Chapter 07 …
I was just blinking in confusion when I suddenly felt someone’s gaze from the side. It felt like Chaehyun was looking at me, but I didn’t have the courage to turn around.
Where am I? When do I get off?
I glanced up at the route map, and out of nowhere, the bus came to a sudden stop.
“Waaah!”
I covered my mouth with both hands, but my head still slammed into the seat in front of me. Chaehyun grabbed my shoulder, and the bag I had placed on my lap slid down to the floor.
It seemed a car had cut in unexpectedly, and the bus driver rolled down the window and shouted angrily.
“Are you okay?”
Chaehyun asked, and I nodded while still holding my mouth.
“Yes, I’m fine. Ah… that startled me.”
I bent down to pick up my fallen bag and vocabulary notebook. Thinking I wouldn’t be able to focus on studying anyway, I tried to put them back in my bag—but the zipper was open.
Huh? Did something fall out?
As I hugged my bag and looked around, something in Chaehyun’s hand caught my eye. He was looking at my wallet, wide open. Inside the transparent pocket was Park Chan-seong’s ID photo I had prepared to give to Seoyeon.
“That’s mine.”
I held out my hand as if asking for it back. He turned and looked at me.
“Who is this?”
As he handed the wallet back, he asked. I folded it and quickly stuffed it into my bag, but I hesitated.
Even families have secrets. I shouldn’t talk about Seoyeon without permission.
“He’s a friend from school.”
I said while closing the zipper, using both hands so I couldn’t even properly cover my mouth, so I tried my best to speak small.
“Just a friend?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you have his photo in your wallet?”
“Oh, this? We went to take ID photos together once and exchanged them.”
“You gave him your photo?”
“Yes. It was kind of trendy back then, collecting friends’ ID photos.”
“That was a trend?”
Chaehyun tilted his head slightly and looked away. I rested my elbow on the window frame and covered my lips lightly with my hand.
“You must be close. Keeping his photo in your wallet.”
At his words, I glanced at him.
We were close… in a way. More like built-up irritation turned into familiarity. I hadn’t planned on keeping the photo with me, but I put it there so I wouldn’t forget it.
I had something to say, but I didn’t know how, so I just stared blankly.
Chaehyun’s face, looking out the window, was expressionless—and for some reason, that made me uneasy. Even though he probably wouldn’t misunderstand or care that much, I still worried.
Unable to hold back, I finally spoke.
“Someone asked me to keep it for them.”
I couldn’t say it was like an older brother and younger sister relationship.
Chaehyun looked back at me.
“What?”
I nodded toward my bag with the wallet inside.
“The photo. Someone asked me for it, but I kept forgetting to bring it, so I just put it in my wallet.”
“I see.”
Chaehyun tilted his head slightly as he answered.
“But Eunsam.”
“Yes?”
“Look at me.”
At his words, my gaze instinctively wavered.
What? Did he notice my braces? I suddenly remembered Park Chan-seong’s careless laugh like an echo in my head.
“Why?”
I avoided his eyes and covered my mouth, but Chaehyun just silently looked at me.
What is it? He noticed, right? I’m doomed.
Just as I tensed up, his hand slowly reached toward my face. His fingers, his palm—his large hand that looked like it would feel warm if it touched my head—came closer.
My heart dropped.
It’s touching my face!
I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.
His fingers touched under my eye and then pulled away.
“Is this blood?”
Chaehyun said, looking at the mark on his fingertip.
“Huh?”
At that moment, like rewinding film, I remembered what happened earlier when I got on the bus—I had cut my finger on paper and covered my mouth with that hand. A drop of blood must have ended up under my eye.
Of course… of all places.
“Look. You must’ve bumped or scratched yourself when the bus stopped suddenly.”
Thinking I might be injured, Chaehyun leaned closer. His face suddenly came too near, and I flinched backward. He stopped.
“Oh, it’s not that…”
I covered my mouth and showed him my finger.
“I cut it on paper earlier. I think I touched my face without realizing it.”
“You got cut?”
“Yes.”
Chaehyun grabbed my finger. He pulled it closer and examined it. It was just one finger, but my heart started pounding.
“It’s a pretty long cut.”
“Oh, really?”
“Want a bandage? I think I have one.”
He opened the front pocket of his bag. I just watched his hand searching through it.
