Overlooking Your Eyes

The homeroom teacher for the third year was an English teacher. Known for being both good at teaching and generous with self-study time, Yeong-won found himself liking the teacher. Most importantly, the teacher wasn’t overbearing and seemed to be a reasonable person with whom one could actually communicate.

The first period began with the usual remarks about how important it was to spend the third year wisely. Instead of diving into the syllabus, the teacher gave advice on how to make the most of the year.

While listening with one ear, Yeong-won continued working on his language workbook from earlier that morning. Eventually, the teacher’s voice faded into the background, and everything else around him became a blur as he focused on solving as many problems as possible. The sound of the bell ending the period pulled him back, and he looked up to see the teacher leaving the room after wishing everyone a good year ahead.

“Lee Yeong-won!”

His name echoed loudly in the classroom, making him turn toward the source. Kim Hyun-jin burst through the front door, his presence immediately breaking the tension of being surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Seeing his friend gave him a sense of relief.

“Dude, I’m screwed. Guess who I’m stuck with in my class? Freaking Choi Ji-ho! That jerk walked in, and I just…damn it…I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to scream! Ugh, I’m so pissed.”

“Why not patch things up?”

“Patch things up? With him? No way. That guy started it, he was the one who threw the first punch!”

Hyun-jin and Choi Ji-ho had been close friends through middle school until they both developed feelings for the same girl. A heated argument escalated into a physical fight, and since their first year of high school, they hadn’t spoken a word to each other. They couldn’t even pass each other in the hallway without spitting insults.

“Man, I wish I were in your class instead. With you here, the teachers wouldn’t be on my case, and with Yoo Seon-woo, the whole year would’ve been a breeze. But no I’m stuck with that blockhead.”

“Wait… Have you ever done anything with Yoo Seon-woo? Do you guys know each other?”

“Nope. I just know of him, like everyone else.”

“Well, Yoo Seon-woo seems to know you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

Hyun-jin shook his head, puzzled, insisting they had no connection. Watching him, Yeong-won tilted his head, confused. A question that hadn’t occurred to him earlier now occupied his thoughts.

Then how does Yoo Seon-woo know that I’m close with Kim Hyun-jin?

‘Is Kim Hyun-jin in this class?’

Seon-woo had asked with complete confidence, as though he knew the answer. He’d even said Hyun-jin’s name without hesitation.

‘Ah, so a different class. That must be disappointing since you’re close.’

It was impossible to say such a thing unless he knew about their friendship. Turning back, Yeong-won glanced at Yoo Seon-woo, who was standing among a group of students, laughing and chatting with his usual warmth. His gaze lingered on Seon-woo’s profile until Seon-woo suddenly turned his head, their eyes meeting. For a brief moment, they stared at each other before Yeong-won looked away, turning back to Hyun-jin. Even after breaking eye contact, he still felt the weight of Seon-woo’s gaze on the side of his face. Uncomfortable, he rubbed his cheek absentmindedly.

“Let’s hit the snack bar during the next break. I’m starving.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t cry just because your big brother Bread-won isn’t around. If you miss me, come by anytime.”

“If you don’t show up, I won’t go.”

“If I don’t come, you won’t either. Just focus on solving your problems.”

Yeong-won laughed, unable to argue since it was true. Kim Hyun-jin, pretending to be upset, grabbed Yeong-won’s face playfully and squeezed it, smushing his cheeks. Familiar with this kind of behavior, Yeong-won let it slide for a moment before grabbing Hyun-jin’s wrist and pulling it away.

“….…”

Out of reflex, Yeong-won turned his head and once again locked eyes with Yoo Seon-woo. Unlike earlier, Seon-woo wasn’t smiling gently this time. Feeling unsettled, Yeong-won was the first to look away. Kim Hyun-jin, still perched on the desk, sighed dramatically and leaned forward, gently bumping his head against the top of Yeong-won’s.

“You only need to study, so it doesn’t matter who’s in your class. But what about me? This is pure hell.”

“Just don’t mess with Choi Ji-ho.”

“I won’t. Just looking at him pisses me off…what would I even mess with him for? If I so much as speak a word to that jerk this entire year, I’ll call myself Stupid Hyun-jin.”

Yeong-won thought there was a decent chance his friend might end up being “Stupid Hyun-jin” after all. Despite his tough words, Yeong-won knew Hyun-jin was surprisingly soft-hearted. If Choi Ji-ho were to collapse in front of him, Hyun-jin would probably carry him, not to the infirmary, but straight to the hospital.

“Oh, there’s the bell. Snack bar next period!”

“Yeah, go on.”

As Hyun-jin made his way to the neighboring classroom, he waved dramatically like someone setting off on a long journey, his exaggerated, sluggish steps drawing a laugh from Yeong-won. Smiling, Yeong-won opened his ethics workbook beneath his ethics textbook and flipped to a new page in his notebook.

“….…”

The question of how Yoo Seon-woo knew that he and Kim Hyun-jin were close lingered in his mind. Sure, it wasn’t hard to guess, they were always together. But Yoo Seon-woo hadn’t been in the same class as them last year, nor had there been many opportunities for him to observe their friendship. How had he known enough to bring it up?

Is he just the type to pay close attention to others?

The more Yeong-won thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. While he himself didn’t care about others, not everyone was like him. Maybe Seon-woo was observant, someone who could recall details from just a glance or two. Nodding slightly, Yeong-won decided to let the thought go. Whether or not Seon-woo knew wasn’t important, it wasn’t worth wasting time on.

“Everyone, sit down! The bell rang. What are you doing? Sit down already!”

