Tears welled in Seolhyo's reddened eyes as she watched
She quietly grabbed the hem of Seojin's shirt and wipe her tears with it.
He didn't complain.
He just rested his hand on her head, fingers gently combing through her hair while the lights slowly brightened.
The movie ended, and the group shuffled outside the cinema hall.
Irina wiped under her eyes, sniffing lightly. "…That was so good."
Mijin nodded, still emotional. "I want to watch it again…"
Park Dong scoffed loudly. "The hell are you crying over a movie for? What are you, five?"
Suwon blinked. "Huh? Weren't you crying whe-"
Before he could finish, Park Dong clamped a hand over his mouth and glared at him.
"Say one more word and you're dead."
Suwon just laughed behind his hand.
Seojin walked back toward them from the restroom, wiping his hands with a tissue.
He casually tossed it toward the trash can.
It landed cleanly inside.
Nice. Three points.
He slid his hands into his pockets and stepped beside Seolhyo.
When he looked down, he noticed faint wetness still lingering on her cheeks.
He lifted his hand and gently wiped beneath her eyes with his thumb.
He chuckled softly. "You cried that much? You're ruining your makeup."
Seolhyo closed her eyes slightly, letting him wipe her face
Then Seojin looked at the others. "Where are you guys heading now?"
Park Dong raised both hands. "Home. I'm broke. I'm seriously out good thing my allowance is tomorrow."
Suwon nodded. "Yeah, I'll go home too."
Jinkyung stretched. "We'll head home as well."
Irina agreed, adjusting her bag. "It's getting late anyway."
Mijin sighed dramatically. "What a shame. We have to go home already? Let's hang out again next time."
She waved. "I'll go first. I need to catch my bus."
One by one, they started saying their goodbyes.
The noisy group slowly thinned out, their laughter fading into the evening air.
-
"Midterms are soon. Are you guys even studying?"
The teacher stood at the front, wiping the blackboard while scanning the classroom with narrowed eyes.
His gaze landed on a boy halfway out of his seat already.
"Look at that guy already getting ready to bolt for lunch." He clapped the eraser against the board. "Alright. Class ends here."
The moment the words left his mouth, the room exploded.
Chairs scraped loudly against the floor.
"Move!!"
"You move, dumbass!"
A wave of students rushed toward the door like it was a race for survival.
Seolhyo stood up calmly, watching the chaos unfold.
"They're fast as fuck. Seriously, they could be track stars."
Irina stretched her arms over her head, joints cracking. "Can't help it. Galbitang's on the menu today. Mmmph."
As they stepped into the hallway, Seolhyo spotted Seojin walking with the boys.
"Going to eat?" she called out. "Let's go together."
Park Dong yawned lazily, covering his mouth. "Yawn… okay."
Jisung rubbed his stomach, muttering to himself, "Sleeping on my stomach gave me the worst dry burp."
He burped quite loudly and looked satisfied.
Suwon looked at him with disgust and stepped sideways, not wanting to be near him.
Seojin stretched his arms wide as he walked, shoulders rolling back.
When he reached Seolhyo, he casually dropped his arm over her shoulders like it had always belonged there.
"Let's go before everything's gone."
Park Dong watched her. "...You really love eating that much, huh?"
Irina said cheerfully, "My dad said he'd buy this for me anytime if he could. You should eat more maybe you'll gain some muscle."
Park Dong offered her a piece of meat from his tray. "I'm fine with just this. Here, eat more."
Seolhyo watched the boys with mild disbelief, then turned to the table.
"Did you guys even study? The test's next week."
Jisung waved her off dramatically like she'd just insulted his bloodline. "Study? Are you insane? Absolutely not."
Suwon shrugged, lazily stabbing at his rice. "I draw all day. Even if I study, nothing sticks. My brain just says 'nope.'"
Seolhyo planted her hands on her hips. "Then why do you even go to school?"
Jisung didn't miss a beat. "My parents' happiness?"
She rolled her eyes so hard it was almost athletic.
