"Woo-jae oppa, are you hurt?"
"Hurt? Oh, really? Did something happen over the weekend?"
"Who got hurt?"
"Well, at least you're left-handed, that's a relief."
He had been uncomfortable since morning.
He couldn't tell how many times he had already heard the sound filled with concern.
He sat down nonchalantly and scribbled with a pencil, but the stress rose to the edge of his patience.
As soon as he opened his eyes, his nerves became more sensitive because he had to take care of the annoying things.
It was really unexpected for Won to come face to face with Kwon Woo-jae, who knocked on the front door early in the morning asking him to disinfect the place where he had put the stitches himself.
As soon as he opened the door, a completely clean face intervened and he lost his words.
The situation wasn't that surprising.
The guy who had been watching him all along couldn't possibly not know his home address.
The face that pretended not to know and asked me for the address on the day we first met came to mind, and I bit my tongue.
When I think about it, Woo-jae always waited in front of me on the second day he came, and on the third day he came.
As if he knew that the only place he was allowed was there.
But why did he show such audacity to visit my house now?
It was absurd how gently he smiled, pretending it was an excuse for being hurt.
Is this a pure fox cub?
Even if I was born wrong, I would have been miserable and pitiful if Woo-jae was born as a fox cub, roaming the world.
I forced myself to swallow the sound of my cheeks.
Won still breathed deeply, listening to the conversation that was not yet over with one ear.
If you're worried, take his out.
Or worry quietly.
Why worry so much just because he's pretty?
I endured it as much as I could, but what was the point of moving to a different place now?
On the contrary, it was certain that only troublesome things would increase if I moved.
At least when someone spoke to Won, Woo-jae intercepted the question.
"Senior, are you studying in the middle?"
Someone spoke as they tapped the paper gently with a sharp pencil, making a sound.
Won raised his gaze from the letters he was fixed on.
"Why are you disturbing me when you know I'm studying?"
However, there was no need to open his mouth.
Kwon Woo-jae smirked and scolded the student.
The face looked familiar.
I think his name was something like Kim Song-hak. Oh, Kim Song-hak.
Won smiled politely and looked back at the book.
Kim Song-hak said, "Oh, I see."
A pitiful laugh was heard.
Unfortunately, the attention towards Won did not end there.
"Senior, you're working so hard."
A conversation that was not expected, such as "Oh, I have to study too. How much time is left for the midterm?", "Two weeks?" started with a student whose identity I couldn't remember.
Won, who had been holding only one page open all along, swallowed a sigh unconsciously.
He discreetly turned the page.
The sound of the paper flipping quietly echoed.
At the same time, a soft laughter reached him.
Kwon Woo-jae.
Even if he didn't turn his gaze, he could recognize the culprit.
It was the laughter that had come in countless times before.
Won felt his heart becoming more uncomfortable for some reason.
"Woo-jae, aren't you studying?"
"I can't because of you guys."
"Ah, what. You pretend to study normally, why."
"He studies regularly. He also listens to lectures very attentively. So he never misses being at the top."
Being at the top?
Suddenly, my attention was drawn to that.
It's not like he's exceptionally good, so being at the top?
Without realizing it, I burst into laughter.
"Woo-jae, it's annoying, so just work hard openly."
Well, I couldn't sympathize with that statement.
Woo-jae clearly showed that he was working hard.
Even during lecture times when most people doze off or play with their phones, Woo-jae's gaze was always directed towards the professor.
Except for the times when he played serious pranks on me.
Even when he occasionally glanced at me, Woo-jae would take notes at the right moments and stare at the screen covered with a beam projector.
Nevertheless, why does he think that Woo-jae doesn't study?
"It's annoying to see you play and still do well on exams."
Ah, that's what he meant.
"If you were that annoyed, you should have studied more during playtime. No one forced you to play."
Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense.
I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
The emotion mixed in with the surprise was curiosity.
Woo-jae created an uncomfortable atmosphere.
His tone wasn't harsh, but it was clear to anyone that he felt uneasy.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became silent, and my lips drooped.
"Huh? Uh... Did I upset you? You know it's not sincere, right?"
The voice that broke the silence subtly became stiff.
I raised my head and stared at that guy's face.
His ears were turning red, and his gaze busily scanned the surroundings.
Our eyes met.
The guy immediately avoided my gaze and smiled stiffly.
"You know."
It wasn't a long time, but at the end of that time, Woo-jae smiled as usual.
The frozen atmosphere melted in an instant.
"Yeah, that's right. It's often the ones who don't study that act like that. If you're jealous, just say you're jealous, you brat."
The atmosphere felt like riding waves.
Finally, the professor entered the classroom.
Only then did the crowd disperse in all directions.
The guy who had been standing around Woo-jae and the kids surrounding him also did the same.
"Was it fun?"
Finally, when I thought things were quieting down, I heard Woo-jae's voice from the next seat.
When I turned my head, Woo-jae was looking at me with his chin resting on his hand.
"What was?"
"You were laughing."
When did you see that again?
Won stared straight ahead with a calm face.
There was no need to deny that it felt refreshing.
His eyes leisurely followed the professor's movements.
He was trying to maintain a composed face, but he was overly conscious of the gaze that touched his profile.
I never knew my field of vision was so wide.
Because he was conscious of that penetrating gaze, his temples throbbed heavily.
Just as Won lowered his gaze, he felt a warm breath on the back of his neck.
Startled, the gaze quickly turned to the side.
The hand wrapped in gauze happened to grab the back of his neck.
Woo-jae's thumb lightly brushed against Won's cheek, pushing it outward.
The corner of his mouth was pulled up by the force, giving a comforting smile.
What the hell are you doing?
Before he could figure out the intention behind the warmth, he moved his hand first.
When he pushed it away with the back of his hand, Woo-jae obediently withdrew his hand and lifted one corner of his mouth.
"Smile."
There was no need for a bewildering request.
Won revealed his annoyed face without hesitation.
"Just study."
He didn't want to mix his words for too long.
His field of vision, alternating between the professor and Woo-jae like a machine, became a little clearer.
His eyes, filled with strength, closely followed the professor's movements.