Whether Pia from half a month ago had really cried because she was hungry or not, there was no longer any waking up in the middle of dawn to the sound of Pia crying. Thanks to that, Sihyeon—who had gone to sleep late—ended up sleeping in just as late, blinking his still-heavy eyes open. A familiar wooden ceiling came into view.
What time is it?
The room was bright, so it seemed the sun had risen…
To check the exact time, he needed his phone. Still with his eyes closed, Sihyeon groped beside his pillow, only to frown when his fingers caught on something. Wondering what it was, he felt around more carefully, and something soft brushed against his hand. There was a sense of contour. It felt strange.
After fumbling a few more times, Sihyeon opened his eyes and turned his head. A boy, fast asleep in his bed, came into view.
It was Baek Geonwoo.
“…What the hell?”
Why is he here?
It was absurd beyond belief first thing in the morning.
Sitting up, Sihyeon scooted back toward the wall and examined the scene in front of him. Even from a seated position, there was no mistaking that face—it was definitely Baek Geonwoo. The guy who had been sleeping on the top bunk was now on the bottom bunk—his bed, no less—and Sihyeon had no idea why.
Since when did he start sleeping here?
He almost had a heart attack the moment he woke up.
Pulling the blanket up, Sihyeon buried his face into the soft fabric. After exhaling several times, he lifted his head—and saw Geonwoo sleeping without his shirt on. The bare skin that had been hidden beneath the blanket was now exposed.
“……”
Frozen stiff, Sihyeon slowly reached out and grabbed his pillow.
Thwack.
The sound was reminiscent of the pillow fight from the previous night. Geonwoo, hit squarely, frowned. Sihyeon nudged him with his foot, waking him up, and after a moment, Geonwoo opened his eyes groggily. Sihyeon spoke.
“Get down.”
“…Huh?”
“Go down and put some clothes on.”
“Ah….”
At the low tone of his voice, the boy glanced around at where he was. Looking around in confusion, he sat up and picked up the white T-shirt that had fallen on the floor. Considering he had just casually slept in someone else’s bed, he was surprisingly docile.
“Why are you sleeping here?”
“I went to the bathroom at dawn, and it was too much of a hassle to climb back up.”
“……”
Oddly enough, that made sense, so Sihyeon found himself at a loss for words. Still, if that was the case, why hadn’t he just slept in Lee Hamin’s bed last night instead of going up to the top bunk? Swallowing his complaint, Sihyeon asked another question.
“And your clothes?”
“I’m used to sleeping without them.”
“This is driving me insane.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing….”
Muttering like he was lamenting, Sihyeon quickly got dressed, then stopped Geonwoo, who was about to lie back down on the bed. The boy, with his hair sticking up like a bird’s nest, stared blankly at him.
“What.”
“You’re going to sleep here again?”
“Can’t I?”
This is driving me insane.
With those clueless eyes staring at him, it was hard to refuse. Tilting his head slightly, the way he looked at Sihyeon reminded him of Baek Geonwoo back in March, when he used to eat meals separately. Sighing, Sihyeon ran a hand through his messy hair and gestured forward.
“If you’re going to sleep, do it after I leave.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to take care of Pia.”
“Okay.”
As Geonwoo casually got off the bed, Sihyeon moved and climbed down. The moment he stepped out, Geonwoo immediately flopped back down onto the bed, making Sihyeon stare at him in disbelief. Climbing up to the top bunk, he saw Pia sleeping soundly beside Ban Haru.
“Pia.”
“……”
“Pia.”
“…Pya?”
Carefully calling out so as not to wake Haru, Pia—who had been sleeping in Haru’s hand—opened its eyes groggily. It tried to rub its face with its tiny wings that couldn’t even reach properly. It was ridiculously cute.
“Come here.”
“Pyapya!”
The moment Sihyeon held out his hand, the tiny creature flew over. The instant it woke up, it started crying loudly, so Sihyeon brought his index finger to his lips and gave a short warning.
“Shh.”
Climbing down from the top bunk, he sat on the sofa. When he held out a finger toward Pia, the little thing, which had been crying “pyapya,” only tilted its head. It didn’t look like it wanted to bite at all.
“Maybe it doesn’t eat three meals a day….”