Then she turned to Seojin, who was seated beside her, unbothered by their shenanigan. "What about you?"
Seojin calmly picked up a piece of grilled meat with his chopsticks and lifted it toward her mouth without looking at her.
She leaned in and ate it with a small, satisfied smile.
"I already studied everything," he said casually. "I'm fine."
Her cheeks puffed out slightly as she chewed, looking like a chipmunk storing emergency supplies.
He stared at her for half a second
and burst out laughing.
Seolhyo's puffed cheeks stayed inflated. "How do you even do that?" she mumbled.
He reached over and gently pinched both cheeks.
"Finish what's in your mouth before you talk."
Across the table, Suwon and Jisung were staring at them like they'd just witnessed a crime.
"Can we at least eat in peace?" Suwon muttered.
"Yeah, stop flaunting your relationship," Jisung added, clearly offended by the audacity.
The jealousy was so obvious it practically had a Tony LC Sign above it.
Seojin didn't even glance at them.
Seolhyo didn't either.
Irina suddenly leaned back in her chair. "This is better than my mom's cooking."
Park Dong gasped. "You ungrateful little brat."
But a second later, he quietly pushed half his meat toward her tray.
"Just eat it all."
Irina's eyes lit up. "Heck yeah."
Seolhyo caught the exchange and narrowed her eyes slightly.
If I didn't know them… I'd think they were dating.
Seolhyo nudged Seojin lightly with her shoulder.
He glanced at her.
She tilted her chin toward the other end of the table and whispered, "Look at them."
Park Dong was pretending not to look at Irina while very obviously pushing the better pieces of meat onto her tray.
Seojin chuckled under his breath. "At this point, Park Dong might as well confess."
Seolhyo grinned. "He'd get rejected."
Seojin smirked faintly. "…Would he?"
After finishing lunch, they stopped by the snack store the didn't enter and stood near staring at each other while holding their close fist.
To decide who would buy everything, they played rock-paper-scissors.
Seojin lost.
The cheering was immediate.
"HAHA! Go there and bought me my fire burger." Seolhyo laugh at him.
Irina said while handing her money. "Mine a Papico."
"Corn bread."
"I'll have a sausage bread, HAHA!"
Laughing at his misfortune, they waited outside while he stepped into the store and joined the line.
It didn't take long before the girls inside noticed him.
"Hi, Seojin!"
"What are you buying?"
"Seojin, hang out with us later!"
He greeted each of them politely, offering small nods and brief smiles.
Even when a few girls entering the store slowed down, throwing him obvious flirtatious looks, he simply returned a respectful greeting and continued with his purchase.
From outside, the group watched.
Irina leaned closer to Seolhyo and whispered dramatically, "You better watch out. If you're not careful, some sly vixen is going to snatch him right from under your nose. HAHAHA."
Park Dong clicked his tongue, clearly irritated. "Annoying bastard."
Jisung slumped. "He already has a girlfriend and still gets this much attention? Then what about us?"
Irina shot him a look full of mock sympathy. "Having a girlfriend doesn't make him less attractive. You, on the other hand? Lifetime single. I can see it."
Jisung glared at her. "You're the worst."
Seolhyo didn't laugh, argue, or even react to them she just watched Seojin.
Through the glass, she saw him accept the change, gather the snacks carefully, and bow his head slightly in thanks before turning toward the door.
Despite all the attention, he remained completely calm and unbothered. He didn't entertain them or engage in a way that would drag the conversation on he was simply being himself.
And for some reason, instead of being jealous, she admired him,
she couldn't help but smile to herself and think.
That's my boyfriend.
The door opened.
He walked out holding two plastic bags.
"Why are you all staring at me like that?" he asked.
Irina immediately grinned. "Nothing~"
Seolhyo reached out and took one of the bags from him.
"Thanks."
Seojin noticed the small smile playing on Seolhyo's lips.
"Why are you smiling? Is there something on my face?" he asked, lightly touching his cheek as if checking for himself.
Seolhyo only chuckled softly, shaking her head at him, her smile widening.