"……."
For a moment, silence fell over the auditorium. When Sihyun raised his head, he met Seowoo's gaze, the discomfort evident on her face as she tightened her hold around him, visibly displaying her displeasure, her slender frame dwarfed by Seowoo's sturdy build. Sihyun's pride was crushed.
"You…."
"You're using informal language now?"
"……."
Is that really important right now?
As Sihyun's gaze fixated oddly on Seowoo, it seemed like they had asked each other for help from a strange place. Pretending not to know each other seemed futile; despite the lack of familiarity, Seowoo seemed adept at picking up on people's conversations, even though he didn't seem interested in the partner he didn't know.
Where did they see friendliness and affection in all this? No matter how much I think about it, the personality keywords posted about Yoo Seowoo in the novel "This Kind of Ending" seemed to be somewhat off.
"Keep your nonsense in check."
After attempting formal speech several times and failing, Sihyun eventually opted for informal language, glancing at Seowoo's arm that held onto him. It seemed like Seowoo had no intention of letting go until I spoke.
"Let go."
As Sihyun gestured to release his arm, Seowoo, with a surrendering gesture, raised his hands and chuckled harmlessly. Sorry. Before I could make a pointed remark, an apology rang out, leaving me unable to even make a subtle jab.
There wasn't really a situation to make jabs in the first place.
Unaware of their positions and having created a scene, both of them drew all the attention in the auditorium towards me. In this situation, being careful about what I said was necessary to avoid becoming the subject of gossip about 'What did he say to one of the Four Heavenly Kings?' or 'Who's that guy?' in case I misspoke.
Already drawing unwanted attention due to the class test, I suppressed the rising dissatisfaction, not wanting to attract more attention than necessary. Hamin and Seowoo, inadvertently engaging in a silent battle, exchanged glances. Sihyun's gaze filled with disdain fell upon the two main characters.
Why are you doing this to me? You've got the wrong person.
Confirming Daun, who, like others, was staring in my direction, I refrained from saying anything that would make me sound insane.
Suddenly, in the midst of wondering why they were focusing on me instead of the female lead, a hypothesis flashed through my mind. Alternating between Daun and Hamin, I considered the possibility. While Hamin looked at Seowoo, Daun's gaze was fixed on Hamin, catching Sihyun's eye.
Ah….
Finally, Sihyun let out a small sigh. It was because of the plausibility of the absurd situation where the secondary male lead was demanding a partnership from the primary male lead.
I'm the bridge. To make Daun and Hamin acknowledge each other.
By now, Daun might view Hamin as a nuisance troubling the friend she wants to protect. Then one day, despite being the one who was a nuisance, she would appear before Hamin, warning him not to trouble her friend, and Hamin might end up falling for her against his will.
As this absurd plot unfolded naturally, Sihyun couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. No matter how weird the progression seemed, that's how these plots usually unfolded.
Falling for the extraordinary female lead with exceptional beauty and personality is quite predictable. So, my ridiculous hypothesis seemed somewhat plausible.
Of course, if you were to ask, "Did Hamin have to request a partnership from me, the primary male lead?" There was a doubt, but considering that the childhood friend of the female lead always gets tangled up in various incidents, it was somewhat understandable. Although that childhood friend turned out to be the secondary male lead.
Yes, Hamin's unusual behavior could somehow be understood as playing the role of 'the primary male lead trying to attract the attention of the female lead's friend.' However, the other guy was different.
He wasn't the true male lead, nor was he a friend of the female lead. What's with Yoo Seowoo?
Even if it was okay for Hamin, there was no reason for Seowoo to act this way. From the morning until now, I couldn't decipher his intentions. Observing the ongoing battle between the two, Sihyun, with thinly veiled eyes, felt Seowoo's hand touch his fingertips. Tap-tap, as if playing a childish prank, touching his fingertips and suddenly gripping his hand, Sihyun, taken aback, looked at Seowoo. His lips formed a perfect arc.
"Think about who's pretending to be friendly."
His soft voice seemed to suggest that we were close. Hamin's eyebrows twitched.
"So, are you saying you're close now?"
"Well…"
Neither of them was close to me. I simply wanted to remain strangers forever.
"To be clear, you didn't even know Sihyun's name, Hamin. Why, interested in the new class?"
Seowoo's calm voice seemed to scratch at Hamin's nerves. Marveling at his ability to touch people's minds with such a soft voice, I was caught admiringly as Hamin, affected by Seowoo's words, burst into a stifled laugh and took a step back.