As the ethics teacher approached the podium, Yeong-won caught a glimpse of him and then ignored the commotion behind him, keeping his focus on his workbook. The unfamiliar thoughts that had momentarily swirled in his mind faded away, leaving him feeling at ease for the first time.

***

Yeong-won, who had gone to the snack bar with Hyun-jin, picked out an apple-flavored Picnic drink and a cookie filled with apple jam. Hyun-jin, chewing on a big bite of bread, looked at him with mock admiration.

“You never get tired of that?”

“You know me. I don’t get tired of things easily.”

“True. That’s why you can study so much. I get sick of studying fast.”

“That’s something you do because you have to.”

“You mean you don’t do it because you like it?”

“I like it too. The results change depending on how much I put into it.”

In a household that was steadily falling apart, there was nothing Yeong-won could do. No matter what he tried, the red foreclosure stickers plastered on their few remaining pieces of furniture wouldn’t disappear, nor would his parents’ exhausted lives improve. But studying was different. It was the one thing where his effort directly translated into results. That’s why he liked studying. Every time he saw his name at the top of the school rankings, it reassured him that his hard work wasn’t in vain. And he believed that effort would eventually take him to a better place.

“Hey, it’s Yoo Seon-woo.”

Pulled out of his thoughts about the foreclosure notices, Yeong-won turned his head to look at Yoo Seon-woo, who was surrounded by a group of students. Wherever Seon-woo went, people always flocked around him.

Wouldn’t it be exhausting to always have so many people around? Yeong-won wondered, sipping his Picnic drink as he watched Seon-woo along with the others.

“….…”

Just as the apple flavor filled his mouth, their eyes met again. This had to be at least the tenth time today. Yeong-won stared blankly as Seon-woo stepped away from the group and walked toward him.

“Whoa, is he coming over here?”

“Looks like it.”

As Seon-woo approached, Yeong-won’s gaze tilted upward. He had known Seon-woo was tall, but standing face-to-face made the height difference all the more apparent. As he looked up, Seon-woo’s downward gaze locked onto him.

“Yeong-won, take this.”

His tone was soft, but his gaze and physical presence didn’t match the gentleness of his words. Yeong-won glanced at the bread Seon-woo held out, then raised his apple jam cookie as if to say he was fine.

“I’m good.”

Seon-woo’s persistent gaze shifted to Hyun-jin. Following the direction of the gaze, Yeong-won also turned his head.

“You want it?”

“Huh? Me? Oh! Uh, thanks. I love bread!”

Hyun-jin, stammering as he received the bread from Yoo Seon-woo, couldn’t stop grinning, clearly pleased for some reason. Meanwhile, Yeong-won, sipping what little remained of his apple juice through a thin straw, felt the situation growing unbearably awkward.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go. To the classroom.”

With the same warm smile from earlier, Yoo Seon-woo walked alongside Yeong-won. Hyun-jin gave him a questioning look, clearly asking when they had become so close, but Yeong-won had no explanation. The steps that might have led to this apparent closeness were completely skipped, leaving only the impression of familiarity for others to see.

“What’s going on?”

“…I don’t know.”

As they walked back to the classroom, Hyun-jin, having finished his bread, kept glancing at Yoo Seon-woo nervously, silently signaling his confusion. But there was really nothing for Yeong-won to say. Their brief interaction that morning was hardly noteworthy, leaving him with no explanation for their apparent bond.

“See you later, Kim Hyun-jin.”

“Huh? Oh… yeah! You too.”

Standing in front of Class 5, Yoo Seon-woo casually said goodbye to Hyun-jin, as if emphasizing the fact that Hyun-jin wasn’t in their class. Watching the exchange, Yeong-won nodded slightly in acknowledgment as Hyun-jin gave him a parting look and headed off.

“Let’s go in.”

“….…”

It felt like he had gone to the snack bar with Yoo Seon-woo alone. Holding the empty Picnic carton, Yeong-won entered the classroom first.

“Give it to me. I’ll throw it away.”

“No, I’ll—”

“Does it matter who throws it away?”

Before Yeong-won could finish his sentence, the empty carton was already gone from his hand. With Yoo Seon-woo smiling kindly, attention from all around the classroom turned toward them. Feeling uncomfortable and out of place, Yeong-won scanned the room briefly before looking back at Seon-woo, who was still standing in front of him.

“Um.”

“Yeah?”

He wanted to say, Please stop talking to me. People keep staring because of you, and it makes me uncomfortable. But the words never left his lips. It felt too harsh to say that to someone who had done nothing wrong and was simply being friendly. Besides, it was only the first day of school.

Given Yoo Seon-woo’s positive reputation and well-known friendliness toward everyone, it was likely just an act of casual familiarity. In a few days, his attention would probably shift to someone else. There was no need for Yeong-won to make himself seem overly sensitive by pointing it out.

“…Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For throwing that away.”

Watching Seon-woo smile silently, Yeong-won sat down at his desk. While he didn’t mind the trip to the snack bar, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy about wasting time during the break. If he’d stayed in the classroom, he might have finished a few more problems.

“Yeong-won.”

“Huh?”

Hearing his name called from above, Yeong-won looked up. Seon-woo’s tall frame cast a shadow over his face.

“Next time, let’s go together. To the snack bar.”

“….…”

“Just the two of us.”

As the question ‘Why?’ hovered on the tip of his tongue, Yoo Seon-woo walked away before he could voice it. Watching Seon-woo’s long strides take him across the room, Yeong-won sighed quietly.

Does he approach everyone this openly, without any hesitation?

Not that it was a bad or wrong thing, it just made Yeong-won a little uncomfortable. For him, having Hyun-jin as his one close friend was more than enough.