* * *
Jeongseo froze for a moment, then widened his eyes and looked up at Junhee.
He had never heard anything like this from Pyo Yoontae before.
Had Yoontae kept it from him, thinking he might get bothered by it?
Or was it that Junhee had heard the wrong information?
Jeongseo had no way of knowing what the truth was.
“So that’s probably why he lost it earlier when he heard you say you’re dating Pyo Yoontae. He’s the type to lash out and curse when things don’t go his way, but then act friendly again when he needs something.”
“…I see.”
Whether Park Doyoung had confessed to Pyo Yoontae or not, it was already in the past, yet Jeongseo couldn’t help but feel a little unsettled.
But it didn’t matter—Pyo Yoontae had always liked him.
As Jeongseo fell silent, lost in thought, Junhee tried to comfort him by pressing down lightly on his shoulder.
But just then, a chill ran down Junhee’s spine, and he instinctively whipped around.
However, all he saw were people hurrying by.
“Junhee, what’s wrong?”
“A-Ah, nothing. Just got goosebumps all of a sudden. Anyway, that guy’s always been like that, so just ignore him. Besides… he probably won’t even bother talking to you anymore.”
“…Junhee, do you think I was lying when I said I’m dating Pyo Yoontae?”
Caught off guard by the blunt question, Junhee blinked rapidly.
He glanced at Jeongseo with an assessing look, then rubbed his cheek with his fingertips a couple of times.
“Well… I mean… If I didn’t know you, honestly, I would’ve thought you were just trying to mess with Park Doyoung back in the lecture hall. But since I do know you, I don’t think you were lying. I was just… surprised.”
Junhee didn’t give a straightforward answer, and his lingering gaze on Jeongseo held an unspoken question: Is it really true?
So it was that hard to believe he was dating Pyo Yoontae.
An unfamiliar feeling settled in Jeongseo’s chest—one he had never experienced at Dan-Gang.
At Dan-Gang, no one had ever doubted their relationship.
But here, people found it strange.
It created a sense of disconnect, a vague sense of injustice.
Why was it so hard for them to accept?
As Jeongseo’s brows furrowed more and more deeply, Junhee quickly added,
“I’m not trying to defend Park Doyoung or anything, but… if someone suddenly says they’re dating the heir to a massive corporation, it’s natural for people to be a little shocked. But hey, didn’t Pyo Yoontae already come to see you?”
Jeongseo fell silent for a moment before realizing something.
To him and the students at DanGang High, Pyo Yoontae was just a transfer student and a classmate.
But to people like Junhee and Park Doyoung, and to the students at Jeonghan University, Pyo Yoontae was nothing more than a chaebol’s son.
So when people here heard that Jeongseo was dating him, it wasn’t the same as hearing about two classmates dating—it was more like someone claiming to be in a relationship with a celebrity.
Even though his environment had changed significantly, Jeongseo had unconsciously assumed things would still be like they were at Dan-Gang.
At Dan-Gang, no one would have questioned it.
“Yeah… I guess I just assumed people would believe it without question. But Junhee, I wouldn’t lie about something like this.”
His brown eyes met Junhee’s gaze without a single hint of hesitation.
Junhee already knew that Jeongseo wasn’t the type to make up stories, but still, there was a lingering doubt in the back of his mind.
After all, he had only known Jeongseo for about three months.
And people—no matter how close you got—often turned out to have unexpected sides to them. Usually in negative ways.
But seeing how unwavering Jeongseo was, Junhee finally let go of his last bit of doubt.
He had always thought of Jeongseo as someone whose inside and outside weren’t all that different.
“Alright, I believe you.”
“Mm, thanks.”
“I have to get to work now, so I’ll see you later.”
The two exchanged goodbyes and headed in opposite directions.
As Jeongseo walked toward the back gate, a thought surfaced.
The more new environments and people he encountered, the more he realized that things he had always taken for granted needed to be proven before others would believe them.
But did he really have to prove to others that he was dating Pyo Yoontae?
Park Doyoung was already angry enough that he wouldn’t ask to be connected to Pyo Yoontae anymore.
And even if people eventually believed they were dating…
“Just because they went to the same school doesn’t mean they’re the same.
