# Chapter 93
“Ahem.”
Damn it. I cleared my throat out of surprise. Since I’d been caught anyway, it would be awkward to just stay still, so I naturally raised my upper body. Though I awkwardly rolled my eyes away from the stares that were fixed on me.
Seeing my expression, Moon Seoheon smiled and rubbed my back. He even patted it as if asking if I’d slept well, which I thought was an attempt to help me overcome my embarrassment, but his following words made me bite my lip.
“When you’re really asleep, your back moves irregularly.”
His voice, tinged with amusement, lingered in my ear. So what, is he saying that pretending to be asleep is so obvious that it won’t work next time?
The hand that had been stroking my back soon moved along my arm before withdrawing. It felt like a touch that was a bit impure for friends, but since I was more embarrassed at the moment, I quietly let it go.
“So why did you go see that senior?”
Moon Seoheon shifted his gaze from me to Byeon Seungha and asked. At this, Byeon Seungha, who had been furrowing his brow for a while, slightly relaxed and spoke as if it were bothersome.
“I told you. I just went to see his face.”
“See his face for what?”
When Moon Seoheon spoke in a rather serious tone, Byeon Seungha pressed his lips tightly together. Soon, when his glancing gaze met mine, he swallowed quietly. He looked quite troubled.
I wanted to tell them to stop and go back, considering the glances from classmates and the break time that was coming to an end. But I also wanted to know exactly why Byeon Seungha had done what he did, so I just stared at him quietly.
Isn’t it an overreaction to move because he was worried I might cause harm to Moon Seoheon? Needlessly provoking some delinquent.
I looked at him with curiosity in my eyes, but Byeon Seungha just stared back at me with a stoic face. After a moment, both Byeon Seungha and I turned our heads when Moon Seoheon tapped his finger on the desk.
“Well, nothing happened, so it’s fine. The bell’s about to ring. You should go.”
“Uh… Okay. I’ll come back later.”
No, please don’t come back. I couldn’t say it out loud, but I glared at Byeon Seungha as he turned away. As expected, my glare had no effect, and he left the classroom without even a snort.
“Hah.”
With a small sigh, I tilted my neck back to look up. It wasn’t a particularly intentional action, but Moon Seoheon seemed to misunderstand and commented.
“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”
“Um… yeah.”
Rather than being worried, the correct expression would be that I was annoyed by the bothersome future that awaited me, but I decided to let it pass without saying anything.
* * *
As the afternoon arrived, the classroom atmosphere was becoming increasingly unsettled. Judging from the occasional conversations about the performance that could be heard, the class seemed busier than usual.
Watching the class president occasionally collecting applications from students, I remembered the conversation I had with Yoon Taean yesterday and was looking for an opportunity to approach Jo Youngmin.
Jo Youngmin was definitely avoiding me, as he was nowhere to be seen whenever I tried to talk to him. Thinking he might be in Class 3, I went there twice, but not only was Jo Youngmin absent, Ye Abin and Hong Hachan weren’t in the classroom either.
“This is driving me crazy.”
They must know that we need to submit the application by today, yet not a hair of them could be seen anywhere. At this point, it’s less about them forgetting and more about them deliberately excluding me.
I returned to the classroom and approached the class president.
“Class president, has Jo Youngmin submitted his application?”
“Jo Youngmin? No, he hasn’t yet.”
“Oh, I see. Thanks.”
I had asked just in case he had already submitted it, but that wasn’t the case. Though there was still time left, there wouldn’t be time to delay as it had to be submitted before the end-of-day meeting.
After thinking all morning, I had decided to have a calm conversation with Jo Youngmin’s group and decide whether to stay with them or ask to be removed, but now it seemed I wouldn’t even have that chance. I briefly considered asking Son Gyucheon, but I quickly ruled it out as I didn’t want to do that. Besides, I didn’t know which class he was in, so I couldn’t find him anyway.
Given Son Gyucheon’s personality, I maintained some wariness at school, fearing he might do something. But contrary to my expectations, nothing unusual had happened, as if he was truly keeping a low profile. Even so, I couldn’t let my guard down, and I felt stress building up every day.
In the end, I didn’t have an opportunity to talk with Jo Youngmin until the last class approached. I even sat right in Jo Youngmin’s seat to wait for him, but when the bell rang and he came in, I didn’t even get a chance to exchange a single word with him.
Five minutes before class started, I was running around trying to at least catch Ye Abin when I ran into Jung Hyoin coming out of the bathroom.
Though I was in a hurry, he raised his hand to wave when he spotted me. Despite my sulky inner thoughts about his sudden friendliness, I became puzzled when I noticed the object in his hand.
It was a sketchbook and a drawing cup filled with colored pencils that I had seen in the art room before. Thinking the previous class might have been art, I was about to pass by when Jung Hyoin blocked my way, causing my brisk steps to halt.
