Chapter 4: A Midnight Stroll and Hidden Intentions

“Oh. So you two aren’t studying together—Jung Ban-ri is just tutoring you? That’s incredible.”

Ye-eun was, as expected, incredibly intelligent. She was also remarkably innocent.

“Uh, yeah. Something like that. Ah, I think I’m a little drunk. I should probably go get some fresh air.”

In-tae quickly stammered out his words, then abruptly pushed himself to his feet. For a moment, his legs buckled beneath him.

The sight of one of the room’s tallest figures swaying drew everyone’s immediate attention.

“Yoon In-tae, what are you doing? Are you dancing?”

“No, my legs are just too long, so…”

“What the hell! He’s completely wasted too!”

In-tae tossed out a joke to quell the embarrassment, then swiftly headed for the door.

“Yoon In-tae, your face is really red! I’ll help you.”

Ye-eun, who was sitting nearby, quickly stood up and followed In-tae.

“What, are you two going for a walk?!”

“What could be the reason for them to go out alone on such a late night?”

“That’s not it! Don’t say weird things.”

Despite Na Ye-eun’s stern warning, her peers whistled teasingly, creating a commotion. In that moment, it seemed the greatest concern for the nation’s top prodigies was romance.

***

Stepping out of the pension, they were met with hot, humid air. It was the tail end of June, and summer had arrived early this year.

“It’s hot.”

“Yeah, it really is.”

If he were alone, In-tae would have gone down to the water and splashed cold water on his face. However, considering his companion, he opted for the sports field instead.

“Shall we walk that way?”

“Sounds good.”

They walked for a while, listening to the sound of the water, when Ye-eun was the first to speak.

“You know, can I join you next semester?”

“Join what?”

“Studying with Ban-ri… or is it tutoring? Anyway, whatever you two are doing, I want to be included.”

“Oh, no, that’s a bit much!”

His voice shot up sharply. Ye-eun, slightly startled, adopted a demure expression.

“What kind of reaction is that? I could be quite helpful, you know?”

“Uh, of course, I think you would be, but I’m really no help at all. And Ban-ri, too—”

“I know. Ban-ri isn’t someone who needs anyone’s help.”

‘She knows him well.’

While In-tae searched for the right words, Ye-eun continued speaking.

“Actually, when Ban-ri asked me for notes, I suggested we study together. But he refused, saying he needed to focus on your studies. The thing is, my grades are pretty good, so I never intended to be a burden to either Ban-ri or you. I just… thought it would be nice just to study together…”

As Ye-eun chattered on, her face grew progressively redder.

‘Ye-eun’s interest isn’t in grades; it’s in Jung Ban-ri.’

Having attended middle and high school with Jung Ban-ri, In-tae had experienced this countless times, so the realization came easily.

Half the time, when female students called him aside after school, it wasn’t for him but to inquire about Jung Ban-ri’s romantic intentions.

Humans truly were all the same. It didn’t matter if they were the wealthiest teenagers in the nation, the smartest twenty-somethings in the country, or even himself.

“So, what do you think? Is it a bad idea?”

“…No, studying together sounds good.”

‘I won’t even be at school next semester, but… if Jung Ban-ri had a study partner, perhaps my absence wouldn’t feel so significant.’

‘Crazy. What absence?’

He must be truly drunk to think such nonsense. Regardless, there was no harm in Jung Ban-ri having a study partner.

“Really? So we’re doing it, then?”

Looking into her eyes, which were filled with anticipation, In-tae nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll talk to Ban-ri.”

“Thank you! Oh. And tell Ban-ri he doesn’t have to make test papers for me. It’s too much trouble. Or, is it better if I tell him myself?”

Excited, Ye-eun became a little more talkative.

“But Ban-ri truly lacks nothing, does he?”

Ye-eun’s comment wasn’t really a question. In-tae merely needed to offer an appropriate affirmation. However, the moment he opened his mouth, a single word clearly materialized in his mind.

“In-tae.”

Just then, a low voice came from behind them. Turning his head, In-tae saw him standing with his back to the streetlamp.

Against the backlighting, the man’s face was shrouded in shadow.

“It’s Ban-ri,” Ye-eun murmured, gently clutching In-tae’s forearm. Her subtle gaze conveyed a silent request to keep their previous conversation a secret.

In-tae returned her shy smile, then turned his head to find Jung Ban-ri had already approached within a step.

“You went out in slippers. I was worried you might slip on the wet ground near the stream.”

A captivating smile graced his face, now free from shadow. Ye-eun gazed at Jung Ban-ri as if enchanted, her cheeks slightly flushed and raised.

‘Why does he have to smile so prettily? He’s really putting on a meticulous act as a kind classmate.’

Though In-tae’s thoughts veered cynically, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Jung Ban-ri either.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, In-tae’s eyes narrowed. Jung Ban-ri wore a picturesque smile, a perfectly crafted expression.

Yet, for some reason, it seemed he couldn’t entirely conceal a subtly cold undertone. Just as In-tae was about to observe him more closely, Jung Ban-ri suddenly bent down.

“In-tae, you shouldn’t strain your ankle yet.”

Jung Ban-ri’s large hand enveloped In-tae’s left ankle. He then gently rubbed the ankle bone with his flattened thumb. In-tae’s toes wiggled in response.

“Don’t. It’s gross.”

“Does it tickle?”

