SPM 2.1
by SoraiIan’s fork wandered aimlessly through the French fries in confusion.
He looked like he was struggling to decide what to pick up and put in his mouth, but in reality, it was his inner thoughts that were truly chaotic. The evidence was the fried potato pieces proudly showing off their crispy bodies as they cooled on the tray, and the ketchup that had become messy from fork marks.
After tormenting the fries without putting anything in his mouth, what Ian finally ended up saying was a question.
“I have no idea how Terrence Hunt knew where our house was.”
When he added this comment after talking about what happened last evening, Dylan, who had been listening quietly, burst out laughing.
“What? Why wouldn’t you know that?”
Dylan laughed for quite a while as if he couldn’t believe what Ian had said, and Ian, who really didn’t know the reason, sat there with a stupid expression on his face next to his laughing friend.
Only then did Dylan realize the seriousness of the situation.
“…You really don’t know.”
“…Yeah.”
What is it? Tell me if you know. When Ian muttered this, Dylan put his elbows on the table with a serious expression and clasped his hands together.
“Sometimes I forget that you’re an exchange student.”
Dylan probably said it without much thought, but such an assessment was something Ian had grown to like hearing lately, so he felt proud.
He must be adapting well right now. Even Dylan, who had many difficult aspects, was evaluating him this way. He felt naturally grateful to his mother who had educated him to live in English since childhood.
“So, how does he know? Does he originally know everyone’s houses?”
“How could that be?”
Dylan snorted as if it was ridiculous and finally gave him the answer.
“Hunt, that guy lives next door to you.”
“What?”
Ian was so surprised by this unexpected reason that his voice cracked, and Dylan muttered “You really didn’t know” with an even more serious face.
“Ian, the Hunt family mansion is right next to your house. You’re neighbors with each other.”
Dylan continued his explanation, resting his chin on his clasped hands.
“The ‘Hunt Family’, they’re probably the most publicly famous among Greenwood Hill residents. They’re the region’s top political family.”
“Ah, um… I had no idea.”
No matter how fluently he could speak English, he was still far behind in terms of culture.
Ian, who had felt good about Dylan’s earlier praise, sank back into gloom. A political family… So such things really existed. As he stirred his straw dejectedly at this somewhat unfamiliar concept, Dylan gave a brief explanation. A family that had produced senators and governors for several generations.
“…The only political family I know is the Kennedy family…”
“Ugh, you can’t compare them to that. Suddenly bringing up families from textbooks. They haven’t produced a president or anything. But they’re quite famous in this area, and anyone interested in politics and society knows them.”
At Dylan’s explanation, Ian took out his phone and searched for the Hunt family. A photo of a very handsome man who resembled Terrence Hunt appeared at the top along with internet news articles. “Congressman Bradley Hunt’s Congressional Speech.”
“…His father looks very young.”
When Ian muttered while looking at the man in the photo, Dylan frowned deeply.
“What? That’s ridiculous.”
“I thought only my dad was young, but the Hunts’ father is also…”
“Ugh.”
With an expression that he absolutely couldn’t listen to anymore, Dylan quickly snatched Ian’s phone, looked at the screen, and laughed as if it was absurd.
“Hey, this is Terrence Hunt’s older brother. Not his father.”
“Ah? Huh? Really…?”
As Ian made a subtle expression since the brother also looked quite mature to be called a brother, Dylan shook his head.
“You really don’t know anything, Ian.”
“…That’s too harsh.”
“At least come to the church my grandmother attends. You’ll know all the neighborhood news.”
“…I’ll pass.”
“Tch.”
Dylan grumbled that there weren’t enough people and how nice it would be if they distributed charity cookies together so the event would end quickly. Since he was so sincere about it, Ian mumbled that he’d think about it. Dylan also seemed to be dragged around by his grandmother’s nagging. Despite his constant complaints, he was a good kid with a lot of affection.
So Terrence Hunt was the youngest son of a political family.
Because of Terrence’s mature attitude yesterday when he politely exchanged greetings with his father, Ian had never expected him to be the youngest in the family, it was quite surprising. He must have had some prejudice about youngest children.
“He must have received really good etiquette training…”
If it was a family that had been in politics for generations, all family members must have learned formal manners from childhood. So conversing maturely with elders would be familiar to him. After reaching this conclusion on his own, Ian nodded to himself as he entered the classroom. It was chemistry class that he sat with Terrence for.
“Huh…?”
And he couldn’t help but be surprised as soon as he entered the classroom. Terrence Hunt was sitting in a completely different manner than before.
Previously, with the determination to sit as far away from Ian’s seat as possible, he had dragged his chair to the very edge of the two person desk and barely sat on the corner. Now he was just sitting normally in the middle of the black desk in his proper place.
As Ian took a few steps while feeling puzzled, Terrence, who had been swiping through his phone screen, looked up. And he spoke while looking directly at Ian.
“Hi.”
“…Hi.”
A greeting. Terrence Hunt greeting him first. The clearly changed attitude from before was surprising.
“…Have you decided not to avoid me anymore?”
Even though it was an overly honest question, Terrence didn’t avoid Ian’s gaze directed at him.
“…Yeah.”
I see. As Ian sat down and took out his tablet from his bag while muttering, Terrence turned his body completely toward Ian.
“I said I was sorry yesterday.”
“Ah, yeah. I know. But I thought it was separate from the apology.”
“It’s not separate.”
So that means you won’t avoid me anymore, right? Somehow he felt good as if he had made a friend.
Despite nearly two months having passed since the new school year started, Ian hadn’t made any other close friends.
Of course, after Dylan had brazenly posted a photo with the #Bestfriend tag on his SNS on the first day, most of the strange looks as if viewing a foreign stranger had disappeared, but that didn’t mean other students had approached him warmly or invited him to join them.
And Ian had no intention of blaming others for this problem. The biggest reason he hadn’t made close friends was probably because he was naturally shy and not very proactive.
