Chapter 15: Unexpected Company and a Harsh Confrontation

I hurriedly stepped out of the front door. The moment I pushed open the glass door, the sharp sunlight struck my skin, forcing me to squint intensely.

Unlike me, Yoon Heesung slowly blinked his eyes, seemingly at peace in the sunlight. Sunlight dappled across his cheek, highlighting the remarkably smooth line of his forehead peeking through his hair. His lips formed a pleasing curve.

“Hello,” he greeted.

“What are you doing here?” I blurted out.

How did he know where I lived? And what was happening so early in the morning? Amidst a flurry of thoughts, what truly caught my attention was his attire.

Yoon Heesung was wearing a school uniform.

Not casual clothes, but his uniform.

Perhaps I had already anticipated his next words.

“I came to walk to school with you.”

“What? Really?”

Yet, hearing it aloud, I found myself repeatedly asking in a hurried, almost frantic tone.

“School? For real?”

“You told me to take the mock exam,” he replied.

“…I did say that,” I admitted slowly.

I had mentioned it two days prior while we were studying. To ensure he wouldn’t forget, I even reminded him again before he left for home yesterday.

‘Heesung listens well to what you say, Yunwoo. You know that, right?’

Suddenly, his mother’s words from before echoed in my mind. A strange, unsettling feeling bubbled up inside me, causing me to hold my breath. I feared that if I exhaled too deeply, something within me might just burst.

Yoon Heesung kicked the bike stand, drawing my attention.

“Want to ride on the back?”

“What… no, it’s fine.”

Though I was slightly tempted, I shook my head. At my refusal, Yoon Heesung pulled his bike handlebars without a second thought.

“Then let’s walk together.”

The suggestion of “walking together” felt oddly embarrassing. Had anyone else said it, I doubted I would have felt this way. Nevertheless, we began to walk side by side, just as he suggested.

The path to school was deserted, lending an air of profound stillness to our surroundings. Only the whirring of the bike wheels, the soft scrape of shoe soles against the sand, and the distant sound of waves broke the silence. The cool morning air was invigorating, and we chatted idly as we walked.

“Did you bring a marker pen?”

“Do I need a marker pen?”

“I have two. I’ll give you one.”

I walked alongside Yoon Heesung, explaining the basic method for filling out an OMR card. Even though there was more than just one or two things I needed to teach him, I found myself simply enjoying the moment. The fact that Yoon Heesung had decided to come to school made me incredibly happy.

“By the way, Yunwoo,”

“Huh?”

“I really enjoyed studying with you the other day.”

Yoon Heesung began, then posed the question, “Do you want to study together at my house again this weekend?”

Had he developed a fondness for studying? It seemed our session two days ago had gone quite well. Having no reason to refuse, I naturally nodded my assent. Yoon Heesung then followed up with another question.

“Do you want to stay over again?”

“Ah, staying over… I don’t know.”

This time, however, I couldn’t readily nod. Two days ago, his mother had asked, and my own mother had readily agreed, so I had stayed the night without issue. But to do so again made me hesitant.

“Why can’t you stay over?”

“Well… my mom would be home alone if I wasn’t there.”

Leaving my mother by herself weighed on my mind. She wouldn’t say anything, but I just felt uneasy. It was probably an unnecessary worry, but what if something happened?

“Mom alone… again…”

Yoon Heesung tilted his head, echoing my words. It was as if he were mumbling to himself, trying to force the information into his mind, much like one might do while studying for an exam.

After silently mulling over my answer for a long moment, Yoon Heesung shrugged, as if finally understanding.

“Alright, do that then.”

“Seriously?” I muttered.

His tone was almost as if he were granting me permission.

As always, Yoon Heesung accepted my words without pressing further, yet I could sense his displeasure. His tightly pressed lips seemed to protest, demanding that his suggestion be heard.

It seemed he truly disliked being alone. If that were the case, why didn’t he share a building with his mother instead of choosing solitude? I’d heard Yoon Heesung had no younger siblings, only two older ones. Was that why he was acting so childishly with me? Perhaps, having grown up as the youngest at home, he behaved like the youngest outside of it too.

Lost in thought, I blurted out a question.

“You have an older brother and sister, don’t you?”

In truth, this question held no particular significance. It was merely an idle remark, much like commenting on the pleasant weather. At least, that was my intention, but then—

Screech—!

The bike he was pushing skidded to a halt, and Yoon Heesung abruptly stopped walking right after it.

“Who told you that?”

“…Huh? Oh, I just… happened to hear it.”

His reaction was intense. A sudden wave of unease washed over me. Had I said something wrong? As I stood there flustered, Yoon Heesung barraged me with questions, his tone clearly indicating his displeasure.

“From whom? Did you ask them?”

“No, I didn’t ask, but…”

“Then who told you?”

Though it hardly qualified as a barrage, I was startled because it was Yoon Heesung. He was naturally slow-spoken and a person of few words.

