By Zephyria 
「I wеnt tо middle schoоl with Ji Su-hуang’s son.」
А post оn а сеrtаin оnline cоmmunitу bеgan like thаt. The authоr, who intrоducеd themsеlves аs аn оrdinary сollеge student, clаimed to havе something to sаy аbоut the famous son of Ji Su-hуang and spоkе аbоut Wоo-yеon’s middlе sсhool dауs. How his facе loоkеd, what his build was likе, аnd whаt his реrsonаlitу and grаdes were.
The reаctions in thе commеnts were variеd. Somе demandеd рroof viа a graduаtion аlbum, whilе othеrs wоrried thаt thе authоr wоuld bе sued for роsting such а thing. Моst rеacted by telling them not to lie, but the author appealed to their innocence by stating, ‘He moved to the US halfway through, so there is no graduation album.’
Yes, if it had stopped there, it could have passed as a minor happening. After all, posts uploaded to the internet are buried before long.
The problem was a recent post written by the same ID.
「Ji Su-hyang_Son_Current_Status.jpg」
It would have been better if it were just a common clickbait post, but unfortunately, the content was faithful to the title. A series of photos were uploaded: Woo-yeon attending a lecture, Woo-yeon giving a presentation, and even a photo of him selling Cotton Candy at a club booth. Although his face was blurred, anyone who knew Woo-yeon could not fail to recognize him.
Coincidentally, reporters who had been digging into ‘Ji Su-hyang’s illegitimate child’ began writing articles like hungry hyenas. To make matters worse, the university logo was visible in the photos, so Woo-yeon’s personal information was leaked without him even realizing it. The original post was deleted belatedly, but it was already too late to turn back.
“I’ll be right back after I get my phone fixed. Go to the club room once your lecture is over.”
Do-hyun, who had kept Woo-yeon with him all weekend, drove him to school as soon as it became Tuesday. Woo-yeon told him several times that he could go alone, but Do-hyun insisted that he had to be as careful as possible. As expected, the main gate was crowded with reporters, so Do-hyun stopped the car right in front of the building instead of the parking lot.
“Tell me if anyone acts strange, okay?”
“Yes. Thank you for dropping me off.”
Nodding, Woo-yeon unbuckled his seatbelt. He tried to get out of the car immediately, but Do-hyun held him back. He cupped the back of Woo-yeon’s head and gave him a light, quick kiss.
“…….”
“In my heart, I want to tell you to just take a break.”
His pale cheeks flushed a soft red. Despite having done far more than this, his reaction was truly innocent. Do-hyun kissed him once more and gently stroked the reddened corners of his eyes.
“But I’m dropping you off because I know you’ll absolutely refuse to rest.”
“……I’ll get criticized if I rest at a time like this.”
Woo-yeon knew that in times like these, he had to act more confidently. If he skipped school and vanished, that would be the perfect material for an article. Pretending nothing was wrong, pretending not to care—ignoring it was, in a sense, the best course of action.
“I’m really okay, Seonbae.”
Furthermore, he truly felt fine. Perhaps because he had no intention of hiding it, or perhaps because he had always expected this situation. It felt strange that Do-hyun was worrying this much.
“I’m used to this kind of thing……”
“…….”
“It’s not like I did anything wrong.”
Being exposed to the media wasn’t a big deal. He might not have lived as a saint, but he hadn’t lived a life of crime. It would be grueling for a few days, but it would naturally resolve itself over time.
“So please don’t worry.”
Do-hyun chuckled and stroked Woo-yeon’s hair. The touch, gently messing up his hair, was as affectionate as always.
“I’m glad you’re okay…… but I’m still worried, so contact me if anything happens.”
This time, Woo-yeon nodded obediently. At his compliant reaction, Do-hyun’s eyes crinkled into a smile. His dark pupils were filled with worry for Woo-yeon.
On the way to the classroom, Woo-yeon received the gaze of several students. The looks, a mix of curiosity and slight wariness, were perfectly bearable compared to being bullied in middle school. Occasionally, words like ‘bastard’ drifted over, but he pretended not to hear and walked straight ahead.
Upon arriving at the classroom and stepping inside, Woo-yeon spotted Seon-kyu. Seon-kyu was surrounded by a few classmates, wearing a displeased expression. Normally, he would have acknowledged him, but today he couldn’t.
Regretting that he should have worn a hat, Woo-yeon set his bag down in an empty seat. He could roughly predict Seon-kyu’s reaction if he were to greet him. He would either accept it awkwardly or ignore him entirely. Or, he might ask if the articles were true without any malice.
‘I heard his family is a total mess.’
‘A kid with no roots.’
He had experienced enough in middle school to know how people who were once close could turn away in an instant. Half resentment toward the chaebol, half pity for the ‘illegitimate child’ title. He didn’t want to receive that mixed gaze from Ga-ram and Seon-kyu. Do-hyun had told him to go to the club room after the lecture, but Woo-yeon had no intention of doing so.
As expected, Seon-kyu didn’t speak to him until the professor entered. Woo-yeon let the whispering slide in one ear and out the other, hoping this time would pass quickly. Soon, the professor entered, and for the duration of the lecture, he was able to breathe freely.
“That will be all for today.”
The professor left the classroom, casting an ambiguous look at Woo-yeon. Judging by the look, he had also seen the articles. Indeed, since the university had been identified, it was difficult for the professors not to know.