If it survived on just one meal a day, then it would probably be fine even if it absorbed that much mana at once. After gently stroking Pia, who showed no intention of biting his hand, Sihyeon lay down on the sofa. Come to think of it, he wondered why Baek Geonwoo had chosen the bed over the sofa.
“…Is the sofa too small?”
It was just the right length for him, so if someone bigger lay down, their feet would stick out. That could definitely be uncomfortable.
As he stared at the ceiling, absentmindedly petting Pia, someone approached him. A faint shadow fell over Sihyeon as footsteps stopped behind the sofa.
“Pretty cozy first thing in the morning.”
A familiar voice rang out. It seemed like he was referring to the sight of Sihyeon petting Pia. Sihyeon tilted his head slightly.
“What are you doing?”
“I was going to feed it, but it’s not eating.”
“Takes after its owner.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Coming from someone who was practically first place in skipping meals himself, Yoo Seowoo sounded like he was criticizing him. Sihyeon propped himself halfway up and looked at him. Supporting his body with his elbow, he looked up as Seowoo chuckled softly and reached out toward Pia, who was playing on Sihyeon’s chest. Tap—his fingertip touched Pia’s head. Gently rubbing its fur, Seowoo murmured quietly.
“It’s soft.”
“Want to hold it?”
“No thanks. It looks more comfortable with you.”
“Suit yourself.”
After the brief exchange, Sihyeon lay back down again, and silence followed. Seowoo continued to poke at Pia a few times, until Pia—annoyed—let out a sharp “Pyak!” Only then did Seowoo withdraw his hand.
“Guess it hates me.”
“You should’ve known when to stop.”
With his eyes closed, Sihyeon replied lazily, relying on touch to continue petting Pia. The creature that had snapped at Seowoo now happily nuzzled against Sihyeon’s hand.
“It’s surprisingly sensitive, so treat it well. Don’t bully it.”
“Hm, if I treat it well, will it come over to me?”
“Who knows. If you keep it up, it might stop complaining when you touch it.”
“…It really takes after you in the strangest ways.”
What is he even talking about?
Sihyeon muttered under his breath. Since when did a person and an Irregular resemble each other? Even if they did, Pia resembled Haru more—cute, and occasionally a bit airheaded. Though Pia definitely had a bit more of a temper.
After exchanging a few more trivial remarks, Seowoo sat on the armrest of the sofa. Unfortunately, he sat near Sihyeon’s head, making the shadow over him grow darker. Sihyeon frowned.
Just as he was about to tell him to sit somewhere else, Seowoo spoke.
“Sihyeon.”
“What.”
“What month is it right now?”
What kind of question is that—it’s obviously June. Since the Monthly Evaluation had been yesterday, there was no way he was asking because he didn’t know. Sihyeon opened his eyes, and Seowoo, who had been quietly looking down at him, placed a hand over his eyes. His vision was blocked again.
“It’s been about three months since we enrolled, so that means three months left.”
“Until what.”
“Until partner reassignment.”
“……”
Now that he thought about it, that was right. Remembering what the Principal had said about switching partners every six months, Sihyeon blinked. It felt like he would be partnered with Haru forever, so the idea that it would change in three months didn’t quite sink in.
“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
“Hmm. Why do you think?”
“What, you want me to be your partner or something?”
“So you do know.”
At the casually thrown remark, Seowoo let out a laugh-laced response. To anyone listening, it would sound like they were having a pleasant conversation.
What’s so funny?
That question, which had lingered in Sihyeon’s mind for a long time, surfaced again. From the moment they first met until now—Seowoo had always been consistently kind and almost devoted to him. Sihyeon grabbed the hand covering his eyes and pulled it away.
“Yoo Seowoo.”
“Yeah, Sihyeon.”
He answered obediently in a gentle voice. There was nothing lacking about him, which made this behavior all the more strange.
There had to be a reason.
Not wanting to think too deeply about it, Sihyeon had ignored it until now, but finally faced it. He concluded that Seowoo must want something. However, he didn’t know what that was, and his blue eyes blinked. The image of the platinum-blond boy was reflected in them.
In the silence, Sihyeon chose his words. After letting the quiet linger a little longer, he finally spoke.
“What’s your goal?”
“Hm?”
“There’s got to be a reason you’re so nice to me. What do you want?”
