SMW 82

I turned my head to see the face behind that sullen voice, but I couldn’t see what I wanted to. A noisy guy was blocking Han Yeo-reum with his large frame.

“Then shall we go in winter? Old traditional houses look pretty when it snows, too. You like winter, don’t you? It’s strange, considering how much you hate the cold.”

“Even if it’s a bit cold, good is good. There are no bugs, the air is fresh, and above all, the whole world looks beautiful when it snows. I love winter.”

Perhaps it was because of something Baek Hee-won had said, but even though winter wasn’t actually my name, my heart fluttered at the sound of Yeo-reum’s voice from over there, like a thief startled by their own conscience. I hadn’t even received a confession, yet I was flustered by my own overreaction. My needless irritability lashed out toward an innocent party.

Still, to like winter for a reason like that. Didn’t he just say he’s sensitive to the cold? Then he should hate it; why does he like it? Or is it because he’s truly ‘Summer’ that he likes ‘Winter’? Then, since I am ‘Winter,’ does that mean I like ‘Summer’…?

What kind of idiot talk is this.

I felt it would be best to calm down first. This was the definition of an overreaction. What did it matter if he liked winter or hated summer? It had nothing to do with me anyway.

This was all because of that useless chatter from Baek Hee-won about unauthorized copysummer and winter. unauthorized copyI decided it would be better to go up [stolen content]to the rooftop to kill time, and just as I stood up, someone bumped into my shoulder, causing one of my earphones to pop out.

“Ah! So-sorry!”

The male student who bumped into me immediately bowed ninety degrees and began to apologize.

“I’m really sorry, my f-feet got tangled for a second… I-I definitely didn’t do it on purpose. Sorry.”

“It’s fine, just go.”

I spoke reflexively and straightened my back while grabbing the fallen earphone, and in that moment, the surroundings fell silent. This wasn’t the first or second time something like this had happened, so I turned back toward the hallway without much thought. That was when my eyes met Han Yeo-reum’s. I suddenly felt unpleasant at the way he reacted, startled and quickly averting his gaze.

My expression naturally soured, and the surrounding area seemed to grow even quieter, but I didn’t care. His friend had vanished somewhere, and Han Yeo-reum’s profile, as he buried his nose in an open book, was completely stiff. I knew for sure he was acting that way because of me, and it left a bad taste in my mouth.

Am I that scary? It’s not like I threw a tantrum or glared at him; I wondered why there was any reason for him to be so frightened.

I turned my head and scanned the classroom. The gazes that had been clustered in this direction dispersed within seconds. It was a reaction that shouldn’t have been surprising, yet for some reason, irritation surged within me.

I felt the need to change this atmosphere.

“Ah. Sorry… Choi Seol?”

“Watch where you’re going. The floor is slippery today.”

“Huh? Oh, right. Thanks.”

After leaving a kind piece of advice for the male student I’d bumped into in the hallway, I turned to leave, only for someone to approach me quickly.

“Choi Seol, thanks for yesterday. I survived thanks to you speaking well to the teacher last time.”

“Choi Seol! Want to play a match today? We’re facing Class 7 during lunch.”

“Choi Seol, if you have time later…”

Even though I had dealt with several people in a row, the constant stream of approaches was starting to make me tired. However, since I couldn’t push them away now, I was accepting them moderately when I felt Baek Hee-won’s gaze from the side. He had a look on his face as if he were watching something quite bizarre. It was only natural. The kids who had been busy avoiding me while walking on eggshells were now eyeing me with sparkling eyes, waiting for their chance to approach. The scenery had shifted drastically in just one month.

“No matter how I look at it, this [visit our site]is amazing. What on earth caused [stolen content]this change of heart?”

Once I had somehow managed to shake off the kids and only the two of us remained, Baek Hee-won whispered to me. I gave him a casual response this time as well.

“Like you said, I didn’t think the atmosphere around me needed to be so grim, so I decided to be moderately kind.”

“Is that really the reason? No, before that—is that even easy?”

“What’s so difficult about it? I guess being kind is hard for you?”

“No, that’s not what I mean…”

I chuckled at the way he mumbled, as if it were difficult to explain.

I could roughly guess what he was trying to say. Anyone can be kind if they set their mind to it. However, changing the atmosphere around oneself by 180 degrees and making other children follow through kindness alone was not an easy task. My grandmother would call it arrogant if she heard this, but I had realized long ago that I possessed the ability to lead people. It was an ability that neither my deceased mother nor the grandmother who raised me had passed down to me.

Suddenly, someone who stood alone above others, looking down loftily, came to mind, but I brushed it aside and gave Baek Hee-won a dismissal.

“If you have nothing more to say, go back to your class.”

“Already?”

“Break time is over.”

Leaving the reluctant Baek Hee-won behind, I entered the classroom, but he stubbornly followed me.

“Are you going to listen to the lecture?”

“Of course. Do you think I’m going to cause a scene in class?”

“It’s just… unlike how you used to talk, you’ve seemed too diligent lately, considering you used to skip class as if it were a habit.”

“Since it’s my own loss if I don’t study.”

