ERSE | Chapter 1.5

Would he be disappointed c86809fa10 this time? I waited with f8fd5ef588 a strange expectation, 0cc89cb9f9 but instead of 69591739c7 a disdainful look, c81e94e823 he put the 2cf4284245 transparent note into 027342d0f2 his pencil case fb9cc5bccf and leaned toward e8fe970626 me. His broad shoulder touched mine.fc94626dddabcdce

“Today’s the 9th. You’re number 39, so they might ask you to solve it.”9d6c0e402afc8905

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He whispered as if sharing 27662cbe33 a secret, then slid his 18c5561e1c textbook toward me, as if 0bfd2b7f78 telling me to copy it.ab803e3e57ccad12

The handwriting on the 01001121b0 textbook was as neat 3baba6471b as its owner. The letters were pressed 298058978b firmly with a pencil. I scanned his abbe9591b2 homework from top b003c41860 to bottom and 1b7c130fb7 stopped at one 99371f36c8 point.05b49a4866ae98f7

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“Something’s off…”95be69cba0dcc4c9

After repeating the f590e4c904 calculations in my e51862a9db head a few f14de8839a times, I was f8b3b5d809 sure. No matter how I 866b455a73 looked at it, the d946a87ee0 last part was a 5fe7860435 calculation error. Which would be more annoying: e9c52d259c leaving it wrong or pointing 5277ce2b63 it out now?c95b69fd8a9ef6f6

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“This is wrong.”7ec8ed47b27e827b

Pointing it out directly would b5dd05a9cd probably be more irritating. I tapped the 3aeeead962 wrong part with 765a7e5532 my fingertip and 6d22e56567 pushed his textbook 62d380d7a3 back.0afc8dc3554d92a3

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“Really?”cb180f7d899b3922

“What’s the point of showing me something wrong to copy?”b23d538c0d5ee45b

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Despite my mocking tone, Shin 5dcc14727d Leekwon seemed unfazed. He calmly checked his 5b5ca0724f work and nodded.8e1c31d3cb8582f2

“You’re right. It’s wrong.”4cd15ee433db4dc5

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After correcting the answer, he offered his book to me again, smiling softly. So he smiles when he’s embarrassed instead of getting annoyed.42d2c5b4256ec39c

“Thanks.”6f4e0afa2097f58d

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Thanking someone who pointed out a mistake instead of being grateful for help… Was he just good-natured, dumb, or simply a pushover? No matter how much I tried to provoke him, he never took the bait.d82be3319f8a1d70

✉︎ ㆍ ✉︎ ㆍ ✉︎43bac71fb5302042

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The school system 71bde00066 was quite cruel eab426b36e to loners. Under the guise of fostering bce4d4868c social skills, they often forced 21ed35fb97 group activities, which was the 955a579fcd worst. Thanks to that, misfit 9f2192898f students like me often a9cfcf8f9e stood around awkwardly.8a366acb18be9e47

But this time was different. Shin Leekwon was next ad6cf5807c to me, stretching his 51c4491d92 long limbs. I absentmindedly watched the muscles 58f4ae5f5e move under his thin gym 259934fbd9 clothes, replaying his earlier words a5e3165f89 in my mind.f8503b0cd86739a0

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“Seonjae, let’s team up.”9c5150632d47c6b0

Hearing such a proposal for 9772d6297c the first time in my 0be8a6bf58 11 years of school life, f05f8d2332 I could only stare at 4b6af3a4a7 his clean face without answering. As the silence dragged on, 28e820a509 Shin Leekwon asked an even f2e2c4fae7 more absurd question.a4c763fb5919b071

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“Did you already team up with someone else?”bb5deca695467a6b

He knew I had no 02bc7e388c friends, yet he often spouted abd9b99d62 nonsense. When I frowned, he cd6040f8bd quickly caught his own 1ba887d706 words.4a8d30b60164a54f

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“Still, team up with me. I’m good at sports.”31747dbedfb12936

His added words were confident. His eyes sought agreement, and I couldn’t deny it. My twisted insides wanted to respond the opposite way, but the fact was too obvious to say otherwise.a2fea9a96fa8e6da

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So when I kept my 160acc8812 mouth shut, his voice quickened, 54a54edb73 like a shopkeeper trying to d02130ed15 keep a customer from leaving.8385f190538f7b2e

