Just Twilight

It was Seungwoon who called him. Beomjin's eyes moved slowly, as if he had been expecting someone to be inside.

When his gaze finally settled on Seungwoon's arm, which was resting on Junyoung’s, she instinctively pushed Seungwoon away. An inexplicable sense of embarrassment quickly spread across her face.

"Why, did you come because you're hurt? The teacher already left."

Even as Seungwoon glanced at her with the hand that was pushing her away, he spoke to Beomjin.

Junyoung had never seen the two of them talk before. Beomjin didn’t engage in ‘conversation’ with anyone.

At least, not at school.

Considering what kind of figure Beomjin was at this school, it was strange to see Seungwoon speak to him so casually, as if it were completely normal.

Was it naivety? Was he unafraid because he had never hurt anyone before?

But when Beomjin, his face still expressionless, took a step toward them, Seungwoon subtly stepped in front of Junyoung, blocking her. Junyoung nearly let out a small laugh. It wasn’t obvious, but Seungwoon was quietly nervous too.

Does he think Beomjin might do something to me?

...I can’t exactly say that’s an impossible thought.

Junyoung looked at the approaching Beomjin awkwardly. Was he going to acknowledge me? He probably didn’t come here because he was worried about me.

But to her surprise, Beomjin turned, casually opening the drawer. The sound of him rummaging through bottles echoed through the otherwise quiet nurse’s office.

After what seemed like a moment of finding what he was looking for, Beomjin took something out and silently left the room. His departure, and the fact that he had barely acknowledged either of them, left an odd pressure lingering in the room.

Junyoung pouted slightly, feeling the pressure despite their indifference.

After all, if I glare at him, he’ll still wash my laundry for me.

With a sigh, Seungwoon seemed to shake off the tension. His face was awkward as he glanced back at her.

"I’m still a bit awkward with Beomjin."

Who else at this school is as awkward as you?

Junyoung responded with a neutral face, her steps slow as she began to move. She was planning to ask how he was doing if she ran into him later, but Seungwoon followed her, speaking again.

"I’ll walk you home. We can go together..."

"No, it’s fine."

The abruptness of her response startled Seungwoon. The thought of him seeing her enter her house made her skin crawl.

She ignored Seungwoon’s surprised expression and muttered under her breath.

"Just don’t worry about me."

Seungwoon didn’t follow her out of the nurse’s office. Walking down the corridor painted in shades of red, Junyoung could hear the long sigh she let out, trailing behind her like a shadow.

***

The house in the forest was locked. This meant Beomjin wasn’t there. Alone, Junyoung entered and closed the door behind her. She placed her bag on the desk, her body devoid of any strength.

The exams were fast approaching. It might be a pointless stubbornness, but she didn’t want to relinquish her position as the top student until graduation.

It was a proud title and a medal she had earned with nothing but her own effort. To fail at maintaining that top rank in a school like this was something she couldn’t accept.

But her gaze kept drifting toward the second floor. She hadn’t eaten much for lunch, so her stomach was growling, but more than that, sleepiness was creeping up on her. A slight fever was slowly building, creeping up her spine.

When will he come? If he does, he’ll probably wake me up, right?

"There's no way he'd try to kill me just because I’m sleeping in his territory. After all, I was the one who passed out."

But still, why did he have to show up at that exact moment and make things so awkward?

The image of their encounter in the nurse’s office resurfaced, and Junyoung grimaced.

What did Seungwoon think when he saw me half-sleeping in his arms? From his expression, he didn’t seem shocked or like he was teasing me, but then again, he wasn’t the type to show much emotion through his face. Who knows?

But, either way, what’s more important right now is to deal with my exhaustion. Junyoung blinked a few times before cautiously heading up the stairs.

Since the day she had encountered Beomjin, Junyoung hadn’t gone to the second floor. There had been no need to use the bed.

Perhaps that’s why, even though it was the same space, it felt strangely unfamiliar. With a twinge of nervousness, she reached the top of the stairs, glancing around as if checking for anyone, before sitting quietly on the bed.

Why do I feel like he’ll show up right now?

She fidgeted with the end of the blanket, trying to wait it out, but her patience didn’t last long. With a resigned sigh, she collapsed onto the bed.

Though it was just a mattress on the floor, it was surprisingly comfortable. The middle was slightly sunken, but simply lying down released the tension from her body, and drowsiness flooded over her with no room for resistance. Even if it had been a cold stone floor, it would have felt more comfortable than home.

Oh, wait.

“What if he doesn’t come...?”

