Predator Alert chapter 27

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Jeongseo nervously shook his leg as he stared out the hallway window, anxiously watching to see if Pyo Yoontae would come to school or not.

He hadn’t replied to the message Jeongseo sent on Friday, nor had he answered the phone when Jeongseo called on Sunday.

Their homeroom teacher did say he was sick, but three days with no contact at all was enough to send his mind racing.

How sick is he?

Maybe it’s not just an illness but an accident?

Or could it be that Pyo Yoontae has some chronic illness?

“He’s going to come today, right…?”

No sooner had he muttered to himself than Jeongseo’s ears perked up.

Pyo Yoontae had just gotten out of a car at the front gate.

Without even thinking about changing into his indoor shoes, Jeongseo ran toward him.

“Pyo Yoontae!”

Pyo Yoontae, who had a blank expression, slightly widened his eyes as he spotted Jeongseo running toward him.

Jeongseo ran in a full circle around Yoontae, scanning him.

His back was straight, his complexion was normal, and apart from a slight tiredness that could have been his imagination, he seemed fine.

With a serious look on his face, Jeongseo stood in front of his again.

At that, Yoontae let out a small laugh.

“Did you finish all your tests? Why do you look so serious, Jeongseo?”

Contrary to Yoontae’s light, relaxed voice, Jeongseo’s lips twitched.

Seeing him looking so healthy made his feel relieved, but also a little upset.

He could have at least left a short message, right?

That’s what bothered him.

“How sick were you that I couldn’t get through to you for three days?!”

“Sick…?”

Pyo Yoontae tilted his head, as if he didn’t understand, then mumbled, “Oh, the teacher must’ve said I was sick.”

Jeongseo, puzzled, stared at him.

So, he wasn’t actually sick?

But Yoontae smiled brightly and casually draped an arm around Jeongseo’s shoulders.

“You must have been really worried about me, huh? Sorry about that. But I wasn’t sick. I just didn’t answer, and I was going to explain today.”

“You weren’t sick? Then why didn’t you come to school?”

As they walked into the shoe cubby, Yoontae lowered his voice and whispered, “I was in rut.”

Jeongseo froze, but Yoontae continued unfazed.

“This time it hit me pretty hard. Even with medication, I felt like I was losing my mind. I scratched myself so much that it still hurts down there…”

“S-stop talking!”

Jeongseo’s face turned beet red, from his cheeks down to his neck, as Yoontae’s words became more and more explicit.

He wasn’t used to this kind of conversation, which made sense since he’d never had anyone to talk to about such things.

Talking about something so personal in such detail!

Jeongseo rubbed his burning cheeks with the back of his hand and looked up at Yoontae.

The person who said all this was Pyo Yoontae, but he showed not a hint of embarrassment.

He just grinned as if it was all amusing.

“Do you… do you have no shame? And why do you have to use those words…”

Come to think of it, last time he had told Jeongseo that he was “in heat” instead of using a less embarrassing term like “in a rut.”

Yoontae casually pulled out his indoor shoes from the top shelf.

“A rut, being in heat—they’re the same thing. Anyway, how was it without me on Friday?”

Was it his imagination, or did Yoontae seem a little smug?

With a playful smile, he rubbed Jeongseo’s shoulder.

…No, it wasn’t his imagination.

For some reason, Jeongseo didn’t want to give a straightforward answer.

But he also didn’t want to be rude for no reason.

“Without you, it was boring, dull, and time dragged. I kept thinking about you.”

“…You’re so honest, Jeongseo.”

He couldn’t tell if it was a compliment or sarcasm.

Now that he thought about it, on Friday, Hayan had said something similar to Yoontae.

People usually say that’s a good trait, right?

For some reason, Jeongseo felt self-conscious and glanced at Yoontae.

“Is being honest bad?”

“Of course not.”

His soft voice, saying that he liked that about him, lingered in Jeongseo’s ears.

Jeongseo’s heart raced as if he had been sprinting, and he pressed a hand to his chest to calm it.

As they reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner, Hayan appeared.

He flinched at the sight of Yoontae, his expression immediately souring.

Yoontae ignored his and kept walking, but suddenly Jeongseo waved his hand.

To his surprise, Hayan waved back lightly before walking away.

“…What’s going on?”

Yoontae’s brow furrowed.

Did they just greet each other?

Were they close now?

No, they weren’t.

He would have known if they were. Yoontae quickly began to analyze this sudden change in their relationship.

“Hey, is that Pyo Yoontae? Did you guys come to school together?”

