A few weeks ago, Pia might have cried because he was hungry, but Sihyun didn't wake up in the middle of the night to his crying. As a result, waking up late due to sleeping late, Sihyun rubbed his tired eyes. Familiar trees came into view.
What time is it?
The room seemed bright, as if the sun had risen, but...
To check the exact time, he needed his phone. Rubbing around the pillow with closed eyes, Sihyun frowned at something his fingertips found. It felt soft. There was a groove. It felt strange.
After groping a few more times, Sihyun opened his eyes and turned his head. A boy was sound asleep in his bed.
It was Baek Geonu.
"...Crazy."
Why is he here?
It's bizarre from the morning.
As Sihyun got up and moved towards the wall, he inspected in front of him. Even sitting down, Baek Geonu was undeniably good-looking. It was beyond puzzling how the guy who slept on the second floor ended up on the first, let alone in his bed.
Since when was he sleeping here?
He almost choked as soon as he opened his eyes.
Pulling the blanket up, Sihyun buried his face in the soft fabric. When he raised his head after exhaling deeply, he saw Geonu sleeping shirtless. His bare skin was revealed, hidden by the blanket before.
"......"
Sihyun, frozen in place, groped and clenched the pillow with his hand.
Thud.
The sound of their pillow fight from the previous night echoed, and Geonu, who received the brunt of it, frowned. Sihyun nudged him with his foot, waking Geonu up slightly after a while.
"Get down."
"…Huh?"
"Go down and put on some clothes."
"Oh..."
Speaking softly, the boy glanced around the room. He got up from the bed he had slept in without permission, which was rather unexpected.
"Why were you sleeping here?"
"I went to the bathroom at dawn and didn't feel like going back up."
"......"
Sihyun closed his mouth at the oddly understandable explanation. If that was the case, why didn't he just sleep in Lee Hamin's bed yesterday? Why did he come up to the second floor? Suppressing his dissatisfaction, Sihyun posed a second question.
"Why the lack of clothes?"
"It's a habit to sleep without them."
"This is insane."
"Huh?"
"It's nothing..."
Sighing, Sihyun stopped Geonu from trying to put on clothes again and lay back on his bed. Then he wondered why Baek Geonu had come to the bed from the sofa.
"...Is the sofa too small?"
It was a sofa that fit perfectly if he lay down, but if someone bigger lay down, their feet would stick out. It might have been uncomfortable.
Staring at the ceiling and petting Pia, someone approached Sihyun. A faint shadow fell behind the sofa, cutting off the light.
"Peaceful from the morning."
A familiar voice echoed. Sihyun slightly turned his head in response to Seowoo, who seemed to refer to Sihyun as he petted Pia.
"Why are you like that?"
"I tried to get breakfast for you, but you didn't eat."
"Just like the owner."
"What do you mean?"
Seowoo seemed to mock Sihyun for not eating breakfast properly. Half-rising from his lying position, Sihyun looked at him. As Seowoo reached out to touch Pia playing on Sihyun's chest, Sihyun, propped up on his elbows, gazed at him. When Seowoo's fingers touched Pia's head, the boy gently expressed how soft it was.
"Do you want a hug?"
"Never mind. Looks like you're more comfortable with him."
"Then, no."
After a brief conversation, silence fell as Sihyun lay back on the sofa. Despite several attempts to touch Pia, Seowoo finally withdrew his hand after the little creature persistently resisted.
"Got rejected."
"You should have bothered him less."
Sihyun mumbled, claiming that Seowoo had repeatedly compared him to Pia. There was no way a person and an irregular would resemble each other. Even if they did, Pia resembled Hamin more. He could be cute and sometimes aggressive, just like Pia. Of course, Pia seemed a bit more temperamental.
After exchanging a few more trivial conversations, Seowoo sat down on the sofa arm. Unfortunately, his shadow seemed darker now. Sihyun frowned.
"Sit somewhere else."
Just as Sihyun was about to ask him to sit elsewhere, Seowoo spoke up.
"Si Hyun."
"What?"
"What month is it now?"
It's already June, huh? The end-of-month assessment was yesterday, so it doesn't seem like I missed much. Opening his eyes, Sihyun glanced at Seowoo, who was gazing at him from underneath with her hand raised above his line of sight, blocking his view.
