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Chapter 14
“…Time drains his blood dry… and yet his beauty is carved into these dark verses; so long as poetry lives, he too shall remain ever green.”
While reading aloud, Yeoreum’s voice shifted into something wholly different from her everyday tone. Normally, her voice when speaking was like the brightness of a clear blue sky, but when she read, it became calm and deep, like the stillness of a lake.
Hyunho found himself glancing at her, drawn to the sound. Her words rolled off her tongue cleanly, without stumbling, and he wished she would continue reading without pause, without mistake. But as if sensing his gaze, Yeoreum faltered—her voice snagging over the text until the teacher moved on to the next student.
Hyunho was left with a sense of longing, her voice echoing in his memory even after class had ended.
“Anyone got good ideas? Ugh, we need to pull this off properly.”
As April Fool’s Day drew near, the class gathered for a serious meeting. The question was how to prank the teachers—though everyone knew most of the faculty were seasoned veterans, hardened against tricks after years of student attempts.
Still, the competitive fire burned hot. No class wanted to lose, least of all Yeoreum’s.
When the day arrived, they had turned their desks on their sides, lying across the floor to greet the teacher—only to be utterly defeated when the teacher walked in wearing a school uniform.
“Ah. A uniform? That’s cheating. How do we compete with that!”
And so, April Fool’s Day ended with promises to try again next year.
Meanwhile, Haein was absorbed in decorating her phone. She had dismantled the keypad, sticking colored post-its beneath each button, painted the exterior with sparkly pink nail polish, and was now carefully choosing stickers to layer on top.
Other girls clustered around the classroom mirror at the back, styling their hair with curling irons, putting on makeup, boasting that freedom with their hair meant freedom in everything—some even chattering about meeting boyfriends later.
Yeoreum did none of that. She simply swapped her phone battery and plugged the dead one in to charge.
Hyunho, watching her, tilted his head.
“Don’t you do anything?”
“Do what?”
“This… or that.”
He gestured with his chin—first toward Haein fussing with her phone, then toward the group preening in front of the mirror.
Yeoreum shook her head. “If you mess up like Haein, the keypad won’t even work. I’m too clumsy to try. As for makeup—I just don’t.”
“Then you don’t put anything on your face?”
“Skin toner and lotion, maybe. My sister nags me about sunscreen, but I forget half the time.”
Hyunho studied her a moment, then said quietly:
“Your skin’s still fine though.”
She knew by now that fine in Hyunho’s voice meant pretty. A proud smile tugged at her lips, and Hyunho didn’t say more. But in truth, he thought Yeoreum looked better than anyone else in the room—without doing a single thing.
Just then, Jeong-woo slipped between them, lowering his voice.
“Can you help me out?”
“Why? With what?”
“I’m gonna confess.”
“What?”
“Shh! Keep it down.”
Yeoreum nearly squeaked in surprise, but Hyunho reached out quickly, covering her mouth with his jacket sleeve. Beneath the fabric, she could feel the warmth of his palm. Startled, she tugged gently at the edge of the sleeve until he let go.
Forcing herself to focus, she turned back to Jeong-woo.
“When are you going to do it?”
“On Arbor Day.”
“What do you need from us?”
“Keep Haein occupied. If you stay with her the whole time, even better.”
“Got it. I’ll make plans with her.”
“Thanks. I’ll text you—check right away.”
Yeoreum nodded eagerly, looking more thrilled about the plan than Jeong-woo himself. Seeing her excitement, Hyunho smirked, one corner of his lips twitching upward.
“I’ll—”
“Later. We’ll talk later.” Jeong-woo cut himself short as Haein came bouncing over.
“Ta-da! Cute, right?” She proudly displayed her glittering phone.
“Oh. Looks good,” Yeoreum admitted.
“You should do yours too.”
“No thanks. I like the clack sound when it shuts. Yours won’t make that anymore.”
Still, she turned the phone over in her hands with fascination. Then, remembering Jeong-woo’s plan, she suddenly asked,
“Hey, Haein, you free on Arbor Day?”
