"...What did you just say?"
The truth finally spilled from Ha Giyeon’s mouth. And it ca from soone no one had expected.
The person who had hit Ha Giyeon—the one they’d been desperately trying to track down—wasn’t a classmate, wasn’t an older third-year student with a grudge, and wasn’t even his parents, whom he’d briefly suspected.
The culprit had been right nearby all along. His childhood friend, Kwon Jongseok, who’d just now been trying to shift the bla onto soone else.
“That bastard...?”
Even Choi Mujin sounded disbelieving as he repeated it. Ha Giyeon didn’t answer. He just stared at Kwon Jongseok with sunken eyes.
Ha Giyeon was angry. It was a sharp, unmistakable fury that couldn’t be denied—one that twisted in discomfort. Even though Kwon Jongseok knew he was the one who hurt him, he’d still put on an act and tried to pin the bla on Son Suhyeon.
That grotesque charade had been so revolting that it finally forced the truth out of Ha Giyeon.
The only reason he had endured it in silence until now was because he was afraid of causing a rift between his older brother and his friends. The thought that their relationship might beco strained because of him made him uneasy. But Kwon Jongseok had not only trampled all over that consideration—he’d tried to dump the bla on Son Suhyeon, too. The reason was obvious. He planned to use that as an excuse to get him kicked out of the club.
Ha Giyeon had always known Kwon Jongseok was calculating and manipulative—but he never imagined he’d stoop this low.
“Hey, are you serious?”
Ha Dohoon asked Kwon Jongseok directly, but Jongseok just stood there, stunned, staring blankly at Ha Giyeon with a stricken face. Choi Mujin also seed unable to believe it and asked Ha Giyeon to explain further.
Realizing they wouldn’t believe him otherwise, Ha Giyeon opened his mouth with difficulty.
“In the art room... you pushed . That’s when it happened.”
“...”
“So stop it. Stop accusing the wrong person.”
Ha Giyeon pressed hard at the corners of his eyes. His face was heavy with exhaustion. Then, as if there was nothing more to be said, he turned to head back toward the library.
It was Ha Dohoon who grabbed him.
“We’re not done talking yet. Where do you think you’re going?”
“I have nothing more to say to you guys. And I’m not leaving the club either.”
“You’re seriously planning to stay in that kind of club? Why are you so obsessed with it?”
“Don’t tell ... it’s because of that bastard earlier?”
At that, Ha Giyeon flinched as if caught, but he didn’t let it show. He’d learned from his brothers—there was no advantage in revealing your feelings.
“Even if it’s not the Reading Club, I’m not joining the Debate Club. If I go to your club, what would I even do there? It’s not like you guys actually debate. You just sit around and self-study.”
“So you know all that. But so what? You like that kind of stuff. You suck at studying anyway.”
They’d finally dragged it out of Ha Giyeon’s mouth. The words he hadn’t wanted to say, afraid they’d hit him for it.
“I don’t want to go because you guys are there. If I go, all I end up doing is running errands for you. I don’t want to do that anymore.”
“Running errands? Is that how you saw it this whole ti?”
“You can’t really say we were hanging out together all this ti, can you? You guys were ashad of . So now I’m just realizing my place and trying to stop clinging. What’s so wrong about that?”
Ha Dohoon was montarily speechless. He’d thought it was only natural to treat Giyeon that way, since he saw him as a stain, an embarrassnt. Having soone like that around only made him look more perfect.
The imperfect little brother and the flawless older brother.
That phrase had always felt good. As ti passed, he found himself irritated by how Giyeon followed him around, obsessed—but he’d known that no matter what he did, Giyeon wouldn’t leave. So he kept pushing, kept treating him badly...
But now, seeing the current Ha Giyeon, Ha Dohoon felt confused. Ha Giyeon was really changing.
Just like how he’d grown bored and annoyed, Giyeon, too, was changing as he got older. Ha Dohoon had never even considered that possibility. No—he’d refused to even think about it. It just felt natural that Giyeon would always remain by his side. Why did he believe that would never change?
The thought that Giyeon might soday leave his side—that was sothing he couldn’t stand. Anyone else, maybe. But his one and only blood-related sibling—his little brother—shouldn’t he stay by his side for life?
Their parents only saw them as tools to pass down wealth or trophies to show off. The so-called friends he had only wanted his outer shell, his money and status. But his younger brother, the one who loved every part of him...
He shouldn’t leave. He shouldn’t leave.
Not Giyeon.
