TSESHR 15

Chapter : 15

Suh Jaegyeom didn’t answer my question.

He just ran a hand through his hair with a frustrated look.

By this point, I was getting annoyed too.

“Jaegyeom, you’re acting weird today. Stop beating around the bush and just say it. What’s wrong?”

I pressed him, and after a few rounds of badgering, he finally sighed and let it out.

“Today… the vice president’s coming.”

The vice president.

That meant his father.

A rich man who’d had Jaegyeom out of wedlock, and thought peeking in on him once in a while counted as doing his parental duties.

“It’s been months, so Mom’s on edge. She’s been telling me all day to come home early.”

“…Then when you suddenly left for the store earlier…”

He’d gone to call his mom?

He nodded.

“Yeah.”

“So that’s why you were on edge all day?”

“…Yeah.”

Fair enough…

I looked around the guidance room, unable to hide my mixed feelings.

Stacks of test papers.

Answer sheets with nothing but answers scribbled on them, and a single teacher’s textbook thrown at us for reference.

And an eighteen-year-old boy frayed raw by family drama.

‘Now that I think about it, around this time he suddenly disappeared from school for a few days, saying he was going on a trip.’

So that was why.

“Jaegyeom.”

“…Yeah.”

“If you’re going through something bad, just say it. Tell me you’re in a rough spot and why. Don’t go spraying sparks everywhere and hitting bystanders.”

“……”

“What you did to me today was taking it out on me. What did I do to deserve that?”

“…Sorry.”

“Good. And don’t do it again.”

I nodded and took off my school cardigan, draping it over a chair. Then I pulled over the nearest stack of test papers.

I jerked my chin toward the seat across from me where he stood like a statue.

“Your handwriting neat?”

“Huh?”

“I’ll grade from Class 1 onward. Below every wrong answer, you write why it’s wrong. I’ll finish first, so when I do, we’ll split the rest in half again.”

“……”

“What are you doing? Sit.”

No time.

Every second he sat was a second closer to going home.

While he shuffled over and sat down, I slid a test I’d already checked and the textbook across the desk.

“Don’t stare. You don’t have a red pen?”

He didn’t move. He just stared at me and answered with a question.

“That’s it?”

“What is?”

“You’re not mad?”

“Mad?”

“You said I took it out on you. That you got caught in the blast. But you’re just letting it go?”

“Well…”

I mean, I wasn’t thrilled.

“But I heard your situation, I get why, and you apologized.”

What more was I supposed to do? Make him kneel on beans?

“Not overreacting to trivial things is a virtue of civilized people.”

And also, it didn’t exactly ruin my life. Whether he was moody or not.

That’s what I meant, but his eyes stayed fixed on me.

His brown eyes just stared.

“What?”

“…You seem different since yesterday. Like an adult.”

Because I am one.

“You’re acting like you’re totally fine just because I dumped you?”

“Oh, come on.”

Why—did your heart just flutter?

“Don’t start liking me again just because I’m acting different. That’d be a hassle.”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what?”

“It’s just… weird.”

“There’s plenty weird about me. Now hurry up.”

I took his hand and shoved the pen into it.

“Use this part as your guide.”

I flipped open the textbook.

“The reason I seem different is because I used to like you, so I was nervous around you. Now I’m not.”

“So what?”

“So I can act normal now. People get stiff when they’re nervous. You should pity me for that.”

“Pity you?”

“As in, ‘Wow, she must’ve really liked me to act like such an idiot. This is what she’s really like.’”

“……”

“Conversation’s over. Work. You want to go home.”

“…Okay.”

“….”

“….”

“….”

“….”

“♪ I’ll show you a totally changed me~”

“Pfft!”

“?”

Did he just spit on me laughing?

“Do you crave attention? How does a serious vibe not even last a minute around you?”

“I’m dead serious. This is practice for my music assignment.”

“Don’t make me laugh!”

“My singing is funny? I’m going to get a perfect score.”

“If you get a perfect score, I’ll give you everything I own.”

“Don’t regret that.”

♪ Boy you gotta be aware~~~~~ ♪

For a while, the guidance room was filled only with my circles and slashes and Jaegyeom’s scratch-scratch writing.

The noisy hallway quieted, and the sunlight through the window baked orange by late afternoon.

Then suddenly, he spoke.

“Kang Dahye.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“Yeah. Because of you, I’m stuck here too. Better etch that debt on your tombstone.”

“Well, that too. And this morning.”

“This morning?”

“I acted childish.”

“Oh.”

I thought that apology was included.

“It’s fine. You had a right to be annoyed. You were finally coming to school early with Jisoo and I popped up and ruined it.”

I nodded. His feelings for Jisoo mattered too.

But he shook his head.

“I didn’t wake up early because of Han Jisoo.”

“Then?”

“My mom woke me up yelling.”

“Oh.”

“Why would anyone wake up early just because they like someone?”

He said it like the idea was absurd.

“Yeah… You don’t seem like the type.”

Go ahead and live your life with yourself first, always.

Meanwhile, waking up early every weekend to maybe catch a glimpse of him had been my routine.

I glanced at the clock.

We’d worked fast, but an hour had already passed. His phone had been vibrating nonstop.

He tried to pretend it wasn’t happening, but he was clearly anxious.

Ugh.

“Jaegyeom, just go.”

“What?”

“Go home. I’ll finish.”

“I can’t. You stayed because of me. We’ll finish faster together.”

“We spent an hour together and barely made a dent. If we keep going, you’ll be eating a midnight snack instead of dinner. Go.”

“……”

“This isn’t free. Buy me coffee next time.”

And don’t get ideas about a date. Send a gift card. I’m drinking it alone.

I tugged the papers and pen out of his hands.

He still dawdled until his phone buzzed again, then finally stood.

“Really. Thanks.”

“I know.”

“I’ll buy you coffee. And candy.”

“Candy?”

“White Day’s next week.”

“Oh.”

Right.

I nodded, not really feeling anything.

“Fine, get me a big one.”

You’re not coming back till White Day anyway.

By then you’ll forget this conversation ever happened.

“Go on, go.”

I shooed him out, closed the door, and turned back to the mountain of tests.

“Sigh.”

Stay positive. I needed to study geography anyway.

Of course, just because I thought positive didn’t mean an hour’s work finished in ten minutes.

After what felt like a century…

“…Wow. Just Class 10 left.”

I leaned back and shook out my hands—

Creak.

“Kang Da—…”

Jisoo peeked in the door.

“Oh? You didn’t go to academy?”

“No…”

“Why?”

“No reason…”

She stepped inside, pouting.

“They told you to do all this?”

She stared, horrified at the mountain of papers, then sat where Jaegyeom had been. She said she’d help, but her hands moved suspiciously slow.

With lips pursed like she had something to say, Jisoo finally spoke.

“Dahye… um…”

“Yeah?”

“Are you mad at me… because of Jaegyeom?”

“Huh??”

What kind of nonsense was that?

“Well… at lunch you only talked to Do-yeon, and you didn’t come see me during breaks, and you didn’t reply to Kakao…”

“Oh.”

I’d just been studying.

“No. I should’ve told you. I don’t like him anymore.”

“You don’t like him anymore?! Why?!”

“I just… found something more important than him…?”

“What is it?”

“Math. I’m gonna win the Fields Medal.”

I told her Do-yeon was lending me her online lectures.

Jisoo stared at me.

“But Dahye…”

“Yeah?”

“Can you not… get too close with Do-yeon?”