Eighteen's Bed-Chapter 28.1

Then I saw a clear D in front of me. I shook my head.

Then... Dear Professor, I’m a passionate student who has never missed a single class of yours, but... why are you making the exam like this?

“There’s no answer.”

That’s it. I won’t write anything. I threw the pen onto the desk.

There were about seven people left in the classroom. Looking at their faces, it seemed like they were in the same situation as me. They sat there with bored faces, and when I stood up, one of them suddenly stood up as if to say, ‘Finally, someone else is leaving.’ It seemed pitiful, in a way.

I handed my exam paper to the desk at the front, returned to my seat, packed my things, and turned on my phone. The phone, in silent mode, had dozens of unread messages. Since it was rare for me to get any messages in my life, I was surprised and checked them. To my astonishment, they were from the department group chat.

I quietly slung my bag over my shoulder and checked the contents.

“Deleted content.”

“Deleted content.”

“Stop talking, this is the notice board.”

The motion of opening the door stopped. I hesitated for a moment, took a step back, and the door slammed shut. Standing in the empty hallway, I stared blankly at that one sentence.

“Was there a cheat sheet for this exam?”

I guess I really screwed up.

There were too many variables in university for me to survive as an outsider. Since I went alone without knowing anyone from my department, I had no idea that there was a cheat sheet floating around for this professor’s exam.

But why? Why? Wasn’t university supposed to be fair? If I worked my ass off to get in, shouldn’t I compete with my head till the end? Why the hell are they using shortcuts?

I walked down the stairs in a daze, and before I knew it, I was on the first floor. My feet touched the ground, and my eyes met a familiar figure. A tall man who could clearly be seen even sitting on the floor. His ordinary posture, with his elbows on his knees and his head lifted while looking at his phone, strangely made him stand out.

The exam was over, and the empty lobby was painfully cold. But why did that guy seem to own even the cold temperature?

I didn’t say he’d come to pick me up after the exam, but I thought he might. Go Yohan was oddly transparent when it came to this kind of thing, and it made me laugh. He’s so predictably clear.

"Go Yohan..."

Just as I was about to call him, the phone's ringtone filled the first-floor lobby. The culprit was the phone hanging from the long, pale fingers. He raised one eyebrow as he looked at the screen and, clicking his tongue, answered the call.

"Why."

I stopped walking and stood still. I adjusted my bag on my shoulder. My feet were planted on the ground, unmoving. There was a reason for that. My gaze was drawn between his legs, widening. I hadn’t intended it, but of course, my attention was caught by the zigzag zipper and the center seam. After all, there was yesterday’s incident.

“Don’t talk shit, shut your mouth.”

His words were harsh. His tone was calm and mocking, but his words were far too intense for a joke.

"If you contact me again, you’re dead."

He grinned, showing his white teeth, and hung up without waiting for a reply. The phone, now fallen from his ear, was placed back in front of him. The smile on his face faded, and his hands and eyes moved quickly as he read the messages.

I let out a soft groan inside. Just as I was about to take another step, the same sound echoed through the lobby again. Go Yohan twisted his lips and answered the phone harshly.

“I told you not to call again.”

My hand remained pressed against the railing, and his back was against the wall.

“If you keep calling like this, I can’t take my important calls, you bastard.”

Again, he said what he wanted and hung up. His attitude was really trash. Why does he have friends? I don’t. I felt that familiar frustration creeping in. But then I suddenly realized something. Oh, right. There’s one more thing I learned from the boxed life.

The difference between people who are born to stand out and people who work hard to stand out. I knew that fact, and once, I desperately wanted to be noticed. But now, even as I leaned against the wall, I couldn’t help but feel disgusted by that flashy bastard sitting there.

Strangely, I felt a tickling sensation inside me as I traced my finger along the cold part of the railing. I erased the thought of moving my feet from just a moment ago. With a slight smirk on my face, I pressed the 0 button on my phone.

Once again, the same ringtone filled the lobby. It was the third time. But this time, the reaction was noticeably different. The guy, who had been looking at his phone, blinked quickly. Then, he raised his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat.

“Ahem.”

He adjusted his posture. His long legs, which had been folded beneath him, were suddenly up, and his back finally separated from the wall. After exhaling deeply, he finally picked up the phone.

“Hello.”

Hello.

It’s obvious I called the phone, but I couldn’t help it. Even I think my intentions were pretty lame, and I let out a hollow laugh. This time, I was the one who sat down. This wasn’t some kind of seesaw game.

“Hello?”

Hello?

The guy tilted his head and squinted his eyes as he asked again. As I was tapping my lips with my fingers, I opened my mouth.

“Am I your darling?”

I immediately regretted it. Ugh, what did I just say? What a dumb thing to do.

The sound of sneakers sliding on the floor came quickly toward me. Looks like he’s finally noticed. I was so embarrassed that I buried my head between my knees. This isn’t good. I can never mimic Go Yohan.

“Forget it.”

“Forget what?”

His low voice echoed over my head. Every time he moved, the jingling of his zipper became audible, filling the air with an unseen presence. I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or if it was just his natural, almost divine presence. I harshly wiped my ear with the back of my cold hand and tilted my head back.

