"Puff!"
The reaction to the conclusion, reached after much contemplation, came from behind first. When I turned around, Hamin, who seemed to be suppressing his laughter with a face that clearly indicated so, covered his mouth. His shoulders shook so much with a touch of sorrow as he bowed his head. In contrast to Hamin, who couldn't hold back his laughter, Haewoon burst into laughter on the spot.
"Haha! I feel like I'm going crazy because of Sihyun!"
Haewoon, laughing while patting Geonu next to him, playfully kicked his foot, as if he was about to die laughing. Even Hamin, who had been holding back well, burst into laughter along with everyone else. His expressed sentiment was also along the lines of 'I'm going crazy.'
I don't understand what's so funny and crazy about it. Unable to find the humor alone, as I blinked my eyes, I felt a slight vibration through my palm. Upon checking, even Yoo Seowoo in front of me was quietly trembling while holding back his laughter.
"What should we do about Seowoo? Should I comfort him?"
"Buy me a meal, hyung?"
After laughing heartily, Haewoon and Hamin, who had walked over, held Seowoo with sympathetic eyes and laughed again. Just a moment ago, the atmosphere was uncomfortable, and although it had eased, the feeling of being alone and left out couldn't be shaken off.
"Why do you keep laughing?"
Unable to hold back the question any longer, I grabbed Hamin and asked why he seemed to be the cause. Hamin, who was caught by the collar, mumbled something, still not sure what the situation was. An unexpected apology came from someone.
"It's just that I... well, I feel sorry, Sihyun."
Seowoo apologized quietly while occasionally letting out small laughs. Sihyun was still the only one who didn't understand what it meant.
Although the apology was heard, and the atmosphere had eased, something felt off. Whether it was because the tension was released with just one word asking if it hurt, or because Seowoo, who usually laughed comfortably, brought Haru, who was standing alone, towards me.
"We should be partners since it seems like it's not Seowoo but me who's hurt."
"...."
"Even if you don't like it, endure it. I'm not thrilled about it either. But we have to be partners."
It's more comfortable with you than with other classmates.
Seowoo offered his pairing to Haru, saying those words. After hesitating and looking around several times, Haru reluctantly offered his pairing to Seowoo. Once the pairing of the two was done, the attention was focused, and the headmaster grabbed the microphone. After that, formal greetings and clichéd words continued.
After the principal's speech encouraging us to work hard for the remaining semester ended, starting from Class A, we returned to our classrooms. Coming out of the crowded auditorium and entering the classroom, it felt excessively quiet with only eight people in the classroom.
"What's the secret to asking if someone's hurt over there? What's the trick, Sihyun?"
"Just stop asking."
"Because it's funny!"
Sihyun pushed Haeun away, who had been continuously quarreling with him since earlier, with a sigh.
"Yeah, Sihyun could be a comedian when he grows up."
Seowoo nudged Haeun, who was still smirking, while saying, "Stop that," and made a face. Sihyun, who sighed, pushed Haeun towards the end.
"Enough, because it seems like it's not Seowoo but me who's hurt, let's stop and go back to our seats."
Pushing Haeun away with his hands, he said, "Stop it and go back to your seat," and Haeun, who had been grinning until the end, sat down with an annoying smile. At that timing, the teacher who came in with a pet cage placed the cage on the desk.
"Sihyun, take Pia!"
"Puff, puff!"
As the teacher put down the cage and said, Pia inside it whimpered. Although it was said that he had undergone an examination during the vacation, it seemed that it had already ended.
"Didn't the test results come out?"
"It's not done with a specialized machine, just a simple examination. There's nothing major, and it seems to have grown a bit bigger than when it was first received."
"Ah...."
Come to think of it, it had definitely grown. The creature that fit into one hand when we first met now stuck out a bit when placed in my hand. Asking if I could take it out, the teacher, who accepted willingly, warned me not to let it out of the classroom. With a nod, Sihyun quickly opened the cage.
"Puff, puff, puff!"
As soon as Pia flew out, it stuck to Sihyun's face. Sihyun gently removed the creature with his hand and held it close to his chest. Suddenly, a doubt crossed Sihyun's mind, and he looked at the teacher.
"But we don't know how old Pia is, do we?"
"Oh... information about fantasy species is somewhat scarce. Still, based on its appearance and horn size, it doesn't seem to be one year old yet."
"...It's young."
I knew it was a baby, but I didn't know it wasn't even a year old. Sihyun, who gently brushed the creature against his chest, suddenly looked at the teacher with a question in his eyes.
"Is there any way to ask if it's hurting over there? What's the secret, Sihyun?"
"Um... the creature seems to like me."
"That's rare. Do you feed it?"
"Uh-huh."
