# Epilogue 1. Only the Grade Has Changed (2)
After learning the whole story about the so-called “jelly filled with ulterior motives” incident, Dojin let out a hollow laugh. The most absurd part was that Habin had tried to hide the fact that he had received jelly, for whatever reason.
If Baek Han hadn’t brought it up to tease Dojin, Dojin would have found out about it half a beat late.
To be honest, Dojin wasn’t completely clueless as to why Habin tried to hide the fact that he had received the jelly. Habin, who sometimes seemed oblivious but could be surprisingly sharp, had figured out some aspects of Dojin’s underlying personality after spending a year with him.
That’s probably why he tried to hide it.
Though Dojin didn’t know all of Habin’s thoughts, he had a rough idea and frowned with displeasure. If he had known this would happen, he would have hidden it more thoroughly.
“Are you really going?”
“Didn’t you bring this up expecting this kind of reaction?”
Dojin casually waved his hand at Baek Han, who was getting in the way beside him, implying that he should get lost.
“Hey. The other person is a first-year kid.”
“Also an impudent first-year who’s after my boyfriend.”
“Wow…”
Thanks to Baek Han’s exclamation filled with various meanings, Dojin frowned. Originally, the age difference between Habin and the one who had his eye on him was only one year. That meant there was no reason for Dojin to be concerned about the other being a “kid” or whatever.
Of course, even if the other party had been younger, Dojin would have been just as serious.
“You’re not really going to take this seriously, right?”
“Is there any reason I shouldn’t be serious?”
“Are you for real?”
Seeing Kwon Dojin’s eyes filled with subtle anger, Baek Han clicked his tongue. Kwon Dojin was serious. Honestly, he couldn’t understand why Dojin was reacting this way over just a bag of jelly. Is this why people say love is complicated?
“If Lee Habin finds out about this—”
“Habin? Well.”
That short response implied that Habin wouldn’t find out the details of this matter. Baek Han, who keenly caught on to this, clicked his tongue. He knew better than anyone that even though Dojin had quit the hierarchy, he still retained that much influence.
“…You have a nasty personality.”
“Watch your mouth.”
Knowing full well that Baek Han was the only variable, Dojin left a warning in a subdued voice. Baek Han shuddered at that.
“I know nothing about this.”
Dojin glanced at Baek Han’s retreating back as he quickly turned and returned to his own class, saying he had no intention of following through with this anyway. Since Baek Han disliked getting involved in matters between Dojin and Habin, he would probably remain silent about this incident too.
With the nuisance gone, Dojin moved with light steps. He had planned to go alone from the start, but Baek Han had somehow heard about it and tagged along on his own.
So there was a sense of delay from the planned time. Though he felt unnecessarily anxious because he wanted to return to Habin’s side as quickly as possible, he decided to take it easy. After all, they say haste makes waste.
With that confidence, Dojin went down to the floor where the first-year classrooms were and headed toward the front door of his targeted classroom. Opening the door that was tightly closed due to air conditioning, he lightly knocked.
“S-Senior Dojin?”
“Why did you come here?”
“Does that matter? What matters is that he looks handsome today too!”
Naturally brushing off the stares that gathered, Dojin scanned the classroom and smiled, pulling at the corners of his mouth when he found the person he was looking for. Despite the extremely artificial smile, small exclamations flowed from around him as if they hadn’t noticed.
“Hello?”
“What? O-oh, yes! Hello!”
Dojin looked the person up and down who had reflexively greeted him, and inwardly felt relieved. Thanks to the fact that the other’s appearance didn’t match Habin’s taste at first glance.
Habin’s somewhat—no, quite explicitly—picky taste in faces was so fastidious that he had even shaken his head at Baek Han, whom everyone else thought was good-looking, saying he wasn’t his type.
“You’re the junior who gave Habin jelly, right?”
He asked for confirmation, though he was already certain. When the other person slowly nodded, Dojin drew a deeper smile on his lips.
“I thought we were well-known in school.”
The two of them often displayed affection without concern within the school. Of course, it was Dojin who initiated it, not Habin, but Habin didn’t particularly refuse either. So Habin had his share of responsibility too.
Above all, Dojin, who had kicked away the hierarchy at a single word from Habin, hadn’t lost his reputation in many ways. At minimum, his influence within the school was similar to what it had been before.
So he thought no one would harbor futile hopes toward Habin. Dojin didn’t look kindly upon the person who had overturned his judgment.
“Yet you had the audacity to make such an obvious move.”
“I just gave jelly—”
“Did I seem so stupid that I couldn’t notice the meaning behind that jelly?”
If so, that’s a bit disappointing.
Adding this with a tone that wasn’t disappointed at all, Dojin tapped his fingers together. He sighed irritably and brushed his hair up.
“I hope there won’t be any more incidents like this in the future.”