"Why, Yoo Seowoo. I never even touched you first."
"Sihyun isn't some object. And let's get this straight, I was ahead of you."
That's true.
Initially, I considered intervening, but it was becoming ridiculous for me to insert myself between them and say something like, "Don't fight because of me!" The cause of their childish fight had become more tiresome than anything else. Sihyun, enduring being the cause of their petty quarrel, nodded in agreement with Seowoo, who eloquently expressed his thoughts.
Perhaps noticing my reaction, Hamin's face contorted noticeably. He seemed to be good at noticing unnecessary things.
"Move, Yoo Seowoo."
Suddenly, Hamin's voice was lower than before. Seowoo, with a smile that belied the tension, despite his confrontational stance, didn't anticipate Hamin's threatening approach.
"What are you going to do? Ask to be my partner?"
"It's not 'that guy.' It's Sihyun."
"Then, when did you suddenly start pretending to be close and taking someone else's partner?"
When was I ever your partner?
What seemed like a simple confrontation oddly turned into a strange conversation. If they wanted to fight, they should fight amongst themselves, not make a fuss about me.
As I looked at them with narrowed eyes, Seowoo's hand reached mine. Tap-tap, as if playing a prank, touching my fingertips and unexpectedly gripping my hand, Sihyun, taken aback, looked at Seowoo. His lips formed a perfect arc.
"Think about who's pretending to be friendly."
His soft voice seemed to suggest that we were close. Hamin's eyebrows twitched.
"So, are you saying you're close now?"
"Well…"
Neither of them was close to me. I simply wanted to remain strangers forever
.
"To be clear, you didn't even know Sihyun's name, Hamin. Why, interested in the new class?"
Seowoo's calm voice seemed to scratch at Hamin's nerves. Marveling at his ability to touch people's minds with such a soft voice, I was caught admiringly as Hamin, affected by Seowoo's words, burst into a stifled laugh and took a step back.
"Why, Yoo Seowoo. I never even touched you first."
"Sihyun isn't some object. And let's get this straight, I was ahead of you."
That's true.
Initially, I considered intervening, but it was becoming ridiculous for me to insert myself between them and say something like, "Don't fight because of me!" The cause of their childish fight had become more tiresome than anything else. Sihyun, enduring being the cause of their petty quarrel, nodded in agreement with Seowoo, who eloquently expressed his thoughts.
Perhaps noticing my reaction, Hamin's face contorted noticeably. He seemed to be good at noticing unnecessary things.
"Move, Yoo Seowoo."
Suddenly, Hamin's voice was lower than before. Seowoo, with a smile that belied the tension, despite his confrontational stance, didn't anticipate Hamin's threatening approach.
"What are you going to do? Ask to be my partner?"
"It's not 'that guy.' It's Sihyun."
"Then, when did you suddenly start pretending to be close and taking someone else's partner?"
When was I ever your partner?
Though the conflict seemed trivial at first, the conversation took an odd turn. If they wanted to fight, they should fight amongst themselves, not make a fuss about me.
In the showdown between those two, regardless of who wins, Sihyun had no intention of becoming the Supreme King or forming a partnership. They've been tight since middle school, and all they needed was to stick together and film a youthful movie, so why complicate things?
From the start, they're supposed to be Supreme Kings, why are they so intertwined?
No, it's not that they're intertwined, but did Seowoo somehow manage to catch Hamin's attention abnormally?
Based on the conversation he just overheard, Sihyun roughly figured out their relationship, nodded in agreement, and scanned the surroundings. The gazes that had been focused on him due to the squabble were now directed at them.
It seemed like the perfect time to slip away from Yuseowoo's slightly awkward approach. Sihyun subtly stepped back. And at that moment,
"Why not just let Sihyun choose?"
A naïve voice ruined the moment, distorting Sihyun's expression.
"Why are you meddling again?"
Hamin frowned as he intervened after observing from the sidelines. Turning towards Sihyun with silvery hair, he waved.
"Hey!"
"..."
Hamin's perfectly delivered greeting met Sihyun's gaze. Not only did this ruin the chance to escape, but the person who significantly emphasized their presence had nothing appealing about their greeting. Sihyun fell silent. Though impossible to spit on a smiling face, it wasn't a moment to reciprocate the smile either.
Grinning, Hamin tilted his head slightly at Sihyun's silence. It didn't seem like he expected an answer in the first place.
"I'm Kang Haewoon, and this is Baek Geonu! Thought it'd be fun to bring him along. Say hello!"
