* * *
Pyo Yoontae stretched his long legs and strode into the classroom.
“Hey, that’s my seat. Move.”
His chilly tone made Ha Sumin glance at him briefly before stepping aside.
When Ha Sumin saw Pyo Yoontae’s face, he flinched as if caught red-handed in front of someone else’s lover.
Feeling inexplicably awkward, Ha Sumin left the classroom altogether.
Although Pyo Yoontae sat next to Jeongseo, Jeongseo didn’t glance at him even once.
“It’s been a while since we last met, and this is how you’re acting?”
After leaving for Seoul on some business, this was the first time Pyo Yoontae had seen Jeongseo since visiting his house.
Jeongseo felt annoyed at first but, hearing Pyo Yoontae speak, he started questioning if his own behavior was warranted.
‘When you try to care about too many people at once, the attention you give each one diminishes. I don’t like that.’
It was likely for this reason that Pyo Yoontae didn’t like seeing Jeongseo hanging out with other friends.
Even if he didn’t necessarily have romantic feelings for Jeongseo, it seemed he cared enough to act this way.
Looking at it from this perspective made it seem more bearable.
Eventually, Jeongseo slowly turned his face away from the window and back toward him.
As Pyo Yoontae finally caught sight of Jeongseo’s delicate profile, his expression softened with satisfaction.
“Jeongseo, how have you been?”
“…Fine. You?”
“I was lonely without you.”
Pyo Yoontae, lying on his desk, turned his face toward Jeongseo, his eyes curving playfully.
His gentle voice and affectionate gaze…
“You’re so annoying.”
Jeongseo said it, but his emotions betrayed him.
He hated it, yet he didn’t.
His heart pounded so loudly he was certain his face must have looked strange, so he turned back to the window.
Pyo Yoontae narrowed his eyes and murmured in a low voice, “Liar. You like it.”
Jeongseo’s gaze, fixed beyond the window, quivered violently.
Could he have been found out?
Flustered, Jeongseo instinctively turned to deny it.
“W-What are you talking about?”
Feigning a hurt expression, Pyo Yoontae’s eyes softened.
“I thought I was your best friend. Was that all a lie, Jeongseo?”
“Ah…”
The tension that had built up in Jeongseo dissipated in an instant.
Feeling deflated, he nodded absentmindedly.
Of course, how could Pyo Yoontae know when Jeongseo hadn’t made it obvious?
After the initial awkwardness of realizing his feelings, Jeongseo had felt more at ease upon learning that Pyo Yoontae had mistaken his first love for someone else.
‘Unrequited love is… really tough.’
Jeongseo sighed deeply, looking up at the clear blue sky.
The bell signaling the morning announcements rang, and the homeroom teacher entered.
Her hair, now significantly shorter than the last time they saw her, was neatly styled.
She ran a hand through her sleek hair and smiled warmly.
“Glad to see you all back safe and sound. Let’s work hard to finish the semester strong. Oh, and during my period later, how about we switch up the seating arrangements?”
Jeongseo’s eyes widened.
Changing the seating arrangement that had stayed the same all semester?
This meant he could end up sitting far from Pyo Yoontae.
When he glanced sideways, Pyo Yoontae was also looking at him.
It seemed like they were thinking the same thing, but their classmates’ reactions couldn’t have been more different.
“Yes! Let’s switch!”
“Finally, I won’t be stuck by the door anymore!”
Amid the enthusiastic cheering, Jeongseo couldn’t voice his reluctance.
“Let’s decide seats by drawing lots,” the teacher announced.
“Yes, ma’am!”
After a brief explanation, the morning announcements ended.
The timetable for the day was written on the board, and the teacher’s period was set for the third class.
“…So, we’re really changing seats,” Jeongseo muttered.
Why had he just assumed they’d stay the same?
He glanced at Pyo Yoontae, hoping to gauge his reaction, but Pyo Yoontae seemed unfazed.
His indifference stung a little, but Jeongseo didn’t let it show.
When third period arrived, the class president placed folded slips of paper on the desk.
“Everyone, come pick one in order!”
The vice president had drawn a seating chart on the board, randomly numbering each square.
While waiting for his turn, Jeongseo leaned toward Pyo Yoontae and whispered, “I hope we still sit close.”
But Pyo Yoontae, staring at the board, didn’t respond.
‘Am I being ignored?’ Jeongseo wondered, stealing another glance at him.
Pyo Yoontae acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing, and Jeongseo, feeling awkward, quickly turned away.
When his turn came, Jeongseo picked a slip from the middle of the pile.
“Nine,” he read.
His new seat was in the third row of the aisle column.
It was refreshing; Jeongseo usually sat by the window or in the middle.
He returned to his original seat to wait for everyone else to finish.
“Which number did you get?” Pyo Yoontae asked out of the blue.
“Me? Nine,” Jeongseo replied, showing his slip.
Pyo Yoontae glanced at the board.
Nine’s neighboring seat was 21.
Without saying a word, he waited until his turn, striding confidently to the front when it came.
Pyo Yoontae stared intently at the remaining slips, making even the class president nervous.
“Yoontae, everyone’s waiting. Please pick one,” the teacher urged gently.
He finally grabbed a slip, unfolding it slowly.
Jeongseo, watching closely, felt his palms grow damp with anxiety.
The number on Pyo Yoontae’s slip was… “11.”
Jeongseo grinned. “We’re close! You’re right behind me!”
While not right beside each other, a seat directly behind meant they could talk frequently.
Jeongseo beamed at him, but Pyo Yoontae’s expression remained bleak, as if he had lost everything.
‘Of course, there’s no such thing as a god.’
He had prayed so fervently, but it seemed no one had listened.
Then again, Pyo Yoontae wasn’t religious to begin with.
“All done? Empty your desks and move to your new spots!” the teacher clapped, signaling the transition.
Jeongseo’s new seatmate was a girl with round glasses and an unfamiliar face.
“Hi,” she greeted shyly.
“Hi,” Jeongseo replied with a smile.
After exchanging greetings, silence fell between them.
Jeongseo awkwardly smiled and took his seat, while Pyo Yoontae soon grabbed his bag and moved to the back row.
“Hey, hey.”
The seat beside Pyo Yoontae was taken by a boy who had played basketball with him during the sports festival.
If he remembered correctly, the boy’s name was…
Hyun Junhyun. His distinct hair color, a mix of gray and black, had left an impression.
“Hello!”
“Hi, Seo Jeongseo.”
Hyun Junhyun placed the bag he had slung across his front onto the desk.
Slowly, everyone seemed to be settling into their respective seats.
Even the class president and vice president went to their assigned places.
The homeroom teacher scanned the classroom and then checked the clock—it was already fifteen minutes until the end of class.
“Is anyone uncomfortable with their seat?”
A girl sitting next to Jeongseo raised her hand enthusiastically, catching Pyo Yoontae’s attention.
“Excuse me, but my eyesight isn’t great, and I’m short, so I can’t see well from the back.”
“Ah, I see.”
It was true that being in the back made it difficult to see the front.
“Can anyone switch seats with Ahyeon? Someone from the front row, maybe…”
Pyo Yoontae raised his hand, surprising not only the teacher but also the other students who turned to look at him with bewildered expressions.
The girl wanting to switch seats glanced back at him, then quickly shook her head while avoiding eye contact with the teacher.
“Ah… well, Yoontae, you’re sitting even farther back, so that’s not going to work. Someone else from the front row, perhaps… hmm.”
Pyo Yoontae lowered his hand with a dissatisfied expression.
The teacher’s gaze fell on Ha Sumin, a tall boy sitting near the front.
* * *
Lolll someone will fume
lmao