Seventeen, and a Misunderstanding (1)
Late August, the semester started up again as vacation ended. It was still sweltering, and the humid air had everyone in class looking utterly miserable after so long apart. Not that I could blame them. Sure, it was vacation, but more than half of us had been stuck at school for makeup classes anyway, so no one had really gotten to cut loose. Having to drag themselves back now? No wonder moods were sour.
Even in class, barely anyone was paying attention. Kids stared blankly out the window, dozed off with their heads on their desks, or just messed around. Of course, I was one of them.
"Seojin! Long time no see~ How've you been?"
Jisu's voice came from behind me, followed by a soft, warm sensation pressing against my back. Then a pair of sun-tanned arms wrapped around my neck in a tight hug. I turned to see her grinning ear to ear, her face darkly tanned.
I had to wonder what kind of epic vacation she'd had to end up like that.
"Oh, this? Went to the States with the family~ The sun there is no joke. Skipped sunscreen for one day, and boom."
She said it like it was nothing, but her face was half sheepish, half proud. America, huh... Nice. Real nice.
Jisu scooted closer like it was no big deal, pressing in even more. The soft feel was nice enough. But no matter how developed she was, she still had a long way to go compared to my sister.
"Seojin, it's been forever!"
"Missed you, my baby~!"
Starting with Jisu, kids started crowding around my desk one by one. Mostly girls, but a few guys mixed in. Back at the start of the semester, it had just been my couple of middle school friends who came over. Now it had ballooned like this. Why, though?
...But seriously, is petting your friends' heads normal for girls? One or two, fine, but this was getting excessive.
"Yup~ How was vacation, Bunny?"
I was in the middle of getting my head ruffled when an unwelcome voice smacked into my ears. He looked annoyingly healthy too—clearly as well-rested as Jisu. Tch, couldn't he just stay out of sight? Hope he gets a massive stomachache or something...
"Not even gonna say hi?"
My annoyance must've shown on my face, because Kim Yuha chuckled and reached for my head again. Probably another knuckle-rap incoming.
But not this time. I twisted away quick, slumping over to lean into the corner of my desk on the left. His hand landed flat on the spot where my head had been a second ago.
Not a knuckle-rap after all?
"Ah..."
Our eyes met, and Kim Yuha looked almost disappointed. What was his deal, seriously.
"Anyway, what'd you guys do over break?"
Jisu kicked things off, and the area exploded into chatter.
"Me? Went camping!"
"I was just spinning between school and academies... didn't get to play at all."
Stories poured out everywhere—brags or complaints, hard to tell.
"I camped and stared at the fire all night."
That sounded nice. Fire-gazing and stargazing are always good. Maybe try it with ajusshi next time.
"I hit the amusement park three times? Spent the whole day in lines."
Exhausting, but fun, I bet. Maybe ask ajusshi to go sometime.
There were the occasional gripes about academies and makeup classes, but surprisingly, most were travel or resort tales. A few like Jisu had gone overseas. Still first-years, maybe—no tension in sight, just laughing and chatting. Same as me.
"Seojin, what about you? What'd you do over break?"
The question hit, and all eyes snapped to me. Tension out of nowhere.
Break for me was just lounging at home or ajusshi hanging out a few times. Couldn't say that straight-up, though. So I skipped the fluff and mentioned the Han River cruise.
Lots had been to Han River Park, but hardly anyone had done the cruise—they seemed pretty intrigued.
"But who'd you go to the Han River with? You didn't say anything in the group chat."
That brought ajusshi's face to mind, one after another. Protecting me from unnie. Stroking my hair as I cried in his arms. Looking out for me at the restaurant, bit by bit. Leaning on the cruise railing. And... in that Polaroid, him standing there with an even more awkward expression than my own forced smile.
"Heehee..."
Remembering it all at once made my chest tingle, a laugh slipping out unbidden. Everyone around me stared.
"Why're you laughing all of a sudden?"
Jisu latched on first.
"Yeah, who was it? You're grinning like crazy."
"Totally, haven't seen Seojin smile like that in forever."
The vibe shifted weirdly in seconds. They were getting the wrong idea.
"Heh..."
Someone snorted loud enough to hear.
"Don't tell me... you went with a guy?"
"Oooh~"
Weird whoops erupted. They all stared at me with excitement and curiosity. My mind blanked out watching them.
But Kim Yuha's face was the strangest. Not hyped like the others, not his usual mischief-hunting grin. Lips pressed tight, looking down at me all awkward.
What was up with him? I glanced again out of annoyance, then looked away. Bigger problem now.
What should I even say? "Friend" would just lead to "who?", and straight-up "ajusshi"? No way... Technically a friend, though.
"Went... with unnie."
I went with the most plausible dodge. A lie, but they dropped it—visibly disappointed, curiosity gone from their eyes. Small mercy.
I let out a long sigh. The chatter wound down as the bell rang for class. Kids trickled back to their seats. Relieved, I leaned to grab my textbook from my bag.
But my desk suddenly darkened. A pair of legs blocked my view. I looked up—Kim Yuha standing right there. Lips working like he had something to say, all awkward.
"You gonna sit or what?"
A bit irritated. He glanced away, then met my eyes straight-on.
"Bunny, you..."
He kept dodging my gaze, then bit his lip hard.
"If you're... bored, text me! I can hang out, special service..."
I stared blankly at his retreating back, blinking in disbelief.
...What the hell was that?
I couldn't make sense of it, but even if I was bored, I'd never text school friends first. Me, hitting up Kim Yuha personally? Ridiculous.
The teacher came in the front door, stood at the podium, and the room quieted. I opened my book for class.
Whatever Kim Yuha said, I'd ignore it and focus. Not my business—worrying just hurts me.
...But even staring at the board, the words wouldn't stick. Blame the Han River talk earlier—kept flashing back to break with ajusshi. Couldn't concentrate, but not in a bad mood either.
Day dragged on like that, and school ended before I knew it.
Back home, I dumped my bag and showered first. Ditching the sweat-soaked uniform for a comfy tee and shorts felt like relief. Summer uniform's light and cool, but short sleeves expose too much outside—not my thing.
Out of the bathroom, roughly dried my hair, headed to the kitchen, and checked the fridge. Stocked enough for dinners—no shopping needed soon. Habit now.
"Phew..."
Shut the fridge, flopped onto the living room couch. No TV, just stared blankly at the wall clock. Waiting always drags.
Right at six, I snatched my phone on reflex.
010-XXXX-XXXX
Typed quick, hit call. He gets off around six, said it's fine anytime after. Still tense every time.
"Hello?"
Before it could ring long, ajusshi picked up.
"Yeah? What's up today?"
His voice so comfy and familiar, my lips curved up on their own.
"Bored~ You off work?"
"Wrapping up. First day back, right? How was school?"
I crossed my legs, hugged a cushion with one arm, and answered.
"Boring~ Classes dragged, still don't click with the kids~ Only fun part was hearing their vacation brags."
From there, chat flowed easy. Where classmates went, the ones who came back tanned black. Ajusshi laughed, chimed in, tossed light jokes. Nothing special, but just hearing him eased me.
Lost track of time, just rambling along to his voice over the line.
"Oh, and today—"
Click.
Mid-excite, the front door opened. I froze mid-sentence, whipped my head around.
"I'm ho—"
Unnie, kicking off her shoes, locked eyes with me. Bag slung over one shoulder, she glanced at my phone and smirked unpleasantly.
"Who makes our little Seojini so happy on the phone~?"
Brain stalled. Froze solid.
Silence on the line, then ajusshi's voice, worried.
"Seojin? What's wrong? Something happen?"
His concern hit as I turned to ice.