"I'm fine. I was looking for you anyway."
What? My brow furrowed instinctively. What the hell is this guy talking about? This overly optimistic bastard.
Out of nowhere, Shin Jaehyun pulled a yogurt cup from his pocket and held it out to me. I leaned back slightly, staring at the pink-wrapped yogurt in silence.
"What is this?"
"Yogurt. It was on today’s lunch menu at school."
"......"
"I don’t think Korea is very considerate of students with lactose intolerance."
"Why are you giving this to me?"
"I thought you might’ve only eaten bread again."
As if my refusal didn’t faze him at all, Shin Jaehyun kept talking with that same easygoing smile.
"It’s for you."
"I'm good. Give it to someone else."
I didn’t feel like eating. I was just about to take the chance to leave when—
Growl.
"......"
No matter how I looked at it, this was just a cursed year. Nineteen was an unlucky age. With a flushed face, I wrapped my arms around my stomach. The thought of the lunch I hadn’t been able to eat because of Go Yohan crossed my mind. And then, the thought of Go Yohan himself, who hadn’t even bothered to follow me.
"......Ah, fuck."
So that’s it. I wasn’t even worth following anymore. Just a discarded hand.
I swallowed hard and lowered my head, speaking in a voice that probably came out a little sharper than I intended.
"I'm not hungry."
"Really? That’s a shame."
His obvious lie was met with an equally genuine tone of regret. Then, without hesitation, Shin Jaehyun reached out and slipped the yogurt into my pocket.
"Then give it to a friend. Anyone."
"I said I don’t want it. Just keep it."
"That would be a bit of a problem."
What problem? He had way more friends than I did. Meanwhile, I had no one to give it to. I swallowed down the irritation rising in my throat and forced a smile.
"No, I don't think it’d be a problem at all, Jaehyun."
"Do me a favor and give it to anyone you pass by. If you don’t eat it now, it’ll just go to waste."
"Why?"
"Because I’m heading back to the classroom to read quietly."
With that, Shin Jaehyun reached out and flattened the fold in my pocket where he’d stuffed the yogurt.
"It’s almost summer. Dairy spoils fast."
"It’s not that hot yet."
"Yeah. But it might be by the time you find someone else to give it to."
His words trailed off into a smile—one of those unwavering ones that made it clear he wouldn’t argue further. I glanced down at the bulging pocket and decided it wasn’t worth the effort to keep pushing back. It was a waste of time. And honestly, I didn’t even want to deal with Shin Jaehyun right now.
Yeah. It’s just a damn yogurt.
"Fine."
"Great, thanks."
Why was he thanking me? The sheer absurdity of it made me shake my head.
I turned away, gripping the railing as I descended the stairs. One step, then another. The sound of footsteps moving in the opposite direction reached my ears.
Then, as if something took hold of me, I turned around again. My lips parted without me even realizing.
"Don't go to the classroom."
Shin Jaehyun froze in place.
He turned his head to look at me. Seeing him from this angle, I realized just how tall he actually was. That thought struck me out of nowhere.
Yeah. There had to be a reason he carried himself with so much ease. Like how big dogs tend to be calmer than small ones—because they know they’ll win.
"Why?"
"Go Yohan and his so-called friends are in there."
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Shin Jaehyun’s eyes widened slightly. Then, slowly, he started to smile. A slightly incredulous smile.
Why the hell was he smiling like that? My brows knitted together again.
"Aren’t you Go Yohan’s friend?"
"......"
This bastard really had a way of making me speechless.
"Anyway, thanks for the heads-up. Doesn’t sound like the best place to read right now."
"......It won’t be."
"Alright, then."
His steps turned lightly as he pivoted. As he walked past me, descending half a flight of stairs, he suddenly looked up.
"Wanna come with me?"
"......"
"I was heading to the art room."
Shin Jaehyun casually pulled a key out of his pocket and dangled it in front of me with a smug expression.
