# Chapter 71
I imagined that he could have asked someone in his faction. I briefly pictured Kwon Dojin rapidly typing on his keyboard to find out about the rumor without ending the call, but I shook my head to dismiss the thought.
Compared to waiting for someone else to report first, looking into it directly seemed, how should I put it, lacking in dignity. It wasn’t quite pathetic, but it just didn’t look good.
The power that the title of ‘Rank’ held was truly remarkable. Honestly, even I, who used to think ‘Is dignity really that important?’, now find myself thinking, ‘Still, being second-ranked means I shouldn’t lose face.’
Perhaps this was evidence that I was being influenced by the social hierarchy.
[Habin.]
“What?”
[Are you really not worried about the rumors?]
“I told you I’m not, didn’t I? If I were to suffer because of those rumors, that would be different. But if not, then there’s no need for me to worry about them.”
It would be a lie to say there had been no disadvantages, as several incidents had occurred because of rumors. But there was nothing I could do about what had already happened.
That said, distancing myself from Kwon Dojin, who had caused me to be caught up in rumors, wasn’t a good solution either. If we grew apart, I would inevitably get tangled in new incidents. The social hierarchy wasn’t a world to be taken lightly.
[I see… Then that’s fine.]
A voice tinged with deep relief flowed through the speaker. After those words, I ran out of things to say and rolled my eyes around, trying to gauge when to end the call. Perhaps sensing my mood, Kwon Dojin spoke first.
[You must be tired, so rest well. See you on Monday, Habin.]
“Yeah. See you at school.”
[Okay. I’ll text you.]
The call ended before I could respond. He said he’d text me—seems like he still had things to say when I had nothing left. Though I knew it was just a casual remark, coming from him, it felt full of sincerity.
“…He’ll do whatever he wants.”
If Kwon Dojin wanted to text, he would. All I had to do was acknowledge it if a message came and not worry if it didn’t.
I deliberately tossed my phone to a corner of the bed and sat up abruptly. Rather than dwelling on thoughts that led nowhere, it would be more beneficial to open a workbook and cram as many characters into my brain as possible.
Sitting up straight at my clean desk, I opened an approachable math practice test. Tap, tap—I grabbed my restless mind that never stayed still and put it on a leash.
Though it was particularly difficult to concentrate today, I calmed myself by starting with easier problems.
The corner of my mind still proudly displayed Kwon Dojin’s last words, “I’ll text you,” but I deliberately ignored it. Studying was more important right now.
* * *
It’s hot. Really hot. Incredibly hot.
I slowly peeled my cheek away from the desk, which no longer emitted the same coolness as before, having absorbed my body heat. I heard a sticky sound as my skin stretched, but I ignored it and completely detached myself to find a new spot to rest my cheek.
“You’re slithering around like seaweed.”
Baek Han clicked his tongue and tapped the back of my head, but I didn’t have the strength to swat him away. I didn’t want to move unnecessarily and waste energy generating more heat.
“Dojin, where’s Dojin—?”
“He went to the administration office. He finally stepped up because you looked half-dead.”
“Huuuh… I might actually die at this rate.”
“It’s not even June yet. Why are you like this already?”
Unlike me, Baek Han was not only fine but seemed even more energetic than usual. I weakly rubbed my forehead against the desk in response to his criticism.
“I envy you. Not being affected by the heat.”
Even without intending to, my words dragged out limply. Heat was my natural enemy, robbing me of even the strength to control my voice.
“I came back before Habin melted away completely.”
As that familiar voice reached my ears, I also heard the sound of the air conditioner starting up. Convinced that there could be no greater salvation at this moment, I forgot my slumped posture and suddenly sat up straight.
“Air conditioning! Finally!”
“Whoa, shit, you scared me.”
“Should I close the windows?”
Unlike Baek Han, who flinched in surprise at my sudden movement, Kwon Dojin moved very calmly to close the nearby window.
As Dojin moved, classmates near the windows simultaneously began closing all the open windows. Their fingertips were nimble as they carefully closed and locked each one.
“If you were going to do this, you should have turned it on earlier! So inflexible!”
“They were planning to start using it in June, apparently.”
When I asked, they brushed it off!
Indignant at the administration’s attitude, I slumped back down due to the classroom temperature that wasn’t cool yet. In this heat, I really couldn’t function normally.
