# Chapter 27
After pondering thoroughly, I suddenly remembered that the security for the music room was very lax. Maybe it’s because of this social hierarchy world, but it had a digital door lock with a password so simple that I memorized it instantly after seeing the teacher enter it once.
Probably no one would be there during lunch, so it should be fine to use it. To supplement my hastily eaten lunch, I bought bread and a drink from the school store, grabbed my workbook along the way, and headed to the music room.
I did receive quite a few stares from people along the way, but I was used to that level of attention by now and didn’t pay it any mind. As I reached the building where the music room was located, the students disappeared, and I no longer had to worry about their stares.
“How can the password be just four zeros?”
The security awareness is really lacking in this social hierarchy world.
With a cheerful beep, the door opened, and I went in, carefully checking inside in case a teacher might be there.
“As expected, no one’s here. I wonder if this is where the school bullies hang out when cutting class?”
But they probably won’t come during lunch time. Besides, I texted Kwon Dojin, so he’ll come to the music room later, and then it should be fine.
“Even the teachers aren’t focusing on their primary duties.”
I tore open the bread package and took a bite. While eating, I opened my workbook to keep from getting bored.
“Hmm… I should never buy this bread again.”
It tastes awful. I’ll eat it since I need to fill my stomach, though.
I moved my hand mechanically while thinking pointless thoughts. Since the problems were easy, other thoughts kept popping up in a corner of my mind. Tap tap, I focused on finishing the tasteless bread while tapping the floor at a steady pace.
For the first time in a while, I had time to focus on problems alone in a quiet space. Lately, whether it was Kwon Dojin, Baek Han, the school bullies, or even regular students, too many people had been disturbing my peaceful daily life.
Unlike the noise coming from the playground, the quiet atmosphere of the music room was very appealing. Thanks to that, it felt easier to solve problems, and although the tasteless bread was a slight blemish, I could generously overlook that much.
“How on earth did you get in here?”
Just as I put the last bite in my mouth, a familiar voice made me tilt my head back. My body naturally leaned halfway back, but I maintained my balance by gripping the desk.
“You can finish eating before speaking.”
I was already planning to do that anyway, so I just waved my hand casually. Kwon Dojin came around and pulled out a chair beside me, sitting down to face me. I straightened my posture and carefully chewed the remaining food in my mouth.
“The music teacher’s security awareness is too low.”
“The music teacher’s security awareness?”
“The password is four zeros. I saw it briefly, but it was so ridiculously easy that I couldn’t help memorizing it.”
“…That’s something. It’s amazing that the music room isn’t always full of people.”
“With a password like that, there must be others who know it too, right? Maybe we just didn’t run into anyone today by chance?”
Kwon Dojin rested his chin on his hand and smiled incredulously. It seems even he thought the music room password was too easy. Usually, secluded classrooms like this where people rarely come would have better security as they’re easy places for misconduct, but having a password like four zeros…
“Anyway, don’t you think it’s a bit wrong to do math problems while eating?”
Kwon Dojin tapped the workbook. I was about to gulp down the remaining drink, but feeling it would be cold-hearted to finish it all myself, I offered it to Kwon Dojin, who gladly accepted.
“The problems aren’t difficult, and I can solve them mentally. It’s not much different from watching videos while eating.”
“No, I don’t think that’s the same.”
I opened my eyes wide at his firm voice. This seemed to be the first time Kwon Dojin had shown such a reaction toward me.
“You’ll get indigestion. When eating, just relax.”
“But this is relaxing for me…”
I mumbled an excuse, but it didn’t work on Kwon Dojin. As I was pouting with dissatisfaction, I caught a glimpse of redness on the back of his left hand and quickly grabbed it.
“Are you hurt?”
“Huh?”
“You are hurt! Why didn’t you go to the infirmary?”
If the back of his left hand was this red, I figured his right hand, which wasn’t fully visible as he was resting his chin on it, might also be injured, so I held out my palm. When Kwon Dojin pretended not to notice this implicit signal to give me his right hand and looked elsewhere, I pressed him.
“Kwon Dojin, aren’t you going to show me your right hand?”
“My right hand isn’t injured, Habin.”
“If it’s not injured, you can show it, right? Give it to me.”
When I urged him again, he reluctantly gave me his right hand. He deliberately showed me his palm, so I quickly flipped it over. There were traces of scabs where the skin had been scraped.
“This one’s worse. Why didn’t you really go to the infirmary?”
“…Because I heard you were here.”
I looked at Kwon Dojin with cold eyes as he made excuses, saying he normally wouldn’t go to the infirmary for something like this. I don’t think he has the right to criticize me for solving math problems while eating.
“Let’s go back to the classroom. No, should we go to the nurse’s office instead?”
“No, let’s just go back to the classroom. It’s almost time for class to start.”
“Then before we go, let’s stop by the washroom. You need to wash your hands. By the way, what about Baek Han? If you got hurt this badly, isn’t Baek Han hurt too?”
