Predator Alert chapter 70

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After some hesitation, Jeongseo walked over to Hayan.

His shadow fell across the pages, prompting Hayan to look up with a frown that eased upon recognizing him.

“What?”

“Can I sit here?”

Instead of answering, Hayan scooted over.

Taking that as permission, Jeongseo quickly sat beside him.

Hayan was someone Jeongseo considered mature and reliable among his close friends—an ideal confidant.

“What’s on your mind?”

Quick to pick up on the situation, Hayan closed his book and set it aside.

When Jeongseo hesitated, Hayan tilted his head, urging him to speak.

“Well… I got confessed to…”

“By Pyo Yoontae?”

The name rolled off Hayan’s tongue naturally, and Jeongseo froze, flustered.

Why did people keep pairing him with Yoontae?

Though curious, he waved his hand dismissively, signaling Hayan to come closer.

When Hayan leaned in, Jeongseo glanced around before whispering, “Sumin confessed to me on Saturday…!”

“What?”

Hayan’s eyes widened in disbelief, his voice rising unexpectedly.

He hadn’t seen that coming and almost doubted his hearing.

Others liking Jeongseo wasn’t surprising.

With his adorable looks and cute demeanor, it made sense.

But with Yoontae openly staking his claim and Jeongseo seemingly receptive, Sumin confessing was incomprehensible to Hayan.

“Wasn’t that doomed from the start?”

To Hayan, pursuing near-zero probabilities was a waste of time.

He glanced toward Sumin, chatting with others at the gym’s edge, trying to fathom his thought process.

“Why’s that a problem? Is it awkward because you’re in the same class?”

“Partly… He said I could take my time answering, but it feels so awkward.”

“What kind of situation is this?” Hayan gave Jeongseo a look of disbelief, making him drop his gaze out of guilt.

Jeongseo instinctively knew he should respond quickly.

But should it be in person, over the phone, or by text?

How could he minimize the hurt to Sumin?

These uncertainties delayed him.

“You like Pyo Yoontae anyway. Why drag it out?”

Jeongseo froze as if his soul had left him.

The secret he had been so intent on hiding slipped from Hayan’s mouth as if it were nothing.

Looking at Hayan in shock, Jeongseo found him leaning casually against the gym wall, chuckling.

“Don’t deny it. It’s obvious.”

“Obvious? Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

Without hesitation, Hayan’s answer left Jeongseo pale.

Had he been so transparent that even someone outside his immediate circle could tell?

Thanks to Hayan’s bluntness, Jeongseo was momentarily freed from worrying about Sumin’s confession—though he now had a bigger problem to deal with.

“Then… does Yoontae know too? Did he notice?”

This situation was completely unexpected, Seo Jeongseo pressed down firmly on the area just above his tailbone.

The overwhelming embarrassment made him feel as though his tail might suddenly pop out.

Hayan’s jet-black eyes silently observed Jeongseo for a moment before responding with a question instead of an answer.

“Why can’t he find out?”

“Well, Pyo Yoontae has someone else as his first love… He said he came here to find his first love. If he finds out I like him, he might distance himself from me…”

Jeongseo’s downcast tone almost made Hayan blurt out for him to stop talking nonsense.

Seo Jeongseo was even more clueless than he had thought.

Did he not notice Pyo Yoontae’s behavior toward him, even after seeing it every day?

Hayan couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at Jeongseo’s innocence—or perhaps his naivety.

With someone like him, being direct was the best approach.

“Well, is that so? If Pyo Yoontae is sharp, he’ll figure it out; if not, he won’t.”

But that wasn’t something Hayan intended to deal with himself. He shrugged and brushed the conversation off ambiguously.

Besides, Hayan didn’t feel like doing Pyo Yoontae any favors, even if it meant slighting Jeongseo.

Jeongseo murmured softly, “But Yoontae’s pretty sharp…” but Hayan pretended not to hear and didn’t respond.

“Anyway, if you’re going to reject someone, do it quickly. Dragging it out won’t do anyone any good.”

“Hmm… But, Hayan, if it were you, would rejecting someone face-to-face hurt less than doing it through text or a call?”

“If it were me?”

Hayan’s black eyes wandered into empty space.

Since he didn’t see himself confessing to anyone—or being confessed to—it was a difficult question.

After some thought, he answered flatly.

“Do what feels right for you. Getting rejected hurts either way.”

“Oh… I see.”

Hayan’s gaze into the distance looked somewhat melancholy, and Jeongseo couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.

After school that day, Jeongseo managed to fend off Pyo Yoontae’s invitation to hang out and arranged to meet Ha Sumin at the riverside trail.

He felt that, since Ha Sumin had confessed directly, it was only right for him to personally reject him as well.

Leaning on the railing, Jeongseo swallowed dryly when he spotted a familiar figure approaching.

Ha Sumin’s stiff expression suggested he already knew the answer.

Straightening his posture, Jeongseo took a deep breath.

The cold late-November air cooled his pounding heart.

Clenching his fists, he stammered without looking up.

“I… actually like Yoontae. So I can’t accept your confession. I’m sorry!”

A heavy silence followed.

Jeongseo glanced up nervously and made eye contact with Ha Sumin, who sighed as if he had expected this outcome, offering a strained smile.

“Yeah… I kind of figured you’d say that. But thanks for being honest.”

Ha Sumin’s calm response relieved Jeongseo more than he had anticipated.

He finally lifted his head and fidgeted with his hands.

“No, I’m sorry for taking so long to tell you…”

“I was the one who suddenly confessed out of nowhere. It must’ve been awkward for you. Let’s just stay good friends from now on.”

Even though it might be hard for a while… Ha Sumin added quietly.

Jeongseo nodded and smiled faintly in agreement.

After Ha Sumin left, Jeongseo headed toward the bus stop, feeling a newfound sense of lightness.

Though there was still one lingering concern…

If Pyo Yoontae had noticed anything, wouldn’t he have said something by now?

Jeongseo decided to let it go for the time being.

December arrived in a blink. Jeongseo stood in front of the mirror with a serious look.

His hair was turning stark white, so much so that he couldn’t hide it anymore.

Even though he had avoided brushing it, clumps of brown fur fell out every morning.

As he rolled a lint roller over the shed fur, Jeongseo ran to the storage room.

Digging through a closet in the corner, he pulled out a colorful, rainbow-striped knit hat.

It fit snugly on his head, covering his ears completely and concealing the color of his hair.

It was the last hat his grandmother had knitted for him before she passed away.

Every winter, she had insisted he wear her handmade hats to keep warm.

Though his fur wasn’t completely white yet, Jeongseo decided to wear the hat from now on—especially since Pyo Yoontae would definitely notice if his hair suddenly changed color.

“Seobok, I’m heading out!”

Seobok, his dog, barked softly and tilted his head, staring curiously at the vibrant rainbow hat on Jeongseo’s head.

At school, his classmates reacted much like Seobok, giving him puzzled looks.

As Jeongseo climbed the stairs, he ran into Hyunsoo, who froze for a moment.

He remembered that hat from last winter; it was hard to forget something so conspicuous.

No one had dared to ask Jeongseo why he wore it then, and Hyunsoo wasn’t about to start now.

Hyunsoo muttered awkwardly, “Oh, hey… You’re wearing that hat again.”

“Yeah! It’s winter now!”

“Oh… Right…”

Hyunsoo’s confusion only grew.

Why wear such a hat just because it’s winter?

Before he could dwell on it, Pyo Yoontae appeared.