SMW 89

In the end, instead of handing over the book I’d agreed to lend him in person, I left it on Han Yeo-reum’s desk. I spent the rest of the day attending to every student who approached me, deliberately trying not to pay attention to him. Even so, a part of me hoped he would come by just to say thank you.

However, Han Yeo-reum didn’t approach me until classes ended. No matter how much I was the one who offered to lend it first, I felt hurt and annoyed that he couldn’t even give me a simple greeting. I grew anxious, wondering if we would have to continue pretending not to know each other until the moment he returned the book.

Eventually, after barely shaking off Hee Won, who clung to me on the way home, I returned to the classroom and found myself falling for Han Yeo-reum all over again. His timidness—how he didn’t know what to do while worrying about others’ gazes—and the short greeting he had neatly written on a crumpled piece of paper because he couldn’t bring himself to say “thank you” in person were just too cute. I realized I was in big trouble.

Acceptance came surprisingly quickly. Gender didn’t matter. I simply wanted to get closer to Han Yeo-reum by any means necessary. If possible, I wanted to keep him by my side and learn more about him.

Not wanting to waste this rare opportunity, I took him to a snack shop my grandmother loved—even though I knew he felt burdened—fed him, and forcibly tied our relationship together with bags and books. I thought that would be enough of a start.

And yet, as time went on, it felt like it was becoming even harder to strike up a conversation.

First, I needed to do something about the rumors that I was his “shuttle.”

“Yeo-reum, let’s play soccer during lunch!”

Just as I was pondering this, some noisy guy appeared out of nowhere and approached Han Yeo-reum. I frowned, still standing by the back door of the classroom. That guy sought out Han Yeo-reum at the most inappropriate times.

Apparently displeased that his reading was being interrupted, Han Yeo-reum visit our siteRead on Read BL Novelsrejected the offer instantly without [visit our site]even looking up from his book.

“No.”

“Yeo-reum-ahhh. If you don’t join, we’ll be one person short. We’re playing against the next class today. It’s the perfect chance to take those bastards down a peg.”

“…”

“Yeo-reum, are you listening to me?”

“…”

“Yeo-reum. Mr. Yeo-reum? Yeo-reum? Oh, Yeo-reum? My love? Honey?”

How could I get rid of him in a way that would actually be talked about as a success?

As the nicknames became increasingly grating, I leaned my body against the back door and glared at the noisy brat. More than anything, I hated that he was disturbing the boy while he was so focused on his book.

Come to think of it, that guy had been persistently interrupting Han Yeo-reum’s reading under the pretext of soccer. Recalling how Han Yeo-reum used to be dragged to the playground, unable to refuse the request despite saying he didn’t want to, I fell into thought for a moment. Then, my gaze landed on the wristwatch on my wrist, above my crossed arms.

It was a memento of my grandfather, given to me by my grandmother as a gift for entering high school. Since it was a precious item, I couldn’t wear it while playing soccer. Even though it was old, it was a brand that cost quite a bit, so I couldn’t just leave it anywhere; it was better to entrust it to someone reliable.

This seemed like a pretty good excuse. With the rumors already circulating, [visit our site]no one would find my behavior strange. Thinking stolen contentabout it that way, the “shuttle” rumors weren’t entirely bad.

It wasn’t like I was actually using him as a shuttle; if anything, it made it easier to talk to Han Yeo-reum. Moreover, if he belonged to me, no one would dare touch him. Even if they were interested, they wouldn’t be able to approach him easily. I suddenly felt great. I decided to flesh out the plan a bit more.

He seemed a bit more open to talking outside of school. Since I’d have to get the watch back eventually, maybe I could use that as an excuse to go eat?

While wondering what else was delicious besides snack food, I remembered that the vacation supplementary classes ended today.

That meant school wouldn’t start again for another two weeks. It meant I wouldn’t see Han Yeo-reum again for two whole weeks. I suddenly felt anxious. He was already so intimidated just by looking at my face; if a gap opened up, he might completely ignore me once school started.

I should use this chance to create opportunities to meet outside of school. If we saw each other often and talked, maybe Han Yeo-reum would become less scared. I’ll start by slowly soothing him so he gets used to me. It would be good to make progress bit by bit…

My thoughts stopped abruptly.

Make progress? To what extent, exactly?

Just because I liked him didn’t mean I intended to force my feelings on him. It was true that I wanted to be close to Han Yeo-reum. But I didn’t have any desire to do anything beyond that yet.

No, honestly, I didn’t know. This was the first time I’d ever liked someone, regardless of gender.

What on earth did I want to do with Han Yeo-reum?

As I became suddenly serious, I looked [Read on Read BL Novels]at Han Yeo-reum again. Watching him stare fixedly at his book, regardless of whatever the noisy guy visit our sitewas saying, my confused mind calmed down.

There was no way an answer would come immediately anyway. We’d be in the same class for the next six months, so it wasn’t too late to think about our relationship slowly. There was no need to be this serious already. For now, just narrowing the distance between us was enough.

Organizing my thoughts, I stared intently at the noisy guy who was steadily harassing Han Yeo-reum. I waited until the guy finally looked back, unable to resist my fervent gaze, and then I casually flicked my finger.

