IOSMC Chapter 4-1 (Part 2)

Depending on how you took it, that could’ve been an unpleasant comment.
Worried, I glanced at Eun.

Thankfully, he didn’t look offended at all. In fact, he just blinked slowly like it was the most obvious thing in the world, still resting calmly on my shoulder.

I brushed a finger lightly across his thick, long lashes—the color of soft brown—and let out a quiet laugh.

“Eun really does love me too much. Isn’t he cute?”

At my cheerful reply, the girl muttered something like “Whatever…” and dropped her bag off before heading back out of the classroom. Looked like she was going to meet someone from another class.

As soon as she left, Eun lifted his head off my shoulder and asked,

“You know her?”

“Hmm? Nah, I don’t.”

I shook my head. At that, Ha-jung—still seated next to us—looked at me in exaggerated shock.

“Babe, she was your desk partner before summer break!”

“Ah, now that you mention it… maybe…”

Min-ji? Min-joo? Min-a? Something like that.
Tilting my head as I muttered half-guess names, Ha-jung clicked his tongue and said:

“Wrong on all counts. It was Moon-ah.”

Eun let out a small laugh.

Well, anyway, that’s how the first day of second semester in our third and final year of high school began—smoothly enough.

* * *

It had already been two weeks since school started.

In that time, I’d unintentionally become class president, fully adjusted to the time difference, and managed to calm the emotional turbulence left over from traveling.

Like all students, my days had become a hamster-wheel routine.

Wake up, go to school, attend cram school or tutoring, come home, study, sleep, and then do it all over again.

The only unusual thing about my routine was that Eun and Hee-jun were so heavily woven into it.

The three of us went to school together every morning. After school, we usually went our separate ways—but ended up going home together anyway.

On days when all three of us had cram school, I usually finished first. So I’d go study at a nearby study café, and when they got out, we’d head home together.

On days they had private tutoring instead, I’d study alone at home until they finished, then go pick them up.

When Auntie Jin-joo found out, she laughed and called me dramatic.

And honestly… she wasn’t wrong.

But both of them clearly liked that I came to get them, so I kept doing it.

It was easy to tell they liked it.

One evening on our way home, I asked them if they’d prefer private tutoring like me, rather than going to cram school.
They both said they focused better at the academy.

Then, after hesitating for a bit, they admitted it was really because they liked that I came to pick them up.

If someone says it that directly and you still don’t realize they’re happy about it, you’d have to be an idiot.

Seriously, the two of them are ridiculous… and honestly kind of adorable.

The problem was that sometimes one of them—or both—would finish much later than usual.

When that happened, I’d usually take the one who finished early home first and then wait for the other.
Naturally, the next day I’d feel more tired than usual… and yesterday was one of those unlucky days.

Eun finished way later than expected, so I ended up getting home super late.

Even though it was already late, I couldn’t skip the studying I’d planned for that day.

Starting so late meant that, no matter how fast I worked, I ended up studying later than usual.

And since I finished late, it meant I was, unsurprisingly, running on very little sleep.

Thankfully, Eun had suggested we crash at his place and go to school directly from there.

If we’d had to go all the way back to my place, I probably would’ve passed out on the street.

And now, about ten minutes into the school day…

I found myself surrounded by three worried faces, trying not to laugh.

All I had was a sore throat and a slight fever from not sleeping properly—but the three of them looked at me like I was about to collapse on the spot.

“I’m seriously fine. Some warm water and a good night’s sleep, and I’ll be back to normal in a day.”

I stifled a yawn and repeated for the hundredth time that I was okay.

Eun and Ha-jung had a reason to hover—they were in my class.
But Hee-jun? He wasn’t even in the same class, yet he sat confidently in an empty seat like he belonged there, visibly annoyed.

He had apparently marched down to my class, saying he was too worried to focus in his own.
Probably came just to scold me.

I debated whether I should cover my ears before the nagging started and turned to stare out the window instead.

But Hee-jun opened his mouth anyway, not caring whether I looked annoyed or not.

“I can’t stand watching this. From now on, if someone’s going to be late, just let them come home on their own. You go straight home.”

“Yeah… Un-ah, just go. Okay?”

Eun, who had been fidgeting anxiously next to me, quickly agreed as well. Even Ha-jung said seriously that I needed to manage my condition better.