The touch itself was one thing, but his low voice, laced with amusement, was even more ticklish.

“What are you saying?” In-tae retorted with a sullen tone, pulling his foot back. He rubbed his itchy instep against his calf.

When in front of others, the man became several times more affectionate, just like ‘normal’ people. Even knowing it was all an act, In-tae’s chest couldn’t help but feel a flutter.

“What, In-tae, did you get hurt?” Ye-eun asked in a surprised voice, noticing his ankle.

The clean mark, running from his ankle, past the bone, and up to his instep, was a scar left from surgery. The faintness of the mark, relative to the size of the injury, made it hard to notice without close inspection.

“Yeah. A while ago. The surgery went well, so I’m fine now.”

“How did that happen? You must have been badly hurt—”

“Still, you should be careful. An injured spot is easy to hurt again.”

Jung Ban-ri cut off Ye-eun’s words, adding in a concerned tone. Ye-eun, looking up at Jung Ban-ri with sparkling eyes, appeared to have received the complete answer she hadn’t gotten from In-tae earlier.

‘As expected, Jung Ban-ri truly lacks nothing.’

It was certainly easy to be fooled. Even In-tae, who knew his true nature, occasionally forgot that fact.

“Ban-ri’s right. It’s a downhill path here, which isn’t good for my ankle. Anyway, we were just about to head back. Right?”

Ye-eun’s cute intentions were transparent. If they went in together like this, they would end up drinking together. Drinking with Ye-eun would be more comfortable for Ban-ri than with Jo Gi-tae or the others, so it wasn’t a bad idea.

“That’s right. Let’s go quickly.”

As In-tae followed Ye-eun, who was walking with excited steps, Jung Ban-ri spoke.

“In-tae.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s stop by there before we go.”

At Ban-ri’s words, all three of their heads turned simultaneously.

“Where…”

The place Jung Ban-ri pointed to with his sharp chin was the container at the end of the sports field. It was the makeshift shower room where In-tae and his peers had washed up after foot volleyball.

‘Does he want to shower? Suddenly?’

In-tae quickly scanned Jung Ban-ri’s body. There were no visible traces of dirt. However, things like alcohol remain sticky even after being wiped off.

Given how fastidiously clean Jung Ban-ri was, almost to the point of having a phobia, he would surely want to wash it off immediately. But if there was one thing Jung Ban-ri disliked more than stickiness, it was showing his body to others.

Thus, he must have come out to the makeshift shower room, unable to wash in the crowded main accommodation.

‘Then why did he insist on taking me with him?’

‘That’s right, there was no lock there. He must need someone to stand guard at the door.’

In-tae quickly grasped Jung Ban-ri’s true intentions.

“Hey. What kind of guys go to the bathroom together?” Ye-eun’s remark, though spoken as a joke, was also an apt observation.

Typically, men don’t go to the bathroom with other men. The same applied to Jung Ban-ri and In-tae.

“No, going to the bathroom together is—”

“Yeah. We—”

Their voices overlapped. Unlike In-tae, who fell silent when their voices coincided, Jung Ban-ri finished his sentence in a gentle, deliberate tone.

“—a bit much.”

Jung Ban-ri leaned towards Ye-eun and whispered as if sharing a great secret, almost as if returning her teasing with a joke. His dark eyes sparkled between his beautifully curved eyelids.

“Oh, my goodness, you two must be really close.”

Ye-eun, her face flushed, fanned herself with her hand. It was a trivial joke, yet her face was alight with amusement.

“I’m jealous. So jealous. Let me join you two, please.”

The words, which had started as teasing, subtly shifted into praise for their friendship.

“Then, do you want to come with us?”

“What?”

“What?!”

‘What is he thinking right now?’

“Ye-eun, if you want to go, let’s go together.”

Jung Ban-ri repeated his words with an air of composure. While In-tae stood dumbfounded, Ye-eun playfully slapped Jung Ban-ri’s shoulder.

“Ban-ri, are you treating me like a guy right now?”

“Not exactly.”

Jung Ban-ri’s eye-smile deepened. Ye-eun, as if unable to bear the embarrassment any longer, abruptly turned towards the accommodation.

“Forget it?! I’m going in first, then. You two come later and drink with me!”

‘Ah, so this was his ploy to make her leave on her own? He truly was a formidable bastard, in more ways than one.’

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Midway through her dash to the pension, she suddenly stopped, spun around, and shouted. In-tae, who had been observing Jung Ban-ri, quickly turned his head towards her.

“Alright! Don’t fall. Watch where you’re going.”

“Promise!”

Ye-eun raised her pinky finger. Though a touch childish, the gesture felt endearing. In that moment, Ye-eun was undeniably a girl deeply in love.

In-tae, understanding her heart all too well, mirrored her hand gesture to spare her any embarrassment.

The man who knew nothing of hearts fixed his gaze on In-tae’s hand. The large, unmistakably adult hand, forming a childish pinky promise, seemed oddly out of place.

“…It’s cute,” In-tae mumbled, shrugging his shoulders in mild embarrassment.

Jung Ban-ri offered no reply, his expression utterly unchanged. In-tae knew full well that Jung Ban-ri had no need to act when they were alone, yet he still felt a needless pang of awkwardness and quickly added.

“No, not me. I meant Ye-eun.”

He folded his pinky finger into a fist. ‘Unlike his own, some unrequited loves could be this adorable,’ he thought to himself.