As I said, it was the first time, and I was young. Therefore, I did not know how deep and obsessive the feeling of liking someone could become. However, it didn’t take long to realize it.

It rained that day. In the end, I was unable to make plans for the next time with Han Yeo-reum.

“Wait, just calm down for a—ugh!”

A loud thud echoed as I grabbed Baek Hee-won by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Baek Hee-won’s face contorted in pain, likely from his head hitting the wall, but I didn’t care. That was exactly why I hadn’t held back my strength. In truth, my patience was already at its limit just by resisting the urge to beat him senseless.

“Were you the one who opened your mouth to that man about Han Yeo-reum?”

Honestly, there was no need to even ask. It was obvious who would know that I’d been showing continuous interest in Han Yeo-reum lately.

As expected, while the guy looked anxious about when my fist might fly, he wasn’t surprised.

“I just… when you asked if there was anyone you were interested in at school, I mentioned a few people.”

“So, out of those, that man specifically singled out Han Yeo-reum to deliver this?”

I threw the envelope I had received from Han Yeo-reum right into Hee Won’s face.

“Take this back to that man. Tell him that no matter what he does, I will never sign those dog-like documents, so he should stop hanging around and dragging the people around me into this. That goes for you too, Baek Hee-won. It would be best if you never cross my path again.”

“W-wait! Choi Seol!”

Baek Hee-won’s voice grew urgent, as if he hadn’t expected me to cast him out as well. Even so, it was likely just anxiety over no longer being able to act as a watcher.

As I turned away from him, a scoff escaped my lips. Perhaps I had unconsciously come to expect something from him.

“Do you think the Chairman will just say ‘alright’ to that? If anything, he’ll be thrilled.”

Contrary to my expectations, the heavily sarcastic tone made me stop in my tracks as I was about to leave the rooftop. When I looked back, a flash of fear crossed Baek Hee-won’s eyes. That felt unpleasant in its own way, but I figured it was possible. I was in a state where I felt so foul that I could barely control myself.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re smart, so you should know. What this situation implies.”

“So what the hell does it imply?”

“Blackmail.”

A hollow laugh escaped me. Whether it was this guy or that guy, blackmail seemed to be their favorite hobby.

“Baek Hee-won.”

“I could have done it, or that lawyer could have delivered it personally. There are plenty of other people he could have ordered to give this to you. Even so, as you said, why do you think he specifically made Han Yeo-reum deliver it to you?”

“Baek Hee-won.”

“It means if you don’t do as he wants, he’ll use Han Yeo-reum as a hostage.”

The moment he finished speaking, I grabbed Hee Won’s collar again. This time, even if I hit him, he would have nothing to say. He had dared to utter two words that should never have been spoken in front of me.

“Say that again. What? Blackmail? Hostage?”

“You want me to say it again? The Chairman is using Han Yeo-reum as a hostage to blackmail you right now.”

Whether he had some backup or not, I started laughing because it was just so absurd.

“Do you think Han Yeo-reum is something that great to me?”

“Honestly, I’ve never thought that far. The Chairman probably picked him on a whim. Even so, unauthorized copythe mere fact that you showed interest makes him qualified enough, don’t you think? As a tool for blackmail, to tell you [visit our site]that people around you might get hurt if you don’t follow his orders.”

“…”

“So don’t be so openly pissed off. Otherwise, he might actually start thinking he’s something special to you.”

I grit my teeth. I was so angry I felt like I was going crazy, but my mind went blank, leaving me unable to act. Sensing my state, the guy continued to chatter excitedly.

“For your information, I only mentioned Han Yeo-reum as one of the few guys you actually talk to. Do you really think I’m the only watcher your age in this school?”

In that moment, the strength left the hand gripping Baek Hee-won’s collar. The guy, who had been waiting for this, stepped back and let out a long breath while rubbing his neck. My fist clenched again at the look on his face, as if he’d just cheated death, but instead, I turned my back and threw one last warning.

“Deliver that properly to that man. And I don’t know what you’re hoping for, but I have no intention of granting it, so stop with the petty tricks.”

I heard him calling me as I headed toward the rooftop exit, but I didn’t respond and went down to the classroom.

Dammit! Curses spilled out of my mouth as I crossed the hallway. The more I chewed over Baek Hee-won’s words, the more my anger rose to the top of my head, making me feel like I was losing my reason. If I had stayed on the rooftop, I might have actually swung my fist.

Honestly, there was no need to hold back. No matter what excuse he made now, he was an accomplice who had dragged Han Yeo-reum into this. But the reason I didn’t touch him was because of a lingering doubt.

Do you really think I’m the only watcher your age in this school?

I knew it. Baek Hee-won was not a loyal person. A guy who only considered his own gain was someone visit our siteready to betray at any moment. Even today, [visit our site]the fact unauthorized copythat he leaked information to me while pointing out my emotional behavior meant he intended to play both sides between me and that man. He really was a guy who overthought things uselessly.

And he had a point. No matter how smart I was, how could a seventeen-year-old kid outsmart the chairman of a corporation? Just as Baek Hee-won said, there was no law saying there was only one watcher.