Eighteen, Spring Again (1)
The cool air laced with the scent of spring tickled the tip of my nose.
The cherry blossom trees at school were still bare, their buds not yet properly opened, but every face passing through the school gate bloomed with its own kind of spring.
Of course, not all of them.
Some kids screamed upon discovering who shared their class, while others wore dark expressions, already worrying about the future.
The school was strangely noisy, a peculiar mix of early March excitement and gloom.
Watching the scene, I adjusted my bag strap and simply kept walking, face neutral.
I'm finally a high school sophomore….
This was the second time I was experiencing my second year of high school.
Once you've been through something, the thrill tends to fade, but instead of anticipation, annoyance came first.
All I wanted was for time to flow quietly, without any incidents.
The moment I opened the classroom door, a familiar voice slammed into my ears.
“Wow, it’s Seojin! Long time no see, my baby~!”
Before the words even finished, my vision went completely dark.
Hyeji had already dashed over and wrapped me in a hug, practically grabbing the back of my neck.
Right after, Jisu approached with a bright grin and poked my cheek.
“Seojin, hi! We’re in the same class again? Guess we really are destined.”
“Urk… Puhaha! Yeah, hi.”
I barely managed to pull my head out of Hyeji’s embrace and answered calmly.
Still, it was true that their faces were welcome.
Being with familiar friends was far more comfortable than struggling among strangers.
Trapped between the two of them, I glanced around and spotted a familiar bulky figure.
Still caught in Hyeji’s hold, I leaned my body and tapped that broad shoulder.
“Yo, Kang Mincheol~ Long time no see. You’re in this class too?”
“Yeah. Long time no see. You been well?”
Kang Mincheol turned with his usual blunt expression, but the moment he saw me his eyes crinkled with unmistakable pleasure.
This guy was surprisingly affectionate for his size, which made him easy to be around.
“Whoa, Bunny’s in our class?”
“Pfft… He really is tiny, huh?”
The kids sitting nearby snickered while looking at me.
I narrowed my eyes and gave them a sharp glare.
“You guys, ease up. Enough with that Bunny crap already.”
I spat the words grumpily, but honestly I wasn’t that bothered.
They teased, but none of them crossed the line into real provocation.
Besides, I had no interest in getting angry at kids who were still wet behind the ears.
Above all, though, there was one decisive reason my mood was good today.
I don’t see him, I don’t see him…!
I scanned every corner of the classroom.
He wasn’t there.
Then I checked the class list on the blackboard, reading each name one by one.
Sure enough, he was missing.
That noisy, bothersome Kim Yuha was nowhere to be found.
Yes…! He’s gone!
The guy who had been assigned to the same class and tormented me for so long wasn’t here!
A peaceful second year of high school.
It was starting off perfectly.
After confirming the roster and letting out a sigh of relief, the classroom quickly turned into the usual scene of friends clustering together and making noise.
Naturally, we grouped up too and chatted about all sorts of things.
Most of the conversation directed at me was about how they’d been indebted to me on Valentine’s Day, or not-so-subtle hints wondering if I’d given chocolate to anyone.
Some even gave me small belated birthday gifts.
Most were palm-sized dolls or snacks, but I was incredibly grateful.
It really felt like I was being celebrated.
Since my birthday was the same as Seojin’s, the feeling was even more peculiar.
Like every year, this birthday had been spent quietly with family.
This house had a unique tradition of singing the birthday song not only for their grown daughter but even for Dad and Mom.
Lighting the candles on the cake to celebrate Seojin’s birthday and singing together was embarrassing, yet the tickling warmth in my chest wasn’t unpleasant at all.
Everyone was busy, but they never skipped these little events.
…I wondered how my own family had spent my birthday.
Screech—.
I was sinking into a slightly melancholy mood, but the sound of the front door opening snapped me out of it.
The noisy classroom fell silent in an instant.
The new homeroom teacher was a middle-aged woman with a rather strict-looking face.
She set the attendance book down on the lectern with a sharp smack and immediately launched into swift seat assignments.
The students scattered to their lottery-chosen new seats, their expressions shifting in every possible way.
Whether lucky or not, I ended up midway along the window side—a perfect, relatively quiet spot.
Since it was the first day, first period consisted of hearing the year’s plans instead of actual lessons.
But none of it reached my ears.
Instead, I unconsciously pulled out the pen tucked in my chest pocket and fiddled with it.
It was the birthday gift I had received early from Ajusshi.
When I actually used it, I’d been surprised by how much smoother it felt than any other pen.
The grip fit perfectly in my hand; it really was ideal.
I should cherish it. Oh, come to think of it, when is Ajusshi’s birthday? This time I need to repay him properly.
Heat rose to my fingertips as I toyed with the pen barrel.
