EAR Ch 32

Jaemin came over to them with a smile as well. Looking the same as usual, he didn’t seem particularly unwell.

“Something suddenly came up at home this morning, so I called the teacher to say I’d miss just the first period. It’s supplementary class anyway.”

“Phew, we thought you got scolded at home for getting caught playing basketball.”

“It’s nothing like that. Let me just put my bag down.”

Reassuring the kids that it was no big deal, Jaemin met Seungpyo’s eyes a beat later.

Since the swapped cell phones were something only the two of them knew about, it was awkward to bring it up in front of the others. Neither Seungpyo nor Jaemin said anything, just staring at each other in silence. Jaemin, turning back toward his classroom, whispered briefly as he passed by Seungpyo.

“See me after class.”

It’s not like something that needs to be passed around in secret like a cigarette—why wait until class is over just to return a single cell phone?

Seungpyo thought that, but decided against pressing the matter. He didn’t want to act particularly close in front of the other kids either, and since the famously model student had missed the entire first period, he figured there must be a good reason for it and let it slide.

‘Since I already let it go once, might as well let it go one more time.’

During lunch today, they decided to go to the store with all the kids who had participated in the match after eating their lunch. The Class 2 kids made a fuss saying everyone should choose within 3,000 won per person, while the Class 4 kids threatened that it should be at least 5,000 won. Taking his seat in the cafeteria, Seungpyo looked for the missing person before even picking up his spoon and chopsticks.

“Where’s Ryu Jaemin?”

“It seems like he really isn’t feeling too well. He said he’s not eating lunch today.”

“Did he push himself too hard for a few days when he doesn’t usually play things like basketball?”

Seungpyo started his meal without asking further. Usually, he was one to chime in with constant chatter without missing a beat, but today, for some reason, he was quiet as if he had things on his mind.

That didn’t mean he ate slowly, though. Finishing his tray quickly and cleanly as always, Seungpyo picked up and gathered sausage bread, pizza bread, snacks, ice cream, and more to eat as snacks as soon as he arrived at the store. He ignored the voices nagging him not to pick so much, too.

While the Class 2 kids grumbled and paid the price for losing the bet, Seungpyo wandered around browsing the drink and snack racks before casually picking up a carton of chocolate milk as if he had just remembered something he missed. When he placed the milk carton on the counter right away, the Class 2 kids raised an uproar.

“It’s over, it’s over! The ring up is done. No more additions now.”

“I can just buy it with my own money.”

“Oh, really?”

They had only teased him as a joke, and there was no reason they couldn’t squeeze in a single 600-won milk with the stack of snacks already piled high anyway. But Seungpyo immediately paid for the milk as if it weren’t a joke.

pointlessly gathered around the store table, the kids held a delightful ritual of tearing open all the wrappers at once. The kids at their most ravenous age pounced on the food like people who had starved for about three days, even though they had just eaten lunch.

However, among them, a tall guy who seemed to need the most fuel looked unusually disinterested in the snacks today. Seungpyo picked at a few snacks just for show, then quickly pulled himself out of the store party.

“I’m going up first.”

“You’re not eating more?”

“We’re going to eat hamburgers later anyway.”

“If you weren’t going to eat together, why did you pick so much?”

“Since we made a bet, you guys should buy even if I don’t eat.”

When he teased them while snickering, the Class 2 kids cried out in frustration saying he was annoying, but Seungpyo didn’t even pretend to listen. Instead, he reached out his hand to the table and picked up one of the snacks.

“Then I’m taking just this.”

The large-capacity cola, snacks, and bread were already all opened and scattered, but the tiny chocolate milk squeezed in at the end was still intact. Since it was a snack Seungpyo had paid for separately anyway, no one would scold him for taking it.

Seungpyo walked down the hallway while shaking the chocolate milk. Perhaps because it was lunchtime, the hallways and classrooms were sparse of people. Instead of entering his own class, he glanced into the Class 2 classroom through the window. Because everyone went out to eat meal, eat snacks, or hang out, there were only a few kids left in the classroom. Ryu Jaemin’s seat was also empty.

