As much grace as Taehyeon had been willing to give Dongmin, things don't exactly work out. They don't find anybody else for their room but it does get confirmed that Dongmin really did commit to the same room as Bada. At least if worst comes to worst, Dongmin might not be with his friends either. He swore that all his friends were in full rooms. Taehyeon elects to trust him.
Eunji taps her pencil to the tip of her nose and hums. Eventually she says, "I don't understand why you're even going on a trip. Now that there is less than a year until our final exams, shouldn't you be studying harder than ever?"
"It's like you don't even care about me," Taehyeon grumbles. The teacher at the front of the room drones on about something but if Taehyeon is honest he has never been able to absorb much from these after school academy classes. Too far back to see the board and too far back to hear anything other than students coughing and rustling. Seeing as his hopes for his education are dwindling, Taehyeon would like some easy chatter with Eunji.
"I care."
"Do you? Why are you talking about exams? When are we meant to enjoy our youth?"
Eunji rolls her eyes. "I said the same to Hyejin. She wasn't so defensive about it but she was more convincing that she deserved a school trip than you are."
Taehyeon scribbles on his page aimlessly for a moment. "Hold on, Hyejin? Jo Hyejin from my school?"
"Who else called Jo Hyejin would be going on your weird glamping trip?"
"Whatever. I mean, how have you been talking to her?"
Eunji seems to pause just for the sake of deciding on phrasing. She settles with, "I used my intuition and detective skills to meet her by chance."
"How is that remotely possible? Are you a stalker?"
"I wouldn't say that," Eunji says. She doesn't even pretend to sound offended by the accusation. "I think it's a means to an end. It's a beautiful thing, really. I get to speak to a pretty girl and she gets the privilege of meeting the one and only Ha Eunji."
"You're so full of yourself," Taehyeon mutters.
"I have every right to be. When your whole school is torn into factions over who are your biggest fans you'll understand me."
Taehyeon can't bring himself to pretend he can hear the teacher for too long. "What about me has ever suggested that could happen?"
"What, you've never even daydreamed about something like that? If you hope hard enough I think it could come true. Then again I hope it doesn't happen for you. The school might try to make your parents pay for any property damage that happens during the fight and that's a really awkward thing to have to explain."
"You're not real." Taehyeon shakes his head, too afraid to look like he actually believes Eunji found herself in a situation like that. He does believe it, but it doesn't seem wise to make that fact known. Eunji shrugs and smiles blandly with her lips pressed together, pink and thin, just a flash of gum shining where her lips don't fully meet.
"You just wish you had my life," Eunji says. "I'm pretty, popular, and extremely smart."
"How smart are you?" Taehyeon asks. "I thought your parents were unhappy with you being like 30th in your class or something."
"Forget school. I'm a problem solver. For such a popular girl she's a terrible decision maker. I had to help Hyejin whittle down her list of prospects to the six girls she will be rooming with on your school trip." Eunji even winks like she thinks she is saying anything impressive.
"Were you just vetting everyone to see who might steal Hyejin away from you?" Taehyeon suggests. Eunji has the audacity to gasp and clutch her chest.
"Do you really think so little of me? I told her to put all the prettiest girls in her room. I'm confident. I'll beat them all."
Again, Taehyeon doesn't have a retort. Eunji is just a figment of his imagination and he has been hallucinating all of these conversations because studying is a lost cause. If Eunji is a real person who attends Eunhacho Girls' School and has the hearts of every student there, the universe clearly isn't fair. Taehyeon barely has a boyfriend and that boyfriend isn't even talking to him.
"Did Hyejin give you pictures of everyone or did you tell her to choose whoever she thinks is prettiest?"
"Half and half," Eunji says with a shrug. "Well I had to make sure that Jeongwon with the good luck charms was in her room. And that other girl too."
"Taeri?" Taehyeon guesses. Eunji doesn't react much to that name so it hardly seems like she fought for Taehyeon's deskmate to be in Hyejin's room.
"Kim Minjeong. The girl who fell out with them."
Taehyeon tries to remember if he had given Eunji a rundown of how Minjeong lost her closest friend. Apparently sensing his confusion, Eunji cheerfully clears things up for him.
"Obviously Hyejin explained the conundrum and when I asked for the full list of contenders this Minjeong girl was included. It would be a shame if she got left out without even being asked. This kind of thing would never happen to me but if it did I would really never talk to any of those girls again."
Taehyeon is actually impressed by the fact Eunji is capable of putting herself into the shoes of someone who isn't as popular as she is. Praising her for that would be a terrible idea seeing as her head is dangerously overinflated as it is.
"It's good that Minjeong isn't going to be stuck on her own," he says. The statement is neutral as it can be but Eunji smiles like she invented wisdom and graciousness.
"You're welcome," she says.