It was the same in Korea, but America especially seemed to find proactive personalities who were good at self promotion attractive to everyone. When he quietly observed his surroundings, people who were lively, proactive, and confident were popular. Such kids always had friends around them and were never alone. Della was exactly that type.
It was the complete opposite of Ian’s disposition. So it was natural that he had so few friends.
Ian, who had been a bit dazed at first, had now resigned himself to his situation. Meeting Dylan for lunch three times a week was already something. At this point, he thought it was fortunate to have even one person.
What was surprising was the fact that Dylan didn’t belong to the popular students at school. Despite being the son of a famous actor and a mega-influencer, his interpersonal relationships at Lloyd Jones were quiet. Although there were occasionally people who recognized Dylan and greeted him, they didn’t try to do anything with him. It seemed like people around him respected his not-so-extroverted personality.
What was interesting was that other students seemed to group Ian in the same category as Dylan. Was it because Dylan had often uploaded photos of them together since the first day?
Strictly speaking, unlike Dylan who was individualistic and found people bothersome, Ian didn’t have many people around him because of his somewhat passive and quiet nature, but it seemed similar in others’ eyes.
Thus, despite escaping the strange image thanks to Dylan, he had ended up in the peculiar situation of having no close friends other than Dylan.
Of course, he had no particular complaints. Ian had always preferred to make a few deep friendships anyway. It was comfortable to think that it wasn’t much different from Korea.
Anyway, for that reason, Ian had no friends other than Dylan with whom he shared personal matters, but suddenly there was this person named Terrence Hunt.
While it might be ordinary daily life for others, going home together yesterday was a somewhat big issue for Ian. It was like becoming friends. Terrence had even exchanged greetings with his dad.
Thinking of yesterday’s events somehow gave Ian courage, so he opened his mouth softly.
“I didn’t know, Hunt. We’re neighbors?”
Dylan had said next door, but was that really an appropriate distance to call ‘next door’?
The distance between the two houses wasn’t close enough to simply call it ‘the house next door.’ At least in Ian’s eyes, having lived in Korea, it was definitely far. Both houses had quite extensive grounds including gardens.
Still, neighbors were neighbors, so he asked with sparkling eyes, curious if it was true, but Terrence didn’t answer the question and said something unexpected.
“Terrence.”
“Huh?”
“Call me Terrence. By my first name, not my last name.”
“…Is that okay?”
“Yeah. When you say Hunt, it feels like someone’s calling my father.”
Since he muttered while frowning as if he really disliked it, Ian nodded.
“Okay, Terrence. Call me Ian too.”
“Good, Ian.”
Exchanging names was something people did daily and even with people they met on the street for small talk, but Ian still felt a bit excited. He had never imagined he would exchange such ordinary greetings with Terrence Hunt until yesterday.
“And to answer your earlier question, yes. We are neighbors.”
“Really… I just found out about that a little while ago.”
Was it funny how he said it with wide eyes? Terrence looked at Ian and chuckled, then leaned slightly toward him. And he whispered softly so the chemistry teacher preparing for class at the front wouldn’t hear.
“Are you studying in the library today too?”
“Um… no. Well. I’d like to study in the library though.”
Even if he went home, there was nothing Ian could do except lock himself in his room and study.
Since Juanita was there, he didn’t need to help with housework, and it wasn’t very comfortable to spend time in the living room or other spaces and run into family members. It wasn’t that they made him uncomfortable, but he just felt that way for no reason.
“But as I said yesterday, I still can’t drive. So I’m going back with my siblings, and trying to match their schedule…”
“If that’s the problem, don’t worry.”
Terrence said while spinning a pen around and around.
“Study in the library. I’ll come over there after team practice.”
“Huh…?”
“Let’s go back together like yesterday.”
Class started as soon as Terrence finished speaking.
Ian pretended to brush back his lengthened hair while slightly covering his ear. Otherwise, he was embarrassed that his reddened ear might be visible to Terrence. He still didn’t know why.
*
But could someone really change this dramatically as if they’d become a different person… Ian was simply amazed.
Until yesterday, this person who had avoided him like looking at some abhorrent creature rather than just ignoring him like a stone on a mountain, had approached him so warmly overnight.
‘It doesn’t seem like he wants something from me…’
Ian thought of his background as a political family, the Hunt mansion that was obviously going to be magnificent, and his luxury car that was normally unthinkable.
Since he had much more than Ian, he probably wasn’t approaching him wanting something. But could a person really change so suddenly…
“Ah! He must have really felt sorry for avoiding me all this time.”
Ian unconsciously slapped his knee.
Come to think of it, the conclusion was quite simple. Terrence had already apologized twice, saying he was sorry if it had hurt Ian’s feelings when he avoided him because his physical condition wasn’t good.
Right, that was why. Once he realized it, he felt relieved.
‘And surprisingly, he might have liked the conversation we had.’
Ian quietly recalled the impression he had gotten from watching Terrence Hunt from afar.
He mostly moved around alone. Of course, most of the male students here generally moved around alone, but for some reason, Terrence’s solitary figure was particularly noticeable. There was something about him that reminded one of a massive carnivorous animal walking alone, as if he was born to be that way.
Thus, he always drew people’s attention like an Alpha. Since Ian himself was among those who watched him from afar, he knew very well. There were always people around Terrence Hunt who stole glances at him with fond eyes.
Girls in short school uniform skirts would giggle among themselves whenever Terrence appeared nearby, straighten their clothes, bat their mascara-laden eyelashes, and smile at him. Quite a few people would deliberately approach him to say hello.
But even among all those people who showed interest, Terrence didn’t enjoy hanging around with them or spending time together. Sometimes he would exercise or have lunch with a few football team classmates who played with him on the field, but that was it.
So he wasn’t at all the cheerful popular type who was playful like boys his age or made people laugh with funny stories. On the contrary, it was amazing that he was so popular despite looking somewhat more serious than his peers.
He was an unexpected figure who completely deviated from the type of popular student that Ian had defined since coming here.