When Hamin gestured toward the boy behind him and smiled, Sihyun, who briefly glanced at the perfectly aligned blue eyes, swallowed hard. Those two different shades of blue eyes seemed to intertwine. If his was a diluted wall in clear water, Baek Geonu's eyes were as vivid and bright as his hair color.
Breaking the gaze that seemed to have lasted quite a while, Sihyun was the first to look away. Regretting what he inadvertently witnessed, he turned his head only to catch a glimpse of eyes that had met a moment ago.
With slightly raised eyebrows and long eyelashes, coupled with a nonchalant and chilly cat-like demeanor, the person had a brief encounter and left Sihyun feeling uneasy. Having momentarily observed too much, Sihyun nervously turned towards Hamin. He didn't even glance at Geonu.
"So, are you Sihyun?"
"Huh."
Caught between answering or staying quiet, Sihyun hesitated, feeling akin to Yuseowoo's polite demeanor. As he was about to respond, Hamin, seemingly at ease, stepped closer. Sihyun instinctively stepped back. A sense of foreboding arose from Hamin's approach.
"We're both Kangs, huh?"
"...What?"
The nonsensical words sounded so nonchalant that bewildered eyes met him. Chuckling, Hamin covered his mouth. Only then did it register that he was responsible for handling one of the Supreme Kings. It seemed an emoticon like '>ㅁ<' should be drawn next to that laughter.
"So, who do you want to partner up with?"
The topic returned to the essential discussion after the digression. Feeling like it had drifted far away, Sihyun looked around, thinking it'd be better to head all the way to the Arctic if they were going to go that far. But precisely at that moment, Sihyun caught the eye of Seowoo and Hamin, staring directly at him. Taking a deep breath, Sihyun glanced around. Even if they finished talking here, the argument between those two would likely continue beyond.
"Why ponder? Even a Dual and Inspector are on a comparable level, aren't they?"
"I can do well too, Sihyun."
...Why me?
This isn't a one-on-one partner dance. Sihyun redirected his discontent towards Hamin, who was trying to appeal to him. If it weren't for him, Sihyun might have slipped away smoothly. Hamin ruined the plan of subtly fading away when his presence had turned into dust.
How can they all be so unhelpful?
With a gaze full of dissatisfaction, Sihyun glared at Hamin, who smirked in response.
"I'm fine too! Haven't partnered up yet."
"Yeah."
"Haewoon?"
Why are you doing this to me?
Apparently, staring too intently was a mistake. Hamin's cheerful words and the presence of Geonu beside him as a potential partner made the situation worse.
"Sure, Geonu is fine too!"
Where did his intent go?
Suddenly, with the addition of a partner candidate, the trio started babbling about who came first and various nonsense, stimulating Sihyun's desire to escape. Glancing around anxiously, Sihyun swallowed hard as he looked at Seowoo and Hamin. Whatever he said, the issue would end with a single statement, but the argument between those two seemed far from over.
"Why do you suddenly interfere?"
"Hahaha, it looks fun."
"Annoying."
Watching the three bicker, it finally seemed like they were friends who teased each other. Even though Hamin was holding onto Geonu and Seowoo touched his forehead, it seemed that way. Despite appearing ambiguous, it seemed okay to slip away now.
Thinking swiftly, Sihyun took a step back. The crowd parted at the movement, feeling like a modern-day Moses.
"Oops, he's running away!"
Darn it.
Whether it was the split in the crowd or Hamin's struggling movements that caught everyone's attention, Hamin yelled out. Seowoo and Hamin's gazes turned towards Sihyun. Ultimately, even the second attempt to sneak away failed.
"You have to make a choice, Sihyun."
"Frustratingly dragging this out."
"So, who do you want to partner with?"
The continuous barrage of words spurred Sihyun's desire to flee. Desperately scanning the surroundings, Sihyun suddenly noticed Daun at the edge of his vision. Unwillingly, though thinking that any of the four would be better than the situation at hand, Sihyun sought help.
In a rush, as if fleeing, Sihyun's eyes landed on a boy with black hair at the far end of his vision. A seemingly ideal boy that caught Sihyun's attention.
Compared to the Supreme Kings, this boy seemed like paradise.
Perhaps because he hadn't yet formed a partnership, the boy wore a single ring on his finger and was glancing at the remaining one. In this situation, he didn't look at Sihyun, but that alone was a bonus point, and Sihyun felt a glimmer of hope.
What was it they used to say about this situation?
Ah, right.
"It's complicated."
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