Chapter 7

　　That day was no different. A group of boys—including Jinsu, who practically idolized Sujeong—persuaded him to hang out outside before lunch break ended. Sujeong asked Ihyun if he wanted to come along, but Ihyun shook his head. He was already on uncomfortable terms with Jinsu as it was.

　　Enjoying his first taste of free time in a while, Ihyun headed to the library. He had really liked the book he’d borrowed from Sujeong’s shelf and wanted to read the rest of the author’s work. Sujeong, who noticed everything Ihyun took an interest in, had probably already ordered the other books, but Ihyun wanted to read them now. With his precious free time ticking away, his footsteps quickened.

　　“Ah!”

　　“Sorry! You okay?”

　　The moment he turned the corner, he collided with a boy who had practically popped out of nowhere. Their shoulders slammed together hard enough to send a sharp sting radiating down his arm.

　　“I’m fine.”

　　“I’m really sorry—wait. Kang Ihyun? Are you Kang Ihyun from Unam Elementary?”

　　“…Who are you?”

　　“It’s me, Choi Sumin! Don’t you remember? Wow, it’s so good to see you! I never expected to run into you here!”

　　Flustered by the boy’s loud excitement, Ihyun checked his name tag before examining his face. Choi Sumin, Unam Elementary. …The same Choi Sumin who had been their class president?

　　“Class president?”

　　“Yeah! Man, this is wild.”

　　Ihyun broke into a smile and hugged him. Because of his sudden transfer, he had left elementary school without even saying a proper goodbye. It felt like just yesterday that he and the other kids from similar backgrounds would gather to eat, play soccer, and do homework together. Ihyun was genuinely thrilled to see Sumin. It felt as if he had recovered a piece of himself he’d lost.

　　“Hey, did your family win the lottery or something? You look like a rich kid,” Sumin said in awe, taking in Ihyun’s polished appearance.

　　There wasn’t a single part of him untouched by Sujeong. His hair, his uniform, his shoes, and even his basic toiletries had all been meticulously chosen by Sujeong. In reality, he was just a parasite clinging to a rich man’s son, but Ihyun vaguely dodged the question.

　　“Something like that. What about you? Did you move to this area? When?”

　　The middle school was situated right in the heart of a wealthy, prime real estate district. Under normal circumstances, neither Ihyun nor Sumin could afford to step foot here, even in their dreams. At the question, Sumin glanced around before grabbing Ihyun’s wrist and pulling him into a quiet corner.

　　“Actually… my mom works as a live-in housekeeper. You know how common that is around here,” Sumin said.

　　“Yeah.”

　　“My mom and I live at her employer’s house. That’s why I transferred here about a week ago. The uniform and gym clothes were ridiculously expensive. Like, are they woven with actual gold?”

　　Sumin smiled as he confessed. Between the two of them, poverty had never been a shameful secret.

　　“Right. They really are.”

　　“And the kids here are weird. Are all rich kids this stuck-up?”

　　Ihyun burst out laughing at Sumin’s bluntness. He’d felt the exact same way. Before he knew it, he had completely forgotten about the library and was caught up in chatting with Sumin. When the warning bell for the end of lunch rang, Ihyun quickly asked Sumin what class he was in and for his phone number.

　　“Must be nice. You even have a cell phone?”

　　Ihyun fell silent.

　　“I have one too, man. Hit me up on Kakao.”

　　Ihyun hesitated for a second at Sumin’s slightly envious tone, but Sumin just smiled and offered to write his number down. Ihyun stopped him, insisting he would just memorize it. He couldn’t risk writing it down or saving it directly to his contacts. Sujeong would see it.

　　“Who do you usually eat lunch with? You should eat with me—”

　　“I really need to get going.”

　　“Oh, okay. Go ahead. See you later.”

　　“Yeah.”

　　Sumin clearly wanted to talk more, but Ihyun was out of time. Sujeong was undoubtedly already back in the classroom, looking for him. Waving a quick goodbye, Ihyun sprinted down the hallway. He barely made it to his desk before the final bell rang.

　　“Where did you go?”

