Just A Friend

#35

Dating. The impact of that soft word on the all-boys high school was considerable. All eyes in the classroom turned towards them, and one or two students started running over. Their eyes were filled with a mix of envy and resentment.

“Korea Arts High School? The class president’s girlfriend is from Korea Arts High School?”

“Some people can date and study at the same time, but I… shit, I should just go die.”

The absurd rumors multiplied rapidly, and before long, Nam Seonwoo’s girlfriend had become the student council president of Korea Arts High School and an idol trainee. Looking at the dumbfounded Nam Seonwoo as if to confirm, Park Gyuhyeon scurried over to Kang Jihan and started talking.

“Jihan, remember? That bastard said it before. What’s with dating as a third-year high school student? And now he’s dating, the hypocrite.”

Kang Jihan nodded slightly, saying, “That’s right.” Excited by this response, Park Gyuhyeon lowered his voice as if sharing a secret.

“Our Seonwoo, he’s got such a high-class butt that he doesn’t study well in most places. The library was the only exception? But Eureka? He didn’t show his face at the library all summer break? I thought it was strange.”

Nam Seonwoo threw his pencil case at Park Gyuhyeon, thinking he saw Kang Jihan smile slightly at the nonsense about his “high-class butt.” But the annoying voice didn’t stop.

“Then last week, was it? I saw a familiar back in town. But he was holding a bouquet? He didn’t even look this way no matter how much I waved? And his face was buried in his phone?”

Nam Seonwoo felt wronged. That day, he had ordered a bouquet to celebrate Kang Jihan’s mother’s discharge from the hospital. But Kang Jihan, who knew all the circumstances, didn’t help explain and instead went along with this nonsense.

“His face was buried?”

“I’m telling you. It was like he was trying to enter the screen. Who could he be talking to that made his face light up like that? Must be a girlfriend.”

“His face lit up, huh.”

Nam Seonwoo looked incredulously at Kang Jihan, who was parroting like a parrot. …Wait. Why is Kang Jihan sitting here anyway? Nam Seonwoo was about to say something, but Kang Jihan was faster.

“Seonwoo-ya.”

At that cringeworthy way of addressing him, the noisy chatter suddenly stopped. Numerous gazes, filled with bewilderment, poured onto Kang Jihan and Nam Seonwoo. Nam Seonwoo was equally at a loss for words. Looking at Nam Seonwoo, who was doubting his ears, Kang Jihan smiled knowingly.

“Are you dating?”

Nam Seonwoo suddenly thought that this was the first time he had been so flustered in this classroom since he reopened his eyes here. The other students seemed to sense this too, as silent glances were exchanged.

It was clearly a prank intended to gauge reactions. This kid who was barely out of diapers, where did he get the nerve? Nam Seonwoo opened his mouth.

“…Yeah. I’m dating.”

And he smiled directly at Kang Jihan.

“But he’s being so annoying, I don’t know when we’ll break up.”

After a moment of silence, cheers filled the classroom. The guys who had been reading the atmosphere between the two until now began to get excited as if nothing had happened.

Soon, various questions poured out to Nam Seonwoo. Where did they meet, who confessed first, how was he being annoying… Nam Seonwoo stared at Kang Jihan pointedly and answered each question one by one. Especially when detailing how he was being annoying, Kang Jihan’s upturned mouth corners twisted slightly.

‘That’s what you get for messing around, you brat.’

Nam Seonwoo flashed a victorious smile at that face, unaware that he had once again forgotten his own age.

The inquiry into Nam Seonwoo’s love life ended with the start of first period. The excited atmosphere quickly turned gloomy again as soon as they became aware of the reality of the mock exam.

But only Kang Jihan seemed to be outside of that dark cloud.

“…”

Feeling the intense gaze throughout the class, Nam Seonwoo turned his head as if surrendering. Kang Jihan was staring at him intently with his chin propped up. And quite openly at that. Nam Seonwoo sighed, picked up his pen, and pulled Kang Jihan’s textbook over.

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t interfere?”

Kang Jihan lowered only his eyes and moved his hand. The corners of his mouth visible between his fingers were curved upwards. Nam Seonwoo’s gaze, which had been lingering there, moved down again at the sound of Kang Jihan tapping.

“Am I bothering you?”

Maybe it was because Kang Jihan was smiling. That question seemed to be asking, “Are you thinking about me?” This cringeworthy Kang Jihan was something he just couldn’t get used to. He had thought that if they started dating, Kang Jihan would return to being the brusque Kang Jihan he knew, but that wasn’t the case at all.

“Wouldn’t it bother me?”

After firmly dotting the question mark, Nam Seonwoo pushed the textbook far away, causing Kang Jihan’s shoulders to shake slightly. Ignoring him and looking at the blackboard, Nam Seonwoo immediately made eye contact with the math teacher. Feeling caught doing something else, he smiled awkwardly, and Kang Jihan also picked up his pen again.

Thinking he was finally going to study, Nam Seonwoo glanced to the side, but the tip of the pen was moving over the words Nam Seonwoo had just written.

‘…What are you doing now?’

