Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“What the hell?”

“You kind of admitted to the fact you pay attention to what she says,” Yukyung pointed out. “You act differently in front of her. When you like someone, that’s how you act.”

Doyeon barked out a laugh, dismissing her idea.

Like? Him? Hyunoh?

Impossible. Yes, he hated Hyunoh Gong’s handsome face, and sometimes he got the urge to beat it up, but what did that have to do with liking him?

Besides, there wasn’t rhyme or reason for him liking Hyunoh. He had glanced at him during the commencement ceremony because he was better looking than all of his peers, and he did have a unique aura...

But Hyunoh was a he.

I can’t like another guy.

Doyeon had never liked guys in that way—not since the moment he was born.

“Like? My desk partner is a he.”

“What?”

“He’s a guy. Hyunoh Gong. I don’t like him.”

Yukyung’s eyes narrowed. She squinted at Doyeon for a while before taking another long sip of her melted smoothie. Then she sighed, as though her energy had left her.

“So it’s not a skank. Thank god.”

“See? I don’t like my desk partner.”

“I know Hyunoh Gong. He’s really tall—the damn handsome one, right?”

“Yup, him,” Doyeon nodded. If Yukyung knew about Hyunoh, and she didn’t talk to anyone at school, then Hyunoh was definitely a popular guy.

“You know what, I think I have a hunch. He became class president, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And you were always class president in middle school. See, you came up to high school, but someone far more handsome and better than you became class president, and you were forgotten. Maybe what you’re feeling is jealousy.”

“Jealousy?”

Doyeon thought about it.

Jealousy...

Hyunoh had amazing specs in both grades, family wealth, and physique, but Doyeon never felt seriously jealous of such things. He was incomparable anyway, and he hadn’t run for class president seriously, making his loss more of a resignation than a defeat.

The only time he’d felt competitive against Hyunoh Gong was during the math competition on Pi Day when the box of snacks had been on the line.

“I don’t think it’s jealousy,” Doyeon concluded.

“No, it’s jealousy. But it was hidden so deep inside you that you didn’t notice it. You’ve carried this feeling for a while, and when he poked your complex, you erupted like an idiot! Otherwise, your reactions can’t be explained.”

Doyeon repeated Yukyung’s theory to himself.

Complex... Idiot...

Really? Is that really it? Is that what I feel toward Hyunoh Gong?

Is that why my heart races sometimes and my ears turn red? Because I’m really jealous of him and secretly hate him?

Doyeon couldn’t tell, but he assumed Yukyung was right. A third person’s point of view on the situation was probably more accurate than his.

Doyeon nodded, feeling confused. “You must be right. I should be more chill around him.”

“Yes, you whiny idiot.”

“Whoa... I think you just scarred my feelings,” Doyeon said, clenching his shirt above his chest.

Yukyung smirked at him, threw the smoothie cup away, and tilted her head. “Let’s get to studying. You can beat Hyunoh with your grades.”

“I think that will be very hard.”

“You’re so pessimistic.”

“No, I do have positive hopes, but it’ll be hard to beat him with grades.”

“Fine.”

The two laughed at each other as they walked into the library.

Arc Three. The Subconscious Mind.

His awkward silent war with Hyunoh continued.

They hadn’t been on good terms before, but with the recent event, they’d grown completely distant. Their random conversations, which had mainly consisted of joking insults, had ended completely.

The situation grew even worse by midterm exams—Hyunoh turned as sensitive as a knife throughout the entire testing season.

He went back to his usual self when he ranked first in the school, but their wounds were still open in the cold. It would have been better if they could’ve avoided meeting at all, but they were desk mates, lunch mates, and classmates, which made it all the worse.

If it weren’t for Kangbin filling the silence between them, ignorant of their cold war, Doyeon would have felt suffocated.

“Doyeon, lend me a pen,” Sunwoo whispered in science class. He poked Doyeon’s back and waved his hand. He couldn’t borrow it from Kangbin, who walked into class with just a pencil in his back pocket.