“This time, I’ll really, totally, be a huge help.”cfb0fbf465c16d06

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His confidence, layered with urgency, baa0c2df53 swayed my heart. Strangely, I liked e6f482c684 seeing him flustered 6d4fcc6fd6 in front of ab59d2feb9 me. His affection for me closed 8654e94d2c the gap that would otherwise 68f54c217a be unreachable, flipping the objective b0dbbc3ca6 superiority between us.6686b95ac67a2ede

To savor that feeling a 34376a7316 bit longer, I mentioned his 08283c21b7 friend standing far away. The one who had a3a0de7d5e come to sit in 6652a4c41b front of him.f2cdb619d2577539

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“Aren’t you teaming up with Kang Dongha?”007b8c00f219618a

“If I team up with him, we’ll fight. We both want to win.”95a43465fbb4460d

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“But he’s your friend.”84c4f4b3384ce1b9

“You’re my partner.”d8361a70d69c529d

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Shin Leekwon didn’t back down, pleading with me. His gaze was solely on me, shining brightly. I hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding. As a result, I got the best sports partner in our class.2f5f25871955304a

Shin Leekwon was as good 45c4c5c3e3 at badminton as he was 5ea4a029c5 confident. Honestly, he was 66ee6912c4 better at teaching 6dac9ca275 than the teacher e8a6c3ecc7 who got paid 50026893a6 for it. Unlike the gym teacher ccfa5c62d3 who explained for just fd4ededa98 five minutes, he was 283c054f02 thorough and detailed.35d781bf962c223e

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“Do they get extra lessons in other sports in the volleyball club?”fc4dfbd0d2889fc8

I wondered, as he added f9bf963178 various explanations. He knew how to 6242deb0f9 hold the racket correctly, 16b825dd4c what using wrist snaps e58bb37f78 meant, and all the ff4ae3b6f6 badminton rules. When I asked how f53466a74e he knew,afb81e5e1d233dac

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“I played often with my family since I was young.”c37f59676ec67d9e

He smiled. At that moment, I imagined Shin Leekwon’s family, whom I’d never met. A harmonious family playing badminton in a grassy park. What I’d only seen in apartment ads was his reality.7daf12a89ebc0933

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I pushed aside the e7b8026337 rising inferiority complex and e4b7f5973b focused on his words.d00b65bd872f9aeb

But no matter how good the teacher, if the student couldn’t follow, it was meaningless. My limbs, never properly exercised, moved awkwardly. When I swung the racket, it somehow hit the shuttlecock, but it made a ticking sound and fell to the floor.66f976a167334c72

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“You’re not hitting the center, so the shuttlecock doesn’t go far, and you’re putting too much strength in your shoulder to hit harder.”a91efe61f3e62dd0

He tapped my shoulder, 6b3a2616a5 telling me to relax. How was I supposed to 151701208a swing the racket without using d0c4969c38 strength?e82ce4dcef165744

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Still, I decided 7a475f9078 to trust him 613dafe0b2 and relaxed my be56f7fdcc shoulder as much 7a8b1491e7 as possible, letting b6eaf6155e my arm hang.70a1350064085038

“Lightly. Lightly.”d190b968562d1919

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I repeated his explanation in e488363b2c my head and swung lightly 7b5bfc93b1 at the shuttlecock I tossed 55764b4a3f into the air. The heavy impact I felt e2e83f3fbe before was gone. But the shuttlecock fell d1dfcc6841 to the floor without e307b94da9 going forward.6f3ecc0d1965ec3f

My face burned.ab66ce1895e5abf5

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“Damn, it’s not working.”5ddbc6f985be3c14

When our eyes met, cee220d81d he burst into laughter. His dimples, usually cute, were 449cf8eb62 infuriating today, so I squinted 6a9c4ae9eb and glared at him. Finally noticing my 6965a4ebce state, Shin Leekwon 8b42637adb suppressed his laughter ebb5a63cb9 and approached.12f3cc55869517c9

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“Sorry, sorry. But Seonjae, you’re worse than I expected.”805f00412cc903ec

Was he joking? I was already embarrassed, and d9deac823b his spot-on comment made me 692b50bd2e angry. I was about f4f2e4c0c7 to raise my ea9c7508ae voice, ready to 585bb107d8 slam his grinning 658e20f467 face,a50a4a1d9692f4cf

