Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Doyeon went over Aeyoung’s homework, showered, and wrapped his wet hair before plunging into bed. The hard, cheap spring mattress creaked and caved at once.

“What is your issue with me, specifically? What did I do to you?”

Doyeon bit his lip.

What did he do? Was Hyunoh Gong asking because he seriously didn’t know?

He stared at the dim light above him that was about to die any second and then rolled onto the ground, where he sat hunched. He shoved his hand under the bed and grabbed a puzzle box that was old and torn. He dumped the pieces on the floor.

“Mocked me when we first met, called me a lackey, assumed my feelings and thoughts every damn time...”

He placed the puzzle pieces in their places. He could do it blindfolded now, but their edges seemed to slip out of the designated slots.

“Dropped my pencil and called me an attention seeker, screwed up my day before sympathizing with me. Then got mad before I could—”

Oh, damn it, whatever.

Doyeon swept the unfinished pieces away and sat at his desk. He opened up a textbook like he was going to war and stared at the upper-level questions—the hardest of the bunch. The paper bag he couldn’t bear to throw away sat in a corner of his room.

Should I return it next week? What should I do?

If today had been midweek, he would have ignored their whole awkward interaction, but he felt like stewing over the weekend would only make things worse.

“He makes me so uncomfortable. Ugh...” Doyeon ran fingers through his hair and leaned back in his chair.

* * *

On Saturday morning, Doyeon went searching for his phone while still half asleep. He held the buzzing phone up to his ear and accepted the call with narrowed, barely open eyelids.

“Hello...?” he mumbled.

“Were you sleeping?”

“Huh? Um, yeah.”

Doyeon yawned loudly and wiggled up to a sitting position. On the other side of the call was Yukyung Yang, a friend... Well, something like a friend he’d met in middle school. A girl.

“What are your plans for today?” she asked.

“Studying at home?”

“Wanna work together? I’m heading over to the library right now.”

“Sure. But I just woke up, so it’ll take me time to wash up and get ready.”

“I’ll wait for you there,” she said. “Call me when you arrive.”

“Okay.”

He slowly got out of his bed, stretched at the window—his only view was the lamppost outside—and went to wash up.

His mother and sister must have gone somewhere because the house was empty. But the table was littered with dishes, so he cleaned up the remains of their breakfast, washed the dishes, and headed outside.

When he got to the library, he found Yukyung waiting outside on a bench.

“Why are you out here?” Doyeon asked.

“I walked outside when I heard you’d arrived. It’s stuffy in there,” Yukyung answered as she massaged the back of her neck.

The most talked-about girls in the freshmen year of YunHyun High School were Seyoung Shin and Yukyung Yang. Both were popular for their beautiful looks, but they held completely different positions.

If Seyoung Shin was the kind of person who summoned a crowd and could pass as a social media influencer, Yukyung Yang was an outcast and the target of bullying. People said she was rude and self-confident—stuff like that. Yukyung didn’t seem to mind being alone since she was too lazy to get along with others.

Doyeon had known her since middle school. They were on good terms, but they didn’t walk around or stick together in school, so not many people knew they were friends.

“Let’s go in once I’m done drinking this,” said Yukyung.

“Sure, take your time.”

“Do you want a sip? It’s delicious.”

Yukyung shoved the strawberry yogurt smoothie she was drinking toward him. Instead of using the straw she had used, he opened the lid and took a sip. It was sweet, sour, and cold.

“It’s nice.”

“Want me to get one for you? You’re out of pocket money, aren’t you?”

“Sure, but you don’t need to. It’s fine.”

Despite his rejection, Yukyung pulled out a new drink from behind her—one she’d bought before Doyeon had gotten to the library.

“What the hell?”

“I bought it in advance in case you liked it.”

“Ah, the perks of having a rich friend. Thanks.” Doyeon smirked and took the take-out cup.

People talked about Yukyung’s poor personality, but the Yukyung that Doyeon knew was different. Yukyung Yang was simply a little more honest and a little more frank than others.

It had been the same when they’d first met during their first year of middle school.

“Your house is so damn small. Is this a shed?”

On one particular day, they’d agreed to grade each other’s practice tests. Doyeon and Yukyang had worked on their homework at his house. That was what Yukyung had said the moment she’d stepped through the door.

But Doyeon hadn’t cared. As Yukyung had said, it really was small like a shed.

“It is small, right? Let’s do our work first.”

They sat across each other on the small, narrow table to do their homework, grade each other’s practice exams, and eat. According to Yukyung, the kimchi fried rice she’d eaten that day was the best fried rice she’d ever had.

