"Why is everyone looking at me?"
As they all stared at me as if we had made some kind of agreement, I asked, and Jihye scratched her cheek as if hesitating.
"We saw you forming a partnership and thought of finding our next partners."
"I find it interesting, so I wanted to watch! Or maybe partner with me?"
"I'm also considering after watching."
Jihye, Haeun, and Down spoke in turn. Sihyun remained silent, staring at Gunwoo, Seowoo, and Hamin. It felt awkward to have to choose a partner among those who were either expressionless or laughing. As I let out a sigh, someone called my name from afar.
"Hyung, Sihyun!"
"....?"
"Hyung, wait a moment! I'll come over there! Wait for me!"
Someone, hidden in the crowd and not visible, shouted passionately, then ran towards Sihyun. Somehow, the voice seemed familiar, and a familiar face appeared, hugging me with enthusiasm. It was Shin Ijae, whom I hadn't seen since the end-of-month evaluation.
"Hyung! Haven't you changed partners yet?"
"Yeah."
"Then do it with me!"
"It's not possible."
"Aw, why?"
"Look behind."
I pointed towards Gunwoo and the two others who had run towards us like bulls. Following the direction indicated by his finger, Shin Ijae turned his head and sighed.
"Hyung, do you want to partner with these three?"
"Will that work? They're the candidates."
"Oh... I didn't think I could beat those hyungs."
Can't I just partner with you because I'm cute? Shin Ijae, who had been looking at me with a cute face, tried a sneaky approach. Feeling the weight of expectations from Shin Ijae, who seemed to think he could be a small animal despite being taller than me, I gently pushed him away.
"They need me too."
"Berserkers go well with healers."
"Stop being stubborn."
Seeing Hamin, who had been standing quietly, showing signs of impatience, it seemed like I needed to get rid of Shin Ijae as soon as possible.
"At least you were late for the first-come-first-served. Registration is closed."
"Oh, really? ...Then there's nothing I can do."
Shin Ijae, who I thought might cling a few more times, surprisingly stepped back neatly. At that moment, someone ran towards us with a pale face, apologizing for holding onto his previous partner without a word. With an absurd exit like an entrance, the kids burst into laughter. The only place where things were quiet was where Sihyun and the A-class students were facing each other.
When the situation quieted down again after Shin Ijae's departure, Sihyun bit his lip. It was the first time he had spoken since morning.
"Are we doing it first-come-first-served?"
"Ah...."
"Then I'll go first, I guess."
Yuseo smiled and spoke, looking at Sihyun, who had already leaned more than halfway. The decision was already leaning heavily in one direction, and Sihyun's lips quivered. Dragging it out wouldn't change the result. Instead, it would only attract the eyes of the kids who had already formed partnerships. Sihyun looked at the three candidates in front of him. His lips, which had been holding back his breath, opened.
"...Lee Hamin."
As he pronounced the name, the students who had been watching gasped. Hamin, who had suggested being partners, seemed surprised at not knowing he would be chosen. Sihyun hesitated for a moment before reaching out his hand.
"Come here."
It felt awkward to go and give it to him. While Hamin, looking at Sihyun, mumbled something, looking down with a surprised expression, the kids in the back formed pairs with the pairing devices. Sihyun, who was watching the situation, avoided the platinum gaze and sighed.
"Is it okay?"
Handing over his pairing without saying anything, Hamin whispered an acknowledgment. When the ring was put on his finger, an information window appeared, saying, "The pair has been connected." People who had flocked here belatedly started forming pairs among themselves, realizing that they had all seen everything before pairing up.
While others were forming pairs, Sihyun glanced at Seowoo, who was still staring at him. Down and Jihye exchanged rings with their dormmates, and Haeun and Geonu exchanged pairings. Only Seowoo and Haru remained, so Sihyun avoided Seowoo's platinum gaze, then walked towards him and sighed.
"If you're going to hit me, say it."
Ignoring Hamin behind him, who seemed to be shocked even though he had suggested being partners first, Seowoo reached out his hand as if asking for something different. Noticing it, I raised my hand. As soon as he took my hand, Seowoo, who had a gentle smile, lightly touched my hand.