The atmosphere had unexpectedly shifted.

“Who told you?” he pressed insistently.

I clenched and unclenched my fists several times, nervously fiddling with the hem of my uniform pants. It was unnerving to be interrogated by someone who wasn’t usually like this. Finally, I gave in and confessed.

“…My mom told me.”

“Your mom?”

Yoon Heesung’s voice, as he echoed the word, carried an ominous undertone.

‘Was I not supposed to say that?’

Yet, it wasn’t some grave secret, merely a matter of family relations. As I remained bewildered by the inexplicable shift in mood, Yoon Heesung casually resumed walking, as if the chilling tension from moments before had been nothing but a dream. What he said next was utterly out of left field.

“So you were curious about me.”

…

Did… did it really come across that way? While it was true I had been curious about Yoon Heesung, I never imagined it would be interpreted like *that*.

Yoon Heesung’s tone had, in the blink of an eye, softened to a gentle murmur.

“You should have just asked me. I would have told you.”

Moreover, a hint of disappointment seemed to tinge his voice.

“Next time, ask me directly.”

“Ah, oh. Right…”

Disappointment?

‘No way.’

How could he possibly feel disappointed after just cornering me like that? What kind of lunatic would do such a thing? Although I felt a strange flicker of unease, I dismissed it. The weather was far too beautiful to waste time fretting over such trivial matters.

Chatting with Yoon Heesung, we soon arrived at school.

“I’ll go park my bike, so you head inside first.”

“Okay. See you later.”

“…Yeah.”

Yoon Heesung’s faint smile had a way of unsettling me. If not for that face, a simple greeting wouldn’t leave my heart in such disarray. After watching his retreating back for a moment, I belatedly entered the school building.

****

On exam days, students were seated according to their assigned numbers. However, as transfer students, Yoon Heesung and I were seated not by alphabetical order, but by the order of our transfer. I was first, followed immediately by Yoon Heesung.

I took a seat directly in front of the back door. After pulling a workbook from my bag and placing it in the desk drawer, I found myself pondering what to review before the test.

It was then that an unexpectedly gloomy voice reached my ears.

“Yunwoo…”

Startled by the unforeseen voice, I snapped my head around. Park Byungjoo stood beside me, grinning creepily. Without thinking, I blurted out curtly,

“…What is it?”

“I just have a quick question for you.”

Ever since the day Kim Youngseok had picked a fight with me, Byungjoo had been acting overly friendly. To be precise, he wasn’t genuinely trying to be friendly; he clearly wanted something from me. I didn’t know what it was, but it was obvious from how he’d casually approach, ask a trivial question, and then quickly disappear once I gave a curt reply.

Today seemed to be no different, as Byungjoo asked yet another inconsequential question.

“Why don’t you stay after school for self-study these days?”

“You even know I’m not staying for self-study?”

“Of course. We’re in the same class; how could I not know?”

As he spoke, Byungjoo’s lips twitched into another smirk. He was… quite unpleasant. Trying hard not to show my irritation, I offered a vague excuse.

“It’s more comfortable to study at home.”

“Really? I can’t study at all at home. That’s amazing.”

Despite my brief replies, Byungjoo continued to praise me, forcing the conversation forward.

“You’re really good at studying too. What’s your secret?”

“Secret? There’s no secret… I just study.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you just unwilling to share?”

Park Byungjoo was infuriating, even with the most ordinary answers. My patience finally wore thin. Unwilling to even reply, I feigned disinterest and sighed dramatically.

It was at that precise moment that my eyes met Yoon Heesung’s, as he entered through the front door.

He must have just parked his bike and was coming in now. I was about to acknowledge him, to point out his seat.

I would have, had a stream of curses not suddenly erupted right beside me, brushing past my ear.

“That crazy bastard.”

I turned my head, and as if to confirm it wasn’t a delusion, a dull voice mumbled again.

“What nerve does that jerk have to show up at school so early in the morning?”

…

“So arrogant…”

The world seemed to spin in slow motion before my eyes, stunned by the shock. I almost lost myself in a daze, but quickly regained my composure and raised my arm high.

“…Yoon Heesung. Sit here. Your seat is right behind mine.”

I omitted the explanation that this was due to exam seating. Instead, I gripped Park Byungjoo’s arm tightly.

“And you, I need a word with you for a moment.”

Before Yoon Heesung could even sit down, I seized Park Byungjoo. I dragged him out of the classroom and swiftly ascended the stairs, intending to talk to him quietly in a deserted corner on the fourth floor. To my surprise, Park Byungjoo followed me without any resistance.

“What is it? Why are you doing this? What do you want to say?”

His small eyes, far from being defiant, glinted with curiosity. He seemed to have completely forgotten the insults he had just spewed.

…

I didn’t know what I was getting sick of, but I was sick of it. Barely containing my irritation, I finally let go of his arm with a sharp *thwack* as we reached the secluded corner on the fourth floor, then glared at him.