Arriving at the classroom on a Monday morning after the weekend, Sihyun, dragging his tired body, heard two pieces of good news. One was that the reward for the victory of the Blue Team was a new weapon provided by the Korean Awakeners Association, and the other was that a camping trip was scheduled for mid-November.
Finally, he could bid farewell to the pink staff that had been a headache. It felt so good because the problems that had been bothering him for a long time were suddenly resolved. And the good news didn't end there. Camping, which would have been dreadful and boring as usual, was exempted for them because they had won first place in the long-awaited competition.
The efforts they had put into dancing and crying that day didn't seem in vain. Although he was trying hard to bury the memories of times he didn't want to recall, Haewoon, who was feeling exultant, interrupted him. Like a grave robber, he dug up the memories buried deep within. He even brought photo evidence.
"This is all thanks to Seowoo and Sihyun! Now, behold the commemorative photo of glory!"
He loudly placed the photo on the desk. It was a picture of a couple dancing. There was nothing more torturous than seeing one's past misdeeds with one's own eyes. Sihyun reached out to tear it apart, but Haewoon, who noticed his intentions, quickly retrieved the photo. Despite his attempts to mimic a dignified expression like a medalist, he didn't exude any dignity.
"Hand it over."
"No! This is a rare item! How much would it sell for... Ah."
As Haewoon shouted while hiding the photo behind his back, he suddenly closed his mouth, realizing it was too late after he had already spoken. His blue eyes narrowed. The sound of the chair turning away seemed particularly cold.
"Sell?"
"Ahaha..."
"How much would it sell for?"
"Right, we have the weapons distributed... "
"Kang Haewoon."
"...."
When the boy, who was pretending not to know, heard his name, Haewoon avoided Sihyun's gaze by rolling his eyes. The fact that his dark history was being sold in photos was unbearable. Sihyun pondered whether it would be possible to take legal action against it, so he looked at Haewoon. It seemed clear who had initiated the sale.
There was only one person who would do such a thing in the first place.
As he pondered how to handle the situation, Haewoon, who realized he was caught in the act of hiding it, hugged Sihyun. He closed his eyes tightly and apologized. He cried, saying he did it because he wanted to buy him something delicious, but anyone would think he was being a good boy. He hadn't even bought him anything tasty. If it was food from Haewoon, it was all just wasabi. Remembering that moment, Sihyun gently pushed Haewoon away without a touch of sympathy.
When he showed his palm, Haewoon reluctantly handed over the photo. Taking it, Sihyun confirmed the surprisingly clear quality and composition before closing his eyes. It wasn't just sold for nothing.
How far had it spread, exactly?
Quite some time had passed since the day of the long-awaited competition. Pressing his forehead as if it would help even though he retrieved it now, Sihyun hesitated. After all, he reluctantly agreed to Haewoon's sales act in exchange for 30% of the sales price. If Haewoon took all the money, he would be the tax evader.
Down also showed interest and approached, grabbing Haewoon by the collar and demanding a tenth of the sales profit. To take care of him for the day, Sihyun also took a tenth of his, and only after squeezing half of the profit from Haewoon did he feel satisfied.
In an instant, Haewoon, who had been robbed of half of his profits, opened his eyes wide and complained, saying it was unfair, but before he could attack Sihyun, who had stopped him from saying what he wanted to say with just the first syllable, Sihyun quickly covered his mouth. When he scolded him to speak properly, Haewoon, who had grabbed his hair in frustration, pleaded unfairly.
Because there had to be a rarity value in the photo to maintain the price, he couldn't print and sell more rare photos. It was a tantrum because it was Haewoon's situation. Deciding to ignore it, Sihyun glanced at Seowoo, who was laughing as if he found it amusing, while pretending to be interested.
"If you need it, just say so."
"What are you talking about? Forget it."
Kang Sihyun, feeling fed up with whatever it was he was being teased about, furrowed his brow at the boy who let out a small chuckle. It was evident that he found amusement in taunting him. Even now, and on that day of mischief.
At the moment, Kang Sihyun had managed to shake off his discomfort after a nap, but he had felt truly uncomfortable on the day of the sports festival. Nevertheless, realizing that if he kept reacting the way he did, he might appear too sulky, Kang Sihyun decided to take it easy. He couldn't fathom why Seowoo kept teasing him, especially when his own reaction wasn't particularly entertaining.
Seowoo, consistently receiving teasing from others but always brushing it off as a joke, seemed remarkably resilient. Kang Sihyun, on the other hand, felt sorry for him and decided to tone down the pranks a bit. Only when the homeroom teacher entered did Kang Sihyun turn to face him directly.
The teacher, having tidied up his tousled hair, smiled warmly and offered words of encouragement for their efforts during the sports festival. As he talked about the rewards, Haeun suddenly raised his hand.
"Teacher! We have a camping trip in mid-November! We're not going, right?"
Interrupting the flow of conversation, Kang Sihyun turned his head. The homeroom teacher, perhaps sensing something, chose not to make the usual remark and instead addressed Haeun's question.
"I didn't mention that. Since it was a reward for the long-term competition, it was decided that the students of Class A would not participate in the outdoor training in November and would rest at school instead. Think of it as a vacation. You've trained without breaks even during the holidays."
Applauding the gentle explanation, the teacher clapped his hands. It was then that Kang Sihyun realized he had forgotten about holidays. He chuckled wistfully. It seemed unfair to train without a single holiday, only to be granted a three-day break as a reward.
But what could he do?
The Irregulars didn't take holidays off. To replenish the busy Mirgun's forces even during holidays, they needed to train students tirelessly to be deployed in the military. Besides, since the school teachers had worked without holidays as well, Kang Sihyun felt a sense of camaraderie with the teacher. As he listened, Kang Sihyun realized that Haeun's eyes were gleaming dangerously.
The teacher's warnings didn't seem interesting enough to warrant such a reaction. Yet Haeun's eyes sparkled so brightly that it caught Kang Sihyun's attention.
It wasn't particularly intriguing to ponder the teacher's cautions, but seeing Haeun so excited made Kang Sihyun curious. He nudged Hamin's back, who was in front of him.
"What's wrong with him? Do you have any idea?"
"Kang Haewoon?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know...."
As Hamin observed Haeun's expression, which seemed to be clouded with thoughts, he soon chuckled lightly. Despite Kang Sihyun's attempts to coax him into revealing what he knew, Hamin didn't say anything.
Was it just a coincidence?
With only faint suspicions and no substantial evidence, Kang Sihyun eventually shrugged off his concerns and prepared for the first class.
He pushed aside the thoughts that had filled his mind and focused on the lesson.
So, time passed without any special signs.
Kang Sihyun regretted not pushing through his suspicion at that time when he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease, as it finally came on the evening of the first day of the camp.
Haeun, who had been the subject of anxious thoughts for several days, as usual, burst into the training room with the door wide open. He carried the Seven Kings of the Martial Arts School behind his back, and in his hands, he held a black plastic bag.
Seeing Haeun, who had finally used the training room for a day, Kang Sihyun opened his eyes narrowly at the plastic bag he was carrying so lightly.
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