Chapter 2 The Tutoring Session
The afternoon atmosphere in the classroom was filled with a drowsy silence. Faint sunlight streamed through the wooden window frames, creating beams of light where tiny dust motes danced in the air. Tonhom remained at the same desk, his slender hands carefully arranging thick notebooks and propping open a textbook.
He stole a glance at the tall figure beside him, still submerged in a deep slumber. In sleep, Ter looked far less dangerous than when he was awake. His broad back rose and fell in a steady rhythm of breathing.
His buzz-cut hair complemented his sharp facial structure, and even in sleep, his thick brows were slightly furrowed as if conflicting thoughts were constantly battling in his head.
Tonhom let out a quiet sigh. 'If I let him stay like this, he'll just be a shadow passing through this room forever.' With that thought, his slender fingers reached out to gently nudge the broad shoulder.
"Ter... can you wake up for a moment?" his soft, mellow voice called out kindly, while his fingertips tapped lightly on the strong arm. Tonhom's eyes showed hesitation, but his determination was clear.
"Ter, let's do some tutoring. I'll teach you," Tonhom persisted. He moved a bit closer until he caught a faint scent of perfume from the person in front of him.
"Don't bother me... I'm gonna sleep," a raspy, deep voice snapped irritably. Ter shifted his shoulder away from the annoying touch, preparing to bury his face back into his arms, completely indifferent to how embarrassing his rejection might be for the person asking.
But this time, Tonhom wouldn't give up. He slid his chair even closer until their shoulders almost touched.
"You can sleep after we're done. Besides... the others in the class will get better grades if you lead the way and start studying before everyone else," Tonhom reasoned. His gaze was so sincere that it made it hard for anyone to refuse.
Ter's brow furrowed deeper. He lifted his head to look directly at the person beside him. His eyes flared with annoyance at being disturbed, but they also held a hint of curiosity wondering where this little guy got his courage.
"Why are you pestering me so much? I want to sleep!" he barked, frustrated, while haphazardly messing up his already ruffled hair.
"It'll only take a moment. It won't kill you," Tonhom's voice shifted from soft to noticeably playful.
A sly smile played at the corner of Tonhom's mouth, and his narrow eyes sparkled with a challenging glint. He leaned in closer, unafraid of the fierce aura Ter projected, until Ter had to exhale sharply, his hot breath hitting the palm of his own hand.
"Fine! Fine... I'm too lazy to argue. Just get on with it," he grumbled in defeat. Despite his scowl, he sat up straight and leaned against the back of his chair, ready to listen.
A small victory bloomed in Tonhom's heart. He suppressed a grin, moved the textbook toward the larger boy, and began pointing at the problems on the page with ease.
"Look, this equation. If we want to solve for x, where do you think we should start?" Tonhom's voice was full of enthusiasm as he pointed to a large problem in the center of the page.
Ter raised an eyebrow, staring at the squiggly numbers as if they were ancient hieroglyphs. He stared for a moment before turning away dismissively.
"I don't know... told you not to bother me," he brushed it off, crossing his arms and leaning back to create distance.
Tonhom let out a soft chuckle a sound that was surprisingly pleasant to the ear. That laugh seemed to miraculously soften the tense atmosphere surrounding Ter.
"Sigh... you're not the only one who's confused. Everyone in this room wants to pass," Tonhom murmured, using his finger to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
"I don't care... I never wanted to study in the first place." Although his words were cutting and blunt, Ter's sharp eyes didn't look out the window like they usually did.
Without realizing it, Ter began to observe the side profile of his "tutor." He saw
Tonhom's long, thin eyelashes fluttering as he read the problems, his fair skin reflecting the soft sunlight by the window, and those glasses that kept slipping to the tip of his nose... everything looked so soft and pleasing that Ter found himself staring.
"If you don't study, how are you going to pass?" Tonhom pressed, tilting his head slightly. His gaze was so serious it made Ter feel a bit out of place.
"I have my own ways," Ter brushed him off, turning his head away to avoid the eyes that seemed to read his every thought.
"You don't need to use 'other ways.' Come on... I'll help you," Tonhom said. His voice, full of goodwill, and his honest gaze began to shake the tough guy's heart. Ter could only pout to hide the strange sensation bubbling up in his chest.
