Chapter 11.
“Please be quiet. This isn’t a private space just for you. You’ve been bothering me since earlier, and I’ve been holding back this whole time, you know?”
Jihan observed the face of the male student who had spat out those irritable words, then pulled up the corners of his mouth.
It was a smile mixed with derision.
‘Oh ho, so it’s you? The bastard the manager hyung was talking about.’ That thought seemed to flash through his mind. It was a completely different smile from the genuine one he showed when looking at Jeongwoo.
Jeongwoo, who had been pressing his own forehead thinking ‘Have they already talked about it that far?’, worried about how to stop the two of them.
Whether he wanted it or not, a thug was a thug, and he was anxious that Jihan might hit him.
“Sorry. This is my first time at a study hall, so I guess I got a bit excited.”
A fawning voice was heard.
‘Voice? Not the sound of getting hit?’
Unlike his tense expectation, it wasn’t the sound of someone throwing a punch and hitting someone.
“No, but still…!”
“Whew, you studied really hard, didn’t you? Just look at that face worn down by studying.”
“……”
“Eat this while you study. Fighting on your studies!”
It was an affectionate voice, but the words were clearly distinguishable as either an insult or praise.
‘What’s going on here.’
Jeongwoo opened his eyes to slits and set about assessing the situation.
Somehow, chocolates and candies were being held in the male student’s hands, and his face reflected in the white lighting was flushed red.
His eyes looking at Jihan were shaking mercilessly. It was as if he had lost his soul, like someone who had fallen in love.
‘What kind of situation is this?’
It was Jihan who was firmly grasping that male student’s hand.
Looking at just this scene without considering the context, it wouldn’t be strange if the male student confessed right then and there.
At this accident in yet another direction from what he’d expected, Jeongwoo shook his head.
Jihan, who had released the male student’s hand, moved.
Jeongwoo’s gaze followed his movements.
“You have to eat sweet things when studying. Your brain only works well when you eat well.”
Rather than being defensive, Jihan was confidently walking around distributing snacks from his pockets.
The expressions full of discomfort melted away smoothly each time Jihan approached.
People who had been fidgeting, wanting to say something about the noise when he added encouraging words to take it easy, slumped down in their chairs to the point where you’d wonder if they were the same people.
People enchanted once by Jihan’s face were enchanted a second time by his affectionate voice, and enchanted a third time by his mind-stealing charisma. When he smiled at them, they would let out exclamations without realizing it.
The person himself brushed it off with a laugh as if nothing had happened.
“You still haven’t left yet.”
Jihan, who had returned to his seat, lightly patted the shoulder of the male student who was still standing there.
The male student, who had been blankly watching him walk around, was startled and dropped the chocolate he was holding.
Jihan, who bent down quickly first, picked it up and put it back in his hand. He even personally closed the fist so it wouldn’t be dropped a second time.
“Thank you.”
“Aren’t you going to study? Your books are piled up like a mountain over there.”
“I, I will.”
“Okay, study hard.”
“Th-thank you.”
All the students in the room, who had been standing with their mouths open as if enchanted, were shocked.
‘That troublemaker bastard said thank you! He even bowed and smiled!’
There were even faces dying to tell the manager, who suffered because of that student every season.
The only one feeling absurd watching this was Jeongwoo alone.
How could someone enchant people like that in such a short time? Clicking his tongue saying that was quite a talent too, Jeongwoo’s eyes met with Jihan’s, who was grinning at him.
Startled as if caught secretly watching, Jeongwoo averted his gaze, unwrapped a chocolate, put it in his mouth, and started studying again.
The plan he had made earlier got a bit twisted because of Jihan, who had caused an unexpected incident.
From now on, he needed to concentrate to finish the amount he planned to complete before going home.
Perhaps satisfied just by the fact that Jeongwoo ate the chocolate he gave, Jihan kept his place in the study hall until Jeongwoo raised his head.
***
It was almost 12 o’clock when Jeongwoo raised his head.
When he concentrated, time flew by. Jeongwoo, who unconsciously checked beside him, doubted his eyes.