‘I guess everything is an exception for tall, handsome Alphas.’
Ian pondered while holding a pen between his protruding upper lip and nose.
People often said that a handsome face made you smile and forget your anger. A man who not only met but exceeded everyone’s beauty standards seemed to naturally draw people’s gazes and attention regardless of his personality. Even if he didn’t want it himself.
‘Maybe we matched well in that aspect? Going around alone?’
Terrence might also prefer quiet relationships with a few people rather than noisy relationships with many, like Dylan and himself.
Yeah, that seems right. Ian, who had finally reached a conclusion, concluded with a light heart and turned the page. Now the only sound coming from him was the rustling of paper pages turning.
How much time had passed like that?
As he concentrated, he didn’t even notice that the long hand of the clock had spun around several times, when suddenly someone placed their hand on the desk where he was sitting.
“Are you done?”
He knew even before hearing the voice. The owner of this large hand that could easily grip a basketball with one hand. Even knowing that the person speaking to him was Terrence, Ian looked up at him standing beside him with a feeling of wonder and novelty.
Actually, he had only half believed it. No matter how compatible their dispositions were… would a guy like the school’s popular star really want to be friends with him? Was he really sincere when he said let’s go back together?
Although Ian didn’t think Terrence was the type of villain who would deliberately torment someone, the fact that he, who had continuously avoided him until now, suddenly approached him warmly was still bothering him, leaving some doubt in his heart…
“Should we go if you’re done?”
He felt his petty doubts disappear in an instant at the words Terrence said with a smile as he approached.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
Ian hurriedly stuffed his notes, writing instruments, and tablet that had been spread out on the library desk into his bag and stood up. His steps leaving the library couldn’t have been lighter.
Natural conversation continued throughout the car ride. It was clearly different from yesterday when they had been tense and stumbling. Probably what had changed was Ian’s heart. Since all the suspicions and distrust that had made him anxious had flown away, there had to be a difference.
They chatted about teachers and classes while comparing the chemistry class they took together and several other classes they shared. As they did so, the conversation continued endlessly.
Before they knew it, the topic had drifted to the homecoming day that had passed recently.
“But I don’t think I saw you at the homecoming party, Ian.”
“Ah… I’m still not quite used to that kind of thing.”
He didn’t want to say that he didn’t have friends so it would have been awkward to go alone.
Since Dylan had shaken his head saying he wasn’t interested in such boring high school homecoming parties, Ian had basically given up on going too. It was somewhat ambiguous to attend with friends he only exchanged greetings with. It would be like intruding into squads that had already been formed to some extent.
He also couldn’t imagine himself in formal wear with a boutonniere for the party. He had never been one to enjoy flashy events anyway.
“So you like that kind of thing, Terrence.”
It was a question he had thrown out carelessly to hide his pathetic situation of not having close friend groups, but as soon as Terrence heard it, he frowned.
“No way. The football team had mandatory attendance, so I just went.”
“Ah, I didn’t attend the party, but I went to see the football big match. It was amazing.”
The weekend before homecoming party, he had gone with Liam to watch the game between Lloyd Jones and another school’s football team.
“It was really cool.”
“…Really?”
Somehow Terrence looked a little pleased.
“Yeah. Not just the marching band from our school before the game started, but I actually saw cheerleading up close for the first time too.”
At the place he was dragged to by his younger brother’s hand, who insisted they had to go because Della was there, Ian truly experienced another world. It was full of things he’d never seen before.
Mascot eagles drawn on green flags were overflowing everywhere. And people lined up holding identical school symbol banners and placards, along with flashing lights swaying wildly from all directions. The marching band carrying all sorts of brass instruments and drums before the football game, excited people, the overall noisy festival atmosphere. Just that alone made him feel the reality of living in America. It was a wonderful day.
“Ah… the band club.”
Terrence’s face seemed to fall a little compared to before, but Ian didn’t notice as he was busy quietly sharing his impressions.
Before they knew it, the conversation had returned to chemistry class, and the two began talking about the efficiency of teaching methods. When Ian mentioned the difference of having fewer hands-on activities while explaining classes in Korea, Terrence seemed very interested and concentrated on his story, asking questions in between.
“If you only do theoretical classes like that, there must be some dumbass who don’t understand.”
When Terrence clicked his tongue, Ian also giggled. It was funny how naturally he pronounced “dumbass.”
“Right. But everyone’s so used to it that they don’t even argue back. I think more kids just find it comfortable?”
Rather, the recent experiment in class where they actually created sparks using batteries was a novel experience for Ian.
“Then how do you learn?”
“You just memorize everything unconditionally.”
“In some ways, that’s more amazing…”
Is it possible to memorize without understanding… Terrence muttered.
They chatted like that for quite a while.
“It’s amazing. I never imagined we’d become the kind of people who have ordinary conversations like this.”
At Ian’s admiration, Terrence was silent for a long while before quietly muttering, “…I feel the same.”
“I never thought we’d communicate this well either.”
An athlete and popular guy. Since he was someone who seemed to be positioned somewhere completely opposite to Ian, he had never expected ordinary conversation to be this enjoyable.
Then Terrence suddenly lifted his right hand that had been gripping the steering wheel and rubbed his face. And after a long while, he slowly opened his mouth.
“…I talk a lot when I’m with you, Ian.”
That was quite a pleasant thing to hear.
It was like a compliment to someone passive and lacking in confidence like himself.
The unexpected compliment at an unexpected moment was a little embarrassing and somehow felt like small encouragement, so Ian’s flat chest swelled with a deep breath.
“Thank you. Me too.”
It felt like he had been recognized as a good conversation partner, a good friend. And from such a popular person at that.
“There are certain people like that. People you communicate well with.”
“…Right.”
Terrence’s answer was slow, but the conversation continued without breaking, and they had already reached near their homes.
“Come to think of it, you asked earlier if we were neighbors, right?”
