The lecture droned on, but at Park Dong's desk, something quietly slipped into view.
Suwon, seated beside him, slid a small red sketchbook onto his lap without a word.
Park Dong blinked. "…What's this?"
"Start from the back," Suwon murmured, his eyes fixed on the board.
"The hell I'm not in the mood to" His words choked off mid-sentence.
His eyes went wide, jaw hanging as he froze.
Then, suddenly, flip flip flip the sound of pages flipping filled the tiny space as he hurried through the book, his face turning red for an entirely different reason.
Suwon cleared his throat softly. "…That's it for now."
Park Dong snapped the book shut, whipped his head toward Suwon, and whispered harshly, "Follow me. Now."
Curiosity piqued, Suwon trailed him as they slipped behind the curtain shielding the storage nook in the back of the classroom. H
idden from view, Park Dong turned, goofy grin plastered across his face.
"You… drew all of this?" His voice dropped, almost reverent.
Suwon hesitated, then nodded once.
"Holy shit," Park Dong whispered, grinning ear to ear.
"You're insane. This is like… professional level. Bro, I didn't know you had this in you!"
Suwon scratched his cheek, embarrassed, but Park Dong was already flipping back through the pages, eyes sparkling.
"Tch what the hell, man. Is there a next chapter? Don't tell me you stopped right when it was getting good!"
From his seat, Yang Jinsu squinted toward the back. The faint sound of muffled giggles drifted past the curtain.
He frowned, tilting his head. "What the hell are those two idiots doing back there?"
The curtain rustled as Yang Jinsu's voice cut in, suspicious and sharp.
"What the what are you two doing back there? You best buddies now or something?"
Park Dong popped his head out, forcing an annoyed grin.
"What's wrong with reading a manga, huh? Mind your own business, dork." He tugged the curtain tighter behind him, clearly not wanting Jinsu anywhere near.
Yang Jinsu narrowed his eyes. "…Manga? In the middle of class?"
His suspicion only grew, his gaze darting between their smirks. "Tch, you guys are hiding something."
Before Park Dong could deflect again, Suwon's calm voice drifted out from behind the curtain.
"…Hey, Yang Jinsu."
Jinsu blinked. "What?"
"You wanna see.?"
That simple invitation froze the air for a second. Park Dong whipped around, whisper-shouting at Suwon, "Are you crazy?! Don't show him he'll blab to everyone!"
But curiosity was already eating away at Jinsu.
Against his better judgment, he shoved his way in. "Tch, like I'd care about your lame…"
Then his words stopped dead. His eyes fell on the open sketchbook, and the color drained from his face before immediately flooding back tenfold. His jaw slackened, his breath hitched, and then
Flip flip flip
His fingers turned the pages faster and faster, his expression caught between disbelief and awe. "Th-the hell… You… you drew this?"
Suwon only nodded, a little embarrassed but also hiding a proud glint in his eyes.
Jinsu froze on a particularly detailed panel, his lips twitching. "…Holy shit."
He immediately snapped the book a little closer to his body, his posture shifting awkwardly as he lowered his hips, clearly trying to hide something.
Park Dong burst out laughing, smacking him on the back. "Hah! Look at you you're no different than me!"
"Sh-shut up!" Jinsu barked, his ears burning. He kept flipping through the pages anyway, face way too serious for someone looking at that.
Once Yang Jinsu got hooked, the dam broke.
Word spread like wildfire across the room.
Park Dong approached Im Yonjing and Kang Hyuk, who were casually walking down the hallway.
With a sly, almost unsettling smile, he suddenly spoke from behind them, his voice cold and cryptic:"You guys wanna see some real simulation?"
Startled, the two turned around, their eyes wide. Kang Hyuk, ever suspicious, raised an eyebrow."Simulation?"
Without a word, Park Dong gestured for them to follow, leading them down the hall to their classroom.
Park Dong flashed the red sketchbook, both of their expressions shifted.
Within minutes, they were crammed inside too, jaws slack, whispering curses under their breath as they flipped through the pages.
Kang hyuk threw an arm around Suwon's shoulder, his voice booming with praise. "Damn, Ji Suwon, you're a freakin' genius! This isn't just drawing this is talent! This is art!"
Soon enough, every boy in the classroom wanted a look. Desks scraped as they gathered, forming an eager circle. Some even started joking.
"Make me the main character next time!"
"No, no, put me in I'll be perfect for it!"
"Bro, Suwon… you could make us immortal with this stuff!"
Suwon, red-faced, held onto the sketchbook like it was a double-edged sword. And maybe it was.
Inside his head, two voices bickered.
Good Conscience:Suwon… stop this madness! You're supposed to be studying, not drawing stuff that'll get you expelled!
Bad Conscience:Shut up, look at them—they're worshiping him! Finally, some damn recognition! Keep going, Suwon. They need you.
Good Conscience:You'll regret it.
Bad Conscience:Heh. Worth it.
Before he could decide which voice to listen to, the classroom door slammed open.
Im Yongjin and Kang Hyuk reappeared, this time dragging in none other than Choi Jinwoo.
The atmosphere froze. The room went dead silent, all eyes snapping toward him.
Jinwoo's heavy footsteps echoed as he approached, his metallic, weighty voice rumbling. "So… I heard rumors about a masterpiece."
Nobody dared breathe as the red sketchbook was placed in his hands. The tension was unreal.
Flip.
Every turn of the page made the room stiffen.
Flip.
Someone gulped audibly.
A student's inner voice screamed: "I can't breathe!"
Another: "Why do I feel like my mom is scrolling through my PC right now?!"
A third: "Why is my heart racing this is just drawings, right?!"
Flip… flip…
The silence dragged, nerves stretched thin until finally
Snap.
Jinwoo closed the sketchbook.
The sound echoed like a gavel slamming down in court.
Everyone stared, waiting for judgment.
"…Hmmm."
The single hum rattled through the air. Then Jinwoo turned his head toward Suwon, walked over, and with a completely serious face pinched his cheek.
"[Hey… it's good.]" His lips tugged into a smirk.
"[No. It's the best. I've never seen anything like this. You]"
The classroom erupted into muffled laughter and gasps, but before anyone could react further, Kang Hyuk nudged him. "C'mon, Jinwoo, let's get going."
"Yeah," Yongjin added, pulling at his arm.
But Jinwoo didn't budge. His eyes stayed locked on the floor, his face unreadable.
"[I… can't get up.]" His metallic voice carried across the room. "[But not for the reason you think.]"
The room broke into chaos. Some howled with laughter, others collapsed onto desks, and Suwon buried his face in his hands, wishing the ground would swallow him whole.
While the class buzzed over Suwon's sketchbook, I was out cold head buried in my arms, breathing steady.
Curtains rustled, pages flipped, boys whispered like they were guarding state secrets… and I didn't stir once.
To them, it was chaos. To me, just another nap.