The Way They Look at Each Other (5)
“Ah, come to think of it. I've been holding you up, haven't I? Sorry about that, Seonghwan. And sorry to everyone else too. I'll head out first. I'll text you later.”
Yuri left the classroom, and Yesul, who had been sneaking glances at Yuri's retreating figure and Seonghwan's profile as he watched her go, gave him a quiet goodbye.
“Huh? Oh... yeah, take care, Yesul. Enjoy your meal.”
Yesul nodded lightly in response to Seonghwan's farewell, then looked back at him with a smile. That always charming, warm smile of hers. Even through his repeater and third-try years, her smile had been a comfort—and even now, with her changed appearance, it was the same as ever.
If this is her way of being considerate, then sure.
He'd known her long enough as a friend to understand the meaning behind that smile. Even if Yuri hadn't stormed off in a huff, smashing the desk like a brat throwing a tantrum in front of an older woman, Yesul was acting like it was no big deal, flashing that smile anyway. Knowing what it meant, Seonghwan nodded back at her.
With that, Seonghwan and Yesul exchanged their subtle signals, promising to catch up later. Once Yesul was gone, Yeonghwan and Hanjin started whispering behind him about what had just happened.
“Whoa, the vibe got kinda awkward there. You feel that too?”
“If you felt it, then yeah, I did.”
“Doesn't it seem like Yuri and Seonghwan's friend who just left have some weird rivalry going on?”
“Isn't that just how girls are? Especially when you put two beauties like that together—sparks fly.”
Mid-conversation with Hanjin, Yeonghwan suddenly turned to Seonghwan with a sly grin.
“Hey, Seonghwan. Be honest.”
“Huh? About what?”
“You... aren't dating that girl who just left, are you?”
“Wha—outta nowhere?”
It wasn't so much out of the blue as it poked right at a sore spot, making Seonghwan wince at how sharp Yeonghwan's question felt.
“Nah, think about it. The way she always chats with you before leaving class, and those looks she gives you... they're just more expressive, y'know? Not the vibe you give a regular friend. I'm pretty perceptive, and something feels off.”
Fuck, does this guy actually have good instincts? I thought he was kinda oblivious.
He and Yesul weren't dating, but they weren't exactly plain friends either—not with all the messy history between them. Their bond wasn't as simple or comfortable as it used to be; it went beyond basic friendship. Of course, he couldn't be sure if it was just him feeling that way or if Yesul did too.
As Seonghwan mulled that over, Hanjin, sitting next to Yeonghwan, gave him a bored look.
“Dude, you idiot. What 'perceptive'? I told you before—she's got a boyfriend. And that boyfriend's Seonghwan's friend. I saw him at the restaurant last time. What bullshit are you spouting? Plus, the guy's good-looking.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“It's the look you give your boyfriend's buddy. Don't put Seonghwan on the spot like that.”
“Do girls usually act that friendly with their boyfriend's friends? Shit, then go get a girlfriend yourself. Let me see that look from her.”
“You crazy? You serious right now?”
...Fucking hell, yeah, that makes sense.
Boyfriend and girlfriend. And their friends. Watching Yeonghwan and Hanjin bicker without knowing the full story, Seonghwan could only shake his head in disbelief. They probably didn't mean anything by it, but just recalling Yun-su's face—the one he'd been trying to forget—left him feeling uneasy inside.
After chatting with Hanjin for a while, Yeonghwan turned back to Seonghwan.
“Alright, let me ask again. What's your deal with Yuri?”
“Huh?”
“You know what I mean. Are you two dating?”
The playful bickering with Hanjin was gone; Yeonghwan stared at him dead serious now.
“Look, we're not clueless—we're sitting right behind you. Or rather, from some point on, didn't Yuri shove Hanjin aside and claim the seat next to you? That's when it started feeling off.”
Unlike before, Yeonghwan's earnest tone—and Hanjin, who had been teasing, now watching Seonghwan carefully—made it clear they were onto something.
That's it, huh.
Dragging Yesul into it as a joke must've been a setup to probe this. Sure, they might've instinctively sensed something weird between him and Yesul. But ultimately, it felt like groundwork to dig into his relationship with Yuri.
