By Zephyria “So refreshing!”
“Water……. I’m going to drink water first!”
The children who had entered the building ran to the kitchen, panting. Everyone opened the refrigerator door and gulped down cold water. Hey, drink quickly. I’m next! Hands reaching out to quench their thirst were rough. Among them were children who were stuffing themselves with snacks, saying they were low on sugar. If someone who didn’t know saw them, they would mistake them for a zombie horde. That’s how much Ki Jae-eon’s Barrier caused a tremendous expenditure of physical strength to break through.
“Hyung.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Kim Ju-won was no different. Although he was maintaining a more intact state than the other children, he was just as thirsty. He took the water bottle handed to him from the side and emptied it cleanly. Glug, glug-! His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down greatly.
“Haa……. I’m alive.”
After wiping his wet lips with the back of his hand, he immediately counted the number of children without a moment’s rest. One, two, three……. Everyone’s here. Kim Ju-won, who had checked the number of people as a habit, immediately called out to the children, “Focus!”
“We’ll split into groups of three. Eun-ha to Min-jeong will go to the second floor, and that brat Gyeong-hak and onwards will go to the third floor. And since you can move alone, Hyung, add more people if there are any struggling.”
“Okay!”
“We have about three hours left. Honestly, I did push the time a bit too hard… But I wanted to show that we can do it too, so I hope everyone follows through to the end. And it’s okay if we fail. No one will scold you. But I hope you don’t give up until the end. I don’t want to see that kind of attitude. You don’t want to show Jae-eon a bad side of yourselves, right?”
“That’s right. I really don’t want to be seen as someone who just does things half-heartedly.”
“Let’s do our best!”
“Down with Ki Jae-eon! I love you, Ki Jae-eon!”
“Such mixed feelings.”
“We want to be recognized too!”
Kim Ju-won naturally led the children. The children responded to his fighting spirit with a united “Let’s go!” It was time to show the main office’s greatest strength: unity.
With their hearts united, the children paired up in groups of three and were moving to their assigned floors.
“Hyung.”
Ahn Seo-myeong, the only one not paired up, stopped Kim Ju-won.
“Huh?”
“That-.”
“What.”
“……”
Ahn Seo-myeong uncharacteristically hesitated. His gaze was fixed on the floor, and his fingers unconsciously scratched his cheek. He seemed to have something to say but was hesitant to bring it up. Is he actually being considerate of me? The sun must be rising in the west tomorrow.
Kim Ju-won tilted his head at his unusual behavior.
“What is it? Tell me. It’s okay.”
“I want to try it alone too…”
“Huh?”
“I want to solve it by myself.”
It was more of a request for permission than a notification.
So, he also wanted to test how much he had grown by trying to break the Barrier that Ki Jae-eon had created.
“You alone?”
“Yeah, well.”
It was rare for Ahn Seo-myeong to show this much enthusiasm. Of course, he never did anything half-heartedly, but… he wasn’t the type to show eagerness either. Working hard without overdoing it. That was Ahn Seo-myeong.
Kim Ju-won widened his eyes with a “What’s gotten into him?” expression, then gave a cheerful smile. It was good for anyone to show enthusiasm.
“Okay, go for it.”
“……Hmm.”
“What is it, you punk.”
Even though he had been given permission, he didn’t seem particularly happy.
Instead, he even asked back, sounding uneasy, “Is it okay?”
“What do you mean, is it okay?”
“It’s my personal desire. I honestly don’t have the confidence to do as well as Hyung.”
“This guy, making it difficult again. If you want to do it, just do it.”
Ahn Seo-myeong shook his head at Kim Ju-won’s words.
“I’m moving as a team, not alone.”
Joining another group to add strength would definitely be more advantageous in increasing the chances of success.
But the fact that he was prioritizing his personal desires, even though he knew that, was not easily accepted by Ahn Seo-myeong’s personality. In other words, a contradiction he had created himself. He wanted to do it, but… it was inefficient in many ways. He was probably thinking it was a stupid choice.
Kim Ju-won knew his younger brother well.
That’s why he wanted to support him even more.
“Your decision is also the will of the main office. Believing in and supporting you is also part of being a team.”
