ICYM Ch 36

Episode 36

Kendrick had given in easily because he believed there would be plenty of opportunities during the mid-term break.

He even canceled his plans to visit home and stayed in the dormitory throughout the entire vacation.

However, contrary to what he had secretly hoped for, nearly a week passed without even catching a glimpse of Hayden, let alone seeing him more frequently.

He considered going to the dorm library but decided against it. He didn’t particularly want to see Hayden and Augustine together.

He opened the window in front of his desk and rested his chin on his hand.

His gaze followed the presence he sensed near the vine-covered red wall that separated the dormitory and the neighboring mansion. Nabi was perched atop the wall, looking straight at him.

When their eyes met, Nabi wagged its tail lightly, as if it had never been staring at him, and then disappeared.

For some strange reason, that sight reminded him of Hayden, and he let out a small laugh.

Bzzzz—

Bzzzz—

Kendrick stopped looking outside and turned to the buzzing phone while reading a book.

[Jason]

He hesitated when he saw the name on the screen. But he didn’t pick up, knowing all he would hear was pressure to come home, even for a day.

Having spent over ten years together, Kendrick and Jason knew each other all too well.

Even over the phone, Kendrick was afraid his condition would be exposed, so he avoided it.

It wasn’t like him to run away like this, but he didn’t have a choice.

Besides, going back wasn’t what mattered right now.

I thought Hayden wasn’t going back.

It wasn’t something he had found out on purpose; he only learned it thanks to Owen’s ramblings.

Jason had been messaging him daily, asking why he was still at the dorm during the break.

Not long after the call ended, the phone buzzed again. This time, unlike before, it was a short vibration.

A text?

An uneasy feeling crept over him. Why send a message instead of finishing the call?

Unless it was urgent, people usually left just a call or a simple text.

Sure enough, as soon as Kendrick read the message, he hurriedly threw on a jacket and left the dorm.

[Jason: I’m in front of the station right now.] 1:29 PM

When he arrived at the train station, he spotted Jason standing there in a trench coat, carrying nothing but a slim leather bag slung over one shoulder.

“Young Master!”

Kendrick approached with as neutral an expression as he could manage.

“…Didn’t I tell you not to come here on your own?”

“Oh, right. And I’m not supposed to call you that, either.”

Although technically an employer-employee relationship, Jason was too lax to call a proper butler. Among the household staff, he was the most humanly approachable, almost like a brother. Yet Kendrick couldn’t be honest enough to share even something as delicate as his first love with someone like that.

“So, why did you come?”

“You barely answer your phone, and then you suddenly cancel your plans to come home during break. What else was I supposed to do?”

Jason scolded Kendrick, saying he would never have come on his own under normal circumstances.

“…Let’s at least go inside somewhere.”

It seemed Jason had been waiting a long time—his nose was red even though the sun was still high in the sky.

Besides, it was about time students might start returning. It would be troublesome if someone recognized Kendrick at the station.

At a nearby teahouse, Jason ordered strong-brewed black tea and then let out a deep sigh, as if he could finally relax.

“I heard there’s been a cat abuser around here lately.”

“…That’s not something you need to worry about. They’ll catch the culprit soon enough.”

“Still, I had to make sure you were okay.”

“How’s Blanc doing?”

Jason, who had been chosen by the white cat after taking care of it in Kendrick’s place and accompanying it to the animal hospital, rolled up his sleeve slightly to reveal a few scratch marks.

“Fortunately, doing fine.”

After quietly checking Kendrick’s condition for a while, Jason finally seemed satisfied and leaned back against the sofa with a sigh.

“Did you fall for someone?”

“…No.”

The answer came far too late. When Kendrick made an awkward expression, Jason, who had been asking half-jokingly, widened his eyes in surprise.

“Seriously?”

Kendrick, face flushed, covered half of it with his hand and said, “Please, don’t.”

“Oh my god. Is that why you said you wouldn’t come home? Did I mess up your time together?”

Even after Kendrick pleaded with him, Jason couldn’t hold back and asked again.

If Kendrick brushed it off vaguely, he had no idea what Jason might say back at home.

“…It’s just me. I like him on my own.”

And so, in the end, Kendrick had no choice but to confide his feelings in someone for the very first time.

* * *

“Escorting me all the way back to the station? That’s ridiculous.”

Despite Kendrick’s protests, Jason insisted on walking him back to the dorm. His eyes burned with determination, clearly hoping to catch a glimpse of the person Kendrick liked. Even though Kendrick declined, Jason wouldn’t budge.

About halfway there, they passed by a mansion where most of the flowers had yet to wilt.

Perhaps pausing to take in the scent had been a mistake—a bee flew right over Jason’s head.

Bzzzzzzzz

Jason froze.

