X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerWith only seven minutes remaining until the next class, I hastened my pace. Fortunately, the next classroom was nearby, allowing me to find my seat within two minutes.
Having some time to spare, I pulled my phone from my pocket, and just as I did, it vibrated.
Seo Gi-hyeon: [Wanna comee?]
Anyone observing his messages might have assumed he was intoxicated, yet typos were merely a daily occurrence for Seo Gi-hyeon. He would often text while walking, mangling his words, even when a face-to-face conversation would have sufficed.
I had grown so accustomed to his habits that what might have confused others was effortlessly clear to me.
Seo Gi-hyeon: [Club]
Seo Gi-hyeon: [Come]
It was startlingly clear how easily Seo Gi-hyeon’s intentions were revealed through just those two words. This wasn’t the first time he had invited me to a club.
He had extended invitations to every club he joined—the gaming club, the art club, the ping-pong club—and eventually, he resorted to pleading with me just to visit once.
I refused. I refused again. That was the only time I consistently rejected his request.
After that, he seemed to have quieted down for a long while, perhaps realizing that he, too, struggled to maintain interest in a single activity for an extended period.
Me: [No]
I sent a terse reply, and another message immediately arrived.
Seo Gi-hyeon: [Why]
Seo Gi-hyeon: [Hyung you two]
Seo Gi-hyeon: [Hyung you should come too]
Me: [Still no]
Despite the urgency of the moment, I found myself worrying about Seo Gi-hyeon’s habit of texting while walking. I felt almost like an overly zealous parent, a thought that made me inwardly cringe.
Seo Gi-hyeon: [Just]
Seo Gi-hyeon: [Visittt]
Seo Gi-hyeon: [Even just to visit?]
Me: [Not even just to visit]
I had received numerous invitations to join, not just from Seo Gi-hyeon, but also from other club members, including the hyung I had met that morning. They all urged me to at least come visit if I wasn’t going to join, using the exact same persuasive tactics as Seo Gi-hyeon.
Seo Gi-hyeon could have easily declined on my behalf. I knew he hadn’t because he wanted to invite me to the club, even by proxy. However, no amount of coaxing through others would sway me.
Seo Gi-hyeon: [You don’t have to do anything if you come]
Me: [No time]
Seo Gi-hyeon: [Why no time ㅠ]
Me: [Gotta study]
It was an excuse, but half of it was genuine. Unlike some, I possessed an ordinary brain, and this semester filled me with considerable apprehension. While it would have been preferable to take regular classes, my efforts to enroll in the same courses as Seo Gi-hyeon had paradoxically backfired.
The final period I shared with Seo Gi-hyeon was AP Statistics, the highest-level course. And even the science class I couldn’t take with him was a more challenging chemistry class than those offered to other sections.
“Haa…”
A sigh escaped me automatically as I gazed at the chat window, riddled with typos. ‘How could anyone call this guy smart?’
I knew he would pester me about it again when we met, and the mere thought already gave me a headache.
–♪♫
Just then, the bell rang, and I slipped my phone back into my pocket. When I retrieved it at lunchtime, there were no new messages.
As expected, when I met Seo Gi-hyeon in the last class, he pestered me several more times to join him. And I, in turn, refused several more times. He seemed slightly disappointed, but I feigned ignorance until the very end.
****
Knock, knock.
I was alone in my dorm room, engrossed in homework. The moment I heard the knock, I rose, but in the short time it took to reach the door, I heard multiple shouts from outside, urging me to open it. I didn’t even need to ask who it was; the voice was unmistakable.
“You’re here?”
“Oh? You’re alone? Where’s Gi-hyeon?”
“Club.”
“Ah, right.”
The visitor entered as if it were their own room and settled into a chair at the table. By now, such behavior felt entirely natural.
“And why did you come alone?”
“Jang Gi-jae went to meet his girlfriend.”
It was Park Jun-sung who spoke, opening his math textbook as he did. Our connection with those two was quite remarkable. While they weren’t as significant as Seo Gi-hyeon, I still shared in their joy when they both ended up wearing the same school emblem. Since I knew they had submitted their applications concurrently with Seo Gi-hyeon, it wasn’t particularly surprising.
However, I did feel a touch of admiration. To think I was surrounded by so many fortunate individuals. Attending a school with such exorbitant tuition was only possible thanks to having good parents.
“By the way, Seo Gi-hyeon’s club activity seems to be lasting quite a while this time.”
“Yeah. He must be enjoying it.”
“Why don’t you join him?”
“Too much hassle.”
Park Jun-sung gave me a puzzled look.
“But don’t they usually not meet very often anyway? Some clubs only meet once a month.”
“That one meets once a week.”
“Really? Hmm.”
My reason for not joining a club wasn’t solely about studying. I needed some time away from him, even if only for a brief period. If we started doing after-school activities together, I feared we might become inseparable, and somehow, I felt that I would be the one who wouldn’t be okay with that.
