Predator Alert chapter 25

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“Why are you at school already?”

For once, Pyo Yoontae had arrived earlier than Jeongseo. He furrowed his brow, scrutinizing his from head to toe.

There was no trace of the heat, and his eyes sparkled as usual. Most importantly, the sweet scent that had messed with Pyo Yoontae’s mind yesterday was completely gone.

Only then did Pyo Yoontae’s expression soften. But he still squeezed Jeongseo’s cheeks, squashing his face.

“You need to take better care of yourself. If you’re passing out at school, it means you’ve been unwell for a while, but you still came to school.”

“You’re not in your right mind. Seriously.” The scolding came before Jeongseo even had a chance to explain, and though he felt a little irritated, he couldn’t help but notice something different.

The warmth of the hands holding his cheeks and the intense gaze looking down at him—small details, but somehow comforting.

Jeongseo’s lips twitched as he gently removed Pyo Yoontae’s hands.

“…It wasn’t my usual time, so I didn’t expect it. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come…!”

“Oh, really?”

“I mean it!”

Feeling the tips of his ears grow hot, Jeongseo fidgeted with them as he walked past Pyo Yoontae. But Pyo Yoontae followed right behind, closing the distance between them again.

“And why is your bag open like that? Were you in such a rush to get here?”

Pyo Yoontae draped an arm over Jeongseo’s shoulders and peeked into his bag. As expected, it was packed with snacks.

Though Jeongseo usually brought fruit, today his bag was filled with snacks and drinks. He was always diligent about bringing food to school.

“It’s stuffed with food, that’s why it won’t close. Is there any for me?”

Jeongseo glanced at his and then, without a word, took out the snacks and drinks, placing them on Pyo Yoontae’s desk.

“You didn’t have to give me any for real, you should ea—”

“No, I brought them for you. You helped me yesterday.”

As a thank-you, Jeongseo even placed his favorite lizard-shaped gummy on Pyo Yoontae’s desk. The pile of snacks looked like enough to last his a year.

Pyo Yoontae stared at the desk in silence, making Jeongseo feel a bit anxious.

“I picked the best ones…”

Pyo Yoontae smiled softly, picking up two small chocolates. He unwrapped one and popped it into his mouth, then pressed the other against Jeongseo’s lips.

Startled, Jeongseo opened his mouth, and the chocolate slipped in. As it touched his tongue, it immediately melted, filling his mouth with a rich chocolate flavor.

“You know, Jeongseo.”

Rolling the chocolate around in his mouth, Pyo Yoontae’s eyes softened as he pointed at his mouth with his finger.

“This tastes just like your pheromones.”

In an instant, Jeongseo’s face flushed bright red. He was just talking about his pheromone scent, but it made Jeongseo feel embarrassed.

With his head lowered, Jeongseo quickly turned around and threw open the classroom window. The warm breeze, heated by the sunlight, gently brushed against him.

---

I felt unsettled.

“Jeongseo, what’s up with you all of a sudden?”

Without knowing how Jeongseo was feeling, Pyo Yoontae lightly tapped the back of Jeongseo’s head with his fingers. People say the feelings between friends are called friendship.

Is this what friendship feels like? Jeongseo looked up at the deep blue, cloudless sky, feeling oddly contemplative today.

Pyo Yoontae kept tapping for a while but, as Jeongseo stopped responding, he eventually stared blankly at the round back of his head.

His sharp gaze, unlike when he talked to Jeongseo, resembled a predator eyeing its prey.

Suddenly, without a sound, Pyo Yoontae stood up. He quietly left the classroom before Jeongseo could even notice.

Pyo Yoontae headed for a place where no one was around and ended up in the restroom. Since it was still morning, no one was there, and the place was quiet.

“…Haa.”

Only then did Pyo Yoontae let out a long, loud sigh that anyone could hear.

The smell was definitely gone.

But when he teased Jeongseo, saying he looked like chocolate, the sight of his blushing face somehow triggered the same excitement he felt when he caught a whiff of Jeongseo’s pheromones.

Come to think of it, it was about time for that.

“…Coincidence?” Pyo Yoontae murmured quietly, trying to suppress the excitement rising within him.

---

Jeongseo looked at the empty seat next to his with a sullen expression. The seat was vacant because its owner hadn’t shown up.

“Ah, since Yoontae’s absent due to illness, keep that in mind, and let’s all do our best to pay attention in class and work hard today!”

After morning attendance, the homeroom teacher left the room. Yes, Pyo Yoontae hadn’t come to school today. Jeongseo had called his in the morning, but he didn’t pick up. All he could do was gaze out the hallway window endlessly.

‘Is he so sick that he can’t come to school?’

Pyo Yoontae looked like someone who could knock out a virus with his bare hands, but apparently, looks and illness weren’t related. By now, the classroom was so filled with sunlight that some students had already switched to their summer uniforms.

Jeongseo was wearing his summer uniform, too. After staring at Pyo Yoontae’s desk for a while, he stood up. The first period was chemistry, so he needed to head to the science lab on the fourth floor.

As he was grabbing handouts from his locker, he opened Pyo Yoontae’s locker. Inside were snacks, jellies, and candies Jeongseo had given him.

