COAC 12

The winter that concluded the first year was exceptionally cold. The short winter break ended, and a warm wind blew, making the coats worn over school uniforms feel awkward. Around the time the cherry blossom trees in front of the school gate began to burst with buds like popcorn, the students bustled through the hallways, looking for their new classrooms with excitement and anticipation for the new school year.

“Huh?”

Do Hyeonjun let out a dazed sound as he entered the classroom.

As he moved up a grade, the classes naturally changed, and Seo Jeong, whom he had hoped to be in the same class with, was assigned to the one next door. Instead, he had found an unexpected person.

“Kim Chayeon?”

He was sitting by the window in the very back, his head turned towards it.

Beneath the slanting sunlight, Kim Chayeon’s profile was clearly revealed. The contour that flowed smoothly from the tip of his nose to his jawline was as perfect as a meticulously carved sculpture. The sunlight scattered over his lush eyelashes, creating long shadows beneath his eyes.

The line of his neck, revealed above the collar of his thin shirt, was white and neat, but its expressionlessness made it stand out even more. He was someone who drew attention just by being still. I found myself repeatedly looking at him, who commanded the focus of those around him.

A strange silence descended upon the classroom, which should have been noisy at the start of the new semester. The cause was obvious even without looking. Everyone was busy stealing glances at Kim Chayeon while pretending not to.

I debated whether to acknowledge Kim Chayeon, who seemed to have absolutely no interest in his surroundings. Although I had hung out with Kim Chayeon until now, it was still too ambiguous to call him a friend. Kim Chayeon would probably agree with this sentiment. I’ll just sit somewhere else. Just then, a seat next to a boy who was in my class during the first year was empty. Just as I was about to head that way, Kim Chayeon called my name.

“Do Hyeonjun.”

When the familiar voice called his name, Do Hyeonjun stopped walking. There was a strange power in the voice that made it hard to ignore and pass by. When he turned his head, Kim Chayeon was looking at the seat next to him without a word. There was no particular explanation, but it clearly carried the meaning, ‘sit next to me.’

There was no reason I had to listen, but there was also no particular reason to avoid it.

After hesitating for a moment, Do Hyeonjun changed direction, approached Kim Chayeon’s side, and placed his bag on the desk. The key ring attached to the bag’s zipper made a jingling sound.

We were sitting side by side, but no one spoke first. We both must have wanted to be in the same class as Seo Jeong, so it was funny that we ended up sitting together.

So we’re in the same class, just the two of us, without Seo Jeong. I felt a new sense of unfamiliarity with myself sitting next to Kim Chayeon. Perhaps it was even more so because the central point named Seo Jeong had disappeared, leaving only the two of us drawing a straight line.

Only after being in the same class did I begin to feel the atmosphere Kim Chayeon created firsthand. Everyone was wearing the same uniform, but the other students treated him as if he were a different species. I often saw them trying to work up the nerve to talk to him, only to give up and turn away. Kim Chayeon did nothing, but the space around him always seemed to be filled with air of a different density.

Dominant Alpha. What is the big deal about that? I chuckled to myself as I recalled the evaluations about Kim Chayeon that had spread among the students. To them, Kim Chayeon might seem like a special being, but to Do Hyeonjun, he was just Seo Jeong’s friend. The Kim Chayeon who would smile quietly next to Seo Jeong, or who would silently hand him things, revealing his affection for Seo Jeong.

As the first afternoon class began, harsh sunlight poured in. Do Hyeonjun, frowning, tried to create shade with his hand, but the shadow flickering over his notebook only interfered with his note-taking. Just as his nerves were on edge, a shadow lengthened from the corner of his vision.

“……?”

It was Kim Chayeon. An arm extending from the side indifferently pulled the curtain slightly, creating shade over my desk.

His profile, seen from the corner of my eye, was still expressionless. As if he had intended to do it all along. I never thought Kim Chayeon, of all people, would show such consideration……. Do Hyeonjun scratched his cheek with the end of his ballpoint pen and turned his gaze back to his notebook.

Soon, the bell signaling the end of class rang, and the students began to stir. Only then did Do Hyeonjun check the timetable posted near the teacher’s desk and say to Kim Chayeon.

“Kim Chayeon. It says we move to the chemistry lab next.”

At the faintly thrown words, Kim Chayeon slowly lifted his head. His face was plain as usual, but the moment our eyes met, it made me want to look away for no reason.

“I’m going first.”

While paying attention to the footsteps that followed from behind me, I wondered. Why did I even bother talking to Kim Chayeon?

