The next morning.
As soon as I opened my eyes, the key ring hanging from my bag caught my eye first.
The one Wonbin bought me yesterday.
I absentmindedly fiddled with it with my fingertips and let out a snort of laughter.
I kept thinking about how he had held my fingertips and said he didn’t want to go home.
Back then, I wondered why my heart had been beating so hard.
Now that I thought about it, I felt like I understood a little.
I’d started being conscious of Wonbin too.
It wasn’t like I liked him enough to say it yet.
At the very least, he wasn’t that awkward underclassman anymore.
*
When I got to school and was heading to the lecture hall, I heard a familiar name from the end of the hallway.
"Hey, Wonbin."
When I turned my head, I saw Wonbin.
But he wasn’t alone.
He was with a few male classmates he seemed to have gotten close to during MT, and there was one female classmate beside them too.
"What are you doing after class today?"
"No idea."
"You go home every day, though."
Wonbin laughed.
I stopped walking for a second.
He laughed.
Wonbin.
The Park Wonbin I knew used to be the kind of kid who even got awkward laughing in front of people.
But now he was casually joking around with his friends.
'Thank goodness.'
At first, that was honestly what I thought.
I felt oddly proud that Wonbin seemed to be settling in well at school.
But then.
The girl next to him nudged Wonbin’s arm and said,
"Park Wonbin, you didn’t contact me again yesterday, did you?"
"What?"
"What I sent you."
"Ah."
Wonbin checked his phone.
"Sorry. I didn’t see it."
"Liar."
"I’m serious."
The two of them laughed.
I awkwardly started walking again.
"Huh?"
Wonbin spotted me.
Our eyes met.
Then Wonbin’s expression changed for a moment.
"Noona."
"Oh."
"Hello."
"...Hi."
That was it.
Wonbin looked at me for a moment, then turned back to his friends.
I watched him walking away.
It was strange.
He was still so awkward with me, but with everyone else he got along that well.
For some reason, it left me with a weird feeling.
*
Even at lunchtime, Wonbin was with his friends.
The kid who had only been comfortable eating alone just a few days ago now had so many people around him there wasn’t even a seat left.
"Wonbin, try this."
A female classmate slid her side dish toward Wonbin.
"No."
"It’s good."
"No thanks."
"Just one bite."
In the end, Wonbin picked one up with his chopsticks and ate it.
"Good, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Told you."
I watched from a distance and absentmindedly stirred my rice with my spoon.
'What the hell.'
Before I knew it, my lips were pursing out.
'You said you liked me.'
That thought crossed my mind.
And the moment I thought it.
I was a little startled at myself.
Why do I care about that?
What’s the problem with Wonbin getting close to someone else?
I’m not Wonbin’s girlfriend.
We weren’t anything yet.
Of course, he had confessed.
But I still hadn’t answered.
"...Geez."
I felt weird for some reason.
*
A few days later.
I went to a bar near the school with my friends.
"Wow, there are a lot of people here."
"Yeah."
After we found a seat and sat down, waiting to order, my friend suddenly nudged me.
"Hey."
"What?"
"Over there."
I looked toward where my friend was pointing.
And froze for a second.
There was a familiar face.
It was Wonbin.
Beside him were classmates from the same department.
"Huh?"
The sound escaped my mouth before I could stop it.
At that moment, Wonbin lifted his head.
Our eyes met.
Wonbin froze too, for a second.
Then he got up a little from his seat and said,
"...Noona."
"Oh, Wonbin."
"Did you come here?"
"Yeah. With my friends."
"...Ah."
"You came with your friends too."
"Yes."
It was a short conversation.
Wonbin awkwardly lowered his head again.
"Have fun."
"Yeah. You too."
Wonbin sat back down.
I returned to my friends.
But for some reason, my eyes kept drifting to the table beside us.
Wonbin was completely different from when he’d talked to me earlier.
He was joking around with his classmates.
Laughing.
Playing drinking games too.
And that girl from the hallway earlier was sitting beside him too.
"Wonbin."
"Hm?"
"Drink a toast with me."
The girl held out her glass toward Wonbin.
"Why?"
"Just once."
"No."
"Why are you so difficult?"
The girl laughed and tugged at Wonbin’s arm.
In the end, Wonbin picked up his glass.
"Just once."
"Okay."
The two of them laughed.
I turned my gaze away for no reason.
But not long after, I saw it again.
This time, the girl was leaning against Wonbin’s shoulder while showing him something.
Wonbin was laughing too.
"..."
Suddenly, the alcohol tasted bitter.
"Hey."
My friend called me.
"What?"
"Why do you keep looking over there?"
"Me?"
"Yeah."
"No, I’m not."
"You are looking at Park Wonbin."
"I said I’m not."
I lifted my glass for no reason.
"He’s just in my department, so I’m curious, that’s all."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
My friend looked at me suspiciously, but I pretended not to notice and just kept drinking.
But no matter how much I tried to talk about something else, I couldn’t stop paying attention.
That girl smiling at Wonbin.
Wonbin smiling back at her.
And...
how natural Wonbin’s smile had looked.
'So awkward with me, though.'
I felt hurt for no reason.
'You said you liked me.'
That thought came back again.
I set my glass down and looked toward Wonbin.
At that moment.
I met Wonbin’s eyes.
Wonbin looked at me for a moment.
Then, when the girl beside him said something, he turned away again.
I pressed my lips together for no reason.
It was strange.
Why did I feel so bad?
Why did I keep looking over there?
I still didn’t want to admit the reason.
But one thing was certain.
For the first time today.
I didn’t like Park Wonbin being close with another girl.