“Right. It’s really amazing. Actually, I still can’t believe it.”
When Ian nodded with wide eyes, Terrence laughed quietly and said.
“Wait and see. I’ll make you believe it.”
It was a youthful expression. Unbelievably, mischief gently emanated from him and stuck to Ian’s lips, making the area around his mouth twitch so he couldn’t help but smile. In the exciting atmosphere just before pulling a cute prank, Ian nodded while bouncing his knees slightly. Somehow even the area around his bottom pressed against the passenger seat seemed to tingle.
…Even so, he never expected he’d suddenly be entering someone else’s house…!
“This… this isn’t your house, is it?”
Ian’s mouth gaped open.
“It is.”
Terrence too easily acknowledged Ian’s suspicion about their actions.
It was Ian who became anxious. Until they had passed Bailey House and moved a little further inside, he had been full of boyish mischief. But suddenly, when the massive iron gate opened and Terrence’s car entered inside, that feeling disappeared without a trace. Only a restless youngster was sitting in the passenger seat.
“Whoa…”
Ian’s eyes, round with shock and a horrified expression, turned backward. The massive iron gate was just closing.
The house he lived in didn’t have such a frightening iron gate.
Bailey House had an open structure where you entered from the road to the house, a typical American home where you could see the building right after entering the curved driveway a little. Of course, the scale of that house was much larger than normal size, so it was often called a mansion.
But shouldn’t this kind of house be called a real mansion?
Not only was there thorough security that prevented just anyone from entering, but also the closed nature where you absolutely couldn’t see the house from the road, and yet the enormity that couldn’t hide its tremendous scale all existed here simultaneously.
Ian realized why he hadn’t been very conscious of his neighbor’s existence until now. The Hunt family house was positioned so deep that it was difficult to easily recognize while passing by on the road.
“Is it really okay for me to just enter like this?”
Shouldn’t there be invitation confirmation or approval after security checks? This doesn’t seem like a house you can just enter casually… As Ian fidgeted anxiously, Terrence glanced at him and chuckled.
“Of course. You’re entering with me.”
Terrence added that they had deliberately made only the visible front part seem closed off to prevent just anyone from approaching.
Having already entered the garage, Terrence skillfully parked his car and got out. Then he quickly walked around the car and opened the passenger door where Ian was sitting from the outside.
He was in the middle of unbuckling his seatbelt with a dumbfounded expression when did he walk over to his side and open the door? Ian was surprised by Terrence’s swiftness as he awkwardly got out of the car.
“Save the tour for next time, follow me.”
Leaving Ian, who was distracted looking around the antique exterior of the house after leaving the garage, Terrence extended his hand.
Next time? Would there be a next time?
Ian looked up at Terrence’s face as he extended his hand. It was a serious expression that couldn’t contain falsehood. And since he had decided to put aside his suspicions. Ian placed his hand on top of the large hand.
Immediately, he was pulled along to walk.
“Where are we going?”
Being dragged along by Terrence who was striding forward with his back to the house, Ian also quickened his pace. But even as Terrence crossed the tennis court and well-maintained garden, passing through areas with nothing but endless grass, he didn’t tell him about their destination. He just playfully squeezed and released their clasped hands, pulled and shook them. At the end, he massaged his hand while picking up speed almost to a run, causing laughter to burst out of Ian’s mouth naturally.
“What is it, really.”
“Just come and see.”
“You, we’re walking way too much for ‘just come and see.'”
It’s too far, how much further do we have to go. We’re really almost there now. The two people’s giggling laughter filled the air.
So when the sun had completely set and it was getting dark, after running somewhere for so long that their school uniform pants were completely stained with grass, laughing all the way, the place the two arrived at was…
“Huh?”
In front of a dense hedge fence as tall as them made of juniper trees.
“Here…”
When Ian looked around with wide eyes at the living tree fence that seemed very familiar, Terrence smiled brightly.
“Right. This is your house.”
“…I didn’t know we shared a fence.”
“Only from right here to over there.”
After answering like that, Terrence took Ian’s hand again and moved a few more steps. It was a short section, but it was amazing how he knew.
“And this part is particularly weak.”
As he said, only the fence in front of them was shaped a little differently. Two or three trees hadn’t grown well and were small and thin, so compared to other walls that had grown densely and completely blocked the space, this felt low and loose. If you were willing to endure getting your lower body all scratched up by branches, it seemed like you could force your way through that gap.
But that wasn’t all.
“So if you just cross over here.”
After saying that, Terrence reached out both hands toward him saying “Don’t be surprised.” And he grabbed Ian’s torso and lifted him up in one motion. Ian, who had never once imagined he would be lifted like this by someone since he had grown to near-adult height, was so surprised he couldn’t even make a sound at first.
“Like this.”
Ian’s body flew through the air by Terrence.
“If you just cross over.”
“Ahhh…”
To the other side beyond the fence.
“It’s your house.”
He landed safely.
As Ian stood there dumbfounded like a little kid who had been grabbed by a giant’s hands and moved to the other side in an instant, Terrence said “Move aside for a moment” and stepped back.
“What are you trying to do…”
Then before Ian’s question was even finished, he jumped and leaped over the low, narrow fence.
Having jumped ahead of where Ian was standing, Terrence turned toward him. And he grinned like a boy.
His heart pounded.
It was such a wonderful smile that his eyes crinkled and his white teeth appeared bright in the moonlight.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you all the way to the end.”
Ian thought to himself that he would probably never forget this moment of walking side by side to the front of the house while Terrence patted his back.
Since the distance from the fence to Bailey House was short, they arrived quickly without walking much. As Ian stepped onto the front porch, he felt strangely wistful. He felt that way even though he didn’t know exactly what kind of feeling it was.
“Go in.”
“Yeah.”
“See you tomorrow.”
“…Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
After casually waving goodbye, Terrence turned around and soon disappeared into the darkness. He was probably heading back toward the fence they had crossed.
