Ch.71I Don’t Even Like a Quarter of Someone Like You (8)

“Choi Sahyang… Yu Hyerang…”

“Oh, hello…”

“What’s this, what’s this? Doyoung and Hamin. Why are you two at the station together?”

“Do Hamin, why are you still in your school uniform? Didn’t you go home yesterday?”

Ban Doyoung and Do Hamin,

And Choi Sahyang and Yu Hyerang.

These four gathering in the same place was a common occurrence.

Even though Hamin was in a position of being unilaterally dragged around by the others,

They were still a close group sitting in the same section of the classroom.

And of course, meeting Sahyang and Hyerang on weekends wasn’t unusual either.

Since Hamin lived far away and couldn’t easily hang out on weekends, I often met with Sahyang and Hyerang when I had nothing else to do.

“This is a familiar combination meeting on an unexpected day.”

However, just by changing the time and place,

This combination of four people had turned into a very special case.

“Oof.”

“Running into you two in the morning, I’m lucky today.”

“Oh, y-yeah, I guess so.”

Sahyang and Hyerang naturally sat down on the waiting room chairs in front of me and Hamin.

Well, it wasn’t that strange for Ban Doyoung, a local who knew most of her peers, to run into acquaintances at the station, but to think I’d meet these two.

While Sahyang and Hyerang might have been lucky,

For me and Hamin, it was bad luck.

Sahyang might not notice, but Hyerang was quite perceptive.

She was already questioning why Hamin was wearing the exact same school uniform as yesterday.

“What are you two up to? Dressed so cutely and all.”

It was important to quickly change the subject here.

Rather than focusing on Hamin’s clothes, I needed to direct attention to the outfits they had put some effort into wearing today.

“Oh, really? I tried to dress naturally without making it obvious! Hehe, so I look cute!”

Thankfully, Sahyang responded quickly.

She was originally a pure girl who loved being called cute.

Though she didn’t have a boyfriend, of course.

“What do you think? We both bought these spring outfits last week. Do they look good together?”

“Yeah. Like a chick and a guinea fowl.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re saying we look like a chicken coop!”

“Hehe.”

Oh dear, I unintentionally blurted out my usual way of speaking

when I meant to say they looked good together.

But at least I’d deflected Hyerang’s question,

so it would be best to keep up the offensive with questions from my side until Hamin’s train arrived.

“So where are you two headed all dressed up like that?”

“Sigh, this Choi Sahyang girl convinced me to go to a God Pink fan signing event.”

“God Pink… Oh, you mean that super popular girl group these days. You were lucky to win tickets to their fan signing.”

“What? Do Hamin, you know about them too?”

“Huh? Um… I just saved a few songs to my playlist because I liked them.”

“Oh my goodness…”

This was truly unexpected.

Who would have thought Hamin would show interest in idols?

I thought your playlist was supposed to have only Clarice and YOASOBI.

I thought Hamin was just a magical girl otaku who was only into novels and anime, but to think he’d have Korean songs in his playlist.

Who on earth is God Pink that even this nerd would react this way?

“Phew, I don’t even know the members’ names. Won’t I just be out of place there?”

“Come on, Hyerang! I’m telling you, you’ll definitely like God Pink once you see them! You’ll absolutely lose out if you don’t get on the God Pink train now! And there are only four members, so their names are easy to remember!”

“Well, anyway, that’s how I ended up going to a signing event with this girl on this precious weekend.”

“Y-you have it tough…”

The train Sahyang and Hyerang were taking was going in the opposite direction from ours.

Fortunately, Hamin and the two girls wouldn’t be on the same train.

If we just waited for the train to arrive, there wouldn’t be any problems.

“But Hamin, why are you in your school uniform?”

“Hick!”

After all my effort to change the subject,

what are you doing, chicken coop #2 guinea fowl?

“Ah… well.”

Hamin’s lying skills weren’t much to be expected.

