From that day on, I tried my best to avoid seeing Yoon Jeong-han.
I'm afraid I'll say something again, I'm afraid I'll say something else as a joke.
But what I found the funniest was that I felt sad when that kid just quietly passed by.
“Hey, class president. Can we switch seats? I’m so uncomfortable with the kids behind me.”
“Uh... uh... okay.”
I sat at the podium, wondering if I should re-arrange my seat map.
Yoon Jeong-han muttered as he came in front of me and looked at the paper.
“I don’t like the window side.”
"…why?"
“I keep thinking about other things.”
I couldn't say anything in response to that.
It just felt strange that those words were being said to me.
In the end, I moved Yoon Jeong-han's seat to the third row next to me, from the aisle.
I thought that since I was far from the window, I wouldn't be thinking about anything else—but I was wrong.
"hey."
"why."
“Are you still thinking about something else?”
“…Why do you think so?”
“During the entire class, I just opened and closed my pen cap thirteen times.”
When I blushed in embarrassment, Yoon Jeong-han smiled slowly.
“If I sit next to you, class will end too quickly.”
“…….”
“It’s good that time passes quickly,
But again… it’s a shame.”
That kid always talks like that.
I don't know if he's just joking or being serious.
But each and every one of those words comes to mind too often.
I'm more concerned about Yoon Jeong-han's tone of voice than the time written on the desk.
*
And that day, another incident occurred.
“Hey, what’s your relationship with Jeonghan?”
“Huh? No, really, we have no relationship.”
“But why did he take your bag to the teacher’s office?”
"…that-"
“Oh my, really? What’s really going on?”
What kind of development is this?
Jeonghan just said that I didn't look like I had the strength to carry my bag.
And that tone of voice—
“It looks too heavy for you to lift.”
“Why do I look like some weakling?”
“No, I just wanted to.”
That word.
‘I wanted to do that’
Just five letters.
It keeps coming to mind.
After class, I went out into the hallway first.
Someone approached from the window across the hallway.
It was Yoon Jeong-han.
“You mean.”
“Why again.”
“Good job keeping the secret.”
"…of course."
“Then compensation.”
"compensation?"
"huh."
“What is it?”
“Later, at the playground. Come out for five minutes.”
“…Why all of a sudden?”
"just.
“Because I wanted to do that.”
That word again.
This time my heart responded.
And I nodded without realizing it.