I was used to seeing Kim Chayeon only during break times and lunch, but now I had to see his face throughout class. And right next to me at that. Even though there had been an opportunity to change partners once, the two of them were still partners.

On days when Seo Jeong came to our classroom to hang out, the three of us would talk like before, and if he was too busy to come, Kim Chayeon would put his head down and sleep. Today, Seo Jeong had told us early on that he would be busy because of a performance assessment.

During the noisy break time, only the seat next to me was unusually quiet. While I was solving problems in my workbook, I happened to turn my head and saw Kim Chayeon, who had fallen asleep with his head on the desk next to me. The unguarded appearance of the guy who was always so upright was unfamiliar. Sunlight broke over his black hair.

All the noise in the world receded into the distance. Do Hyeonjun felt his gaze being drawn to him without realizing it. His long eyelashes, casting shadows over his neatly closed eyes, came into view with particular clarity.

……Beautiful.

Suddenly, an inexplicable, intense urge to gently sweep the tips of his eyelashes with my finger welled up. As if drawn by a magnet, my hand moved very slowly towards him. It was that very instant, just before my fingertips could touch the corner of his eye.

Kim Chayeon’s shoulders, who had been resting on the desk, flinched as he shifted his body slightly.

“……!”

It felt like my heart had plummeted to the floor. Thump. Holding my breath, I tried to hastily withdraw my hand. But before I could, Kim Chayeon slowly lifted his head.

His not-yet-fully-awake gaze turned to Do Hyeonjun. My hand, which I had not managed to pull back in time, and his eyes, just waking from sleep, met in mid-air. The brief moment it took for his blurry pupils to slowly focus felt like an eternity.

“Hey. You drooled.”

The words came out almost reflexively. As if the suggestion was preposterous, Kim Chayeon snorted at Do Hyeonjun before stretching his arms out wide.

I pretended to go back to solving problems as if nothing had happened, but my heart was pounding like crazy, as if it could not beat any faster. What. What was I about to do just now? Why all of a sudden……. Do Hyeonjun could not do anything. He fell into a dizzying confusion as he realized what he had just tried to do.

*

Since the third-year students, who were preparing for college entrance exams, did not participate in school events like the sports festival or school trips, the second-year students enjoyed what would be their last opportunity with all their might. Do Hyeonjun stretched his body as if doing a big stretch, extending both arms straight up. As his shoulders rose and fell, his gym shirt lifted slightly.

“Hey, damn. What’s up with Hyeonjun-hyung’s abs?”

“Don’t cheat, pull your shirt down, Do Hyeonjun.”

A torrent of jeers mixed with gasps and words that were hard to tell if they were insults or compliments poured out from the other students in the class. Do Hyeonjun pretended not to hear and continued his stretching, putting one leg out to the side and lightly bending and straightening his knee.

They were about to start the relay race, often called the main event of the sports festival. It was Do Hyeonjun’s third event, following dodgeball and basketball. It had not been this bad in the first year, but now the kids in his class were crazy about winning and unconditionally put the well-built Do Hyeonjun at the forefront. For the record, Kim Chayeon had not entered a single event.

Belatedly, Do Hyeonjun had protested with a sense of unfairness, but it was not accepted. For some reason, I feel like I got saddled with his share too. The person in question had a shameless expression on his face, but would give a slight wave when he made eye contact with Seo Jeong. It felt like he was cheering more for Seo Jeong’s Class 1 than for our Class 2.

“Chayeon is surprisingly participative. When we were in the same class, he did everything without skipping out. He played dodgeball, and during tug-of-war, he was at the very back holding the rope. He even decorated the placard with us when we were preparing for the cheering.”

Seo Jeong, who was a runner for the relay, said. Hmm, unfortunately for our class, you are not in it. That is why he is not doing anything. Swallowing my words, I pressed down firmly on Seo Jeong’s legs.

“How is it? Does anywhere hurt or feel tight?”

“Nope. Hyeonjun, you’re good at stretching too?”

“I’ve done it until I’m sick of it.”

Having played baseball from the second grade of elementary school until the beginning of his first year of high school, he had mastered the art of stretching.

Bang, with the sound, the relay race began, and the kids who were the first runners started sprinting all at once. Unexpectedly, Class 1 started to pull ahead into first place.

“It’s your turn to run next, right? Be careful.”

“Yeah. Our class is going to win.”

Seo Jeong, who nodded grimly, let out a tense breath and received the baton in an instant. He ran with all his might, as if trying to catch up to the runner ahead. It was as he was rounding the final corner. Seo Jeong’s foot, which was trying to pick up more speed, momentarily slipped on the dry track. With a short gasp of “Ah,” his body lost its balance and he tumbled forward.