* * *
For a brief moment, Jeongseo was startled by the face gradually closing in, but instinctively, he squeezed his eyes shut.
He was sure their lips were about to meet—yet instead, a solid weight pressed down on his shoulder.
His eyelashes quivered as he hesitantly opened his eyes.
A wave of confusion swept over him.
The shock of what had almost happened, combined with the realization that he had closed his eyes without resistance, left his gaze lost in the empty space before him.
Resting his forehead against Jeongseo’s shoulder, Pyo Yoontae rubbed against him playfully before murmuring in a low voice,
“Sorry. We’re not even anything yet. I got ahead of myself.”
Could a single phrase feel this grating?
‘Not even anything.’
Jeongseo’s lips parted as if to protest—’Why would you say that?’—but no words came out. He didn’t like the idea of just being friends either.
As silence stretched between them, Yoontae slowly straightened up, offering an awkward smile.
Jeongseo simply stared at him without saying a word.
The same guy who had shamelessly stolen a kiss at the pension last time was now rubbing the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact like a clumsy teenager.
“…I mean, yeah, a sudden kiss would’ve been too much…”
‘I wasn’t even thinking about kissing…’
Only now did Jeongseo fully grasp what could have happened if Yoontae hadn’t stopped.
His entire body burned from his throat to the top of his head.
“…You— You startled me…!”
That was all he managed to say, yet his voice wavered so much that he ended up rubbing his cheeks furiously with both hands.
An awkward silence lingered, neither of them able to break it.
Yoontae, too, seemed flustered by his own impulsive action.
He had waited patiently all this time, believing he could endure it until Jeongseo was ready to be honest about his feelings.
But controlling these emotions was harder than expected.
The way his heart surged all of a sudden—it was overwhelming.
This time, it truly had been an unconscious, reckless impulse, and he had no idea how Jeongseo would take it.
Their lips had almost touched.
If he hadn’t regained his senses at the last second, it would have been a disaster.
Even though he had a vague sense that Jeongseo liked him back, nothing between them had been clearly defined yet.
That was why he was on edge, anxiously gauging Jeongseo’s reaction.
Their eyes met.
Jeongseo’s cheeks were puffed up in frustration, tinted a soft pink.
His gaze, though slightly sharp, didn’t carry any resentment or anger.
“You kissed me so easily last time… Now that you’re embarrassed, you’re making me even more flustered…!”
“That and this are… pretty different.”
Jeongseo shot Yoontae a pointed look before abruptly turning his head away.
“They’re not different at all! It’s the same thing!”
So… was he saying that even now, he didn’t really mind?
Yoontae’s golden eyes trailed over Jeongseo’s neck, flushed a deep red, just like that night at the pension.
The tension on Yoontae’s face slowly faded away.
Beyond the falling rain, headlights gradually approached.
Yoontae stood up, picked up the umbrella that had fallen to the ground, and held it out to Jeongseo.
“The bus is here, Jeongseo.”
“…Oh.”
Jeongseo quickly shouldered his bag and stood up.
As he stepped forward, Yoontae spoke again.
“I like you, Jeongseo.”
Jeongseo faltered mid-step, causing raindrops to land on his bangs.
“But I’m not going to say it again.”
With long strides, Yoontae closed the distance, opened the umbrella, and swapped it with the one in Jeongseo’s hand.
Jeongseo blinked up at him, round eyes full of confusion.
As the bus pulled up in front of the stop, Yoontae gently nudged Jeongseo’s back.
“Just for eight months. So, focus on what’s important for now.”
The bus doors opened, and Yoontae’s eyes curved into a soft smile as he waved.
Caught off guard, Jeongseo could only board the bus after the driver impatiently urged him forward.
He wanted to ask what that meant.
But the bus driver had no way of knowing what was on Jeongseo’s mind.
Left with no choice, Jeongseo sat alone on the bus, silently counting eight months on his fingers.
“…Ah.”
In eight months, the year would end, and January of next year would begin.
❀°•❀°•❀°
An entire semester flew by in a blur.
Between studying nonstop and preparing for his physical education practicals, Jeongseo had barely noticed time passing.
It felt like March had only just begun, yet suddenly, it was the summer break ceremony marking the end of the semester.