Ian couldn’t move from that spot until Terrence’s figure completely disappeared. Until the sweat that had lightly formed from running had completely cooled and he felt cold.
He stood there for a long time.
But that feeling of walking on air didn’t last long either.
When he turned his backpack to the front to hold it in his arms and opened the front door with a flushed face, trying to calm his pounding heart, there was someone calling him before the door even closed.
“Ian.”
It was Della.
She had been standing with her arms crossed, leaning against the banister of the stairs going up to the second floor, and she strode toward Ian.
“…Della.”
“……”
Della came close enough that their bodies almost touched and looked up at Ian with her chin lowered. Her large eyes were raised so that her blue irises resembling Harrison’s were half hidden under her eyelids.
“Ian, you.”
He wanted to step back from her much sharper and fiercer attitude than usual, but even that was thwarted when Della grabbed Ian’s forearm.
“Did Terrence Hunt bring you home again today?”
The name that came out of her mouth was the reason. Only then could Ian understand why Della was so angry.
“…Yeah.”
It was a tone as if she already knew everything and was just asking. He didn’t feel like answering, but it didn’t seem to matter much to someone who had already seen with their eyes and decided on the answer. When Ian readily affirmed, Della’s expression became a little more menacing.
“What exactly is the relationship between you two?”
“……”
What kind of relationship?
…Well, what kind of relationship are we?
Actually, Ian didn’t know well either. Until now, he had only thought that Terrence disliked him, but the behavior Terrence had shown from yesterday to today was more than friendly by Ian’s standards. Even Dylan hadn’t been this friendly at first.
They definitely weren’t nothing to each other.
Friends… Yes, they had just become friends. That much he could know for certain.
So he could just say that.
Ian hesitated while thinking of the trivial conversations and jokes he had shared with Terrence in the car, and his appearance just now, laughing constantly as he brought him right to the front of the house.
But he didn’t really want to tell Della about that.
He had no obligation to tell her in detail about how he and Terrence had become friends, or how they had come home together today. It felt like something would change the moment he spoke about it. Like how a child treasures a small, sparkling marble so dearly that they hide it in their secret space, keeping it completely hidden from everyone. Ian also wanted to keep his time with Terrence to himself.
So he just kept his lips tightly shut.
As Ian looked down at her without saying anything, Della seemed to intuit that she wouldn’t get an answer from Ian and let out a small snort saying “Honestly.”
“Fine. You’re not going to tell me, is that it.”
“……”
“But you should know this.”
Della’s index finger, elaborately decorated with nail art, pressed firmly against Ian’s chest. The sharp tip of her nail painfully poked his solar plexus.
“I liked Terrence first. I’ve been liking him for years now.”
“……”
“If you interfere, I really won’t let it slide.”
It was a menacing threat with fire in her eyes.
* * *
The last words Della left before turning around stuck to Ian’s mind and kept circling around like annoying dust that absolutely won’t fall off no matter how much you try to shake it.
‘If you came here to study, just study and disappear. Don’t mess up our family that was living well here.’
Our, our.
Who exactly did that “Our” refer to?
It would certainly include Della herself, and Liam? Olivia? And even father? Was she trying to say that he was messing up their happy family?
Ian’s tender heart was scratched.
Just moments ago he had returned home carefully cherishing his fluttering heart, but it felt like all of that had been torn to pieces.
Even though Ian had only told Dylan about what Della had said to him, omitting all the context before and after, Dylan snorted as soon as he heard Ian’s words.
“What? What’s all this ‘our’ talk about. Don’t make me laugh. Della Bailey, I didn’t know she had such severe delusions of persecution.”
Dylan irritably kicked open his metal locker door after spinning the dial and spat out curtly.
“I’ve seen so much living in this neighborhood for 2 years, what bullshit is she talking about.”
“…What did you see?”
“You know I’m always going to charity events following my mom or grandmother around.”
“Yeah…”
Whether it was because his family valued social activities much more than Ian’s family, or just the preference of the women who shared blood with Dylan, Dylan often attended charity events or parties hosted by the local or upper class community. Ian had heard him complain many times about how tired he was and how bothersome it was to always accompany his grandmother as her partner.
“I’ve hardly ever seen those two attend together.”
“Our dad doesn’t seem to like that kind of thing. That virtue of the wealthy, um… the showing off kind…”
“Ah, I know. I know. I’m well aware that Mr. Harrison Bailey is the famous eccentric of Greenwood Hill who doesn’t really like upper-class culture. But it’s not about that, how should I put it.”
Dylan narrowed his eyebrows as he rummaged through books in his locker.
“Even as a third party like me, I can feel that their relationship as a couple isn’t good. Even if we say Mrs. Bailey mainly comes to charity events, there are times when couples must attend together, right?”
Dylan mentioned a recent day when he attended an event related to local community development.
“I’ve never once seen those two linking arms. Honestly, even if you brought someone who knew nothing, everyone would say the same thing. They look like business partners rather than a married couple.”
“Ah…”
Ian agreed with that part too.
At first, he thought he was just confused because he didn’t know well. Having grown up in a single-parent household, he hadn’t seen what a typical couple looked like, so he couldn’t judge properly.
But what he could vaguely sense, even if he couldn’t be completely certain, was that the relationship between Harrison and Olivia was completely different from the American couples he had seen in dramas and movies. It was something he couldn’t help but feel as someone living in the same house with them.
First of all, there were few activities that the whole family did together.
Harrison was busy with business, and Olivia was the same. She was dedicated to driving the children to and from school, was one of the parent representatives at Lloyd Jones, and was very busy with work from charity organizations.
Of course, even while both were so busy with their own affairs, they didn’t neglect their roles as father and mother in the family, but Ian quietly thought to himself that it was hard to say their relationship overflowed with affection when fulfilling their duties to each other.
There were no light kisses when leaving for work, nor the words “love you” that couples or lovers commonly add at the end like a greeting. There was simply no expression of affection at all.
