# Chapter 75
Looking around, I could see students returning to their classrooms. Checking the clock tower of the main building, it was definitely almost time for the bell to ring.
Wondering when time had passed so quickly, I moved with unsteady steps, feeling dazed and lacking energy.
“Yoon Taeho.”
“Hmm?”
I didn’t hear a response from Moon Seoheon who had called me. When I turned my head slightly, I saw his face with furrowed brows. I blinked my eyes as if to ask what was wrong, and Moon Seoheon placed the hand that had been holding my wrist against my forehead.
My eyes widened at the sudden contact. As I stared blankly at him, Moon Seoheon soon removed his hand and said in a low voice.
“You have a fever.”
“Huh?”
Surprised by his words, I touched my forehead like he had done, and indeed felt the heat. I had thought Moon Seoheon’s hand was hot, but it seemed my body was the one burning up.
I’d been thinking my physical condition wasn’t great since morning; perhaps fatigue had set in and I was coming down with a cold.
Was it because I got caught in the rain yesterday? After Byeon Seungha left like that, I went straight home and washed up. Afterward, I thoroughly searched the computer and house to see if I could find out more about Yoon Taeho, but came up empty-handed.
Yoon Taeho didn’t have any separate SNS accounts. I checked each saved record and file on the computer in detail, but couldn’t find any personal information, let alone any evidence that might suggest he had secretly taken photos of someone.
I slept well with peace of mind, but perhaps because the tension had eased, my body wasn’t feeling well. As I became aware of my condition, my head began to feel heavier. Fortunately, I wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t stay on my feet.
“Let’s go to the classroom for now.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to go to the infirmary?”
“It’s not that serious.”
When I shook my head and spoke, Moon Seoheon, who had been silent for a moment, replied with an “Alright” and supported me. I flinched at his touch as he held me like we were doing a shoulder hug, but I didn’t want to overreact to his helpful gesture, so I comfortably leaned my body against him.
Having arrived at the classroom that way, I sat down immediately and sighed. Though I had said I was fine, I had a feeling my condition would worsen in a few hours.
I was thinking that I should check my condition later and get some medicine from the infirmary when Moon Seoheon, who had been rummaging through his bag, took out a new bandage and carefully grabbed my wrist.
“Didn’t you say you rewrapped it over the weekend?”
“Yes.”
“Then did you change it again yesterday?”
He seemed to be questioning why I was replacing the bandage so soon after putting on a new one. Recalling what had happened yesterday, I smiled blandly instead of chattering about the details.
“I accidentally got it dirty, so I changed it.”
Moon Seoheon nodded in understanding and asked me to lift my wrist slightly. When I lifted it a bit, he placed the bandage against the gap and began to wrap it around.
His hands were skilled at wrapping bandages, as if he’d done it many times before. He wrapped it evenly to prevent bunching, made a loop, put the remaining bandage through it, and pulled. Finally, I stared as he slightly tore the end to make a knot so it wouldn’t come undone.
“You’re skilled.”
“I’ve done it for others before.”
I see. I glanced at Moon Seoheon who smiled at my words, and when the treatment was finished, I absently stroked the back of my hand.
“Thanks.”
When I spoke quietly, Moon Seoheon, who had been massaging his fingers, lifted the corner of his mouth. As I faced his picture-perfect smile, the bell rang and the teacher entered.
Class began, and repeated cycles of class and break time continued until lunch period arrived. After going to the infirmary in between classes to get medicine, my body was still fine so far.
It must have been obvious that I was sick, as I could feel both Moon Seoheon and Ko Kyungsu, who sat behind me, keeping an eye on me. I was grateful for their concern, but it was burdensome when they repeatedly reached out to touch my forehead.
Thinking they would continue like this until school ended, I told them to stop, and only then did Moon Seoheon cease extending his hand.
The fever sensation was still there. But unlike my expectation that I’d get worse, I was feeling okay, so if this continued, I thought I could finish the day smoothly.
But like yesterday’s incident, this world wasn’t so easy-going to let things pass quietly.
Lunchtime, which would normally be my favorite time, wasn’t today. No, perhaps it might never be a time I’d happily welcome again.
I got up to follow Jo Youngmin, with whom I’d made eye contact, as he left the classroom first. His back, as he walked away without looking back, seemed resolute.
We weren’t ones to chat often originally, but seeing him deliberately avoiding me made me feel strange. I hadn’t done anything to make him wary of me, yet being ostracized so openly left me with an unpleasant aftertaste. Come to think of it, he seemed to have been acting this way since the end of the monthly evaluation.
As I stood in front of Class 3, my thoughts scattered. It was because of Ye Abin, who was quietly approaching behind Hong Hachan, making me suddenly awkward.
For a moment, sparks seemed to fly in our locked gazes. The atmosphere that had almost turned sharp was eased by Ye Abin, who quickly averted his eyes.
The aggressively confrontational Ye Abin from yesterday seemed to have gone somewhere; he was like his usual self. I could sense displeasure in the way he looked at me, but we were never particularly close anyway, so it wasn’t unfamiliar.
Lunch was bibimbap with homemade pork cutlet. Despite the delicious array of food including doenjang soup and oranges, I had no appetite, so it wasn’t going down well. Above all, the shredded carrots mixed into the bibimbap as garnish were not at all easy to pick out.
