7MoH 2.3

“Prescott!”

The coach’s voice pierced sharply. Before he could gather his thoughts, a heavy impact tackled Chase. The ball left his hand as he collided forcefully with a defender who had emerged from a spot he hadn’t noticed.

“You need to check your blind spots! A quarterback needs eyes in the back of his head!”

At the coach’s reprimand, Chase gritted his teeth inside his helmet.

A quarterback needed not only to throw the ball but also to read all surrounding situations. But today, his mind kept getting caught up in other thoughts.

He should have recognized that the opposing defense was quickly coming around from the right. But his gaze was fixed on the wide receiver. In the end, he held onto the ball too long without sensing the right protection line being broken and got body-tackled.

He tried to focus on the play again. But soon after, another uncharacteristic mistake occurred. The pass timing was delayed, causing the ball to be intercepted by a defender, and then he even dropped the ball received from the center.

“Damn it!”

Today, unlike usual, his judgment had lost its sharpness and become dull. His mind was tangled with various thoughts completely unrelated to the game, and that was disrupting his pace.

Finally, Chase irritably took off his headgear and strode across the field with large steps.

“Prescott? Where do you think you’re going! Prescott!”

The coach shouted from behind, but couldn’t stop him. Chase entered the locker room, breathing heavily, and slumped down on a bench.

After nearly throwing his sweat-soaked headgear to the floor, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and pushed back his hair. His face clearly showed irritation, confusion, and disappointment in himself.

Cornerback Alex Martinez, who had followed out of concern, carefully asked.

“What’s wrong with you today? Are you okay?”

Something bad must have happened. Instead of answering, Chase stared blankly into space before opening his mouth.

“Is there a kid named Justin at our school?”

“Justin? Well, it’s a common name, so there must be at least one or two, right?”

“Not a name you know?”

“Hmm… There is one in the varsity swim team seniors. Justin Fraser. Why?”

Lost in thought, Chase shook his head and muttered.

“No. Never mind.”

Seemingly unwilling to continue the conversation, Chase headed straight for the shower. Standing under the pouring water, he tried to collect himself by slowly controlling his breathing. But he couldn’t stop his thoughts.

A few days ago, when he visited Jeong-in’s house, the red notebook he was holding was just a pretext. He had been thinking that showing up at someone’s house just because they missed a day of school might seem a bit creepy, when he noticed the red notebook by his bedside. It seemed like it would make a good excuse for his visit.

The briefly glimpsed face of Jeong-in had looked so pained that it bothered him all weekend. Out of concern, he sent one more message, but no reply came. He restrained himself from visiting again, fearing it might seem too obsessive.

And today, Monday, Jeong-in walked into the hallway laughing and talking with his chubby Asian friend.

Moreover, for some reason, he wasn’t wearing glasses today. His black pupils gleamed like beads, and his whites were so clear they seemed to have a blue tint. When he smiled, his eyes formed long, thin arcs.

Laughing and chatting, he looked perfectly fine with no sign of illness. Did he not have the strength to move his finger a little to reply? Was he getting revenge for when he hadn’t replied to his message? If so, he had nothing to say.

Still, he certainly looked better than he had the other day, which was at least one relief.

Chase approached with a welcoming smile, erasing his complaints.

“Jay.”

Jeong-in, who had been talking with his friend while leaning against a locker, looked his way. In the brief moment it took him to turn his head, the smile he had been wearing had already disappeared. As if that smile wasn’t meant for him.

“Prescott.”

Jeong-in acknowledged him with a slight nod, his face composed and calm. Then he closed his locker door, carefully turned the dial to lock it, and walked past Chase.

Chase froze in place. His face, which had still been wearing a smile, became slightly awkward as he turned to look at Jeong-in. He was giggling and laughing with his Asian friend. Someone he’d seen around often. Was his name Jonathan?

Chase followed Jeong-in unconsciously, forgetting that his first class was in the engineering building on the opposite side. His feet moved on their own.

He noticed people in the hallway glancing at Jeong-in’s face. Chase could understand why.

Without glasses, Jeong-in’s face was particularly striking. Rather than flashy, it was delicate and somehow strangely captivating. The kind of face one could look at all day without getting tired of it.

Some girls fixed their gazes on Jeong-in and whispered to each other. Chase unknowingly furrowed his brow.

“Jay.”

He called out to Jeong-in again. Conveniently, he had a good excuse.

But Jeong-in continued walking as if he hadn’t heard. Chase walked quickly and grabbed Jeong-in’s shoulder.

