# Chapter 37
It was very quiet inside the classroom, perhaps because I entered just before the bell rang. Or it might have been quieter than usual because most students were studying.
The students sitting in front looked up from their books when they heard the door open and glanced at me as I entered. I briefly made eye contact with Ko Kyungsu among the students who quickly returned to their books and exchanged a quick nod.
Ko Kyungsu had the same worried expression as he did this morning. His lips were moving as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t, so I asked in a light tone:
“How’s the studying going?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. What about you?”
“Well, it’s okay.”
“I see. Work hard.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Even though we didn’t have much of a conversation and just exchanged words of encouragement, his expression relaxed considerably. I smiled slightly at that and returned to my seat.
Moon Seoheon had been staring at me since I entered and continued to quietly watch until I sat down. I couldn’t read any emotion on his face, so I stared back as if asking if he had something to say, then asked:
“What?”
“…Why are you back so late?”
“Ah, it was for the club. I was planting seedlings in the rooftop garden.”
Moon Seoheon raised his eyebrows at my words and asked in a suspicious tone:
“Did a teacher make you do it? And you just agreed?”
“No. The senior… I mean, the president called and asked me, so I said okay and went.”
Moon Seoheon just stared at me blankly, clearly showing his uneasiness. Is it really that surprising that I willingly did work when it wasn’t ordered by a teacher? With the monthly evaluation approaching and the classroom atmosphere being calm today, maybe he thought it was unusual that I wasn’t studying and instead focused on club activities. It was just a short job during lunch break, but there’s a lot to be surprised about.
Or is this guy thinking that I’m deliberately lying to run away again?
Is that really what he thinks? As I glared at him with an unpleasant look at this plausible guess, the bell rang. Moon Seoheon briefly glanced at the wall clock as if checking the time, then relaxed his expression and told me to get my book ready for class. I stopped caring and took out my book. Just then, the door opened and the teacher came in.
* * *
With Jung Hyoin’s sudden approach in the morning and my near encounter with Byeon Seungha, I felt unnecessarily tense as each break approached. While I really did leave my seat during lunch break for club activities, I fully understood why Moon Seoheon suspected I was running away. Although I didn’t like it, as class end time approached, I was genuinely considering escaping somewhere else.
So when class ended and the teacher left, I was planning to get up and take a walk. I’d decided to study hard when I got home. But before I could even stand up, Moon Seoheon grabbed my arm and asked a question while flipping through his workbook.
“What?”
“Do you know this problem?”
I looked at the problem Moon Seoheon was pointing to. It was a math problem, but not a particularly difficult one. I would need to work through it myself to be sure… It was a problem of ambiguous difficulty, neither easy nor hard, and I missed the timing to say I didn’t know.
Finally, I held out my hand. Moon Seoheon seemed to understand that I wanted the workbook to take a closer look, and handed it over willingly. I opened the workbook so he could see well, and said I would try to solve it first.
“…Okay.”
“Wait a moment. Oh, can I write in this?”
“Yeah.”
Moon Seoheon nodded at my question, crossed his arms, and leaned back comfortably. I glanced briefly at him before focusing on the problem. Since he said I could write in the workbook, I freely wrote out the formulas with a pencil. Hmm, this doesn’t seem like a problem that can be solved just by simple substitution, does it?
I listed all the relevant formulas and approached the problem step by step. I got stuck for a moment in the middle, but quickly found a method, then applied the theories that emerged at the end, connected everything, and concluded with an answer. Looking at the value I got, I wasn’t sure if it was correct, so I asked Moon Seoheon where the answer key was.
He had already uncrossed his arms and was staring blankly at me, but soon took out the answer key from his drawer. I checked if my answer was correct and nodded at the perfectly matching solution and answer.
“Fortunately, I got it right. I’ll teach you how to solve it.”
“……”
I began explaining the solution to Moon Seoheon, whose expression had slightly hardened, telling him to concentrate. After finishing my explanation to the silently listening Moon Seoheon, I asked if he understood. But there was no answer.
“What, you didn’t understand?”
“…No. I understood.”
“Really? Then that’s good.”
It had been a while since I’d solved a problem like this, so it felt a bit daunting, but my brain didn’t seem to have stiffened yet. Well, it hadn’t been that long since I had studied while preparing for the civil service exam. Besides, my body was in its prime at eighteen, when the brain works well. Feeling secretly proud, I smiled, and Moon Seoheon was staring at me intently with his chin resting on his hand that was covering his mouth.
“What now? Is there something else you don’t understand?”
“…Have you been pretending all this time?”
“Huh?”
Moon Seoheon blinked and rolled his eyes as if checking whether I was hiding something or if there was something strange about me. I just closed my mouth and silently observed his behavior, then said lightly:
“What are you talking about? You asked, and I just taught you. Is that strange?”