“I was worried your dishes might be dirty because of the state of your house, but they’re clean. Doesn’t smell either.”

“Uh, Yukyung. Do you know why you don’t have friends?”

“What?”

“I think it’s because you’re frank to the point of being rude. Don’t you think you should fix that aspect?”

“What the hell?” Yukyung had said with a smack of her spoon, but she’d picked it up quickly to finish her fried rice. “I can’t fix it, okay? I don’t plan on fixing it either. If you don’t like how I talk, you can stop hanging out with me.”

“Oh. You just explained why you’re getting bullied at school. Your mindset’s the reason, I see. Mm-hmm.”

“You goddamn loser...”

Then they’d become friends. According to Yukyung, she found it easy to talk to Doyeon,

and she liked how he didn’t get hurt over sensitive subjects. That was why they met in libraries sometimes and during the weekends to play.

Doyeon slowly grew frustrated as he reminisced about the past. It began building when Yukyung handed him the smoothie.

Why did I get mad at Hyunoh yesterday? Why did I feel embarrassed and humiliated? I’m enjoying Yukyung’s smoothie.

Of course, Yukyung and Hyunoh were different because Yukyung simply looked down on his living conditions while Hyunoh sympathized. At least, Doyeon thought he sympathized.

That didn’t explain why he always reacted poorly to everything Hyunoh said.

Doyeon decided to consult the most honest person he knew. Yukyung, in his books, was a fact-checker and a truth-teller.

“Yukyung, I fought with my desk partner yesterday.”

“You fought with someone? You? Wow, oh wow—spill, spill everything, hurry!” Yukyung urged, putting down her smoothie. She sounded interested because Doyeon rarely got into any verbal fights, and physical ones were out of the question.

“It’s nothing much. I just haven’t gotten along with my desk partner from the beginning, and we never thought highly of each other.”

Doyeon slowly began to unfold his experiences—not everything, but the basic facts. He explained how they roasted each other, how his desk partner had found out about his financial situation, and how humiliated he felt because he’d been gifted a bunch of stationery.

Yukyung Yang’s eyes narrowed more and more as he progressed. Finally, she took a long sip of her half-melted smoothie and clicked her tongue.

“Your desk partner’s horrible.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He described you as someone who wants attention, someone who was raised without love, and you just said he teased you about barely having any stationery.”

“But I don’t think... he meant it that way.”

“Well, that’s exactly how it sounds, from how you put it. Your desk partner threw you some gifts because you’re poor, out of charity and all that. Isn’t that why you’re upset? Then that’s your desk partner’s fault. What’s the point in humiliating you? What right does he have?”

“Well...”

Doyeon rubbed his neck. According to Yukyung, Hyunoh was a horrible person who mocked poor people, though that didn’t really sound like him.

But factually, in bullet points, that was who Hyunoh Gong appeared to be.

Still...

Still, he wasn’t that.

Did I only talk about the bad parts? But there’s honestly nothing else to say about him. Between me and Hyunoh... that’s all there is.

Hyunoh spoke to Doyeon rashly, but he was like that with everyone, so maybe that was just how he always was, and—

Doyeon choked on his thoughts. Yukyung clicked her tongue when Doyeon’s gaze got lost in his shoes and the ground.

“Are you asking me to defend this person or asking me to take your side?” she asked. “Choose a stance. I need to base my reaction on something.”

“I don’t know. I’ve just been... really mindful of my desk partner since yesterday. I feel so... uncomfortable.”

“You’ve never cared about comments like that.”

Doyeon raised his head. Yukyung looked at him seriously.

“You’re cool about comments. You laughed when I called your house a shed, and you didn’t give a damn about what the other kids said when they called you poor.”

“I didn’t...?”

“So what’s the problem now? Why did you fight with your desk partner? Why did you let his comments affect you?”

Doyeon was silent.

“Usually, you would just shoot a sarcastic ‘thank you so much for pointing that out,’ and go home.”

“Right.” Doyeon nodded.

Like Yukyung had said, the problem was with his reaction. It was a very unusual reaction—very unlike himself. He found the situation difficult and frustrating to sort through.

He sipped on his smoothie in frustrated gurgles. Yukyung leaned forward.

“Who is this skank?” she asked with a serious frown.

“What?”

“Your desk partner, what’s her name?”

“Huh?”

Her? Doyeon blinked. Yukyung’s pretty brows creased into a frown.

“Do you like her? That’s the only explanation I have for why you’re acting like this.”