Pyo Yoontae had already taken the perishable drinks and melting chocolates, but they’d stored the rest in the locker to share at school.

Jeongseo was about to take out a small lollipop.

“Pyo Yoontae!”

Lee Hyunsu burst in, swinging the back door open loudly. He scanned the classroom before frowning.

“Pyo Yoontae didn’t come to school today because he’s sick.”

At Jeongseo’s reply, Hyunsu looked slightly startled but quickly approached Jeongseo.

“Sick? Pyo Yoontae? Where?”

Caught off guard by Hyunsu’s approach, Jeongseo hesitated.

“That… I don’t know. The homeroom teacher just said he’s sick.”

“Oh….”

An awkward silence followed. Hyunsu, clearly unsure what else to say, couldn’t stop fidgeting. Jeongseo, too, wasn’t particularly friendly with anyone at school besides Pyo Yoontae, so he had no idea what to talk about.

It was probably better for both of them if Jeongseo just left. Just as he was about to take a step away, Hyunsu spoke up again.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you collapse from being sick a few days ago? Are you feeling better now?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine now.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. You know, on Monday, I was so shocked when I saw Pyo Yoontae carrying someone wrapped up like a burrito. I didn’t know it was you.”

Once he started talking, Hyunsu didn’t seem to want to stop. Surprised that he was so eager to chat, Jeongseo responded, though he couldn’t shake the confusion.

‘Weren’t these guys not that fond of me…?’

Ever since the early days of their first year, almost none of their classmates had really spoken to Jeongseo. The only ones who’d ever started conversations—though they were more like attempts to pick fights—were a few seniors who had already graduated and a group led by Kim Woosik, who was in his second year back then.

“Hey, if you keep acting like this, no one will like you. Does anyone even talk to you right now?”

That was what one of the now-graduated seniors had said to Jeongseo.

Remembering it now made his feel uneasy. He narrowed his eyes, staring at Hyunsu.

Hyunsu, who had been chattering away, finally noticed Jeongseo’s expression and gave an awkward smile.

“Oh… I’ve been talking too much when I should be heading to class. Sorry, I’ll get going!”

Hyunsu turned to leave the classroom but paused and said cautiously, “If you don’t have anyone to eat lunch with today, join us.”

Jeongseo blinked a few times and gave a small nod. Hyunsu left, saying they’d see each other later. Jeongseo felt strange, wondering why they were suddenly being so friendly without Pyo Yoontae around.

When lunchtime came, Hyunsu really did come to find Jeongseo. Standing in line, getting food, and eating while chatting, Jeongseo listened to the conversation, swallowing a mix of emotions.

Not only was Hyunsu naturally outgoing, but the other kids also joined in without hesitation. Maybe they’d just been distant all this time because they didn’t talk much, not because they disliked him.

As Jeongseo awkwardly enjoyed this new development, a familiar emptiness lingered inside him. He vaguely began to understand why Pyo Yoontae had once said he was bored because Jeongseo wasn’t around to hang out with him.

During the joint P.E. session on Friday, Jeongseo sat alone on the bench under the wisteria tree. The tree was in full bloom, and its light purple flowers filled the air with a strong fragrance.

The buzzing of bees didn’t bother Jeongseo, who was used to bugs from working in the fields.

“Haa…”

The girls were playing indoors, and the boys were playing basketball and soccer outside. They were all running under the scorching sun, but Jeongseo wasn’t interested in joining either group, so he just stared blankly at the field.

Time dragged on today, perhaps because Pyo Yoontae wasn’t there. He couldn’t even remember how he used to spend his days before Yoontae appeared.

From the riverside behind the school, the sounds of children playing and birds chirping drifted in. As the warm breeze made Jeongseo drowsy, he absentmindedly noticed a white head sitting alone at the far end of the field.

It was Ha Ian, the class president of Class 5. Come to think of it, Jeongseo had never seen his hanging out with anyone either. He usually ate alone during lunch too.

With half-closed eyes, Jeongseo stared at Ha Ian, but then their gazes met. Ha Ian frowned as if to ask what he was looking at, then turned his head away. Jeongseo, however, stood up and started walking toward him.

“Why aren’t you playing soccer?”

Ha Ian glanced at Jeongseo, who had naturally sat beside him, as if annoyed. He fiddled with his glasses but didn’t answer, instead staring down at the book in his hands.

Jeongseo peeked and saw that it was a notebook filled with English vocabulary words.

‘As expected, the top student in the science class before Yoontae came along!’

Jeongseo quietly admired him, observing his curiously. Eventually, Ha Ian’s eyes twitched in irritation. Finally, he spoke to Jeongseo.

“Hey, what are you doing? Why are you sitting next to me being so annoying?”

“…I was just curious because you were sitting alone.”

“Can’t you tell by looking?”

It was clear that Ha Ian didn’t like him. Jeongseo considered leaving but stayed seated, wondering if it was because he was bored or because he realized Ha Ian was always alone too.

Noticing that Jeongseo didn’t seem eager to leave, Ha Ian asked, “Where’s your friend? Did he ditch you or something?”

“…Ditch?”

“Did he say he’s cutting ties with you? That jerk’s got a nasty attitude.”

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