“What is it?”
“I think I need to draw it again.”
“What…?”
As I raised my eyebrows wondering what he was talking about, Jung Hyoin opened his sketchbook and showed it to me. For a moment, I remembered the day he drew me and pouted my lips. I felt annoyed, thinking he might be asking for more of my time.
But when I checked what he was showing me, my eyes widened in surprise.
“This, why is it like this?”
The drawings I had once admired were ruined, soaked with water. Looking closely, one part of the sketchbook was wet as if it had been doused with water.
“Someone sprayed water on it.”
“Huh?”
I wore an incredulous expression at Jung Hyoin’s words. Who would dare spray water on Jung Hyoin’s sketchbook? Though he might seem a bit slow in his actions, he’s still a top-class student; anyone who doesn’t want to die wouldn’t do such a thing.
“I left it in the bathroom for a moment, and someone secretly sprayed water and left.”
Understanding what my reaction meant, Jung Hyoin explained the situation in detail and shook the sketchbook vigorously. Seeing the moisture spread in all directions, it seemed like it had just happened.
“…You don’t know who did it?”
“No. I was in the stall, so I didn’t see.”
“Is there no way to find out who did it? Like CCTV or something?”
“There’s none in the bathroom.”
It seems there aren’t any cameras installed in the bathrooms. Well, that’s unfortunate. Like this morning, they’re not helpful when needed. I suppressed my awkward feelings and looked at him with sympathetic eyes.
“That’s a shame. Having to throw away what you drew.”
“That’s why I think I need to draw it again.”
“Hey, why did you bring that to the bathroom and cause this trouble?”
Though I agreed to do it again later since it was a promised task, I felt a bit disheartened that the time I spent posing awkwardly that day had gone to waste. Unable to express my annoyance and dreading having to strike that ridiculous pose in front of Jung Hyoin again, I commented.
“I was going to take it to the art room and just stopped by briefly.”
His tone, which sounded slightly wronged, caused my unpleasant feelings to subside. Indeed, one can’t ignore sudden physiological needs, and I even felt a bit sorry for giving him a hard time just because I didn’t like it.
He must be the most upset about it. I scratched the back of my neck and then, as a gesture of apology, took Jung Hyoin’s sketchbook and drawing cup for him.
“Let’s put this away first. We’ll set up another time for the promise.”
At my words, Jung Hyoin’s eyes lit up and he smiled slightly. Seeing him so happy, I couldn’t say anything more. So, will we do it in the main building’s art room again?
Though he said no one comes there, it’s not a sealed place, and I felt uncomfortable doing it there. But I didn’t want to invite Jung Hyoin to my house either.
Deciding to think about how to handle it later, I quickened my steps toward the stairs. The remaining break time was tight for going all the way to the art room in the main building and coming back.
I couldn’t find Ye Abin either, and it seemed like the performance issue was going to be a lost cause. If by chance Jo Youngmin had submitted the application while I was out of the classroom, things would proceed as originally planned. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved about that or not.
“But if someone deliberately got it wet, shouldn’t you do something about it?”
“It’s not torn, and we don’t know who did it, so it’s fine.”
I had thought he would want to catch the culprit somehow, but swallowed my bewildered feelings at his seemingly calm response.
To get to the main building, I first had to go down the stairs, so I turned my body. With strength in both hands holding the sketchbook and drawing cup, I was walking down firmly when I heard a familiar voice from below.
“Haha. This is fucking hilarious.”
“Just keep quiet and know that for now.”
“Do you even know how quietly I’ve been keeping to myself lately?”
Ye Abin and Son Gyucheon were coming up from the opposite direction. The moment they turned the corner and saw me, they clamped their mouths shut. Now that the guys I’d been trying to find finally appeared, I felt more awkward than pleased.
I was about to ask Jung Hyoin, who was following behind me, to wait a moment, when Son Gyucheon raised one corner of his mouth. I met his twinkling eyes, which seemed to suggest he had thought of something devious. Suddenly, I saw a leg extending out in a way that wasn’t normal walking form.
Before I could dodge, Son Gyucheon approached quickly and shouted softly as he bumped into me.
“Oops.”
His voice, which sounded like it was a mistake, brushed past my ear as my leg got caught on Son Gyucheon’s foot. My body, having lost its center of balance, tilted forward, facing the stairs.
It happened so suddenly that my body collapsed without me being able to do anything. Silently cursing wildly, I tightly closed my eyes against the impending pain and firmly gripped the items in both hands.
With a loud crash, the sound of breaking glass followed. My vision spun a few times, but it wasn’t as painful as I expected, which made me open my eyes slightly in puzzlement.
“…Hey, you.”
The sketchbook and colored pencils were scattered messily all around. Fragments of the broken drawing cup had spread outward. In the center of it all lay Jung Hyoin, who had embraced me.
