# Chapter 45
Jung Hyoin alternated his gaze between my bag and me, then slowly rose from his seat as if he understood. His movements were excruciatingly slow, completely oblivious to my impatience.
The classroom atmosphere was so quiet with everyone focused on studying that it seemed difficult for anyone to disturb others, even playfully. It would be awkward to tell these students to get out of my seat just so I could sit down. It was one thing that he was sitting in my empty seat, but it was frustrating that he’d come looking for me first thing in the morning on a day like today.
Though I had to admit, I was secretly surprised that this guy—the main character and highest-ranking among the High Class—was getting up quietly without making a fuss.
Jung Hyoin soon stood up and stepped back. I stared at him pointedly, then plopped myself down in the seat he had reluctantly vacated.
As I pulled out my notebook and writing tools from my bag, I turned my attention to Jung Hyoin, who was still standing there. As if asking if he had something to say.
“…”
I looked at him as if to say “speak if you have something to say,” but he said nothing, just letting his gaze travel from my head down to my feet. At this uncomfortable scrutiny, my eyebrow twitched slightly, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on Jung Hyoin’s face.
“You’re not running away anymore.”
“…?”
I relaxed my expression and looked at Jung Hyoin questioningly. Acting as though he hadn’t noticed my gaze, he immediately turned to Moon Seoheon and waved his hand.
“I’ll be going now, Seoheon.”
“…Okay.”
After saying goodbye, I watched Jung Hyoin’s back as he left the classroom, then shifted my gaze to Moon Seoheon. His eyes, which had been following Jung Hyoin, sensed my stare and met mine. His clear eyes revealed nothing. I was about to ask him why Jung Hyoin was acting that way, but I swallowed my question when I saw his calm gaze.
In the end, I couldn’t say anything and focused on studying like everyone else. The Class ranking test would begin soon.
* * *
The silence in the classroom was even more suffocating than in the morning. The only sound was the noise of pens scratching on paper.
Because of my injury, I awkwardly held my pen with my left hand as I read through the questions. The one good thing was that the questions were multiple-choice rather than short answer. I just needed to read the problems carefully and mark the answers, so I didn’t have to write much.
Before the test began, the homeroom teacher had heard about yesterday’s incident and asked me with concern whether I would be able to take the test, but we both knew it was just a courtesy question. Even if I’d been through a major incident and gotten hurt yesterday, I couldn’t exactly skip the test.
So after taking the test all morning, I felt completely drained. It wasn’t even the final exam, just a Class ranking test, but maybe because I hadn’t taken a test in a while, I felt extremely tense. Thinking back now, I wasn’t sure if I’d done well.
“It’s over,” I sighed, slumping over my desk.
Moon Seoheon, sitting next to me, laughed softly. “Good job.”
“…Yeah, you too.”
When I turned my head to look at him, he was resting his chin on his hand with his eyes half-closed, looking down at me. The way his lowered eyelashes seemed to flutter caught my attention. As I was staring at them, the class representative went to the front and shouted.
“I’m handing out phones, so come get yours!”
They didn’t usually collect phones, but today was test day, so everyone had handed them in that morning. I thought they’d return them after all classes were finished, but I guess since the assessment was over, they were giving them back now.
I raised my upper body from the desk and watched as everyone rushed to retrieve their phones. After some time had passed and most students had claimed theirs, I got up from my seat.
“Ah, should I bring yours too?”
“…Yes.”
After a brief pause, Moon Seoheon nodded at my question. I went to the front and picked up my phone and Moon Seoheon’s. Among the few phones left, it was easy to find his since I’d seen it several times before.
When I returned to my seat and handed the phone to Moon Seoheon, he stared at mine for a moment before asking, “What happened to your phone?”
“Ah… I dropped it yesterday, and this is what happened.”
The phone I’d abandoned while rushing to Kim Junwoo on the rooftop had a shattered screen. It wasn’t completely unusable, but the cracked screen was visibly beyond repair.
“You’ll need to buy a new one, right?”
“I guess so.”
I was planning to replace it on the weekend anyway. While I was at it, I’d change my number and organize my contacts. I was worried about what might happen with my stolen contact information, but it really bothered me that those Middle Class guys had my number.
As I casually put the phone in my pocket, Moon Seoheon’s phone suddenly vibrated.
“Hello?”
Seeing him answer immediately after checking who it was, I stretched. Since it was lunchtime, I was about to head to the cafeteria and looked around for Jo Youngmin when Moon Seoheon paused his conversation and called out to me.
“Yoon Taeho.”
“Yeah?”
“Want to have lunch together?”
“What?”
So suddenly? There was no reason I couldn’t eat with him, but his unexpected invitation made me stare at him with wide eyes. Aren’t you going to eat with The Four? That was the meaning conveyed in my gaze.
“You don’t want to?”
“…No, it’s not that I don’t want to, but I usually eat with others.”
