# Chapter 18
By the time we returned to the auditorium, the fight between Kwon Dojin and Ji Haecheon had already ended. Baek Han didn’t show any particular reaction as if he’d expected it, but I was surprised. I couldn’t believe that what would be equivalent to the finals in sporting terms had ended so quickly.
“How did it end so fast?”
“Because they didn’t fight.”
“Huh?”
“Kwon Dojin doesn’t fight with Ji Haecheon.”
Baek Han’s words deepened my confusion. Why wouldn’t they fight? To say they were friends—when I met them at the white rice restaurant last time, they didn’t seem that close.
“Let’s go to our seats first. It’s so crowded here. Your stuff is there, right?”
The inside was truly chaotic, just as Baek Han said, with people trying to leave the auditorium now that the rank determination was over. The MC, who had been commentating throughout the event, was now guiding people to exit in an orderly fashion, which says it all.
“Ah, yes. The seat is over there, but what about your belongings?”
“Don’t have any.”
Well, that’s quite confident.
He’s a student but doesn’t even carry indoor shoes. Meanwhile, Kwon Dojin at least carried a backpack. I looked at him with narrowed eyes, but Baek Han remained unapologetically bold.
Following him back to where my belongings were, I found Kwon Dojin sitting neatly in a chair without a scratch on him.
“Habin.”
“Kwon Dojin.”
“Did anything happen?”
After stopping Dojin from standing up, I was about to habitually shake my head, but then I rolled my eyes. There’s no reason to hide it.
“Yes, something did. A person named Kang Jinwoo tried to hit me, but Baek Han stopped him.”
As I spoke, I remembered the wound on Baek Han’s forehead and grabbed his arm to seat him in a chair. Though he seemed perplexed at suddenly being seated, he stayed obediently.
“What is it?”
“That wound on your forehead, are you going to leave it like that? I have medicine, so I’ll at least apply some for you.”
“I don’t need it.”
“Just stay still. How long can it take?”
I lifted my bag from the floor to the chair and rummaged through the front pocket for some ointment. Just as I found it quickly and was about to apply it to Baek Han’s forehead, Dojin grabbed my wrist.
“What’s wrong?”
“…I’m hurt too.”
“You too? Where? No, let me take care of him first.”
My eyes widened in surprise at his claim that he was hurt, even though he looked fine on the surface. Still, it seemed right to take care of Baek Han first, so I removed Dojin’s hand and grabbed Baek Han’s chin.
“It’s not as bad as I thought. It won’t even leave a scar. That’s good, right?”
“I’ve never cared about that sort of thing.”
His gruff response made me laugh spontaneously. Without a cotton swab, I squeezed a small amount of ointment onto the wound and applied a bandage. Thanks to him staying still and quiet, it ended quickly, and I tilted my head.
“You’re surprisingly still.”
“Would you prefer if I moved?”
“It’s already done. So, where are you hurt?”
When I turned to Dojin, he was sprawled in the chair with a sullen expression. It felt strange seeing him like this when he had been sitting properly just moments ago.
“Why are you like that?”
“Like what?”
“Your lips are sticking out.”
When I tapped his lips with my index finger, Dojin turned his head away. Though he seemed irritated, his tightly closed mouth remained shut.
“Dojin, I asked where you’re hurt.”
Since he kept avoiding eye contact, I finally brought my face closer to his. As he stubbornly kept avoiding my gaze, I had no choice but to grab his chin.
“Why are you acting like this today?”
While I was worried about Dojin’s behavior, which was different from usual, a suspicion I had dismissed earlier resurfaced.
“Are you jealous? Is that why you’re sulking?”
“Ugh! Are you crazy!”
Baek Han jumped up from his chair and shuddered. Pointing at Dojin, he wore an expression that suggested he had a lot to say, but he seemed at a loss for words, his lips just twitching.
“Anyway, tone it down! Instead of that, think about what you’re going to do with that bastard Kang Jinwoo!”
“Tsk.”
In response to Baek Han’s urging, Dojin clicked his tongue openly and grabbed my hand that was holding his chin, pulling it down. Suddenly dragged along, I found myself sitting in the chair before I realized it, just blinking my eyelids. What just happened?
“Since this seems like it’s going to be a long conversation. Standing will make your legs hurt.”
“Long conversation, my ass. We can just revoke that bastard’s rank and be done with it.”
“You said you stopped him before he could hit, right?”
“So? Are you saying I did something wrong?”
“No. I should be grateful, actually. Thanks to you, Habin wasn’t hurt. The problem is that we can’t revoke Kang Jinwoo’s rank.”
As someone completely unfamiliar with the ranking system, I couldn’t say anything. Unlike Dojin, who was pressing his forehead as if he had a headache, Baek Han reacted as if he’d heard something absurd.
“Why? Everyone knows if you mess with an ordinary person, your rank gets revoked.”