The guys didn’t care at all whether I ate properly or not. I wondered if they might pick a fight while eating like yesterday, but that wasn’t the case either. They just ate their meals silently, chatting among themselves without provoking me like yesterday.
Even when I was clearly being picky right in front of them. Occasionally, Ye Abin’s cheek would twitch or the others would give me incredulous looks. I had expected them to say something, but they didn’t, which was comfortable for me.
Still, if the atmosphere was always going to be like this, I wondered if eating together was the right thing to do. Plus, with yesterday’s incident and the obvious discomfort between us, was there any need to maintain this awkward relationship?
Well, human relationships can be this and that, but I decided not to think too deeply about it since I couldn’t do anything about Ye Abin based on something that hadn’t happened yet. Well, I think it’s fine not to consider it important anymore anyway.
There were still things to do with these guys, but I definitely needed to draw a line.
It was when I had roughly finished eating and gone outside the school grounds. Ye Abin, who had been walking at a distance, gradually approached me.
“What did you talk about with Byeon Seungha yesterday when you stayed behind?”
I thought we’d just let it pass. I glanced sideways at Jo Youngmin and Hong Hachan, who were walking ahead. They were busy talking to each other and not paying any attention to us.
“Why? Afraid we talked about you?”
“…Did you talk about me?”
“No.”
Ye Abin’s lips twitched at my response.
“Then what did you talk about?”
“What could I possibly have to discuss with that guy?”
The only connection between Byeon Seungha and me was Moon Seoheon, so our conversation could only have been about that. I tried to express it as euphemistically as possible, but Ye Abin seemed upset and glared at me. Even so, his nail-biting behavior indicated he was suspicious of my words.
I don’t understand why he’s acting out if he’s going to be anxious like that, whether he believes me or not. I faced Ye Abin with a disgusted expression.
“Why are you acting like this?”
“…Like what?”
“I’ve never pretended to impress anyone. If you’re trying to corner me out of anger, just be honest about it.”
Ye Abin suddenly stopped walking, causing me to stop as well. Jo Youngmin, who noticed us, turned around and looked with a puzzled expression.
I gestured to Jo Youngmin to go ahead, then grabbed Ye Abin’s forearm and led him away. Surprisingly, he didn’t resist and came along willingly, walking beside me.
When I glanced at him, I noticed Ye Abin’s face had completely hardened.
As I tried to figure out what to say, I suddenly felt dizzy. I tightly shut my eyes then opened them, and swallowing my breath, I added with a “whatever happens, happens” attitude:
“Were you that upset when I teased you about liking Sunbae Kwak Junhee? You provoked me first, so I had every right to be angry.”
“F-fuck this.”
This time he seemed properly angry, violently shaking off my grip on his arm and wrinkling his face in a scowl.
I just frowned without saying anything. The throbbing in my head was getting increasingly painful. But I was relieved.
Seeing his attitude, it was certain that Yoon Taeho had been falsely accused, so I felt at ease thinking everything would really be okay now. At the same time, various emotions swirled together like a vortex, including resentment toward him for trying to trick me with petty schemes.
The mild headache disappeared, but I pressed my forehead, which somehow felt hotter, and let out a long sigh.
Ye Abin seemed equally upset, his face flushing red and blue, but there was also a hint of bewilderment.
Thinking I might as well ask everything I was curious about, I opened my mouth.
“Why did you involve Son Gyucheon in the presentation? Even if you knew each other before, you don’t hang out together.”
“What? You said you and Byeon Seungha didn’t talk about me, but you did?”
Ye Abin, who instantly turned vicious, glared at me fiercely. Feeling like I was being misunderstood, I tried to explain that wasn’t the case, but he scoffed and cut me off:
“So it’s true you’ve changed, not acting. I can’t believe you’re threatening me now.”
“Why are you suddenly flaring up? If anyone should be angry here, it’s me, not you.”
Is he upset because his past might be revealed? But I was equally angry, so my voice came out loud.
“You’re angry at me? Help out a pathetic guy once, and you cross the line so fucking much.”
“What?”
I was dumbfounded at Ye Abin’s muttering with added profanity. His sharp glare intensified as he twisted his lips upward.
“You’ve been acting weird lately and it was already annoying, but stop showing off just because you did well on one evaluation. That doesn’t mean your rank will go up easily.”
With an irritated expression and a sneering smile, he looked like he was saying, “Let’s see how long you can hold out.” A surge of bewilderment came over me, but my head was throbbing, making me grimace.
Seeing that, Ye Abin exhaled slightly as if mocking me, then added:
“Well, whatever. Whether you’ve come to like Moon Seoheon or you’re just being spiteful, it seems you’re willing to do anything…”
Ye Abin’s following words were cut off.
This was because the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps was getting closer and closer from somewhere. Following Ye Abin, who turned his head with a puzzled expression, I turned around, only to feel my body suddenly flipping over, causing my eyes to squeeze shut.
My vision spun as my body slammed into the ground. Recalling my sick condition, I wondered if I had collapsed due to anemia.
But as a shadow fell over me and my wrist was grabbed, I realized someone had attempted to flip me over. When I slowly opened my closed eyes, the blurry face of the person came into view.
“Who wrapped this for you?”
Even before I could confirm the face that was becoming clearer, I recognized who it was from the voice. Yoo Wono, with sweat beading on his forehead, was touching and examining the knotted bandage on my right wrist.
