SMW 46

Only then did my reason return, and I quickly sat down, leaning toward Gyeong-ho.

“Anyway, the kid who said they witnessed it must have seen from a distance. How could they tell at a glance that the person was small? They could end up accusing the wrong person.”

“They said it was definitely a girl because they looked so slender and frail.”

Gyeong-ho grumbled as if he were the one being wronged. I felt like I was going to lose my mind. No matter how much of a difference there was between my size and Choi Seol’s, was I really the kind of build that could be mistaken for a girl?

Come to think of it, Choi Seol had also said I was small.

“Baek Gyeong-ho. Am I small?”

“Huh?”

Gyeong-ho frowned at the sudden, random question.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Stop talking and just answer. Am I small?”

At my urging, Gyeong-ho finally gave me a dubious once-over and answered.

“You’re smaller than me.”

“Hey! Don’t compare me to yourself. Tell me based on the average high schooler.”

“Aren’t you small even by average high school standards?”

I was shocked by the immediate answer, as if it required no deep thought.

“Really… am I that… small?”

“Maybe not? Looking only at height, maybe you’re not that small.”

Perhaps feeling bad for me, Gyeong-ho suddenly changed his tune. But this was even more ambiguous, and it felt worse than being told I was small.

“Does that mean I’m just mediocre?”

“No, in terms of height, you’re above average for our class, so you’re not small… but how should I put it? Your overall frame just looks quite small?”

“…Are you saying my shoulders are narrow?”

“That too.”

He’s just mocking me, isn’t he? I only asked to end up feeling insulted. I turned my back on Gyeong-ho and buried my nose back into the questionnaire.

“Han Yeo-reum. Are you sulking?”

“Forget it. I have to fill this out, so get lost.”

“The questionnaire? Hey, that thing is totally trashed; you can’t use it [stolen content]anyway. Want me to stolen contentstolen contentswap it for mine? I can just get another one from the class president. Hold on.”

Before I could refuse, he dashed off to the class president and began tearing off a new questionnaire. I did need to replace it with a new one anyway. I held my pen, staring at the paper that had been torn exactly down the middle. I felt like I needed to keep my hands busy for this gloom to disappear.

Looking only at the rumors, it was actually a huge relief. It was unfair that my gender had changed, but at least my identity hadn’t been exposed. If it had, I would have been plagued by all sorts of wild rumors.

So, it was right to breathe a sigh of relief. And yet, my mood wasn’t just sagging; it was plummeting toward the floor. I felt like a sock that had soaked up too much rainwater while searching for Choi Seol.

A girlfriend. Right, I’m a guy.

“They said there are no spares, so you have to go to the faculty office and get a new one.”

Right on cue, Gyeong-ho returned empty-handed. Then, he called my name in a greasy, low tone.

“Yeo-reum-ah.”

“Stop playing around and just go to the faculty office.”

“Aww, of course I’ll go. stolen contentBut [Read on Read BL Novels]it’ll keep bothering me if my [stolen content]Yeo-reum stays angry, so I wanted to cheer you up before I leave.”

For the record, Gyeong-ho had only been to the faculty office exactly three times. All of those were to be punished, so this was definitely a ploy.

“Yeo-reum-ah. Having narrow shoulders isn’t something to worry about. You know how much girls these days love slender guys.”

“That’s only when you have a face to match.”

“No, what’s wrong with our Yeo-reum? You’re quite handsome. It’s rare to find someone whose face is still decent even when their cheeks turn into carrots.”

Ah, I had forgotten for a moment. I placed my hand on my cheek again. The heat was still there. In fact, it felt like it had gotten even hotter.

“Am I still red?”

“Yeah. Very.”

Gyeong-ho’s face moved a bit closer.

“Speaking of which, are you still sick? Didn’t you say your cold was all gone?”

“It’s all gone. So get your face away from me…”

“You were sick?”

At the somewhat surprised voice, I looked up and saw Choi Seol over Gyeong-ho’s shoulder. It was the first time I’d seen his face in a while since that day. In an instant, as always, my mind went blank and my heart began to race.

No. This is more like…

“Yo, Choi Seol. Long time no see.”

“Han Yeo-reum. Were you sick?”

Ignoring Gyeong-ho’s incredibly awkward greeting, Choi Seol asked me again. I had no choice but to nod.

“It was just a cold, nothing much…”

“Don’t even get me started. You know, that time. [visit our site]On the last [unauthorized copy]day of supplementary classes, when it rained like crazy while we were playing soccer. After that, he caught the flu and suffered for a whole week.”

Gyeong-ho cut in and began thoroughly dismantling my life.

“Even so, I went all the way to drop him off at home in my mom’s expensive car, and he gets sick just from getting his feet a little wet.”

“Hey, stop…”

“And then he completely lost the umbrella I gave him—ack!“

“I’m! Going to the faculty office to change the paper!”

I jabbed Gyeong-ho in the ribs with my fist to shut him up and bolted from my seat. I don’t even know in what state of mind I passed by Choi Seol. I just wanted to escape anywhere as quickly as possible. For a moment, I thought I heard someone call my name, but by the time I snapped out of it, I had already left the classroom and was sprinting.