“I have one.”
From the pocket, Chaehyun pulled out a small square bandage that was almost cute. It had a penguin on it—completely unlike him, yet somehow fitting.
“Give me your hand.”
“I can do it myself.”
“This is my bandage. I never said I’d just give it to you. I said I’d put it on you.”
Ah…?
I hesitated but still held out my hand, trying not to look embarrassed. But maybe because I was nervous, my fingertips trembled.
Damn it. That’s unacceptable.
I tried to pull my hand back, but Chaehyun grabbed it.
“You haven’t even put it on yet.”
“Huh? No, it’s just my hand—”
“Your hand what?”
I couldn’t say it was trembling.
“…It’s nothing.”
Carefully, Chaehyun placed the bandage on my finger. When he unrolled it, three penguins in different poses appeared. The blue bandage made them stand out even more.
“It’s cute.”
I said, wiggling the finger with the penguins.
“Right? I bought it because it was cute.”
“So you like cute things, Chaehyun?”
“Yeah. I like cute things. Does anyone not like cute things?”
Right… I guess not. Especially if he likes them.
I nodded in agreement, staring at the bandage he had put on me. Then I looked up hesitantly and asked something I hadn’t been able to ask before.
“But shouldn’t you be at school right now? Another mock exam today?”
“No. Today I skipped like Seoyeon Nam and did something like a delinquent.”
What does that even mean? Seoyeon isn’t like that…
Then I remembered where I had heard it before.
“Our kid’s turning into a delinquent.”
“Hey, what? Skipping academy once makes you a delinquent? Nice self-introduction.”
So, the day Seoyeon skipped academy.
“…Huh.”
I coughed awkwardly.
“You skipped school?”
“No. I went to school. I just left early.”
“Oh…”
So he left school early.
“Why did you leave early? Where are you going?”
“Meeting a friend.”
“Oh, so that’s why you left early last time too? When I saw you on the bus?”
“Last time?”
Chaehyun tilted his head.
“Oh, yeah. That guy lives around there.”
After answering, he frowned slightly.
“By the way, aren’t you being too polite with me?”
“Me? Am I?”
“‘Went’ is fine, but ‘went respectfully’—it sounds like you’re talking to an old man. I feel like I’ve got three granddaughters or something.”
Was my speech really that stiff? I felt strangely scolded, even though it didn’t seem like a big deal. My heart started pounding again.
“…Really? I don’t have older siblings, so… and you’re in high school, so you kind of feel like an adult to me…”
Chaehyun suddenly laughed.
“To you, I seem like an adult?”
I nodded.
He smiled slightly.
“I’m a minor too, Eunsam.”
Hearing that smile made my chest feel strangely tight. I almost stopped breathing.
I looked at him with wide eyes, then quickly lowered my head, covering my flushed cheeks.
“Oh… right.”
I nodded and fiddled with the bandaged finger. The penguins felt like they were walking all over my heart.
“I should get off.”
Chaehyun said.
I quickly looked up.
Unfortunately, we had reached his stop.
He adjusted his bag and pressed the stop button. Since I was sitting by the window, his arm crossed in front of me, and I froze without realizing it.
A faint, refreshing scent brushed past me as he stood close for a moment.
I turned my head to follow him.
“Take care of your dental appointment.”
“Yes.”
He nodded at me and stood up.
“You started braces. The brackets look cute.”
Then he walked toward the back door.
Wait… what did he just say?
I stared blankly at his retreating figure.
The bus stopped and the door opened. Chaehyun stepped down carefully so his head wouldn’t hit the ceiling.
No way… did he just say my braces were cute?
I had been trying so hard to hide them by slightly turning my head and keeping my lips small.
More shocking than being noticed… was that he called them cute.
Trying not to be caught again, I kept my face forward but glanced sideways.
I saw Chaehyun walking away.
Who was the friend he said he was meeting? What kind of relationship is it? Why skip school just to meet them? Did he really think I was cute?
Questions rained down like a storm.
I lowered my head and looked at the blue bandage on my finger.
The bus started moving again.
With a restless, hollow feeling, I stared at the empty seat beside me.
“Oh no…”
This is really bad.
I really like Nam Chaehyun.
I pressed down this feeling I could never tell anyone, locking it away tightly inside me so it wouldn’t spill out—sealing it with multiple locks.