　　Sujeong was sitting at Ihyun’s desk, resting his chin on his arms. He didn’t even give Ihyun a second to catch his breath.

　　“Homeroom teacher called me in for a bit.”

　　“Why?”

　　“…To ask if I was preparing for the math competition.”

　　Unable to meet Sujeong’s eyes, Ihyun had glanced around the room until his gaze landed on a notice on the bulletin board: School Math Competition. Fortunately, it was a competition he had actually applied for, so the excuse held up perfectly. He’d gotten lucky.

　　“She didn’t give you a workbook? You came back empty-handed.”

　　“The ones you gave me are enough… I told her I was fine.”

　　“Good boy. You’re going to get first place.”

　　The excuse worked like a charm. Sujeong’s sharp demeanor instantly softened. He pulled some candies and chocolates from his pocket and handed them over.

　　After school, Ihyun hastily dumped his bag in his room and made a beeline for the bathroom. Sujeong called out, asking if it was an emergency, but Ihyun ignored him. KakaoTalk was too dangerous. He was practically glued to Sujeong 24/7, and since he only ever used his phone as a clock or an alarm, he didn’t even have a single messenger app installed.

　　—Ihyun: Hey, it’s Ihyun. It was really great seeing you today. You don’t need to reply. See you at school tomorrow.

　　Double-checking the number he’d memorized, Ihyun typed out the text and hit send. He immediately deleted the message from his outbox and stepped out of the bathroom. I told him not to reply, so it should be fine.

　　“Feel better?”

　　“Huh? Yeah.”

　　“Why did you hold it in all the way home? You’ll make yourself sick. Don’t do that.”

　　Sujeong teased, leading Ihyun into his room. Just as Ihyun suspected, Sujeong’s bookshelf was now fully stocked with every book by the author he’d been interested in.

　　“When did you order these?”

　　“Yesterday, I think. They arrived this morning.”

　　“Wanna read in here?” Sujeong pulled out one of the books and offered it to him. Honestly, Ihyun didn’t want to, but if he was going to read, he’d rather do it quietly in his own room. He was also on edge, terrified Sumin might text back.

　　“I have to prepare for the competition… Shouldn’t I study?”

　　Ihyun didn’t take the book. Instead, he recycled his earlier excuse and carefully gauged Sujeong’s reaction.

　　“You must be really stressed about it.”

　　“Yeah. A little.”

　　“But I want you to read this. I ordered it just for you.”

　　“…Okay.”

　　“It’s too hot to go outside anyway.”

　　Sujeong smiled, smoothly denying him permission to leave. Ihyun obediently took the book. The window was open, letting in a hot breeze that ruffled the curtains. He sat on the sofa and turned to the first page. The words blurred together.

　　The phone in his pocket felt like a ticking time bomb, winding his anxiety tighter by the second.

　　“Are you hot? You’re sweating.”

　　Sujeong, who was leaning in close beside him, whispered softly. A moment later, long, pale fingers reached out, gently wiping away the beads of sweat dotting Ihyun’s forehead.

　　“It’s hot.”

　　Are you? Sujeong’s physical affection often threw Ihyun off balance. Quickly coming to his senses, Ihyun batted Sujeong’s hand away, giving him a look that silently begged him to turn on the AC.

　　“It’s fine. I’ll just keep wiping it for you. Keep reading.”

　　“It’s gross.”

　　“Aren’t you going to turn the page?”

　　Ihyun remained silent.

　　Knowing it was a losing battle, Ihyun forced his eyes back to the book. He had barely gotten past the prologue. His palms were sweating so much he had to wipe them on his pants several times. Head spinning, he frantically flipped through the pages. He just wanted to skim through it fast enough to be allowed back to his room.

　　But right as he reached the middle of the book, Sujeong reached over and snatched it out of his hands.

　　“What was that for?”

　　“What’s the main character’s name?”

　　“Paul.”

　　“Then what’s Paul’s pet’s name?”

　　Ihyun had no answer.