"I’m the art club president, so I have a key."
"......"
If this had been any other day, I wouldn’t have even spared him a glance. I would’ve just walked away. And if I had answered, it would’ve been with one of those smooth, detached refusals, pretending to be all unbothered.
A month ago, that’s exactly what Kang Jun would have done.
But I wasn’t the Kang Jun from a month ago.
I hadn’t expected the world to turn upside down so easily.
I had to learn how to survive while being dragged through the mud.
And right now, I desperately needed somewhere to escape to.
That yellow key looked far too tempting.
So I nodded. Slowly.
"Yeah, okay."
Shin Jaehyun took a moment to glance up at me from below. Then, he simply said:
"I’ll go ahead first."
To be honest, I had expected him to come back up and help me down the stairs. That was the kind of overly considerate guy I thought he was.
But he didn’t.
It caught me off guard. No—really off guard.
My stiff fingers tapped against the railing. Then, shaking off my thoughts, I followed after him.
It was a bit difficult, but I managed to make it to the art room on my own.
Just as Shin Jaehyun said, the door was unlocked.
There was no one else inside. It was quiet.
By the time I stepped in, Shin Jaehyun was already sitting in a corner, reading a book he’d picked up from who-knows-where. English literature again.
I sat down at the breeziest spot in the room, cautiously glancing at him before struggling to open the yogurt.
I thought I heard a faint chuckle, but I ignored it and stared down at the noisy schoolyard below.
"Tired?"
The soft voice drifted toward me with the wind.
I snapped back to reality and set my yogurt down on the windowsill.
It was unsettling.
I turned my head to look at Shin Jaehyun, but his eyes were still on his book.
For a second, I thought I might have imagined it.
"Did you just say that to me?"
"Yeah."
Flip. Another page turned.
My irritation spiked.
It wasn’t even subtle anymore—my displeasure was written all over my face.
Not that it mattered. Shin Jaehyun wasn’t even looking at me.
I knew exactly what he meant, but instead of reacting too sensitively, I deflected.
"I'm fine. I'll be getting the cast off soon, and my foot is almost healed."
"Yeah. That must be tough, too."
That too? So I was right from the beginning.
Damn it.
I completely lost my appetite and pushed the yogurt cup away. Then, I wiped the irritation off my face.
"Jaehyun."
"Hm?"
Shin Jaehyun, who had been flipping through his book, slowly lifted his head. Our eyes met.
Luckily, he was looking at kind Kang Jun.
I gave a small nod and spoke.
"Don't cross the line."
Didn't he spend time in America?
I raised an eyebrow wordlessly.
Then he should know about privacy.
"You lived in the U.S., right? You wouldn’t have done this kind of thing there."
"I didn’t."
Jaehyun scratched his neck with an awkward smile, then shut his mouth. The quiet sound of pages turning followed.
He’s really at ease, huh?
I exhaled sharply and leaned against the wall. Yeah, I wasn’t coming back here. If I’d known this conversation was going to happen, I would’ve just hidden somewhere and killed time.
I shook my head, regretting my choice.
And then—
"I got bullied."
Flip.
Another page turned.
My gaze instinctively snapped to Jaehyun.
I had never heard him say something like that before.
But he kept talking, as if his sudden confession meant nothing.
"Most middle schoolers are small, you know? It wasn’t exactly the best place for a scrawny East Asian kid to fit in."
His American years.
I was caught off guard.
Were we even close enough to be having this kind of conversation?
I stiffened slightly, but Jaehyun didn’t seem to care about my reaction at all.
"Well, that’s just how it was. They weren’t racist, exactly. They just didn’t want to be around a Chinese kid."
"You're not Chinese."
"In a foreign country, all East Asians might as well be Chinese."
Jaehyun pressed both index fingers to the corners of his eyes, stretching them out hard. His double-lidded eyes pulled sideways. Then he stretched his lips into a grin and said—
"Ching chong."
