On Monday, something was strange in the Photography Club room. The room was more quiet than before. Everyone still came after school like always, but nobody was fully comfortable. There was also a feeling like everyone was waiting something to happen, even if they did not know what.
The photo outing at the Han River had gone good on the weekend, at least when looking from outside. But until then, the thing between Ji-hun and Ho-jin had become clear enough that other people also started noticing it. Even the members who normally did not care much about what others were doing sometimes looked at them when Ji-hun and Ho-jin were together in the room.
During the week, some rumors also started going around the school. After some time, almost every class had heard another version of the story.
People were saying Ho-jin was called to the teachers' office. After this, the story was different according to who told it. One person said he got into a fight and got caught. Another person said he bullied a girl so much that she became too afraid to come to school.
Ji-hun heard all these things while people around him were talking, but usually he kept his head down and did not join them. He knew what really happened. The only thing he did not want was anyone finding out that he was the one who went to the teachers and told them.
—
That afternoon, Ji-hun was near the vending machines when Hae-sol came to him. He had run down two floors to come there, so he was still breathing fast.
"Ya, did you hear? They say Ho-jin sunbae might get suspended."
Hae-sol sounded worried when he said it, but there was curiosity in his voice too. Ji-hun could understand that. And as soon as he heard what Hae-sol said, he felt bad.
"I don't know anything about that," he said immediately.
He was lying. The guilt was already disturbing him, and he did not want to think about it. So he started looking at the people walking around and tried to keep his mind on them instead. It did not matter what he thought about, if he was not thinking about this.
There was tension in the school during the whole week, and rumors were going around everywhere. Ho-jin was not around either. At least, Ji-hun did not see him anywhere. But even when Ho-jin was not there, people still kept talking about him.
Ji-hun was also still thinking about Choi Da-eun crying that day. When she came to his mind, he always remembered her like that.
A few days passed, and Ji-hun started to feel more uncomfortable about what had happened. After a while, he started thinking maybe he had not understood everything he saw that day correctly. Maybe there were some things he had understood wrong.
—
By Friday evening, the Photography Club meeting was more quiet than usual. The students were sitting in their chairs, and nobody was talking much.
Ho-jin was at the front of the room, looking through a folder full of printed photos. He kept his attention on the pages, and when he talked, his voice stayed normal. Ji-hun watched him for a while. Something did not feel right to him, and this made him uncomfortable, but he could not understand exactly what it was.
When the meeting finally finished, the students left the room quickly while talking quietly among themselves. Ji-hun did not leave with them. He stayed for a little more and started putting his things into his bag without hurrying. First he put his notebook inside, then took his camera. He checked the camera, cleaned the lens with his sleeve, and put it into the bag carefully.
By then, almost everyone had gone and most of the chairs were already pushed in.
Before closing the zipper of his bag, Ji-hun looked up one more time. Ho-jin was still near the window. The room was showing on the glass, so Ji-hun could see Ho-jin there and also his own shape at the same time. Ho-jin was not turning around.
Ji-hun looked somewhere else and finished packing his things. But while he was walking toward the door, that image was still in his mind.
Some light from the lamps in the yard was reaching the window. It came across Ho-jin's face, and because of this, the tired lines under his eyes could be seen more clearly.
Ji-hun wanted to say something to him. Maybe only "good evening," or maybe something about the photos. Even one normal sentence would be enough, he knew that. But still, he could not say anything.
Ho-jin looked tense and unhappy. Ji-hun kept thinking that maybe he was the reason for it. He did not really like this sunbae, but seeing him in this condition bothered him more than he thought it would. He could not get rid of that uncomfortable feeling.
In the end, he put the camera bag over his shoulder and went out into the hallway.
But he could not go very far.
When he was about halfway to the stairs, Ji-hun heard footsteps coming from behind him. They became louder, and then someone caught his wrist and pulled him into the empty space between two lockers.
"Ji-hun, did you tell the teachers I was bullying a girl?"
Ho-jin's voice was rough. He sounded angry, but there was hurt in his voice too. He was looking at Ji-hun like he was waiting for an answer from him, and Ji-hun became uncomfortable again.
Ji-hun's mind became confused while he tried to find something to say. "Every time you go into my class, she ends up crying, and..."
Ho-jin's face looked different after hearing this. He looked both upset and tired. "Choi Da-eun is my best friend's little sister," he said. "She's been getting bullied by a group of girls since school started. Whenever something happens, she comes to me or her brother and asks for help. We go to those girls one by one, talk to them, and tell them to stop. That's all. I have never touched her or anyone else."
As Ji-hun listened to him, the meaning of what he had done started becoming clear in his mind. For a few seconds, he could not find what to say. "I'm... I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I should've..."
Ho-jin moved back a little. His hands were shaking slightly beside him. "Your apology doesn't fix what you did," he said. "Because you reported me, the teachers called me to their office and accused me of something I never did. They contacted my mom too, and she works so much that she barely has time to come to school. I spent hours trying to explain to everyone that it was only a misunderstanding."
He was quiet for a moment before continuing. "Why would you do that, Ji-hun? What did I ever do to you?"
Ji-hun stayed near the lockers and looked down. His face had become red, and his eyes were burning. "I thought I was protecting someone," he said. "I didn't know I was wrong."
Ho-jin passed one hand through his hair and stayed there for a moment. He looked very tired, as if too many things had been put on him at once.
"Since the first day I met you, you've been looking at me like I'm some kind of monster," he said. "I don't know what I did to deserve that, but I'm done now. I don't have the energy to fight with you anymore."
He came a little closer and lowered his voice. It sounded like he did not want to continue this conversation anymore. "Stay away from me, Moon Ji-hun. I don't care what you think about me. Just stay out of my life."
After saying this, Ho-jin turned around and walked away.
The hallway was empty, so Ji-hun could hear his footsteps for a long time as he went farther away.
Ji-hun stayed where he was and watched him leave. For a moment, he could not make himself move.
Then he slowly sat down on the cold floor and pulled his knees toward himself. His camera bag was beside him. He looked at it for a long time.
Photography was the only thing he still had in common with Shin Ho-jin. But now, even touching the camera did not feel right to him. After being this wrong about everything, he felt like he did not have the right to take photos or look through a camera lens.
He did not know how long he stayed sitting there. When he finally got up, the hallway had already become dark and empty. From outside, the voices and laughter of students going home could still be heard from far away.
While walking home, each step became more difficult for him. The sky was covered with clouds now, and everything around him looked gray and without much color. Ho-jin's words kept coming back into his mind. Every time he remembered them, the pain he was already feeling became worse.
That night, he could not give his attention to his homework at all. He sat looking at the textbooks in front of him, but after some time, even the words became difficult to focus on. Ho-jin's hurt face kept returning to his mind and would not go away.
In the end, he stopped trying. He closed the books, went to bed, and pulled the blanket over his head, hoping that maybe he could sleep.
But his room being quiet did not help either. His heart would not calm down, and because of that, he could not stop remembering what he had done.