　　Ihyun froze. He didn’t even know the main character had a pet. Seeing Ihyun hesitate, his lips parting without a sound, Sujeong frowned. He hated the way Ihyun’s eyes were darting around, meaninglessly skimming the text without actually absorbing a word.

　　“Where is your head at?”

　　“Nowhere.”

　　“Is it because I’m keeping you from studying for the competition? Are you really that stressed about it?”

　　“…I’m sorry.”

　　Fortunately, Sujeong had come to the wrong conclusion entirely. Ihyun hurriedly nodded. Seeing that, Sujeong’s stiff expression melted into something much softer, and he immediately started coaxing him. You’re good at math. You’ll be fine. You should have just told me you were this stressed. Did you think I wouldn’t listen? Ihyun agreed to every word, letting Sujeong soothe him.

　　Ihyun was finally allowed to retreat to his own room. Sujeong looked disappointed but let him go surprisingly easily. He had asked, Should we study together? but before Ihyun could even answer, he took it back. No, do it alone. But make sure you finish all the workbooks I gave you. He sounded almost like an overbearing parent nagging about grades.

　　—Sumin: lol it was great seeing u too see u tmrw u don’t have to reply

　　Checking his phone once he was alone, he saw the text from Sumin. Thank god he had put his phone on silent just in case. It felt a little paranoid to be this terrified over something so trivial, but every instinct screamed that Sujeong could never find out about Sumin. It never hurts to be careful. Ihyun clung to that rationalization.

　　Would he be able to see him tomorrow? Sujeong had luckily stepped away today, but it was highly unlikely he’d do it again tomorrow. Even so, Ihyun wanted to see Sumin. They might not have been best friends back then, but they had belonged to the same group.

　　From the moment he arrived at school the next day, Ihyun’s phone was blowing up with messages from Sumin.

　　—Sumin: What class are u in?

　　—Sumin: Who are u eating lunch with eat with me 🙁

　　—Sumin: Reply to me Kang Ihyunhyunhyunhyun

　　—Sumin: Hey did u not come to school?

　　Ihyun deleted every single one, sent a quick reply, and immediately powered off his phone.

　　—Ihyun: I know your class so I’ll come find you during break. I’m turning my phone off so I don’t get caught by the teacher, so please don’t reply

　　He prayed Sumin would understand the desperate undertone of the message. From the desk next to him, Sujeong leisurely watched Ihyun fidget restlessly throughout the entire period. The moment the bell rang, Ihyun tried to stand up, but Sujeong stopped him.

　　“Phone.”

　　“Huh?”

　　“Give me your phone.”

　　Ihyun bit his lip. Did he notice? He couldn’t have. Ihyun was certain he’d been careful, yet he still hesitated.

　　“Do I need to dig it out of your pocket myself?”

　　“No, here.”

　　Terrified of setting Sujeong off, Ihyun quickly handed it over. The black screen reflected Sujeong’s handsome face.

　　“Why is it off?”

　　“It’s distracting during class.”

　　“It’s not like anyone’s texting you anyway.”

　　Sujeong held the power button, turning it back on. I should have just said the battery died, or that I forgot to charge it. Ihyun swallowed his belated regret. Sujeong brazenly snooped through the phone as if it were his own property. He checked the empty inbox, scrolled through the call logs, scrutinized the contacts, and then browsed the photo gallery and internet history.

　　Finding nothing different from a week ago, Sujeong looked back up.

　　“There’s nothing here.”

　　“…Should there be?”

　　“No. It’s not that. But Ihyun, why is it on silent?”

　　When you don’t even have anyone texting you?

　　The unspoken question pierced right through him, and Ihyun held his breath. What should he say? That he hit the button by mistake? Just as he scrambled for an excuse, the screen lit up with a new text notification.

　　Ihyun’s heart hammered so loudly it was deafening. Sujeong read the pop-up message out loud.

　　“Keep your current number and upgrade to the latest LTE phone, minimum five hundred dollars cash back.”

　　Ihyun froze in suspense.

　　“It’s a spam text.”

　　“I’ve been getting a lot of them lately… that’s why I put it on silent.”

　　“Where the hell did your number get leaked? I’ll block it for now.”