I wondered if he could come up with a plausible excuse to evade Hyerang’s scrutiny.

“I-I thought today was a school day!”

*Thud*

The excuse was so absurd that I involuntarily smacked my forehead with a sigh.

“I rushed out thinking I was late… but when I got to the station, I realized it was Saturday… so, um…”

“…”

“How does that even make sen—”

“Pfft, what? That’s hilarious, Hamin! So that’s why you’re in uniform! How can someone who studies so well make such a mistake? I guess being too diligent can make you mess up things like that!”

“Phew… R-right. I was bored so I texted him, and when he said he was at the station, I came right out to tease him. Isn’t it funny? Kekeke.”

She actually believed it.

Thank you, chicken coop #1 chick.

I’ll buy you a Zero Lime later.

[The train is now arriving. Passengers, please be careful…]

Just then, right on cue, the announcement for Hamin’s train came on.

Yu Hyerang still hadn’t completely dropped her suspicious gaze, but that didn’t matter anymore.

We’d made it through the three minutes we needed to endure.

“Well, I’ll see this silly Hamin off! I need to make sure he doesn’t make another mistake and get on the wrong train!”

“Kekeke, right. You should. Since you came out to tease him, might as well see him off properly.”

“You two have fun at the signing! God Pink rules!”

“Ah, bye! See you next week!”

“Bye-bye, Doyoung and Hamin, see you next week!”

I left Sahyang and Hyerang in the waiting room,

and went with Hamin past the ticket gate and down the stairs to the platform.

Phew, making me sweat first thing in the morning.

.

.

.

“Hey, Hyerang.”

“Yeah?”

“Why do Doyoung and Hamin smell like the same shampoo?”

“…Choi Sahyang, you knew everything from the beginning, didn’t you?”

“I swear, Hyerang, you’re half perceptive and half clueless.”

“You mischievous little chick.”

“Ah, maybe I should get a boyfriend too.”

.

.

.

Just as we finished descending the stairs,

Hamin’s train had safely arrived and was stopped at the platform.

“I can get right on, I’ll go ahead…! Whoa!”

“Hey, Hamin!”

*Thump*

I barely caught Hamin as he stumbled on the stairs.

It was a good thing Ban Doyoung had longer limbs than most; if it had been an average girl’s arms and legs, he probably would have tumbled head over heels.

“Ow, are you developing a taste for self-harm? Don’t you know guys who fall down a lot aren’t popular?”

“S-sorry. Maybe I’m still feeling the effects of yesterday’s fall.”

“Haah… wait a moment.”

After helping Hamin up,

I took a box from my pocket and put it in his pocket.

“Hm…? What did you just put in there?”

“A box of bandages I bought at the convenience store yesterday. In case you get hurt on your way home, use them when you get there.”

“Th-thanks.”

“No need to thank me. If this bandage box stays at my house, my dad might find out you got hurt.”

“Ah… so that’s what you meant.”

“Besides, if you get hurt again here, I wouldn’t be able to face your mom. What if she files a parent complaint saying I made her already ugly son even uglier?”

“…”

Hamin’s brow furrowed.

But rather than his usual serious expression, it was more of a request to refrain from joking at such moments,

a frown that included some softening.

“Wh-why are you glaring? If you don’t want to get any uglier, be more careful.”

“…Alright. I got it. But promise me something in return.”

“Promise what?”

“I’ll try not to get any uglier… so you, Ban Doyoung, show me that you’ll study hard during the rest of the exam period, like you did yesterday.”

“…”

“If your grades drop… naturally, your future husband’s face… will get uglier too.”

According to Teacher Miso,

studying well changes your future husband’s face.

Was that why?

Hamin after studying for the exam

seemed a little different from yesterday.

Was it because my grades were improving?

Or was it because Hamin’s gaze had changed after deciding to become my equal?

Or was it simply because my way of looking at him had changed?

I don’t know.

