ICYM Ch 13

Episode 13

“What was the name of the dog you used to raise?”

“…Coco.”

“Can I call this one Coco too?”

“Do whatever you want.”

It’s not like there’s a copyright on dog names. At my easygoing answer, Kendrick softly said “Coco” and looked at the dog.

The dog had no idea it had just been given a name, but it barked as if pleased that someone was looking its way. Its tail, which had been swaying gently, started spinning like a propeller again.

The cat watched the dog from a short distance as if it found it pathetic.

“I was going to check its leg because it looked like it was limping a bit, but it’s not doing that now.”

“Really?”

Kendrick was watching closely, so I added a bit more detail in case he could see something I couldn’t.

“Yeah, the left leg.”

“Looks fine right now.”

“Yeah?”

“I think I’d have to see it up close to be sure.”

The moment Kendrick reached out his hand a little, the cat jumped and backed away.

“…Guess it’s going to be hard to check like that.”

“Yeah.”

“What should we do about the dog?”

“I’ve made a little shelter for now.”

Kendrick pointed toward the bushes.

“Oh, the one made out of styrofoam?”

“Yeah.”

The thought of two styrofoam boxes with messily cut entrances sitting there made me chuckle.

Even if I assumed he did it on purpose, the care he put into the first box, with the water and blanket laid out inside, made it clear how much effort he had put in.

“Maybe we should start by getting them used to us.”

“…Yeah.”

♫♩♬

Just then, the bell rang from the building.

It must be dinner time already.

I had noticed it was getting dark, but I hadn’t realized how fast time had passed.

I sprang to my feet, holding the empty can.

“It’s dinner time.”

There were still more things I wanted to ask, but I decided not to for now.

I had at least confirmed that he wasn’t avoiding me because I was a Beta or looking down on me. That was enough for now.

He had his reasons for keeping his distance.

Just seeing him briefly after school like this was enough for me.

“I’ll head in first.”

“Okay.”

“…See you tomorrow.”

I could feel his gaze lingering on me from behind, but I hurried out of the garden.

The tight line of my lips, which had stubbornly refused to relax, crumbled in an instant.

“Haha…”

The gloomy feelings I had about my test scores had long since evaporated.

Which is probably why I didn’t notice that someone coming down for dinner had been watching the garden.

* * *

I decided to skip this weekend’s activities, using the excuse that I wasn’t feeling well. Today, I planned to lock myself in the library and focus entirely on studying.

That decision was influenced by seeing Owen’s test score. His parents had been reassigned overseas mid-term, so he entered the dorm late and even went through a manifestation.

I had just come back from the shower when I saw him organizing his bag on the bed. He jumped at the sound of me entering and dropped a paper, which turned out to be the quiz from that day.

It landed right by my feet, making it impossible to ignore. I picked it up, and Owen’s face turned bright red as he quickly took it from my hands.

“…71 points?”

“I usually do better.”

“Better?”

“Yeah. It’s just… I’ve been a bit all over the place lately.”

“Oh… really?”

“You did well, right? You study really hard.”

“Uh…?”

“Seeing you, I thought I should start working harder too.”

“…Right. Sorry, I’m really tired. Mind if I sleep first?”

Whatever he saw in my expression, Owen gave an awkward smile and hastily stuffed the quiz back into his bag.

Afraid he might ask me about my own score, I hurried to pretend to be busy, changed clothes in a rush, and dove into bed.

Maybe because of that, I woke up before dawn. Thinking I might get sleepy again later, I grabbed my bag and headed to the library in my pajamas.

As I walked through the dark hallway and opened the door between the third and fourth floors, I heard a familiar voice.

“I told you it was fine not to come.”

“?”

The low, threatening tone made me freeze in place. The voice was familiar, but the unusual tone made it take a moment to register.

When I glanced up the stairs, I saw Kendrick standing under the dim light.

I thought someone else might be there, but he had one hand on his waist and was leaning slightly to one side, talking on the phone.

“No… Ha.”