“I kinda suspected. Nah, don't get me wrong—not saying you two don't match or anything. Yuri's just such a unique character. And honestly, your friend who left earlier had a suspicious vibe too. But you're definitely not the type to mess with your friend's girl.”
It hit like a gut punch. Sure, he had no intentions toward Yesul, but that didn't change how he saw her—it was a separate issue.
“When we first saw Yuri, we had some biases too. Her face is so stone-cold, no expressions. But then suddenly, the way she looks at you changed. You might not notice, but from back here, we see it. Those sneaky glances, tilting her head to peek when you pull out your phone. Fuck, what's going on?' We thought.”
But is this the place to say that?
“And just now? Same vibe. The second your friend showed up, she jumps up like a lioness marking her territory. Hanjin and I were whispering about it even before.”
I underestimated these guys.
Or maybe he'd been too careless, caught up in the moment with Yuri. If these seemingly laid-back seniors had picked up on it, he'd probably been acting too openly. No wonder Mincheol-senior had clocked it right away when he first saw them together.
“You two officially dating?”
“...Yeah, but I haven't confessed yet. Put it off for a bit. She seems to get it.”
“Hear that? Talks like they're already a thing, but not official. What is this, words or fart?”
“Whoa... damn. And she 'gets it'? With a girl like that, you'd probably need to roll up in a luxury car and beg on your knees just to maybe get a yes?”
Yeonghwan and Hanjin stared at Seonghwan like they couldn't believe it.
“So you're keeping a good thing going, huh?”
“Yeah, it's been about two weeks, honestly.”
No point lying now. Seonghwan decided to come clean.
“Whoa, right around when she stole Hanjin's seat. So why no confession?”
“I just... had some personal stuff to sort out first, and it kinda got dragged out...”
“You're killing me. Feeling pretty full of yourself, eh?”
Yeonghwan scolded him, still looking incredulous.
“Dude, you don't get it 'cause you're not in our major. How big a deal Yuri is. Sure, you might think 'oh, she's pretty, cool.' But we're in the same department—we know. When she shows up to events, it's chaos. Way more guys into her than you think. Keep dragging your feet, someone'll snatch her.”
“Agh, shut your mouth already. Hey, this stays between us three, got it? But if word gets out we're saying you and Yuri are a thing? You'll get dragged on the department board, you and her name roasted. Lol.”
Hanjin chimed in playfully from the side, clearly trying to lighten the mood.
Guess I was too tense.
These seniors cared about their underclassman more than he'd realized.
“At first, my stomach hurt so bad I denied reality. But whatever, it's done. You're our hope now.”
“Hope?”
“Hope? H-O-P-E? Our hope? To us losers, Yuri's always been a pipe dream. Hanging around her? She's gorgeous, heart races just looking. We felt it too. But what can you do? Two years watching, and she's never given us the time of day. Then you swoop in!!! Whoa, but you or us... ahem. Anyway, you're our hope. Spill the story later on how you landed her. For reference.”
Story? What story? He spotted her in the gym gallery, confirmed it was her from our school, half-blackmailed her. Then she sends nudes outta nowhere? Gets horny looking, she calls him to the bathroom, shows up naked? Spill that, and they'd slap him for bullshitting.
Suddenly, Seonghwan felt an arm on his shoulder and looked up at its owner. Hanjin grinned and whispered low.
“We'll keep your secret, so buy us food. And nail her, man. Pretty girls stick together.”
“Hey! Fuck, I got a mouth too.”
Seonghwan felt an unexpected wave of bro-love from these guys. Since meeting Eunhyeok in the club room, he hadn't meshed well with seniors. He'd had biases against these same-department faces he barely remembered, but apparently, that was on him.
A pleased smile crept onto his face unbidden.
“Hey, so how far'd you get? Ah, right, no confession yet. Figures. Bet you're nervous as hell trying to make moves on a girl like Yuri. Want senior coaching?”
“This asshole again. Acting like he can coach after bragging about scoring last week? Dude, don't listen. He went karaoke with some guys, dipped for second round—total bullshit flex.”
“Fuck you talking shit in front of a junior? Mad I didn't bring you?”
“Bullshit. Taehyung told me. You, drunk off your ass, hugging some elephant-ass auntie, sucking face till she dragged you out? Fuck that—if you're popping your cherry with some auntie, might as well hump a sex doll solo.”
