The next class was English, and Kim Seon-min had prepared an audio script for the students to practice their listening skills.
Minjin sighed as she stared out the window, resting her chin on her palm.
The audio script was a lengthy passage about a trip to London. When the passage concluded, the narrator asked the first comprehension question. However, no one in the class raised their hand when Kim Seon-min paused the audio. She looked around the room, encouraging volunteers until Mun Sara finally raised her hand. Kim Seon-min called on her, and Mun Sara answered correctly, earning praise from Kim Seon-min for her response.
Minjun noticed that Minjin seemed uninterested. He leaned closer to her with a grin. "Why don't you try answering the question so we can move forward?"
"You try answering," Minjin replied, still staring out the window.
Minjun frowned at her response. "What does that supposed to mean?" he asked, trying to lower his voice.
Minjun shot a slight glare at her as they listened to the second question. After the possible answers were listed, Minjin motioned for Minjun to respond.
Minjin stifled a chuckle. "Minjun-ah, I told you the other day that this isn't the right way to teach English to non-English speakers." She gestured around the room. "Look around; no one is brave enough to answer."
Minjun suddenly flashed a teasing grin at her. "So, will you teach me?"
"Aniya," Minjin quickly replied, turning her gaze away from him to look out the window. "You're rich. You can afford to attend a hagwon."
Minjun smirked faintly as he stared ahead. "I can, but Abeoji wouldn't allow it. He believes I'm intelligent enough to handle studying by putting in more effort."
Minjin's eyes widened as she slowly turned to him again. "By consistently being in the top spot, you are proving him right. He thinks you're strong enough to handle complicated situations. As I've said before, it's okay to feel tired, and it's also okay to talk about your weaknesses." She sighed and gazed out of the window again. "Still, I understand that the view on masculinity influences your thoughts."
Minjun chuckled softly as he lowered his head. "How come you understand almost everything?" he asked.
Minjin sighed deeply, resting her chin on her palm. "Sometimes it's a disadvantage to know too much about the world," she replied.
Minjun smiled softly as he raised his head to look ahead. "I enjoy having conversations like this with you. You are quite talkative about things that make sense," he said.
Minjin let out a small snort. "You hear what I'm saying, but are you really listening? I asked if you were tired, but you just turned the question back on me. I told you it was okay to talk about your weaknesses, yet you chose to ask me again," she replied with a deep sigh.
Minjun faintly smiled and lowered his head, feeling the weight of Minjin's understanding of his feelings, which he hadn't even noticed until she mentioned them. He remained silent for a moment, sighing deeply before lifting his head. "Fine, you can see right through me."
Minjin then rested her arm above the desk and laid her head upon it. "Let's stop talking now."
Minjun softly chuckled and shook his head. Glancing at her, a subtle smile spread across his face as he remembered what Choi Ye-joon had told him yesterday. He smirked as he turned to look ahead. "Yeah, it's not too late yet," he said to himself.
###
During lunchtime, Minjin was at the front of the line with Kim Aecha and Heo Yeong-hwan, ready to get their trays. In the middle of the line, Mun Sara, Minjin, and Bang Eun-Kyung stood together far behind them. Minjun couldn't take his eyes off Heo Yeong-hwan, who was near Minjin. He couldn't help but frown slightly, accompanied by a small smirk.
Bang Eun-Kyung noticed Minjun looking intently at someone. He followed Minjun's gaze and shook his head. Leaning closer, he said, "Ya, Minjun, Minjin-ah may seem close to you, but she's actually out of your reach. I'm curious—after all these years, why are you still interested in her?"
Minjun turned to face him. "You know she's an interesting girl."
Bang Eun-Kyung chuckled. "Yeah, I get that. But I don't see her in the same way you do."
Minjun shifted his attention back to Minjin, who was now walking along the path lined with tables. "Honestly, I don't know."
A smile spread across Bang Eun-Kyung's face in response. "But, what's it like having her sit next to you every day?"
Minjun smiled genuinely as he looked back at Bang Eun-Kyung. "It feels just right."