Occasionally, I doubted myself. I was certain I was someone who preferred solitude, but was that truly the case? The doubts that had begun when I reunited with Seo Gi-hyeon had never ceased.
“Honestly, tell me. Is it the club activities that are a hassle, or is it Seo Gi-hyeon?”
“What do you think?”
“Hmm… I see.”
Park Jun-sung nodded to himself, even though I hadn’t given a direct answer.
“Then what about other clubs? You could just join one you’re interested in. Isn’t there any club that catches your eye?”
“Well. If I had spare time, I’d rather study.”
This wasn’t a choice; it was a necessity. If I were to join another club, there was a 200% chance Seo Gi-hyeon would quit his current club and transfer to mine.
“Wow… Im Jeong-woo. Just how good of a university are you aiming for?”
“It’s not about university; I’m worried I won’t even make it to the next grade.”
“What? Is it that bad?”
“You try taking classes with Gi-hyeon.”
At this point, it felt as though half of my life revolved around Seo Gi-hyeon. The other half was my parents. Though we were told to set our own goals even at a young age, I was the only one among us who hadn’t managed to do so.
“Damn it. I keep forgetting to return the board game. Seo Gi-hyeon said he really wanted it today. I’ll have to tell Gi-jae to bring it when he comes.”
“Didn’t you say he went to meet his girlfriend?”
“He’ll probably be back soon? He said he was just going to drop off a gift.”
“He’s diligent.”
“They’ve only been dating for a month, so they seem to be doing well for now. Who knows what’ll happen later, though.”
Park Jun-sung, who had come to do homework, spent a considerable amount of time talking about Jang Gi-jae’s new girlfriend. Somehow, he seemed more excited about it than Jang Gi-jae himself.
“Hey. But what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Is there anyone?”
“Does there have to be?”
“Uh… not necessarily, but.”
If I had to pinpoint the biggest change in just one year, it was less about our physical growth and more about our mental development. In this newfound freedom, those around me began to awaken to romantic interests, one by one. Even those who hadn’t previously shown such inclinations quickly discovered feelings beyond friendship. Not everyone, but most of them.
“Still, don’t you usually have someone you’re interested in?”
“Does that have to be true?”
“Uh… no, not that either.”
I conveyed with my eyes, ‘Then why don’t you just be quiet?’ Of course, it had no effect.
“When I observe you, you really don’t talk about yourself.”
“If you’re curious about something, just ask. What do you want to know?”
“Hmm…”
“If you have to think that hard to come up with something, it must not be that important to you.”
I pushed the neglected homework toward him. Park Jun-sung immediately scowled and let out a sigh. His shoulders, which had been tensed, finally slumped.
“I don’t know where anyone gets the idea that you’re kind.”
“I’m kind? Who says?”
“People around us.”
The crucial qualifier, ‘Seo Gi-hyeon’s,’ was missing. Among those who truly knew me, no one would consider me kind, so the only people who would say such a thing about me were those in Seo Gi-hyeon’s circle.
Having nothing to say, I simply smiled, and his face twisted into a frown as he looked at me.
“See? You’re smiling, but your eyes aren’t. It’s completely fake, utterly fake. You seem kind on the outside, but when you get to know you, you’re incredibly cold.”
“It’s a relief to hear I at least appear kind on the outside.”
“That wasn’t a compliment, you know?”
“I wasn’t expecting a compliment from you anyway.”
“Wow.”
Park Jun-sung, his face still contorted, fanned himself with his hand, even though it wasn’t hot. He seemed genuinely aggrieved, even though I knew it was half in jest.
“This is why Seo Gi-hyeon can never win against you.”
“Win at what? An argument?”
“Well, arguments, and just everything. Isn’t he way too discriminatory in how he treats us versus how he treats you?”
As Park Jun-sung said, Seo Gi-hyeon acted uniquely toward me. He would never lose an argument with anyone else, but if I said a single word, he would quickly concede. He would brush off nagging from others, yet he would listen attentively to anything I said, no matter what it was.
“Then, want to switch places with me?”
“…Huh?”
“If you want special treatment from Seo Gi-hyeon, then you can share a room with him.”
The reason Seo Gi-hyeon couldn’t win against me was because he deliberately let me win. And the reason he had no choice but to do so was already well known to anyone who had observed us for long. I was the one who tidied the living room Seo Gi-hyeon messed up, I was the one who cleaned the bathroom, and I was the one who organized our room. Beyond all that, I was the only one who could even wake Seo Gi-hyeon up.
“Or, if you just want to try it for a day, how about it?”
Park Jun-sung, his mouth agape, shook his head vigorously.
“No, damn it, when did I say I wanted special treatment? I just said he was discriminatory. You just go ahead and enjoy all that special treatment. To live with a guy like Seo Gi-hyeon… you truly deserve respect.”
“Just a moment ago, you said I was fake and cold.”
“I take it back. You are truly the kindest person in the world.”
Honestly, even I thought I was the kindest person in the world.
At least, to Seo Gi-hyeon.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read I Want To Bite You! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : I Want To Bite You