At that, Moon Seoheon didn’t answer and remained still, then simply lowered the hand that was covering his mouth. Then he reached out and brushed back my bangs. It happened so suddenly that I just blankly watched him fiddle with my hair.
With each movement of his hand, my hair made rustling sounds inside his palm. Feeling both confused and bewildered, I frowned slightly and looked at him as if to ask what the hell he was doing.
“See? You’re not even getting angry.”
“Huh?”
“You might not have always reacted, but you used to get irritated even with a little touch, but now you act like it’s nothing.”
“…No, I’m sufficiently confused…”
At my awkward response, he raised one eyebrow, then soon raised the corner of his mouth.
“You’re right. You do seem confused.”
The soft laughter that escaped tickled my ears. Only then did I grab his hand and lower it. I rubbed my forehead, which had suddenly become hot, trying to shake off the strange sensation.
As expected of someone who makes all the main characters fall for him, I can’t even casually brush off a simple physical contact. I laughed it off jokingly, saying he was quite something.
“If you understand, please be careful… about suddenly coming at me like that.”
I was really startled. Whether he found my words funny or thought it wasn’t something to worry about, he snorted softly and turned his head to the workbook. Only then did I realize that the break was almost over and took out my book to prepare for the next class.
After that, the breaks continued the same way. If Moon Seoheon had another question, I would solve it and teach him.
The problems were moderately difficult, like the first one I had solved. I solved them smoothly, and when I got stuck and wasn’t sure, I worked them out together with Moon Seoheon. For problems he asked because he didn’t know, I was impressed that we could quickly derive the answers without taking too much time.
Only when all the classes ended and the final homeroom time approached did I realize I had spent the time without incident. I thought Byeon Seungha or one of the other main characters would come looking for me at least once more, but they didn’t. It felt like I’d wasted energy being tense; my body was comfortable but my mind was tired.
The students filed out of the classroom after the homeroom teacher’s reminder to prepare well for the monthly evaluation on Thursday. Just as I was about to leave with my bag, my phone rang. Wondering who it was, I checked and saw it was another call from Lee Jinyoung.
What’s this, is there a problem with the garden? Swallowing my questions, I pressed the call button, and Lee Jinyoung’s voice immediately came through.
—Ah, Taeho. Are you already outside?
“No. I’m still in the classroom.”
—Really? That’s good. It’s nothing serious, but about the vinegar. I think you should take it today.
“Vinegar?”
I remembered the vinegar she was talking about, the one from the announcement that I was supposed to take, the one they made before. I clearly recalled saying at Ace yesterday that I would take it next week because it was a hassle. I had planned to pick it up during club time the day after tomorrow anyway, so I voiced my confusion about why I needed to take it today specifically.
—Yes. There’s only one left. And take the energy drink too. There were plenty until lunchtime today, but with the evaluation coming up soon, it seems the kids just took them.
“Ah… okay.”
—Of course, they were allowed to take them, but there aren’t many left. It didn’t seem like you got any. Oh, did you take some separately?
“No. I haven’t been to the club room, so I didn’t even know there weren’t many left.”
—I see? Then come and take what’s left at least. I’m in the club room now.
I agreed and ended the call. I’m guessing the ones who “just took them” were the Middle Class guys? Just hours ago, I had been wondering what the club even does, and now I was clicking my tongue internally as I headed to the Food and Cooking Club room.
Before leaving, I answered Moon Seoheon, who asked what was going on, telling him that I needed to pick something up from the club room, and said goodbye. I nodded at his words to go carefully, and when I arrived at the club room, Lee Jinyoung waved at me.
“Ah, you came?”
Lee Jinyoung was sitting in the middle of a large table with the one remaining vinegar placed in front of her as if she were guarding it. I confirmed it was a yellowish liquid in a small, elongated glass bottle and bowed my head to Lee Jinyoung.
“Thank you, Sunbae. For calling and taking care of this for me…”
Lee Jinyoung’s eyes widened at my words, and she said with a pleased smile:
“Haha, it’s nothing. Rather, you were making it so diligently, but then seemed to lose interest, so I wondered if you’d forgotten.”
“Ah… was I that diligent?”
I smiled awkwardly, thinking that Yoon Taeho must have been good at club activities. However, Lee Jinyoung’s response made my expression slightly furrow.
“Since it helps with dieting, I guess you were sincere? I was a bit surprised because you were more passionate than Seulbi or Yuna.”
“…I see.”
“Oh, of course, I mean you did well. You always worked hard.”
She hastily added, seemingly misunderstanding my lukewarm reaction as if she was deliberately trying to encourage me. Just as I was about to utter a word of thanks, the door opened and someone entered.
It was a familiar face. It was the Middle Class guy who had dragged me to the High Class students during the last social club meeting.
He frowned when he saw me, but I was equally displeased, so I ignored him.