Bang Eun-Kyung grinned slightly and nodded. "And that is the answer."
###
During the self-study session, Minjin was focused on reading a book when Minjun suddenly locked their arms together with a chain. Minjin's eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly stared at him in disbelief.
"Are you crazy?" she exclaimed loudly, which caught the attention of their classmates nearby.
Minjun smirked, keeping his gaze on her. "This way, you won't escape."
"Unchain this now!" Minjin demanded in anger.
Minjun's grin widened. "In two hours," he said as he returned to his notes.
"You!" Minjin fumed.
Their classmates, especially the girls sitting nearby, had begun whispering amongst themselves.
"I've never seen Minjun be this mean to anyone, especially a girl," one said.
"He must really hate her," another added.
"And she's the only girl who dares to fight back against Jeoha," one more chimed in.
"She's so disrespectful toward him. Every girl who likes Minjun hates her now," one girl murmured while a few of them silently giggled.
"I don't think she's smart. I think she's just a bit slow," another added with a sneer, followed by quiet laughter.
Mun Sara looked at Minjin and Minjun with shocked eyes. She could hear the murmurs from her female classmates around her. Turning her gaze to their chained arms, she swallowed hard, realizing that Minjun was indeed acting strangely towards Minjin, and now she was not the only one noticing it.
She shifted her focus back to Minjin, who couldn't tear her glaring stare away from Minjun. Meanwhile, Bang Eun-Kyung's eyes widened as he saw what Minjun had done this time. However, he quickly smiled, shook his head, and lowered it to read his notes.
"Why are you really mean to me, Minjun-ah?" Minjin suddenly asked, her frown deepening.
Minjun slightly grinned to one side before turning to look at her. "The other day, I was just busy helping others, but you took the opportunity to escape from me. Minjin-ah, every time I take my eyes off you, you end up doing something silly. This…" He raised their chained arms. "This will be quite useful for keeping you by my side during the self-study session," he said with a grin before lowering their arms.
"This is just childish!" Minjin exclaimed loudly, causing their classmates to turn their heads in their direction again.
Minjun looked around and turned to her with a grin. "That's right, say it out loud. If you find this childish, then stop acting like a child, Minjin-ah. You can hear what I'm saying, but you're also not really listening to me." He said this before returning to his notes.
Minjin sighed deeply as she returned to her book. "I can't believe you are doing this to me."
Minjun simply smirked in response before returning to his notes. However, he paused when a sudden realization hit him. Since both of them had changed, their relationship had also evolved significantly from when they were younger. It might have seemed like they argued most of the time, but there was an unspoken bond that lingered between them.
He smiled and began jotting down notes. "Minjin-ah."
"What now?" Minjin replied, her annoyance evident as she kept her eyes on her book.
"You're getting pretty good at getting on my nerves. Are you doing it on purpose?" Minjun teased.
"Well, you're also really good at getting on my nerves, so we're even," Minjin shot back with a snort.
Minjun sighed. "You didn't answer my question."
Minjin suddenly turned to glare at him. "Are you intentionally doing this?" She asked, lifting their chained arms.
Minjun smirked slightly. "I asked you first."
Minjin continued to glare at him as he maintained his smirk. After a moment, she spoke up. "You started this, Minjun-ah. I'm just reacting to how you've been acting toward me."
Minjun grinned. "Yeah, right. I definitely do this on purpose." He raised their chained arms again. "And I'll let you figure out why," he added with a playful grin before lowering their arms back to the desk and returning to his notes.
Minjin's eyes widened in surprise as she glanced back at her notes.
Suddenly, she recalled what Minjun had once said when they were younger—that he didn't want her to be surrounded by their classmates. She snorted to herself, realizing that the situation was now reversed; he was the one surrounded by their classmates, especially most of the girls.
Her eyes widened more as she remembered his exact words: "...it bothers me."
She slowly processed that she was now experiencing that very feeling. She sighed deeply and lowered her head, resting her forehead on her desk in an attempt to hide her uneasiness.
