Meanwhile, in the boys' bathroom, Suwon was brushing his teeth, humming faintly to himself. Two classmates were chatting by the sinks when one of them spotted him."Oh, Yadong!" the boy called out with a grin.
Suwon blinked, toothbrush still in his mouth. "Huh?"
The guy drying his face glanced over, smirking. "Did you cut your bangs? Kinda cute, huh?"
Suwon scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "Yeah? You think this looks better?"
"Yeah, keep it like that from now on," his friend said, laughing. As they headed for the door, one of them added, "Use some wax too, dummy. You know, hair makes the man, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, lol," Suwon replied sheepishly.
"You might actually look good if you put in some effort, you punk," the boy teased before they left.
Now alone, Suwon looked at his reflection in the mirror, tilting his head from side to side."…This does look way better than before," he murmured.
His thoughts wandered and inevitably, Seol Hyorim's face appeared in his mind. His heart skipped, and his face turned red in an instant.She's… really pretty. No wonder everyone calls her the school queen. Maybe… could she and I…
He quickly shook his head, flustered. No way. That's impossible. We only got close thanks to Park Dong… there's no way she'd ever He stopped himself, laughing weakly. What am I even thinking?
His eyes drifted down to his reflection again, then to the memory of the teasing nickname.
Yadong and the red sketchbook he use to draw those things.Still… maybe I should start changing a little.
**********
Me, Park Dong, and Jisung were heading back to our classroom, shoving past clusters of kids and leftover chatter. Both of them kept staring at me.
"What?" I asked, annoyed.
They groaned in unison. "Fuck, the world is so unfair."
"How could God give that face to one guy and leave the rest of us with nothing?" Park Dong huffed. A single tear came out of Jiseong eyes. "He should've blessed me at least a little."
I ignored them and pushed open the classroom door. Park Dong's eyes immediately dropped to Yang Jinsu's desk empty.
"Figures," he snorted. "That moron couldn't hold back and ran off."
"He's dumber than I thought," Jisung added.
Jisung glanced at Park Dong. "If he keeps hanging out with Cheolgyu, what happens to us?"
Park Dong didn't look away from the empty seat. Then, with a soft curse, he kicked the nearest desk so it bumped and rattled. "What do you mean, what happens?"
he snapped. "Just tell him to screw off. Stupid loser can't even take care of himself!" He kicked again, softer this time. "I'm the idiot for expecting anything…"
They stared at the scattered books that had spilled from under the desk for a second, then bent and gathered them up.
In the hallway, Suwon walked on autopilot, thoughts churning. I tried to get that kind of attention by drawing those stuff. Now I don't want that attention. If I keep being known by everyone who draw those kind of things, I'll be the one who gets dragged down.
Park Dong and the others might not care much, but I'm kinda close to some of the girls too. If somehow the teacher find out about it I'll be done for. I'll have to step back. I'll miss the guys' attention yeah but the risk isn't worth it.
Getting back in our classroom, Suwon suddenly froze. His hand reached under his desk, then began rifling through the pile of books stacked there. Pages scattered, spines slammed against the floor as he threw them aside one by one.
Park Dong blinked. "The hell are you doing, idiot?"
Suwon's voice cracked. "The sketchbook it's gone!"
That made everyone go quiet. Suwon's hands were trembling as he kept searching, his breathing ragged. He already looked pale, as though the thought alone was crushing him. Getting caught drawing that meant something far worse. Expulsion. Humiliation. Disgust.
"T-This has never happened before…"Suwon's voice trembled. Sweat beaded down his temple as his wide eyes darted around his desk. "What the hell…?"
He shot up from his seat, almost knocking his chair over. "H-Hey, guys!" he stammered to a few classmates nearby. "Did any of you see my sketchbook?"
"Huh? Nope, not us," one replied lazily without looking up.
Park Dong frowned at the sight of Suwon panicking. "Shut up, dumbass. What's going on?"
Suwon turned slowly, his face pale. "…It's gone. My sketchbook…"
The moment the words left his mouth, Park Dong and Jisung froze. Their expressions twisted into horror as realization hit them.
"You-you idiot!" Park Dong grabbed Suwon by the collar. "What do you mean it's gone?! How the hell does something like that just disappear?!" His voice cracked, a mix of anger and fear.
"I don't knooooow!" Suwon's voice broke, almost pleading.
Park Dong's breathing quickened. He glanced over and spotted me earphones in, reading through a textbook. He stormed over and shook my shoulder. "Hey, Seojin!"
I pulled out one earbud. "What's up?"
"Do you know where Suwon's sketchbook is?"
"Huh? I don't know. Isn't it in his desk?"
"It's not there…"
He turned to Jisung next. "What if someone from another class took it?"
"I'll go check!" Jisung bolted out of the room, and I stood up too, ready to help.
Meanwhile, Suwon just stood there, trembling, his face drained of all color.
A few classmates snickered from their seats."Yo, aren't you screwed now, Ji Suwon? LOL.""What're you gonna do, man?""Time to drop out, hahaha."
Their voices blurred together, meaningless noise against the pounding in Suwon's head.
What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?!His thoughts spun out of control. What if it's in the girls' classroom? Or the teacher finds it or my parents?! What am I supposed to do…?
Images flashed through his mind the class staring at him with disgust, the teacher's cold glare, his parents' disappointed faces.
If that sketchbook gets found… I'm finished.
His hands shook as he gripped the edge of his desk. Maybe… maybe I should just burn it. Burn it in the courtyard and disappear after. Yeah. That'd be easier.
He stared at the empty space where his red sketchbook used to be.
Suwon stood frozen in place, unable to move, unable to think.What if… what if it's in the girls' class? What if they're already looking through it?!
"Yo, Ji Suwon! Snap out of it!!" Park Dong shouted, shaking his shoulder.Jiseong muttered from the side look at Suwon with pity, "You're done for, bro… you're a dead man standing."
Park Dong let out a shaky laugh, trying to lighten the mood but failing. He patted Suwon's shoulder. "Well… it was fun, man. Hit me up sometime, yeah? See you out there."
Jiseong sighed dramatically. "…You'll be a legend, Suwon."
Just then, the classroom door slid open.Footsteps approached.
"…Hey, Ji Suwon."
Park Dong turned around, blinking. "Oh?!"
It was Inseop standing by the doorway, holding something red in his hand.
Suwon's breath caught.
Park Dong finally relaxed. "Oh, come on your friend had it?"
Inseop didn't meet his eyes as he got closer. "I saw this in our classroom," he said quietly, extending the red sketchbook toward Suwon. "So I kept it… just in case."
For a second, Suwon just stared. Then his knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor with a heavy thud.
His vision blurred. Ah… so I don't have to drop out…?
Park Dong quickly knelt beside him, grabbing his shoulder. "Hey-hey, you good?!"
Inseop stood there, still holding out the sketchbook, bewildered by Suwon's strange reaction.