“Whew…”
Jaeyoon swept back his sweat-soaked bangs. Even though he had just climbed the stairs, his t-shirt was completely drenched with sweat, making him realize it was truly summer now.
“It’s hot.”
While he’d been in the hospital, the air conditioning had been running cool, but returning to the dormitory, there wasn’t just no air conditioning—it felt like a sauna. It wasn’t like most other schools where they only blasted the air conditioning in the faculty office while turning it on for classrooms only when students were practically dying. It was simply that at this hour, students were still at school, so they hadn’t turned on the air conditioning in the dorms. Thanks to that, only Jaeyoon, who had been discharged and returned, was wilting in the heat.
“At this rate, should I just go to school too?”
It was already lunchtime, and although Jaeyoon had planned to properly attend school starting tomorrow, he found himself reconsidering as sweat streamed down his body even when he was sitting still.
“The dorm is seriously hot.”
“Heejun?”
“Discharge went well?”
Lee Heejun smiled as he held out a portable fan toward Jaeyoon.
“Yeah, it went fine…?”
“Where’s Sunbae Jinhoo? Why are you alone?”
Not seeing Jung Jinhoo who he’d expected would naturally be beside Jaeyoon, Heejun furrowed his brow curiously.
“He got caught by Sunbae Hajun.”
“Art club business?”
“Probably? I think it’s about preparing for the next competition. Since the last one was ruined because of me…”
“It wasn’t because of you. Anyway, we’ll never have to see them again, so let’s take comfort in that.”
At Heejun’s words, Jaeyoon looked at the empty room next door. Kim Doha and Kim Yeonwoo had packed up and left before Jaeyoon arrived. Thanks to that, there was no awkward encounter between them.
“Thanks to those two transferring out at once, the school is in an uproar again.”
“Ah…”
Jaeyoon gave a bitter smile, having a pretty good idea of the situation. Not only Kim Doha, who had been at the center of all the commotion, but Kim Yeonwoo as well, both transferring on the same day at the same time—it was unnatural no matter how you looked at it. Students at the age when they loved gossip wouldn’t just let such an interesting incident pass by.
‘I’m going to be quite bothered too.’
Anyone could easily figure out who the victim in this incident was. After all, he’d been hospitalized for four weeks—it would be stranger if people didn’t know. As Jaeyoon frowned, Heejun placed his hand on Jaeyoon’s shoulder as if to tell him not to worry.
“No one will rashly ask you about it.”
“Why?”
“How many people would have the pointless courage to bother someone who’s close enough to Sunbae Jinhoo that he’d stick by your side to take care of you?”
“Ah…”
“So don’t worry too much. And if some stupid guys annoy you, just chase them away.”
At Heejun’s words, Jaeyoon nodded with a small smile. Usually, interest in these things faded with time. After about a week, they’d find something else interesting.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yeah, Sunbae Jinhoo and I ate before coming to school.”
“Still, do you want to go to the school anyway?”
“It feels like I’ll die from the heat, right?”
“Yeah.”
Having faced the truth he’d been trying to ignore, Jaeyoon felt like the already hot temperature had risen even more.
“Let’s go to the infirmary instead of attending school today.”
“With no teacher there, it’s the perfect refuge.”
“Honestly, at this point, wouldn’t they have reason to fire someone?”
Jaeyoon kept his mouth shut at Heejun’s words. Did they completely remove the school nurse because it was a BL game and it would interfere with romance? Wasn’t that setting a bit too flimsy? Jaeyoon sighed softly and shrugged. The setting that Kim Yeonwoo was a kind protagonist was strange to begin with.
‘Wait, the protagonist Kim Yeonwoo has disappeared from the school, which was the main stage—so what happens from now on?’
Jaeyoon frowned at a problem he’d never considered before. The stage without its original protagonist. The setting that had gone awry. Yet time flowed as if nothing had happened. As if it didn’t matter whether Kim Yeonwoo existed or not.
“What are you thinking about that makes your expression so dark?”
“Huh? No, nothing…”
“Now that the troublemakers are gone, stop stressing.”
“Right…”
Jaeyoon smiled with a grimace.
***
“So cool~”
Lying spread-eagled on the infirmary bed with no one around, Jaeyoon enjoyed the cool air conditioning. Heejun had gone back to his classroom early as lunch break was ending. At his suggestion that Jaeyoon should take a nap until classes finished and he’d come to get him, Jaeyoon had nodded in agreement.