Speaking in a gentle manner, he stared intently at the other person, tilting his head as if to pressure them. The other, who had been biting their innocent lips and holding back a response, eventually nodded.
The moment he got the satisfactory answer, Dojin crafted a pretty smile.
* * *
“Your boyfriend is crazy.”
“Suddenly?”
I lifted my head from looking at the workbook while munching on the jelly that Dojin had placed in my hand before leaving, responding to Baek Han’s sigh. Baek Han, who had put both legs on the desk, clicked his tongue while wiggling his feet.
“These things happen.”
“Mmm, sure. Want some jelly?”
When I offered the bag, Baek Han glanced at it before shaking his head. He seemed like he wanted some but was holding back. Probably because it was from Dojin. Anyway, instead of Baek Han who refused, I took out some jelly from the bag and ate it.
“But you expected this, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but—wait. What did you say?”
“Didn’t Dojin go to the first-year classroom?”
“…How do you know that?”
I just blinked at the look that suggested he was seeing some strange person. Isn’t it weirder to think I wouldn’t know?
“It’s Kwon Dojin after all.”
“If you knew that, why didn’t you stop him?”
“If I had stopped him, it would have been worse for that first-year. Besides, I was the one who told Dojin that I received jelly in the first place.”
Actually, I thought it was going to be overlooked because it had been quiet for a while after I received the jelly. That is, until Dojin, who should have been by my side, left his seat.
It seems he moved after some time had passed, hoping I’d forget, but I couldn’t help but notice when he moved, given that he rarely left my side for trivial matters.
“Kwon Dojin was acting like you wouldn’t know though?”
“Dojin? No way. He would have more than guessed that I would catch on to some extent.”
To begin with, if he really wanted to hide it, he wouldn’t have moved so carelessly. How could I not know about something happening inside the school? I wonder if his actions also included a bit of complaint like ‘don’t receive jelly from others again’? Maybe, maybe not.
“But he’ll probably hide the details. Acting like I wouldn’t know probably means he won’t tell me the specifics.”
“…What’s with you two?”
I laughed off Baek Han’s mumbling about how pitiful that first-year was. Maybe it’s because we’ve been through thick and thin for a year, but we’ve somehow become like this.
“Did you enjoy the jelly?”
“Dojin.”
When I tilted my head back at the voice from behind, I saw eyes with a hint of laughter. Happy to see him arrive earlier than expected, I smiled back and looked around to see everyone in their places.
So when I got up, he sat in the chair without me saying anything and tapped his thigh.
“What are you doing, leaving the desk?”
“A desk isn’t made for sitting on, you know.”
“That chair probably wasn’t designed to bear the weight of two people either.”
When I waved my hand at Baek Han’s remark, suggesting we should overlook minor details, he held his forehead. Thanks to Baek Han who muttered that he seemed to be aging day by day, I burst into a small laugh.
“Did everything go well?”
“Yes. Nothing happened while I was gone, right?”
“Mmm, that’s right. Oh, there’s some jelly left. Want some?”
When I picked up the jelly bag placed on the desk, he opened his lips. At his gesture asking to be fed, I found his favorite flavor and put it in his mouth.
“This is school, you know.”
“I know that.”
“Who doesn’t know that?”
“And they still do this…”
Ignoring Baek Han’s mutterings, I found a comfortable position by wriggling around with my hand on the arm wrapped around my waist. As if accommodating me, Dojin firmly supported my body.
After watching that far, Baek Han left the classroom with a shudder, muttering that if he kept watching, he would get goosebumps all over his body.
“Are you going to study?”
Unintentionally, I sent a silent prayer to the perpetually suffering Baek Han and picked up the pen I had put down. Dojin rested his chin on my shoulder.
I gauged the time available for studying before going home and the amount I needed to do today. After calculating that it would be okay to play now, I leaned deeply against Dojin.
“Why, should I not?”
“There’s only about 10 minutes left, so play with me. We have to separate soon.”
I laughed, shrinking my shoulders as he rubbed his face against my neck, pretending to be sad. Even though he would come back during the break. It seemed a bit excessive how he acted as if we had to be apart for a long time, but since it was always similar, I was used to it.
In the end, when I put down my pen, he brightened up and intertwined our fingers. When I reflexively stroked his skin where hard calluses had formed, he squeezed my hand even tighter.
“By the way, Dojin.”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t fight, right?”
“Of course not.”
I stared into his eyes as if measuring something at his answer that came without a hint of hesitation. Judging by the honesty glimpsed in his gaze, which met mine without avoiding it, he really hadn’t fought.
“Good, that’s fine then.”
If he hadn’t fought, he probably wasn’t injured either. Nodding my head that this was a satisfactory enough result, Dojin smiled an innocent smile.
Regardless of his true feelings, it was truly a beautiful smile.
At school is crazy
Feed me more dog food