Glasses Off Won't Make Me a Hunk (3)
"This should hold for now."
In the evening when self-study truly kicked off, Ha-min scarfed down the school-provided dinner and used tape from the stationery store out front to patch up his broken glasses frame in an emergency fix.
"The taped part feels a bit annoying."
The transparent tape wrapped clumsily around it looked downright sloppy. The legs weren't even balanced, so at a glance, he looked like some amateur wearing crooked glasses.
But it didn't hinder his studying at all. He'd never been big on fussing over his looks anyway, and no one was deeply interested in his appearance.
"Eh, whatever. It's not like I need to impress anyone at school."
Crushing his own self-esteem like that, Ha-min forced on the busted glasses and headed into the classroom for self-study.
How could I not worry? He already didn't have the face of a protagonist.
Pfft. Sulking? Just 'cause I said the ugly kid got even uglier?
As he entered the classroom, Ha-min recalled the things Do-young had said to him that day. Words he would've normally let in one ear and out the other clung to him strangely when they came from Do-young's mouth, haunting his ears and tormenting him.
"...What does it matter now."
They weren't even words he'd heard for the first time. Back in elementary school, middle school, from kids sitting next to him or those begging to switch seats— he'd heard them plenty.
Ha-min could objectively assess his own looks. No one would call him handsome, not even as a white lie—you could tell just by glancing at your reflection in your phone screen.
He'd stopped getting hurt by such words after elementary school. Once he learned how to kill his self-esteem, he could brush off the whispers behind his back without a care.
So he'd thought it'd be the same this time.
"No, snap out of it. Gotta cover the progress I planned for today."
Clap clap.
Ha-min lightly slapped his cheeks and focused on the workbook and notebook spread out on his desk.
This was the only time he could concentrate purely on studying without Do-young dragging him around.
"If I let those words get to me here too, I'll just keep blaming her for everything."
Shifting the blame for his own incompetence and failures onto Do-young— what could be more irresponsible or pathetic?
Thinking that, Ha-min gripped his pen and tackled the problems.
'You just look like shit.'
"Ugh...."
But in the end, Ha-min only managed to cover half the progress he'd planned for his first day.
....
"Morning, Ha-minny! Even with self-study, you're always first to school?"
"Oh, hey...."
"You took off the bandage on your nose. All good now?"
"Yeah, it wasn't bad, but I figured my parents would worry, so I just ripped it off on the way home."
"Don't go popping another nosebleed by accident."
The next morning, Sa-hyung and Hye-rang arrived at school and waved to Ha-min, who was already in the classroom, greeting him cheerfully.
After some time, he'd gotten used to light chats with Do-young's friends.
"Your place must be crazy far, Ha-minny. Self-study ends at 10, and you're not home till after midnight?"
"Nah, it's fine. Night trains hit more stops, so I get home quick enough."
"And you catch the first train in the morning? Aren't you exhausted?"
"I-I still get like five hours of sleep. Crash right into bed."
"You'll get used to it, I guess."
"That's a routine the sleepyhead Do-youngny could never match."
Rattle.
Just as the words ended, Do-young shoved open the classroom door and strolled in. The annoyed expression Ha-min had last seen when they parted the day before was still plastered on her face that morning.
"Oh... what's this? Why're you here so early today?"
"Figured you were trash-talking me and rushed over."
"Oh, hey...."
"...."
Scrape.
Like yesterday, Do-young ignored Ha-min's greeting, dragged her chair over, and plopped down.
"What's her deal?"
"Dunno?"
"...."
Thud.
Do-young silently propped her legs up on the desk. Probably because she couldn't think of an excuse to drape them on Ha-min's lap.
"Ugh, seriously. Do-youngny, that's so tacky."
"Showing your panties, slut."
"Go ahead and look."
"...."
"What, you wanna see too? It's just boring nude granny panties today."
"N-No...."
"What's the deal? You voluntarily walked into self-study when I said I'd let you off the hook, but you won't peek at panties I offered up?"
