Chapter Text
Saheon ran as fast as lightning, carrying the mathematics textbook he had left behind. As a "reward" for being late, his teacher had quickly sent him to retrieve the forgotten book from his dorm, which was only a few meters away from the school building.
Unfortunately, Saheon hated this day because, while climbing the stairs, he ran into a certain boy he knew far too well. He even remembered that ridiculous hairstyle of his—the separated bangs that looked absolutely stupid.
Soleum, wearing his gym uniform, collided with Saheon.
The students on the field who witnessed the scene immediately winced. Some of them had already covered their eyes in anticipation, expecting Saheon to fall, tumble down the stairs, get injured, or even lose his memory from the impact.
But... not Saheon.
He merely clicked his tongue because he knew Soleum would grab his uniform collar to keep him from falling.
Making sure Saheon wasn't hurt, Soleum simply stared at him in silence. He didn't say a single word to defend himself.
"YOU BASTARD, I'M ALREADY LATE. Hah... seriously, why does my morning have to start with you?" Saheon shouted for a moment, but quickly held himself back, not wanting his voice to echo through the school hallway.
Soleum walked past him.
Like the wind.
Like nothing had happened.
Saheon picked up his book and ran back toward the second floor of the school building. They were in the same grade and had already entered their second year.
Saheon was still punished even after successfully bringing back his book, but it was fine. It only meant cleaning the classroom after lessons ended. Saheon just didn't want to listen to the teacher's endless scolding. That was all.
Since the period after mathematics was free, the students had already scattered to the cafeteria, leaving Saheon behind with only a few others in the classroom. It didn't really matter who they were, because the only thing that mattered was Saheon moving around, erasing the ridiculous numbers left on the blackboard from the lesson. Occasionally, he glanced out the classroom window to watch the class that was still busy with their physical education lesson.
"He's seriously insane," Saheon muttered.
Because just a few seconds after he decided to watch, Soleum immediately managed to glance in his direction with those red pupils of his. He didn't say anything. He simply looked as if he was thinking, Oh, Saheon is there. Well, whatever.
Girls liked boys who seemed cold and quiet. Just like now, when Saheon looked back and forth between the crowd beside the field, the girls were already clutching their drink bottles tightly and staring at Soleum with excitement.
Saheon opened the classroom window and shouted,
"LOSE, YOU IDIOT!"
Then he immediately closed it again.
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
Soleum sighed.
Wait—why did he sigh?!
Saheon held himself back from jumping out of the window and punching that face with his own hands.
Then the ball-throwing game began. It was a fairly popular game with simple rules: if you got hit by the ball, you lost and were eliminated.
"Soleum, catch!" shouted one of Soleum's teammates.
If Saheon remembered correctly, his name was Park Minseong. They were close and almost always played together wherever they went.
Soleum and Minseong weren't the only ones on that team. Their female friend, Eun Haje, was there as well. The three of them moved swiftly across the field, as if it was a place where they could freely move anywhere they wanted, eliminating the other students with an incredibly high win rate.
Saheon ignored them and went back to cleaning the teacher's desk this time.
After he finished, he went down to the first floor of the school building to buy a drink from the cafeteria. The moment he took his first sip and the water passed through his throat...
Bang.
His bottle fell.
The water spilled out smoothly without any resistance.
Saheon clenched his fingers, ready to shout, but a familiar hand covered his mouth.
This bastard.
And then the school bell rang loudly, signaling the end of the day. The students who had been frozen while watching, expecting a possible commotion, became even noisier as they hurried to go home.
Soleum released his hand.
Seriously. Seriously! Saheon had to be patient.
"Wait here. I'll get our bags," Soleum ordered briefly before jogging up the school stairs.
Saheon picked up his bottle and angrily threw it into the trash bin.
Frustration built inside him.
Confusion clouded his thoughts.
Soleum had a terrifying way of being himself. Saheon truly wanted nothing to do with whatever scheme that sly bastard was planning.
When Soleum returned with both bags hanging from his shoulders, he grabbed Saheon's hand and pulled him toward their dorm room. He briefly nodded in greeting to a neighboring room's occupant who happened to pass by.
"Why are you in such a hurry, as if we have some kind of event to attend?" Saheon spoke once they arrived in their room. "Oh, are you hungry? Cook for yourself downstairs. I have no intention of eating in the afternoon."
Their dorm's kitchen was on the first floor, while their room was on the third floor. Going back and forth just to cook was exhausting. Fortunately, each room had its own bathroom.
Soleum hung up their bags.
Then he opened his mouth.
"Let's date."
Saheon, who had been preparing to change his clothes, froze.
No. His head felt like it couldn't even fit through the hole of his shirt as he tried to pull it off.
Had he become crazier than every crazy person in the world?
Saheon clicked his tongue.
"No, thank you for the offer. I have no intention of joining some kind of cult," Saheon rejected him.
Oh, come on. Why couldn't he take off his shirt properly now? He couldn't even see Soleum's expression.
With someone else's help, the shirt was finally pulled off and abandoned on the floor.
Now Saheon could see Soleum, whose face held an expression full of confusion and expectation.
Wait. Let him put on his home clothes properly first!
"Why?" Soleum asked.
"You're asking me that? Did you eat something weird today?" Saheon mocked.
"No."
Soleum took a breath before speaking again.
"I feel like I need a partner."
"Oh, great. Now go ask your two friends to date you!" Saheon didn't care.
"I can't. I want you."
Soleum opened Saheon's wardrobe and handed him a pair of blue pajamas. Surprisingly, Saheon still accepted them.
"I'm your friend." Saheon almost spat. "No, I hate you."
"Friends become lovers." Soleum corrected him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
He walked toward his own wardrobe and took out a pair of blue pajamas as well.
Saheon, who had already put on clothes of the same color, almost hit his own head in frustration.
"I'm not interested," Saheon emphasized.
"It's okay. I'm not selling myself."
Damn it.
What exactly was happening?