74. The tail end of 17, and the second year. (2)

The short spring break passed, and March arrived.

The second year. Opening day.

Ambling along, I slid open the classroom door with a *dreureuk.*

From way over there, familiar faces flickered—half of them recognizable, the other half strangers.

The former: classmates from the first year, acquaintances made during elective classes, club activities. The latter: those who weren’t.

‘Hmm.’

Even the classmates felt somewhat foreign, and the classroom landscape was unfamiliar—not the accustomed scenery of the first-year classroom. It all felt alien. But, well, if I just did the school thing, I’d adapt and make friends eventually.

An acquaintance sat right in front, so I offered a casual greeting before heading further inside.

“Myunghoon, Myunghoon, Kim Myunghoon~?”

“…Huh? What’s up, Joo Woojoo’s in class three too?”

Myunghoon, who had been chatting with his friend, swiveled around.

He was a friend from another class, one I’d bonded with during basketball club. Kim Myunghoon was his name, and now, rising to the second year, we were in the same class.

I gave a slight nod of acknowledgement to the friend sitting near Myunghoon.

“Minwoo and Sungmin are in class three too, so if Joo Woojoo’s in class three… are we gonna have the whole basketball club here or what?”

“Yeah, pretty much? Everyone except Jihoon and Seungwoo ended up in class three this year.”

“Huh, how do you know that?”

“How else would I know? It all shows up if you go on NICE.”

“Ah, really? It shows stuff like that there?”

“The teachers must have shown you how to check before the second year started, right? Why are you the only one who doesn’t know?”

Even without the names, you could roughly guess who went to what class if you knew the original class and number. Myunghoon snickered, seeing the disbelief on my face as I spoke.

It seemed he found it ridiculous that I alone was ignorant of something everyone else knew.

“Anyway, where are the others?”

“They went to check if the school store’s open. I think they should be here soon…”

No sooner had Myunghoon spoken than *dreureuk.*

The back door of the classroom, which had been closed upon entry, slid open.

The basketball club guys I had just mentioned—Sungmin and Minwoo, names so similar—entered.

They had clearly been snacking at the store, chewing on something from the morning, and upon spotting me standing near Myunghoon, they recognized me with an ‘Oh!’

“Whoa, what is it. For a second, I didn’t even recognize you, Joo Woojoo.”

“This b*stard, how does he get even buffer when you haven’t seen him for a little bit?”

“Look at those arms, shit, you must have worked out like crazy during break, huh?”

Not content with just words, the two came closer, scrutinizing my body up and down.

Seemed like pure admiration, not a hint of malice, so I puffed up a little and flexed my right arm for show. Couldn’t deny I’d been hitting the gym pretty hard. Thanks to Aki.

“What’s my body fat percentage looking like, you think? Around 1%?”

“Body fat percentage doesn’t really matter. What you see is what matters most.”

“Oh, here we go again. Just tell me, is it single digits, for real?”

“Haven’t checked recently, don’t know. Probably not quite that low, though?”

If I was being generous, maybe close to 10%. Anything lower requires grueling effort. Avoiding snacks, strict diet management, stuff like that.

I’m too weak for that, and Aki loves snacking, so I usually end up joining in. Can’t go that far.

“Hey, roll up your sleeve a bit. Let’s see those forearms.”

“…Fine.”

Hard to take off the uniform jacket, so I just roughly pushed up the sleeve.

“Wow…”

“Damn, that’s solid. Any bigger and that shirt’s gonna rip, huh?”

“You prepping for sports college? You decided to go that route?”

“Don’t know. It’s not like you can get into sports college just by having a good build…”

I shook my head, pulling the rolled-up sleeve back down.

I’ve been hearing this a lot lately. Aki, the others too, they see me working out so much, they assume I’m preparing for sports college. Truth is, it’s just because of Aki.

“Hey, you should seriously consider it. You’d get a free pass with that build, it’s like cheating your way into a good college without studying.”

“I don’t know. If my grades were bad, maybe, but if I can get in through academics, is there really a need to go the sports route?”

“Ah, right. You’re a good student, after all.”

“……”

“……”

Silence fell over my friends for a moment.

Sungmin and Minwoo stared at me, seemingly deep in thought, before suddenly frowning.