Doyeon felt bad—he was about to tell him to ask Hyunoh because his spare pencil case was in his bag in the main room. But before Doyeon could reply, Hyunoh placed a pen in Sunwoo’s outstretched palm.

“Oh, thanks!”

Sunwoo snatched his hand back without a care.

What the hell? Confused, Doyeon glanced at Hyunoh’s expressionless face. He still remained seated next to him, even though they weren’t desk partners outside of homeroom.

Should he thank him? Did he do that sort of thing for anyone?

Doyeon did appreciate how fast Hyunoh had moved because he didn’t want to admit he had a spare “lending” pencil case...

Something wasn’t right. It hadn’t been right for a long time.

Why is he still sticking next to me?

His insistence on sitting next to Doyeon was a curious matter, especially when they were ignoring each other. He could have sat in any other chair since they were in a different classroom, but Hyunoh always sat next to Doyeon, as though the seat was reserved for him.

In return, Doyeon didn’t say a word. There was familiar comfort and emotional distrust, which made him feel uncomfortable, yet relieved. Sometimes, he thought of apologizing because all Hyunoh had done was buy him stationery, but then...

“You complain when I share my snack, you complain when I buy you crap because I feel grateful, you complain about every damn thing I do... and it’s damn annoying.”

The way Hyunoh had shaken his head with a completely disgusted expression sent chills down Doyeon’s neck. He held his tongue.

Besides, he was the only one worrying about their relationship. Hyunoh didn’t care at all, and Doyeon didn’t want to look like he was the desperate one.

“All right, books open. It’s Friday, so number nine?”

The class began before he could finish his thoughts. Doyeon held the pencil in his hand and concentrated, forgetting his worries.

Another lesson went by, and soon, it was lunchtime. Doyeon couldn’t eat hot foods, so he picked at the pork backbone stew to cool it while working on the side dishes. The students next to him were inhaling the stew like there was no tomorrow.

Kangbin Baek and Hyunoh Gong ate the most because of their heights. In better words, they ate lavishly, and in poorer words, they bragged about their crazy appetites. Doyeon wondered if their heights came from how much they ate.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Sunwoo asked. Doyeon raised his chopsticks, believing the stew must have cooled.

“I’m not good with hot food.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. The roof of my mouth and my tongue get burnt easily when I eat hot food. It hurts.”

Kangbin shook his head as he tore the meat off a chicken leg. “Our Doyeon can’t eat hot food, doesn’t like meat, doesn’t eat much... Goodness, when are you going to grow, baby Doyeon?”

“I’ll eat now and grow tomorrow, Mister Kangbin. Now focus on your own food.”

“Darling, you’re so thin... can you even raise your spoon? Is it too heavy? Do you need help?”

“Help how? Say it—how? Come on.”

“Like this,” Kangbin reached out to prop up Doyeon’s elbow. Doyeon ate his stew with a peaceful gaze on Kangbin, who gave up after a while, complaining his arm hurt.

Sunwoo joined in, massaging Doyeon’s shoulders. “You need to eat lots and lots, Doyeon. Look at this, your bones are right here...”

“Shut up. I was told that my frame suits all kinds of clothes. See, the boss of the uniform shop told me I could be a uniform model.”

Doyeon shook Sunwoo’s hands off. At the same time, someone made a pffft sound—a mocking laugh. Doyeon placed his spoon down and slowly turned his head.

Did he just laugh?

Hyunoh was eating his food with a straight expression, as if he had never laughed at all.

Doyeon was angry, but he shoved his face in his plate and chewed. Well, he wasn’t in a position where he could discuss being a model in front of Hyunoh—not considering his classmate’s attractive features. After all, Hyunoh was a true “handsome” person, and he was ravenously eating his food.

But that didn’t mean Hyunoh had to laugh at him... I never said it seriously, did I? It was a joke.

Doyeon slid his eyes up to glare at Hyunoh, and before he could look back at him, Doyeon turned his gaze and met the shrimp’s eye in front of him.

It was a blow to his pride. He was acting like a puffed-up sparrow in front of a swan.