Under the bright sunlight streaming through the window.
Mina, twirling her silver hair that caught the sunlight, let out a remark that sounded like admiration.
"You're that good at fighting? Wow. It's the first time I've seen a guy talk so confidently!"
"Well, yeah? Even now, I could probably beat most people."
Sehwa responded with confidence, his amber eyes gleaming brightly. He truly believed it.
After all, when he was with Hayul, he had tried a kick on a punching machine and thought, (This body's pretty decent.)
(I can get used to the techniques over time. My athletic ability isn't bad either. Strength… well, it's a bit lacking, but it's not a problem. It's not like I'm going back to being an athlete.)
Mina's eyes sparkled as she asked again.
"Really? But how do I know you're not lying?"
Sehwa bit his lip slightly at Mina's words.
"If you don't believe me, fine. But how long are you going to keep calling me 'oppa'? You know we're the same age now, right?"
"Oh, right. My bad. I'll drop the formalities then, Sehwa."
Mina stuck out her tongue playfully, as if she'd forgotten. Sehwa chuckled, thinking it was just like Mina to switch so easily when told.
"You should've done that from the start. So, why do you care if I'm good at fighting?"
"Uh… well…"
"Come on, spit it out. Don't leave me hanging, or it's the death penalty."
Sehwa lowered his eyes and teased her with a playful threat.
Mina hesitated, but as Sehwa's expression started to sharpen, she finally spoke.
"So… it's actually a favor for an older friend. She needs someone who's kind of strong."
"Then why not hire a girl? Why me?"
Mina felt a bit guilty for bringing it up.
It was a job as a club bouncer. And not just any club it was in the heart of the downtown area, dealing with rowdy male customers.
(Sia unnie pushed me to ask, but… no matter how you look at it, this isn't a job for a high schooler.)
Now that she thought about it, they'd only properly introduced themselves today.
Even if Sehwa seemed like he could handle it, it wasn't right to drag a young guy into something like that.
But…
(If he came from a well-off family, he'd probably refuse outright… Maybe his situation isn't that great?)
Mina, who understood that kind of struggle, hesitated before making up her mind.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. Honestly, if you weren't a guy, I might've brought it up."
"I told you, I don't care."
"No way. Your parents would worry."
Sehwa felt frustrated to death, but Mina, unusually serious, tried to dissuade him.
(That should be enough to get him to back off. I'll just tell Sia unnie there's no guy for the job…)
"I don't have parents, so don't worry about it. Just tell me."
"…Oh… really?"
"You're hesitating so much, it must be something hard to say, huh?"
Sehwa countered in a flat tone, his expression unchanging.
Mina fell silent.
What was it? How could he say something like that so calmly?
For the first time, Sehwa felt unfamiliar to her.
It was as if he was hiding something behind that relaxed exterior.
Her instincts told her not to dig any deeper.
Feeling a strange mix of emotions, Mina spoke nervously.
"Sorry…"
"What's with all the apologies? Why is everyone so sorry all the time…"
Sehwa's previously expressionless face broke into a slight smile as he looked at Mina with half-lidded eyes.
(Is that just how he is, or is he doing it on purpose? Is he really a high schooler?)
Caught off guard by his unexpected response, Mina was at a loss for words. Sehwa, with a tired but gentle curve to his eyes, reassured her.
"It's really fine, so don't worry. If you change your mind later, let me know. I'm sleepy, so I'm gonna nap. Wake me up when the teacher comes."
Mina, suppressing the ticklish feeling in her chest, responded in a soft, serious tone.
"Okay…"
---
(It's warm.)
The warm sunlight and the cool classroom air conditioning created a perfect sense of comfort.
Sehwa closed his eyes.
He'd told Mina he was going to sleep, but he didn't actually plan to. No need to get in trouble on the first day.
(But the bell rang, and the teacher still hasn't shown up. Should I just lie here for a bit?)
The warmth against his back felt cozy. Just as he was about to drift into a light doze, the classroom grew noisy.
…
Even after the bell, the teacher didn't show up for a while, and the students started chatting among themselves.
The topic? The new transfer student.
Sehwa, lying face-down on his desk, listened in.
"Did you see his face? It's insane."
"Yeah, but doesn't it look like he's had work done?"
(I didn't get any work done, you idiot.)
"He's pretty, but… doesn't he give off that vibe?"
"What, like a player? Kinda. He's got those weird stickers on his eyes too."
"…Should I try hitting on him?"
"No way, you're too lame. You really think he'd go for you?"
Thinking Sehwa was fast asleep, the students whispered among themselves, assuming no one else could hear.
(Yeah, go ahead and talk. As long as you don't say it to my face, I'll let it slide.)