“No, but suddenly I’m in a really bad mood. Why do you get to have everything?”

“Huh? Have what?”

“You should only be good at either studying or being athletic. Why do you have to be good at both, you b*stard? You’re throwing off the balance of the world, you know that?”

“What’s that supposed to mean…”

“Yeah, even *that* thing of his is as big as his forearm, apparently. And he’s been dating his girlfriend for, like, 11 or 12 years.”

“I gotta pull a name out of the hat, even if I have to cheat. I can’t let this slide. Where’s the ballot box?”

Just then, with impeccable (and frustrating) timing, the back door creaked open once more.

“Ah…!”

My girlfriend, arriving a touch later than me due to her friend.

Aki, about to step inside, spotted me and, beaming a radiant smile, hurried towards me in quick little steps.

“Woo-joo~chan, Woo-joo~chan!”

“Ah, Aki’s her…e.”

“Woo-joo~chan!”

*Thwack.*

Before I could even finish my sentence, Aki threw her arms around me.

At home, we hug every single day without fail, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine she’d do this in the classroom, with everyone watching, and on the very first day back at school no less. I froze stiff.

“Woo-joo~chan, we’re in the same class from now on, aren’t we? Hee, I’m so happy I get to see you by my side all the time…”

“…”

I’m happy too, I guess.

Yeah, happy, but.

That aside, this situation is really putting me on the spot.

Because all the kids in Class 3 are staring straight at me.

More precisely, they’re staring at Aki and me, with expressions of blissful envy, as she rubs her cheek against my chest around my heart…

“Hey, were they always like this back in first year?”

“Nah, they weren’t like this in first year. They were in different classes.”

“Wait a sec. Don’t tell me, we have to watch them doing this every morning from now on?”

“…This world, this life.”

“Hehe…”

“…”

Why is the embarrassment only my burden to bear?

I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t hearing the whispers around me, so I gently stroked Aki’s back, hinting that maybe that was enough for now.

Aki seemed to get the message and pulled away slightly. Though, she did look a bit disappointed.

“Since we’re in the same class, I hope we can be seatmates too. …Ah, no, even if we’re not, we can just switch, right?”

“I’m not sure the teacher will let us…”

“It’s okay. I have a plan.”

“A plan?”

“Uh-huh, a plan. So Woo-joo~chan, don’t worry. *Atashi* will take care of everything…!”

“Hmm, is that so…?”

A method, she says. What method could there possibly be?

I don’t really get it, but if she says there’s a way, then I guess there is.

Here, all I can do is trust my girlfriend.

* * *

“So, what do you think?”

“…You really did change it.”

Third period break.

Aki, who said it’d be great if we were partners, but if not, we’d just change it, truly got permission to change seats.

The method, it turns out, was using the class president’s power(?).

Usually, kids who become class president are either really popular or ridiculously smart. But Aki was bright and cheerful, and she had the looks to boot, so her popularity was a given. Plus, her grades were in the top 2%, so everyone knew she was pretty smart.

So, if Aki ran for class president, it was a foregone conclusion she’d win with overwhelming support.

A whopping 24 out of 24 votes─well, there wasn’t actually anyone else running besides Aki. Seeing Aki, the other kids preemptively gave up and didn’t even bother running.─ Aki, immediately after becoming class president, suggested changing the seating arrangement.

The reasoning was a noble one: to be considerate of students with poor eyesight or those with height issues that made it hard to see the board.

But the truth was, Aki just wanted to sit next to me.

‘Well, whatever, the reasoning is good enough…’

It wasn’t just anyone making the suggestion; it was the class president. So, the teacher’s permission was granted right away, and the seats were reassigned to everyone’s satisfaction. So, I guess that’s that.

Anyway, I was a little surprised that Aki’s skills were better than I thought.

She’d said she had a plan, and honestly, I thought it would just be something like, ‘Can’t you change it? Pleeease? Teeeacherrr~’ and some cutesy stuff.

But instead, it was a solution with a solid justification and incredibly positive side effects.

I told Aki, with a mix of admiration and surprise,

“You’re amazing, Aki…?”

“Right? Amazing, aren’t I…?”

“Yeah, you’re amazing. Really.”

“…Heehee.”

Aki, seemingly pleased by my honest compliment, rummaged through her bag and pulled something out.