"Fine, help then... but I don't promise I'll remember anything, okay?" he hissed like a grumpy wildcat, yet he sat down properly and clumsily snatched the pencil from
Tonhom's hand.
The initial tension gradually faded, replaced by the faint warmth of the afternoon sun hitting the desk. Tonhom began explaining the formulas patiently, moving so close that his slim shoulder pressed against Ter's muscular arm.
"If I tell you what g stands for in this equation, would you remember?" Tonhom tested him, tilting his head to look at the boy beside him. His eyes held a touch of fondness, like he was cornering a stubborn child.
The person being questioned went silent for a moment. He glared at the English letter as if it were a sworn enemy before giving a random answer.
"It's... some damn variable, I don't know. I don't care," he said, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment when he realized he was completely wrong.
"See? You really don't know anything yet," Tonhom burst into a genuine laugh, his eyes crinkling. His face flushed slightly from the effort of holding back his amusement. It was such a bright laugh that Ter stood dazed for a moment.
"Hey! Don't you laugh at me! I just woke up; my brain hasn't started yet," Ter protested loudly in the nearly empty room. He tried to look fierce at the smaller guy, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling a rare, shy grin that only Tonhom got to see right now.
"That's exactly why you need to pay attention, instead of just letting yourself be confused," Tonhom warned with a smile, tapping the pen lightly on the notebook for emphasis.
Ter pretended to look stern, shifting his body to hide his nervousness.
"Pay attention? Me? Are you dreaming?" He cocked a defiant eyebrow, but his eyes were no longer as fierce as they were at the start.
Tonhom laughed again, eventually raising both hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay. So, what do you want me to teach next?"
"Multiplication and division..." Ter mumbled under his breath like a sulky kid, his broad back leaning over the desk again.
Tonhom moved his chair even closer until their shoulders were almost touching. A faint, clean scent his signature fragrance drifted toward Ter, making him freeze for a second. His breath hitched for a split second before he tried to sit still and act natural while Tonhom began to patiently write out the steps in the notebook.
"Look... multiplication is just increasing numbers in equal proportions. See? It's not as hard as you thought."
"Yeah... theory is always easy to say," Ter countered flatly. He acted like he didn't care, but his eyes were secretly fixed on the fair, slender fingers skillfully moving the pen. The sunlight hitting the hands in front of him was unexpectedly mesmerizing.
"Since you understand now... if you actually take the test, can you do it?" Tonhom leaned in closer, a playful challenge in his voice.
"Don't worry about it... I already know my own answers," Ter shrugged confidently. That natural arrogance made him look strangely charming in the eyes of the beholder.
"Then I'll be watching to see if your next test score is as good as your boasting," Tonhom looked Ter straight in the eye, a mischievous glint in his narrow gaze.
"Of course... someone at my level doesn't miss," Ter shrugged and let out a smirk. His arrogant stance contrasted with his eyes, which had softened significantly. He didn't know if the problem in front of him was hard or easy, but he knew that the clean, faint scent from the person beside him calmed his mind in a strange way.
"Then try this one. If you get it right, I'll let you go back to sleep," Tonhom handed the notebook back, pointing at the last problem. His clear eyes watched the big guy with amusement, like a fisherman setting a hook.
Ter looked at the problem and then at Tonhom's expectant face. He played it cool, furrowing his brow and staring at the numbers for a long time as if in deep thought. In reality, he was suppressing a smile at the smaller boy's excitement. Finally, he pressed the pen down and wrote the answer firmly, the tip of the pen digging into the paper with over-the-top confidence.
Tonhom immediately leaned down to check the result, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait... it's right!" he exclaimed excitedly, looking at Ter with undeniable admiration.
"Told you, it's my level," Ter exhaled proudly, puffing out his chest for a moment before quickly face-planting back onto the desk to hide the smile that had slipped out. He buried his face in his strong arms, his heart suddenly racing just because he received a compliment from the small guy beside him.
"I kept my promise... don't bother me."
Tonhom looked at the broad back of the person who had just "showed off" to him with a faint smile. He didn't say anything more, only quietly packed his notebooks and stationery into his bag as silently as possible so as not to disturb the other's rest.
The silence that had been awkward in the morning had turned into a silence that felt light and comfortable. Tonhom no longer felt like he had to try so hard to ad
apt. It seemed that the "Landlord" of this room was beginning to open up his personal space, bit by bit.