I almost said it really wasn’t a big deal, but it didn’t feel right to brush it off in front of people who were genuinely worried about me. So I just smiled instead. The three of them looked like they were about to say something else—probably more nagging—when, right then, someone who had just entered the classroom called out to me.

“Class President!”

“Huh? What’s up?”

“The teacher’s calling for you.”

The moment I heard that, I instantly realized this was my one and only chance to escape. I jumped up from my seat with a bright smile.

“Oh no, I can’t ignore a teacher calling for me! Okay then—how about from now on, I’ll wait until exactly 9 a.m. and no later. Sound good?”

“…Fine.”

“It’s a promise, Un-ah.”

“Yup yup, I’m going!”

Since it was the teacher calling, none of them could tell me not to go. I left the three of them behind, all looking reluctantly dissatisfied, and hurried off to the teacher’s office.

Though I had the title of class president, honestly, what I did most days made me feel more like the teacher’s personal errand runner. I figured there was probably something they needed again today as I knocked on the office door and stepped inside.

As I was heading over to the teacher’s desk out of habit, I made eye contact with a student I’d never seen before and instinctively stopped in my tracks. He had curly hair and light brown eyes. Tall, clearly well-built. He was wearing our school’s uniform, but I had no recollection of ever seeing him, even in passing.

Is that why the teacher called me? Because of him? Just as I was thinking that, the teacher spotted me and waved me over with a smile, then turned to the student beside her and said kindly:

“Oh, our class president’s here. Sa-eon, come say hello. This is a new transfer student joining our class today. He’s a year younger than you all for personal reasons. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

“…I’m Yu I-ryeong. Like the teacher said, I’m a year younger. Please speak comfortably with me.”

So it was about the new student. Still, it was rare for someone to transfer during the last semester of senior year. With graduation just a few months away, this wasn’t something you saw often.

He must have a reason for transferring now, I thought as I tilted my head slightly and greeted him.

“Ah, yeah. Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Sa-eon.”

The teacher glanced at us, then checked the time and said:

“Actually, Sa-eon, could you give I-ryeong a quick tour of the school? And if possible, keep an eye on him until he gets settled in.”

“Sure, no problem.”

At my easy reply, the teacher thanked me with a smile and sent the two of us out of the office.

I waited for I-ryeong to come out behind me before gently closing the door. Just as I turned around, he raised a hand to his mouth and let out a small cough. I waited until he finished before speaking a beat later.

“I-ryeong. Oh, is it okay if I call you that?”

“Yes.”

“Great, thanks. I was just going to say—since we’re only a year apart, it’s totally fine if you talk casually with me. Of course, if you’re not comfortable yet, that’s totally fine too. I just didn’t want you to feel awkward.”

He blinked, as if thinking it over, and then gave a small nod.
I couldn’t tell if he was just quiet by nature or simply shy.

Since he didn’t say much, I led him back toward the classroom.
As soon as we stepped in, all eyes naturally turned to him.

I-ryeong stiffened instinctively, like he was uncomfortable with the attention, and froze right before entering the room.
Still smiling, I reached out my hand to him.

“If you go in now, the class is probably gonna get kind of loud. I’ll go put your bag down at your seat—why don’t you wait here just a minute?”

“…Okay.”

He nodded quietly and handed over his bag. I placed it on an empty desk—not his yet, but close to mine, luckily.

To the three who were sending questioning glances my way, I mouthed, I’ll explain in a bit. I was about to head right back out to where I-ryeong was waiting when I suddenly remembered how he kept coughing. Now that I thought about it, his face did look a little flushed too.

After a brief moment of hesitation, I returned to my seat and rummaged through my bag, pulling out the tumbler I always carried. I usually just filled it with water, but today, I had brewed yujacha—citron tea—using the syrup from Eun’s house and hot water.

He looked like he wasn’t feeling well, and maybe drinking something warm would help. Holding the tumbler in my hand, I stepped out of the classroom.

I-ryeong was standing by the window a little ways down from the classroom door. He was so tall, he stood out right away.

I walked over with quick steps and a slightly sheepish expression.

“Sorry I said I’d be quick and ended up making you wait. I had to grab something…”

“It’s fine. I didn’t wait that long.”

I-ryeong shook his head lightly as he reassured me. I gave him a small smile to say thanks and started showing him around the school.

