The awkward atmosphere with Haru didn’t ease even after morning came, even after they were called in together by the teacher and punished for unauthorized ability use. It continued throughout the class as well. And during that time, Sihyeon came to realize just how much he had been stuck to Haru.
“Are you two a domestic couple or something?”
He realized it through the reactions of the people around him.
“What are you even talking about all of a sudden?”
“You were glued to your partner like soulmates.”
“So why are you walking separately now? Did you fight?”
When he still hadn’t made up with Haru by the time theory class ended and lunch rolled around, Dawoon tilted her chin toward Haru, who was eating alone in the distance, and spoke. Jihye was still sitting beside her, so Sihyeon figured that “soulmates” probably referred more to those two than to himself and Haru, and held back any unnecessary comments.
“It’s because I messed up.”
“Like anyone wouldn’t know that. That kid looks way too nice to have done anything wrong.”
“……”
At the reaction that so naturally pinned the blame on him, Sihyeon’s lips twitched. It wasn’t like he had any room to make excuses, but it still felt strangely unpleasant.
“So when are you going to make up? Even Jihye’s starting to feel awkward because of you.”
“N-no, it’s not like that! It’s not, but… it just… bothers me.”
As her name was suddenly brought up, Jihye smiled awkwardly and looked toward Haru. “Is it really okay for him to eat alone?” she murmured, and Sihyeon’s expression darkened.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t considered just forcing himself to sit with him. But if Haru ended up choking or reacting badly, it would only make things more awkward, so they were eating separately for now. To anyone else, they probably really did look like a couple giving each other the cold shoulder.
“Whatever it is, just apologize.”
“Yeah, apologize, Sihyeon! Haru hyung’s been sulking all day!”
“You be quiet.”
Haeun, who had been waiting for an opening, quickly jumped into the conversation and urged him to apologize. Frowning, Sihyeon moved a piece of bread from his tray onto Haeun’s plate. It meant: eat and shut up.
“Nice,” Haeun said, delighted, even though it didn’t mean much in a buffet setting. Sometimes he was simple, other times completely unreadable. Sihyeon had long since given up trying to understand him.
As Sihyeon let out a heavy sigh, just like he had done to Haeun earlier, a slice of cake was placed onto his plate. Even without looking, he had a feeling he knew who it was. His gaze lingered on the rounded hand before he lifted his head.
“Looks like you fought pretty badly.”
A gentle voice said that. Meeting Seowoo’s eyes, Sihyeon let out yet another sigh.
It wasn’t like fighting with Haru was such a huge deal.
Yet it felt like everyone who saw him kept bringing it up. Sihyeon stuffed the cake into his mouth and chewed. Even as the sweetness spread across his tongue, his mood didn’t improve. He just wished everyone would disappear and leave him alone with Haru.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t apologized.
From the moment he realized his mistake, he had said sorry and asked for forgiveness. It was just that what he had done wasn’t something that could be brushed off with a single apology.
It might’ve been better if he had three eyes.
Watching Haru get up from his seat and leave the cafeteria after eating alone, Sihyeon tapped his fingers lightly against the table. Tap, tap—the intermittent sound echoed, and Hamin frowned, clearly displeased.
“Why don’t you just talk to him?”
“That’s the textbook answer.”
Sihyeon replied to Hamin, whom he had, at some point, decided was the most normal among the Four Heavenly Kings. A textbook solution wasn’t bad.
That is, if Haru wasn’t avoiding him.
Worried that approaching him rashly might only push him further away or make him more guarded, Sihyeon fell silent. He picked up his tray and stood. Even though he’d eaten dessert, it felt pointless to stay—he had no appetite.
***
“Irregulars—beings that first appeared simultaneously across the world ten years ago—are defined by the global Awakened management organization as ‘entities that are not human and possess power exceeding that of ordinary people.’ Initially, their danger levels were measured numerically from Rank 1 to Rank 8, but starting in 2015, they began being classified under disaster levels based on the scale of damage…”
It was the theory class he had been looking forward to so much, yet his mind was restless, and none of the content sank in. The teacher’s words seemed like they would stick, only to slip right out as soon as he heard them. Giving up on taking notes, Sihyeon rested his chin on his hand and turned his head to the side.
He could see Haru, diligently writing down everything the teacher said. Sitting by the window, Haru stared ahead as a sudden breeze swept in, rustling his hair.
The wind still carried the faint chill of winter, making his black hair flutter. Haru’s long strands swayed gently. Thinking of what lay hidden behind that hair, Sihyeon—
BANG!
—slammed his head against his desk.
“Sihyeon student?”
Startled by the sudden act of self-harm, the teacher called out to him. Sihyeon raised his head, rubbing his throbbing forehead as he answered calmly.
“Yes.”
“D-did you fall asleep?”
“I guess so.”
“Sihyeon hasn’t been sleeping well lately, please understand!”
“Oh, really?”
As if he were truly his spokesperson, Haeun smoothly spun a lie. Faced with his composure, the teacher reluctantly nodded. Once the brief commotion died down, class resumed. Using the teacher’s voice as a lullaby, Sihyeon closed his eyes and began thinking about something he normally wouldn’t.
If there were such a thing as what if—
He wanted to go back to that day and punch his past self.
“……”
As he wondered what kind of secret could make Haru push him away like this, Sihyeon nearly slammed his head again, catching himself mid-motion. He turned his head instead.
Looking at Haru once more, their eyes suddenly met as Haru turned toward him.
A stronger gust of wind blew in, filling the heater-warmed classroom with cold air. His hair fluttered softly, and in that brief moment, through the shifting strands, Sihyeon caught sight of red eyes.