Naturally, the hot sensation I had felt on the living room floor that day came rushing back.
The rock-hard chest muscles beneath my palm.
And those solid abs that hadn’t budged even when I pressed down on them from above.
I still didn’t understand how a human body could become that firm.
For someone who looked so delicate, Ajusshi… aside from being handsome, his body was genuinely incredible.
The moment the bell rang to end first period, the tension in the classroom dissolved at once.
As soon as the teacher left through the front door, several students—including Hyeji—gathered around my desk.
“Ugh, second year already… I already feel like I’m a senior.”
Hyeji perched on the edge of my desk and let out an exaggerated sigh.
Eunju, who had followed, pulled up a nearby chair and added her own complaint.
“Tell me about it. I spent the entire break going between school and academy. My one wish was to visit the ski resort, but I never even got to see it.”
The conversation naturally drifted to stories from winter break.
Someone had traveled with family, someone else had basically erased their vacation by being stuck at school for extra classes—the usual high-schooler laments continued.
“What about you, Seojin? You don’t even do self-study. Anything special happen over break?”
To Jisu’s question I simply smiled vaguely.
“Um, well… nothing particularly special, I guess…”
That was what I said, but honestly this break had been quite special.
Going to Chairman Han’s house, accidentally jumping on Ajusshi—that sort of thing.
“I really want to go on a trip this summer break.”
At Hyeji’s words, I stared blankly at the cherry blossom tree outside the window.
A trip, huh…
Listening to my friends talk about ski resorts and travel made me feel a quiet envy.
I wanted to travel too, but Mom and Dad were always so busy.
It wouldn’t be right to beg parents who could barely take a proper vacation while supporting both me and my older sister.
But what if it was with Ajusshi?
One thought led to another, and Ajusshi’s face naturally rose in my mind.
What would it be like to travel with him?
Just being together was already wonderful; I couldn’t even imagine how fun it would be.
“If it’s a trip, it has to be the ocean! The summer sea is the best!”
The summer sea….
I pictured standing side by side with Ajusshi on a beach where blue waves rolled under pouring sunlight.
Naturally, the memory of his body from the living room floor overlaid itself on the image.
That solid frame visible even through a white shirt—if it were revealed in swim trunks….
Thwack—!!
“Kyaa!!”
The sweet daydream filling my head shattered into pieces.
A dull impact struck the crown of my head dead-on, flashing stars across my vision.
I screamed without thinking and collapsed onto the desk. The noisy surroundings went dead quiet, as if someone had dumped cold water over them.
It must have been too hard; the back of my head wasn’t just numb but throbbed with sharp pain.
Startled by my sudden cry, Jisu and Hyeji rushed over with pale faces.
“S-Seojin! Are you okay?!”
“Seojin!”
Their worried voices echoed in my dazed ears.
The pain kept me from answering; I could only groan while clutching the back of my head. Then, from above, came a very unpleasant and all-too-familiar laugh.
“Puhaha, your reaction time’s gotten even slower? Did our Bunny put on weight over break?”
The moment I heard that voice, deep irritation surged ahead of the pain.
Kim Yuha, that bastard.
If he was in a different class he should have stayed quiet, but he came all the way to ours just to mess with me?
“You… you son of a…!”
I whipped my head around to glare at him, but the pain shooting from my crown down my spine sealed my throat.
It hurt so much that tears welled up.
“Hey! Kim Yuha! Are you insane? What the hell are you doing coming into someone else’s classroom?!”
“Seriously, knock it off!”
Jisu and Eunju immediately stepped in front of me, as if they had rehearsed it, and cornered Kim Yuha.
“Whoa~ I only meant to tap you lightly, but my hand slipped. Was it too hard? Sorry, sorry!”
At the group’s pressure, Kim Yuha seemed to falter for a second, then scratched the back of his head and grinned.
Whether that was an apology or just more teasing, there wasn’t a trace of genuine remorse no matter how hard you looked.
Even the usually quiet Kang Mincheol let out a sigh of disbelief.
“You really—!”
I bit my lip hard, but a single tear that had formed physiologically rolled down.
Kim Yuha’s eyes widened the moment he saw it.
He looked clearly flustered, but right now that didn’t matter to me at all.
“Go die, you idiot!!”
I shot up from my seat and stomped on his foot with every ounce of strength I had.
Crack—!
“Aaaaaagh!!”
As Kim Yuha rolled on the classroom floor clutching his foot and howling, the other kids watched with satisfied snickers.
I ignored his commotion, sat back down, and rubbed my throbbing crown.
Suddenly I longed for the gentle warmth that could erase this brutal pain in an instant.
Ah, I really miss Ajusshi….
I unconsciously squeezed the pen in my chest pocket once more.
The first day of what I had hoped would be a peaceful second year had made me miss Ajusshi’s face more than ever.