"Three months have passed since we entered school, so there are three months left."
"What for?"
"Partner replacement."
Come to think of it, that was true. Sihyun blinked as he recalled the principal's words about changing partners every six months. It didn't quite feel real that despite feeling like a lifetime commitment, he'd have a new partner in three months.
"Why bring that up now?"
"Well, why do you think?"
"Why, to tell me to change partners?"
"You know."
Seowoo chuckled lightly at the casual remark. Her voice sounded as if they were having a pleasant conversation, enjoying each other's company.
What was so amusing?
As Sihyun thought, the persistent question of why Seowoo, who had always been consistently friendly and devoted to him, continued to linger. He reached out and brushed away her hand that was covering his eyes, pondering over his uncertainty.
"Yoo Seowoo."
"Yeah, Sihyun?"
She responded smoothly to his call. It was puzzling how someone seemingly flawless could be this dedicated to him. It just didn't add up.
There had to be a reason behind it.
Reluctant to delve deeper into his thoughts, Sihyun came to a conclusion that he had something he wanted to address. However, he didn't quite know what it was, his blue eyes flickering. In them, he saw the figure of a platinum-haired boy.
Carefully choosing his words amidst the silence, Sihyun finally spoke after prolonging the quiet for a while.
"What's your motive?"
"Hmm?"
"There must be a reason why you're treating me so well. What do you want?"
"... "
Seowoo fell silent at the blunt question. Her blinking gaze seemed unusually vacant. Then, suddenly, she lifted the corners of her mouth, her laughter feeling different from her usual demeanor, prompting a flicker in Sihyun's eyebrows. The platinum-colored irises slowly blinked.
"...You've been receiving my kindness all this time. Suddenly, you're curious about that?"
Strictly speaking, it wasn't sudden. He'd just been neglecting to consider the reasons behind her actions.
Internalizing Seowoo's words, Sihyun furrowed his brow, unsure if she had been dissatisfied with his behavior all this time or for some other reason.
As he pondered this, Seowoo's hand made contact with Sihyun's. There was an awkwardness to the touch, out of place in the current atmosphere.
"Sihyun."
"Speak."
"Are you curious about me?"
"... "
It was the second time he received a question as an answer to his own question.
Not knowing what kind of conversation she wanted to engage in, Sihyun looked at her silently. As he did, her hand, which had been twirling his black hair, came down and touched his cheek. When Sihyun pushed her hand away, Seowoo let out a deflated laugh.
"After accepting all the kindness I've given and now suddenly curious?"
"What are you talking about?"
A frown creased Sihyun's forehead. Did that mean he was supposed to accept all her kindness without question and smile like a fool? Perplexed, he was at a loss for words, causing Seowoo to laugh. Her round pupils didn't seem to belong to the person who had spoken those words just moments ago.
"Well, I'm wondering. You've received my kindness all along, and now you're suddenly curious?"
"... "
It was a sarcastic turn of phrase. Sihyun squinted at Seowoo, who casually referred to what he had asked as "just" curiosity. He found the situation frustrating because they seemed to be conversing but not really communicating. Frustrated, he pressed his long fingers against his furrowed brow.
"Come to think of it, it's a little denting to my pride..."
"What now?"
"Just, wondering if that's all you're curious about."
"Just?"
It was a sneering way to refer to someone's question. Irritated by Seowoo's habit of casually responding with phrases like "just," Sihyun narrowed his eyes. Even though they were having a conversation, it felt like communication was impossible. Feeling irritated, discomfort emerged from the awkwardness. Sighing at the discomfort he hadn't felt in a while, Sihyun shifted.
"Phew!"
At that moment, Pia, who had been resting on Sihyun's chest, suddenly screamed and fell off his abruptly moving body.
"Be careful."
The owner of the gentle voice whispered while picking up the fallen Pia, sounding affectionate as if they hadn't just had a conversation.
Turning away from the uncomfortable atmosphere, Sihyun's attention shifted to the news of the upcoming final exams that arrived earlier than expected on a Monday morning.
To be precise, it was more of an escape than a focus.
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