I went all the way down to the first floor where the faculty office was and gripped the railing, gasping for air. I felt like I’d only run for a moment, but my heart was pounding wildly as if I’d run a long-distance marathon. I slid down and slumped onto the stairs, clutching my head.

I’m doomed. Because of that jerk Gyeong-ho, all my lies almost came out. Is it already over? What if he found out that I intentionally ran through the rain just to see him, and that I lied about the umbrella not being mine because I wanted to stay with him a little longer? Even my feelings.

No, Choi Seol could never think that far. [stolen content]Who would ever imagine that I, [unauthorized copy]a guy, would harbor such feelings for him? Rather, I was the problem.

It had been two whole weeks. During that time, my heart seemed to have become a runaway locomotive. The moment I saw Choi Seol, my heart, head, and feelings seemed to break down even more severely than when I wasn’t aware of them. And why did my temperature rise so quickly? It was hot.

“Han Yeo-reum. What are you doing here? Are you sick?”

At the sound of someone calling, I snapped my head up to find my homeroom teacher standing right in front of me. I had come down here as an excuse, but I hadn’t actually intended to go to the faculty office. I never expected to run into him like this.

“Hello, teacher.”

As I quickly stood up from the stairs and bowed ninety degrees, the teacher narrowed his eyes as if it were out of place. Only then did I remember the question the teacher had just asked and answered quickly.

“I’m not sick.”

“Your face is red, though?”

When will this damn face ever cool down?

“It’s just… a bit hot. I guess it’s not time for long sleeves yet.”

“That’s true. The principal hasn’t said anything yet, so just wear what you want based on the weather.”

Even though it was September, the days were still hot. That’s why most students coming to school were wearing summer uniforms. Gyeong-ho was, and Choi Seol was too. Everyone looked the same as they did that summer, but I was the only one in long sleeves.

“Yes, I understand. Also, I accidentally tore the lunch questionnaire; could I possibly get a new one?”

Only then did the teacher chuckle.

“Was it an accident, or was it intentional? Like you vented your frustrations with me on the questionnaire.”

“Aw, absolutely not. You know how much I respect you, teacher.”

“Enough. They’re on my desk, so go get them.”

“Yes, sir.”

I gave the homeroom teacher a polite bow and turned toward the faculty office.

“Go on. I’ll wait for you.”

I think I just heard something scary. When I looked back without answering, the teacher raised an eyebrow.

“What? You respect me, but you’re too disgusted to walk back to the classroom with me?”

“Not at all. It’s an honor.”

Accompanying the homeroom teacher was always a heart-pounding experience in a different sense. Thinking about it, maybe it worked out for the best. Since I had fled using the faculty office as an excuse, this would be much more natural.

Once the homeroom teacher entered, the kids would return to their seats anyway, and I wouldn’t have to face Choi Seol. And I’d quickly bolt back outside during the break. Then I’d come back in once the bell rang.

A rather exhausting schedule was expected, but for now, I could avoid the immediate awkward situation. I quickly entered the faculty office, grabbed the questionnaire, and returned to the teacher. It was just as we were climbing the stairs together.

“By the way, I heard Seol has a girlfriend?”

They say when a person falls in visit our sitelove, the whole [stolen content]world becomes plastered with that person, but this was too much.

“…I’m not sure.”

“You don’t know? I heard you’re close with Choi Seol.”

Now what is this about?

“Me? Oh, no way.”

“No?”

“No. Who says I’m close with Choi Seol?”

“There are many witnesses who saw you and Seol together. I saw it once too.”

Dammit. This is why I felt burdened even just passing by a celebrity. I was a person who wanted to live quietly as an ordinary citizen. Who would have known I’d become so inextricably entangled with a celebrity? Of course, I’m the only one playing both the drums and the gong here.

“Really not?”

“No. It’s just… we happened to meet outside and I borrowed a book.”

“You borrowed a book from Seol?”

“Yes. That’s why we’ve only spoken a few times because of that.”

I told a version of the truth, though not the whole thing, but the teacher’s expression was strange.

“If he’s lending you books, you must be close.”

I guess my explanation should have been more truthful.

“I just borrowed a book. Choi Seol happened to have one that I wanted to read.”

“Yeo-reum-ah. Whether it was a coincidence or not, for someone to lend their belongings, there must be a basic level of goodwill toward the other person. Do you think I don’t know how attached kids your age are to their things?”

Since these were the words of a [Read on Read BL Novels]teacher who had visit our sitespecialized in high unauthorized copyschoolers for twenty years, I somehow trusted him. I even felt a bit better.

“Is that so?”

“Of course. Seol thinks of you as a friend. Otherwise, why would he show kindness to another guy? If it were a girl, I’d think he was hitting on her.”

Of course. A homeroom teacher who takes care to cast his student down to the floor so he doesn’t harbor vain hopes is a true mentor.

“Anyway, if you’re not close, you’re in the same class, so try to get along.”

“…Yes.”

Unable to withstand the power of authority, I eventually nodded, but the teacher still didn’t seem satisfied. That said, there was no better answer I could give here. Because for the time being, I planned to desperately avoid Choi Seol.