* * *

Even in the face of Yoontae’s brazen remark, Jeongseo couldn’t bring himself to deny it.

He wasn’t wrong, after all.

As Jeongseo’s lips quivered, his face beet-red, Yoontae stood up casually.

“They said to come out to the yard for the barbecue. I’ll head out first, so take your time.”

Leaving Jeongseo with his mind in complete turmoil, Yoontae left the room as if nothing had happened.

Jeongseo couldn’t shake off the soft and tender sensation that lingered below his lips, making it impossible to calm down.

…It truly was an unforgettable birthday.

°❀•°❀°•❀°

Winter break always seemed to pass quickly, but this time, it felt even faster.

March had arrived, but the wind was still biting cold.

Jeongseo buried his face into his beige scarf as he got off the bus and walked toward school.

This would be his last year in high school.

Thinking about it like that made time feel so fleeting.

It felt like only yesterday that Yoontae had transferred, yet they were already in their third year.

As the school gates came into view, an odd feeling welled up inside him.

It was the same gate he saw every day, but the thought of not being here after next March suddenly struck him.

Feeling a little sentimental, Jeongseo absentmindedly climbed the stairs toward the second-year classrooms before realizing his mistake and awkwardly heading back down.

The 3-4 classroom wasn’t in the main building but in a newer annex.

He had to turn right at the top of the stairs instead of going straight.

Because he’d arrived earlier than usual for the first day back, the place was eerily quiet.

As Jeongseo opened the door and pondered where to sit, he froze.

Someone was already seated in the second row of the center column.

White, curly hair and silver-framed glasses glinted in the slanting sunlight.

Jeongseo’s mouth slowly fell open as the boy lifted his face.

Meeting his jet-black eyes, Jeongseo instinctively took a step back in shock.

The person sitting there naturally, as if it were his own classroom, was none other than Hayan.

For a moment, Jeongseo wondered if he’d entered the wrong classroom.

But when he checked the sign outside, it clearly said “3-4.”

“Hayan, this is 4th class!”

“I know.”

Hayan’s overly confident attitude left Jeongseo speechless.

He knew it was the 4th class, so why was he sitting in someone else’s classroom?

Scratching his head in confusion, Jeongseo placed his bag on the desk by the window and approached Hayan.

“Then why are you here?”

“I’m in 4th class now.”

“…What?”

Hayan?

In their class?

Jeongseo stared at him, utterly baffled, and Hayan, crossing his arms, explained matter-of-factly.

“I switched my second foreign language to Chinese. It seemed better.”

“…Chinese?”

“Yeah. Too many kids are good at Japanese.”

The unexpected turn of events left Jeongseo momentarily wondering if Hayan was joking.

But Hayan wasn’t the type to joke about such things.

Though surprised, Jeongseo quickly smiled and extended a hand.

“I never thought we’d end up in the same class, but I’m glad! Let’s do well this year!”

Hayan looked at the hand for a moment before smirking slightly and clasping it with a cool expression.

“…Sure.”

Despite his nonchalant response, the tips of Hayan’s ears turned faintly red.

Just as they were about to release hands, the front door slammed open, and Pyo Yoontae burst in, his bright yellow eyes blazing.

“What’s he doing here? Shouldn’t he be in his own class?”

On the first day back, Yoontae, already bristling, spotted their clasped hands and stormed over, pulling Jeongseo away.

Startled, Jeongseo tried to explain, but Hayan beat him to it.

“This is my class now.”

“…What kind of nonsense is that?”

Pyo Yoontae’s brows furrowed. He had come to school in a good mood, looking forward to seeing Seo Jeongseo, and he sincerely hoped nothing would ruin it.

Yoontae looked at Jeongseo with unsteady eyes and received an immediate confirmation shot.

“Hayan switched from Japanese to Chinese.”

“…That little…”

It was already frustrating enough that Jeongseo had gotten close to so many people, making it hard to even talk to him during breaks.

But now, Hayan switching classes too?