Kwon Dojin’s hand injuries probably came from hitting someone, so I figured Baek Han might have similar wounds too.
As I naturally worried about this, Kwon Dojin’s expression became subtle. Suddenly, he pulled on our joined hands, and I was dragged along. I almost fell but managed to keep my balance by grabbing his shoulder.
“He’s not hurt.”
“Hmm?”
“Worry about me, okay?”
Just as I was about to pay attention to the arm that had naturally wrapped around my waist, Kwon Dojin cupped my cheek and met my gaze. As I rolled my eyes to look at the large hand on my cheek, he tightened his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.
“Hey-!”
We naturally got closer, almost to the point of being in an embrace, but I managed to maintain some distance by pressing firmly on the shoulder my hand was on.
“Habin-ah~”
What should I do with Kwon Dojin, who’s burying his face in my shoulder while acting cute? Feeling awkward about getting angry, I raised my arm and stroked his hair.
“You’re not an annoying seven-year-old.”
“In front of Habin, I might just be an annoying seven-year-old.”
“Are you crazy?”
“It makes me sad to hear such things.”
I hit Kwon Dojin’s crown hard enough to make a sound as he deliberately made crying noises. Stopping his fake crying, he sighed demonstratively and turned his head to look up at me.
“How can I make Habin focus only on me?”
“I’m already focusing on you plenty.”
“Just a little more, okay?”
Even knowing it’s an unreasonable persistence, I couldn’t firmly push him away. In the end, as I remained silent, Kwon Dojin rubbed his cheek against my shoulder and acted cute again. Not confident in my ability to continue watching this silently, I closed my eyes tightly, opened them again, and then opened my firmly closed lips.
“Let’s go to the classroom.”
“Are you changing the subject?”
“You were the one who said the bell would ring soon.”
When I pushed his shoulder again, Kwon Dojin obediently removed his arms that were wrapped around me. As our bodies, which had been close, slowly moved apart and regained normal distance, my breathing, which I hadn’t realized was disturbed, returned to normal.
I looked down at the workbook open on the desk. Blink blink, in the time it took my eyelids to blink twice, I organized my foggy mind.
“Habin?”
“Ah, really.”
I’ll just think of it as being enchanted by a fox. Kwon Dojin is a fox after all.
I roughly swept back my bangs that covered my eyes. As I quickly began organizing my scattered belongings to go to the classroom, Kwon Dojin helped little by little from the side.
“By the way, Habin, what about the hairpin I gave you?”
“Oh, that? The hairpin was too small compared to my fingers, so it was hard to grip, and I gave up on using it.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Just as I was about to stand up with all my things, Kwon Dojin naturally took my belongings. Thanks to that, I was able to comfortably leave the music room empty-handed and even checked if the door was properly locked.
“Then I’ll buy you something else next time.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I’m buying it because I want to, so don’t worry about it.”
If you put it that way.
When I told him to do as he pleased, Kwon Dojin smiled brightly, his eye corners curving upward as if he’d been waiting for those words.
“How did the fight go? And what was that about you messing with someone yesterday?”
“It was a misunderstanding. I don’t know who spread such a misunderstanding, but we resolved it well enough, so don’t worry.”
Does someone whose hands are wounded say they resolved things well?
As I stared intently at Kwon Dojin’s hands, noticing the contradiction in his words, he subtly hid the back of his hand. Whether he was doing it deliberately or not, I shook my head demonstratively, and he chuckled softly.
“I just forgot my gloves today, but normally I don’t get hurt like this, so really, don’t worry.”
“Gloves?”
“Yes, gloves. I don’t like getting hurt either.”
I almost laughed imagining him rummaging for gloves and putting them on before fighting, but I tried hard to hold it in. It was as funny as it was cringeworthy.
Then, for about 0.1 seconds, the thought of wanting to see Kwon Dojin fighting at least once flashed through my mind. But since watching a fight in person would be scary, I had to give up on the idea. Unless it was an unavoidable situation, I didn’t particularly want to see such a scene.
“Ah, let’s go to the washroom first. You need to wash your hands.”
Did I leave the medicine in the front pocket of my bag?
I grabbed the arm of Kwon Dojin, who was about to head straight to the classroom, and dragged him to the washroom. After placing him in front of the sink, I took my belongings from his arms. Kwon Dojin looked at me once, then smiled as if he had no choice, and dutifully washed his hands.
“I already washed them once, you know.”
“Wash them again because I need to apply medicine.”
“Okay, I’ll listen since it’s you saying it, Habin.”
After washing his hands and roughly shaking off the water, Kwon Dojin clung to me again and whined that it stung, even though it probably didn’t hurt. Accustomed to all this talk, I let it go in one ear and out the other, and pushed his forehead with my index finger to create some distance.
“How cold-hearted.”
“Yes, yes.”
When I casually responded to Kwon Dojin’s grumbling, his eye corners drooped. As I’ve felt many times before, he was truly a master at using his face effectively.
