The Sickly Transmigrator Hides the Fact that He Became a Puppy 6-2

The familiar shout made Wonseok’s gaze snap toward the front door of the classroom. Standing there were the homeroom teacher and members of the parents’ association, who had been bringing drinks and snacks around to support the sports festival, their faces twisted into looks of utter shock.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing right now, in a school of all places?!”

At the homeroom teacher’s sharp reprimand, Wonseok finally realized he’d walked straight into Han Jun’s trap. He glared at Han Jun with eyes half-crazed with fury.

“You fucking… son of a bitch!”

From where the homeroom teacher stood, Han Jun’s face wasn’t visible. Looking straight at Wonseok, Han Jun silently mouthed two words: “Goodbye.” Then, as if to show he’d known all along that things would turn out this way, he let a faint smile slip.

Unable to suppress the rage boiling over inside him, Wonseok grabbed a desk beside him and tried to swing it down at Han Jun, but the homeroom teacher and the parents rushed in and restrained him immediately.

“Let go of me! That bastard just—! Holy shit, I’m gonna lose my mind!”

Wonseok was dragged straight to the counseling room. Or rather, “dragged” was the more accurate word—he was hauled away by the homeroom teacher and the parents.

As he watched Wonseok being pulled away, thrashing and screaming with eyes flipped over in pure rage, Han Jun lightly tapped Yi-hyeon’s arm.

“I hope this goes to the school violence committee.”

“What happened? You knew, didn’t you?”

Yi-hyeon asked.

“Knew what? Oh, the homeroom teacher coming?”

“Yeah.”

“I went to the teachers’ office to fill my tumbler with ice, and they were talking, saying second year was basically over already.”

Han Jun spoke as if it were nothing, saying he figured third year would be next anyway, and when he came back to the classroom, Wonseok just happened to be flailing around like perfect bait.

“So you did it on purpose?”

Seeing Han Jun’s swollen cheek made Yi-hyeon’s heart ache far more than if he’d been hit himself. What was the point of trying so hard to avoid him? Every time they met like this, his heart still raced. It wasn’t even really a reunion, yet his emotions were more shaken than before.

“Yeah. I provoked him on purpose.”

“Why would you do that… You got hit because of me—”

He wanted to press a cold bottle of water to Han Jun’s overheated face. But even something that small felt like it might give away his feelings, and that restraint left Yi-hyeon feeling unbearably frustrated.

“What do you mean because of you? I got cocky and got hit. Anyway, we’ll be late. You’re heading to the field, right?”

“Before that, shouldn’t you go to the nurse’s office?”

“For something this minor? Nah. Let’s just go.”

Han Jun took the bag Yi-hyeon had been about to sling over his shoulder and carried it himself, gesturing toward the hallway with his eyes.

I need to avoid him.

That’s the only way these feelings won’t swell any further. Even as he thought that, pulled by an irresistible force he couldn’t fight, Yi-hyeon nodded and followed Han Jun anyway.

If I was going to fall apart this easily, I shouldn’t have even sworn to distance myself.

With every step he took, grains of dry sand crumbled beneath his feet, just like Yi-hyeon’s flimsy resolve. He walked on in silence, listening to the noise of his own thoughts, when Han Jun spoke again.

“With just a few punches, they won’t be able to force him to transfer. But at least, I hope they change his class.”

Sscrrk. Yi-hyeon stopped on the crumbling sand, dragging his foot slightly.

“Change his class?”

“Why? You don’t like that idea? Don’t tell me you got attached while bickering with that bastard.”

“What? No! That’s disgusting—don’t even say that.”

Yi-hyeon snapped back, glaring at him. Han Jun bent down slightly, lowering his gaze to match Yi-hyeon’s, and suddenly leaned his face right up close.

Startled by the abruptly closed distance, Yi-hyeon reflexively leaned back.

“Then smile a little. Don’t make that face like you’re carrying all the world’s troubles by yourself.”

“There’s nothing to smile about—”

“What do you mean nothing? Seo Wonseok’s screwed now.”

“But you got hit instead.”

“Doesn’t matter. Come on, smile already. Like this.”

