“...Yes, that’s right.”
The teacher had ntioned Ha Giyeon’s na, and at first Son Suhyeon hadn’t recognized her—but her face was strangely familiar. He faintly recalled that she was Giyeon’s horoom teacher.
“Then, are you close with Giyeon?”
“Yes.”
It might seem shaless, considering he’d only reconciled with Giyeon a day ago, but Suhyeon answered without hesitation. He was going to beco even closer from now on.
“By any chance, do you know where Giyeon lives...?”
“Yes, sort of.”
It was his first ti visiting that morning, but the place was burned into his mory.
“Oh, perfect. I feel a bit bad asking a third-year, but... the field trip permission slip is due tomorrow, and we have to get it to Giyeon. It doesn’t seem like anyone else in the class knows his address. The class president’s too busy with sports day rehearsal... but if you’re busy, you don’t have to—”
“I’ll give it to him.”
Suhyeon had been worrying about Giyeon’s condition anyway, so it worked out well. He’d felt awkward about showing up at that house just out of concern, but this gave him a clear reason.
He might run into Ha Dohoon. But if he were afraid of that now, he never would’ve dared ask Giyeon for forgiveness in the first place.
Feeling a bit lighthearted at the thought of seeing him, Son Suhyeon left the faculty office.
***
Nam Taekyung clicked his tongue as he glanced at the empty seat—Ha Giyeon’s desk.
As if leaving early yesterday wasn’t enough, now he was absent altogether. What, how sick could he possibly be? It wasn’t like Giyeon was essential for the sports day rehearsal, but the fact that he alone skipped and was absent just really rubbed Taekyung the wrong way.
He’d been happy about getting a chance to talk to Ha Dohoon—but that joy didn’t last. He’d gotten blatantly ignored in front of the whole class. Apparently, Dohoon had even co by again during class and asked if Giyeon had shown up.
Why the hell is he asking that?
Do they not even know who’s absent in their own household? Every ti Taekyung saw Ha Dohoon, he couldn’t make sense of the relationship between him and ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ Giyeon.
Dohoon seed obsessed with Giyeon to a disturbing degree, and Giyeon, in contrast, seed to avoid and run from him. People said it was the opposite back in middle school... Whatever the case, it was impossible to get a read on their dynamic.
If only it were like before—if Giyeon were still clinging to Dohoon, at least then Taekyung could find a way to wedge himself in.
But now, he couldn’t even tell what Giyeon was thinking. He’d assud the guy was just a pushover who got swept up easily—but that wasn’t quite right either.
If only he had so kind of weakness on him.
Thinking that, Taekyung headed into the faculty office. He handed over the stamped paper to the horoom teacher.
“I brought the performance assessnt notebook.”
“Perfect timing—I was about to collect those. Thanks, good work.”
“Haha, it’s nothing. That’s my job as class president, right?”
They were really working him to the bone with this stuff. Running pointless errands like this was a waste of ti. Taekyung hadn’t taken the class president position just for his student record. His grades were already solid, and he was going to pad the rest with competition awards.
If there was a reason he still took it, it was because of the teacher’s trust. Keeping up a polite, respectable image would help him in a pinch. Even if the idiots around him got into trouble, he could still slip away clean.
Now that he was done, Taekyung turned to leave the office—but stopped when he saw the field trip permission slips. The only one who hadn’t received it was Ha Giyeon, who’d left school early. It had to be submitted by tomorrow.
A smile spread across Taekyung’s face.
“Teacher, Giyeon didn’t get his field trip form. I can take it to his house and give it to him.”
He could drop by under the pretense of checking on him while delivering the form. The teacher would likely give him the address. Then he could see how Giyeon was doing—and maybe even get a look at Ha Dohoon’s room. With any luck, he might run into Giyeon’s parents and even get to join them for dinner.
He’d solidify his image as Giyeon’s “best friend” and maybe even dig up so dirt while he was at it.
“Oh, that’s all right.”
But what ca back was a flat rejection.
Caught off guard, Taekyung blurted out, unable to hide his surprise:
“Why? I’m class president!”
“There’s already a senior who said they’d deliver it. Said they were going to check in on him anyway.”
“I’m the class president. Why would so senior—!”
He nearly shouted, eyes wide, but shut his mouth as the teacher looked straight at him.
“Sorry... I was just really worried. I wanted to visit and check on him.”
“Oh, well... I get it, Taekyung. But that senior’s already going. If you went too, it might make Giyeon feel overwheld. Why not just call him?”
