Just Twilight

Before it got too hot, she should suggest doing it one more time.

Just the feeling of the breeze in an open space seemed to clear her mind. Even though she had only stepped a few steps out from her usual home, there was a sense of freedom that was almost overwhelming.

On weekdays, she would only go in the evening, so that wouldn’t work. Maybe she should suggest doing it again on Saturday. She might finish the bread before then, though. There’s a can of tuna at home, should she bring it?

While contemplating these thoughts, Junyoung arrived at school and slowly walked into the classroom. Her eyes softened as she briefly glanced around.

Now that she thought about it, Beomjin always arrived early at school. When he entered the classroom, she would always see his back as he lay on his desk.

At least lift your head. Then we can at least say hello.

With a slight pout, Junyoung passed by Beomjin, quickly shaking her head. She had no idea why she kept thinking these things lately. She cleared her throat and sat down, taking out her books.

As she tried to calm her mind and organize her study plan for the day, her vision darkened for a moment. Looking up, she met Seungwoon’s eyes, who was standing next to her.

“Hey.”

Two new things had become clear to her. One was that Na Seungwoon was more persistent than she thought, and the other was…

“Hey.”

His usually gentle face could look pretty intimidating when he was expressionless.

“I need to talk to you. Let’s meet after school for a bit.”

With a brief smile, Seungwoon turned around without waiting for her response. Junyoung stared at him in confusion.

What could he possibly want to talk to me about?

It could be something trivial, but then again, it might not be. For example…

Maybe Hong Mihyang asked him to pass something along.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any reason to call her out separately. The atmosphere also felt a little off.

Hmm, Junyoung’s lips twisted into a wry smile. It was bothersome, but it wasn’t something she couldn’t handle.

She absentmindedly twirled her pen as she glanced at her book, her mind slowly settling. However, her focus on studying didn’t last long.

“Hey, Beomjin.”

Junyoung’s hand, which had been writing down math formulas smoothly, suddenly stopped. A chill ran down her spine. Every nerve seemed to fly backward.

Don’t turn around. Don’t look, she thought, but the kids in front of her had all turned to look behind them. It wasn’t unreasonable curiosity at this point. She clenched her teeth and held her ground, her ears catching the voice again.

“You know, about what you asked me before.”

As soon as Junyoung recognized it was Hye Soo’s voice, her head instinctively turned. She saw Beomjin, eyes half-lidded, leaning back in his chair. Hye Soo stood next to him, smiling.

...She’s smiling? In front of Kwon Beomjin?

Junyoung could hear the murmurs of the students around them. Her lips curled into a frown.

Hye Soo and Beomjin had no connection. Originally, the "princess" Hye Soo treated Beomjin like he didn’t exist, along with many other kids, in an attempt to avoid conflict.

Of course, she knew there was one point of contact. That day, when Beomjin took Hye Soo off the rooftop.

But according to Beomjin, it was to indirectly help her, so they probably didn’t have any real conversation.

But what was this friendliness Hye Soo was showing?

She even called him Beomjin.

I’ve never called him that.

“Me?”

Beomjin, who had just stretched and yawned, looked directly at Hye Soo. His voice was clear, so he must have just kept his eyes closed. Junyoung, listening intently, saw Hye Soo offer something to him. It was a note.

“I wrote it down. I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of everyone.”

The murmurs of the students grew louder. Junyoung’s lips slowly parted. Hye Soo, after flashing a pretty smile at Beomjin, turned and immediately scowled when their eyes met.

“What are you looking at?”

She whispered harshly before returning to her seat. But Junyoung’s gaze remained fixed on Beomjin, who was now unfolding the note, staring at it indifferently.

Beomjin’s eyebrows raised slightly, and then, after a moment, he let out a quiet laugh. When he lifted his head and their eyes met, Junyoung quickly turned away. Her heart felt like it skipped a beat.

She fumbled for the pen she had dropped and, out of habit, turned her attention to her book, though nothing was sinking into her mind. Class was about to start, but Junyoung’s pen refused to move.

Because her mind was so distracted, she didn’t even notice that Seungwoon, who had been glancing at her from time to time, kept meeting Beomjin’s gaze, who was now standing like a guard by the door.

But that day’s surprising events were far from over.

***

"Beomjin Kwon, come out for a moment."