“It’s because it’s ambiguous to say he ‘messed with’ someone. Plus, that Kang Jinwoo is likely close with Rank 6 Jeon Hae-in, which is also a problem.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Your problem is you’re too uninterested in power dynamics.”
I found myself staring blankly at Dojin, sharing the same sentiment as Baek Han. He looked back and forth between Baek Han and me before letting out a deep sigh. Then he smiled weakly.
“I’ll handle it. The fact that he attempted to mess with an ordinary person remains unchanged, so even if we can’t revoke his rank, we can still penalize him.”
I applauded the clean conclusion. Baek Han frowned deeply as if something was bothering him, but eventually nodded.
“Unnecessarily complicated bullshit.”
“You’re just too simplistic.”
“Now that we’ve reached a conclusion, shall we leave?”
Noticing someone in the distance cautiously watching us, probably unable to ask us to leave because of Dojin and Baek Han’s high ranks, I spoke up first. Only then did the two realize where we were, nodded, and gathered their belongings to leave the auditorium.
“Then I’ll be heading home now.”
I’ve had enough fun, so it’s time to study. My curiosity about the rank determination had been sufficiently satisfied, so I had no regrets. Just as I was about to leave to fulfill my duties as a student, Dojin grabbed my sleeve with an openly disappointed expression.
“You’re leaving?”
“…Am I not supposed to?”
“Let’s go have fun together.”
Ah, when it comes to this, I almost always end up going along. Based on my experience so far, I decided that I should at least know where we were going.
“Where to?”
“Anywhere you want.”
While we were conversing, Baek Han, who had been watching quietly with a frown, turned to leave, so I quickly grabbed him.
“What?”
“Since we’re going to have fun, let’s go together.”
“What?”
“Why Baek Han too?”
Both Baek Han and even Dojin frowned as if they disliked the idea. However, I decided to be somewhat brazen because if I went alone with Dojin, rumors following the “femme fatale” ones would spread even faster.
“You saved me today. So come along. I’ll buy you a meal.”
Fortunately, there was an appropriate excuse, so although Dojin wore a dissatisfied expression, he didn’t interrupt. However, Baek Han continued to contemplate with an unreadable expression.
“…Fine.”
After a long silence, his positive response naturally brightened my face. In contrast, Dojin’s expression soured, but that wasn’t my concern.
“Western, Chinese, Korean. What do you prefer?”
“Western.”
“Great. Let’s go then.”
I clapped my hands once at his straightforward answer. With a refreshing smile, I took the lead, and Baek Han and Dojin followed. Whatever they might be feeling inside, the outward appearance was peaceful.
* * *
“I’m home.”
I returned home after having dinner in a more harmonious atmosphere than I had expected. As I took off my shoes and checked the time on my phone, fortunately, I still had time to study.
“Is that you, Habin? You’re later than you said you’d be.”
“I had dinner with friends. I forgot to mention it, sorry.”
Hearing my dad’s words as I was organizing my indoor shoes bag, I raised my voice and answered loudly.
“As long as you ate well. Get some rest.”
“Okay.”
After finishing our brief conversation and washing my hands, I went into my room and had just put down my bag when the door flew open with a bang.
“Lee Habin!”
“…What’s wrong? Have you finally lost your mind?”
I flinched in surprise at the unusually intense way she called my name. As I looked her up and down, wondering about my sister’s behavior which differed from normal, she closed the door and strode briskly toward me.
“You, you!”
“What? What is it?”
As she approached menacingly, I unconsciously took a step back. What on earth is wrong with her?
“Is it true that you kissed Baek Han?!”
“Huh…?”
Though I clearly heard my sister’s question with my ears, my brain couldn’t properly process it. After refusing to accept the meaning for quite some time, my brain, which had gone blank from overload, finally returned to normal function and interpreted the meaning.
“Me? With Baek Han? Kiss? Why?”
“That’s what I’m asking!?”
“Well, yes, but… I kissed Baek Han? When?”
“That’s what I’m asking!”
Yumin’s question made my head spin. As I couldn’t collect my thoughts, she grabbed my shoulders and shook me, but I was too confused to even stop her.
Why on earth would such a rumor spread? And why is it that I supposedly kissed Baek Han instead of Dojin?
I haven’t been close with Baek Han for long. It’s been a very short time compared to Dojin. So how did such a rumor start? Seriously, how?
“I didn’t, I didn’t. So now let me ask you. How did such a rumor spread? When did I supposedly kiss Baek Han? I mean, they were treating me like I was seducing Kwon Dojin, but now why am I being linked with Baek Han?”
Fortunately, someone who might know the answer was right in front of me. After removing Yumin’s arms that were still shaking my shoulders, I asked in turn.
After briefly looking relieved at my denial, Yumin suddenly hardened her expression and began searching for something on her phone.
“Then what is this picture?”
