#15
“…What?”
I dumbly repeated.
Just how far had this rumor spread over the weekend?
If even Jung-ho sunbae, who wasn’t exactly the type to keep up with gossip, knew about it, then there was a good chance that people from other years were also aware of my nonsensical relationship.
“When Dabi’s boyfriend walked in, I seriously thought it was a movie set for a second.”
“Broad shoulders, long legs—his proportions are a scam. Even if you tried sculpting a person like that, it wouldn’t work. Dabi, I’m sorry, but I lost sleep that night because of how flustered I was.”
“His voice, too! It’s unreal. Honestly, I think a talent agency should just kidnap him and mass-produce him.”
Before I knew it, the conversation had devolved into praising Wei Chen’s shell.
You’d think they’d stop at some point, but once the fire was lit, it refused to go out.
My classmates rattled off compliments without pause, exalting everything from his hair, Adam’s apple, piercings, fashion sense, wealth, and even his taste.
It was excruciating listening to endless praises of the corporate gangster who had spent the weekend tormenting and threatening me.
And to make matters worse, talking about my fake boyfriend in front of Jung-ho sunbae made me unbearably uncomfortable.
“Dabi, are you sure he doesn’t have SNS? Or is he not coming to school again?”
“…Dabi’s struggling, let’s stop.”
Jung-ho sunbae intervened with a smile.
I was beyond grateful. As expected, sunbae was always considerate.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, I pretended to check the time on my phone.
“I should get going. I have an appointment.”
“Dabi, you know about the club dinner next Friday, right? You’ve skipped the last two. You have to come this time.”
“…Ah.”
Just when I thought I had escaped one uncomfortable situation, another found me.
Due to sunbae’s persistent persuasion, I had ended up joining his club, but I was practically a ghost member.
Even though the club held dinner gatherings at least once a month, I had barely attended any.
This time, though, the professor would be stopping by, and all the graduating seniors were attending, so there had been constant reminders that attendance was mandatory.
“I’ll be waiting. If you don’t show up, I’ll call you every five minutes.”
His warm yet teasing tone made me laugh awkwardly.
Knowing Jung-ho sunbae, he wasn’t joking.
As the student representative and the president of a large club, he was the type who never seemed to run out of energy.
I knew how much effort he put into everything, so I couldn’t bring myself to say no outright.
At that moment, someone in the distance called out to him.
“I gotta go. See you Friday, Dabi!”
I watched him walk away for a moment before using my own excuse to slip away from my classmates and exit through the front gate.
As I walked alone down the bustling, tree-lined street, an arm casually draped over my shoulder, matching my pace.
Startled, I turned my head—only to see Wei Chen’s ever-composed profile.
“I’m pretty sure I told you to text me when your class ended. Was that a dream?”
“I was just about to.”
“Through telepathy? Didn’t know Nexus had that feature.”
He glanced down at my empty hands.
I hesitated for a second before swatting his arm away.
“…Stop being sarcastic.”
In exchange for being allowed to attend school for the semester, I had to follow a set of conditions:
1. I must commute to and from school with Wei Chen. His schedule takes priority.
2. All personal plans require his prior approval, and any outings must include a detailed report of location and purpose.
3. In case of emergencies, I must immediately follow Wei Chen’s orders—except in situations where my life is directly threatened.
The conditions clearly defined our power dynamic, but the fact that I had managed to negotiate even this much was already a miracle.
As we walked together, I could feel eyes lingering on us.
Even people who passed by would turn around to get another look at Wei Chen’s face.
The headache-inducing praises from earlier echoed in my mind.
I groaned, rubbing my forehead, and hung my head low as I walked.
“You’re that embarrassed to be seen with me?”
“It’s exhausting having rumors spread about me because of you, Wei Chen.”
“You don’t mind rumors with that sunbae?”
“……”
I stopped walking.
The sunbae Wei Chen was referring to was definitely Jung-ho sunbae.
I couldn’t hide the surprise on my face as I stared blankly at him opening the car’s passenger door.
“Get in.”
“W-wait, how do you even—”
“You want me to pick you up and put you in? How much am I supposed to take care of you?”
He took a step closer like he actually intended to lift me.
Flustered, I hurriedly pushed against his chest, my face burning.
By now, a small crowd had gathered around us—not just because of his face but also because of the sleek, black luxury sedan parked nearby.
It wasn’t exactly a common sight in Korea.
Just how many cars did he have?
This was the third one I’d seen already.
I quickly ducked into the passenger seat, shutting the door behind me as if escaping from the public’s gaze.
Wei Chen casually circled around the hood, got into the driver’s seat, and started the engine.
“Don’t you have a more discreet car?”
“Like what?”
“Argh! Can’t you merge onto the road properly?!”
“You sure have a lot of demands.”
Muttering under his breath, he stepped on the accelerator.
This guy clearly kept forgetting that he only had one life.
As we left the busy streets of Seoul and neared his house, the traffic thinned out.
Only then did I finally let go of the grab handle and let out a long sigh.
“That kind of guy is your type?”
Wei Chen suddenly asked.
I didn’t catch on immediately and blinked.
“…What?”
He smoothly turned the wheel and clarified.
“The sunbae.”
“……”
“Doesn’t seem very exciting.”
“…And how would you know that?”
“You can tell just by looking.”
He was talking about Jung-ho sunbae.
How had Wei Chen even noticed him, let alone figured out that I liked him?
Even if he was an information-savvy corporate gangster, could he really track something as subtle as where my heart was leaning?
Had my reaction given it away?
But all I had done was exchange greetings with sunbae.
I mentally retraced the entire situation, but there was nothing particularly revealing about it.
“You wouldn’t last a month with someone like that.”
“I never said I wanted to date him.”
My voice came out slightly louder than I intended, purely from exasperation.
I had never even considered the possibility of something beyond a senior-junior relationship.
I had no idea how dating even worked, and I certainly wasn’t desperate enough to figure it out.
Simply watching from afar and knowing that he was a good person was enough for me.
But here was Wei Chen, casually dismissing everything, throwing out statements like he’s boring and it wouldn’t last a month, as if mocking me for harboring delusions.
As if he wanted to make sure I realized just how futile my feelings were.
“He’s the type who wants to be good to everyone, the kind who’s obsessed with doing everything right. God, how dull. Probably indecisive, doesn’t have any real backbone, and still wears the clothes his mom buys him.”
“Stop talking. I don’t want to hear it.”
I pursed my lips and cut him off firmly.
But Wei Chen wasn’t the type to stop just because I told him to.
If anything, his brows lifted slightly, as if finding my reaction even more interesting.
“What do you even like about a guy like that?”
“Don’t call him that guy.”
“Then tell me why.”
“……”
Truthfully, I had never deeply thought about it.
Somewhere along the way, he had simply become someone my eyes naturally followed.
This was the first time someone had noticed—and the first time I had to explain it.
For some reason, that realization made me feel awkward.
I rolled down the window slightly, letting the cool wind rush in.
“Han Dabi.”
His voice prodded, urging me to answer.
“…Because he’s kind.”
The kindness that Jung-ho sunbae possessed was what made him shine the most.
Maybe it sounded like a generic, textbook answer.
But I knew how rare and difficult that kind of kindness was.
Jung-ho sunbae never judged people by their looks, grades, or family background.
He always treated people with sincerity, and somehow, that sincerity always reached them.
I often wondered just how much weight that kindness carried.
Because being kind meant putting others first.
It meant hiding your own pain and smiling through it.
