I pushed Banhamin away, who tried to embrace me in surprise. Banhamin just chuckled, seemingly not affected by this level of rejection.

‘I want to go home…’

And so, a day with Banhamin began.

Banhamin really sat next to me throughout all the class hours.

Not only did he sit still, but he also actively participated in the class. He even voluntarily asked questions and made presentations to the teacher. This guy was diligently listening during the class. It was a refreshing shock.

‘A guy who listens attentively in class doesn’t care about attendance.’

I wanted to pick on him for no reason, so I squinted my eyes and glared at Banhamin. Of course, Banhamin was unfazed.

Time passed, and soon it was break time.

‘…Is he really going to stay here the whole time?’
I looked at Banhamin, who was chatting with fan club kids, with a deadpan expression.

I can tolerate him being my bodyguard to some extent. But does he really need to attend classes with me?

What I wanted was someone who would rescue me when unexpected disasters like the Hassung High School guys or Yu Seolhwa’s underlings occurred, not someone to spend every moment with outside of school.

‘If he returns me now, I’ll bow down, seriously.’

Unfortunately, Banhamin showed no sign of relenting.

In the end, I had to speak up first.

“Hey, I appreciate your concern, but the bodyguard thing was just a joke. Sung Jichan was just messing around. So, go back to your class now.”

It wasn’t a complete lie. While I did mention needing a bodyguard, it was merely a precaution for ‘possible future incidents’ rather than a real crisis.

Banhamin raised an eyebrow.

“Hmm? But Chanichani doesn’t joke about things like that.”

“I’m telling you, it was a joke. Sung Jichan just took my words seriously and said that.”

I sighed.

“Anyway, it’s really okay now. So, go. You should attend your class too.”

“Our class? Hmm…”

Banhamin nodded, and for a moment, he seemed lost in thought, wearing a serious expression.

‘Did he finally understand what I said?’

I felt strangely touched. At that moment, Banhamin opened his mouth.

“Right, Juuni. Can I tell you an old story?”

What’s he trying to talk about now?

Although I felt uneasy, I cautiously nodded.

Then Banhamin closed his eyes briefly, opened them, captured some emotion, and with a somewhat melancholic smile, he said, “A long time ago, there was a child… That child had a very kind and wonderful friend…”

What’s this?

Suddenly, Banhamin’s atmosphere changed, and I was bewildered by it.

Banhamin continued steadfastly.

“But their friendship… came to an end… because… when the child’s friend was hurt… they couldn’t be there by their side…”

I felt awkward making serious comments on this…

Banhamin wiped away tears that seemed to gather in his eyes, and then, with a bright smile as if to catch the emotions, he said, “Hehe. So, Juuni, I’ll protect you! Because Hamin is Juuni’s guardian angel!”

No, I don’t need that guardian angel.

I felt like I was going to burst inside.

Well… Anyway, it was a touching story. Quite memorable in its own way.
Surely, the ‘child’ in that story must be Banhamin himself. It was somewhat surprising to hear such a narrative from Banhamin, who always walks around with a smile.

‘But could that story be about Jin Haeyul?’

How many painful pasts does Banhamin’s old friend, who couldn’t be protected, have? Even if it’s Banhamin, it’s unlikely to have many friends with such stories. So, it was probably highly likely to be Jin Haeyul.

‘I didn’t expect him to speak about it himself.’

Since it’s a sensitive matter, I didn’t expect to hear related stories directly from the Samdaebowi.

However, seeing him talk like this now, it seemed possible to find out more about it.

‘Let’s dig a little deeper.’

I opened my mouth to hear more about Banhamin’s story.

“Hey, about what you mentioned earlier, is it by any chance about Jin…”

At that moment, someone forcefully pushed open the back door of the classroom and shouted, “Hey! There’s a fight in the girls’ restroom!”