At the threatening hum right near his ear, he came to a sudden stop.

“…Young Master. I-Is there something near me?”

“It’s a bee.”

“B-B-B-Bee?!”

Jason’s face went pale; he absolutely loathed insects.

“Quickly, quickly, get rid of it, please!”

Kendrick let out a sigh and stared at the bee circling above Jason’s head.

Rather than flailing and riling it up, he figured it was better to read its flight path and time it right.

“Don’t move.”

“Q-Quickly!”

Kendrick raised his hand high, and Jason tightly shut his eyes.

Sensing the incoming threat, the bee changed course and began flying differently.

Kendrick followed it with his eyes, but only briefly. The bee soon circled once around Jason’s head and then naturally landed right on the tip of his nose.

The buzzing stopped. Even with his eyes shut, Jason could feel the shadow of the dark creature right in front of him.

As he slowly opened his eyes, he found himself locking gazes with the bee.

“Hhhhaaaah!!!”

In that instant, Jason acted purely on instinct, driven by the desperate need to get the bee off him.

He balled his fist and swung it as hard as he could at the spot where the bee had landed.

“Ugh.”

The blow, thrown at full force, struck him squarely. His body lurched wildly from the impact.

BEEEEP—

At the same moment, a truck passed by on the adjacent road, blaring its horn.

Jason, already staggering, lost his balance completely and collapsed with a loud thud. The bee, undisturbed, flew off leisurely and disappeared.

“Ha…”

Whether it was the pain or the sheer embarrassment that hit first, Jason wiped his face with both hands.

And as he lowered his hands, he noticed the blood on them, his dazed voice barely coming out.

“Blood…?”

Kendrick, who had been watching Jason’s solo performance in silence and was reaching out to help him up, suddenly turned his head at the presence he felt behind them.

There stood Hayden, the person Kendrick had wanted to see all midterm break, looking this way with a startled expression.

Unable to bear the fact that someone had witnessed such a ridiculous scene, Jason gave a quick nod and vanished, leaving only the two of them standing awkwardly.

“…Did you see?”

How much had he seen? Had he heard Jason call him “Young Master”? Had he seen the two of them making a spectacle of themselves in the middle of the street?

It’d be nice if he just got here and didn’t see anything…

Up to that moment, Kendrick never imagined Hayden could’ve misunderstood.

* * *

Things had already been awkward between them. Now, it was even worse.

“Haa…”

At first, Kendrick thought Hayden’s odd reaction at dinner was just because he’d witnessed an embarrassing scene. But it quickly became clear that something else, some kind of misunderstanding, was at play.

He wanted to explain the situation, but the timing slipped past him.

After heading down to the first-floor lounge to grab a bottle of water, Kendrick was about to go straight back to his room when the noise of voices coming down the stairs made him pause.

“Tomorrow it’ll be decided for sure who wins the bet.”

“What are you talking about?”

“He said that guy asked him to meet at the library tomorrow. Once he sets the stage, he’s going to confess right away.”

Only then did Kendrick understand what the so-called “library bet” was actually about.

He stayed inside the lounge, unmoving, until the voices disappeared down the hallway.

He had to stop this.

A thousand scenarios ran through his mind.

The simplest thing would be to go straight to Hayden and tell him the truth—that they were making a bet over him.

But Kendrick couldn’t bring himself to do that.

Hearing something like that from someone he wasn’t even close with… would be devastating.

And there was no way he could spread a story like this around like gossip either.

I should’ve at least figured out when it was supposed to happen.

So Kendrick made up his mind to show up early in the morning, to be there before anything could happen, and ruin the mood so a confession wouldn’t even be possible.

As it turned out, that plan worked out more easily than expected.

Kendrick woke up at dawn, packed his study bag and a protein bar, and headed for the library.

Creak.

As he opened the door, he immediately heard Hayden’s voice from inside.

“Just… listen from there.”

“……”

Even though the words weren’t meant for him, Kendrick froze in place.

“I like you… I want to date you. Let’s go out.”

Hayden confessed without hesitation, believing wholeheartedly that the person entering was Augustine.

But unlike his bold words, the end of his voice trembled like a lamb.

Kendrick should’ve spoken up right then and there, should’ve told him it wasn’t Augustine.

But one thought flashed through his mind.

There was a way to completely block Hayden’s confession.

Hayden would probably hate him even more afterward. But compared to Hayden finding out that the person he liked only saw him as an object of some bet, Kendrick would rather be the one he resented.

It was cowardly, but it was all he could do. Otherwise, he felt like Hayden would end up crying alone again, hiding away just like when they first met.

“Okay.”

So Kendrick calmly answered as if the words had been meant for him all along.

Even though he knew the confession wasn’t directed at him, the sound of his own heartbeat somehow rang louder than the sense of misery.