However, since Ian had never experienced a typical family where both spouses cherished each other, he couldn’t hastily conclude. He just felt a sense of discord, but it was difficult to definitively say that their relationship was not normal. But to think that Dylan saw it the same way.
“I told you. Almost no one in this neighborhood doesn’t know that the Bailey couple is a show window couple.”
“…I see.”
Show window couple. People who aren’t actually having a harmonious and affectionate married life within their family, but act as if they’re a happy couple with no problems, conscious of others’ gazes. Could there be a more accurate description of Harrison and Olivia?
“So Della Bailey is a paranoid patient.”
“……”
“She’s turning the arrow toward you even though she clearly knows her own mom and dad don’t have a good relationship.”
“Does she want to say that things would have been better than now if I didn’t exist?”
“That could be it. Or she’s making a big mistake like that. Because she needs something to blame and resent.”
There are paranoid patients everywhere. Dylan muttered irritably as if he wanted to spit.
Moving to the art room for the next class with him, Ian kept his mouth shut. Because there was something he hadn’t told him.
‘Terrence Hunt…’
He hadn’t known that Della liked Terrence.
Until now, there had been a few times when Della had gotten angry and irritated about Ian’s existence in front of the family, but it wasn’t like that every moment. There were days that felt like sitting on a bed of thorns, like the first day when Harrison and Ian were doing pheromone training, but in fact their daily life was generally ordinary.
Like unfriendly classmates living in the same space, they were merely housemates who didn’t pay attention to each other, and he thought they had treated each other moderately and normally, about once a week, when the family went to watch sports games or go to the movies together, they had accompanied each other once or twice.
But yesterday’s incident seemed to have made Della’s threshold tighten like a balloon that couldn’t expand anymore and then burst.
‘But I just became friends with Terrence…’
Della had it wrong from the start. The two of them weren’t in any special relationship.
Whatever feelings Terrence had when he suddenly approached him like a friend, there was nothing that would inspire romantic interest between an Alpha and Omega.
He hadn’t asked him to go eat dinner together, or suggested going out together, no date requests, and had never brought up similar topics. He had simply shown kindness after seeing Ian in trouble. The one who had caused that situation was even Della. Ian hadn’t intended any of the situations. That was simply all that had happened between them, and naturally there was nothing more for Della to be suspicious about.
Terrence’s action of taking Ian to the fence yesterday was clear evidence of this.
It was truly purely to satisfy Ian’s curiosity about whether they were neighbors, and looking at all the circumstances before and after, there was no room for doubt.
Confirming the fact that they were neighbors while also saying that when Ian was late coming home and in trouble, he would bring him home together. And the reason was simply because their timing for going home matched…! What other meaning could this possibly have?
No matter how much he pondered, their relationship was too clear and simple. Classmates who carpooled, nothing more, nothing less.
‘Study since you came here to study…?’
Ian recalled the last words Della had shot at him like a warning last night and chuckled.
He was the one who truly wanted to keep those words.
There were less than two years left until college. Getting into the Ivy League, or actually anywhere good so he could become independent quickly later and become an adult who wasn’t influenced by anyone. That was what Ian wanted most and his goal.
To quickly escape from this place.
To get away from all the external things that hurt him…
Ian straightened the books and notes clutched in both hands. And walked quickly toward the classroom.
There was no time to waste.
*
Free period.
Behind a quiet building with no people, Ian was on a phone call with his mother.
— Yes, it’s true.
Song Joo-hee’s deep sigh came through the receiver. Her voice explaining past events briefly sounded a little tired.
— It’s true that Harrison was engaged to that woman since childhood. It was a promise between the grandparents. But after your father met me in college, he suddenly declared he would marry me.
Only then did everything connect like pieces of a puzzle fitting together.
Destined partner, soulmate.
How could anyone forcibly separate two people bound by such a strong relationship? Harrison and Song Joo-hee’s marriage at that time must have been inevitable.
Through the phone, she quietly whispered a fragment of past truth into her son’s ear. About Ian’s great-grandfather, Harrison’s grandparents, who had played the most important role then. How conservative their disposition was, how stubbornly they followed Greenwood Hill’s old values.
To Harrison’s grandparents, traits weren’t important.
More prestigious families, social connections among the upper class that could help the family business, people of the same class divided by invisible barriers who possessed the same culture and knew how to naturally enjoy it. Those were the things that mattered to them.
As people of the 20th century, they couldn’t be criticized as old-fashioned, narrow-minded, or discriminatory. It was a conservative region, and there were too many people in those days who lived thinking that was natural.
Song Joo-hee gently comforted Ian while explaining the inside story.
— As you know Ian, we fought a lot. That man and I have completely opposite personalities. About that matter, mom is a sinner to you. I’m sorry and I’m still sorry. I’ll probably be sorry for life. For divorcing while taking you when you had just turned one.
“No, mom… Don’t be sorry. Don’t do that.”
— Don’t hate your father too much either. It was a condition set by your great-grandfather and grandmother, Ian.
She said they had presented different conditions to Song Joo-hee and Harrison respectively.
The threat to Song Joo-hee was that they would completely transfer Ian’s custody to his mother only if she divorced as soon as possible.
The threat to Harrison was that they would hand over the family business only if he divorced as soon as possible and married his original fiancée, Olivia.
— They seemed to have been even harsher with your father. They said if he refused to marry that woman, they wouldn’t give me alimony and would completely exclude you, Ian, from inheritance rights.
“I see…”
— And probably that woman’s side was similar too. She probably faced pressure from her family. I heard it was a similar household.
He had already thought Harrison and Olivia’s marriage after the divorce was too fast, but such circumstances had been hidden.
— I don’t know if I should tell you this story. But since you’ve grown up now, I thought it was right to tell you the truth rather than having you misunderstand while imagining strange things… Is something happening there? Are those people bothering you?
“No, mom.”
The denial came out like an automatic reflex. Knowing how sad Song Joo-hee would be if he told the truth, Ian shook his head first.