…Time passed like that. I sighed inwardly.
When is the teacher coming?
Despite my attempt to be generous, the whispers whether driven by desire or jealousy grew harsher.
Listening to them while lying there made my stomach churn.
I stretched, pretending to wake up, and sat up straight. The murmurs stopped instantly, as if they'd never happened. I caught a few kids quickly turning their heads away from me.
Having successfully cut off their attention, I slumped back onto my desk.
Just then, a man I didn't recognize walked into the classroom, holding something in his arms.
"Sorry, I was late because my laptop was acting up. Class president, take attendance."
A stubborn-looking middle-aged man. Probably the teacher for this class.
)If he was going to be this late, I should've just slept. What a waste.)
I pouted, feeling like I'd lost precious nap time, when suddenly everyone bowed their heads toward the front.
(Oh, he said to do attendance. I was distracted and didn't hear.)
"You, the new face. Why didn't you bow?"
The teacher scowled at me, noticing I hadn't joined in.
The girl at the front probably the class president answered quickly. *Guess she's the one with glasses.*
"Oh, that's the new transfer student. They say he's from Russia…"
"Transfer student, huh? You look mixed. Can't you speak Korean? Or are both your parents foreign?"
The teacher cut off the class president and glared at me.
I thought it'd been a while since I'd dealt with a teacher picking a fight over something like this, but I answered calmly.
"I can speak Korean."
"Then why didn't you bow?"
"I didn't hear the word 'attendance.' Sorry."
Mina let out a small scoff, as if she couldn't believe my excuse.
(What do you want me to do? Gotta use the foreigner card while I can.)
Even after my apology, the teacher kept looking for something to nitpick. With a sharp glare, he said, "What's your name?"
"Ryu Sehwa."
"Ryu Sehwa. Take that thing off your eyes right now. It looks bad."
"…I can't take it off."
(How am I supposed to take it off? I can't exactly say it's a tattoo. Maybe if I cut my skin off.)
"Are you kidding me? Are you defying me right now?"
My eyes narrowed in frustration. As I struggled to respond, the teacher stormed toward my desk, fuming.
(Ugh, what's his deal all of a sudden? And damn Shasha for putting it on my eye, of all places.)
Up close, the teacher was short about 158 cm. Even sitting down, our eye levels weren't that different.
"Get up. You think you can ignore a teacher just because you're a little good-looking?"
At his words, I stood up immediately, and the teacher flinched, stepping back.
Now he had to look up at me.
---
Teacher Jung Minho looked at Sehwa and thought to himself.
Unlike his own unimpressive appearance, Sehwa had the kind of looks that would drive girls crazy.
Even standing still, girls would flock to him, treating him like royalty.
Minho, despite being a man, had to beg and plead to even get a date.
He was taking out his old bachelor frustrations on a student, though he didn't realize it himself.
Minho and Sehwa locked eyes, with a flustered Mina caught in the middle.
A chilling tension filled the classroom.
The other students watched quietly, swallowing hard. The tattooed duo near the back door grinned, clearly entertained.
"I'm telling you one last time. Take it off."
"I told you, I can't."
"You're defying me right now, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not."
(What, should I bow or something? He's picking a fight no matter what I do.)
This petty argument was getting ridiculous. Sehwa's expression grew cold, and the teacher's face flushed with anger.
Suddenly, Minho reached out and rubbed at the skin near Sehwa's right eye.
It wasn't worth dodging, so Sehwa stood still.
"Is it that hard to take off? …What is this? Why won't it come off?"
The students watched with concern as Sehwa's pale skin reddened under the rough touch.
Minho kept scrubbing, then gave up, exasperated.
"Is this a tattoo?"
"…Yes."
"Unbelievable. This school's gone to hell. A guy walking around like this?"
"I'm sorry. I got it when I was in Russia…"
"Enough. Bring your parents. Didn't your mother say anything? She's fine with her son looking this cheap?"
The venom in his words snapped something inside Sehwa. His eyes reddened, and his fists trembled.
In that tense moment, Hyemin, who had been watching with amusement, stood up and approached.
"Teacher, he said he got it in his home country. You're being too hard on a young guy. It looks hard to cover up anyway. Come on, let's start class."
Hyemin smiled as she intervened, and Minho glanced at her, then at Sehwa, before turning to the podium.
"Everyone, open your books."
Even long after class started, the heavy emotions lingered in Sehwa's mind.
Reliving the moment made his blood boil again.
(He lets the tattoo duo off but picks on me? What's his problem?)
Feeling wronged, Sehwa bit his lip. Just then, Mina quietly slipped him a note.
_________________________________________
Translated by Reversalmanhwa.web.id
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