In truth, thanks to my innate academic intelligence, I wouldn’t have lost anything even if I quit school right now. I had the confidence to drop out, take the GED, and enter a top-tier university.

That was why, when that man arbitrarily changed my school and notified me, I had thought about submitting my withdrawal papers on Read on Read BL Novelsthe day of admission in a fit of rage. The reason I couldn’t do so [unauthorized copy]was because of my Maternal Grandmother, who had looked at me with pride while I wore my high school uniform.

Anyway, since nothing I did at school would reach my grandmother’s ears, I had been skipping classes until now as a way to spite that man. Therefore, I felt no new need to become diligent for the sake of studying. It was simply because there was one more thing on my mind.

Thanks to the fact that I had eased the tension in the class over the past month, the students’ tendency to walk on eggshells around me had decreased significantly. Consequently, when I sat relaxedly in my seat during break time, various conversations drifted into my ears.

“Han Yeo-reum. Let’s go eat meat today.”

“Why suddenly meat?”

Among them, the most audible was the conversation between Han Yeo-reum and the guy who was still as noisy as Baek Hee-won.

“You know that all-you-can-eat meat buffet that opened downtown recently. Seong-min’s father’s company gave him several buffet vouchers, and he said to go with friends.”

Then, a new voice suddenly cut in.

“Hey! Not that bastard Yeo-reum! I don’t know about other places, but taking him to a meat buffet is a huge loss.”

How long had it been since the atmosphere thawed? I wondered [visit our site]what could be so blatantly opposed that it seemed [unauthorized copy]like bullying was already happening in this class, and I visit our siteinstinctively frowned. Fortunately, the noisy guy seemed to be taking his side.

“You brat. How much could our Yeo-reum possibly eat to make a meat shop lose money?”

“What nonsense. I’m saying it’s our loss, not the meat shop’s.”

“Same difference. Can’t you see he’s hurt right now?”

Hurt?

I reflexively turned my head toward the kids chatting, but the face I was most curious about was blocked by the backs of two large students. Just as I was about to tell them to move, a nonchalant voice drifted from between the two giants.

“I’m not hurt, and Seong-min is right. I can’t eat much meat even if I go to a place like that.”

“Why? You like meat. Are you sick somewhere?”

Sick?

Those two blocking my view were starting to genuinely annoy me.

“It’s not that, and you know. I eat meat with rice.”

“Right. You’re a rice fanatic.”

“I’m telling you. After a group project meeting before, we went to a meat shop, and I saw with my own two eyes that he put his spoon down as soon as he finished his rice. There was a mountain of meat on the grill that hadn’t even fully cooked yet. Man, to eat such a waste with rice.”

“To me, meat is a side dish. It’s only delicious when eaten with rice.”

“Seong-min, just leave him. As he said, our Yeo-reum is the type to put his spoon down even if there’s a feast in front of him if there’s no rice.”

“Wow, he’s a real mystery.”

“Forget the understanding; you guys go and bring someone else. I’ve already decided to grill meat at home with my parents today anyway.”

Han Yeo-reum’s voice sounded unexpectedly bright, as if he wasn’t offended. The noisy guy’s low exclamation followed.

“Oh. How come? Both of them have time today?”

“Yeah. It seems both of them are finishing early for once. My dad already left work and is preparing. He said he’d make plenty of rice.”

“…Right. Eat lots of rice. I’ll go eat lots of meat with Gyeong-ho.”

“I told you I like meat too. It’s just that eating it with rice is tastier.”

Despite rebutting the other person, his voice was full of excitement, and I turned my head back. Just then, one of the giants stepped aside, allowing me a glimpse of Han Yeo-reum’s face. He looked as happy as he sounded.

Is eating meat with parents such a wonderful thing? To me, parents were either a void of memory or a presence I wanted to erase from my memory. Eating with my grandmother was a natural occurrence, so it wasn’t particularly exciting. Regardless, it was a relief that Han Yeo-reum wasn’t hurt or sick.

Thinking that, I looked forward again, and exactly a few seconds later, I fell into confusion.

Wait, what’s the relief here? Whether Han Yeo-reum is hurt or sick, what does that have to do with me? Why am I worrying about a kid I haven’t even exchanged a single word or greeting with?

While I was momentarily confused by emotions I couldn’t understand, the school bell rang. The students were returning to their respective seats. Contrary to my will, my eyes drifted toward Han Yeo-reum again. He had already opened a book.

Since it was a scene I had witnessed visit our siteoften, I knew for sure that [stolen content]the book wasn’t a textbook. He wouldn’t have made that kind of expression if he were looking at a textbook.

Some days he looked serious, and other days he looked as if he were suppressing a laugh because it was funny. There were times he stared intently at the book with a gloomy expression, as if he were about to cry. Seeing that it was densely packed with text, it seemed to be a novel, but since he always had it open, I had never seen the cover. In any case, today seemed to be an interesting part. Or perhaps he was still excited about eating meat with his parents.

Forgetting all the confusing emotions from a moment ago, I quietly watched Han Yeo-reum read.

Suddenly, I became curious about the title of that book.