Overlooking Your Eyes

By the fifth period, students began to drop one by one, and by the sixth period, the class was practically wiped out. The social studies teacher who came in during the sixth period repeatedly told everyone to sit up, but most students would lift their heads only to slump back down onto their desks moments later. Eventually, the teacher, admitting defeat and declaring it was just the first day, allowed the remaining 15 minutes to be used for self-study. Relieved, Yeong-won used the time to work through his problems in peace.

In the seventh period, the homeroom teacher entered the room, and the class became chaotic with the task of electing a temporary class president. While the role often led to becoming the official class president, a potential boost for one’s student record, Yeong-won didn’t feel the situation favored him. Deciding it wasn’t worth getting involved, he chose instead to spend the time solving more problems.

“So, does anyone want to volunteer to be the temporary class president?”

The homeroom teacher’s question brought immediate silence to the classroom. Glancing nervously at one another, the students stayed quiet, prompting the teacher to laugh out loud.

“Come on, don’t just look at each other. This is your chance. You know the temporary president is most likely to become the official president, right? Anyone confident enough to volunteer? If not, does anyone want to recommend someone?”

Murmurs began to rise from various corners of the classroom, with one name standing out: Yoo Seon-woo. Considering his popularity and reputation, it wasn’t surprising.

“Who? Yoo Seon-woo?”

The teacher’s gaze shifted to the back of the classroom, where Seon-woo was seated. Meanwhile, Yeong-won, trying to tune out the noise, focused on speed-reading an English passage. Noblesse oblige, he read, breaking it down mentally: ‘Noblesse’ refers to noble status, while ‘oblige’ means…

“I’d like to recommend Lee Yeong-won.”

The flow of his thoughts came to an abrupt halt as his own name pierced through the murmurs. Feeling the weight of several stares, Yeong-won turned around. Yoo Seon-woo was looking straight at him.

“He’s ranked number one in the school.”

The gaze meeting his own showed no trace of malice. Of course, it wouldn’t make sense for Seon-woo to nominate him out of ill will, but still, Yeong-won couldn’t understand why he was doing this.

“Oh, that’s right! We have the school’s top-ranked student in our class.” the teacher said brightly.

“What do you think, Yeong-won? Want to try being the temporary class president?”

Straightening his posture, Yeong-won faced the front again. The thought of taking on a leadership role was certainly bothersome, but for the sake of his student record, it might be worth considering. While it wasn’t guaranteed he would become the official class president, the possibility was no longer zero.

“Yes, I’ll do it.”

As soon as he answered, a mix of noise and applause broke out from different parts of the room. Somewhere between jeers and cheers, the teacher reaffirmed the decision: until the official class president election, the temporary class president would be Lee Yeong-won.

“Yeong-won, could you stop by the staff room after homeroom ends?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, let’s decide on your seats now. Ideally, the seating you choose today will stay the same for the semester. Since you’re in your senior year, I’d rather avoid the chaos of constantly changing seats. I know everyone has a preference, but not everyone can sit exactly where they want. I hope you all adjust well to your new seats.” the homeroom teacher announced.

With that, the teacher displayed the seating chart on the whiteboard via the projector, drawing everyone’s eyes to the front. Like the others, Yeong-won scanned the chart slowly, starting from the front row near the podium, searching for his name. He hoped to stay in his current spot or at least within the first three rows, but it didn’t seem like that would be the case.

Groans and exclamations of delight rippled through the classroom as students found their assigned seats. When Yeong-won finally spotted his name, it was in the very back of the second column. He let out a small sigh. It wasn’t his ideal spot, but at least being in the back meant no one was behind him, and he’d still have a clear view of the board. It wasn’t the worst outcome.

“Alright, if you’ve found your seat, move there now.” the teacher instructed.

Gathering the workbook, notebook, and pencil case spread across his desk into his arms, along with his bag in one hand, Yeong-won stood up and walked directly to his new seat at the back. When he arrived, he noticed Yoo Seon-woo sitting next to his new spot, already looking at him. Without saying a word, Yeong-won sat down.

“Quite the move. From the very front to the very back.”

After placing his belongings on the desk and putting his bag down, Yeong-won turned to look at him. While the rest of the class was bustling to find their new seats, Seon-woo remained in the same spot, watching him.

“Aren’t you moving?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“This is my seat.”

It wasn’t until Seon-woo said this that Yeong-won turned back to the chart on the board. Normally, he didn’t pay attention to who he was seated with, as it didn’t matter to him. But if his seatmate was Seon-woo, that changed things. Sure enough, next to his own name, Lee Yeong-won, was written Yoo Seon-woo.

“….…”

Seon-woo was right. His seat remained exactly where it had been. Looking at their names side by side on the chart, Yeong-won let out another small sigh.

“Do you not want to sit next to me? You sighed.”

“It’s not that…”

“Not that?”

