The next morning, during recess, Uy Phong pulled An Phong to a secluded spot behind the classroom building.
"Hey, let's settle what happened yesterday." Arms crossed, his voice came rough, still breaking into a cough now and then—obvious he hadn't fully recovered.
Leaning against the wall, An Phong tilted his head slightly, calm as ever.
"Oh… you mean that misunderstanding?"
"Yeah." Uy Phong's gaze locked onto him.
Expression unreadable, An Phong lowered his voice.
"As I said before—I thought you liked Vy, but at the same time had feelings for An Thu as well."
Uy Phong's eyes bulged. He choked mid-breath, coughing violently before snapping:
"Are you insane!? Do I look like some two-timing bastard to you!?"
"I only said it because I saw it myself," An Phong replied evenly, meeting his glare without flinching.
Uy Phong grit his teeth, nearly growling.
"Saw what, exactly? Spell it out. What day was this supposed 'two-timing' crap?"
Silent for a few seconds, An Phong searched his memory. Then his lips parted.
"The day after we argued in the gym. I saw you patting An Thu's head—you looked close. I thought you liked Vy, so it made sense you'd be jealous of me. That's why I told Vy, planning to confront you together and clear things up."
Uy Phong froze. His eyes dimmed.
"Clear up… what?" His voice dropped.
"That she doesn't like you." The words landed sharp, merciless.
"…Ha…" A joyless chuckle escaped Uy Phong. He raked a hand through his hair, his brow furrowing.
"Funny, isn't it?" His laugh turned bitter, twisted. "Neither of you actually liked me. Damn… I'm going mad. Do you know how much hell I've gone through because of your stupid assumption?"
An Phong raised a brow, silent, watching the broad shoulders trembling with anger and exhaustion alike.
"Listen carefully." Uy Phong drew in a breath, voice taut. "I never liked Vy. Not once! I had no intention of stealing her from you, so stop obsessing over that nonsense. And An Thu? That day, I was just picking a bug out of her hair. That's it. No 'affectionate head pats' like you imagined. God, I'm losing my mind here."
An Phong lowered his gaze, but his voice stayed calm.
"Then… if all of that's true, why did you get so angry at me that day?"
The question stunned Uy Phong. He opened his mouth, lips moving soundlessly. Why had he exploded at An Phong that day? Even now, he couldn't explain it.
He stammered, stringing half-words together. An Phong only narrowed his eyes, watching him closely—as if trying to pierce straight through his thoughts.
That gaze set Uy Phong's face ablaze. He turned away sharply, heart hammering.
An Phong blinked at the sudden flush on his cheeks. For a moment, he lifted a hand, almost reaching to check his forehead.
"H-Hey, you're not—"
Before he could finish, Uy Phong hacked into a fake cough, stumbling back several steps to dodge the touch. An Phong's hand hung awkwardly midair.
"Guess… I'm still not fully recovered… cough, cough…" Uy Phong rasped, refusing to meet his eyes. "Sorry… but I don't mean anything by it. I… I don't hate you."
An Phong let the silence hang, then slowly lowered his hand.
"…Alright."
"Sorry… okay?"
"It's fine." His tone remained steady. "So this means everything's settled, right?"
"Uh… yeah… you're not mad at me anymore?"
"No. It's done. I'll explain to Vy—she'll understand. As for you, you should head back to class. You still look terrible."
"…Yeah."
So Uy Phong simply trailed after An Phong back to the classroom. At the door, Vy stood waiting, arms crossed, lips pouting when she saw him following An Phong.
An Phong gave her a small nod, signaling her to move aside. Wide-eyed, she glanced between the two before reluctantly stepping aside to let Uy Phong in.
"Hey!" Vy darted up to An Phong, whispering urgently. "Well? Did you two make up? What did he say?"
"Yeah." An Phong kept it brief. "I'll tell you later."
"What!? Why not now? Come on, tell meee!"
"Not now. We still have to go to the office to get the homeroom logbook. Hurry before break's over."
"Hmph! Fine, but you'd better spill on the way!"
Still sulking, she tugged An Phong's arm, dragging him toward the office.
That evening, at rehearsal—
Because his health hadn't fully returned, Uy Phong grew dizzy after only a short while. He quietly excused himself, leaving the others to continue.
Alone in a corner, he sat clutching his head, breath ragged, sweat beading in his palms.
Mr.Tri quickly stepped away from the group, frowning.
"Uy Phong, you okay? Do you need to go home and rest?"
"I'm… fine…" His voice was hoarse, unconvincing.
"Fine, my ass!" Mr.Tri snapped. "Look at you—you're pale as a ghost. Did you take your medicine?"
Uy Phong gave a weak nod, slumping back against the wall, face contorted as he stifled a groan.
"You already took it, yet you're still like this…" Mr.Tri pressed his palm to the boy's forehead—and froze.
"Good god… you're burning up! This won't do! You need to go home. Call your parents, you can't walk back alone like this!"
"No… cough… I-I…" Uy Phong shook his head weakly, throat tight.
"Come on! Hand me your phone, I'll call them for you!" Mr.Tri demanded, hand out.
But Uy Phong just shook his head again, brows furrowed, silently refusing.
The dancers across the room had already stopped, whispering.
"Whoa, what's wrong with him? He looks awful.""His face is so pale…""He might pass out any second…"
Several moved as if to help—only to see An Phong step forward first, firm, steady.
"I'll take him home." His voice carried no doubt.
"Huh? Well… alright. But do you even know his address? Shouldn't we at least call his parents?" Mr.Tri still hesitated.
"No need. His parents are busy—they can't come right now." An Phong's tone left no room for argument. His gaze never left Uy Phong.
"Haiz… fine. I'll call a taxi for you both." Mr.Tri sighed, pulling out his phone.
"Thank you."
Meanwhile, An Phong crouched beside Uy Phong, lowering his voice.
"Uy Phong, can you hear me?"
He pressed the back of his hand to the other boy's forehead. Scalding. His brows drew tight.
Too hot…
"Mm…" Uy Phong groaned, faint but responsive.
"Good. That's enough." An Phong nodded gently, voice calm. "Come on, let's stand up together."
He slipped an arm under his shoulder, hauling him upright. The weight came crashing down onto him at once. An Phong clenched his jaw, muttering inwardly—
What the hell does this guy eat to weigh this much…