Chapter 28 : I’ve been waiting [Part 2]

Morning sunlight filled the classroom through the windows.

I naturally walked toward my seat—

“……Huh?”

I spotted Kim Dohyun.

He was sitting at his desk, resting his chin on his arm as usual, but something was off.

He was turned away.

And not just in a casual way—

It was painfully obvious.

Even if I was just walking past, he should have noticed I was approaching.

But he was stiffly facing the other direction, deliberately avoiding my gaze.

As I quietly passed by, I glanced at him.

His expression was tense.

He couldn’t even pretend to be as nonchalant as usual.

“…”

…Haha.

So, he remembers.

Last night’s call.

I smirked and approached Kim Dohyun.

As I passed by his chair, I deliberately leaned in and whispered,

“Dohyun-ah, good morning.”

And then—

His shoulder flinched ever so slightly.

That tiny reaction was all I needed to be sure.

Kim Dohyun definitely remembered.

And because of that, he was actively avoiding me.

I didn’t know how much he remembered—

But a slow, wicked grin spread across my lips.

Now, how should I make use of this?

Slowly, very slowly.

Today, I planned to enjoy this moment at my leisure.

I would make him even more embarrassed than I had been.The time of dawn is truly a terrifying time.

It makes people emotional and paralyzes their rationality.

A magical time that can turn even an ordinary person into a philosopher.

And I was no exception.

[Lee Jian]

→ I died tonight.

“And I am born anew.”

I murmured as I sat at my desk and opened a book.

I needed to win the bet and get the wish coupon.

What wish should I make when I get it?

I was already starting to feel good. 

I could feel the corners of my mouth slowly lifting.

Wouldn’t a little excitement be okay?

Since I was using that anticipation as fuel to burn the firewood of studying.

[Kim Dohyun]

→ Are you having a chuunibyou moment?

Kim Dohyun’s message snapped me back to reality.

I reread my message slowly, and no matter how I looked at it, it was full of cringeworthy lines.

I lightly tapped my desk.

“Dawn really is a dangerous time.”

[Lee Jian]

→….Can you just forget about it?

→ (A duck twisting its body emoji)

[Kim Dohyun]

 → (A screenshot of the conversation)

Kim Dohyun showed a firm attitude, as if negotiations were out of the question.

I wanted to argue, but I had no grounds.

Still, I couldn’t just let this slide, so I called him.

As the dial tone rang, I rocked my chair back and forth.

‘Will he answer? Or not?’

 Why did such a short moment feel so long?

Seeing his name blinking on the screen made me break out in a cold sweat.

And then—

“…What.”

A low, drowsy voice tickled my ears.

“……Oh, you picked up.”

“What is it, suddenly?”

His voice was different.

It felt closer, unlike when we exchanged messages.

His tone was still indifferent, but there was a faint hint of exhaustion.

“Were you sleeping?”

“No.”

“Then what were you doing?”

“Just.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Just what?”

No response.

A brief silence.

Then, a quiet breath.

It felt strangely close.

I curled up in my chair and gripped my phone tighter.

“…It’s because of you.”

“…?”

His tone was oddly loose.

Normally, he would have retorted immediately or brushed it off as a joke.

But now—

“…What do you mean?”

He didn’t answer.

A tiny breath.

A moment of silence, as if he was steadying himself.

Then, his voice, low once more.

“…Because you kept sending messages.”

Something about his tone felt different.

Much more languid and quiet than usual, yet somehow more honest.

I tightened my grip on my phone.

“If you were sleeping, you could’ve just said so. 

You didn’t have to reply.”

“That’s not it… 

Haah.”

A small sigh escaped Kim Dohyun.

That sound traveled through the phone, deeper, more clearly.

For some reason, my ears tingled, and my heart wavered.

“I was waiting. 

Wondering if you’d text me today.”

Thump!

My heart dropped heavily.

What did he just say?

He was waiting?

Kim Dohyun, for me?

My mind went blank for a moment.

I needed to say something.

I had to respond somehow.

But my lips wouldn’t move.

“Huh?

I mean… 

What? 

Huh?”

A mess.

My grip on the phone tightened before I realized it.

I could feel heat rising to the tips of my ears.

Did I mishear?

Yeah, maybe… 

Maybe I was just imagining things.

But—

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

That low, quiet voice.

Slow, a little drowsy.

Even with that hint of sleepiness, it somehow sank deeper into me.

“…You said you were waiting. 

What do you mean by that?”

I asked cautiously, but with the smallest sliver of hope.

Kim Dohyun didn’t answer.

A brief silence.

A tiny breath in between.

And then—

“…Just.”

He murmured softly.

“I guess I got used to texting you. 

At some point, I started waiting for it.”

At that moment—

I really thought my breath had stopped.

I didn’t know what was happening in my head anymore.

Something warm surged up inside me.

My fingertips tingled.

Instinctively, I gripped my phone even tighter.

Pulled the speaker a little closer.

“…I like that.”

Before I knew it, I had said it out loud.

“So, that…”

My hand flailed awkwardly in the air.

I bit my lip, then slowly let out my words.

“I like texting with you.”

Saying it without facing him directly somehow made it easier.

“And, this moment of talking on the phone too.”

My face was already burning.

Even my breathing trembled a little.

“I like it.”

What kind of expression was he making right now?

Kim Dohyun didn’t reply for a while.

Then, I heard steady breathing.

Shhh. 

Shhh.

His breaths came in a rhythmic pattern.

I fell silent.