“It’s just… surprising. You’re the only one who stayed in the same seat. I don’t care who I sit next to.”

“Really? Don’t you think it matters? You’ll be sitting with them for a whole semester.”

Resuming the English passage he’d been reading, Yeong-won replied while keeping his eyes on the page.

“It’s just sitting next to someone. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“I like sitting next to you.”

The word on the page in front of him suddenly slipped from his mind, shattering into a jumble of meaningless letters. Turning his head, he met Seon-woo’s gaze. The other boy had propped his chin on one hand, watching him intently.

“What?”

“I said I like sitting next to you.”

“Why?”

“Who knows? Maybe because I like you.”

What is he even saying? He’s always saying weird things.

Shaking his head, Yeong-won dismissed the conversation, turning away as if he had no need to hear more. He quickly resumed reading the English passage, scanning it for the correct answer to a question about contradictions in the text. Marking 3 as the answer in his notebook, he moved immediately to the next question. The classroom was still filled with the noise of chairs scraping and students chattering as they settled into their new seats, but Yeong-won easily tuned it all out.

After completing ten questions in a row with deep focus, he paused to check his answers. One was incorrect, specifically, the question he’d been working on when Seon-woo interrupted him with his strange comments. He’d missed the connection between the words that had been broken apart in his mind. Shaking his head again, he opened his error log and carefully noted down why he’d gotten the question wrong. If it had been up to him, he would have written because of Yoo Seon-woo as the reason.

“Do you stay for self-study sessions, Yeong-won?”

“Yeah.”

“How many periods?”

“Four.”

“Every day?”

“Yeah.”

Answering casually, Yeong-won flipped the page of his workbook. He didn’t understand why Seon-woo, someone he’d only started talking to today, was asking about his self-study schedule, something even Hyun-jin didn’t ask about. Still, there was no reason to hide it, so he answered truthfully.

“Then I’ll do it too.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re doing it.”

What?

Why is the reason me?

Glancing up from a passage about the Industrial Revolution, Yeong-won turned his head to stare at Seon-woo, who had shifted his entire body to face him.

“If I don’t, you won’t either?”

“Nope.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to get closer to you.”

“Why?”

“Do I need a reason? If I do, I’ll think of one.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Letting out a short sigh, Yeong-won turned his gaze back to his workbook and sat up straight. The more they talked, the stranger it became. The questions piling up in his mind had no clear answers, leaving him feeling uneasy and frustrated.

It felt like encountering a question on a test that he had answered incorrectly several times before, one that always confused him at the same spot, no matter how often he reviewed it. Even though he should have memorized it by now, his thoughts always wavered, and he got it wrong. Such problems caused him immense stress, and as someone particularly sensitive to stress, these moments often led to headaches, cold hands and feet, or even cold sweats. Only when he had completely mastered such a problem, making it his own, could he finally settle his nerves and move on.

How can a person be like one of those problems?

A faint snap broke the quiet moment. The lead in his mechanical pencil had fractured. Brushing away the tiny shards, Yeong-won refocused on the passage about the Industrial Revolution.

The feeling of being completely absorbed in the passage, as if pulled into its world, was something Yeong-won enjoyed. The surrounding noise and even the sensation of being watched all faded into a blur, leaving him fully immersed in what he was reading. This was one of the reasons he liked studying. Even when he occasionally felt Yoo Seon-woo’s gaze on him, he didn’t look up, not even once.

After homeroom ended, Yeong-won went to the staff room, where his homeroom teacher greeted him with a kind and clear voice, explaining a few key announcements. Most of the information was already familiar to him, routine matters that didn’t require much attention.

“I was so proud to have you in our class, Yeong-won. You wouldn’t believe how jealous the homeroom teacher next door is. And on top of that, we’ve got Seon-woo in our class too. You’ve done so well up to now, so if you just keep up your pace, I think you’ll be fine. If there’s anything you need help with, just let me know.”

“Yes, thank you. By the way, could I use the study hall on weekends? I know it’s mainly for dorm students, but I don’t have the conditions to study at home.”

“Of course! If you’re willing to come study on the weekends, we’ll definitely find a spot for you. I’ll make sure to arrange it. But since we haven’t finalized the seating arrangements yet, it might take a few weeks.”

“That’s okay. Thank you so much.”

“It must be disappointing not being in the same class as Hyun-jin this year.”

This teacher had taught him the year before, and they’d gotten to know each other fairly well through his role as head of the English study group. Now, as his homeroom teacher, they would inevitably grow closer as they navigated his senior year together. Thankfully, the teacher was someone who listened and tried to understand others, not someone who would judge or discriminate based on his family circumstances.

“It’s fine. We’re in neighboring classes, so we still see each other often.”

“You must be pretty sociable, huh? It seems like you’ve already gotten close to Seon-woo too.”

“What?”

“Yes. Seon-woo came by earlier and said he wanted to sit next to you. He said it would help him study and that he wanted to get to know you better.”