The school was torture. Well, more intense torture than normal.
Shane sat across the aisle, face worn, purposefully ignoring Jihoon. But at least he'd come back to class. Jihoon made note of his sallow skin and sweaty brow. It worried him. Shane wasn't a person who got sick often, then what had happened?
Jihoon stewed over it as he walked back from the school store with Seojun, arms loaded with snacks. Then he stopped short, noticing Shane walking down the hall. She saw him, then swerved right, entering the library. Obviously avoiding him.
"Shane's still ignoring you?" Seojun asked.
"What are you talking about?" Jihoon failed miserably at playing dumb.
"Everyone knows." Seojun shrugged. "There's a bit about when he'll break up with you."
"You can't end something that's never begun," Jihoon said as he positioned himself to wait outside the library. "Here, take my snacks back to the room for me, will you?"
Seojun took the bags of chips and candy, wished his friend luck, and continued to class.
"What are you doing out here? Being a perv?" Kim Daniel stuck his nose in the air as he pushed open the door.
"Last I checked, this wall was open to the public."
Daniel rolled her eyes and walked inside, being sure to bump into Jihoon's shoulder. Another two minutes passed before Jihoon gave up, annoyed. What was he doing? Waiting out here just to get yelled at or ignored, or worse.
He had started to leave when he heard a shout from inside. He pushed open the bathroom door in time to see Daniel shove Shane so hard she slammed into the tile wall.
"Must be nice to have a rich sister who can pay to fix your mistakes," Daniel said. "Even when those mistakes are attempted murder."
Shane didn't answer. His head hung low so her hair curtained his eyes.
"Ya! Did you hear what I said?" Daniel shoved Shane into the wall again; this time his head hit the books, "My cousin lives in Brisbane. When I sent him your photo, he said he knew you, but you had a different name. Did you change it because you tried to kill that girl?"
Minjae stood in the corner looking unfazed.
"What are you doing?" Jihoon asked. All three boys glanced up at him.
"Oh shut up, Park Jihoon. I know you have a thing for him." Daniel sneered. "Has she told you about why she got kicked out of her old school? he's an attempted murderer."
Still ignoring the scene, Minjae threw her paper towel in the trash.
Jihoon whipped out a hand to stop her. "Minjae-ah, I'm disappointed in you."
"What?" Minjae eyes widened.
"You should have stopped this," Jihoon said.
"You have no right to judge what I do," Minjae retorted. "Not when you're obviously keeping secrets from me and shutting me out!"
Jihoon didn't know what to say to that, but he didn't get a chance to reply as Minjae shoved past him and stormed out.
"You should leave, too, Daniel. If you don't want me to tell Miss Chae what I saw."
Daniel huffed indignantly but still slunk out, avoiding Jihoon's eyes as he left.
Jihoon inspected Shane for injuries.
"Are you hurt?" He tucked her hair aside to see her face.
Shane shoved his hands away, like a petulant child refusing a parent's care. "I wouldn't have hurt them."
"I didn't stop them because I was afraid of what you'd do. I did it because they were wrong."
Shane's eyes darted to the side nervously.
"Don't worry, he won't come back," Jihoon reassured her.
"It's true." Miyoung's voice broke on the words.
"What's true?"
"That girl. She thought I stole her boyfriend. He dumped her because he thought he was in love with me, a stupid dud." His expression soured. Still a flash of heat burst in Jihoon's chest, the fleeting embrace of jealousy. "She wouldn't stop bothering me after that. She turned the whole school against me."
Jihoon kept silent. He knew he needed to get his story out. His grandma always said things like this were better out than in.
"I got too emotional. I just wanted her to leave me alone. She was so close and I could hear her heart beating. I pushed her only to get her away from me. She shouldn't have followed me over that bridge."
"What happened to her?" Jihoon asked, trepidation thickening his words.
"She survived," Shane said. "I don't murder anyone." Shane eyed Jihoon, her face pinched in defense. It spoke volumes. It told him no one had ever taken her side.
"So it was an accident." Jihoon breathed a sigh of relief.
"If it wasn't, would you be here still? Would you even talk to me if you thought I hurt an innocent person on purpose?" Shane's voice rose.
Jihoon hesitated. "I don't know," he admitted. "But that's not the case."
"That's your problem. You want to be friends with this noble monster, I'm not a good person," Miyoung said. "I never pretended to be." His voice cracked in desperation.
"I don't forget," Jihoon said. "I just know there's more to you than that."
"Don't say that." Shane's voice echoed angrily "You don't know! You don't know what I've done. Stop pretending as you do."
'You'll hate me more if you found out why I am even here.' Shane thought bitterly. He didn't want to take Jihoon's soul, not yet.
"I know I don't like it when people bully you. Even when the person doing the bullying is yourself."
Jihoon had come to realize Shane cared about everything. He was someone who pretended to be hard to live with, but Shane had a soft heart. It must have torn him apart. And knowing that, Jihoon hurt him even as he didn't know how to help.
Luckily enough, Shane's phone buzzed and he glanced down at the text. Then without another glance at Jihoon, she pushed past him and out the door.
Jihoon sighed. Shane couldn't even see how much Jihoon cared for him.
If only he saw.