The end of the week brings more than just Eunji insufferably taking credit for fixing something. Minjun takes to sending links to Nayoon's mukbang uploads when every suggestion of meeting up is met with maybes. Taehyeon has been holding out for an invitation from somebody else but that person doesn't seem inclined to ask anything at all.
Somebody else who already spends a lot of time with Taehyeon sends a very late invitation on Friday night. Taehyeon mostly thinks Bada's text is a joke right up until he is sitting at a formica table with a cheese burger set in front of him the next day.
Bada is struggling not to show the world his chewed up food as he laughs at just about everything his brother says. There is something different about Bada's brother but he hasn't got any funnier as far as Taehyeon can tell. No, it's something else.
"Is there something wrong with your food? I can get you something else if you'd like."
That's what is wrong.
"No, it's fine, thank you," Taehyeon says as carefully as he can. He sends a meaningful glance Bada's way but something is blocking their bestie telepathy. This isn't good. How else is Taehyeon supposed to warn Bada that his brother has been replaced by someone who can pretend to be considerate of others?
"I'm glad you came out with us today, Taehyeon. Is there anything special you want to do today?"
Some deep wisdom must have been the reason Taehyeon hasn't eaten anything yet because he would have died choking if he had something in his mouth when Bada's brother spoke. Even worse, Bada's brother leans across the table to pat Taehyeon's back to help him.
"Are you alright? Here, drink some water. That's better. How are you feeling now?"
"Like I fell into a different dimension," Taehyeon wheezes.
Bada's brother laughs and ruffles Taehyeon's hair. This is the strangest thing that has ever happened to him.
"You seem to be in a really good mood today," Taehyeon says. "Did something happen?"
Bada and his brother exchange glances and laugh awkwardly. "Haneul is always in a good mood," Bada offers. "What's up with you today?"
"Why are you saying that like there's something wrong with me?"
"Well… you haven't eaten anything yet and you seem so jumpy and suspicious of everything."
Just to prove that he's fine, Taehyeon stuffs his face. This doesn't feel any more real than before. Bada being here makes sense but his brother smiling encouragingly is just as bafflingly upside down as before.
Still stewing in the odd suspicion that he might be dying without knowing, Taehyeon asks, "You're not being serious about your brother being in a good mood are you? Listen." He turns his attention to Bada's brother and feels just as crazy as before. "No offence but you have never been nice to me. You always looked at me like you hated me. Is this just because you punched me? If that's what this is about, it's fine, really."
Considering how blunt and cold he had seemed the first few times they met, Taehyeon is surprised to see discomfort pass over Haneul's face. What is most disconcerting of all is that Taehyeon was apparently supposed to take no notice that night had turned to day and Haneul became capable of smiling at Taehyeon.
"I'm sorry if it seemed like I didn't like you, Taehyeon. I don't really have an excuse for that. I didn't realise that was how it looked. I… I am treating you today because I'm sorry for punching you too. I normally wouldn't do something like that. I was just so angry for Bada and then you jumped in the way."
As apologies go, Taehyeon supposes this sounds sincere enough. Being on the receiving end of this apology is awkward and weird. They're in public right now and someone might even overhear. He has no reason to reject the apology but he can't shed the awareness of their potential audience.
"It's fine," Taehyeon says as easily as he can manage. The words feel reluctant to leave his mouth. "I was angry about Bada being tricked too."
Whilst Bada looks like he is on the brink of tears, Haneul has his focus somewhere other than his brother for once.
"Can I ask why you got in the way? You say you were angry too but you defended that boy."
This probably won't be the last time Taehyeon is asked a question like this. He remembers deflecting the question and pivoting to something close to the point of his reasoning when he was asked about it before but he should be more honest here.
"I wanted to give Dongmin the benefit of the doubt," Taehyeon admits.
"Has he earned it?" Haneul asks.
Taehyeon doesn't know the answer to that. Even now he hasn't found out just how serious Dongmin is about wanting friendship or anything else with Bada. Asking is something Taehyeon needs to build up to. Getting Dongmin alone to have a conversation is difficult when Dongmin isn't the one seeking him out.
Careful not to reveal too much, Taehyeon says, "I think Dongmin is someone who would try to earn at least that much trust."
"What about you, Bada, do you trust him?"
"I'm not sure," Bada says. He sounds awfully glib considering the heartache this situation had been causing him earlier in the week. Taehyeon is glad he made the right choice of not saying everything he thinks in front of Bada's brother but this decision doesn't seem to please everyone.
Haneul frowns at Bada, possibly waiting for his younger brother to look at him. If Bada made eye contact, would he be compelled to say everything? More than that, Taehyeon is wondering why he has assumed before now that Bada shared every little thing with his brother.
Taehyeon manages to get out of any further guilt-based excursions without too much hassle. As nice as it is pretending that he is on good terms with Bada's brother he mostly hopes not to have to sit through confusion like that again. What makes Taehyeon even more glad of the text message he receives on his way home.