We headed up to the fifth floor where I pointed out the art room, science lab, and music room. Since there wasn’t much time left before homeroom, I just explained where the infirmary was instead of going there.

By then, I-ryeong looked noticeably more relaxed than when we first met.

Finally, I slowed to a stop and looked up at him. He stopped too, following my lead, and raised one brow as if asking what was up.

He had the delicate features of someone like Eun, but the kinds of expressions he made reminded me a lot of Hee-jun. It was oddly fascinating. As he coughed again, I asked:

“You’ve got a cold, right?”

He nodded. Knew it.

I stepped a little closer and raised a hand.

“Excuse me for a second.”

At my sudden words, I-ryeong just blinked in confusion—until I placed my hand on his forehead. He flinched a bit.

Seemed like he wasn’t comfortable with physical contact.

I made a mental note to be more mindful of that and pulled my hand back.

“No fever.”

“I’ll be careful so I don’t spread it.”

“I don’t mind if I catch it. They say a cold goes away when you pass it to someone else, right? As long as you’re feeling better, that’s all that matters.”

He finally smiled at that little joke.

His already flushed face brightened with that first smile.
His curly hair swayed gently with the movement, his gentle eyes crinkled at the corners, and through them, his soft brown pupils sparkled as he looked straight at me.

I found myself staring for a moment, then held out the tumbler I’d brought.

“…What’s this?”

“Yujacha. I made it this morning, so it might still be hot. Be careful drinking it.”
TL/N: Yuja tea / yuzu tea (yujacha, 유자차) is a herbal tea made with yuja-cheong (유자청) aka yuja citron marmalade.

“Weren’t you planning to drink this yourself?”

I-ryeong accepted the tumbler with a look that said he couldn’t really refuse.

He stared down at it for a moment, then asked me a question.
I rubbed my cheek with my hand, suddenly feeling a little sheepish.

“Hm? Ah, yeah, I did bring it for myself… but you looked worse off than I did. Do you not like citron tea? You don’t have to drink it if you don’t want to.”

“…No. I like citron tea.”

“Yeah? I’m glad. Since you like it, I’ll keep bringing some until your cold gets better. I’ll lend you the tumbler, so carry it around and sip as you go. Just hand it back when you’re done. You’ve gotta get better soon, right?”

I said that with a long, smiling look in my eyes, and I-ryeong slowly nodded.

His face, now more relaxed than before, looked noticeably younger.

I hadn’t expected just a one-year age gap to show so clearly.

I was quietly impressed… and out of habit—like I did with Eun or Hee-jun—I reached out and patted his head.

The moment I did it, I realized what I’d done and quickly pulled my hand away.

Was that weird? Did I cross a line?
I glanced at him anxiously—but thankfully, there was no sign of discomfort on his face.

Relieved, I turned first and started heading down the stairs.

“Come on, I-ryeong. We’ve gotta get back to class before homeroom starts.”

At my urging, I-ryeong quietly followed behind me just as I asked.
It really did feel like I’d just gained an adorable little brother.

* * *

I first met I-ryeong on Tuesday, and now it’s already Friday. That means it’s been four days since we started going to school together.

Even counting both before and after possession, this was the first time I’d ever had someone I could call a younger brother. When I met Eun and Hee-jun, I was still mentally 27 years old, but on the outside, we were the same age, so they never really felt like younger siblings. Plus, Eun and Hee-jun were pretty mature for their age, which added to that feeling.

But I-ryeong—he really is a whole year younger than me. Maybe that’s why I’d been taking care of him so diligently these past four days.

And I mean it—I really did my best. Unless something special came up, I stuck by his side from the start of the school day all the way to the end.

I didn’t think too much of it, but there were always those kids who liked to act high and mighty over just a one-year age difference, so I didn’t want to leave him alone.

And it was through I-ryeong that I found out… he used to attend a high school for athletes.

But he got seriously injured last year, and rehab wasn’t going well, so he naturally had to give up sports. That’s why he transferred to our school.

At first, I was wondering why he was being so polite over a one-year gap—but it wasn’t about age. It was because he came from an athletic background.

“It’s nothing big—I told you I used to swim, right? But I just had to go and mess up my shoulder. There was… some stuff that happened. I cried a lot at first, and got really angry too, but I’m okay now.”

When he said he quit because of an injury, I was surprised and asked if he was really okay now. I-ryeong smiled and said that.