‘Did he go to the library again?’

Seungpyo quietly opened the back door and entered. A few kids who were dozing off or looking at their cell phones in their seats threw a brief glance at Seungpyo, but quickly returned to their respective interests. Seungpyo also approached Ryu Jaemin’s seat without hesitation and set the milk down on the ownerless desk.

Only after seeing the milk leave his hand and stand lonely on someone else’s desk did Seungpyo feel an inexplicable awkwardness. It’s not like they were in a relationship where they’d worry about each other’s meals, whether he starved or not. But taking it back after giving it felt like a ridiculous sight as well. Before catching the eyes of other kids, he came out into the hallway and hurried back to his seat.

The kids who had huddled in front of the store enjoying their snacks returned to the classroom out of breath only when lunchtime was almost over. They didn’t forget to add a word each to Jaemin, who was sitting in his seat first.

“Ryu Jaemin, is your condition okay?”

“There’s one piece of bread left, do you want to eat it?”

The kids who asked the question soon noticed the chocolate milk on Jaemin’s desk. Since they had seen Jaemin drink the store’s chocolate milk occasionally, it wasn’t a scene that would particularly raise questions.

“This….”

Instead of drinking the milk, Jaemin held the carton in his hand and gave off an indication of wanting to ask something. Before he could even ask the question, another kid said with a laugh:

“Oh Seungpyo bought this too. Doesn’t drinking the store’s chocolate milk raise your grades? I should drink this from now on too.”

“Oh, right. Both the number 1 and number 2 in the whole school like chocolate milk.”

At the joke shared while giggling nearby, Jaemin didn’t continue further and quietly set the milk down. The kids urged him, handing over an unopened piece of bread.

“Why aren’t you eating? I’ll give you bread. Eat it quickly together before class starts.”

“In a little bit.”

Lunchtime ended before they could talk any further. As the teacher entered the classroom, the kids who hadn’t taken their seats yet ran around hastily inside the classroom with a clatter. The chocolate milk remained placed on one side of Jaemin’s desk like a still life painting.

📚

Supplementary classes during vacation are naturally boring, but the reason class felt unusually long today must be because there was an appointment after school.

As soon as class ended, Seungpyo was the first to rise from his seat and go out to the hallway. Looking through the window, Class 2 seemed to still be having their homeroom meeting. Seungpyo stood with his back leaning against the wall, waiting for the homeroom meeting to end.

“Oh Seungpyo, aren’t you going?”

“Yeah, I have something to take care of.”

Kids from the same class ran down the hallway, offering a word each to Seungpyo. After exchanging greetings a few times, kids finally began pouring out from Class 2 as well.

Seungpyo waited for a long time. Because Jaemin left the classroom last of all. Seungpyo knit his brows slightly and scolded him.

“Why are you coming out so late?”

“It’s easier to talk once all the kids are gone.”

What kind of grand conversation is needed for handing over a single cell phone? His attitude had been suspicious since morning, and now he was giving off an atmosphere of twisting the situation around again. Seungpyo glared at Jaemin without hiding his suspicion. But Jaemin moved his steps first without any explanation, and since Seungpyo didn’t know the reason otherwise, he followed behind for now.

The place where Jaemin, who was walking ahead, stopped was in front of the reference room at the end of the hallway, which had somehow become like a secret meeting spot for the two. As Seungpyo stepped inside, Jaemin firmly locked the door behind him as he always did.

“What are you trying to say that you came all the way here? Isn’t it over once you just give me the phone?”

At Seungpyo’s question, Jaemin was silent for a moment, then rummaged through his pocket and handed over a cell phone. Seungpyo snatched it, pressed the power button, and after checking the screen, returned a bewildered look.

“This isn’t mine. What are you doing?”

“Can’t you just keep that one?”