Eighteen's Bed

Chapter 5.3

At those words, Yohan lifted his head and looked at me. He shoved both hands into his pockets. Leaning lazily against his chair, he spoke slowly.

"Not really."

As if it had nothing to do with him. As if he couldn’t care less. The moment I heard that, the happiness that had been pounding in my chest, ready to burst, crumpled like a piece of discarded paper. I wasn’t the only one taken aback—Lee Seokhyeon, looking even more flustered, let out an awkward laugh and squeezed Yohan’s shoulder.

"Did something piss you off today?"

"No."

He snapped his head up and shot a glare. It was so obviously a lie that anyone could tell.

"Did you two fight or something?"

"Not really."

This time, I denied it. I kept my eyes on Seokhyeon, not bothering to look at Yohan’s expression. I didn’t want to. Wasting energy on confirming reality and getting upset about it was pointless. I’d learned that lesson well, thanks to Han Junwoo.

"Maybe he’s just mad his grades weren’t good enough."

He said it as if he knew what he was talking about. Of course, that was exactly the interpretation I wanted people to have. At the same time, it was a subtle way of rubbing salt in the wound. A smirk crept onto my lips before I could stop it. Depending on how you heard it, it was just a guess. Or it could be taken as actual information. I liked using language with built-in escape routes.

"You really think Yohan cares about his grades? Kang Jun, say something that makes sense."

"He does. He cares a lot."

"Bullshit."@@@@

"I'm serious."

Yohan must have done a damn good job hiding the fact that he studied if even these idiots thought it was impossible. Even I felt like I should give him some credit. Fine. It pissed me off that he looked down on me, but I could let it slide this once. A few months ago, I had nearly fallen into the abyss of this pyramid because of Han Junwoo. Yohan had, in his own way, pulled me up. This was my way of returning the favor.

"Yohan ranks pretty high in our class. He studies hard."

"You're in a good mood, huh? So you’re messing with us now? Cut the crap. You're a terrible liar."

"I'm not lying."

"Wow—at least tell a lie that’s somewhat believable. Yohan, good at studying? Get lost, man."

"Yeah, Kang Jun, even for you, that was a stretch."

Seokhyeon tapped the back of my shoulder with his knuckles. Out of nowhere, Park Dongchul appeared behind him, nodding along with his scolding. These dumbasses, acting like they knew anything. Blood rushed to my head.

"You guys seriously don’t know shit—"

"You don’t know shit, you fucking bastards."

I had been about to argue back when, at the exact same moment, Yohan spat out his own curse from behind me. A gust of cold air hit my back hard. I heard the sharp screech of a chair being pushed back. The subtle shift in pressure against my back told me Yohan had moved.

I swallowed and slowly turned around. The moment our eyes met, I instinctively looked away, stupidly pretending to stare up at the ceiling.

Ah, fuck. This is embarrassing.

The fist resting on my knee curled up tightly.

"Don’t lump me in with losers like you."

Yohan raised his hand above my head. His long fingers tangled with my hair. The moment I felt the weight of his hand pressing down, I almost thought the contact was burning hot. His warm palm ruffled my hair, making it sway with the movement.

"I’m so fucking pissed off I can’t stay here anymore."

"Trying to act dumb to hype up Kang Jun again? Hey, you two, just get lost. You’re both boring as hell."

Seokhyeon teased me playfully. Yohan took it way too seriously. As he walked past, he threw a punch into Seokhyeon’s shoulder—harder than necessary. Seokhyeon staggered slightly from the impact.

"Ah... fuck, Yohan, you asshole."

Yohan didn’t seem to care about whatever was happening behind him. Without even bothering to sling his bag over his shoulders, he just carried it in one hand and walked out of the classroom. I didn’t get up. Instead, I reached out and steadied Seokhyeon, who was still wobbling.

"You okay?"

Even now, I made sure to act concerned—for the sake of my reputation. Seokhyeon, who had been looking in the direction Yohan had left with a complicated expression, turned his gaze back to me.

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

"Be careful. Don’t trip or something."

"Kang Jun, you seriously need to fix that goody-two-shoes way of talking. Jesus, I got chills."

"Damn, he's so fucking considerate. I bet once he gets into college, he’ll be a total lady-killer."

I ignored the offhand comments from the peanut gallery and lightly patted Seokhyeon’s arm. But all I could think was—Idiots. Acting like they’re even going to make it to college. You think I’m like you?

After the usual chaotic end to the school day, I went to my tutoring session, then my cram school, and finally collapsed onto my bed. A thought drifted into my mind.

The way I treated Yohan—it was eerily similar to how I used to treat Han Junwoo.

But I immediately shook my head.

No way.

A sick feeling churned in my gut. I felt uneasy. Pulling my blanket over my head, I squeezed my eyes shut.

He didn’t say a word.

I stared blankly at the air in front of me, my thoughts racing.

No way. It can’t be. It’s not.

That clumsy attempt at deduction stayed with me until the end of the school day. The only time I stopped thinking about it was during lunch, when I had to come up with an excuse to eat separately from Yohan.

Luckily, I didn’t need to.

For some reason, despite sulking the day before, he suddenly sat next to me again. He didn’t say anything. Not a single word. But whatever had pissed him off before seemed to have subsided, at least a little.

My so-called "investigation" finally came to a halt during cleaning duty. I never figured out the culprit.

But I did discover something far more shocking.

It happened when I went to the incinerator to throw away the recycling. On my way back, shaking dust off my hands, I ran into the last person I ever wanted to see.

Huddled near the incinerator building, hands shoved inside his sleeves, Han Taesan.

What the hell is he doing here? That building was connected to the cooking classroom—there’s no reason for him to be there.

The way he stood there, shivering, it almost felt like... he had been waiting for me.

Now that I thought about it, Han Taesan had a history of pulling this kind of creepy shit. I nearly gagged.

I decided to just walk past.

Until Taesan suddenly lifted his head.

I miscalculated the timing. I failed to look away in time. My jaw tensed as I bit down on the inside of my cheek. Shit.

There was no one else around. If I ignored him now, it would be way too obvious.

Fuck. Guess I had no choice but to acknowledge him.

"What are you doing here?"

His eyes crinkled slightly at my question. Fuck.

"Oh, I was just getting some fresh air."

"...You’re not even wearing a proper jacket. Go inside."

"It’s fine. I’m not that cold."

Bullshit. Don’t fucking lie to me.

"Why here, of all places? This place smells like shit."

"Uh, well... because you’d be passing by here..."

"......."

"Ah..."

Han Taesan’s face paled as he looked down at the ground.

"Sorry..."

"It’s not... something you need to apologize for."

That’s what I said.

But my face, staring down at his bowed head, was twisted in pure disgust.

Why was he waiting for me here?

The thought made my skin crawl. He had avoided talking to me in crowded areas—probably out of concern for my reputation. Fine. That, at least, made sense.

Even I could acknowledge that Han Taesan wasn’t a complete idiot. He wasn’t dumb.

But to go this far?

To deliberately follow the path I’d be walking and sit here, waiting for me?

That was fucking creepy.

My entire body tensed with revulsion, but I worked hard to keep it from showing.

"I just happened to pass by..."

His nervous, hesitant expression was revolting.

I quickly forced my expression to soften.

"Wait. Your face is completely chapped."

His round, youthful face was red. Something about it gave me a weird sense of déjà vu. I narrowed my eyes, staring closer.

And then I noticed something.

"What the hell is this?"