I gestured with my eyes toward Jo Youngmin’s seat. Understanding me, Moon Seoheon glanced at Jo Youngmin. Jo Youngmin, who happened to be looking our way, flinched at his gaze and made a strange expression. It seemed like he was about to ask me to go eat, but he stopped and hesitated.
“We’re ordering food to eat in the garden. Come with us. I heard today’s lunch isn’t that great anyway.”
“Thanks, but I’m good. It’s a bit awkward to join in…”
By “garden,” he meant the courtyard between the walkways that lead to the dormitory. I’d never been there before, so I was curious. Until now, I hadn’t had time to go, and I didn’t particularly feel the need to, so I just knew such a place existed… It seemed they were planning to order delivery food to eat there, which made me curious, but I didn’t want to go with them.
The main characters would all be there, and things were still awkward with Kwak Junhee, and I didn’t even want to face Byeon Seungha. I figured Seungha probably felt the same way, which made Moon Seoheon’s invitation even more puzzling.
Moon Seoheon seemed to anticipate what I was thinking and said exactly what was on my mind.
“Everyone wants to eat together. Seungha said he doesn’t mind either.”
“…Why?”
Before I could refuse, the question “why” came out first. I was genuinely curious about their intention in inviting me to eat with them. Moon Seoheon just shrugged at my question and called out to Jo Youngmin.
“Jo Youngmin. Taeho will be eating with us today, so go ahead.”
“Uh… well, whatever.”
“What? Hey, wait!”
Jo Youngmin, who had been slowly approaching, glanced at me after hearing Moon Seoheon and turned away. Before I could stop him, he was gone. My brow furrowed, and I turned my gaze back to Moon Seoheon, who was just finishing his call with a simple “I understand.”
“Hey, I never said I’d go,” I protested in a displeased tone.
Moon Seoheon reached out and carefully took hold of my injured wrist. Then he brought it toward himself and gently caressed it. What was this? His grandmother’s hand wasn’t supposed to have healing powers. I looked at him incredulously, and he just smiled.
“Sunbae Junhee said he prepared a menu he thought you’d like. Let’s go together.”
His tone suggested I should let go of my anger, so I swallowed the sigh that was about to escape and soon relaxed my face. All I could say was:
“What did he prepare?”
* * *
I had imagined the garden to be just a yard with a few flowers planted, but upon arrival, I realized I was still underestimating this school’s standards.
Following a stone path laid over grass like stepping stones, we came to a fork in the road. One path led toward the dormitory, and the other toward the garden. Admiring the bushes planted on both sides, I arrived at the garden, which had two circular flower beds connected to each other.
The space, which looked like a snowman from a distance, was densely planted with trees and flowers in all directions. At the very end was a small pond made of artificial rocks, where you could see an artificial waterfall with water flowing down between the rocks.
Seeing the decor that complemented the plants throughout the area, I inwardly clicked my tongue. Was this where all the school’s operating budget was going?
As I absentmindedly looked around, I saw the main characters sitting on a wooden platform large enough for about five people to lie down.
“Over here!”
Kwak Junhee raised his hand when he saw us. I observed the others as he waved his arms on both sides, urging us to come quickly.
Jung Hyoin was staring blankly somewhere. Maeng Moa was comfortably lying down with only his legs sticking out, as if sunbathing, staring at us. Byeon Seungha had his arms crossed and was staring intently at the bundle placed in the middle. Judging by his expression, he didn’t seem pleased—had he really said he didn’t mind?
When I stood awkwardly, unable to approach readily, Moon Seoheon guided me forward.
“Taeho, I heard you had a big incident yesterday. You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Ah, I just injured my hand a bit.”
I awkwardly answered Kwak Junhee, who asked with concern as I approached, stroking my right wrist. Then I obediently gave my hand to Kwak Junhee, who stood up and grabbed my wrist.
“Oh my… you seem quite injured. Are you really okay?”
“Yes. It’s not serious, just a… slightly stretched ligament.”
It was just the same answer I’d give to anyone asking out of concern, but was it because of my conversation with Moon Seoheon this morning? For some reason, I became conscious of Moon Seoheon and glanced at him.
“A stretched ligament? That’s not a minor injury.”
I didn’t want to talk about this anymore, so I just smiled faintly. Somehow, everyone seemed overly concerned, which made me feel awkward.
“I heard from Hyoin. They say you saved a student who almost fell from the roof without hesitation.”
“Well… yes.”
I glanced briefly at Jung Hyoin, who was still sitting there blankly, then nodded. As I answered awkwardly, Maeng Moa raised his upper body and said:
“Why did you rush in there when you’re so physically weak? Did you have some hero complex activated?”
The content was clearly sarcastic, but his tone was flat, as if he was genuinely curious. Was that why? In truth, since I entered the rooftop, I’d been wondering if I had unnecessarily meddled with those arsonists, feeling embarrassment and regret. Since it felt like he had read my inner thoughts, I didn’t feel bad or upset.
“Maybe that’s it,” I couldn’t help but laugh wryly as I said that.
