By Zephyria 
“I have something to tell the department students, and I’d like you to hear it too.”
Lee So-yul turned lightly. The hem of his beige cardigan swayed slightly, releasing a faint floral scent.
“Let’s meet in the design lab later, juniors.”
Lee So-yul said with a smile.
Then, in a slightly lowered voice, he added,
“Please be sure to come.”
A subtle fragrance was carried in his pleading tone.
The moment Haon realized this sudden floral scent was Lee So-yul’s pheromones, he felt a strange emotion.
He was the one holding Cha Jeong-won’s hand.
Everyone had reason to suspect their relationship.
Lee So-yul must have seen it too, yet he acted as if nothing was wrong. As if Haon were invisible, he only looked at Cha Jeong-won and spoke only to him.
“We’ll see.”
Cha Jeong-won replied curtly. It wasn’t a refusal, but it wasn’t a warm agreement either.
However, the strength in his grip was unmistakable.
‘Does that mean he’s going?’
Haon was confused. But speaking up would only complicate the atmosphere, so he just stood still.
“Then, see you later.”
Lee So-yul slowly began walking, heading toward the end of the hallway.
A few juniors followed behind him, whispering among themselves.
What could he want to talk about that he came all the way to school? Curious, they tried to guess each other’s thoughts.
Most of those who remained gradually gathered around Haon and Cha Jeong-won. Their immense curiosity about Haon and Cha Jeong-won’s relationship was evident.
‘My face is going to get worn out.’
Watching the juniors who couldn’t ask Cha Jeong-won but kept glaring at him, Haon clicked his tongue inwardly. He, too, couldn’t understand the current situation.
Haon gently tugged their joined hands. Cha Jeong-won turned to look at him, their eyes meeting.
“Shall we keep holding hands as we go?”
His tone was light, almost joking. That seemed like the only way to make this situation feel less serious.
There was something else he really wanted to ask, but it rose to his throat only to sink back down.
Cha Jeong-won lowered his eyes briefly, then raised them again.
His gaze brushed over the back of their hands.
“Does it bother you?”
His voice, asking in return, was as calm as usual. Yet it wasn’t truly indifferent.
It seemed like he meant Haon could let go if he disliked it, but the strength in his grip hadn’t lessened at all.
“No. Not at all.”
Haon laughed and shook his head.
“You should’ve asked when we first held hands. It’s fine now. Let’s just keep holding them, whatever.”
Mixing sincerity with a joke, the tension around his mouth eased slightly.
Just then, Kim Hyun-gyu started circling around them nearby.
He looked like he was dying of curiosity. Alternating glances between Haon and Cha Jeong-won, he held his tongue, but his eyes were already saying a hundred things.
“Hey.”
Haon let out a sigh mixed with laughter.
“Stop hovering and go away.”
As he spoke with a slight lift of his lips, the other classmates nearby caught on and joined in.
“Yeah. Kim Hyun-gyu, get lost.”
“You’re driving me crazy.”
Waving their hands, they almost shoved him away as if chasing him off.
“Aw, you guys are so cold.”
Kim Hyun-gyu stepped back reluctantly, one step at a time.
Even then, he didn’t completely leave, stealing glances at their joined hands until the very end.
“Don’t forget.”
Just before turning toward the opposite end of the hallway, Kim Hyun-gyu turned back and said, “I’m your best friend.”
Tapping his chest twice as if to say he absolutely needed to know what was going on, he finally ran off toward the classroom.
People began scattering one by one, and the hallway started to look a bit emptier.
“Funny guys.”
Haon pointed to where the kids had just been standing.
“Do you know why they just left?”
Normally, they would’ve clung to Haon and pestered him. But there was only one reason they didn’t.
“Because of me, I suppose.”
Cha Jeong-won answered as if it were an easy question.
“I know I’m the type that’s hard to approach.”
“That’s not it. They just don’t want to believe it right now.”
Haon shook his index finger, overturning Cha Jeong-won’s assumption.
“They don’t want to ask about or acknowledge our relationship.”
It sounded more like a typical Haon-esque guess than genuine sincerity…
“Shall we go too?”
Instead of answering, Cha Jeong-won started walking, and Haon matched his pace. Walking side by side down the hallway, he felt more worried than excited.
Once everyone had scattered and only the two of them remained, the feeling of their joined hands began to change.
The sense of a tight grip remained, but mixed within it was a very slight tremor. A faint vibration transmitted through the knuckles continued.
His pheromones, belatedly wafting over, also felt unusually heavy. Haon could somewhat guess what Cha Jeong-won might be feeling now.
‘……Is it because of Senior Lee So-yul?’
That reason came to mind first.
Even if they were classmates meeting after a long time, their relationship didn’t seem ordinary. Especially with the subtle emotion in his voice when he made the request.