“Everyone’s nice to me.”
Since there really were no problems except for Della, it wasn’t a lie either. His relationship with Olivia was unexpectedly not that bad. She didn’t seem to have much attachment to Ian or even her own children. She just silently fulfilled her duties.
— …Ian, do you want to come back? …Do you just want to come back?
“Come back…? To Korea again?”
— Yes… If you’re too stressed, it would be better to come back. Since you quit the specialized high school, let’s look for other options.
Ian was momentarily dazed by Song Joo-hee’s unnatural voice, as if she was forcing herself to raise her energy to pretend to be fine and cheerful.
“Um… I’ll think about it, mom.”
— Okay. No matter how I think about it, mom made the decision too quickly. Sorry, son.
“Yeah…”
— If it’s really difficult, there are ways to turn back. Tell me comfortably.
“I understand…”
— I miss you, my son. Mom will take vacation soon and come see you.
“Yeah.”
Ian tried to erase the slightly regretful voice by telling his mother several times that he missed her before ending the call.
His feelings were complicated.
Ian stood there in a daze until the phone screen that had already ended the call turned black on its own. Looking at his face dimly reflected on the darkened screen.
He probably would have stood there much longer if Terrence hadn’t suddenly appeared and spoken to him.
“Ian. Are you trying to go back to Korea?”
Ian was startled by the voice suddenly heard from behind and turned his head.
Terrence, with a basketball tucked under his arm, was breathing slightly hard.
“Did you hear…?”
“I heard. I came to pick up the ball.”
For someone confessing to eavesdropping on another person’s phone call, his attitude was remarkably bold, so Ian forgot his serious mood from moments before and smiled slightly. Come to think of it, the outdoor basketball court was nearby.
“You must like playing basketball.”
I think I saw you playing basketball with other kids during lunch last time too. When Ian asked while putting his phone in his pants pocket, Terrence shrugged.
“Just. I like moving my body. It’s fun.”
“Ah…”
When Ian awkwardly smiled and nodded, Terrence frowned as if displeased.
“Really. It’s fun.”
“Oh… yeah! It must be fun.”
If you’re good at something, anything would be fun. Though it was a hobby quite removed from Ian’s idea of fun.
But as if Ian’s hurried agreement wasn’t satisfactory, Terrence strode over and grabbed Ian’s hand.
Come to think of it, was grabbing hands like this a habit of his…? Or maybe holding hands between friends was common here? When Ian looked up at him with puzzlement, Terrence, still looking dissatisfied, gently shook his head and lightly pulled Ian.
“You don’t seem to believe me. I’ll teach you how fun it is.”
Being dragged to the basketball court like that, Terrence positioned Ian facing him.
“Do you know how to dribble?”
He asked while bouncing the ball on the concrete floor where the navy blue paint was slightly peeling and worn.
“Um. Sort of?”
There was a free throw practical exam during middle school PE, so he practiced to some extent. However, not confident whether that feeling still remained, Ian answered uncertainly, and Terrence, who caught the ball effortlessly with one hand, handed the basketball to Ian.
“Try it.”
As Ian stood there blankly holding the orange basketball, Terrence came close beside him.
“Apply light pressure to your hands and move your shoulders.”
Large hands covered Ian’s white hands. Terrence lightly threw the ball to the floor while holding both the hand and ball together.
“Feel the bounce rhythm coming up from the floor, not too high. If the timing is off, you’ll hurt your fingers.”
“Mmm…”
“Like this.”
His head felt dizzy from Terrence demonstrating while overlapping hands from behind in an embracing manner. Ian had to use all his strength to focus only on the ball.
“Like this?”
When it seemed Ian had gotten somewhat used to it, Terrence slowly pulled his body away from where he had been standing close. Then he stepped backward while facing him, watching Ian from head to toe with sharp eyes.
“Yeah. Not bad.”
Would it hurt to give a compliment… Being an athlete, he seemed strict with others too.
“Don’t shrink back. Put strength in your waist.”
Are you a coach…
“Look at the ball, Ian. Since you’re a complete beginner, you should look at the ball, not at me. Watching the hoop comes later.”
“……”
“But don’t avoid eye contact like you’re scared either. Sports are about momentum.”
Did I make a mistake saying I’d try… Ian felt discouraged by Terrence’s considerably strict tone. He wanted to shrivel up, but Terrence kept telling him to straighten his back so he couldn’t even do that. When Ian made a tearful face, Terrence, who had been maintaining distance, strode over again. And placed his hand on Ian’s lower back.
“Here. You need to put strength here.”
Heat seemed to emanate from the hand covering half his waist.
No, was it Ian who was blushing from embarrassment? The touch that came to help him concentrate was rather distracting. The heat had already transferred to Ian’s cheeks, making them feel hot and red. It seemed to be because contact with an Alpha was unfamiliar.
After adjusting his posture, Terrence took the ball and moved far away again.
“Want to try receiving a pass?”
“Huh? Yeah, sure.”
His mind was already focused on his face, and at his inadvertent positive response, the ball immediately flew toward him. It was natural that the ball thrown at Ian, whose reflexes had dropped to below half their usual level, became a weapon.
With a thud sound, Ian sat down hugging the basketball.
“Ow…”
He had received the pass ambiguously but lost strength and fell backward on his bottom.
“Are you okay?”
Despite having thrown it himself, Terrence approached in a panic with an expression more surprised than Ian who had fallen.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you’d fall from that much.”
Terrence’s expression was like someone who had just learned for the first time that humans could fall while receiving a pass. The words ‘It’s possible to fall backward from being pushed by a ball?’ were written on his forehead along with confusion.
As Terrence circled around Ian who was standing precariously, fidgeting anxiously, Ian hurriedly calmed him down.
“It’s, it’s okay.”
Actually, his tailbone hurt a little from hitting the concrete floor with his bottom, but this was entirely his own fault. It was because he had been absent mindedly lost in other thoughts.