Running a hand roughly through his hair, Kendrick let out a sigh and bit down on his lower lip.

The stark contrast from the Kendrick I was used to seeing made me swallow dryly without realizing it.

I should either make my presence known or quietly turn back, but I did neither. Instead, I just stood there, frozen in an awkward posture.

Above, Kendrick seemed too focused on the call to notice I was below. The conversation continued uninterrupted.

Who’s he talking to?

There was some kind of argument happening over the phone, and the content didn’t sound normal.

“If Father finds out, you might have to take an even longer break this time.”

What could he possibly be doing that getting caught by his father would mean taking a longer break?

Is it something violent? Jail time?

I couldn’t tell who he was talking to, but it was obvious the other person was someone in a lower position.

Suddenly, something Sunbae once told me echoed in my mind.

“They say he’s in the mafia.”

“Mafia…”

“Mafi—”

No, am I overreacting?

I couldn’t hear the other person’s voice, so I was left to guess, and maybe I was blowing things out of proportion.

Just as I had that thought, Kendrick’s voice rose.

“So you want to get hurt again?”

“…!”

There was no mistaking that line. I instinctively clamped both hands over my mouth.

“Ha… Forget it.”

Only when Kendrick hung up and let out a sigh did I realize—

Ah. I missed my chance to leave.

If he came down this way, it would be obvious that I had eavesdropped on the call. A chill ran down my spine.

It felt like I’d witnessed something I was never supposed to see. If I had woken up early, I should’ve just stayed buried in bed.

But it was too late for regrets now.

Step.

Kendrick’s footsteps grew closer, and with each one, I felt my muscles tense.

I was so on edge I even forgot to breathe.

Step.

It’s not like I’m somewhere I shouldn’t be, and I haven’t done anything wrong. Should I just walk out confidently?

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded like crazy. What should I do?

Step.

Creak.

Thankfully, Kendrick didn’t take the stairs toward me. Instead, he opened the door on the opposite side.

Only after the door shut and his footsteps completely faded did I finally let myself breathe.

“…Ha…”

What on earth was that just now?

The whole thing had felt so unreal that I reflexively pinched my cheek.

I must’ve pinched too hard; the sharp pain snapped me back to reality.

“Ow.”

Could it be that the version of Kendrick Bardi I thought was real was actually the fake one?

I trudged up the stairs and stood for a long while, staring at the door Kendrick had exited through.

* * *

Despite having gotten up early, I didn’t absorb a single word from my books by the time the sun came up.

Should I just ask him directly? Ask if the rumors are true?

Or maybe it would be better to start distancing myself.

But what if that annoyed him? Would I end up getting hurt too, like the person on the other end of that call?

I raked both hands through my hair, trying to figure it out, but no clear answer came to mind.

Maybe I should’ve just acted naturally—gone up to him and casually asked what kind of intense phone call he was having so early in the morning.

If I’d known I’d be this curious, that would’ve been the best move.

But at that moment, I was so scared that my thoughts froze.

“Sigh.”

Tap.

Just as I let out a breath, I suddenly felt a warmth on my head and quickly looked up.

Sunbae who had just entered the library was resting his hand on top of my head. When our eyes met, he smiled, eyes crinkling gently.

“Hey.”

“Senior.”

“Why so surprised?”

“I didn’t realize how late it had gotten.”

He placed his bag on the floor beside the seat opposite mine, pulled out the chair next to me, and sat down.

“You were too focused on studying…? Though I doubt that.”

“Ah.”

He had seen the completely blank notebook on my desk and adjusted his words accordingly.

“What’s been troubling you so much that you didn’t even hear me come in?”

I wanted to spill all my worries in response to Sunbae’s warm words, but how could I?

He advised me to keep my distance, but I ignored that and got closer anyway. I couldn’t tell him that now it seemed like the rumors might actually be true.

Besides, even if they were, I didn’t want to be the one to add fuel to the fire.

“It’s nothing.”

In the end, all I could do was dodge the question.