He let out a breathy laugh.
"Three out of ten people would yell that right into my ear as they walked by. I can’t pronounce 'vanilla' properly, you know? And vanilla’s my favorite ice cream. Every time I said vanilla—"
He exaggerated the word—
"—they’d pretend not to understand and make fun of me. Told me to speak real English."
And so what?
Jaehyun must've noticed my expression stiffen, because he let out a light chuckle.
"But I can pronounce it fine now."
"......"
"Wanna hear?"
He pointed at his mouth and spoke deliberately.
"Vah—nih—lah."
His pronunciation was flawless, just like those foreign actors in movies.
I had no idea how to respond to that, so I just gave a weird answer.
"Yeah. Good job."
Jaehyun flashed a wide grin at my empty compliment before burying his face back in his book.
For the next ten minutes, he said nothing. He just read.
Then, right before the bell rang, he left the art room.
I waited for him to come back.
But he never did.
Feeling a little puzzled, I walked over to his empty seat—
And there, out in the open, was the yellow key.
He had left it deliberately, right where I’d see it.
"Don’t. Don’t do it. Jaehyun’s a good guy."
That thought crossed my mind out of nowhere.
If I ever saw him getting ignored or mistreated somewhere, maybe I’d help him out.
And at that moment, I realized—
All the good things I’d heard about Shin Jaehyun?
They were all just him repaying favors.
****
Getting my shoes stolen, cutting my foot open, getting hit by a soccer ball, getting a nosebleed, meeting Han Taesan, and becoming Go Yohan’s discarded pawn—all of this had happened in just two weeks.
And now, after all those miserable days, Friday the 13th had arrived.
I must have been unconsciously hoping that the last day of the week would never come.
I had a nightmare.
I couldn’t remember exactly what it was about, but I knew it was terrifying.
The proof? I woke up in a cold sweat, screaming.
"Hah... Hah..."
4 a.m.
The sound of rain tapping against the window and the ticking of the clock filled my room.
Friday.
I sat on my bed, cursing the sun that had yet to rise.
"......Fuck."
Why does the sun rise every single day?
And why is the incinerator always emptied on Fridays?
The rain had stopped, but I decided not to walk to school.
The ground was completely soaked, and I wasn’t in the mood for it.
Honestly, I was just glad the world had advanced enough to make my life slightly more convenient. I ordered a taxi on my phone and sluggishly packed my bag. Along the way, I grabbed a few snacks from the pantry in the secondary kitchen—just because.
On my way out, I locked eyes with the new housekeeper.
There was no conversation.
"......I’m just taking a few of these."
"Yes."
She was always so quiet.
For a moment, I had the unsettling thought that this silence was the eye of the storm.
Someday, someday, the storm would come.
My hopes were never fulfilled, but my fears? They were always right on target.
And the moment I stepped outside the front gate to wait for my taxi—
I met the exact reason I had spent the whole night feeling anxious.
"Yo."
"......"
"You’re heading to school early today."
I froze in place, my posture still stiff from stepping out the gate.
"You... why...?"
Why the hell was he in front of my house?
And why was he looking at me with that bright, carefree expression, as if he’d completely forgotten everything he had screamed at me before?
A siren blared in my head.
There was nothing good about getting tangled up with him right now.
On instinct, I turned sharply and reached for the gate handle, the very same one I had just let go of moments ago.
But just as I was about to push the door open—
A hand grabbed my left arm.
"Let’s talk."
No.
I didn’t even have the chance to say it.
Go Yohan’s grip tightened, and just like that, I was being dragged.
To be honest, I half went along with it on my own.
I had tried to pull my arm free the moment he grabbed me, but it was useless. At that point, there was nothing left for me to do but accept it.
"......"
The moment I stopped struggling, Go Yohan stopped pulling.
We had ended up in a narrow alley between my house and his.
The alley.
The one where the infamous hidden motorcycle was stashed away.