His breath hitched.
“……”
Haru said nothing. It was Sihyeon who looked away first.
Maybe I shouldn’t have avoided him.
Regret came flooding in too late, dragging self-reproach along with it. Because of that, Sihyeon failed to notice how Haru’s shoulders slumped, his body shrinking slightly after Sihyeon turned away.
***
“Still in a cold war?”
At Seowoo’s words, spoken while he casually swung his sword up and down, Sihyeon nodded. It was personal training time, so after asking for permission, Sihyeon had been walking around the training rooms, observing the students’ skills.
“I’m going to copy some abilities, so let me watch you train.”
If it were him, he would’ve found that request suspicious and refused, but surprisingly, the students of Class A, Year 1, readily agreed to Sihyeon’s suggestion.
Even Haru, who was still in a cold war with him. Though, communication had only been through nods.
Still, Sihyeon didn’t have the confidence to endure that awkward tension for over an hour, so his steps naturally led him to other training rooms instead of Haru’s.
After some time passed, Seowoo, who had been swinging his sword for over fifteen minutes, stopped and walked over.
“Water?”
“Yeah.”
“Get it yourself.”
Since it was obvious he’d come over for either a towel or water, Sihyeon shifted aside on the bench to make space, glancing at the water. Watching him, Seowoo let out a small chuckle.
“I thought you were going to hand it to me.”
“Why would I?”
Do you not have hands? Or feet?
At Sihyeon’s blunt reply, Seowoo casually answered, “I’ve got both,” and picked up the water bottle from the bench.
Gulp, gulp. As Sihyeon watched his Adam’s apple move with each swallow, Seowoo, having drunk about half the bottle, looked at him and curved his eyes into a smile.
“If you stare at me like that, even I get embarrassed.”
Oh, please.
Already on edge because of Haru, Sihyeon stood up at Seowoo’s nonsense. Sure, he had been staring, but he had no shame about it.
“I’m leaving.”
Trying to avoid getting entangled with them was pointless—the Four Heavenly Kings always ended up entangled with him anyway. He’d only given up resisting, not signed up to listen to this kind of nonsense. Acting like he had no regrets, he stood to leave, but Seowoo hurriedly grabbed him.
Lightly, Seowoo caught the edge of his clothes. Sihyeon’s gaze dropped to the large hand.
“Sorry.”
“You said you were embarrassed.”
“I just like having you around.”
“……”
Come to think of it, Seowoo had always had a knack for saying things that made your skin prickle without hesitation. If this were between a man and a woman, it would’ve been easily misunderstood. Sighing, Sihyeon sat back down. He hadn’t properly seen Seowoo’s skill yet, and leaving now would just be a waste of time.
“You know this is the first time you’ve come to me first, right?”
“……?”
“You’re always the one I go looking for.”
Sihyeon—to see you.
At the quiet addition, Sihyeon blinked his blue eyes. He didn’t even need to think back—every single time, it had been Yoo Seowoo who came to find him. At a loss for words, Sihyeon stayed silent. He had no idea what Seowoo was trying to say.
In the first place, he hadn’t even come here knowing Seowoo would be here.
He’d just entered a random training room to avoid Haru, and Seowoo happened to be inside. Sihyeon almost said it, then stopped himself, shaking his head. Seowoo looked like a child who’d just received a gift—there was no need to ruin that.
Maybe I was a bit too harsh.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t uncomfortable—Seowoo had been trying, in his own way, to get closer to him. Maybe he’d pushed him away too much. Sihyeon fell into thought.
Not that pushing him away had ever worked. Seowoo always came right back, making the effort meaningless. At this point, everyone already saw Class A as one group, and Sihyeon himself had grown used to eating with them after giving up resisting.
There was a reason people said humans were adaptable.
With the whole Quadruple and Rank 0 controversy already shattering any chance of peace, Sihyeon wondered if there was any point in being so sensitive like before. As he continued his thoughts, he looked at Seowoo.
Their eyes met, and Seowoo’s curved slightly.
Seventeen, and always smiling at him.
Sihyeon swallowed.
“What are you thinking about?”
“What’s it to you?”
“I was wondering if you were thinking about your partner again.”
“……”
He wasn’t.
The small denial stayed in his mouth. Seowoo’s guess was wrong, but saying “I was thinking about you” would’ve been strange too. Resting his chin on his hand, Sihyeon thought it over before coming to a conclusion.
“Sorry.”
“Out of nowhere?”
“Just… because.”
I think I’ve been a bit too harsh.
Reflecting on his fight with Haru had made him reconsider his other relationships, and so he offered a quiet apology. Watching him, Seowoo’s eyes widened slightly in surprise before softening into a long smile.
Looking pleased, he smiled, and Sihyeon, suddenly feeling awkward, was about to leave when—
“Why, did I suddenly start looking pretty to you or something?”
At the unexpected question, Sihyeon frowned.
Was he a red mask in his past life or something?
He kept asking if he was pretty—it was starting to feel like some weird obsession. Sihyeon, who had been heading for the door, stopped and looked back at him.
Even under artificial lighting, his platinum hair shimmered. Sihyeon quietly studied the eyes beneath it before grabbing the door handle and turning it.
“Let’s say you are.”
He answered flatly, then opened the door and left. Watching the door close slowly, as if in slow motion, Seowoo’s fingers twitched.
Click. Only after the door fully shut did he come back to himself. Then, slowly, the corners of his lips curved into a rounded smile, and a quiet laugh slipped out.
A sweet laugh spread like paint.
That smile, reminiscent of a spring breeze, filled the training room.