Honestly, he’d been planning to take his stiff body that had been confined in the hospital for a walk around the area, but not realizing how hot it had become outside, Jaeyoon changed his plan to just staying inside, enjoying the cool air conditioning.
‘I’ve just recovered, so I shouldn’t be walking around too much yet. Yes, that’s right.’
As Jaeyoon was happily lying down, muttering to himself in his mind, his entire body tensed at the sound of the infirmary door opening.
‘Ah, again…!!’
Frowning deeply and about to get up, Jaeyoon froze at the sound of students’ voices.
“Come on, seriously, did you have to hit me in the face?!”
“Pff-hahahaha!!”
“Is that funny?! Is my nosebleed funny?!”
“Kuhehehehe!!”
“Just laugh normally, you jerk! That laugh is even more annoying!!”
“Wahahahahaha!! Hit in the face… with a volleyball… double nosebleed… Ahahahahaha!!”
“This is so damn annoying…”
Hearing the peaceful voices of students, Jaeyoon blinked blankly.
“They say habits are scary…”
Jaeyoon let out a hollow laugh and lay back down on the bed. The two students, whose proper treatment of the nosebleed was questionable, rushed out as soon as the bell rang. In the quiet infirmary again, Jaeyoon blinked slowly. Staring at the white ceiling, he soon took out his phone. Going into his messages, he clicked on one at the very top.
[I heard that your parents’ business partner decided to continue the deal. I’ll never appear in front of you again. Let’s live without seeing each other’s faces.]
“A message without a word of gratitude or apology—very typical of Kim Doha.”
It was a message that had arrived at dawn. Jaeyoon had suggested to Jung Jinhoo that they transfer Kim Doha out but leave his parents’ business partners alone. Jung Jinhoo had silently complied with Jaeyoon’s opinion. It wasn’t out of conscience or consideration. It was just that Jaeyoon didn’t want to be entangled any further. And above all, he didn’t want to burden Jung Jinhoo with unreasonable requests anymore.
‘No matter how much Sunbae says it’s okay, I’m not comfortable with it…’
And although there was no apology, Kim Doha must have felt something to have sent Jaeyoon a message like this, unlike his usual self. Normally, he wouldn’t have texted at all, just made sarcastic remarks.
“But how did he know my number? Who told him?”
Who? Jaeyoon frowned, pondering, then shrugged. My phone number isn’t rare, he probably asked someone who knows Lee Jaeyoon. For example…
BANG!
The infirmary door opened roughly. A student with heavily grown-out bleached hair strode in.
“These jerks, why are they all ganging up on just me?! Since when did volleyball become a game where you throw the ball at one person over and over?!”
As he mumbled to himself while rummaging through the drawers, Jaeyoon pushed aside the curtain around the bed and looked at Im Hangyeol.
‘Right, he was here too.’
The face he was seeing after a long time was covered in small injuries everywhere. Watching Hangyeol skillfully applying medicine to his wounds and putting on bandages, Jaeyoon finally spoke.
“With hair like that, wouldn’t it be better to just dye it black?”
“Aaahh?!”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Y-you, you…!! W-when did you get there? No, before that—you’re discharged?!”
Seeing Hangyeol’s startled expression with his eyes wide open, Jaeyoon smiled, resting his chin on his hand.
“Anyone would think you’ve seen a ghost.”
“S-shut up! Of course I’m surprised when you suddenly talk to me! Make some noise when you move around!!”
“Today’s PE is volleyball, I see? Earlier, a kid with a double nosebleed came and went.”
Completely ignoring Hangyeol’s words, Jaeyoon looked him up and down and said:
“Beaten up?”
“…Something like that.”
“Turns out you’re unexpectedly an easy target as a delinquent?”
“No, I’m not! It’s just…”
“Just?”
After hesitating for a moment, Hangyeol finally spoke.
“It’s just that I’ve been behaving myself lately, so the other guys treat me more casually now.”
“Isn’t that the same as being an easy target?”
“No, agh, aaargh!!”
Unable to think of an excuse, Hangyeol grabbed and pulled at his own hair with both hands. To this, Jaeyoon shook his head from side to side.
“I have something to ask you.”
“…What is it?”
“Was it you who gave Kim Doha my phone number?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