“He doesn’t really answer my calls... Who’s the senior going to his house?”
Taekyung guessed it might be Kwon Jongseok or Choi Mujin. If it was Jongseok, he might just tag along.
“One of his club seniors. I think you’ve seen him before...”
That bastard.
The mont she said “club senior,” Taekyung knew exactly who it was.
That sa guy who always showed up and got in his way every single ti it involved Ha Giyeon.
He didn’t even make it to the third-year floor before he ran into him—Son Suhyeon, walking straight toward him with a blank, indifferent look, as if Taekyung were nothing more than an object.
Without a word, Suhyeon walked right past.
Taekyung, burning with anger, grabbed his arm.
“Hold on a second!”
Suhyeon ignored him and kept walking.
“I said STOP—!”
Taekyung reached out to grab Suhyeon’s arm, but—smack!—before he could touch him, Suhyeon knocked his hand away harshly. Frowning, Suhyeon stared at him with clear disgust. Taekyung could only laugh in disbelief.
What the hell? Was this really sothing to react this strongly over? He was acting like Taekyung was so kind of disease.
Suhyeon spoke.
“What.”
“I just wanted to talk. Why are you ignoring ?”
“Why the hell would I talk to you.”
“...Huh?”
Why was he being so damn aggressive? Sure, Taekyung might have co off as if he were picking on Giyeon in front of Suhyeon—but this was excessive. This was blatant hatred.
“Aren’t you being unreasonably hostile right now? Did Giyeon say sothing to you?”
How did he know? Maybe Giyeon had talked behind his back. With that innocent face, he was probably capable of more than he looked.
Actually, Taekyung hoped he had. It’d make it easier to dig up leverage.
No one in this world is perfectly clean. Everyone had a filthy, disgraceful side sowhere.
“Do you think Giyeon’s like you?”
“...What?”
“Stop acting like this. It’s disgusting.”
“What the hell did I do to make you say that? You think this is sothing to get that upset about?”
“Hey.”
Suhyeon stepped closer.
His presence was overpowering—Taekyung flinched reflexively and looked up at him.
“Do I look like an idiot to you?”
“What the hell...?”
“I can see right through your shit. You’re trying to manipulate Giyeon. Why would I waste ti talking to soone like you?”
“That’s ridiculous. Giyeon and I are friends.”
“You stabbed your friend in the back.”
That stung. Taekyung stumbled over his words, thinking back to when he brought up the club in the teacher’s office.
“I—I never—”
“People like you—eaten up with inferiority complexes—are so easy to read. You want what he has that badly?”
Dead on.
Taekyung’s expression froze. He couldn’t control it.
Suhyeon looked at his face and sighed, as if disgusted.
He himself had once felt inferior to Ha Giyeon too—but it wasn’t the sa. He had never wanted to take anything away from him. It had just made him sad, made him reflect on his own situation.
But Taekyung—he acted like everything Giyeon had should’ve been his, as if soone had stolen it.
“Just live a normal life, will you?”
Suhyeon said, brushing past him.
That line chilled Taekyung’s mind to ice.
There was nothing he hated more than that suggestion.
Live a normal life? He’d rather die.
He glared at Suhyeon’s retreating back, eyes burning.
***
After school ended, Son Suhyeon naturally headed to Ha Giyeon’s house. He rang the bell at the large gate, and a voice ca through the speaker.
“I’m a friend from school. The teacher asked to deliver sothing.”
Click. The gate opened, and Suhyeon stepped in with a slight feeling of nervousness.
He passed a well-manicured garden and a small pond, arriving at the front door. It opened, and a woman greeted him.
“Hello. You’re a friend of Giyeon?”
“Well... more like a close senior.”
Suhyeon stepped inside, his eyes imdiately drawn to the elegant marble flooring, the chandelier, the paintings on the wall, and the staircase leading to the second floor. Montarily overwheld, he stood frozen—then quickly ca to his senses.
The woman looked at him, a bit too intently. He noticed and looked back curiously. She quickly spoke.
“Sorry—I was just surprised. It’s the first ti Giyeon’s had a friend over. Are you also friends with Dohoon?”
“No.”
Suhyeon shook his head firmly.
The woman smiled faintly and led him upstairs. Giyeon’s room was at the end of the hall. Just from the door, it looked more like a storage room than a bedroom.
Knock knock. A knock echoed.
Suhyeon opened the door to Ha Giyeon’s room—for the first ti.
He was the room’s first ever guest.
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