Once we got there, Go Yohan seemed satisfied and loosened his grip.
He licked his lips briefly before opening his mouth, speaking slowly.
That tiny movement had my entire body on high alert.
"Let’s make up."
Fucking hell.
And the next thing that came out of his mouth was even more ridiculous.
"I think it’d be better if we just make up."
Go Yohan still hadn’t let go of my arm.
My mind went completely blank.
He didn’t seem to care about my reaction at all. Instead, his grip grew bolder. His fingers shifted slightly, making a subtle movement against my sleeve.
What—what the hell is this?
I lowered my head, dazed.
His neatly trimmed fingernails dug lightly into the fabric of my white shirt.
It wasn’t quite enough to push me to the edge—just the right level of torment, just enough to make me uncomfortable.
He was pressing me.
I bit my lip, keeping my head lowered.
"Why aren’t you saying anything?"
"......"
Because if I spoke, my voice might shake.
Because I was afraid he’d hear how weak I sounded.
I couldn’t look up at him.
If I did, Go Yohan would see right through me.
My gaze slowly dropped to the ground.
A puddle had formed from last night’s rain.
And reflected in it—was Go Yohan’s face.
"......"
It was a face that already knew how this would end.
Like he was certain I’d accept his offer.
Like he was so sure of his own victory.
"Let’s just pretend none of that ever happened. That’d be better for you too, right? Makes school life easier."
"......"
"You probably want to make some proper friends by now. Who do you even hang out with these days? Park Haon? Im Yoonki? They don’t seem to care about you much anymore. Those two have always been close—like we used to be."
Then what about Oh Yeonjun?
I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw ached.
I wanted to grab his collar and shake him.
Why the fuck are you always with Oh Yeonjun? Why do you eat lunch with him?
Why the hell didn’t you mention his name?
He was the one who had been getting under my skin more than anyone lately.
So why?
Rage burned inside me.
But if I spoke now, my voice would come out broken.
I shut my eyes tight and swallowed it down.
"......"
"Hm? So let’s make up, yeah?"
Go Yohan’s fingers slid up my arm and gripped my shoulder firmly.
"Hmm?"
His voice dripped with audacity.
A sharp, nauseating itch clawed at my gut.
For a moment, my body was strangled by an instinctual reaction—
And then, suddenly—
My eyes snapped open.
Shit.
No.
No fucking way.
Fear gripped me.
I shoved his hand off me in a panic, terrified he’d notice my trembling.
At the same time, my head lifted on its own.
Maybe because I wanted to check his reaction.
"Sorry, but—"
The Go Yohan I had seen reflected in the puddle, the one smiling so smugly, didn’t match the one in front of me now.
His expression was sour as hell.
He quirked a brow and flexed his fingers, the ones I had pushed away. The sound of his joints cracking between his knuckles was an unsettling warning.
I carefully picked my words, making sure not to provoke him.
"Just... talk without touching me."
A faint rustle sounded as Go Yohan’s rosary shifted against his wrist.
He absentmindedly fiddled with it, then finally spoke.
"You..."
His voice curled into a sneer.
"You don’t actually think I’m still interested in you, do you?"
A sharp hiss of air escaped his lips.
He was laughing at me.
The simple request I had barely managed to force out was crushed beneath his ridicule.
What did I just hear?
My mind blurred.
"......What?"
"So you do think that. Wow. Even after all the shit you pulled? You’re still that arrogant. Classic Kang Jun."
My thoughts stuttered and jammed.
Then—
Click.
Something lodged deep in my brain snapped loose.
The gears inside me spun in reverse, grinding faster and faster.
Heat flared behind my face.
"My family figured out my preferences ages ago. And whatever the fuck you thought you were trying to do—just thinking about it is so fucking embarrassing I want to die."
"......"
Fuck.
I had finally managed to forget about it.
And now my head was about to explode from sheer humiliation.