Daegyu wiped his mouth with a tissue, then glanced at Seolhyo with a grin. "Must be nice having the top student as your tutor."
Seolhyo lifted her chin proudly and grabbed another piece from the plate.
Suwon groaned dramatically. "This is so unfair. How can Seojin be so good at studying? I've never even seen him study that hard."
Daegyu laughed, leaning back in his seat.
"That's just life. So don't believe it when people say everyone's equal. That's just the government trying to fool us common folk."
Seolhyo looked at Daegyu raising a brow at him.
"Stop being humble. You're good too."
Daegyu waved his hand dismissively, a lazy grin on his face.
"Good? I'm just guessing everything~"
Seolhyo raised a brow, leaning slightly forward.
"Hey, is it true? Every wrong answer you get in math, they hit you?"
Daegyu shrugged, his expression uncertain.
"I'm not sure, but I heard some students saying that too."
Suwon slumped in his seat and muttered with dread,
"Ugh… then I'm getting hit at least forty times."
Daegyu burst out laughing. "Buchaekkol probably became a teacher just to hit students."
Just then, the bell above the door jingled as someone stepped inside.
The same three girls from earlier froze for a split second then nearly squealed, eyes widening.
"Oh my god, is he an angel?"
"…Forget Sangji High."
"…I'm transferring to his school."
A pretty good-looking guy completely ignored them and walked forward step by step, calm and composed.
He stopped right at their table, pulled out a chair, and looked at Seol Hyorim.
"Mind if I sit here?"
Seolhyo blinked in surprise, her eyes widening slightly.
"What? What are you doing here?"
Giryang smiled at her as he looked straight at her, expression gentle and natural. "I was just passing by, but I saw you here, so I came over."
Seolhyo stared at him suspiciously, narrowing her eyes a little.
"…How did you even see me?"
Daegyu's eyebrow twitched as he glanced at Giryang.
Does this guy have a built-in Seolhyo radar or something?
There's no way he was just passing by. He's from Gyejeong High, and he's 'passing by' in Yongin? How does that even make sense…
Suwon looked at him warily, his expression stiff as he thought to himself,
…A Pokémon trainer is here.
Daegyu then subtly glanced at the girls at the other table.
Their attention had completely shifted to Giryang now, his expressions trembling with visible frustration.
He really…!!
Seolhyo tilted her head slightly, still unconvinced.
"Why are you here? Your school is far from here…"
Giryang answered calmly, without hesitation. "I'm just visiting a friend who lives nearby."
Seolhyo blinked once. "That so…?"
Giryang's gaze shifted to the table, scanning the plates and drinks before noticing something off.
"There's only three of you, and you ordered a lot?" he said with a light smile, then glanced at Daegyu and Suwon. "You guys are always together."
Daegyu scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess…"
Just then, the door opened again.
The little bell above it jingled softly
and I Yoon Seojin walked in.
The chatter in the shop stopped for half a second.
The three girls by the window slowly turned toward the entrance, jaws dropping.
One of their tteokbokki sticks slipped from her hand and clattered onto the tray.
"Wha-what the…"
"…He's divine."
"…A-are we on a show right now?"
"…You're right. There's no way this many handsome guys would come here one after another…"
Giryang looked toward the entrance as well.
His smile faltered for the briefest second, his eyes narrowing slightly
but before anyone noticed it was back to his usual calm smile.
Seolhyo's face lit up in visible relief after seeing me.
"Seojin!" she called, gesturing with one hand for him to come quickly.
Seojin stepped inside, scanning the shop calmly before his gaze landed on their table.
Giryang was sitting a little too comfortably near Seolhyo.
Seojin walked straight over, stopping beside him.
His tone was flat.
"Hey. Move. You're in the way."
Giryang looked up at him, still smiling, eyes curved pleasantly.
He stayed silent for a few seconds before finally speaking.
"Oh-yeah. Sorry."
He stood up and moved the chair aside without protest.
Without sparing him another glance, Seojin walked past and sat down beside Seolhyo.
She immediately turned to him, squinting slightly. "Why did you take so long?"
He scratched his head with one finger, avoiding her eyes.
He didn't feel like explaining how a group of persistent noonas had kept asking for his number, his Cyworld, whether he had a girlfriend, and more.
"I forgot my wallet," he said casually. "I went back to the study room to get it."
Seolhyo sighed and rolled her eyes. "You should've told me. I could've paid for you, you know."
He rested his elbow on the table and his chin on his hand. "It's fine. It wasn't that far anyway."
Daegyu looked at him. "Where's Park Dong and Irina? Why aren't they here yet?"
Seojin answered evenly, "Irina said she doesn't feel like eating anymore."
Suwon blinked. "What? Irina not feeling like eating? That's new."
Daegyu chuckled. "What about Park Dong?"
Seojin shrugged lightly. "Didn't see him. I asked Irina and Jinkyung they said they have no idea where he went."
Seolhyo picked up a piece of tteokbokki with her stick and held it toward him. "Here. Try this. It's good."
He leaned forward and opened his mouth.
She placed it in gently.
He bit down, chewing.
His eyes widened slightly. "It's really good."
Across the table, Giryang watched them quietly, his expression unreadable.
His gaze then shifted to Seolhyo's right wrist.
A bracelet glistened under the light.
He spoke calmly, but his eyes stayed on it.
"You're not wearing the bracelet I gave you that night?"
He tilted his head and said with a faint smile. "I should've picked a prettier one. Maybe then you'd actually wear it."
The place fell completely silent.
Seolhyo froze for a second, the stick still suspended in her hand.
Seojin turned to her questioningly, his expression strangely calm.
She met his eyes, nervousness flickering across her face, then hurriedly looked back at Giryang. "I don't usually wear bracelets when I'm in school," she said quickly.
Giryang's smile wavered slightly, but his gaze didn't leave her wrist. "What about that one?" he asked, nodding toward the platinum bracelet around her right arm.
Seolhyo immediately pulled her sleeve down to cover it. "It's none of your business," she replied sharply, her eyes turning cold as she looked at him.
The air inside the shop grew noticeably heavier.
They continued eating despite the discomfort.
Soon, they finished and stepped out of the tteokbokki shop.
The group walked down the sidewalk, silence hanging over them.
Only the sound of their shoes against the pavement and passing cars filled the space.
Seojin stayed quiet, hands buried in his pockets, eyes fixed straight ahead.
Seolhyo glanced up at him, sensing something was off ever since Choi Giryang mentioned the bracelet he gave her that night.
She hesitated for a moment.
Then she stepped closer and looped her arm around his.
His hands remained in his pockets.
For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to tell him to take them out. Something felt wrong.
So instead, she clung to his arm a little tighter and asked softly,
"What's wrong? You've been quiet for a while."
He didn't answer.
His eyes stayed forward as he shifted the lollipop in his mouth with his tongue, moving it from one side to the other, maintaining his steady pace.
Seolhyo bit her lip, nervousness creeping into her eyes.
She tightened her hold on his arm even more, as if afraid he might pull away.
Behind them, Daegyu and Suwon walked a few steps back, exchanging occasional glances but saying nothing.
Behind the two of them was Choi Giryang.
He hadn't left.
Instead, he quietly followed along.