“……”
“More than that, hey. We should move instead of having these useless arguments.”
Kim Ju-won put his hands on his waist and spoke in a bored tone. Are you going to keep going when we don’t have time? His eyes seemed to be asking. It was consideration disguised as simplicity.
“I guess I asked a question with a predetermined answer.”
Ahn Seo-myeong smiled slowly and shook his head.
“Okay. I’ll do it my way.”
“You should have done that from the start.”
“I’m going to do it with gritted teeth. I won’t do it half-heartedly.”
“That’s obvious.”
“No, this is a solo match. I want to beat Hyung too.”
“Me?”
“I can give up on other things, but I can’t give up on anything related to Jae-eon Hyung.”
Ahn Seo-myeong looked straight at Kim Ju-won and continued.
“I want to find that person first. I always have.”
Only then did he realize the reason for his rare ambition.
Ki Jae-eon.
That, and nothing else, was the reason.
Kim Ju-won understood his obsession anew.
‘Come to think of it, that guy said he liked Little Teacher.’
From Ahn Seo-myeong’s perspective, the current test was not just a simple level assessment. It wasn’t just a fight between the main office and Ki Jae-eon. It was a desperate time to gain recognition from the person he liked.
And the desperation of others transmits a strange commotion.
‘You’re not the only one who wants to be recognized.’
He wanted to show it too.
How amazing you were before you lost your memory.
‘Little Teacher is not someone who can be ignored.’
Kim Ju-won muttered in a very small voice as he watched Ahn Seo-myeong walk away.
“I won’t do it half-heartedly either.”
Because I am that person’s disciple.
*
I just looked at our compatibility.
Even if I insist that it’s a stretch to think that I’m the one who ‘likes’ him based on that… in context, the answer was already determined. You’d have to be an idiot not to notice that much.
‘There’s even physical evidence.’
Ki Jae-eon glared at the notebook, keeping a certain distance from it. He treated it like an explosive that would detonate if touched.
‘Ahn Seo-myeong……’
His mind raced.
‘What was my relationship with him?’
‘Did I perhaps like that guy too?’
‘Me, a man? No way……’
‘What the hell was I doing?’
The more he knew, the more the ‘me’ before losing his memory seemed out of his mind.
Same-sex!
And a younger one at that!
‘No, no. Calm down. According to what’s written, it didn’t seem like we were lovers.’
‘It’s just that he alone……’
He is, liking me.
With romantic feelings.
‘Should I pretend not to know?’
The agitation was greater than he thought.
In fact, it was a very natural reaction in some ways. Humans are inherently self-centered. So, if you find out that someone outside your circle of interest has positive feelings for ‘you,’ you can’t help but pay attention, get concerned, and become curious.
Ki Jae-eon was no different.
However, the problem, or perhaps the saving grace, was that he didn’t consider the ‘me’ that Ahn Seo-myeong liked to be the same person as himself.
In other words, there was a huge distance to call it my business, but there was something unsettling about ignoring it altogether.
Because from now on, whether it was the little brat’s one-sided crush or ‘me’ having the same feelings… it would all be useless.
‘The ‘me’ is different from me. He’s another person.’
Ki Jae-eon’s expression darkened.
It would be easier to understand if I said I felt like I had unintentionally ruined someone else’s love.
“……Why should I feel guilty?”
Before he knew it, more than two hours had passed while he was lost in thought.
“I don’t know, let’s stop thinking about it.”
Since the ‘me’ that the little brat likes is not the current me, there’s no other solution I can give. Then it would be wise to try to forget it.
‘I just wasted time for nothing. Meditation is out of the question too……’
Then there’s only one thing left to do now.
His eyes turned to the clock on the wall. It was already 5:55.
Five minutes left until the end of the test.
‘He confidently shortened the time.’
Was it just a bluff? Having regained his composure, Ki Jae-eon tapped his fingers in time with the ticking of the clock as usual.
[5:56]
[5:57]
[5:58]
.
.
.
[5:59:00]
It was just when he thought it was a failure.
Click-!
The door opened miraculously with exactly one minute left.
Black hair, panting breath.
“I found it.”
With the humid outside air all over his body, the corners of his mouth turned up in a refreshing smile.