"Kyaaah!"
"Gunwoo!"
"Sihyun! I saw your picture!"
"Me too!"
"..."
Caught in the deafening screams to the point where his ears rang, Sihyun blinked. A picture? What picture? Wondering why there was such a fuss, he grabbed Gunwoo, who was right in front of him, and asked. Gunwoo, either not hearing properly due to the rising decibels of the screams or ignoring him, leaned in. The screams intensified. Names, including his and Gunwoo's, were pouring in from all directions.
Did something happen during the vacation that I missed?
Trying to understand the current situation somehow and formulating the most plausible hypothesis, Sihyun tilted his head. Haeun, who was standing next to him, resolved the lingering question.
"Yeah, your photoshoot with them yesterday evening, right? The scarf school uniform! It was no joke, you know?"
"School uniform?"
"Yeah, you guys did a brief shoot during the vacation."
"Ah..."
So, they saw the photos. Now that Sihyun could finally understand what the kids were talking about, he still couldn't shake off the unresolved question. Even if he thought about it, it seemed strange that doing a school uniform modeling once would cause such a commotion.
Looking at Seowoo, who seemed to know something with a puzzled expression, he tilted his head. Smiling, Seowoo, who met his gaze, shook her phone. Feeling a sense of revelation in her smile, Sihyun turned his attention away. Haeun was his escape route.
"Is all this fuss about one photoshoot?"
"It's not just about that. You guys are almost like idols in our school."
"What?"
His voice grew louder in surprise. Haeun, finding amusement in the situation, laughed intensely, almost worriedly. She showed him something she had searched. Sihyun checked the screen filled with articles covering the first page of the search site, all about the scarf school uniform photoshoot.
"..."
If he were an ordinary person, these headlines would make him want to click and see. Articles filling the first page of the search site just for typing "scarf school uniform" were overwhelming. Amidst this, Haeun kindly clicked on an article and showed Sihyun the attached photo.
The picture showed him sitting on a chair, looking somewhere, perfectly edited. Kang Sihyun's charm, which he used to admire when he first possessed this body, felt even more surreal with the power of editing. It was strange to become the subject of such headlines just by doing a school uniform modeling.
Looking at Seowoo, who seemed to know something, he met her gaze, and she smiled, shaking her phone. Realizing that he hadn't replied, Sihyun felt a sudden embarrassment. Haeun took the opportunity to show him the next picture. This one featured Gunwoo lying on a long sofa, looking expressionless, and Sihyun riding on his back, looking down at him. Clearly, when they took the photo, it seemed moderately dry, but the editing turned it into an atmosphere that could be seen in an idol music video. Moreover, Gunwoo's shirt buttons were undone, making it all look stranger. In the next photo, Yesol was standing behind the sofa, looking at him. Even if he didn't know what it was, the atmosphere felt even weirder.
Reading the articles praising their excellent facial expressions and acting skills as ordinary models, Sihyun closed his eyes in embarrassment. The fact that he made a lazy expression was because he was tired during the shoot, and Gunwoo's perfect expression was because he inadvertently stiffened. It felt like a dream rather than a nightmare.
"..."
Silently, he turned his gaze towards the kids. Meeting their eyes felt like becoming a celebrity with the overwhelming screams. Haun and Haru accompanied him on both sides, as it was the only way to shield him from the crowd. Of course, this process was not smooth, with both teasing and sincere compliments.
"Kang Sihyun, are you embarrassed?"
"Keep it down."
"It came out really nicely..."
"Hyung, keep it down a bit."
Ignoring the playful teasing from Haru and the sincere compliments from Hamin, he entered the classroom in silence. The loud cheers diminished once he stepped into Class A. Feeling tired and old during that time, he sat down at his desk. Down, who had arrived earlier, looked at the tired Sihyun and chuckled.
"Oh, our famous scarf model?"
"...You saw it too?"
"Jihye showed me."
"Don't show that kind of thing."
Making an awkward expression, Sihyun saw Jihye, who was playing with her phone, laugh innocently. About to say something more, he gave up as Haeun and the other five kids approached. Exchanging greetings and catching up on what they missed, Haeun suddenly mentioned the day they last met.
"Did you enjoy that day, Sihyun?"
"That day?"
"Oh, when we gathered and hung out!"