Jeong-in turned around with a startled face, like a deer caught in headlights. At the same time, that guy Jonathan beside him gave Chase an unnecessarily wary look.

Chase smiled gently, trying to hide his bewilderment.

“Sorry. I called but you didn’t seem to hear.”

“…What is it?”

“We have to do our English composition homework. When should we do it? Where would be good?”

“Ah, I don’t think we need to meet for that.”

The relaxed smile lingering on Chase’s lips gradually faded. Jeong-in’s voice as he continued was clear and firm.

“Write your part and pass it to me. I’ll combine it with what I’ve written to make a draft. Then you can revise it once, and I’ll do the final revision. That should work.”

Jeong-in took out his phone and tapped the screen. Soon, Chase’s phone vibrated in his jacket pocket.

“I just sent you my email address. Send it here.”

“…”

Jeong-in’s neat and clear attitude conveyed both firmness and distance. Chase couldn’t find anything more to say. He had never felt so stupid before.

“Anything else?”

“…No.”

Jeong-in walked away with a nonchalant face. His voice, with just a slight hint of accent that seemed to tickle the ear, dispersed in the distance.

What is this feeling?

Chase was left alone in the hallway with a strange feeling he had never experienced before in his life.

* * *

Screech—

The car that had braked roughly came to a stop in the middle of the driveway. Chase slammed the driver’s door shut and walked up the stairs leading to the entrance without answering the staff who greeted him asking if he had a good day.

As soon as he entered the separate quarters where he stayed, after passing through the corridor, Chase threw himself onto the long sofa in the living room. The soft cushion received his body heavily.

He tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling. A baby angel carved into the white plaster ceiling seemed to mock him as it looked down.

Chase knew himself well. He always got bored with things quickly and easily felt tedium in any situation. New people, new situations were just momentary interests that naturally faded soon.

He couldn’t deny that Jeong-in’s presence, newly appeared in his life, had been giving him fresh pleasure.

He had never met anyone like that before.

Being with Jeong-in, conversing with him, somehow made his heart feel at ease. He even ended up sharing secret stories he couldn’t tell anyone else.

At the same time, his senses were strangely on edge. He felt a sadistic desire to tease and play around, and wanted to make him laugh with jokes that weren’t even funny.

No matter what attitude he took, Jeong-in always seemed to be there. Blushing, getting flustered, or sometimes bursting into laughter.

But today was different. The tone that clearly drew a line and the businesslike expression. Jeong-in’s attitude had completely changed from before.

And why wasn’t he wearing glasses? And who was this Justin he was desperately calling that day? There were too many things bothering him.

Just then his phone rang. Chase quickly picked it up as if he had been waiting for a call, but the name that appeared on the screen was different from what he expected.

Alex: [Can I bring the kids over to play in the pool?]

Chase let out a short sigh.

His house was almost always empty. His father spent most of his time with his mistress in their New York apartment, and his mother, living up to her title of “art patron,” mainly stayed in Los Angeles where there were many art galleries. But everyone knew the rumors about her having various deep relationships with emerging artists.

Pool parties were frequently held at his house, where there were no adults to supervise.

To Alex: [Do whatever you want]

He pressed the send button and threw his phone far away. The sofa cushion where the phone landed shook slightly.

Before long, a crowd poured in. Alex Martinez, with both hands full of drinks, led the way, and familiar faces rushed in behind him.

“Hi, Chase.”

“Michaela.”

Michaela, who had confessed to him not long ago, greeted him cheerfully. Seeing her sticking close to Alex like conjoined twins, it seemed she was now dating Alex.

Yes, this was typically how it went. People’s hearts aren’t eternal, they move on to the next person like that. Did they have to act so coldly, like a couple who had lived together for years only to divorce after a fierce legal battle?

Can he no longer hang out with Jeong-in?

While lost in these confusing thoughts, Brian Cole looked around and asked.

“Where’s Jay?”

At the sudden mention of that name, a vein that wasn’t there before popped up on Chase’s temple.

“Why are you looking for him?”

“We’ve been hanging out together lately. He’s cute, you know.”

“…”

Max, who appeared late, joined the conversation.

“Cute? Who are you talking about?”

“Jay.”

“Oh, Jay is cute. Did you see him today? He came without glasses. How should I put it… doesn’t he look like one of those androgynous models you see these days?”

Chase didn’t say a word while the conversation about Jeong-in continued. Max, unaware of his uncomfortable mood, continued.

