The magical biology classroom was always damp. Maybe it was the moss covering the floor, or maybe it was something crawling under the desks. I sat half-sleepy, waiting for this subject, my second class since morning. And I always knew that in this classroom, for some reason, I had to be mentally prepared.
The topic the professor wrote on the board in the morning was ‘Actual measurement of the shedding cycle of the rock lizard’. I had a bad feeling about actual measurement. The rock lizard with its flashy name is sensitive right before shedding, and when sensitive, it does not discriminate between people. It does not suck blood, but it has a habit of biting fingers and not letting go. That was the reason why I was told to measure it while wearing Quidditch gloves.
I opened and closed my fingers several times before class. For some reason, I had a strong feeling that my hand would be bitten today. If my lab partner had been someone I was comfortable with, it would have been okay, but the ominous feeling that I had been holding back soon became reality.
“We will measure the lizards in pairs. Partners are listed on a fixed list.”
The professor called out the names with a piece of paper. I could hear the Gryffindors and Slytherins standing in a line, leaning against each other, or sighing. I tensed as I mentally memorized the names of the friends I knew. Please… at least they should be someone I can talk to.
“Chae Bong-gu. Kim Yeo-ju.”
It was ridiculous. I looked up and saw the professor. My name was definitely called. And the junior sitting next to me looked back at me with a look of pity. When I turned my head, Chae Bong-gu was walking slowly. His face was the same as before. Expressionless. As his footsteps seemed so familiar, I felt like I was the first to lose.
He sat down on the chair next to me without saying a word. I unconsciously turned my body slightly. I thought I should hide my reaction from my expression as much as possible. But my mouth wouldn't stay still.
“…Senior, are you good at magical biology?”
He looked up. He answered briefly and concisely.
"commonly."
Oh, that was such a boring answer. Why did I ask? While I was embarrassed and turned my head away, Chae Bong-gu put on his gloves and walked towards the lizard cage. I had to follow him and put on my gloves too. The actual measurement would begin soon. It was an experiment where we had to measure the length from head to tail at exactly the same time, even though we didn’t touch each other’s hands.
“Set the interval to 3 seconds. I will start.”
As I spoke, I prepared a tape measure. Chae Bong-gu just nodded. I thought he was a quiet person, but he didn’t seem to be the type of person to do things half-heartedly. Exactly three seconds later, I unfolded the tape measure and lightly pressed it over the lizard’s head. But—
"evil!"
The thing moved. To be exact, it bit my gloved finger. Really hard. I dropped the tape measure, and the lizard started jumping around and flailing around in the container. The students next to me started groaning. Only then did Chae Bong-gu see my hand. It wasn’t hurt, but it hurt. It hurt quite a bit.
“You were late.”
Bam, the words fell out. I opened my mouth in disbelief and then closed it. The lizard calmed down again according to the professor's instructions, but my fingertips were still cold. I was late? I counted exactly three seconds?
“Am I late?”
“The timing wasn’t right.”
Great. In this situation, instead of apologizing, he said it was my fault. Today, I have added another prejudice against Slytherin. I picked up the tape measure again without saying a word. I had no intention of trying again, but I felt that my pride would be hurt more if I didn't have something to hold onto.
“Do you want to do it one more time?”
I asked. I tried not to question him. But before I could finish speaking, Chae Bong-gu quietly took off his gloves and placed them on the desk. He immediately took out the report form and picked up a pen. It seemed like he had given up on the practical training.
“Why don’t you do it?”
“You have slow senses.”
I shut my mouth at that one word. Somehow, my mood got worse. No, it was definitely the other person who moved first, and I counted exactly three seconds. But why is my sense so slow? I felt a sense of injustice and bewilderment at the same time, and only then did I realize why I hated this person. He was like an unlucky snake.
-
It seemed like he had given up on the practice, but Chae Bong-gu moved his hands faster than I thought. I wondered what he was writing when he couldn’t even observe properly, but his report form was already half-filled. I stood there awkwardly holding the tape measure, then returned to my seat. I took off my gloves, placed them on the desk, and lightly clenched my fingers. It still hurt a little.
I wanted to grumble for no reason. I was the one who brought up the idea of counting to 3 seconds, but no matter what I did, it seemed like it would end up being my fault. I wanted to open my mouth, even if it was just to spite myself. But even then, when I saw the handwriting neatly lined up on the paper, my pride was hurt even more. It’s really annoying when you act like you’re great without showing off.
“You didn’t measure it yourself, so are you just writing it roughly?”
When I asked, Chae Bong-gu answered without even raising his head.
“You saw it. The basic length is similar.”
“I didn’t see it. I was busy with the water.”
“I saw it.”
It came out like that. I pressed my fingertip once. There was no lizard tooth mark, but a dull feeling remained. I could hear the professor walking around and checking the practice situation. I secretly hoped that the professor would not come to our group.
“But if you don’t observe it, you might get caught later.”
“Then you write it separately.”
He spoke with a sharp pause. I felt even more embarrassed as I listened. I ended up taking out my quill pen. My report was still blank, and I had no idea what to write, but why was my pride boiling over? I didn’t even want to think about whether Chae Bong-gu was hurting because of me. Still, that one sentence from earlier kept coming to mind.
‘You have slow senses.’
“When you say it like that, it makes me sound like I’m really incompetent.”
Only then did Chae Bong-gu raise his head. His eyes were still expressionless, and his brows were not furrowed. He looked at my face quietly, then tilted his head just a little.
"…no."
The tone was annoyingly bland. I don’t know if it could be called an answer. I felt even more frustrated. I didn’t like the way he blurted out something like it was nothing and then lowered his gaze back to the paper. It’s even more annoying when someone is so annoyingly kind.
“I’ll write it too.”
After speaking, I picked up the pen. The hand that was forcibly writing something cut the paper. I was curious about the basis on which Chae Bong-gu measured the length, but I kept my mouth shut because it seemed like I would lose if I asked. I just thought of writing something similar.
Before class ended, the professor slowly walked around the desks. Chae Bong-gu quietly submitted his completed report and stood up with mine. I looked at him in surprise.
“I’ll pay for that.”
He answered without even looking at me.
“We did it together.”
No. No, my senior wrote it all by himself. I didn't do anything. I swallowed the words that were on my lips. Chae Bong-gu walked ahead briskly. I kept seeing his back as he handed the paper to the professor and came back. He did everything without saying a word, didn't say anything, and then it was over. I felt strange for no reason.
**
On the way back to the dorm, I grabbed my fingertips again. It didn’t hurt, but I kept touching them. I couldn’t tell if it was because of the lizard or Chae Bong-gu. He must have seen me getting bitten earlier, but he didn’t say anything. That actually stayed in my mind.
“…Really, it’s up to you.”
It was a soliloquy. It was clearly a soliloquy. I don't know who it was directed at though.