Even though he said he was fine, I couldn’t shake it off, so I moved seats that very day to sit next to him. Of course, I got permission from the original seat owner, from I-ryeong, and from the teacher, too.

And so, for one reason or another, I started looking after him from the closest seat possible.

Now that it’s the fourth day of that routine, my thoughts about him haven’t changed one bit from the beginning.

He really is exactly what I thought—an adorable and sweet little brother.

Just how adorable and sweet is I-ryeong? Well… even Ha-jung, who firmly believes all humans are inherently evil because of his ten-year-younger sibling, admits it.

At first, whenever I called I-ryeong a “cute and kind little brother,” Ha-jung would make a face like, “How do those words even exist in the same sentence?” But now? He’s more into I-ryeong than anyone.

According to Ha-jung, he’s basically a mythical creature, second only to a unicorn. He even said we should shower him with affection while we still have the chance—who knows when we’ll meet a kid like him again?

I let out a snort at the ridiculous memory and reached out my hand. After fumbling across my desk for a moment, I found the timer. I pressed a few buttons to stop it, then organized my wrong-answer notebook and workbook and stuffed them into my bag.

After clearing off the desk, I took off the glasses I wore when studying and flopped down on top of it. I’d already finished today’s assignments while waiting for the other two to come back from their cram school yesterday, so I had less to do than usual.

“Ugh, I’m bored. If I knew it’d be like this, I should’ve just gone to the cafeteria with them…”

I hadn’t gone to the cafeteria because my stomach felt off, so I stayed behind to solve some problems. But once I ran out of things to do, being bored started to feel worse than feeling sick.

After spending the past few noisy days surrounded by four people, the quiet felt unfamiliar. I checked the time—those four had probably already gotten their lunch by now. Even if I went to join them now, the other kids would likely be done eating. Those four would wait for me to finish, sure, but I didn’t want to trouble them that much.

I tried shifting around to find a comfortable position, but nothing felt right. Eventually, I slowly sat back up. I stifled a reflexive yawn and stretched, then turned my head at the sound of cheers coming from outside the window.

Turns out, a few students who had already finished lunch were gathered on the field playing soccer.

Since my seat was by the window, I could hear the yelling clearly. I leaned sideways against the wall and stared down at the field.

I blankly listened to the shouting—some of it laced with swearing—then slumped back down at my desk. With nothing better to do, I figured I might as well get some sleep.

Just as I started thinking maybe I should go lie down in the nurse’s office, the classroom door opened.

Voices filled the room as kids started coming back in. I thought about going to the nurse’s office again, but laziness won out. I figured if I just stayed like this with my head down, people would assume I was sleeping and leave me alone.

At some point, I drifted off into a light sleep—just enough that any little nudge could’ve woken me. While floating in that half-asleep state, a familiar voice tickled my ears.

“Un-ah,”

Eun whispered, calling me.

When I didn’t respond, he moved carefully, like he didn’t want to wake me. The problem was—I was already awake.

As I felt his hand gently brushing my hair, I hesitated, wondering when I should lift my head.

Then his hand slowly slid from my hair down to my cheek. The touch was so ticklish I couldn’t hold back and blinked my eyes open.

Eun was lying across from me in I-ryeong’s seat, facing me. His face was so close that the moment my eyes opened, our gazes locked.

Maybe he hadn’t expected me to open my eyes so suddenly—his eyes went wide, and it was honestly kind of adorable. I kept my eyes on him, grinning as I slowly lifted myself up.

“Ah, I slept well! When did you get here, Eun?”

“Just… just a little bit ago.”

“Hmm, where are the others?”

“They’re still eating. I left by myself while we were eating lunch…”

Even with a lingering bit of surprise still on his face, Eun answered each question I asked. He blinked a few more times before his expression returned to normal.

He was cute now, too—but those wide, dazed eyes had been extra adorable. I let out a sigh of regret and suddenly asked,

“But why’d you come alone? You could’ve come back with the others.”

“You were here all by yourself, Un. And you said you weren’t feeling well… If I stayed there any longer, I would’ve ended up with indigestion too.”

He spoke in a soft voice, his naturally gentle eyes drooping even more as if he was genuinely upset. What he was saying made no sense, but maybe because he was so pretty, I found myself nodding along without thinking. I caught myself, froze mid-nod, and burst out laughing.