Kang Jihan circled every “nya” Nam Seonwoo had written, then drew arrows and started making a strange picture. A distorted circle with triangular ears… it seemed to be some kind of animal. Sensing the gaze, Kang Jihan moved his pen below it.

“It looks like a cat.”

“Are you crazy…”

Nam Seonwoo quickly covered his mouth as the words escaped out loud, but it was already after the teacher’s glare had been directed at him.

The price for uttering profanity during the sacred class time was problem-solving. When Nam Seonwoo finally returned to his seat after filling the blackboard with math problems, the end-of-class bell rang.

Kang Jihan was calmly turning the pages of his textbook. His face suggested that he hadn’t interfered at all. Come to think of it, the guy who originally sat next to Nam Seonwoo had been banished to the back, to Kang Jihan’s seat.

“Go back to your original seat.”

An displeased gaze returned. Where had that Kang Jihan who dozed off throughout class gone? His eyes were impossibly clear. Just as Nam Seonwoo was about to call the original seatmate, thinking Kang Jihan wouldn’t listen obediently, his wrist was lightly grasped.

“Okay. I won’t do it anymore.”

There was no force in the touch that pulled him to sit in the chair. Knowing this, Nam Seonwoo obediently sat down, and Kang Jihan handed him a mechanical pencil and said,

“Study, Seonwoo-ya.”

“…Did you eat something wrong? Why do you keep saying Seonwoo, Seonwoo since earlier!”

At the strange glimmer in Kang Jihan’s eyes, Nam Seonwoo realized that he had just used “nya” twice in his own speech. So his lips, which were about to say “Are you kidding?” closed again. Once he became conscious of it, he couldn’t speak properly at all. Kang Jihan pointed to the name tag with his eyes.

“It’s correct, isn’t it? Seonwoo.”

“To know if that Seonwoo is Buk Seonwoo or Nam Seonwoo, you’d have to put the surname in front, right?”

“The only Seonwoo I know is you.”

“I told you not to do that. If you call me that one more time, I’ll really send you to the back.”

Kang Jihan frowned. He looked like he had a lot to say. After staring at the embroidered name tag for a while, Kang Jihan muttered softly.

“You don’t say anything to Park Gyuhyeon though.”

Before Nam Seonwoo could ask why Park Gyuhyeon was suddenly being mentioned, Kang Jihan’s thumb suddenly pressed hard on the name tag, causing Nam Seonwoo to stiffen.

“Hey, what-“

“He keeps saying ‘our Seonwoo, our Seonwoo.’ It’s annoying.”

As Nam Seonwoo looked at him with a puzzled expression, Kang Jihan rubbed the embroidered “Nam” and said,

“Now I’m closer to you.”

“…”

Nam Seonwoo quickly surveyed his surroundings. His eyes briefly met with Kim Jaewoo in the distance, but no one else was looking this way. Fortunately, it seemed no one had heard their recent conversation. Nam Seonwoo lowered his voice and urged him.

“Hey, are you planning to advertise this to the whole neighborhood?”

Kang Jihan still hadn’t relaxed his expression, perhaps feeling unfairly scolded just for calling Nam Seonwoo by name.

“Park Gyuhyeon is always like that, so no one thinks it’s strange, but look at earlier. When you said ‘Seonwoo-ya,’ everyone looked at us weirdly.”

“What’s weird about it? We’re dating.”

“Just…!”

This is really driving me crazy. Nam Seonwoo buried his face in his hands. He hadn’t expected Kang Jihan to be so blatant even at school. Even when he glared at Kang Jihan, wondering if he was doing this on purpose, Kang Jihan’s face showed he didn’t understand what he had done wrong.

Their gazes, unable to understand each other, were locked for a moment. In this standoff, Nam Seonwoo was the first to raise his hand.

“…Who said we’re not dating? I’m just saying we should be careful.”

Unlike before, Nam Seonwoo’s voice was now more persuasive, and Kang Jihan quieted down. As expected, this approach was more effective than scolding. Nam Seonwoo whispered, afraid someone might hear, and Kang Jihan followed suit.

“How should we be careful?”

“Don’t use that cringeworthy way of addressing me at school.”

“So it’s okay outside of school?”

“We’ll see how it goes.”

“What should we do?”

His attitude suggested he was ready to do whatever it was right away. It was funny how he was making a big deal out of just calling Nam Seonwoo by name, but Kang Jihan’s way of calling him was… hard to get used to.

As Nam Seonwoo scanned Kang Jihan’s desk, he pointed to a workbook sticking out from below and said,

“If you finish all of that today, I’ll think about it.”

It was a calculus workbook. A very thick one at that.

Kang Jihan raised his eyes silently. His look seemed to ask if Nam Seonwoo had any conscience, but it couldn’t be helped.

“You need to study now. Don’t you want to go to college?”

Choosing math was at least a show of minimal conscience. Kang Jihan was naturally gifted in mathematics, and even before, he could quickly grasp the patterns of the college entrance exam after going through just a few workbooks.

Kang Jihan stared at the workbook with quite a serious look. Just softening his voice had put Kang Jihan in a completely agreeable mode, unlike before.