Jihan was studying. While solving a workbook he’d never seen before, whether he brought it from somewhere or carried it around.
Just when he thought it was unexpected, seeing him concentrate when he thought he would have gone home long ago or would be sleeping.
Jihan, who was stretching, discovered Jeongwoo looking at him.
Jeongwoo, who had been looking at him with a completely relaxed face, erased his expression when his eyes met with Jihan’s.
Jihan, who saw Jeongwoo’s expression blankly spacing out for the first time, smiled brightly as if he’d discovered something new. At that smile he saw every time, Jeongwoo inadvertently put on a serious face.
Jeongwoo, who had unintentionally put on a serious face and become awkward alone, took his gaze off him and packed his bag.
Jihan, who had been still, also hastily packed his bag a beat late.
“Take care.”
“Leaving now?”
The manager, who had been playing games, asked. However, his gaze was only on his phone.
Jihan followed Jeongwoo’s lead and bowed.
Since it was late, the streets were pitch dark. Jeongwoo, who had come down the stairs, greeted Jihan.
“Go ahead.”
Though it was a greeting out of courtesy, Jihan didn’t care either way.
Jihan, who smiled foolishly, didn’t return the greeting. Jeongwoo, who hadn’t particularly expected to receive one, decided to go home now that he’d given his greeting.
As if that had been his plan from the start, Jihan walked following behind Jeongwoo without any regrets.
“Are you doing this because I didn’t say goodbye properly?”
“Hm?”
“I told you to go. Why are you following…”
Jeongwoo, who was about to demand why he was following, changed his mind and shook his head saying it was nothing.
It wasn’t like he had rented this road exclusively. Seeing him take this road despite being told to go, he thought their directions might be the same.
How many steps had they walked?
Jeongwoo, who was looking at Jihan who had somehow come from behind to beside him, asked.
“Is your home this way?”
“No. I’m walking you home though?”
Jihan answered in a nonchalant voice as if he didn’t understand why Jeongwoo was asking something so obvious.
At the words about walking him home, Jeongwoo tilted his head. It was something he couldn’t understand with his common sense.
‘Do people normally walk you home just because it got dark? We’re friends though? Plus we’re the same gender, both guys.’
However, he decided not to bother pointing it out. Since it was around the high school, there weren’t any people when it got late and it was scary to go alone, but today he wasn’t alone so it was actually fortunate.
Since various incidents frequently happened on this road, when going alone there were times when he was busy being vigilant of his surroundings.
Today, because Jihan was with him, he didn’t have to do that, so his mind was a bit more at ease.
“There aren’t even streetlights here.”
“It’s always dark.”
“Aren’t you scared?”
“……”
“If you’re scared, tell me. Hyung will walk you home anytime.”
If he had heard such absurd words at school, he would have been disgusted and irritated, but now he remained consistently indifferent. Anyway, he was grateful just for walking this scary road together.
“Is your place in the opposite direction?”
“Yeah. Why? Are you starting to get interested in me now?”
Because of Jihan, who was throwing around interest again just because they exchanged a few words, Jeongwoo muttered to himself instead of answering.
“It’ll be dark and scary when you go back.”
“Are you worried about me?”
Because he even answered the muttering, it was no longer a mutter to himself.
Small talk continued after that. Mostly it was Jihan talking alone and Jeongwoo roughly responding with mutters to himself.
When they reached the front of his house, Jeongwoo stopped.
“Is this your home?”
“Yes. Get home safely.”
“See you tomorrow.”
At the words to get home safely, Jihan waved his hand in greeting with a bright smile.
Because he stood there stubbornly waving his hand without leaving until Jeongwoo went in, Jeongwoo had to enter first.
***
Going to the study hall together became routine until the exams ended. Though it was less than a week, Jihan headed to the study hall following Jeongwoo until the last day.
From the second day, as if he really intended to study, he even packed textbooks and workbooks in his bag.
The study hall companionship ended with the exams. Jihan was happy that the exams were over, not seeming to feel it was a waste that he’d paid for a week when he wouldn’t even keep it.
Yesterday, the day before the last midterm exam, the manager was disappointed when Jihan said he wouldn’t be coming to the study hall anymore.