Han Jun lifted his index finger and placed it at the corner of Yi-hyeon’s mouth, pushing it gently upward. At the same time, he smiled too. Sunlight streamed through the gaps between tangled green vines wrapped around an arched structure overhead. Maybe because of that, Han Jun’s smile made Yi-hyeon imagine the warm, comforting scent of Actress Joo Mi-yeon.

Unable to say the words carved deep in his chest out loud, Yi-hyeon muttered them silently to himself.

Pretty…

“You’re pretty when you smile.”

Hearing his own thoughts spoken aloud near his ear, Yi-hyeon startled, his shoulders trembling as he stared at Han Jun’s lips—the source of that voice.

“What?”

“I said you’re pretty when you smile.”

Han Jun smiled gently.

At such an insignificant comment, Yi-hyeon’s heart started racing again. Feeling his mouth go dry and a light sheen of sweat gather in his tightly clenched palms, he quickly turned his head away.

“W-What nonsense… We’ll be late. Let’s go. Hurry.”

Yi-hyeon hastily wrapped things up and quickened his pace.

“Walk together, Yoon Yi-hyeon. Slow down a bit—pretty-smiling Yi-hyeon.”

Crunch, crunch. Was being called his name by Han Jun as he followed behind, stepping on the sand, really something to make his heart flutter this much? If Yi-hyeon hadn’t been the one rushing them earlier, he would’ve wanted to twist open the bottle of water in his bag and gulp down ice-cold water right then—his insides felt that hot.

***

“Yi-hyeon!”

While Han Jun went to put their bags down, Yi-hyeon was heading toward the line forming on the field when he turned his head toward a familiar voice. Kim Yeon-seo had somehow come up close without him noticing, her usually loose hair tied up neatly into a single ponytail. She was wearing a class T-shirt printed with a cute hamster illustration.

“Hey, Yeon-seo. Is that your class shirt?”

“Isn’t it childish?”

“No? It’s cute.”

“Really? You’re not just saying that to be polite? I made a huge fuss about not wanting to wear it because it was embarrassing.”

“I mean it. It’s really cute.”

When Yi-hyeon smiled softly, Yeon-seo turned around and pointed to her back, saying there were paw prints printed there too. Judging by the fact that they even made class shirts, it seemed like a third-year class that took winning seriously despite it all.

“What event are you participating in?”

Yeon-seo asked.

“I’m doing the balloon-popping.”

“Just one event?”

“Yeah.”

There was no need to make Yeon-seo worry too, so Yi-hyeon didn’t bother explaining that his body was weak and he couldn’t handle physically demanding events.

“Then eat this and get some energy—pop that balloon in one shot.”

Yeon-seo held out a pretty little bag she’d been carrying.

Inside were macarons with glossy purple shells, stuffed full with blueberry filling.

“Those are macarons, aren’t they?”

“I made them myself again this time.”

“Seriously? You learned this from your dad too? That’s amazing.”

“No, this time I taught myself. The stuff I made before was from when I learned as a kid. Oh—my mom and dad got divorced, so I’ve been living apart from my dad for a while now.”

Maybe because she was easygoing and straightforward by nature, Yeon-seo spoke casually about her family history to Yi-hyeon.

“Ah… I see.”

“Hey, don’t make that gloomy face. They divorced because of personality differences, nothing dramatic. Divorce isn’t some huge flaw these days anyway. Besides, I tried making these on my own after watching videos, but it’s my first time, so I can’t guarantee the taste.”

Yeon-seo said with a bright smile.

“That’s incredible. How do you even make something like this just from watching videos?”

“The explanations are really detailed these days. If you’re interested, I’ll send you the link. Want to try making them too?”

“The thing is, whenever I touch cooking, I have a special talent for turning ingredients into victims…”

“Then next time, come over to my place. Let’s make them together.”

“Sure. Oh—right!”

Feeling bad about always being the one receiving things, Yi-hyeon was thinking about how to return the favor when he remembered the wild raspberries that should still be up in the mountains.

“Do you like wild raspberries?”

When Yi-hyeon asked, Yeon-seo’s eyes widened.