But now that Cha Jeong-won’s hand was trembling, Haon felt he shouldn’t let go.
Yet, he didn’t want to press the issue.
‘I’m not in a position to say anything anyway.’
Perhaps this tremor wasn’t necessarily because of Lee So-yul.
‘Then what I can do is…… this much?’
Haon slowly inhaled, then exhaled.
He didn’t grip tighter, nor did he loosen his hold; he simply accepted the tremor as it was.
Only when it was time to enter the classroom and sit down did Cha Jeong-won release his hand.
Even while placing his bag down and preparing for class, all of Haon’s attention was directed sideways.
‘This is frustrating.’
It would be great if the original work came to mind clearly. Then he might understand why Cha Jeong-won felt this way.
Seeing the light pouring diagonally across the desk, Haon moved his chair sideways.
Still not satisfied, he moved it sideways again.
And again, until—thump.
Cha Jeong-won watched quietly as Haon approached and subtly leaned closer.
“The sunlight’s too strong.”
Squinting one eye as if the brightness was dazzling, he said, “It’s much better over here in the shade.”
Then he leaned his body slightly closer toward Cha Jeong-won’s chair. Close enough for their elbows to naturally touch. A distance that didn’t seem intentionally clingy, yet didn’t appear separate either.
“Tell me if it’s uncomfortable.”
Even as he said this, Haon was taking out his tablet while keeping his arm pressed against him.
“Today’s professor’s lecture is super important. To maintain focus without a single lapse, I absolutely need the shade.”
Satisfied with his hastily concocted excuse, Haon nodded a couple of times.
‘Good, the excuse was very natural.’
They could sit side by side, pretending nothing was wrong, at a distance no one could ignore.
From the front of the classroom, the professor’s voice began to be heard.
He continued explaining what today’s lesson would focus on.
Haon pretended to sketch furniture models on his tablet while once again feeling the body heat of the person beside him.
Even the slightest movement might make their clothes rustle. They’d already done more than this. To feel ticklish over such a minor contact…
Haon pulled his tablet closer, trying not to be conscious of Cha Jeong-won. As he moved the pen while looking straight at the screen, he felt a gaze from the side.
He didn’t need to explicitly confirm the strange pressure emanating from that gaze watching him.
With his face almost buried in the tablet, Haon muttered, “I’m not the professor, how long are you going to stare?”
When he tossed out the joke, an unexpected answer came via pheromones.
“……Not only the physical convenience of the user’s circulation but emotional elements must also be considered……”
Just then, the professor’s words seeped into Haon’s ears.
Not circulation prioritizing convenience, but emotion…
A phrase that might have seemed unfamiliar now resonated quite well. Wasn’t he himself clinging right next to Cha Jeong-won right now?
Feeling Cha Jeong-won move, Haon spoke again without turning.
“Have you decided to stare properly now?”
Cha Jeong-won, leaning his face on his elbow resting on the desk, let out a soft chuckle.
＊ ＊ ＊
The lecture ended, and the professor’s voice faded. Students rose from their seats in unison.
The sounds of tablets being turned off and bag zippers opening and closing mingled together. Some left the classroom immediately, while others gathered in the hallway to continue discussing assignments.
Haon also tidied his tablet, habitually organizing the day’s tasks in his mind.
Café part-time hours, assignment workload, how much of the just-heard lecture content to review…
Even then, his attention kept drifting sideways.
‘Should I ask if he’s going?’
Lee So-yul had clearly asked them to gather in the design lab.
If Haon asked if he was going and Cha Jeong-won really said yes, Haon wasn’t confident he could pretend it didn’t affect him.
So, in the end, he said nothing.
As he slung his bag over his shoulder and stood up, Cha Jeong-won, who had risen first, naturally walked toward the classroom exit. He wasn’t heading down the stairs but walking along the long hallway. It was the passage leading to the building with the design lab.
‘……He’s going.’
Haon silently matched his steps beside him.
They walked together down the hallway, maintaining a distance where their shoulders almost brushed but didn’t.
Perhaps because class had just ended, the hallway was noisy. Yet, the laughter and chatter filtering through felt strangely distant to Haon.
“…….”
His mouth closed on its own.
Cha Jeong-won didn’t initiate conversation either. The silence lingering between them felt cautious rather than awkward. It seemed like forcing any topic might needlessly upset the balance.
Upon reaching the floor with the department room, a murmuring sound came from the end of the hallway. The design lab door was half-open.
Haon took a breath and grabbed the doorknob.
“Senior.”
Before opening the door, he looked up at Cha Jeong-won.
“If you tremble, you can hug me anytime.”
Cha Jeong-won’s half-lowered eyes were filled with question.
“Just saying.”
Since he didn’t know what might happen, that was all Haon could offer him.
69 – NOT 69