“My parents wanted to hire you as a part-timer. Come visit anytime, Jihan.”
The manager was desperate to somehow keep Jihan. The reason for this included Jihan’s characteristic insane charisma, but there was an even bigger reason.
The manager, who heard about what happened in Room B on the first day, liked and adored Jihan from that day on. He treated Jihan, who had enchanted the troublemaker who was difficult to deal with with just his looks, like a master.
He often shared trivial stories like ‘today he caused a scene with this’ or ‘that happened.’
The manager’s parents, that is, the building owners who ran the study hall as a hobby, heard about that incident and said they wanted to hire Jihan as a part-timer, but Jihan didn’t fall for it, using studying as an excuse.
Watching Jihan, who had become the center of the study hall in that short time, Jeongwoo thought he was truly an amazing person and felt relieved that they wouldn’t be involved with each other from tomorrow. Yet inwardly, he felt regretful.
Though he berated himself, asking if he was crazy for thinking it was regretful.
Anyway, though it was less than a week, it seemed they’d gotten a bit closer, making his drawn line meaningless.
But when friends asked if they’d gotten close now, he always stubbornly insisted that they absolutely hadn’t gotten close. Of course, his friends didn’t seem to believe him.
Anyway. The time when most students threw down their test papers and escaped from school, saying it was the last exam.
The only one in the empty classroom was Jeongwoo alone.
Jihan, who had just opened the back door and entered, was also there.
Jihan sat in front of Jeongwoo, who was absorbed in something whether he came in or not. Though there must have been the sound of the chair being pulled, Jeongwoo, who didn’t spare him a glance, was truly indifferent.
“He concentrates on studying too, but does he concentrate like that whenever he does something? His concentration is really impressive.”
Jihan, who had muttered, tapped the desk.
“What are you doing?”
“Can’t you see I’m grading?”
Jeongwoo, who answered curtly, dangled the red pen and test paper he was holding toward Jihan.
Jihan let out an awkward laugh that didn’t suit him and covered Jeongwoo’s test paper with his palm.
“Move it.”
“Are you going to the study hall today too?”
“……”
“Are you?”
Jihan, who had rested his face on the back of his hand, persisted as if he planned to keep asking until he got an answer. Jeongwoo, who pushed away his forehead, shook his head.
“You’re not going?”
“The exams are over, so I’m not planning to go for a while.”
“You shouldn’t go until today. The exams just ended.”
“Right.”
“We can go have fun now, right?”
‘Why are you asking me about you going to have fun.’ Jeongwoo’s eyes looking at Jihan, who had stood up at some point, said exactly that.
As if he knew Jeongwoo’s feelings just from his gaze, Jihan smiled and said.
“I’m going to go have fun with you though.”
“What about my opinion?”
“Why are you being like this, it’s hurtful. We’re people who even went to the study hall together. The exams are over, so can’t we hang out a bit?”
“……”
Jeongwoo, who was about to sharply refuse saying ‘why should I hang out with you,’ fell into thought for a moment.
He was tired from giving up sleep and only studying. At the same time, he also wanted to enjoy the feeling of exams being over.
‘When finals start, the college entrance exam won’t be far off, so I won’t be able to have fun then. Now that the midterms, the first exam, just ended, this is the only time I can have fun.’
Thinking that way, it felt regretful to go home.
Jeongwoo, who had sent away Sejong who wanted to hang out with the excuse that he was tired, looked at Jihan.
‘I do want to have fun, but……’
The person for that wasn’t Jihan. But he didn’t particularly dislike it either.
Jeongwoo, who had spent almost a week together with him, had seen many new sides of him. He thought he was just an immature adult, but it wasn’t entirely like that.
Unexpectedly, he had deep thoughts too, and when necessary, he didn’t seem to be an irresponsible person either. For Jeongwoo, who had kept his distance from Jihan, it was a generous evaluation.
Separate from that, he had never once thought about hanging out with Jihan.
‘Why would I with that person? We’re not close at all, and we don’t seem to have anything in common.’
This was Jeongwoo’s thought. Until just a moment ago, that is.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
