# Chapter 56
Yoon Taean came to the living room to rest a bit after finishing the dishes.
I was sitting at a distance from my parents, silently watching TV in an awkward atmosphere when he sat between us and focused on the TV.
The atmosphere became more comfortable with his presence, allowing me to relax and spend time quietly.
Around three in the afternoon, we finally got up and went outside to get my phone replaced. Despite it being a less busy time, the streets were crowded since it was the weekend.
Awkwardly following my parents into the store, I took out my ruined phone. Even though they had already seen it before coming, instead of my parents asking about why the screen was broken, the store employee expressed surprise and asked what happened.
I smiled awkwardly and simply said I had dropped it. Afterward, as the employee recommended various phones, I looked at my parents, indicating that any phone would be fine for me. Reading my gaze, they just told me to choose whatever I wanted.
I selected a plain black phone, and the number change process went smoothly.
After leaving the store, I stood there awkwardly before heading to the car my parents had brought.
“Are you leaving now?”
“We should.”
I nodded to show I understood. Without Yoon Taean around, the atmosphere was really uncomfortable. It was so awkward that even starting a conversation was difficult. I felt a bit relieved hearing they were leaving now.
Even though we didn’t feel particularly close, they had prepared a delicious meal and replaced my phone without complaint. Out of gratitude, I bowed my head, but then my mother, who was about to get in the driver’s seat, looked at me.
“What are you doing? Get in, we’ll drive you home.”
“Ah, yes!”
I thought they were going straight home, but they wanted to drop me off. Perhaps it was natural since I had come by car, they’d take me back by car too. I quickly raised my head and hurriedly got into the car, and soon my mother settled into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
When we arrived in front of my building, I got out of the car and, not knowing what to say, asked about Yoon Taean.
“You’re leaving without seeing Taean?”
“We already said goodbye when we left. We’ll be going now.”
“Yes. Drive safely.”
I bowed respectfully to my mother who answered casually and my father who sat silently. As I slowly straightened up, I noticed my parents staring at me with their mouths slightly open.
“…”
“Well, I’ll be going inside now.”
“…Uh…”
Feeling like they wouldn’t leave if I kept standing there, I turned around first and went inside the building. Glancing back, I saw the car was still there, so I bowed my head again and went to take the elevator.
Though it was awkward, I sighed in relief, thankful that they weren’t people who were difficult to communicate with or intimidating.
* * *
“Give me your number.”
Early in the morning, I approached Moon Seoheon who was waiting outside the building and immediately held out my new phone. When I asked for his number, he slightly frowned.
“You changed your phone?”
“Yeah. I changed my number too, so save it if you want.”
I replied casually while watching him take my phone and enter his number. At my words, he looked at me briefly before saving his number and immediately making a call.
I could hear the signal going through and the vibration sound from Moon Seoheon’s pocket. As I took back the phone he returned, he took out his own phone from his pocket to check the number. I started walking while watching him save my number.
“Why did you change your number?”
“Well, just because. I changed it when I got a new phone.”
I spoke casually, but the truth was I wanted to organize my contacts. Half of the contacts were people I didn’t know, most of them saved with “Class” next to their names. Just seeing that made me feel these weren’t genuine friendships, so it didn’t seem to matter.
I probably wouldn’t need to contact such people anyway, and more than anything, I felt uncomfortable that those Middle Class guys had my number.
Since I didn’t plan to explain all this, I just walked slowly, looking straight ahead. Instead, wanting to make some small talk, I threw out a random question.
“What did you do over the weekend?”
“Exercise.”
“Ah…”
I wasn’t expecting much, but his curt answer shut me up. After a moment of silence, unable to bear the quiet atmosphere, I turned my head toward him with a look that said, “Can’t you say something more?”
I now understood he wasn’t much of a talker, but when someone asks a question and you answer, isn’t it common courtesy to ask back? It’s one thing if I always ask first and he responds, but couldn’t he try to engage in conversation too? As I stared at him silently, Moon Seoheon tilted his head.
“When are you going to use the Ace accommodation voucher?”
That wasn’t the question I was hoping for. Expecting him to ask what I did over the weekend—a predictable question that could lead to mundane conversation about having a nice meal—I was momentarily stunned.
Despite the unexpected question, his monotone voice made me brush it off. Since I hadn’t thought about it yet, I slightly raised my eyebrows and said, “Well, I’m thinking maybe this week or next.”
