Kim Jae-young burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing?”

“No, just your expression is funny.”

Great… my misery is your amusement… I clammed up with a sour expression.

Kim Jae-young chuckled at the situation. Thankfully, he wasn’t like Sung Ji-chan, who would have laughed out loud. I sighed, looking at him.

“There are too many people in this world who enjoy my suffering…”

As we reached the classroom, I thanked him.

“Really appreciate your help with the desk.”

I took my bag from him.

“I’ll definitely repay this favor someday.”

“Repaying is unnecessary.”

“No, you really saved me.”

Just holding the weight was hard enough, let alone carrying it upstairs. In that sense, Kim Jae-young was indeed my savior. I spoke sincerely.

“If you ever need my help, feel free to ask.”

Not sure if he’d ever need it.

“Okay, see you later.”

Kim Jae-young smiled and bid farewell.

Before entering the class, I glanced at his name tag again and said goodbye.

“Take care, Kim Jae-young.”

“…Interesting guy.”

Watching Lee Ju-eun’s retreating figure, the boy smirked to himself.

He initially thought she’d be cold from the rumors. His first impression wasn’t much different. But curiosity led him to start a conversation, and the outcome was unexpectedly pleasant.

‘Her expressions were rich.’

Lee Ju-eun turned out to be more down-to-earth and interesting than he thought.

‘Hope to see her again.’

As he returned to his class, he smiled lightly.

Then, his friend asked him.

“Something good happened? Why are you smiling alone?”

“Ah.”

The boy took off his cardigan and handed it to his friend.

“Thanks for wearing the cardigan, Jae-young.”

“Aren’t you cold now?”

“No.”

His friend ‘Kim Jae-young’s’ face made him smile again.

〈Take care, Kim Jae-young.〉

She must have said that after reading the name on the name tag.

It’s common not to expect the name tag to belong to someone else, so the mistake was understandable.

“Next time, I should tell her my real name…”

“Huh? What did you say?”
“It’s nothing.”

I wondered how she’d react if I revealed my name. Would she laugh? Feel embarrassed? Maybe she’d just be indifferent. Despite her appearance, she didn’t seem to have a sensitive personality.

After exchanging a few jokes with his friend, the boy went back to his seat and prepared for class.

The plastic name tag on the boy’s chest caught the light and shimmered.

Ji Seung-hyun

“Something’s definitely off.”

I suddenly spoke out.

“It feels like something’s wrong.”

Seon Woo-jin, sitting in front of me, responded indifferently.

“It’s just your imagination.”

“Yeah. My imagination……. No, it’s not!”

Regardless of what I said, Seon Woo-jin didn’t seem interested.

Today, like always, Seon Woo-jin made me do his homework while he leisurely played games.

After being kicked out of the health room, we shifted our meeting place to an empty classroom.

The reason was to repay a favor. A compensation for the gym storage incident.

……Why do I keep owing favors everywhere?

I passionately explained to the disinterested Seon Woo-jin.

“Listen, I’m serious, something’s off. I can’t explain it, but something’s definitely going wrong. I’m sure of it.”

“Maybe you lost your wallet or something.”

“Is that it? No, that’s not it…”

But lacking any solid points to argue further, I chose to stay silent.

‘It’s still bothering me…’

I couldn’t figure out what this unease was about. If only I could dismiss it as a mere feeling, like Seon Woo-jin. But from experience, I knew that things in this world don’t just simply roll on.

‘Am I missing something?’

If there is something I’m overlooking… Ah, maybe dealing with Ban Ha-min? It doesn’t seem likely, but I do need to sort things out with Ban Ha-min. I should confront him tomorrow.

No, why am I thinking about this again?

‘Forget it. Let’s just do the homework.’

There’s no use fretting over an unsolvable issue. It’s better to focus on a math problem that requires a bit of thought but is solvable.

I refocused my attention on the homework in front of me.