During the break, Junyoung, realizing that she had missed all of the first period and almost half of the second, quickly began organizing her notes. She looked up. The homeroom teacher was standing at the front door.

What struck her as strange was the teacher’s expression. He was smiling, but it was an unnatural smile, almost as though he was forcing it. His eyes crinkled slightly, as if they were trembling.

Why are so many people smiling when they see Beomjin today?

Junyoung heard the sound of a chair scraping and turned around. Beomjin stood up swiftly, brushing the back of his head before walking toward the front.

Now I have two things to ask.

She smiled wryly and grabbed her pen again. At first, she didn’t think much of it, but as the class ended and Beomjin still hadn’t returned, her concern grew.

Why isn’t he back? Is something happening? Maybe something bad happened at home?

Even after lunch ended, Beomjin’s seat was still empty. The whispering among the students grew louder, and so did Junyoung’s unease.

No one had asked the teacher where Beomjin had gone. Junyoung had tried to stand up several times but couldn’t bring herself to.

What if it’s nothing and I draw attention for no reason? It’d look weird if I ask. Maybe I should wait a little longer. Just a little more...

"Hey, shit, you won’t believe it. Beomjin got dragged to the police!"

The frantic voice of a student running into the classroom echoed like thunder in her ears. The pen slipped from Junyoung’s hand. One by one, the students jumped out of their seats and gathered around.

"What? Why?"

"Did he get into a fight or something?"

"Who would dare mess with Beomjin in this neighborhood?"

There was a moment of agreement among the students. The gossip, which had seemed to calm down, flared back up again.

"Did he cause trouble?"

"What kind of trouble?"

"It can’t just be something trivial, right? The police came all the way to the school, after all. It’s probably because there was a chance he might try to run."

“Damn, he’s always acting tough in class. If he really caused trouble, would they expel him?”

“Maybe he deserves it. The teachers might actually be glad. No one can do anything to Beomjin, though.”

The students, who had been snickering, suddenly turned their heads at the sound of a screeching noise. Junyoung was standing, looking at them with a sharp glare.

"Shut up already. Can’t you stop talking?"

Though Junyoung was noticeable, she wasn’t the type to step in. However, some of the students, knowing she was always focused on studying, looked at her awkwardly while others sneered.

"What’s with you, Yoon Junyoung?"

"Do you like Beomjin Kwon?"

Minho, who had tried and failed to approach her at the beginning of the semester, sneered at her. Junyoung gave him a cold look and opened her mouth.

"I do."

In an instant, the students’ mouths dropped open in surprise. A silent wave of shock spread through the classroom. Junyoung added nonchalantly, without changing her expression.

"Just not as loudly as you do."@@novelbin@@

"Did she really...?"

Minho stood up abruptly, scowling as he approached, but before he could take a few steps, Seungwoon blocked his path.

"Let’s stop. We don’t even know what happened yet. Beomjin might not have actually done anything wrong."

Minho glared at Seungwoon, who was holding his shoulder, clearly displeased.

"Do you think he’s the type to get picked on?"

With a bitter smile, Seungwoon glanced briefly at Junyoung before looking away. Junyoung, in turn, silently sat back down and resumed solving problems. The weight of Seungwoon’s gaze on her, though, was irritating, and she didn’t look up.

When the homeroom teacher’s class started, the students couldn’t hold their curiosity in anymore.

"Teacher, why isn’t Beomjin here?"

"What happened to him?"

"They say he was taken by the police, right? He got into trouble?"

The teacher clapped his hands together in a weary gesture, trying to calm the students.

"Alright, everyone, quiet down. He just had to go somewhere urgently, so don’t worry about it."

"But they say he went to the police station. How can we not worry?"

"Teacher, what happened exactly?"

The teacher slammed his hand onto the podium in frustration, trying to regain control.

"Why are you all worrying about that? Did you study for your tests? It’s coming up soon. Even if you have no interest in going to college, if we lose to the next class, we’ll all be in trouble!"

Ignoring the disgruntled murmurs, the teacher began the lesson. Junyoung sighed and turned her attention back to her book.

It’s nothing. Nothing will happen. It’s just a minor thing, right?

She tried to focus on her studies again, pretending it didn’t matter, but her mind was still scattered. Her pen, resting on the notebook, just drew endless circles.