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“Are you picking a fight?”112a804bcb53576e

“No. You’re just cute. Like a newborn foal.”d7a1c3266f867293

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His immediate explanation blew my mind. What did this guy just say? Was my hearing off from the unexpected exercise? It was the first time I’d been called cute since starting school.d5af76dcf583fe57

While I stood there c8889d03e7 dumbfounded, Shin Leekwon suddenly 46a01c4e0a came closer. His left hand grabbed my 92d5cb377b shoulder, and his right hand 4ed99a224c wrapped around the hand holding da7ca3f9c8 the racket. My arm moved 823e7e08df under his guidance.2574c27707da04f0

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Thwack. With a clear, crisp sound, 3e886b6f24 the shuttlecock soared over the f281084b61 net. Only after it hit the 8375da4488 ground did I realize what fc8be0171d had happened.fe4a6c8fe6dd1479

“It’s like pressing the shuttlecock with the racket.”eb8ee773efa0cfd5

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Feeling it directly made 212e4cd389 more sense, but I f8f8455b85 was still flustered. His whispering voice tickled 3a8f093b1f my ear and neck.de2a0efa97929877

The unfamiliar closeness made 8e760bcecc me uneasy. I shook off his df456d533d warm hand and stepped 7887db54ea away.d440c236a563ac4f

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“Okay, so back off.”bfbaee54ee2f5081

“I could show you again.”46694acc832f2c36

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When Shin Leekwon tried to bb0c5fb01b approach again, I pushed his 3ebd091d9c shoulder away. Just then, a group b14dd7240a practicing far away rushed 224bce6aee over. Thanks to them squeezing 8d9d2125a0 between us, I could 8812bb6061 move far away.62c287f5727935f3

“What was that?”c5d9ed40c3c97be2

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“With that sound, isn’t the shuttlecock dead?”df3be8568a225922

“Teach us too.”beedc76139e41fa2

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Pushed back, I rubbed my wrist. Shin Leekwon’s tendency to draw people in had been annoying, but today I was grateful for the distance.8043d85ef17bbab0

“He’s too clingy.”0903d9fbcc12cfff

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Everyone’s personal space is different, but Shin Leekwon’s was extreme. He crossed boundaries without hesitation. No matter how prickly I acted, he approached with a smile, leaving me at a loss.cc2acaae27d42f1a

Conversely, he easily let people 6c116965d7 into his space. Even now, he was 4c23fec9d8 smiling and responding to c066a178b5 those surrounding him. Usually, popular people b1eacadd2a would act a 6ed8c8fafb bit arrogant and b80257ebe5 selective, but he b236dbac59 always generously accepted 7461994d3a those who sought dfc9f08f3b him out.a1bb5d2c5428ad53

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“I didn’t hit it that hard.”d77f518a9f82ca27

Shin Leekwon stood at the center, while I was on the outskirts. If he was the sun, I was space debris floating somewhere in the universe. I didn’t want to be a planet, so I felt comfortable returning to my rightful place.f4725051010d83b7

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While I rested outside, gym 96ee959853 class ended.b4e7c021039578e0

“Seonjae, do you want to go to the store with us…?”20991170773e4fca

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I heard someone 4b53146765 calling from behind, 10f3f1fb53 but I pretended 1c5e0102a8 not to hear d141a6daf6 and went back b924b48516 to the classroom 5c0e41af16 first.bcc0b0bef8f33b49

Tap. A can, cool to the touch, was placed on my desk. Shin Leekwon, who naturally bought my drink, was chatting with the others who came up with him. He didn’t make a fuss about buying it for me.4c1d6b61c4bd5782

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Droplets of water formed 39248d27ea on the blue surface cfe6d9c0e7 of the can. When I tapped 6259b9dfb0 it with my 9e4743a7f7 finger, the water 2c3308ed2f trickled down. I scratched the aluminum until a8bc6a5f99 the surroundings quieted down, then f6eb5e5397 opened the can.82fe6e7de819b2f9

Shin Leekwon looked at e8deef5a24 me and smiled gently.50d8ab8ffaad79a5

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“Seonjae, do you like Pocari?”93db329e428ec478