"Why haven't you contacted me?"
"......"
"It's not like I'm asking for praise or anything..."
Even though I had rejected the partnership application, his attitude was uncomfortable. Initially, there was no rule that said I had to be partners with the person who applied first. Trying to show an indifferent expression, Seowoo gently touched my hand.
"I thought empathy wasn't your style."
He looked at Hamin, his voice subdued, then turned to Sihyun again and smiled. The usually gracefully curved eyes seemed a bit hesitant today. Watching Sihyun, who was on guard, Seowoo closed his eyes for a moment and gently swept his thumb over the pairing ring on Sihyun's finger. The air turned static. In a situation where anything he said would be awkward, Sihyun only moved his eyes from left to right.
"Sihyun."
"Yes?"
"Are you sorry to me?"
"...."
"I'm upset, Hyuna."
Hyuna. Sihyun, who hadn't heard that name in a long time, sighed and quietly followed Seowoo's hand that was pulling him. If it were a normal day, he would have warned not to pull him recklessly, but today he could endure this much due to the guilt he felt.
Seowoo, who had pulled him close, rested his arm on Sihyun's waist. Knowing that Seowoo was fond of physical contact, Sihyun raised his hand without saying anything. Seowoo, who knew that Sihyun was busy rolling his eyes, chose his words carefully to break the tense atmosphere.
"Sorry."
"If you were going to apologize, you could have chosen a better way."
"...You know my circumstances."
"Yeah, I know."
Too well, I do.
Having said that, Yoo Seowoo leaned his forehead against Sihyun's shoulder. Sihyun, who wondered why a big guy like him was doing something so pointless, hesitated before patting his back. If Hamin wanted him to pat him, and he didn't, the one with the headache would be him.
Why am I losing all the time?
Sihyun, pondering the sudden question, bit his lip. As he awkwardly patted Seowoo's back, laughter rang out from above. It was the kind of laughter that tickles the ears.
Is it less annoying than I thought?
Sihyun, who strangely thought that way about Yoo Seowoo, sighed, thinking it was fortunate, and patted Seowoo's back more diligently. Seowoo, who was breathing steadily as if finding stability, opened his mouth after a while.
"Hamin knows my situation well."
"Then you know mine too. Why-"
"But why are you so sad?"
Cutting off my words, he turned his head and spoke. He brushed the skin exposed from the line connecting his platinum hair from his neck to his shoulder. Because he was too close, his face couldn't be seen. Sihyun, guessing Seowoo's expression from the faintly visible lips, closed his eyes. It felt less hurtful than he thought.
"Next time, I'll do it with you."
Having no other way to change his mood, Sihyun tried saying that, but Yoo Seowoo didn't easily lighten the mood.
"How can I believe that, Sihyun? Who knows that I won't take the cute little brother I saw earlier and say, 'You know, he's cute too.'"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Or maybe I could be captivated by Gunwoo and say, 'You know, he's handsome too.'"
You like cute and handsome guys, Sihyun.
Yoo Seowoo, who complained with dissatisfaction, probed further, saying that it was odd. Looking at him, sticking to my shoulder like a leech, Sihyun blinked. Yoo Seowoo, who was sticking to my shoulder like a burr, seemed to be showing off his overflowing bitterness.
Sihyun, who had been silently patting Seowoo's back, suddenly blurted out a thought that he didn't even realize he had.
"Yoo Seowoo."
"Yeah?"
"Are you sulking?"
"I don't know."
The conversation they had had before repeated. In response to the question of whether he was really not sulking, he hummed for a while and raised his head to meet Sihyun's gaze. The weight that had pressed on his shoulders disappeared, and in its place, a gorgeous beauty, like a watercolor in a painting drawn with a brush alone, entered his view. Sihyun, who had become a bit dazed, spoke.
"Seowoo."
"Yeah, Sihyun."
"Are you okay now?"
Sihyun spoke with a serious expression.
It seemed that he might have caught a cold.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get access to Digital art.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
For $20
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