“You’re not embarrassing. So stay with us. Follow around like you used to. Ask to eat together, ask to go places with , like before.”
“...Why should I?”
“Well, you...”
He tried to explain sothing that once felt so obvious—but the words wouldn’t co. The reasoning that used to work on Giyeon no longer had any effect.
That was when Choi Mujin desperately jumped in.
“You’re the one who started it. You did everything we asked. Smiled for us, cried, acted like you couldn’t live without us. And now you pull this? What the hell are we supposed to do?”
It had been Ha Giyeon who had reached out first, smiled first, given his affection first. He’d handed them pure, untainted affection—and now he was taking all of it back. But Choi Mujin didn’t want to lose it.
Maybe that was why he was acting like a child who’d just had his favorite toy taken away.
“You don’t need . You just need soone to run errands. So go hire soone, or pick one of those people always trying to suck up to you... Treat them well instead.”
Ha Giyeon’s flat refusal, as if he were simply telling them to go buy a new toy, felt like he was a stranger.
“You don’t need .”
Ha Giyeon was sure of it. Because he had died once.
To them, he was nothing but an old, worn-out toy. And what do you do with an old, dirty toy? You leave it lying around until you finally toss it in the trash.
That was the kind of existence he was.
His brothers were surrounded by people who could replace him. They were people who deserved to be loved. They’d find soone else to love them soon enough—and forget all about soone like him.
“...I just wish you’d ignore now. Please...”
Ha Giyeon turned away without hesitation, walking back the way he’d co. Ha Dohoon, Kwon Jongseok, and Choi Mujin could only watch his back. They didn’t chase after him. Unlike when he’d ruined the cake, Kwon Jongseok and Choi Mujin didn’t laugh this ti. They didn’t brush it off. From beginning to end, they could tell he’d ant every word.
Only now did they start to retrace their mories. When had Ha Giyeon started thinking this way? What had triggered it? At what point had he begun to plan how to sever himself from them completely?
But even now—they still hadn’t truly understood.
***
Ha Giyeon hurried toward the library.
Part of him felt anxious—he felt like a secret he’d been hiding had been exposed. At the sa ti, he felt the urge to apologize to Son Suhyeon, who must’ve been upset because of his older brothers. The fact that he was Ha Dohoon’s younger brother had already spread sowhat, but judging by Suhyeon’s reaction, it didn’t seem like he knew.
If people found out he was Ha Dohoon’s brother, it might make things harder for soone like Suhyeon, who didn’t like standing out. But maybe it’d be okay—it was just school, after all. And besides, Ha Giyeon had a small bit of faith in him. That even if he was Ha Dohoon’s brother, Suhyeon wouldn’t change the way others did.
Returning to his seat in the library, Ha Giyeon looked around for Son Suhyeon. But the seat next to him, where Suhyeon had left his bag, was now empty. A twinge of worry crept in as he glanced around again—only to spot Suhyeon at the computer desk, talking to the teacher.
Seeing him seemingly tasked with sothing by the teacher, Ha Giyeon relaxed a little and sat down.
‘So the teacher called him...’
He tried to read while waiting for Suhyeon to return, but found himself glancing over far too often, unable to concentrate.
Even when club ti was almost over, Son Suhyeon remained at the computer. He was operating sothing under the teacher’s instructions. Just two minutes before the club period ended, he finally stood up from his seat. Watching him return, Ha Giyeon imdiately went to greet him, as if he’d been waiting all along.
“S-Sunbae. Are you done with the computer?”
“...Yeah.”
“I wanted to read together, but I guess it’ll have to wait. Next ti, let’s definitely read together.”
Son Suhyeon gave a small nod and packed up his bag. Sothing in his movents made Ha Giyeon pause, but he quickly guessed it was probably because of what happened with his brothers and offered an apology.
“I’m really sorry about earlier, Sunbae. You must’ve felt uncomfortable because of my brothers...”
“...”
“To make up for it, on the way to your part-ti—”
“Go on ahead. The teacher said she needs my help with sothing.”
“Oh, should I wait for you?”
“It’ll take a while. Just go.”
Unable to insist further, Ha Giyeon nodded. When the school bell rang, Son Suhyeon followed the teacher out of the library.
“S-See you later, Sunbae...”
“...Yeah.”
Ha Giyeon waved. Suhyeon briefly raised a /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ hand before lowering it again and turning away. Watching his back, Ha Giyeon gently closed and opened his hand.
It felt like Suhyeon hadn’t made eye contact even once...
“Must just be my imagination.”
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