“Wait, hold on. You came early because of me?”

“Yeah. I thought Un might be lonely.”

“Whoa… that’s kind of touching. But I was fine on my own. You probably didn’t even eat properly, rushing back like that. What are you gonna do if you get hungry later?”

Thinking about how late our next class ended, I rambled a bit, but Eun’s eyes curved into soft crescents.

“I figured Un would worry, so I stopped by the snack bar on the way and bought some food.”

“…Good job.”

So thorough.
I looked at Eun with admiration and offered a slightly delayed word of praise. Eun smiled shyly like he liked the compliment, then let out an “Ah!” as he pulled something from his pocket and held it out to me.

“And just in case, I also got some digestive medicine from the nurse’s office. I remember you said it wasn’t that bad, but… can you take it? I’ve been worried… okay? If you feel better after the medicine, let’s eat bread together later.”

I really was fine… but hey, if my Eun is worried, how could I not go along with something this small?

I swallowed the “I’m fine” that had risen to the tip of my tongue—right along with the pill he gave me. The lingering taste of medicine was unpleasant, and I grimaced a little. Noticing this, Eun reached into his pocket again and pulled out a fruit pudding.

“That was on today’s lunch menu.”

I remembered seeing fruit pudding on the school lunch menu earlier and commented offhandedly. He nodded.

“Why didn’t you eat it? Why bring it?”

“It’s for you. I saved it for you, Un.”

“You didn’t eat yours?”

“Mm-mm. I don’t really like sweets. And you said this morning you wanted fruit pudding today.”

Did I say that?

With a blank look on my face, I searched my memory. Then I remembered—this morning, while Ha-jung was reciting the day’s lunch menu, I had absentmindedly said it.

I’d completely forgotten I even said that, but Eun remembered.
I knew he had a good memory, but it was kind of funny seeing him use it on something so small. And funny or not—it was sweet. Really sweet.

Out of all the tasty things in our school lunches, I liked dessert the most. More than anything, I was touched that he’d thought of me and brought this pudding all the way back.

I took the fruit pudding—which was a little smaller than my palm—and smiled brightly as I thanked him.

“Thanks. You brought it for me, so now it feels too precious to eat.”

Making a fuss, I threw my arms around him. At some point, he’d dragged his chair over and was sitting right next to me.

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

I smiled back at Eun, who beamed just as brightly in return. Then, just to show him, I peeled open the pudding and popped a bite into my mouth. It was too big to eat all at once, so I only managed half, but even that was enough to puff out my cheek. Eun gently tapped my puffed-up cheek, laughing in that soft, happy way of his.

While I ate the pudding, Eun didn’t say a single word. He just quietly watched me chew, eyes following every movement.
Only when I finished eating did he open his mouth like he was about to say something.

Right at that moment, the classroom door opened, and Hee-jun walked in.

His eyes met Eun’s, and for a second, he glared at him with a faint trace of irritation. Then he strode over and held out some medicine.

As I looked at the pill in his hand with a strange expression, Hee-jun let out a resigned laugh.

“Ah, judging by your face, Ha-eun already gave you some medicine.”

“Yeah…”

“As long as you took it, it’s fine.”

With that, he pulled his hand back without hesitation. He’d brought it for me, thinking of me—and I didn’t want him to just walk away with it like that.

I didn’t think long.

I quickly grabbed the medicine from Hee-jun’s hand and turned to Eun.

“Is it okay if I share the pudding with Hee-jun?”

Hee-jun stared down at his suddenly empty hand, then looked up at me like, What the heck was that about?

I ignored the look and just stared straight at Eun. Eun raised his eyebrows once, then smiled and gave a little nod, like, Do whatever you want.

With Eun’s permission, I jumped to my feet and pulled Hee-jun into my chair.

Then, without hesitation, I shoved a spoonful of pudding into his mouth.

Hee-jun didn’t even know what was going on, but when I held something out to him, he opened his mouth and obediently ate it. Maybe it was because I’d been feeding him all kinds of things since we were kids—he’d always eat whatever I gave him without a fuss.

As he silently chewed the pudding, I thanked him and said I’d take the medicine later.

He made eye contact with me in that blunt way of his, but maybe he was embarrassed by my thanks—his neck was faintly red.
I let out a soft chuckle at the sight and tossed the empty pudding container into the trash before heading back to my seat.