“You should have worn the summer uniform.”
“I’ll wear it starting tomorrow… I didn’t know it would be this hot today.”
Why is it so hot in mid-May? I would understand if it were June. This is unfair.
When I pretended to cry with exaggerated sobs, Dojin gently rubbed my back. Baek Han clicked his tongue once more and stretched. The heat must be affecting me because even I thought I wasn’t in my right mind right now.
“If you’re that hot, let’s go buy ice cream. It would be perfect to eat under the air conditioner.”
“You want me to move in this heat?”
I was reluctant to go to the cafeteria for lunch, so why would I go to the school store for ice cream? I shook my head in horror, and Baek Han looked at me with slight contempt.
“Are you really that hot right now?”
“I’m like this because I’m that hot, right now…”
I waved my limp arms on the desk for emphasis. Seeing my gesture, Dojin reached out and took my drooping hand.
“Definitely. Your temperature is higher than usual.”
“Really?”
Baek Han, following Dojin’s lead, grabbed my other arm and let out a short exclamation. With both arms suddenly captured, I rested my chin on the desk and looked up.
“Warm and toasty.”
“No wonder he doesn’t want to move in this state.”
Dojin and Baek Han chattered about my body temperature. I could have shaken them off if I tried, but even waving my arms was too bothersome, so I just sighed. Still, their body temperatures were lower than mine, so the coolness where they held me didn’t feel bad at all.
“When does fifth period start?”
“In ten minutes.”
Baek Han answered briefly while releasing my hand. Disappointed by the loss of coolness, I reflexively grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing?”
“Your hands are cool. Let me borrow them a bit.”
Since he’d already held my hand, couldn’t he continue? It felt unfair, like something had been given and then taken away.
Actually, the air conditioner was starting to cool the classroom, so it was becoming more bearable. Still, the more things that could lower my body temperature, the better. There’s a saying about more being better, right?
“I’ll lend you my hand.”
Dojin brushed off Baek Han’s hand that I was holding and offered his own instead. Since his body temperature was also cool like Baek Han’s, I accepted without complaint.
“I wish summer would disappear from this world.”
“Why don’t you just go live in a country where it’s always winter?”
“I don’t speak the language, so I don’t want to…”
“It’ll be cool soon. Do you want some water?”
“Sure.”
When I made a slight motion to get up, Dojin helped me rise instead. Having a strong friend made life very comfortable.
“By the way, I heard there’s a field trip at the end of this month.”
“Somehow this school seems specialized in having fun.”
“This is pretty normal.”
Having thought that the sports festival was the last big event of the semester, I opened my eyes wide at Baek Han’s words. They called it a field trip, but it was obviously going to be an amusement park. Dojin, seemingly indifferent, handed me a cup of water with ice floating in it.
“Is that so…?”
The water was so cold that I could feel my esophagus cool down with just one sip. I involuntarily shivered, and Dojin beside me showed a faint smile.
“There’s no need to worry about it, right? Whether it’s normal or not, who cares? As long as it’s fun.”
Dojin’s gentle voice echoed in my ears. Perhaps because of his voice, or because his words seemed completely right, I found myself nodding without realizing it. Dojin brushed my hair back.
With that gesture, I suddenly realized that the classroom air was no longer as hot as before. The air conditioner must have sufficiently cooled the room by now.
I gratefully drank the remaining ice water, appreciating the power of the second-ranked title that had gotten the air conditioning turned on earlier than scheduled.
Ding-dong-deng-dong~
A different chime from the regular class bell flowed through the speakers. At the familiar preliminary bell, the three of us turned our heads to look at the clock.
“Lunch break is already ending.”
“Then I’ll be going now.”
“Take care. Pay attention in class too.”
“I do that without you telling me.”
I waved at Baek Han, and he left the classroom with a smirk.
“By the way, were we allowed to wear summer uniforms? I think there was a similar announcement, but I can’t quite remember.”
As I put down my water bottle with a clack, Dojin reached out again to hold my hand. Though I wasn’t that hot anymore, I let it be after glancing at his face. Sitting facing me, he rested his elbow on the desk and propped his chin.
“If Habin wants to wear it, go ahead. It’s fine.”
“Hmm… alright.”
I decided not to worry about whether it would really be okay. Dojin had vouched for me, so it should be fine.
Indeed, the rank title was impressive.