“……”
At the calm question, Seowoo fell silent. His blinking eyes looked unusually blank. Then, suddenly, he smirked. Sihyeon raised a brow, sensing that the smile was different from usual. The pale eyes slowly closed and opened again.
“…You’ve been accepting it just fine all this time. Why are you suddenly curious?”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t sudden. He just hadn’t cared enough to think about it.
Keeping that to himself, Sihyeon frowned slightly as he mulled over Seowoo’s words. Was he saying he’d been dissatisfied with Sihyeon’s behavior this whole time? What was he even getting at?
As he stared at him, unsure what to make of it, Seowoo reached out and touched him. His fingers brushed through Sihyeon’s black hair. It was a touch that didn’t match the atmosphere.
“Sihyeon.”
“Just say it.”
“Are you curious about me?”
“……”
That made two times now—answering a question with another question.
Unsure what kind of conversation Seowoo even wanted to have, Sihyeon simply stared at him. The hand that had been playing with his hair moved down and touched his cheek. Smack—Sihyeon slapped his hand away, and Seowoo let out a quiet, hollow laugh.
“You take what I give, push me away, and keep drawing lines—now you’re curious about me?”
“What are you even talking about?”
A crease formed between Sihyeon’s brows. Was he supposed to gratefully accept everything like a pushover and smile like an idiot? At a loss for words, he stayed silent, and Seowoo laughed. His eyes curved gently, completely at odds with the words he had just spoken.
“What should I do? I don’t feel like answering what you’re curious about.”
“If you’re not going to answer, then don’t. What do you mean you ‘don’t feel like it’?”
“Who knows.”
That ‘who knows’ again.
Was that some kind of verbal tic? Every time, he’d just brush things off like that. Sihyeon narrowed his eyes. They were clearly speaking the same language, yet no real communication was happening, which was frustrating. As he frowned, long fingers pressed against his wrinkled forehead.
“Come to think of it, my pride’s a little hurt….”
“What now?”
“It’s just… I didn’t think that’d be what you were curious about.”
“That?”
The way he spoke really knew how to get under someone’s skin. Calling it ‘that’ after he had gone out of his way to ask—Sihyeon had a feeling this conversation would drag on, so he sat up. Their eyes met as Seowoo spoke first.
“Isn’t it ‘that’? The first thing you’ve ever been curious about when it comes to me is just the reason behind my kindness. What do you expect me to do? You’re finally showing some interest, so I guess I should just accept it graciously.”
“……”
For the first time, the man who always spoke gently was showing something close to irritation. His tone hadn’t changed, but it felt different.
Just having this kind of conversation at all felt far from gentle. Sihyeon planted another question in his mind.
He couldn’t figure out why Seowoo was upset.
It wasn’t like he had asked anything difficult.
One wrong question, and now the mood was completely ruined—and his own mood had dropped with it.
Seowoo had no intention of answering, and Sihyeon wanted an answer. If this continued, it would only turn into an argument, so he swallowed a sigh. The one who raised the white flag first—quick to give up—was Sihyeon.
Giving up on getting an answer, he lay back down on the sofa. Seowoo, looking down at him slowly, let out a small laugh.
“Try being more curious.”
“……”
“About why I treat you like this.”
If you think about it a little, you’ll figure it out.
Despite being brushed off, Seowoo said what he wanted and then fell silent. Judging by the tone, Sihyeon thought he would leave, but he didn’t hear any movement. Even after that conversation, he was still there.
What is he even doing?
If he’s going to answer, then answer. If not, then don’t. Why make things so uncomfortable?
Discomfort gave rise to irritation, and irritation twisted into unease. Feeling that unfamiliar unease for the first time in a while, Sihyeon sighed and shifted his body.
“Pyapya!”
Pia, who had been on Sihyeon’s chest until then, suddenly tilted and fell off with a startled cry.
“You should be careful.”
The owner of the gentle voice picked up the fallen Pia and whispered softly, as if the earlier conversation had never happened.
Turning away, Sihyeon ignored him and shifted again.
Time passed in that uncomfortable atmosphere, and eventually, the others woke up.
Yoo Seowoo’s words—telling him to be curious about him—lingered in Sihyeon’s mind all the way through the day. And by Monday morning, news of final exams arriving earlier than expected diverted his attention.
More precisely, it was closer to finding something to focus on—an escape.
