(aka: i should’ve known it wouldn’t end there)
It’s been a week since Yoon Ga Min apparently decided that boundaries were optional. I thought he’d give the whole “study group” thing a rest, but nope. He’s showing up everywhere. I mean everywhere Han Wool isn’t, like some persistent shadow, slipping into my life without permission. Cafeteria? He’s there. Library? There. Hallway between classes? Definitely there.
Han Wool notices, of course. Always notices. Lately, his arm has been lingering around me. Tighter. Longer. He claims it’s just to make sure people “don’t get the wrong idea,” but I can feel it, and I’m not sure if I should be comforted or annoyed. Honestly, it’s confusing.
Today, after class, I was carefully packing my books when a folded piece of paper slid onto my desk. No name. Just a single sentence in sharp, neat handwriting:
“You shouldn’t let him speak for you.”
My heart… actually stopped. My fingers went numb for a second, and I swear I heard my own pulse in my ears. And there he was, across the room, leaning casually against a desk, watching me like this was the most normal thing in the world. Yoon Ga Min.
He gave this tiny, almost bored smile, like he wasn’t doing anything wrong, like it was all nothing. And then… he walked away.
“What the hell,” I muttered under my breath, getting up. I needed answers, and somehow, following him felt like the only option.
“Are you really that desperate to get me to join your little study group, huh?” I half-shouted, my voice louder than I intended. Finally, he turned and looked at me. Calm. Unbothered.
“Yes,” he said. So simple. So calm.
“Why do you even care?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, trying to hide the fact that my chest was suddenly tight, my thoughts scrambling.
“I can see it in your eyes,” he said, casually, as if reading minds was no big deal. “You want to study.”
I blinked. Stared. Confused. My brain stuttered. Did he just…? How does he even know that?
“Uh… never mind. Fine. I’ll join the study group, Ga Min,” I said, exhaling like I’d been holding my breath for hours. I looked at him, ready to retreat, but he… he lit up. His face changed completely, like a switch had flipped, and suddenly he looked like a kid who had just been given candy.
And then… he hugged me. Tight. Warm. Enough to make my knees feel weak, enough to make me forget to breathe for a second. My arms froze, unsure if I should push him away or just melt into it, and I ended up doing neither.
What I didn’t know? Min-hwan saw everything.
I didn’t notice him at first. He was sitting across the room, books half-forgotten on his desk, eyes narrowed, jaw tight. His lips pressed into a thin line, like he was holding back some kind of reaction. And I felt my stomach twist. Great. Just great. Because now it wasn’t just Ga Min I had to worry about.
I pulled back from the hug before it got awkward, my face probably as red as a tomato. “Okay… study group. Got it.” I mumbled, trying to sound casual, trying to ignore the way Ga Min’s smile lingered in my vision even after he let go.