Even if they did date, it was probably just a fleeting thing out of boredom.”
Not everyone thought like Park Doyoung, but there would always be people who twisted things to fit their own assumptions.
Jeongseo didn’t care if people talked badly about him.
And after all, this relationship was just between him and Pyo Yoontae.
There was no room for others to interfere.
Just like how, no matter what anyone said, a weasel would always be a weasel.
Lost in thought, Jeongseo was almost home when he took his phone out of his pocket.
He was about to call Pyo Yoontae to tell him he’d arrive in five minutes.
But the moment he dialed, a soft vibration came from behind him.
The timing was eerie.
Jeongseo stopped in his tracks and turned around.
A few steps away, Pyo Yoontae stood with his phone in hand.
Hadn’t he said he’d be finishing late today?
“Yoontae, why are you here? I thought you had a late class?”
Jeongseo ran toward him, happy to see him. But something felt off.
Pyo Yoontae’s expression wasn’t good.
Jeongseo tilted his head, trying to meet his eyes, but Yoontae wouldn’t look at him.
His gaze hovered somewhere on the ground.
“Yoontae… are you upset?”
It was only after Jeongseo asked that Pyo Yoontae slowly shifted his eyes toward him and shook his head.
“Of course not. Not at all.”
At those words, Pyo Yoontae gave a faint smile. Jeongseo felt an inexplicable sense of unease, but since the atmosphere felt normal, he nodded in relief.
“Jeongseo, you said you’re going home after school tomorrow and then heading straight to your parents’ place, right?”
“Oh, yeah!”
This Wednesday was his mother’s birthday.
But since she was busy, they decided to have a small party on Friday evening instead.
Even then, his brother and father couldn’t make it because of their schedules.
After thinking it over for a moment, Jeongseo clapped his hands lightly and spoke.
“Yoontae, do you want to come if you’re free? My mom would be happy to see you!”
He had even celebrated his own birthday with Yoontae’s family before, and his mom occasionally asked about Yoontae.
Yoontae answered without hesitation.
“Yeah, I’m free. I have a break between classes tomorrow, so should I ask the driver to take me at the right time?”
“No! You don’t have to come! I’ll just go straight home myself!”
Besides, he only had second and third-period classes tomorrow, and he was taking them with Park Doyoung.
“…Is there a reason I shouldn’t come to your school? Why are you so adamant about keeping me away?”
At the sudden chill in Yoontae’s voice, Jeongseo momentarily shut his mouth.
Even if Doyoung was dating him, it didn’t seem like he had any intention of letting go of Yoontae.
If his feelings weren’t just about getting closer but actual romantic interest, then even more so.
But if he said that, Yoontae would definitely take matters into his own hands again.
And Jeongseo hated that.
Doyoung was someone who had been persistent enough to cling to Yoontae even after getting a face full of water.
Jeongseo had no idea how to cover this up, but Yoontae’s gaze was getting sharper.
In the end, before he could think of a proper excuse, the words just slipped out.
“Just don’t come!”
Yoontae’s steps halted, and Jeongseo instinctively realized he had just said the wrong thing.
Panicking, he tried to explain, stumbling over his words, but—
“Alright. If Jeongseo tells me not to come, I won’t. The movie’s starting soon. Let’s go.”
Yoontae replied as if nothing had happened, casually draping his arm around Jeongseo’s shoulder.
Ironically, it was Jeongseo who was left flustered, his eyes darting around, but the situation passed without further discussion.
The movie had been fun, the food had been good, and they had a great time hanging out yesterday.
But for some reason, Jeongseo couldn’t shake off an odd feeling.
Now that he thought about it, Yoontae hadn’t pestered him to sleep over last night.
Not that they did that every night anyway.
Oh, and hadn’t Yoontae been picking at his food more than usual?
His laughter had also seemed quieter.
As he sat on the gymnasium floor, his thoughts began spiraling.
Just then—thud. Startled by the noise, he looked up.
A student attempting a high jump had tripped and fallen.
Fortunately, they weren’t hurt; they shot back up, their entire face flushed red.
That snapped Jeongseo out of his deep thoughts—until his phone buzzed beside him.
[Black Cat: I’m at your school.]
11:31 AM
* * *