“Sex doll's bullshit!... But how much are they?”
Feeling brotherhood from these idiots...
Seonghwan found their convo so pathetic he didn't wanna butt in, but on the flip side, without Yumi or Yuri, he'd probably be just like them.
Thwack.
The classroom door swung open, and Yuri walked in. Instantly, Yeonghwan and Hanjin shut up like they'd rehearsed and eyed her as she approached the group.
Yuri, expressionless as ever, slid into the chair next to Seonghwan naturally.
The secret that had been just him and Yuri was now known to four. Or maybe more.
Hm? Perfume?
As she sat, a sweet scent brushed his nose. Had she sprayed some in the bathroom? But it wasn't just perfume that surprised him. Compared to the intense, sugary fruit aroma Yesul had left behind, Yuri's was a subtle floral bloom.
He recalled last weekend, eating snacks she'd brought, chilling on a bench.
'Surprisingly, our school's got a lot of flowers. Everyone chases cherry blossoms in spring, but the walkway has magnolias, and over there, peach blossoms.'
'...You know your flowers, huh?'
'Yeah? Kinda surprising? I look up flowers more than you'd think. I like 'em.'
Truth was, it'd just reminded him of flowers he'd given Yeon on impulse. Thinking of Yeon next to Yuri felt like betrayal, so he'd played it cool. But habits die hard.
Unexpectedly catching that floral whiff from her, Seonghwan looked at Yuri. She met his gaze, as if sensing it.
She smiled brightly, knowing he'd caught the perfume she'd prepared.
Four years with Yesul. And longer still with the Lee sisters, Yeon and Hyun. Yuri hadn't shared those years, but she remembered every little taste of his, pouring effort into catching up on lost time. He was grateful.
He wanted to drown in this sweetness, forget the other worries. He pushed back the creeping greed in his mind.
“Ugh... fuck,”
Yeonghwan grumbled softly beside him. That was the cherry on top.
“Long time no see. Coffee first?”
“I have class. Don't need any.”
“Sigh. You don't have class. I know your Tuesday mornings are free.”
“That's not the point. The point is I'm uncomfortable here.”
“We haven't seen each other in ages—cut it out.”
Mincheol grumbled but scanned Yumi head to toe. Still those captivating big eyes, thick brows, sharp double eyelids. Her boxy tee couldn't hide her killer figure. No matter how baggy, some things showed. He scowled at the guys nearby stealing glances at her body.
Yumi sighed softly at his expression.
“Saying I have class is just code for 'I can't stay long.' If you're just gonna scowl, I'm out.”
“Whoa, calm down. Enough already. Wait—here!”
Mincheol hurriedly soothed her as she moved to leave, plunking a large box on the table and sliding it her way like it was obvious.
“...What's this?”
Yumi already knew. She'd spotted it the moment she saw him stubbornly coaxing her to this coffee shop. The packaging had a big product photo plastered on it.
She just didn't know why he was giving it.
“Can't you tell? Coffee machine. Says it right there, picture and all. You think I'd bring an empty box with tissues just to mess with you?”
He tried for humor with his half-assed joke, but Yumi's face stayed stone.
“I can read. So why are you giving me this?”
“Sigh. You said you're living alone. Weird for a boyfriend to gift his girlfriend housewarming stuff?”
“...You're fucking insane.”
This feeling had no end, like shitting and not wiping—worse, forgetting you did it and pulling up your panties. Goosebumps of disgust prickled her skin.
“So why's my senior giving me housewarming gifts? I've told you a million times we're done—why act like my boyfriend and care about my solo life?”
“Hey, Jo Yumi!”
Mincheol's low, heavy rumble cut her off.
“Haa...”
His glare boiled her blood. Once, she'd thought it hot. Not blind love, but she'd cherry-picked his good sides, rationalizing. His roughness? Manly. Arrogant? A guy needs backbone. Groping hands? Boys will be boys. Constant check-ins? Must be love.
That poison had ruined it.
Now I see how pathetic he is. I was the crazy one.
His insistence on controlling her now? Utter revulsion.
“I didn't agree to break up. Look—this gift? Means I okay your solo living. Took real agonizing to decide. But I got conditions. Once a week, I visit your place. No funny business. You can trust that.”
What a piece of work.
Time to get tough.