Her tongue, still half-tied, slurred the uncertain words. Beomjin’s indifferent voice echoed in her mind, telling her to go home before it got dark. They had walked together every day recently, so she no longer needed to carry the flashlight. Her thoughts faded, and everything else melted away.

***

Junyoung felt an odd presence. Her once deeply submerged consciousness began to surface, albeit faintly. When she heard the heavy sound of someone climbing the stairs, her senses grew sharper.

Struggling to open her eyes, Junyoung saw a dark figure collapsing onto her, and she screamed out in a panic.

"Ahhh!"

She thought she heard a strangled sound, as if someone was choking. In her frantic attempts to escape the hard, heavy weight pressing on her, she may have struck out at someone's arms or legs.

It was almost like a seizure, but before long, she was easily subdued by strong hands that grabbed her arms.

"Junyoung?"

The voice, out of breath and somewhat startled, sounded oddly familiar. The darkness obscured his face, but her hand instinctively relaxed. The scent of soft, dry wood that came from the T-shirt Beomjin had worn wafted through the air.

Of course, the only person who would be here is Beomjin. Who else could it be?

As the tension in her body dissipated, Junyoung realized that she was pinned under Beomjin. At the same time, she felt the odd urge to hit him, and with a swift motion, she started hitting his chest.

"Ugh! Get off! Get off me!"

"Hey, hold on, wait...!"

As Beomjin quickly moved to avoid her fists, Junyoung hastily pushed him away, trying to sit up. Unfortunately, her head collided with the ceiling. Beomjin’s head hit the ceiling as well, and they both tumbled back onto the bed, clutching their heads.

"Are you serious!"

Groaning in pain, it was Beomjin who yelled first. Junyoung, rubbing her forehead, glared at him.

"Why are you suddenly pinning me down like that?!"

"This is the second floor. The bed is my area."

His low growl was muffled by the darkness, but Junyoung wasn’t about to back down.

"Even so, you should have been more careful. What if the floor caved in and I fell off? This is the second floor!"

"Is that really your excuse? Anyway, what are you doing here? Do you even know what time it is?"

"What time is it? I just woke up!"

"It's after 2 AM."

Junyoung gasped in shock. Had she really slept that long?

Beomjin, noticing her surprise, sighed heavily as he sat on the bed. Junyoung, still blinking in confusion, sat up awkwardly.

"Anyway, you should've expected me to be here. The lock would’ve been open."

"At this time? You thought I’d be here? I figured you’d have forgotten."

"I never forget to lock the door..."

"Forget that! Are you out of your mind? What are you doing here at this hour? If you were going to be here, you should’ve locked the door. You just fell asleep here without a care? Are you crazy?"@@novelbin@@

She was taken aback by his harsh words, especially after waking up so suddenly. His angry tone only made her irritation grow. Junyoung scoffed and shot back.

"Are you stupid? How could I lock the door if I’m inside?!"

Beomjin bit back a retort and groaned lowly, turning sharply to face her.

"Then go home and sleep there!"

"You go home and sleep! Why are you sneaking in here at this hour? You said it’s after 2 AM, right?"

Seungwoon, unable to outdo her sharp retort, let out an exasperated chuckle before hitting the mattress with a heavy thud.

"Anyway, the second floor isn’t your territory."

If there had been any light, Junyoung probably wouldn’t have had the guts to argue with him. But in the darkness, where expressions couldn’t be seen, she was invincible.

"Who cares about whose territory it is? If I need it, I’ll use it. My head’s pounding, and my body feels like it’s been trampled on, but the bed is here, and you’re not. So I lay down and slept. Am I committing a capital offense? I was sick, okay? Happy now?"

Junyoung shot her words at him without taking a breath. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit her, and she pressed her temples with both hands, groaning.

Beomjin, watching her struggle, clicked his tongue and looked away.

The silence that followed felt almost unbearable.

She was still annoyed, but at this point, she had no choice but to let it go.

With a slight pout, Junyoung slowly lifted herself from the bed.

"I’m leaving. Fine, take the bed. You can use it for as long as you want."

Beomjin had his legs hanging off the stairs, so she had to pass by him to leave. As she waited for him to move, she glared at his broad shoulders as they heaved with a deep sigh.

"It’s late. Let’s go together."

His voice, now calm, had lost its earlier tension. Junyoung crossed her arms and snorted in disbelief.

"Sure. After you tried to eat me alive just now, now you’re pretending to be concerned?"

"Well, you collapsed just from a ball hitting you...!"

As Beomjin shouted back, Junyoung stopped and glanced at his big, messy hand, which was rubbing his head.

Concerned? I thought he’d laugh at me for still being half asleep.