“Nope. My parents are off on a trip, one night, two days. I get the whole house to myself.”
“Wow, they just leave you like that?”
“They always have. Guess they like each other too much. But then why am I an only child, huh? Anyway, when I was younger, they’d drop me at Grandma’s, but now I just stay home.”
“Then… can I come over?”
“Sure! If your sister says okay, you can even sleep over the night before.”
“Yes! I’ll ask her and text you.”
“Hey, you guys wanna come too? If you’re not busy?”
Jeong-woo waved it off. “Nah, we’ve got plans.”
“Fine. Then maybe later.”
“Yeah. We’ll see you in the evening.”
As if it didn’t matter either way, Haein shrugged. Yeoreum, on the other hand, glanced triumphantly at Jeong-woo, mouthing, See? Done.
“Alright, gym class on the field!”
The students rushed to change. The boys darted outside first, while the girls lingered, helping one another. Some squeezed behind the big TV or ducked under blankets to swap clothes. Others simply slipped into sweatpants beneath their skirts, then peeled the skirts off.
By the time they emerged, Yeoreum was brushing a tiny bug out of her hair.
“Wow, your hair’s so thick it can’t get out,” Haein laughed, and soon everyone was giggling, watching the insect struggle until Yeoreum finally shook it loose, loosening her ponytail in the process.
Her long hair fluttered in the breeze, and Hyunho found himself unable to look away. Each strand catching the light made his chest itch strangely, until someone called his name and snapped him back to reality.
“Hyung. Hello!”
A younger boy had trotted over—bright-eyed, smiling.
“Oh, hey. How’ve you been?”
“Good. Haven’t seen you in ages. Missed you, hyung.”
“You’re in gym?”
“Yeah, we just finished. Saw you, so I came to say hi.”
But even as he spoke to Hyunho, the boy’s eyes kept flicking to Yeoreum.
“Alright. See you around.”
“Yes, hyung. Bye.” He turned, giving Yeoreum a quick, sly smile.
“Uh… bye,” she stammered, bewildered.
Hyunho narrowed his eyes. “Do you know him?”
“No. Who is he?”
“Shin Jae-ha. You really don’t know?”
“How would I? I don’t keep track of middle schoolers.”
“Then why’d he greet you?”
“Because he greeted you.”
Hyunho frowned. That look in his eyes… Something about it bothered him.
Before he could dwell on it further, the P.E. teacher called them together. Class 4 had joined—Ryu Sia among them. Immediately, tension rippled through the group.
And so, the dreaded match began: Class 2 versus Class 4 in Queen Dodgeball.
With a loud thwack! Hyunho dove forward, shielding Yeoreum with his body. Watching, Sia’s jaw tightened. She grabbed at Cheolho’s sleeve, the boy in front of her.
When Hyunho’s turn came to throw, Sia yanked Cheolho forward just in time—catching the ball squarely on herself. She dropped dramatically to the ground.
“Ow…”
Her classmates swarmed around her in concern. She looked up pitifully, already twisting the moment to her advantage.
“I had it covered until you yanked me,” she sniffled.
“I… thought you were hiding behind me,” Cheolho admitted sheepishly.
“I only ran because the ball was scary—”
“You played dodgeball just fine last time,” he reminded her.
“Queen dodgeball’s harder! You should’ve protected me better!”
“You just had to stay still,” Cheolho muttered.
The sting of his words made her wince. Cheolho was the class rep—someone she’d carefully been trying to befriend. But his bluntness left her no room to maneuver.
So she swallowed her fury, glaring at him with feigned hurt.
“Class 2 wins! Gym’s over!” the teacher called.
As the students dispersed, Sia’s gaze darkened. She ground her teeth, thinking of everyone who had ignored her—Hyunho, Jeong-woo, Gyeol. Even Haein’s smirk. And worst of all, Yeoreum, who hadn’t spared her a glance.
They’ll regret this, she promised herself.