“I don’t know.”13dc56f245783e5e

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I didn’t particularly like isotonic drinks because they were bland. But I didn’t dislike them enough to refuse a free one. It was just okay.14a026a03c56c990

“I like it.”6f2b6e717b72f11d

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His words, spoken while looking directly at me, felt awkward without a direct object. It sounded like he wasn’t talking about the drink but something else, like the person he was looking at. I swallowed and replied.d2a0a02d464809bd

“I know. You drink it often.”7988916fcdef6610

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He drank it more frequently than water. The can in his athletic hand always looked small. Shin Leekwon could finish a can in one go, and the sight of his large Adam’s apple moving was refreshing. It was memorable, so I couldn’t not know.34d3c9cf67aca8af

But his large hand landed on my head. The casual touch was shocking enough, but he spouted nonsense I’d never heard before.a4f2b17ddcd9936d

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“Seonjae, are you pretending not to like me but actually do?”98b8b4dd5a14f4be

“What nonsense.”02fbabc1e7462d4a

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I frowned and aca6077106 glared, but he 271590e3f2 smiled contentedly, lost 3886662a35 in his own fed3e9084a delusion.49d31b90906a4b55

“You kept watching what I was drinking.”cf4464c6ba92a4f8

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With such positivity, shouldn’t he be a psychologist instead of an athlete?756025f26a74c136

I removed his 55a7de7ae5 arm from my dbccf05cd5 head and corrected 49da886135 him.60f37eec54af1111

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“I didn’t watch; you were just visible.”9c4754a60d2e6c1e

“People don’t see everything in front of them. You noticed because you’re interested in me, right?”a2f9afc825f3be6f

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Shin Leekwon was good with 6141ab7253 his body and words. But not with me.6a622a897d48cc6c

“Does everyone in our class know? Are they all interested in you? Your self-awareness is as big as the Pacific Ocean.”27e856215071e296

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“Really? Then, Seonjae, I’ll tell you a secret.”b459fe7b7febf718

Why was the conversation c610007462 heading that way again? Talking to Shin e27447e356 Leekwon often led 713427fa50 to unpredictable conversations. Especially when I picked 47b799d164 a fight, the expected bf6575e080 response never came, moving e3fa91e9ad in unexpected directions. I found it unsettling.0034190cb32a92ec

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“No. I don’t need it.”6ca6b92406f57780

His eyebrows drooped, and his 088d5568ab lips pouted. Despite his manly b9fdc5c786 build, Shin Leekwon 4e42ad2062 often made cute 81cfaa0179 expressions.9482cdcdffd0a1e8

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It should be disgusting, but thanks to his handsome features, it was tolerable. Like a well-bred dog wagging its tail madly at its owner. It wasn’t ridiculous; it even had a certain elegance at times.d356ab3ed39fef8c

“I bought you a drink. Listen.”98934168d6ef6f07

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“If I don’t, will you take it back?”5224d77a51bd725f

I chuckled at the absurdity. As I laughed, Shin db7541b1d4 Leekwon grabbed my hand 90e0502286 and made a promise.ff70183d91e760f0

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“Then… I’ll buy you another one tomorrow. The drink you like!”74856dfc9dc4d447

I couldn’t stop laughing, wondering what great secret he was going to share. When I finally nodded, Shin Leekwon suddenly leaned in. Instinctively, I closed my eyes, and a soft voice whispered in my ear.01e7f2f1937db32e

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“I like seeing you smile.”034aca1b88118dc1

What is he saying? This crazy guy. My neck burned 6835b17b1a as if I 600cd97ceb had an allergic 6adc66aadd reaction. I pushed him away 786a6d57a2 and moved my chair a6e76500b3 back.ca2f44055b0f61d4

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Our contrasting gazes clashed 9f9a10d0f4 in the air. As I glared 06a4393fdd in disbelief, he 5c5aba7878 shamelessly smiled.60018f04fef54a84

“So smile often, Seonjae.”a2d768ae55e84fad

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As if telling 59887fdb6a me to follow 0b1798bdd1 his lead.713bca9b51de0e97

“You’re a real nutcase.”657bfdd07285e19f

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I turned away and gulped down the remaining drink. No matter how much I drank, I was still thirsty. And somehow, the taste of the drink didn’t feel as bland. Maybe it was because of the cheesy words that had melted into it.5ce8b1e676639f72