“…Huh?”

I called him quietly.

No response.

I pressed the phone closer to my ear and whispered again.

“Kim Dohyun?”

Still, no answer.

Shhh. Shhh.

And then—

Only then did I realize.

“…Did you fall asleep?”

I stared blankly at the screen.

No response, only the sound of his steady, deep breathing, as if he had completely fallen asleep.

Only then did everything make sense.

Why he had been unusually honest today.

Why did he keep saying he had been waiting.

That idiot had been completely drunk on sleep.

I bit my lip quietly.

“…………Hey, you unfair bastard.”

How could he make my heart race like this and then just escape by falling asleep?

My heart was still pounding like crazy.

“Well then, I’ll be unfair too?”

I took a deep breath.

My fingertips trembled slightly.

But right now—

Since he wouldn’t hear me.

Maybe I could be honest too.

I took a small breath and slowly opened my mouth.

“I like you.”

The moment I said it, my heart pounded fiercely.

My face burned with embarrassment, but—

I gathered the courage to add one more thing.

“I hope you don’t forget this call.”

I said it with a soft smile.

And then—

Click.

I ended the call.

Only then could I let out a breath.

But my chest was still thudding.

I placed my phone over my heart and stared at the ceiling.

“…I must be crazy.”

It felt like my heart was going to explode.

And yet, strangely—

I liked this moment.

The dense dawn air. 

That cold air had somehow filled me with an unknown courage.

Even if that courage would shatter like a mirage when morning came.

Even if, once the courage faded, overwhelming embarrassment would come crashing down as a side effect.

Right now, with the boost from the midnight air, I felt like I was okay.

Rather, I didn’t mind being embarrassed—

As long as Kim Dohyun remembered this call.

I absentmindedly fiddled with my sleeves.

The gym uniform.

Kim Dohyun’s gym uniform.

The clean texture. 

The soft fabric brushing against my fingertips.

It was just an ordinary piece of clothing, yet somehow, I couldn’t stop touching it.

The name “Kim Dohyun” embroidered on the uniform caught my eye.

And then—

Sniff, sniff.

A familiar scent of fabric softener.

And a faint, unfamiliar scent mixed in.

A refreshing scent, like a breeze brushing past.

But somehow, it was familiar.

A scent I had never paid attention to before, but now I recognized. 

Kim Dohyun’s scent.

Some things don’t wash away, it seemed.

It lingered so vividly that I could recall it just by breathing it in.

I buried my face in the fabric.

And, just once more—

I took a deep breath.

I wish I hadn’t noticed.

I shouldn’t have sniffed it.

Now I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I slowly moved my fingertips again.

Brushing over the fabric. 

Carefully unfolding the collar.

Now, everything I felt at my fingertips was strangely vivid and unfamiliar.

This was the uniform Kim Dohyun had worn.

The fabric that had brushed against him every time he moved.

The clothes he had casually handed over—

While looking slightly flustered.

“…Ha.”

I gripped the gym uniform tightly.

I needed to return it.

I should wash it clean and give it back—

And never have these thoughts again.

But—

“…Just a little longer.”

What was this?

Why was something as trivial as a gym uniform making me act like this?

Quietly, very quietly—

I smiled.

“……Hey.”

“…?!”

Only then did I sense someone’s presence.

By the time I looked up, the door had already swung open.

My sister stood there.

And her gaze—

Was fixed on the gym uniform in my hands.

Her eyes flickered between the name on the uniform and my face.

My mind went blank.

How do I explain this—?

“…No way.”

My sister frowned.

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Not like what?! 

You were just sniffing it!!”

“I wasn’t!!”

“Wow, you’re actually disgusting.”

“I swear, I wasn’t—”

I cursed the fact that it was too early in the morning to yell properly.

“…The fabric blend is really soft, huh? 

Hmm, just like the textbooks said.”

I tried to play it off shamelessly.

But that effort was crushed instantly.

“I don’t care. 

I’m just gonna tell everyone in your class that you were sniffing someone’s gym uniform like a creep.”

“HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY—!!!!!”

“…Freak.”

With that, my sister slammed the door shut.

The cold dawn air.

In this dense night air, countless people have created embarrassing memories and collapsed under the weight of humiliation.

It was a truly cruel time.

And I was no exception.

My entire existence had just been shattered.

A wave of crushing self-awareness hit me.

Morning sunlight filled the classroom through the windows.

I naturally walked toward my seat—

“……Huh?”

I spotted Kim Dohyun.

He was sitting at his desk, resting his chin on his arm as usual, but something was off.

He was turned away.

And not just in a casual way—

It was painfully obvious.

Even if I was just walking past, he should have noticed I was approaching.

But he was stiffly facing the other direction, deliberately avoiding my gaze.

As I quietly passed by, I glanced at him.

His expression was tense.

He couldn’t even pretend to be as nonchalant as usual.

“…”

…Haha.

So, he remembers.

Last night’s call.

I smirked and approached Kim Dohyun.

As I passed by his chair, I deliberately leaned in and whispered,

“Dohyun-ah, good morning.”

And then—

His shoulder flinched ever so slightly.

That tiny reaction was all I needed to be sure.

Kim Dohyun definitely remembered.

And because of that, he was actively avoiding me.

I didn’t know how much he remembered—

But a slow, wicked grin spread across my lips.

Now, how should I make use of this?

Slowly, very slowly.

Today, I planned to enjoy this moment at my leisure.

I would make him even more embarrassed than I had been.