As soon as the bell rang, the students dashed out like arrows.
Without even a moment to feel the sentiment of the bell, Jingi looked at the empty classroom and slowly put on his backpack. For some reason, Joo Unyoung didn’t even speak to me today. It was almost funny how nervous I had been all day.
He hadn’t seen a single hair of Go Yeol since morning because he was focused on practice, and he had eaten lunch with Baek Jaehui.
He had made such a fuss throughout the meal about whether I could come to the soccer match. Jingi packed his things and left the school.
The orange sun, sitting lazily, was halfway tilted over the playground. Baek Jaehui was there too. The guy was shouting and cheering, seemingly having scored a goal, and the guys who looked like his teammates were hugging each other and laughing.
18 years old, a good age. Even though he had been rejuvenated by four years, the kids still looked like kids to him. Remembering that he hadn’t been able to run around with such vitality when he was at that age, he felt a little envious.
The guys, wearing only their summer uniform tops and gym shorts, scattered and took their positions again.
The guys on the opposing team waved their hands and spat out curses. Even in the midst of that, Baek Jaehui was smiling confidently while wiping sweat from his forehead.
His exceptionally tall stature, thick arms, and reddish-brown hair that looked like it had faded from a deep red stood out. It seemed others felt the same, as several girls beyond the school gate were stealing glances at him.
“Hey, run! It says it’s arriving soon!”
Just then, two male students dashed past him toward the bus stop.
A swarm of students was gathered in front of the stop.
‘Should I take the bus too? I don’t want to walk up the hill.’
Perhaps because he had been with friends for the past few days, the fact that he was alone today felt particularly real. And they no longer felt like someone’s creative characters anymore.
‘Yeah, let’s take the bus. I don’t want to walk.’
He rummaged through one side of his bag to pull out his wallet, and after waiting for a long time, the bus arrived. Jingi boarded the bus along with the few remaining students.
Students packed themselves in until the bus doors barely managed to rattle shut. Most of them weren’t students from our school.
As he was pushed further inside, the ceiling was low, so his head lightly touched it. Jingi glanced at the ceiling, feeling amazed.
‘Wow, tall guys really do touch the bus ceiling.’
As he barely managed to grab onto a metal bar, a faint smile crept onto his face. Feeling once again that he had grown taller made him feel like he was walking on air.
- Next stop is…….
‘Ah, I know that voice!’
He felt a sense of joy at the voice of the familiar voice actor. Jingi felt excited, even in the packed bus, by the unchanging voice of the actor.
It was because his heart, which had been dropped alone into a world where no one knew him and was somewhat longing for the past, felt comforted.
Looking at the phones, the politicians on TV, or the large corporations, this place wasn’t much different from reality.
Jingi held onto the bar above him instead of the handle and moved a little.
The interior was noisy for a moment because of people boarding and getting off.
Then, he felt an unfamiliar and unpleasant touch.
A thick, hot palm was fumbling around his waist. When he flinched in surprise, the hand stopped moving for a moment.
Jingi swallowed hard and lowered his gaze. He couldn’t see his legs at all because of the people.
‘This, this is a pickpocket, right?’
“Hey, get off. Get off.”
‘Screeech!’
The vehicle came to a stop, and the passengers’ bodies leaned to one side.
Simultaneously, a hand that was definitely a man’s, crudely fumbling near his thigh, slipped into his school uniform pants pocket.
“……Fuck.”
A curse leaked out, unable to be contained. A student sitting in front of Jingi glanced at him upon hearing it. He grit his teeth and looked away.
It was right to grab this hand immediately—he wasn’t thin and small like before.
‘Let’s stay calm, there’s nothing in my pocket anyway.’
If it were up to him, he wanted to turn around immediately and twist the guy’s wrist. His insides were boiling, but he simply couldn’t turn his body.
Unpleasantness preceded shame, annoyance flared up, and the situation that would unfold afterward was vividly drawn in his mind.
He didn’t want the bus to get noisy because of him for no reason. If he caused a scene in the already cramped and humid bus, the public resentment would be significant. Furthermore, this thief would surely brazenly deny it and get angry, saying, “Kids these days!”
The hand fumbled through both pockets before finally pulling out. Only then did Jingi relax his stiffened shoulders and let out a deep sigh.
He shouldn’t take the bus at this time if possible. The moment he had been unable to move was humiliating.
“Ugh!”
The bus came to a halt once more. As the impatient driver braked abruptly, the passengers each tossed in a word of complaint.
Only one more stop to go before he could get off. Jingi tapped his cheeks with his palms, trying to soothe his frustrated heart.
He lowered his head, his face surely flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
Even though nothing had been stolen, he was furious—mostly at himself for freezing up and being unable to utter a single word.
Despite the cool air conditioning, a wave of dizziness washed over him.
He was anxiously biting his dry lips and staring out the window when it happened.
“Sir, that’s enough.”
Unexpectedly, the male student sitting in front of him stood up.
He was tall enough to reach the ceiling and then some; leaning forward, he naturally nudged Jingi back into the seat.
Perhaps because of his low, deep voice, a momentary silence fell over the bus even though he hadn’t spoken loudly.
His immense height and build also played a part in catching everyone’s attention.
“W-what? Student, what are you doing! Let go of my hand!”
“You just stole a wallet from my bag.”
He was blond. Jingi momentarily thought of Joo Unyoung before furrowing his brows. Despite not even carrying a bag, the student brazenly twisted the thief’s wrist.
The first impression was that he looked biracial. He possessed an exotic appearance, looking like someone breathing different air from everyone else. His deep-set eyes were smooth like a carefully carved statue, and his high bridge and features felt unfamiliar.
The student, who had his ash-blonde hair tied back in a single tie—a color that looked as if it might fade away—had a strangely androgynous aura. This was despite his massive height and frame.
“Do you want to go to the police station? Or do you want to apologize here?”
“No, you little brat, d-do you have proof? Do you?!”
“Ah, yes. Of course. It’s in your pocket. My wallet.”
Jingi stared up not at the middle-aged man, whose face had turned beet red, but at the student. He wore the same school uniform.
And from his left summer shirt pocket, a name tag peeked out. Black. That meant he was a senior.
It was certain. This was the appearance of a new character.
The proof was in the face—a face so exceptionally and delicately handsome that it was leagues beyond any extra.
It forced him to perceive this person as a ‘character.’
‘Was there a character I didn’t know about? Or, who was it that hadn’t appeared yet?’
While he sat there dazed after being pushed into the seat, a commotion broke out.
As passengers whispered and pointed at the thief while cursing, the man grew restless, his face flushed crimson.
“I filmed everything while you were rummaging. Want to see?”