"We weren't invited, were we?"
"You wouldn't have come even if we invited you."
"That's true."
Down responded as if it were obvious, showing a positive attitude. Haewoon, who had turned a blind eye to him, later complained about the unfairness of being caught off guard. Down shrugged his shoulders, teasing him as if making fun. Haru, who had been standing still, dragged a chair towards Sihyun's direction and sat down.
He leaned his chin on Sihyun's desk. Then, as if checking, he rolled his eyes left and right before looking up at Sihyun.
"...You didn't respond to my call."
"Huh?"
"I called that day."
"A call? Oh..."
Come to think of it, when they gathered and returned home, Haru mentioned that he would contact him. Sihyun took out his phone to check the messages. The date of the message asking if he arrived home safely was a whopping four days ago.
"...."
Haru, looking a bit awkward, smiled sadly when Sihyun blinked in surprise. He mentioned that he didn't check because it seemed like Sihyun was busy, and his expression seemed noticeably sulky.
When Haru sent the message, Sihyun was crying, so he couldn't check. After the tears stopped, he was preoccupied with thoughts of Down, and then he focused on his partner, so he couldn't check. Feeling sorry, Haru apologized, and lifting Sihyun's hand, he gently patted his head.
"I'm sorry, hyung. I was a bit absent-minded that day."
"You weren't hurt, right?"
"No, it's not that."
"Then it's okay. Instead..."
Haru, who had paused, gently held the hand resting on his head. Sihyun, who had his head patted by Haru, felt one of his gazes and looked up. Hamin, who looked uncomfortable for some reason, entered his sight.
"Why?"
"Why are you touching me as if you're dealing with a puppy?"
"Why, do you want me to do it too?"
"...."
"If you say no, you don't have to act all serious about it."
Sihyun extended his hand towards Hamin, who was trying to intimidate him as if he would refuse.
"If you don't want me to do it, relax your expression."
"Why."
"What?"
"Why don't you let me do it?"
"...."
Did he go crazy during the time he hadn't seen him?
Sihyun alternately looked at Hamin, who made a strange protest without answering. Haru, who was petting his head, withdrew his hand and pouted at Hamin, who was narrowing his eyes as if he were offended.
"If you don't want me to do it, just say so. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"
Frightened by the words about to come out, Hamin, with a strange expression, raised his hand as if he was chasing away an evil spirit.
"Even if you ask me to do it, I won't."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not Haru hyung."
How can Haru, who looks like a large dog, and Hamin, who is shameless, be put on the same line? Today, for some reason, it feels like they're persistently making a fuss about a single petting. Sihyun narrowed his eyes, thinking about why they are so insistent on this today. Then, Hamin, who had narrowed his eyebrows for some reason, sighed and withdrew the hand he had stuck in his pocket.
"Did you think about what I said?"
"Ah...."
"Ah?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
His eyebrows raised. Feeling like he was being questioned about whether he forgot, Sihyun felt unjustly accused and lowered his head. Since leaving home, he hadn't been able to focus on anything other than Down, and now he was too busy with modeling, so he had forgotten. Feeling sorry, he pursed his lips, and Haru, who had said it's okay, raised Sihyun's hand and put it on top of his head.
"I'm sorry, hyung. I was a bit distracted that day..."
"It's not like you were in pain?"
"Not really."
"Then it's okay. Instead..."
Haru, who paused, combed through the hand on his head. Sihyun, who felt one of his gazes, looked up, and strangely, Seo Woo, who looked like a picture with his platinum eyes, smiled gently. Unsure if what I saw was wrong due to the beautiful smile, I closed my eyes and opened them again. Seo Woo, who smiled affectionately, shook his phone again. This time, it wasn't a questioning about why he didn't reply but more like a feeling of, "Did you see the message I sent that day?" Sihyun pretended not to notice, turning his head.
One guy grumbled loudly while another shook his phone like a madman. Annoyed, I grabbed the ringing head.
"Why can't these two be partners..."
A tired voice muttered to itself. When Haru looked at me, Sihyun scattered his hair until his mind was at ease.
As the touch intensified, Haru, who had moved a few times, took a deep breath and quietly closed his eyes. Making noise here and there, and even Pia being noisy at the central entrance, it was only possible to heal by petting Haru while thinking about the text sent to the teacher.
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