Not now.

I guess Ban Doyoung’s blockhead

is finally making my mind and thoughts murky too.

“Hmph, talking like you’re already my future husband. I’ll work hard like you said, Hamin, so don’t give up halfway saying I’m a blockhead.”

“I won’t. If I was going to give up halfway, I wouldn’t have started at all.”

“…Ooh, that just now sounded kind of protagonist-like.”

“Hehe… Well, I’ll get going then. See you Monday.”

“Get home safe. No matter how much your legs hurt, don’t sit in the priority seats! Those are for when Ban Doyoung gets pregnant in the future!”

“I-I won’t sit there! And girls shouldn’t casually talk about things like—”

*Train door closes*

Hamin’s shouting voice faded as the train doors closed.

With a rumbling sound, the train wheels began to move again,

and only after the last car carrying Hamin completely disappeared from my sight,

did I leave the station and head home.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome home, you did well. Did Hamin get off okay?”

“Yep, saw him off fine. I’ll text him later when he should be arriving.”

After greeting my dad upon returning home,

I went up to my room.

Just in case he had left something behind in my room.

If there was anything, I’d have to return it to him when he came to school on Monday.

“He didn’t leave anything behind.”

Apart from the problem sets he had made for me, none of Hamin’s belongings remained in the room.

Though he was flustered, he seemed to be meticulous and careful enough to keep track of his belongings.

“By the way, Doyoung, what’s with the bandage box on your desk?”

“Huh? Bandage?”

“Yeah, after you two left, I was cleaning the room Hamin used and took a look around your room too, and there was some lime-scented bandage on your desk. Did Hamin get hurt somewhere?”

“Ah, no! I just bought it because I thought lime-scented bandages sounded interesting!”

“…Well, alright then.”

I brushed off my dad’s question and closed the door to check my desk.

“Shit, why is this still here?”

The bandage box I had definitely put in Hamin’s pocket was sitting right there on the desk.

I clearly checked that it was in my pocket this morning before taking it out and giving it to Hamin.

“Then what did I give to Hamin earlier…?”

The lime-scented condoms I got from mom.

Where did I put those?

**

“I’m home.”

“Welcome back, son. Did you enjoy studying for the exam at your friend’s house?”

“Y-yeah… It was pretty good.”

When Hamin arrived home around lunchtime,

his mother happily welcomed her son who had stayed out overnight for the first time in a while.

“Oh my, Hamin. The bandage on your forehead…”

“…Ah.”

Hamin’s mother was startled to see the bandage on her son’s forehead,

and hurriedly touched his forehead.

He had covered it well with his bangs until this morning,

but it seemed the wind had blown his hair while riding the train and walking, revealing the bandage on his forehead.

“Did you fall? Are you hurt somewhere?”

“I-I’m fine…! I just fell by mistake… The friend I was studying with bought me bandages and put medicine on it.”

“Ohhh…! Really? What a good friend! To think you made such a nice friend at a school so far away! That’s my son. And your friend has good taste too, putting on such a cute bandage.”

“Y-yeah. They even gave me bandages to use at home. Take a look… Whoa!”

Hamin took out the green box Doyoung had given him from his pocket.

But suddenly shocked by the provocative fruit design on the box, Hamin dropped it to the floor.

The green box he had been told contained lime-scented bandages had somehow,

upon leaving Hamin’s pocket, transformed into a box of lime-scented condoms.

“My goodness, Hamin, this box…”

“No, that’s…!”

As Hamin’s mother picked up the fallen box and tilted her head in confusion, she soon looked at her son with a knowing smile.

“Fufu, my son. You’re quite the player. To think the friend you studied with was actually a girlfriend.”

“N-no! It’s not what you think…!”

“Eh…? Then it’s a boyfriend? Th-that might take a little effort for mom to understand!”

“No, it is a girl, but…!”

We only kissed.

Hamin couldn’t bring himself to say that.