It felt absurd.

Of all people, Hayan was the one Jeongseo had quickly warmed up to, more than anyone else.

Yoontae hugged Jeongseo tighter, glaring daggers at Hayan.

But Hayan wasn’t the type to back down from such a glare.

Despite being a mere “hamster,” he never once lost his nerve against a black panther.

What a maddening little brat.

❀•❀•❀

During the first homeroom session of their third year, their new homeroom teacher—a math teacher known for being slightly blunt but mostly indifferent to student opinions—proved to be a popular choice.

“Alright, seems like everyone’s found a decent spot. Let’s keep these seats for the semester… Jeongseo, can you see well from there? Isn’t it too far back?”

“I’m fine!”

Jeongseo waved his hands as if to say it was no issue, and the teacher nodded, moving his attention elsewhere.

Standing at a rumored 190cm tall, the teacher towered over most students, prompting Jeongseo to glance between him and Pyo Yoontae, who sat next to him.

The teacher had transferred to their school the previous year and primarily taught senior classes, so this was Jeongseo’s first proper look at him.

Their eyes accidentally met, and Jeongseo instinctively tried to look away.

But Yoontae leaned closer to him instead.

“Good thing we didn’t have to change seats, Jeongseo.”

At the sudden proximity, memories of Jeongseo’s birthday came flooding back, causing his face to flush bright red.

Since then, Yoontae had acted as if nothing had happened, even meeting up and hanging out during the break.

Feeling like he was the only one affected, Jeongseo pretended to nod casually.

“Yeah, true.”

“Sitting here together reminds me of when I first transferred.”

Just like Yoontae said, they were in the exact same seats as they had been at the start of the previous year.

Jeongseo glanced out the window, then turned back to meet Yoontae’s gentle gaze.

The only difference now was that Yoontae, instead of teasing him, looked at him with a tender expression.

And unlike before, Jeongseo wasn’t alone anymore.

So much had changed in just one year. And all of it was because—

“I’m glad I met you.”

Because of Pyo Yoontae.

As Jeongseo smiled softly, Yoontae lightly covered his nose with one hand while the other reached down, grasping Jeongseo’s wrist resting on his thigh.

Whenever Jeongseo acted like this, Yoontae still wasn’t sure how to respond.

The emotions swelling in his chest were almost too much to contain.

Afraid of revealing everything, he instead tightened his grip on Jeongseo’s wrist, preventing him from pulling away.

While the two of them quietly enjoyed their moment in the back row, the teacher handed out papers to the students in the front.

“Take one and pass it back.”

The paper that reached them was titled “College Counseling Form” and listed fields asking for career goals, desired colleges, majors, and any questions they had.

Unlike the previous years, when they only wrote down career aspirations, now there was much more to fill out.

“Starting from the end of March, we’ll have counseling sessions after school, so make sure to submit these forms by the day before the March mock exams. Also, does anyone want to volunteer as the temporary class president until we hold elections?”

Before the teacher had even finished speaking, Hayan shot his hand up.

The former class president glanced at him but didn’t react.

Relieved not to have to choose someone himself, the teacher smiled.

“Great. Then, Ahn, you’ll be the temporary president for now. I’ll be back later.”

With the teacher gone, the classroom quickly filled with chatter, but Jeongseo stared at the college counseling form with a serious expression.

Noticing his troubled look, Yoontae tapped on his desk.

“What’s wrong, Jeongseo?”

“There’s so much to write.”

Yoontae glanced at the form and didn’t see why it was such a big deal, but then realized he didn’t actually know what Jeongseo wanted to do.

“What’s your career goal, Jeongseo?”

“…I don’t think I have one.”

No goals?

For some reason, Yoontae had expected Jeongseo to talk about some ambitious dream.

Thinking he might just be shy, he studied him, but it didn’t seem like that was the case either.

“Nothing? Then what did you write down before?”

“A monk.”

“…What?”

Yoontae couldn’t believe his ears.

* * *