A couple of minutes passed, and Minjin finally fell asleep at her desk, her face turned toward Minjun. He glanced over at her and couldn't help but smile. Leaning his head on his palm, he observed her peaceful expression while also noticing how close their hands were due to the chain connecting them.
After checking to ensure that no one was paying attention, he quietly lowered his head onto the desk, mirroring Minjin's position.
Minjun hesitated for a moment before gently reaching for her hand, which was within their linked arms. He kept his eyes on her peaceful face, realizing he enjoyed seeing her sleep comfortably beside him. Unbeknownst to him, he also drifted off to sleep, his face mirroring Minjin's while still holding her hand.
Bang Eun-Kyung was reading when he yawned and stretched his upper body. He glanced in the direction of Minjun and suddenly chuckled to himself when he saw them sleeping together. However, his attention shifted when Mun Sara blocked his view. She stood near Minjun, causing him to frown slightly, though all he could see was her back. Mun Sara remained there for a few seconds before leaving with her shoulders slumped and her lips curled, which made it seem to Bang Eun-Kyung that she was disappointed.
He turned to look back at his book, but his eyes widened with a sudden realization. He recalled the time when Mun Sara had given Minjun his favorite snack. Curious, he turned to look at Mun Sara in her seat.
He instinctively stood up from his seat and approached her. He paused for a moment behind her, observing her body language. Her head was lowered, and her hands seemed to cover her face.
"Sara-ah," Bang Eun-Kyung called softly.
Mun Sara quickly moved her hands away from her face, her back slightly hunched as she breathed heavily. It took her a moment to respond, and she still didn't turn to look at him.
"Yeah, Eun-Kyung-ah?"
His eyes widened at the tone of her voice. He swallowed hard before speaking. "Can I borrow your notes for English?"
Mun Sara kept her head down as she rummaged behind her chair. She retrieved her notes from her bag and handed them over to Bang Eun-Kyung without looking at him.
Bang Eun-Kyung forced a smile. "Gomawo, I'll return them to you later."
Mun Sara kept her head low and managed to nod in response.
He then turned around and walked back to his seat, letting out a deep sigh as he realized that she had feelings for Minjun. He wondered if he should honestly tell her that Minjun had already resolved his feelings.
A little while later, Minjin stirred awake. She blinked in confusion when she realized that Minjun's face was right next to hers. Her eyes widened in shock as she sat up abruptly and noticed that their hands were clasped together. A rush of heat flooded her face, and her heart began to race. It took her a moment to pull her hand away in a hurry, which startled Minjun and caused him to wake up.
"Ya, why are you still sleeping?" Minjin asked, her voice a mix of surprise and annoyance.
"What time is it?" Minjun mumbled groggily as he sat up and stretched his upper body.
"It's time to go home!" Minjin exclaimed, noticing some of their classmates packing up. "Get this off now!" she demanded, gesturing to the chain still connecting them.
"Alright, alright. Hold still," Minjun replied calmly, rummaging through his backpack for the key. He unlocked the chain, and the moment it was removed, Minjin quickly packed her belongings into her backpack, grabbed it, and dashed out of the room.
"Minjin-ah! Wait for me!" Mun Sara called, running after her.
Minjun couldn't help but smile at Minjin's reaction. He shook his head while packing up his belongings. Just then, Bang Eun-kyung walked over and slung his backpack over his shoulder.
"You know, you're starting to seem a little possessive," he teased.
Minjun smirked slightly, which quickly turned into a chuckle. "Minjin is not dumb; she'll get it soon."
"By chaining her to you?" Bang Eun-kyung replied, raising an eyebrow.
"I only did chaining her to keep her from skipping the self-study session," Minjun defended himself.
Bang Eun-kyung chuckled. "Well, it turns out she has already influenced you to sleep."
Minjun smiled as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and stood up from his desk. "I sometimes feel tired, Eun-kyung-ah. Minjin-ah was always dozing off in class because she read late into the night. You heard her; she was studying the science books that Saem Song recommended."
They walked together toward the back door of the classroom. Bang Eun-kyung chuckled again. "You seem to know her really well," he teased.
Minjun smirked gently. "She can also see right through me."