woo, that child was nothing more than a sacrifice. If someone ever came into contact with me again, it was like a severe punishment that would be meted out to that person… … .

 

Wouldn’t that have happened if he hadn’t given his gym uniform? Is that the level of violence that a middle school student can commit? It seemed like the flesh around his mouth was crushed and bitten so much that the bleeding had barely stopped.

 

“It will be fine.”

 

Eunwoo Lee said that while holding my shoulder, which was frozen in shock.

 

How do you know? I asked myself, unable to take my eyes off the child being taken away in the ambulance.

 

You are not a kid.

 

Lee Eun-woo seemed like he knew everything, but he didn’t seem to know my heart and didn’t answer my questions.

 

He suffered abuse from Lee Hyun-woo and knew that violence was the worst, but he used it to punish people. He put his own trauma on other children. It was vicious and evil.

 

The school was turned upside down. The school immediately called the parents of the students, and the children who had committed the violence admitted their wrongdoings. They said there was no particular reason.

 

There was no way those kids had a reason. If there was a reason, then maybe it was because Lee Eun-woo told them to do it. But those kids who were uselessly tight-lipped remained silent about the reason for the school violence.

 

The victim’s parents were outraged by the lack of explanation. It was natural. And the victim’s parents thanked Lee Eun-woo. Thank you for reporting this incident right away.

 

At that moment, I felt like my stomach was going to turn inside

 

out.

 

“Soyoung-ah.”

 

Eunwoo Lee called me. I raised my head. It seemed to be a music class. I opened the bag that was stuck on the side of my school bag and took out the instruments. I tried to open the bag wide but stopped as I unzipped it further. There was a gym uniform that I hadn’t given away.

 

As soon as I saw the gym uniform, I glanced at Eunwoo Lee. Fortunately, Eunwoo Lee seemed to be in a very good mood and was gathering other writing instruments that were on my desk.

 

Thank goodness. I quickly hid that gym clothes deep inside my bag and took out my music book.

 

“let’s go.”

 

“……huh.”

 

Eunwoo Lee grabbed my hand and left the classroom without permission. The hallway was still talking about the school violence that had been going on for less than an hour.

 

I still remember clearly the sight of the blood-filled water balloons being thrown carelessly into the hallway. The child who

 

was curled up weakly in the middle of it. Now, the teachers had cleaned it up during a separate class period, so there was no trace left, but it was roughly in front of that child’s class.

 

And that face that looked like a corpse.

 

“He broke his finger.”

 

“… … Wow, why was his finger broken?”

 

“I don’t know. Maybe… … .”

 

As I passed through the hallway, I heard information and my hands holding the music book and the danso gained strength. Perhaps because his fingers were broken, so he couldn’t stand up properly and just crouched down. For some reason, I remembered the two arms that were particularly weak and dangling when he was supported by the teacher.

 

Why was it a hand? By any chance… … .

 

I looked to the side in surprise at the loud sound of the door being opened, and saw Eunwoo Lee stop in the middle of opening the door.

 

“Sorry, did I startle you?”

 

Ah…….

 

I shook my head. Eunwoo Lee opened the music room door with his friendly smile still painted on his face. There was still a lot of break time left, so there weren’t many students who were already sitting in the music room.

 

The music room was different from other classrooms in which we had to sit in numerical order, so I could be away from Eunwoo Lee during this time, but Eunwoo Lee would always stay by my side until break time was over and then go back to his seat. This time was no different.

 

I went to my seat, remembering what Kim So-young’s number was. The friend next to me was already seated. She just kept her head down, whether we came or not, so I was able to quickly look away.

 

The music room chairs were often in a single row, like those used in cathedrals and churches, and had to be arranged so that four people could sit together. Fortunately, my number was the first seat in the third row. If I had been in the middle, it would have been uncomfortable because even Lee Eun-woo would have cramped in.

 

I was trying to sit a little further inside the chair so that Eunwoo could sit next to me, but Eunwoo suddenly pulled me closer.

 

Before I could even think, my face was buried in Eunwoo’s chest.

 

“Soyoung, you have to be careful.”

 

Eunwoo Lee whispered from close above my head. The hand wrapping around the back of my head was large.

 

Did I almost fall over when I tried to sit down?

 

For a moment, Lee Eun-woo’s expression was not so good when I thought that. But it wasn’t. The space between the chairs was narrow, but it wasn’t enough to lose my balance. Or maybe I thought there was a bug in the seat I was going to sit on, but when I glanced down, the seat was clean.

 

When I looked up at Eunwoo Lee with an expression that said I didn’t understand gus words, only then did Eunwoo Lee’s expression loosen up and smile.

 

“You went too far inside. You almost touched others.”

 

Eunwoo Lee’s gaze fell on the next number student who was hidden behind me. When I looked back following Eunwoo Lee’s gaze, I saw the child who had not cared whether we came in or not, trembling pitifully. I saw the child hastily grabbing his left hand and cover it with his right.