Wondering what it was, I saw it was a pink blanket, the exact same color as her hair.

“Want to use it?”

“Yeah, let’s share. It’s still chilly in March, you know?”

She unfolded the blanket and laid it across her lap, tucking the excess around to cover my knees as well.

It wasn’t much, if I’m honest, but Aki’s consideration touched me slightly, and I chuckled, muffling the sound.

“Thanks. But doesn’t it seem a bit small for the two of us?”

“We just have to sit closer. Like this, like this….”

Aki pulled her chair closer to mine, pressing right up against me.

Thanks to that, Aki’s shoulder and mine were practically touching.

“……Hey, hey! How long has it been since school started, and you’re already flaunting your couple-ness?!”

Lee Haram, Aki’s friend from freshman year, who had been watching us from a short distance, saw her chance and approached, dropping that line.

“Wh-what are you talking about? It’s not like that…?”

“What do you mean, not like that? It totally is. …Ah, Aki’s so lucky. When will I ever get to share a blanket and cuddle with a handsome boyfriend like that?”

“I-I didn’t cuddle with him! Don’t make things up…!?”

Aki flared up at Lee Haram’s teasing words.

Anyone could see she was blatantly making up facts just to tease her, but she took it seriously, her face turning red, which was so cute that I just pretended not to notice and changed the subject.

“Hello. You’re Lee Haram, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. You’re Woo-joo, aren’t you? Aki’s boyfriend.”

“Ah, u-uh. Well….”

It’s been a few months since Aki and I officially started dating, but it still feels a little awkward to call myself Aki’s boyfriend. Probably because we’ve been childhood friends for eleven years.

Still, I couldn’t say it wasn’t true, so I nodded to signify agreement.

“Now that we’re in the same class, can I just call you Woo-joo?”

“Yeah, call me whatever. And I’ll call you Haram-ah…”

“……Ahem!”

“……Nevermind, I can’t call you that, I’ll just call you Lee Haram.”

Aki gave me a look, so I quickly changed the honorific.

Haram, no, Lee Haram, smiled contentedly as if she found Aki endearing, then turned her gaze to me.

“Hey, Woo-joo, do you happen to have any friends who are as handsome as you?”

“Uh, why all of a sudden?”

“Because if you do, I’d like you to introduce me. I’ve been really lonely lately because of Aki. She says she has to study with her boyfriend, so she won’t go eat delicious things with me, and she says she has to go see her boyfriend, so she won’t go out and play…!”

“…….”

So, it’s because of me, huh.

“……There is one guy who’s kind of handsome.”

“Huh, really? Who, who is it?”

“Seungwoo in Class 4, we were in the same class in freshman year…”

*Slide-*

“Woojoo-ya, are you here?”

“Ah, he just arrived.”

I was about to talk about Seungwoo, and he walks in at the perfect time.

“That, that kid is the one named Seungwoo…?”

“Yeah, the one I was telling you about. …Seungwoo-ya!”

I quickly raised my hand and called out to Seungwoo.

At that, Seungwoo realized I was here and slowly walked towards us.

“What, already advertising that you two are a couple?”

Seungwoo said, looking at me sitting right next to Aki, covered by a blanket.

I didn’t particularly feel like hiding anything, so I just smirked and gave Lee Haram, whose face had turned slightly red for some reason, a knowing look.

“Say hello. This is Lee Haram, Aki’s friend.”

“Ah, is that so? Hello, I’m Kim Seungwoo.”

“……”

*Whoosh.*

Lee Haram’s face flushed red.

Since she didn’t return his greeting, Seungwoo gave Lee Haram a look as if to say, ‘Why is she acting like this…?’ and carefully scrutinized her.

And Lee Haram…

“…*Heh.* …*Hit*, *heuk*, *eck*!”

She made some incomprehensible sounds, almost like rough breaths.

Then suddenly, she jumped up and ran out of the classroom.

*Slide-*!

“What…?”

Seungwoo muttered, sounding bewildered.

“…….”

“…….”

I wordlessly looked at Aki.

And Aki wordlessly looked back at me.

In that very instant, our hearts, they understood each other.

“……Guess we should set up a proper stage for them, eh?”

“Mmm, that does sound like it could be fun….”