The kids who gathered around me eagerly examined Pia. Since I hadn't seen it while holding it during the vacation, it was a welcoming sight. The kids took turns patting Pia. While it remained calm when touched by others, it fidgeted and flapped its wings only when Seowoo tried to touch it, making a hissing sound. Sihyun chuckled at the opportune timing.
"You still dislike him."
"I don't know why I dislike him."
"Maybe he found you annoying."
"Hmm."
Seowoo, who had always been rejected by Pia, was lost in thought. Meanwhile, Pia, having finished her meal, joyfully flitted around the classroom. It was a familiar sight for Seowoo to end up on the floor, not having flown too far.
Once again, Sihyun, who had embraced the sulking Pia, returned to his seat and called out to Seowoo. Just in case, he suggested closing Pia's eyes and petting her, but the mischievous Pia, like a ghost, sensed Seowoo's hand and puffed up in protest. The onlookers chuckled at the scene.
"Looks like it's just not meant to be for you."
Sihyun, quickly resigning himself, spoke to the annoyed Pia, trying to soothe her. Seowoo, shrugging his shoulders, sat back down at his desk with Pia nestled on it, spending the self-study period.
As white, small sheets of illusion paper fluttered around, playing tricks and teasing, time passed quickly as they observed Pia. The bell rang, indicating it was 10 o'clock, and the announcement instructed everyone to gather on the first floor of the dormitory. Sihyun, with Pia on his shoulder and a blue carrier in hand, headed downstairs.
The rule of pairing up with a partner to share a room remained unchanged. Hamin led the way with Sihyun, going to the front desk to collect the keys. The path to room 206 was quite familiar.
"The snail would crawl faster than you."
Hamin, who had already climbed the stairs, commented as he watched Sihyun ascend slowly, one step at a time. When Seowoo suggested helping if he didn't like it, the one who snatched Sihyun's carrier and swiftly climbed the stairs was Hamin. What seemed heavy and awkward when Seowoo carried it suddenly looked like a light cotton bag when Hamin took it.
"You were a tortoise in your past life?"
"Are you insane?"
Casually, the two carried the carriers to room 206. Hamin teased Seowoo about the possibility of falling while climbing to the second floor, gesturing towards the ladder.
"It's subtly high. What if you fall while going up to the second floor? That's why."
"...."
"Why? Got a problem?"
"No, it's just..."
"What?"
"Just looking at it, you seem the most clumsy."
Seemingly overprotective at times, criticizing appearances at others, Hamin was also quite severe. Who would fall from a second-floor bed in high school? He was like that even with the railing; I wondered if he was the person I made fall on that fabricated day.
Belatedly, whether he had become more composed or not, he shouted to quickly enter. Swept away by the atmosphere, Sihyun lay on the bed, staring at the bed's underside made of wood instead of a ceiling, then turned his head towards the door.
"I wonder who our roommate will be."
"As long as it's not Kang Haewoon or Yoo Seowoo, I don't mind."
"If you say it like that, the person you mentioned is the one who gets assigned."
Similar to the first semester.
Mumbling about avoiding the Four Heavenly Kings, he couldn't forget the memory of Hamin and Haewoon entering when they opened the door. Back then, it seemed like they were the first guests.
"It's not much different from the last room."
Apart from the furniture layout in room 207, it looked identical, making them feel like they were the first guests. Hamin, taking it lightly, placed the carrier roughly and headed towards the bed. While he was looking at the two-story bed, he glanced at Sihyun.
"Sleep downstairs."
"Why?"
"Why not sleep on the second floor?"
"It's not like I have to, but when someone tells you to use this side, you naturally want to use the other. So why did you tell me to use the bottom?"
Asking as he took off his shoes, Hamin sighed as if he couldn't respond politely, pointing to the ladder leading to the second floor.
"The ladder is surprisingly high. Going up to the second floor, you might fall or something."
"...."
"Why? Again?"
"No, nothing."
"Well."
"Just looking at it, you seem less arrogant than before."
Wondering whether he was being overly protective or making fun, Seohyun blinked his eyes again and glanced at Hamin.
"It's interesting."
"What is?"
"At first, when we met, I avoided you like crazy, but somehow we became friends, and I even chose you as my partner. It's a bit funny, isn't it?"
Half-jokingly, as Hamin spoke, there was silence for a while. It was a few minutes before Sihyun's voice was heard, maintaining the silence.
"...What's funny about that? If anything, it's funny that you only realized my value later."
"What are you talking about? I chose you because you seem less arrogant than back then."
"Are you picking a fight?"
There was a sound of the bed creaking as if someone had stood up after lying down for a while. At that moment, the door opened, and the two people assigned as roommates entered. Hamin and Sihyun's gaze simultaneously turned towards the entrance.
As always,
The flag did not sway.
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!
