"I was wrong to have trusted you. What did you say again...?"
The ticking of the clock's second hand was buried under the children's voices. An hour passed, yet the relentless reprimand showed no signs of stopping, wearing Kang Sihyun thin as he checked the clock on the wall. It was now past 3 AM. It seemed the children had no intention of letting him sleep.
Was what he did really that wrong?
Initially, Kang Sihyun had been submissive, sitting among them, absorbing their incessant nagging. After all, he had impulsively volunteered to support out of anxiety and had not informed the children about it.
Even though it was an unforeseen situation, he had thought it was his fault. He remembered the expressions on the children's faces when Haehyuk announced he would be the main supporter.
He knew how they looked at him and remembered the promise he had made when he had shared his secret with them before, so he thought he was in the wrong.
However, there's a line to everything.
Considering the circumstances, Caris's appearance was sudden, and the time to volunteer was short, so he had no time to inform the children, making this situation force majeure. Yet, here they were, still berating him for over an hour as if he had committed some grave sin.
Gradually, the initial feeling of remorse began to fade. Just as he started to feel somewhat defiant, someone who sounded like they were lamenting intervened to console Daun.
"Kang Sihyun probably understands by now, let's stop this, Daun."
Jihye, who had earlier debated whether to forgive him, now calmly soothed the angry girl with her gentle voice. Despite her calm and composed demeanor now, she was the same girl who had scolded him not 10 minutes ago with a kind expression. It's often scarier when someone who is usually quiet and kind shows anger.
Following Jihye's lead, Seowoo and Haru chimed in.
"It's getting late, let's stop now."
"...Kang Sihyun said he was tired earlier."
One by one, voices joined in, and Daun looked displeased. Kang Sihyun swallowed his astonishment, reading the dissatisfaction in Daun's glance. Annoyed Daun looked at him as if he was a child left by the water's edge, adding that Kang Sihyun only listens after being told a few more times, which sounded almost like scolding a disobedient child, leaving him dumbfounded.
I'm 23, for goodness' sake.
The truth he wanted to blurt out surged to his throat then sank back down, useless without acknowledgment. And age, unmentioned, couldn't wield any power.
Ah, but there's one who knows.
His gaze slowly shifted to the boy who was smiling, the one who had pointed out his fault with Daun and was now busy calming her down, seemingly not recalling his own age. As Kang Sihyun turned to check the window, Daun's further scolding could be heard, but knowing it would be similar to what had been said over the last hour, he let it in one ear and out the other.
The dark sky still reflected in his blue eyes.
I hope the sun doesn't rise yet.
At least, he wanted to sleep before dawn.
Looking at the bright moon, Kang Sihyun wished for something simple.
"...From now on, don't say you won't hide things anymore. Got it?"
With a reprimand resembling a shout, Daun clicked her tongue, signaling an end to their discussion. Kang Sihyun, with a worn-out face, rose from his spot and walked to his bed. He stumbled over paper strewn on the floor. It was a makeshift contract, brought by Haeun after getting fed up with Daun's supposed concern, stating he wouldn't act recklessly without consultation again.
Kang Sihyun, looking down at the unjust mini-contract, pressed his stinging eyelids. Whether a blood vessel had burst from the stress, a stabbing pain throbbed through his bloodshot eyes.
If I ever handle things without their approval again, I might as well die in battle.
It was torture. Listening to their words for 1 hour and 30 minutes felt almost like a form of torment.
Hamin had commented that making someone feel this small with just words was a talent as Haru approached and helped Kang Sihyun to his bed. Looking around, everyone's faces were tired. It was nearing 4 AM, and being anything but tired would be inhuman.
Especially since Haru and Hamin had also returned from their first battle against a catastrophe-class.
They should have been knocked out from exhaustion, yet they spent time scolding him with Daun and later trying to calm her down, undoubtedly draining them further.
Kang Sihyun realized anew that Daun was the real power in Class A as
he slumped onto the bed. The girl who seemed to have spoken for about an hour of the 1 hour and 30 minutes was still looking dissatisfied.
"I'll be careful."
To prevent a second round, he quickly declared his intentions. Only after hearing this surrender-like statement did Daun, with her eyes still red, and the others head towards the door.
"Leaving?"
"Should we stay here?"
"That's not it, but..."
"If we linger, the sun will rise. We need to sleep before that. You three might be on vacation, but we're not."
"Ah."
The vacation was granted to the three who had faced Caris, including himself. Yet, the eight children who had stayed up until now, not sleeping, had sacrificed their rest time out of concern for him. Kang Sihyun awkwardly watched the girls leave, unsure whether to call it foolish, excessive, or to simply be grateful.