As if the hallway had become some kind of meeting spot, Hyunsoo approached them and casually struck up a conversation.

Yoontae frowned slightly and was about to answer, but he was too late.

“No, I went out to meet him.”

“Ah, I see. So that’s why you don’t have your bag. What’s so special about his that you went to meet him?”

What is this situation?

Until just a few days ago, they barely talked.

Though it was just a simple question and answer, Yoontae could sense that something between them had shifted.

“Oh, by the way, Pyo Yoontae, are you feeling better now? I heard you were sick.”

“…Yeah.”

“What’s up with him? Why does he look so out of it?”

Hyunsoo pointed at Yoontae and asked Jeongseo.

Jeongseo glanced at Yoontae.

Up until a moment ago, he had been his usual self.

“I guess he’s still feeling a bit weak.”

“Oh, I see. Well, I’m off to the convenience store before the bell rings. Want me to get you anything?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Yoontae only said one word before Jeongseo and Hyunsoo continued chatting.

Usually, it would be the other way around. Yoontae stared down at Jeongseo.

His golden eyes were filled with annoyance, and Jeongseo tilted his head in confusion.

“What’s wrong? Are you still not feeling well?”

“Why are you suddenly close with Hyunsoo?”

“Oh, we had lunch together on Friday. Turns out, he doesn’t dislike me as much as I thought!”

Completely oblivious to what the problem was, Jeongseo looked at Yoontae with innocent eyes, which made Yoontae scoff.

“Jeongseo… I left you alone for one day, and now you’ve got multiple people in your life?”

‘Wow, I’m genuinely shocked. I didn’t expect something this absurd to happen.’

“Legs? What do you mean?”

“I told you, if someone else asks to be friends, you have to say you’re already friends with Pyo Yoontae and refuse. Didn’t I?”

Jeongseo frowned slightly.

“No one asked to be friends… They just said we should get along better…”

“…Are you doing this on purpose?”

Yoontae frowned and pinched both of Jeongseo’s cheeks.

His soft skin stretched like freshly made rice cakes.

“Ouch!”

“That’s basically the same thing! I’m seriously getting mad.”

As Jeongseo struggled to free his hands, Yoontae pulled at his cheeks a few more times before letting go.

With his cheeks still stinging, Jeongseo glared at Yoontae.

“That hurt!”

“Your feelings betrayed me first. Who’s making friends besides me, huh?”

Pyo Yoontae dropped his bag at his desk as he entered the classroom.

There were already quite a few students inside, and most of them subtly glanced at him.

Jeongseo followed his and sat down, replying, “You said friends are only people you really like. Otherwise, they’re just acquaintances!”

Pyo Yoontae, resting his chin on one hand, looked at Jeongseo and muttered, “So, you only like me, huh? You don’t like Hayan or Lee Hyunsoo?”

Jeongseo hesitated.

It wasn’t that he disliked Hayan or Lee Hyunsoo, but the hesitation made Pyo Yoontae abruptly turn his head away.

“See? You can’t even answer. I only like you, but life sucks. Our friendship lasted just a single day.”

Pouting, Pyo Yoontae covered his mouth with his hand, not even looking at Jeongseo.

Jeongseo, unsure of what to do, glanced at his nervously before murmuring softly, “But you’re different from the others…”

“How am I different?”

Pyo Yoontae narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Jeongseo.

He was already satisfied with hearing he was different, but he couldn’t resist pressing further.

Jeongseo tilted his head, his eyes shifting around.

It was clear he felt something was different, but he couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

Just as Pyo Yoontae lowered his expectations, Jeongseo suddenly leaned toward him, covering his mouth with one hand as he whispered, “I like being with you more.”

Being with Pyo Yoontae felt more comfortable… well, most of the time.

Lately, though, there were moments when an odd discomfort crept in.

While it was fun, sometimes it made Jeongseo want to keep a bit of distance.

Right after saying it, Jeongseo realized something felt off.

Was it possible to feel both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time, or to enjoy someone’s company yet still want to pull away?

As he pondered, a familiar noise quietly reached Jeongseo’s ears.

Curious, he turned his head to see Pyo Yoontae suddenly standing up.

“Where… are you going?”

Pyo Yoontae was clutching his throat. Jeongseo looked up at him, puzzled, and Pyo Yoontae turned away without answering.

Why is he grabbing his throat?

“…Bathroom.”

Ah, he really needs to go. Jeongseo nodded and told his to hurry.

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