But Terrence seemed unable to agree as he shook his head and crouched down in front of Ian. He reached out to brush off his pants but hesitated, then awkwardly patted around his shin area where there wasn’t much dust and offered advice.
“When receiving the ball, you need to put strength in your lower body.”
“I, I see…”
Was he saying my lower body was weak… Since he was presenting his thin calves like a bird’s legs, Ian felt guilty in advance.
“It would be good to do squats every day at least.”
Terrence, who had been brushing off his pants and then kneeling on one knee to even clean his sneakers when there was nothing left to brush off, muttered.
“I’ll teach you.”
“…?”
“I’ll treat you well.”
After making his sneakers clean, Terrence was now tying Ian’s loose shoelaces, wanting to do something. He did it voluntarily without being asked. He must have felt quite sorry.
But what exactly do you mean you’ll treat me well?
Not knowing whether to first tell him not to burden himself by kneeling and tying someone else’s shoelaces, or to ask what he meant by treating him well, Ian could only open and close his mouth when Terrence looked up at him.
“I’ll teach you sports, and I’ll take you home every day too.”
“Huh…?”
“So don’t go.”
His eyes were too serious.
Under his blonde hair mixed with brown and gold, his shining eyes sparkled clearly, and Ian momentarily lost his words. Through his slightly parted red lips, only a faint sigh flowed into the air. Had he been that transparent?
“…How did you know?”
He didn’t want to ask like a fool, but his voice trembled a little. Hopefully his eyes wouldn’t tremble too. When Ian asked while clenching his empty fist, Terrence picked up the basketball and stood up.
“Which part? That you’re uncomfortable with your family?”
“Yeah…”
“Anyone would have noticed if they saw that scene that day. Plus… um, there are stories that you hear even if you don’t want to…”
Terrence looked a little sorry as he honestly confessed, unable to lie.
If such rumors and gossip reached even Terrence’s ears when he seemed uninterested in such things, what kind of stories and how much had spread about Ian at Lloyd Jones School? That the strangel student who suddenly came to study abroad as a junior at this closed school had a subtle relationship with his half-sister? Or was it still about what Della had posted on social media initially…? He couldn’t help but be flustered.
“…Everyone’s interested in you.”
“Me?”
It didn’t sound like bad rumors.
But interest. That was another story he had never heard. No, it would be more accurate to say he thought it was nonsense. Ian knew for certain that he wasn’t the kind of person who drew people’s attention. Even now he was living so quietly and well behaved.
When Ian silently shook his head, Terrence chuckled.
“They have eyes too.”
Besides, wouldn’t it be natural human instinct to be interested when a new presence appears in a place where it was always the same people, Terrence added.
But Ian couldn’t agree at all. First of all, he was completely unpopular. It had been almost 2 months since he started studying at Lloyd Jones and he was still like this… He couldn’t possibly think anyone was paying attention to him, so Ian scratched his head and muttered.
“That’s strange. For that to be true, I hardly have any friends…”
“I’ll be that for you, a friend.”
Terrence grabbed Ian’s hand firmly.
“I’ll be your friend, teach you sports, and take you home every day. So don’t go back to Korea.”
As he spoke clearly while making eye contact, Ian somehow became a little flustered. To exaggerate a bit, his legs were about to get all twisted up. Heat even rose in his grabbed hand, making him embarrassed to death. Come to think of it, was grabbing people’s hands like this a habit of his…
“Anyway…”
Ian rubbed his cheek with his left hand that wasn’t held. The cheek that must have turned red.
“…I wasn’t planning to go back anyway.”
Ian also didn’t feel like returning to his previous high school. He didn’t have the courage to throw himself back into an environment burning with excessive academic fervor.
But starting fresh at a new school… what would be different from now? He would have to work himself to death again to get used to the changed environment.
Besides, he had finally adapted to this place. Unlike at first, he had become someone who could lightly exchange greetings and laugh with kids in his classes, and he had a friend named Dylan who ate lunch with him three times a week.
Ian turned his eyes away from Terrence to look around the campus.
Students exercising sparsely in the distance, kids who came out of classrooms during free periods to sit or lie on the grass, everyone walking leisurely…
Unlike Korean high schools that were exam hell overflowing with tension everywhere, this place was generally relaxed overall. For Ian, who was greatly influenced by surrounding atmosphere and pressure, it wasn’t a bad environment for studying.
At the same time, he remembered that Song Joo-hee was recently hosting a TV program too.
It was content featuring star lawyer Song Joo-hee conducting legal consultations, and it was incredibly popular recently, with parts made into short videos that spread all over social media. She was probably extremely busy without a moment to breathe. He couldn’t be a burden to her.
“…Since I’m already here, I should do well here.”
Since he was planning to attend university in America anyway, there was no need to confusingly go back and forth. While Della’s meanness toward him was uncomfortable, it wasn’t annoying enough to complicate his life by moving around here and there.
Besides, if Ian said he was going back, Harrison would obviously have a very hard time too.
‘When dad is so happy right now…’
To really be comfortable, he should move out and live alone, but a minor Omega couldn’t live alone without a guardian. That’s what the famously conservative Tennessee state law dictated.
“Good thinking.”
“……”
“Really good thinking.”
As if he had closed a great business deal, Terrence cheerfully shook Ian’s hand that he was holding. At the appearance of them enthusiastically shaking hands, Ian burst out laughing.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”
Whatever he was planning to do to make such a statement, he repeated it several times as if he had really firm conviction.
Good thinking. I’ll really make sure you don’t regret deciding to stay here. I promise.
While shaking their clasped right hands like a handshake again and again, Terrence made such a declaration, and Ian looked at him and burst into a big smile. He didn’t really understand what was what, but somehow he couldn’t help laughing.
And really… he truly never regretted it even once.
The end of his teens when he decided to stay instead of leaving.
His seventeen, and his eighteen…
Ian never once regretted the time with Terrence, which was more brilliant and beautiful than anything else.
Even though the ending became so blurred and distorted.