As Daun bid them goodnight and closed the door behind her, Kang Sihyun rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward.
With mouths shut, Seowoo, Geonu, and Haewoon got up as well. Seeing Geonu slowly make his way to his bed, Kang Sihyun eyed the three boys who were staying in a different room.
"Are you guys leaving now?"
"Is our dorm far from here?"
"A bit far!"
"Hmm..."
"Won't you completely wake up if you go out into the cold air now? What do you think?"
Haewoon pressed down on Haru and Seowoo's arms, initiating conversation. His lively voice clearly indicated he was up to something, making Kang Sihyun's eyes narrow. Just as the two boys were about to speak, they surveyed the room and then opened their mouths.
"I do want to sleep right now because I'm tired."
"...I don't really want to go back."
"Then that settles it!"
"What do you mean, 'settles it'?"
"Let's sleep here and go!"
Caught in a familiar flow, Kang Sihyun frowned at Haewoon's manipulation, attempting to preemptively block whatever he was planning. Hamin gasped, and Geonu tilted his head, puzzled. Kang Sihyun pressed his forehead, incredulous at Haewoon's absurd suggestion.
After a quiet period, that rascal was stirring up trouble again.
"You're going to sleep here?"
"Yeah!"
"And you're agreeing to this?"
"Yeah. It'll take some time to get to our rooms, and the beds here aren't too small. It should be fine for two people to share."
"...You're against it?"
"......"
It was utterly unfair. These three, who seemed incompatible, posed a considerable threat when put together. Haewoon, with his boundless energy, showed remarkable action, Seowoo persuaded with his rhetoric, and Haru appealed with his expressions. Kang Sihyun, who had to face all of this alone, turned his head.
Looking for help from the other two roommates proved futile; the atmosphere wasn't in his favor. Geonu still seemed to not fully grasp the situation, and Hamin wore a thick expression, indicating he'd rather sleep on the sofa than argue with those three.
It seemed Kang Sihyun alone would have to engage in this verbal tug-of-war.
Eventually, turning his head back around, the three boys came into view, each one imposing in their own right. Facing the obstinate Haewoon, Seowoo, who could turn anyone's insides out with his words, and the lamentably appealing Haru, seemed like madness.
Well, having been through this a couple of times, what was there to refuse?
It's not like they were planning to stay for a month, so hosting them for one night seemed harmless enough. As Seowoo said, the beds weren't exactly small.
"If they agree, I'll allow it."
Having dealt with them so far, Kang Sihyun stepped back, leaving the decision to Seowoo and Hamin, and shifted his gaze towards the two boys who were suddenly burdened with responsibility. Caught off guard, they blinked in confusion.
"Is it okay?"
Seowoo inquired, a hint of laughter in his voice, clearly halfway convinced they were going to stay here.
"If we say it's not okay, would you leave?"
"No! We'll just have to convince you!"
"That's not convincing; that's coercion. Why ask then?"
"We'll sleep over."
Hamin's interjection proved the futility of their argument, and Geonu put the final stamp on it. With the sleeping arrangements confirmed, the conversation turned to who would sleep where.
"So, where are we sleeping?"
"Not on the bed, I guess? Go sleep on the sofa. There's plenty of space on the floor."
Hamin spread his arms and legs wide, claiming his bed as if to protect it. Ignoring him, Haewoon discussed earnestly with the boys from his room. The conclusion they, or more accurately Haewoon, reached was that given the bed's size, it might still be too cramped for two, so they should pair up based on size.
The biggest person would be paired with the smallest.
Kang Sihyun looked around at the boys. Haewoon was small, but strictly speaking, Kang Sihyun was slightly smaller. If they were to choose the smallest person, the result was obvious.
Then, who would be considered the biggest?
"The smallest person is Kang Sihyun, so Kang Sihyun should sleep with the biggest person!"
With Haewoon's declaration, everyone's gaze naturally shifted to Geonu. There were several tall people, but Geonu was the tallest and also appeared to have the strongest build, with his muscles clearly defining his physique.
There really was no room to argue.
Not wanting to sleep on the sofa or floor when there was a perfectly good bed, and since the bed was spacious enough for two without them having to touch, Kang
Sihyun nodded in agreement and stood up.
As it turned out, he would have to give up his bed, so he began to tidy up the blanket when Haewoon asked.
"Anyone have any complaints about this arrangement?"
As Haewoon surveyed the room, three boys quietly raised their hands.
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