With the sports festival ending, we’d soon have the end-of-month evaluation, final exams, and then the presentation event—it would be quite busy, so it seemed better to use it earlier.
“Really?”
“Yeah. But can we do another special food challenge at Ace in the last week of this month?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you going to do it?”
“That’s the plan.”
I figured as much. Getting a dinner ticket would be nothing for him.
The exemption ticket I had worked so hard to get would end up uselessly tucked away in my desk drawer. I was wondering if I should participate again this time since I wasn’t sure if I could use it consecutively.
I considered asking but decided against it. There was still time, and right now the sports festival and presentation event were more important.
As soon as my phone was activated yesterday, I checked the group chat to announce my number change and see if any new people had been invited. However, the chat was exactly as I’d last seen it.
Since the presentation scores would affect our class ranking, I didn’t think the kids would take it lightly. But I still felt uneasy about whether it would actually come together properly.
I had looked into how to prepare for the presentation and found that the only option was to practice with assigned team members.
I had expected something grand, but it turned out to be a smaller scale event showcasing how well students could play instruments learned in music class. Still, befitting a prestigious high school, I found some videos online as Moon Seoheon had mentioned—it felt like a small festival.
Since we’d probably meet after school, I wouldn’t be able to go home early for a while. More importantly, my hand still wasn’t fully healed, so I wasn’t sure if I could perform well.
Lost in these thoughts, I entered the classroom with Moon Seoheon and made eye contact with a guy sitting in my seat.
Having experienced this once before, I wasn’t particularly surprised this time. I just wondered how he knew which seat was mine when we had changed seats not long ago. That day, I had only encountered Maeng Moa, and the others hadn’t even shown up.
I approached Jung Hyoin, who was sitting blankly, and dropped my bag noisily on the desk—a gesture indicating he should move since I was here. When he still didn’t move despite my glare, he opened his mouth.
“Let’s do it today.”
“What?”
What are you talking about, man? I was momentarily confused by his statement that lacked any object—just “let’s do it.” As I stared at his mouth with furrowed brows, he seemed to understand my confusion and calmly replied.
“You agreed to be a model, remember?”
“Ah.”
A sigh escaped me unconsciously. I had momentarily forgotten about agreeing to be a drawing model. Faced with this sudden scheduling, I frowned in discomfort. Why did he have to phrase it so strangely?
I composed my furrowed expression and asked, “You want to do that today?”
“Yes.”
At Jung Hyoin’s answer, I touched the back of my neck thoughtfully before nodding. Though reluctant, I had promised, so I had no choice. Besides, it seemed better to get it over with quickly.
“Fine. When do you want to do it?”
“After school.”
I nodded and waved my hand to signal understanding. It meant “get out now if you’re done.” Just then, Moon Seoheon, who had been standing behind me without taking his seat, approached and asked.
“Is this about the drawing model you mentioned before?”
“Uh… yeah.”
As I answered while hiding my discomfort, Moon Seoheon turned to Jung Hyoin.
“Can I come too?”
“Huh?”
Though he hadn’t asked me, a high-pitched sound escaped my mouth in surprise. Ignoring me, the two of them were just staring at each other.
“Seoheon, you too?”
“Yeah.”
Jung Hyoin was silent for a moment, as if considering. Or perhaps, given his naturally languid nature, his response was just slow. After all, with his expressionless face, he had responded casually.
“Sure.”
Moon Seoheon seemed satisfied with the answer and said with a small smile, “I’ll be with the soccer club anyway, but I’ll come by to see for a bit when I finish at six.”
“Okay.”
“What? How long are you planning to do this?”
Regular classes end at four, so if they start then, it would be two hours. That wasn’t a problem, but if Moon Seoheon was coming to see after his activity, did it mean we’d continue even longer? Not knowing how long it would take, I asked, and Jung Hyoin rolled his eyes sideways.
“Hmm… until I want to finish.”
“What? Are you joking?!”
I frowned intensely at his open-ended proposal, and Jung Hyoin got up from his seat and avoided me. As he was escaping out of the classroom, I called his name loudly, which drew the attention of the other students. Since they had been watching us curiously from the beginning, I stopped trying to call Jung Hyoin back and just bit my lip.
“Huff.”
As I let out a light sigh and sat down, Moon Seoheon sat next to me and laughed softly.
“What’s so funny?”
Looking at him incredulously, he just shrugged. Somehow, it was annoying.
