After their classes, Minjin felt relieved that she didn't have to attend the self-study session. Her fellow trainees were lined up, stretching their bodies in front of Mr. Kim. Heo Yeong-Hwan was watching her out of the corner of his eye while standing next to her. He suddenly smiled and turned his gaze forward as he also began to stretch. He thought that at least he could still be with Minjin during their taekwondo training.
A moment later, Mr. Kim instructed them to run around the training room.
A few minutes later, after their run, Mr. Kim instructed them to practice in pairs. Heo Yeong-Hwan immediately approached Minjin. "Minjin-ah, let's team up."
"Sure," Minjin said as she adjusted her position.
"Why don't you try to attack me? I'll assess your strength and power," Heo Yeong-hwan said.
Minjin nodded. "Alright, you'll be next."
Heo Yeong-hwan smiled. "Yeah, let's do it."
In the classroom, Minjun was reviewing his notes when he paused to glance at the empty chair beside him. He leaned on the chair, lifted his head, and sighed deeply. Just then, his female classmate, who approached him regularly, came over to his desk again. His focus shifted, and he turned to look at her.
"Minjun-ah, could you tell us how you solved the geometry problem earlier?" the girl asked, smiling shyly.
Minjun sighed, feeling a bit exasperated, and suddenly stood up from his seat. "I need to step out for a bit. I'll be back to help you all later."
The girl tried to hide a smile and nodded. "Okay."
Minjun attempted to smile back before leaving.
Minjun walked down the corridors as some students casually waved hello, and a few girls shyly smiled in his direction. Passing by with these people made him suddenly realize that only Minjin and her group of friends treated him differently. He recognized this because Bang Eun-Kyung and Mun Sara had also been genuine with him. A slight smirk crossed his face as he recalled when they hid Minjin's existence from him. Though he understood why since Minjin had once entranced him. His smirk lingered when he realized that Minjin's friends were likely upset with him because he had reported her actions to the principal.
He kept walking through the school grounds, reflecting on how Minjin had been treating him and showing her annoyance. He wondered if it was his fault that she was being mean to him. However, the thought of her becoming rebellious and outspoken hadn't fully sunk in until now.
The Minjin he knew was gentle and always wore a smile. She was also persistent and consistently supported him. Now, she was deliberately making him feel disinterested in being by his side. He sighed deeply at this thought.
His feet carried him to the corridors leading to the taekwondo training room. Outside, he could hear the loud sounds of groaning and kicking. Through the open door, his eyes instinctively searched for Minjin. When he spotted her, his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her training alone with Heo Yeong-Hwan.
Upon seeing this, he couldn't shake the thought that Heo Yeong-Hwan had been there first for Minjin when she attended school. He now understood that Minjin was the girl he had tried to bully in the cafeteria on the first day of the semester. Since that incident, a connection between Minjin and Heo Yeong-Hwan has begun to form. He also recalled what Bang Eun-Kyung had mentioned—they would be having dinner at Heo Yeong-Hwan's BBQ restaurant after Minjin completed her secret tasks.
As he looked at them now, he remembered the moment in grade school when he saw a boy give Minjin a love letter. At that time, Minjin had chased after him, showing concern for his feelings. He raised his hands and glanced at it, still recalling how she had held his hands, reassuring him that he was her one and only best friend.
He swallowed hard and clenched his hands. To steady himself, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He turned to leave but was startled to see Choi Ye-joon innocently looking in.
"What's there to see, Jeoha?" Choi Ye-joon feigned ignorance, which made Minjun smirk as he walked away.
Choi Ye-joon chuckled softly and walked beside him. "Does it hurt? Even though you're adored and have had received confessions from other girls, the only one who matters to you seems uninterested in you?"
Minjun continued to walk with a smirk on his face, remaining silent as he did not respond.
"She could be beside you during classes, but outside, when you weren't around, she was always with Heo Yeong-Hwan," Choi Ye-Joon pressed on.
Minjun merely smirked and chose not to respond again.
Choi Ye-joon let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. "I thought you were smart. You successfully had her right next to you in the classroom. You've already proven that you can use your ability to keep her in your section. So why can't you see that you can also keep her by your side outside of the classroom?"
That made Minjun halt with his eyes widened by the sudden question.
"Minjun-ah," Choi Ye-joon said, resting his bent arm on Minjun's shoulder. "Heo Yeong-Hwan may seem like he has a chance, but you actually have the upper hand. I'm curious—aren't you confident enough? I mean... you already have the charm to attract girls."
Minjun slowly turned his head to face him, and upon seeing his expression, Choi Ye-Joon chuckled. "I didn't know what history you and Minjin had, but watching you stare at them as if you've already lost made me realize there's more to the story."
Minjun struggled to respond as he tried to process Choi Ye-Joon's suggestions. Choi Ye-Joon tapped him on the shoulder and said, "You already had her before; it's not too late to have her again now."
With a teasing smile, Choi Ye-Joon walked away, leaving Minjun frozen in place. It took him a moment to react before he huffed in disbelief, "Why am I so stupid?" He asked himself.
He glanced at Choi Ye-Joon's fading figure in the corridor and suddenly smirked. "He's speaking from his own experience," he said while shaking his head as he began to walk down the hallway again.