.
Thinking that far ahead, I groaned and laid my face down on the desk. My cheek felt warm, touching the textbook heated up in the afternoon sunlight.
“Ugh, it’s so complicated…” I murmured, “Why do things have to be so complicated?”
I even questioned myself if I had ever thought this seriously in my life. Rubbing my cheek on my arm, I was immersed in thought.
So, never in my life did I think this deeply. Sometimes I was concerned about my future or career path, but until I received my College Scholastic Ability Test scores, those were meaningless thoughts, so I always pushed them aside. In fact, most of my worries were those beyond my control no matter what I tried to do, but this time it was different since the problem was just for the two of us.
Heaving a deep sigh, I mumbled, “What matters is my mind…”
These days, I even got distracted by thoughts while studying. Listening to the kids chitchatting, I just continued sighing. How absurd it was to become the only serious person in this peaceful classroom as if the weight of the world was on my shoulders? It was indeed the same sky, a different world.
That was when someone stretched out their hand to me. I lifted my head and found Yoon Jung In looking at me with a mischievous look.
“Hey, what’s up? Why do you keep sighing?” asked Yoon Jung In.
I replied, “I don’t know. I’m gonna take a nap.”
“Are you sad that you couldn’t participate in the talent show? Do you also want to do a special stage then?”
Ugh, what was he talking about? I threw a glance at Yoon Jung In, who was talking a load of crap, then turned my head and closed my eyes. Hye Hill’s voice then reached my ears.
“Leave her alone. She says she has something to think about.”
Mina added, “Donnie would be very confused these days.”
Something sounded quite significant in Mina’s remark.
Yoon Jung In immediately turned his head in her direction and asked excitedly, “Why? What’s going on? Come on!”
I buried my face in my arms again. At that moment, someone touched me on the back of my palm. I raised my head and saw Ban Hwee Hyul standing in front of me.
Ever since he changed his glasses, I could see his eyes clearly through the lenses, but I still couldn’t get used to those eyes. Even if we were close friends, I flinched at him when we had eye contact sometimes.
Staring at me with his red eyes, Ban Hwee Hyul asked, “Is someone giving you a hard time?”
I blankly looked up at him, then replied with a moment of hesitation, “It is a relationship issue… but why?” Still, I was half in doubt if he would do something aggressive as the former nationwide Number one.
Ban Hwee Hyul returned a short but clear response. “Tell me the name.”
Oh geez, what was he trying to do with Yeo Dan Oppa?
I desperately explained to him that the situation could be solved through common sense, and not by violence. For some reason, Ban Hwee Hyul’s shoulders drooped like a disappointed bear, then he disappeared to the back of the classroom.
Looking at the view of his back, I felt guilty somehow, but didn’t he say that he would no longer get involved in fights? Why was he trying to be a hitman then?
That was when another voice came from somewhere.
“He looks like a circus bear that failed stunts,” said Ruda, directing his eyes to me.
“Ruda, come on.”
When his blue eyes, opposite to Ban Hwee Hyul’s red eyes, entered my sight, it was for the first time in a while that I felt how unreal this world was.
Anyway, Ruda was being sarcastic, so I tilted my head in wonder. He did see most of the people with a critical eye but seldom showed any interest in them before that.
I asked, “You don’t like Hwee Hyul?”
“How can his goal in life be ‘living in peace’ and ‘watching comedy shows’ when he had such power? It doesn’t look good,” Ruda replied with a sneer.
I wondered, “But didn’t you also hand over the reins to Lucas without hesitation? You said you didn’t really like fighting when you were young.”
“That’s because an heir must undergo extreme training and education, but in Ban Hwee Hyul’s case, he’s wasting his great power.”
What was wrong with it? I still couldn’t understand Ruda, but then his following words made me get a general idea of what he was talking about.
“Besides, his abilities are on another level even without having any intensive training. So, it feels like I’m watching Michelangelo declare the end of his painting. Ban Hwee Hyul just used his power to win some nationwide Ranking Battle, a child’s play, and that’s it.”
“A-ha,” I nodded.
Although Ruda left his family business, he had been raised in a family who glorified the military, so in his eyes, Hwee Hyul could look like he was wasting his talents.
Ruda continued speaking with a sign of anger, “Plus, he’s terrible in everything except for fighting. Come on, how can you call people every time with different names? Still, kids think it’s fun and just accept it.”
So, in the end, Ruda might have reached the end of his patience when Ban Hwee Hyul called him ‘Yi Rumi’ last week. Putting my hand down from cupping my face, I showed an awkward smile.
The kids would have probably understood that Hwee Hyul was born with that goofy side. I wished Ruda could just accept it like others and not take it seriously, but maybe ‘Yi Rumi’ went too far. It would be good for him to forget about it as soon as possible, but Ruda wasn’t the type of person who could just ignore it.
To think of it, Ruda and Jooin were like cats and dogs at first, but they were now quite close, so wouldn’t Ruda and Ban Hwee Hyul have a better relationship after time? I decided to think optimistically.
Ruda suddenly lowered his head, then whispered, “Anyway, if you tell me about the problem you’ve discussed with Ban Hwee Hyul, I can use my professional skills and leave no evidence…”
“What is wrong with you too?” I murmured, feeling empty. In my point of view, both Ban Hwee Hyul and Ruda were wasting their abilities.
Then, there was a noise in the hallway. Both of us turned our heads toward it. Yoon Jung In and other kids also stopped talking at the desks and switched their gaze to the noisy hallway.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s always something going on.”
“Is it because we are next to Class 2-7?”
“Ah, but wouldn’t Class 2-7 also think the same as us, such as, ‘Is the noise coming from Class 2-8 again?’ Something like that…’
Yoon Jung In laughed like crazy at their conversation. Slapping one of the boys on the shoulder, he uttered, “Hey, our class is always quiet, so who would talk like that?!”
Yoon Jung In’s remark drew all attention toward himself.
Someone then whispered, “Doesn’t he have any conscience…?”
I nodded as the person spoke the truth on behalf of me, then I turned my head back to the hallway. It was after a few minutes, but the tumult increased and created an air of anxiety within me.
‘Did Yoo Chun Young come to school?’ I quickly got up from my seat.
Someone then came to me and asked, “Where are you going?”
“Um, to the bathroom…” I replied.
Lee Mina sent me with an enigmatic smile; I shed tears in my thoughts.
What was I doing? I lacked the confidence to talk to Yoo Chun Young over the phone, so how could I have a face-to-face conversation with him then? Geez, why did I hear those words, instead of cutting off Mina when she said, ‘Ah, this is hard. I’m not sure if I should talk about this when you have a boyfriend. I’m afraid I’m confusing you?’
Feeling so regretful, I stepped out into the hallway. A noisy conversation reached my ears.
“Argh! I hate it! Who said to turn that on?!”
“Oh, sorry. It looked interesting.”
“Some people have sleepless nights for a month when watching those things!”