Some students were gloomy, realizing their last semester for GPA calculation was over, but most felt liberated now that it was finally behind them.
At Dangang High School, students getting into college through early admissions far outnumbered those taking the standard exam route, making this moment even more significant.
“You all worked really hard, guys. There’s still stuff left to do, but make sure to get some rest during the break.”
With that brief closing remark, the summer break ceremony ended.
As Yoontae packed his bag, a familiar head of white hair swayed closer.
“Hey, private tutor.”
It had been a while since he’d heard that nickname, but Yoontae didn’t react.
Instead, Jeongseo glanced over at Hayan, who looked unusually smug.
In Hayan’s left hand was a piece of paper, which he proudly waved in front of Yoontae.
“You’re nothing special either, huh?”
Curious, Jeongseo peeked at the paper. It was a report card. And Hayan’s school ranking was…
“First place!”
Jeongseo exclaimed. Hayan grinned smugly, tilting his chin up in triumph.
“I knew you’d slip up the moment you got distracted by romance, dumbass! What was it you said before? That you were always first in this mediocre school? Well, I beat you!”
Hayan burst into laughter, louder than Jeongseo had ever heard before—perhaps even louder than that day in the infirmary.
His voice rang so loudly through the hallway that passing students glanced in their direction.
Yoontae, who had been silently packing his bag, finally looked up at Hayan and smiled.
In the calmest voice possible, he responded,
“Yeah, congrats on being first. Fucking amazing.”
Hayan’s laughter abruptly cut off.
He gave Yoontae a slow once-over, snorted, and muttered, “What a pretender.”
But when Yoontae didn’t react much, Hayan lost interest and strutted out of the classroom, looking as self-satisfied as ever.
Jeongseo, momentarily stunned, watched Hayan leave before shifting his gaze back to Yoontae.
Unlike before, Yoontae’s face now seemed oddly stiff, his focus lingering somewhere in empty space rather than on Jeongseo.
After a long silence, Yoontae muttered under his breath.
“…It was only a 0.2-point difference.”
“Huh?”
“I lost by just 0.2 points.”
Jeongseo hadn’t even asked, but Yoontae told him anyway. His eyes twinkled mischievously.
So that’s why he had acted so indifferent earlier.
“Yoontae, even if it’s only 0.2 points, Hayan still won! And I didn’t even ask!”
With that, Jeongseo let out a playful shout and bolted out of the classroom.
Chuckling in disbelief, Yoontae quickly chased after him.
“Hey! Get back here!”
Jeongseo only laughed harder, running straight toward the front gate without even changing his shoes.
Amid the scorching summer heat and the deafening cries of cicadas, their last summer break of high school began.
❀•°❀°•❀°
In the sweltering heat of August, the voice of the P.E. teacher echoed through the gymnasium of Dangang High School.
“Straighten your knees more! Only let your toes touch the floor, then turn back immediately!”
Beep. Beep.
Following the whistle’s rhythm, Jeongseo moved swiftly from side to side.
He was practicing side steps, one of the physical fitness tests.
With a focused expression, he tapped his toes beyond the white line and quickly moved to the other side, repeating the motion for twenty seconds.
“Stop, stop, stop.”
The P.E. teacher checked Jeongseo’s count—it was 72.
Considering the highest record among youth athletes was 85, his score was fairly good.
His standing long jump was decent, and his flexibility was above average.
If he could slightly improve his performance in the cone drill while carrying a sandbag, he’d be all set.
Seo Jeongseo had good muscular endurance, likely due to his smaller frame, but his strength was a bit lacking.
The teacher, reviewing his records again, tilted his head thoughtfully before finally handing something over.
“That’s it for today. Here’s the dorm key.”
Jeongseo wiped away beads of sweat with a sports towel before accepting the key.
Since his house was far away, he was allowed to use the school’s dormitory showers after training.
“See you next week.”
“Yes! Thank you for your hard work!”
Despite having trained all morning, Jeongseo responded energetically before leaving the gym.
After showering alone in the empty dormitory—empty because of the summer break—his body felt pleasantly tired.
He locked the dormitory door and turned to leave, but at that moment, something suddenly pressed against his head.
* * *