‘Should I take a leave of absence?’
His mood slowly, slowly began to decline. He really thought he would be fine, but the lingering sense of isolation was strangely upsetting. He had become so accustomed to the warmth of others that he had grown weak enough to be unable to endure even this situation.
“Woo-yeon.”
Just then, someone called his name. Woo-yeon paused while packing his bag. Seon-kyu had approached and was standing right in front of him.
“……What?”
He wished it were a stranger, but because they had become close in the meantime, a spark of expectation rose. Perhaps he would treat him normally, or perhaps he would take his side and tell others ‘not to say rude things,’ just like at the after-party. He was being far too greedy to hope for such things.
“Talk to me.”
Suppressing his expectations, Woo-yeon looked straight at Seon-kyu. Since he couldn’t avoid the gaze, he decided to act brazenly instead.
While the eyes of their classmates were focused on them, Seon-kyu suddenly grabbed Woo-yeon’s arm.
“Let’s go.”
“……Huh?”
There was no time to argue. Seon-kyu grabbed the bag with his other hand and dragged Woo-yeon along. Woo-yeon, rising awkwardly, found himself following Seon-kyu out of the classroom in the blink of an eye.
* * *
“Hey, eat. Eat more. What else do you want?”
Woo-yeon stared blankly at the cakes filling the table. Chocolate, strawberry, cheese, and cookies. The variety of cakes reminded him of the cafe he had visited with Do-hyun recently. Except, the person paying wasn’t Do-hyun, but Ga-ram.
“Eat as much as you want. This Noona is treating you today.”
Ga-ram handed a fork to Woo-yeon and smiled with satisfaction. The way she smiled, showing her teeth, was as bright as ever. Woo-yeon looked back and forth between Ga-ram and Seon-kyu, speaking in a bewildered voice.
“……What is all this?”
The place Seon-kyu had brought him to was a cafe inside the campus. Not the one where only the Americano was good, but a new cafe closer to the back gate. Since Woo-yeon rarely wandered the campus, it was a place he had never been to.
“What do you mean, it’s cake. I heard you like sweet things.”
Ga-ram answered in a nonchalant tone and held out a fork to Seon-kyu as well. Instead of eating the cake, Seon-kyu nodded and pushed the plate toward Woo-yeon.
“That’s right, you ate the Cotton Candy well too.”
“No, suddenly……”
Woo-yeon started to protest but stopped. As he spoke, something surged up from within. The emotion that welled up turned into sharp words and escaped his lips.
“……Are you pitying me?”
No matter how he thought about it, there was only one reason for them to act like this. There was no way they hadn’t seen the articles, and no way they hadn’t heard the students whispering. Therefore, all that remained was clumsy pity.
“Pity?”
However, Ga-ram asked back as if she didn’t understand what he meant. Her eyes widened, and she snorted with an incredulous face.
“Why would I pity you?”
For a moment, he was speechless. It was because Ga-ram’s expression truly looked like she had no idea. Ga-ram poked the cake with her fork and grumbled a protest.
“Hubaes these days are so arrogant. A Seonbae wants to buy a Hubae some cake, and he asks if it’s pity.”
“…….”
“You shouldn’t be like that, Woo-yeon.”
It was as if Woo-yeon was the one in the wrong. Woo-yeon blinked, watching her poke the cake repeatedly. To such a Woo-yeon, Seon-kyu spoke up tentatively.
“Um…… Woo-yeon.”
His awkwardly furrowed brow seemed to show him debating whether to say this or not. Finally, having made up his mind, a calm voice followed.
“It’s not pity, it’s worry.”
It felt as if his mind was turning blank. An indescribable feeling welled up, similar to when he had been told ‘you worked hard’ once before.
“I saw the articles about you. Honestly, the story is so surreal that I don’t know how it feels, but it can’t feel good to have kids whispering about you.”
“…….”
“I thought eating something delicious helps when you’re depressed…… Of course, if this looks like pity, I have nothing to say……”
Seon-kyu furrowed his brow and exchanged a look with Ga-ram. It was a look pleading for help, but Ga-ram calmly looked at Woo-yeon. Woo-yeon stared blankly into space and spoke haltingly.
“You, earlier……”
His throat tightened after uttering just a few words. It felt as if his solar plexus was aching, or as if his chest was being tightly constricted.
“You pretended not to know me in the classroom.”
It was a very petty thing to say. Seon-kyu’s face flushed with embarrassment. At that, Ga-ram clicked her tongue as if dealing with a scoundrel.
“Did you ignore Woo-yeon in the classroom?”
“No, that’s……”
“Wow, Kwon Seon-kyu, I didn’t think you were like that.”
Woo-yeon had brought it up, but Ga-ram was the one driving the point home. Seon-kyu, messing up his hair in frustration, protested in an aggrieved voice.
“Ah, I did it because I felt sorry. Noona, you did the same thing.”
Woo-yeon looked at Seon-kyu with clear eyes. Feeling sorry—it was an unexpected reason.
“Why, remember before with Noona? About wanting 500 million won, wanting a house and a car……”
A memory flashed through his mind. Seon-kyu was likely talking about the time they had their study session. The words they had casually added while mentioning Ji Su-hyang’s illegitimate child.
“Ah.”
Ga-ram let out a low sigh, her expression turning to one of realization. She remained silent for a long while, then suddenly asked Woo-yeon.
“……Do you want more cake?”