“Tell him I’m sorry when you see him, Press. If I’d known he had claustrophobia or something, I wouldn’t have told him to go into the locker.”

He seemed to think that was why Jeong-in had run out of the locker room.

Chase suddenly recalled the pale white face he had seen in the cramped locker.

Why did he kiss him? Well, at that moment he just felt like it. To be honest, he probably wasn’t even aware that Jeong-in was the same gender. When that pretty face was looking up at him, there was no time to think about gender.

It was only after the kiss that he realized it had been an excessive prank.

The enlarged eyes, quivering black pupils, trembling eyelashes, twitching lips. Everything was speaking volumes. These were signs Chase had experienced countless times before. Usually from girls.

In front of Jeong-in, who couldn’t quite hide his feelings, Chase couldn’t say anything. Like a small, fragile bird that might fly away in fear if touched wrong.

Even amid the confusion, the thought that he didn’t want to lose Jeong-in was crystal clear.

The house, usually eerily empty, was now filled with loud music and the sounds of people laughing and talking.

Most were fellow varsity team players and cheerleaders, along with friends they’d brought, and some unfamiliar faces too. A few girls in bikinis seemed to be from other schools. One of them pushed back her wet hair and gave Chase a strange look.

All of this was familiar to Chase. He was always at the center of such parties, and normally he would have smiled appropriately and enjoyed himself. But today was different. He didn’t feel like forcing a smile.

A chicken fight was starting in the pool. A common game played in pools or the sea, where one person sits on another’s shoulders and competes with the opposing team’s rider to steal their hat or knock them into the water.

“Chase! Come over here! Let’s play together!”

Michaela, who was on Alex’s shoulders, waved at Chase. She urged Chase with an excited voice, but he had no intention of moving.

Watching her with Alex, Chase felt an unknown frustration rising from deep within his chest.

Why couldn’t he be like that with Jeong-in? Strictly speaking, Jeong-in hadn’t even confessed to him. Was there any reason things should be awkward between them?

Finally, unable to remain seated, he stood up. Max, who was selecting music via Bluetooth nearby, noticed his sudden movement and asked.

“Press? Where are you going?”

“Just enjoy yourselves without me.”

Chase answered briefly before leaving the house. The thumping music and laughter grew fainter.

He could no longer bear the suffocating feeling. He wanted to restore his relationship with Jeong-in.

Chase got into his car and started the engine. As he stepped on the accelerator, the car drove out of the mansion.

His car, speeding along Bellevue Avenue, soon turned onto Willow Street in Baywood. The road, now familiar after several visits, made his heart even more impatient.

Arriving in front of Jeong-in’s house, Chase stopped the car and turned off the engine. The car became quiet, but his mind was still in turmoil.

He quietly gazed at Jeong-in’s house. There was a lit window on the second floor. Knowing that was Jeong-in’s room, Chase naturally fixed his gaze on that window.

What is he doing right now?

Taking out his phone with one hand, Chase called Jeong-in. After a somewhat long ring, the call connected.

— Hello.

Jeong-in’s voice was neither high nor low, with a middle tone that could best be described as proper. He seemed to think before speaking, answering questions with a slightly delayed tempo that strangely drew people in. It made him wait, focus, and look at his face one more time.

“It’s me.”

— Yes. I know. What is it?

Clear wariness could be felt in those words. It sounded like an unspoken message not to call unless there was something important.

“I wanted to talk for a bit.”

— About what?

“It’s awkward over the phone. Can you spare some time?”

Jeong-in was silent for a moment, then answered with a hesitant voice.

— …Not right now.

“Why?”

— I need to study.

Chase was dumbfounded. Study? Though being rejected was rare enough for him, being rejected with studying as an excuse was a first in his life. His mind became overwhelmingly complicated, and the frustration felt like it was choking him. Unable to hold back any longer, he said,

“I’m in front of your house right now.”

Only after saying those words did Chase realize how reckless and impulsive his action had been. As expected, silence flowed from the other end of the line.

The response came after a few more seconds had passed.

— Just because you came here on your own doesn’t mean I have to come out.

Though his voice seemed intimidated, he spoke decisively. Chase was once again at a loss for words.

“…Right. That’s true.”

— If you have something to say, I’d appreciate it if you’d message or email me.

Click, the call disconnected. Chase stared blankly at his phone for a while, then collapsed forward with his forehead against the steering wheel. Somehow, he felt more hopeless than before coming here.