"B-Because peeking would be a big problem...."
Sure enough, the bad premonition Ha-min had felt yesterday hit the nail on the head.
But aside from the premonition proving right, he had no clue why Do-young was directing this much irritation at him.
"Sigh, this is tricky. For real."
"W-What makes it tricky?"
"Wasn't talking to you."
After that, Do-young's attitude stayed icy for a while. Answers to any questions came laced with sarcasm.
"Luckily, no one in our class was late today. Do-young, thanks for showing such improved behavior!"
"Can't have the teacher crying over me and missing class again."
"H-Hey, we didn't change the schedule yesterday just for that!"
"Yeah, yeah, sure."
"I-I'm serious?"
"...."
She at least acted normally with the teacher and other friends, but
"Why're you smiling?"
"N-No, I wasn't...."
"Then why aren't you smiling?"
"Uh, wha?"
she seemed especially cold to Ha-min compared to the others. Her period—or whatever bad mood—wasn't due for a while, as far as he knew.
What kept irritating her? Would it blow over by tomorrow?
With vague hopes like that, they parted; he did self-study, went to school the next day, and still
"Hey...."
"...."
Do-young ignored Ha-min's greeting.
....
Days passed like that. Before he knew it, conversations with Do-young dwindled.
Nine out of ten chats started with Do-young. Ha-min would follow her topics or blush and protest her baffling questions. That had become their natural rhythm.
But over those few days, Do-young neither started talks nor pulled her usual pranks on him.
"Yawn... Fifth period today, my body's all stiff and sleepy. Why's this happening? Never used to."
"Tch, why? 'Cause you chose to do self-study. Lost your stamina, now you're whining like a wimp."
Yet somehow, when muttering to herself without expecting a reply, she'd grumble a quiet response to Ha-min's mutters.
"...What'd you just say?"
"Nothing, just saying you look pathetic. Tell me if you're nodding off mid-class. I'll smack your back hard."
"...."
He could guess she was extra sensitive to the word "self-study." But he only knew she was touchy about that—not why his doing self-study kept her in such a prolonged funk.
He asked her several times that week if he'd done something wrong, but
'Figure it out yourself, model student. Go bury yourself in that studying you love so much. I'm looking into other stuff.'
'Chatting with me just wastes stamina you'll need for self-study. Especially you, who can't even budge under a girl's legs. Ignore me and listen to lectures. Before you nosebleed again.'
all he got were stinging barbs poking his deepest insecurities.
"I know... I'm short and weak, that much."
Knowing it yourself didn't make the arrows to the heart hurt less.
Especially getting pinned to his chair by a girl's strength—that wounded even Ha-min's mild-mannered pride plenty.
....
Another night of awkwardness with Do-young, and Ha-min was in the self-study classroom as usual, grinding away.
Drip.
Drip drip.
Then red droplets fell one by one onto his workbook.
"Ah."
"Hey, Do Ha-min."
"What, watching porn?"
"N-No, it's not that, this is...."
Only after spotting the blood on his workbook did Ha-min realize he had a nosebleed. Senses dulled? Distracted? Blood had even dotted his uniform shirt, but he hadn't noticed till now.
"Do Ha-min, you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, fine. Just the Monday injury acting up a bit. Be right back, gotta hit the bathroom."
Ha-min grabbed tissues and rushed to the sink.
He'd been hurt Monday, sure, but nosebleeds this frequent? First time.
"Maybe that kid was right... gotta build stamina...."
High school had really driven home how out of shape he was.
Lap the track lightly during dinner break? Nah, didn't wanna wander and catch a stray ball from the sports clubs.
Find a jogging path or park nearby? Yeah, eat dinner fast, change to gym clothes, light jog for an hour—solid plan.
Musing that, Ha-min pinched his nose with one hand and pulled up a map of the school area on his phone with the other.
"...Huh?"
Then, a spot just a 5-10 minute walk from school caught his eye. A name with a familiar ring.
"Ban Family... Kendo Dojo?"