“I think it failed.”

“Your darling?”

“Yeah.”

My voice cracked. Damn it.

“It was a good try though.”

Was it really necessary to answer so seriously? Go Yohan was standing in front of me, arms crossed, speaking, when I heard footsteps from behind. I quickly shut my mouth as I heard the sound of footsteps descending the stairs.

The identity of the regular footsteps was one of the last remaining seven people, a familiar classmate. I closed my mouth, hoping they hadn’t heard, and looked up at them. The classmate, while coming down, made eye contact with me. The first one to greet was the classmate.

“Hey.”

“Ah, hey.”

“Um... take care.”

“You too.”

The awkwardness was overwhelming. The classmate glanced back and forth between me and Go Yohan as they passed by. At the same time, I met Go Yohan’s eyes, who was scanning the classmate from top to bottom, and the classmate left the lobby after a brief nod. I broke the eerily silent atmosphere while watching their back as they slowly walked away.

“We must’ve looked like those silent people who just shut their mouths when someone showed up, huh? Must’ve looked pretty weird.”

“Who?”

But the response was totally off-track.

“Just a classmate.”

“... Are you close?”

I stared at the back of the classmate, which had already become a small dot and disappeared, wondering what I was doing. I shouldn’t be bothered by something so trivial, but here I was, narrowing my mind for no reason.

“We’re not close. That’s why it failed.”

At that moment, his eyes finally turned back to me.

“What failed?”

Worry appeared in his pale, small eyes. Worry? Seriously, that doesn’t suit Go Yohan. When his shining, determined gaze turned to me, I, like a fool, smiled sweetly like a melting jelly.

And then I realized something as I opened my mouth. From the moment I faced Go Yohan, the idea of a cheat sheet had become nothing to me.

“What failed?”

“I don’t have any friends in the department.”

If I had friends, I would’ve been told to get a cheat sheet from the seniors. As I thought about the irreversible past, I stood up.

“I guess I misjudged things. Maybe I should follow the club or volunteer work.”

“Following that stuff won’t help you at all in life.”

His unusually sharp voice struck my ears quickly, and I brushed off the hand that had been resting on the ground, looking at him.

“It’s so unfair.”

To be more precise, I had seen the screen of Go Yohan’s phone lighting up randomly. Damn. My gaze bounced up to the air. Honestly, I wasn’t angry, nor was I jealous. I had expected it, knew it, and considering the Go Yohan from high school, it was obvious. It was just playful envy.

“You have so many friends, yet you keep me locked up.”

I threw a light jab as I weakly tapped the back of his hand holding the phone. I was about to walk past him toward the end of the lobby when my arm was suddenly grabbed. It didn’t hurt, but the sudden action left me confused. When I turned my body, I saw Go Yohan looking at me with an uncomfortably serious expression.

“What, why…?”

“If you don’t want me to meet them, I won’t.”

“Huh?”

“They’re not that important anyway.”

“No, you don’t have to go that far…”

No, you really don’t. The sudden heaviness in the air made my mouth clamp shut. There was absolutely no need for that. But instead of pressing the issue, Go Yohan, who had been bouncing his leg impatiently, started blurting out words.

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“If you tell me to cut them off, I can do it right away.”

That much? I had absolutely no intention of making him do that.

For some strange reason, Go Yohan assumed I would be displeased with his friends. But that wasn’t the case at all. Instead, the way he seemed to expect my disapproval made me uncomfortable, so I took a step back—then suddenly, a thought struck me.

People tend to mirror their deepest frustrations onto others. So maybe… the one actually sensitive about this wasn’t me, but Go Yohan.

I reached out and grabbed the wrist of the arm that had just caught me. Then, with a calm and serious tone, I asked,

“Go Yohan.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you not like it when I have friends?”

“……”

His lips, momentarily speechless, started to pout outward like a duck’s. Ah. So that’s it.

The moment the realization hit, Go Yohan gave a small nod. His long neck arched smoothly, exposing its elegant curve. Why? The question burned in my throat like paper set aflame, turning black before it could even be spoken.

Because I already knew the answer.

I tightened my grip around his wrist, but this time, it was softer. Could it be…

“Do you hate it when I get close to other people?”

Even in this moment, I was scared someone might overhear, so I lowered my voice. That’s how pathetically cautious I am.

“…I got it.”

But I had to say it.

This was a pattern I’d recognized earlier this year—if you take Go Yohan’s side, he acts like it doesn’t matter, but deep down, he actually loves it.

“I don’t need friends to live, anyway. What I just said was just because of the school ranking system.”

Go Yohan’s grip on my arm tightened. It didn’t hurt, but the pressure crawled up my nerves, stifling and tense. Avoiding his gaze on purpose, I continued.

“I mean, if you look on some community forums, people probably sell ranking info, right? Next time, I’ll just buy one.”

“……”

“There. Problem solved.”

Whenever I take his side too much, Go Yohan falls completely silent. It’s one of the rare times he does.

One—when he’s asleep.

Two—when he’s seething with rage.

Three—when someone unquestioningly, excessively takes his side.

This third reaction of his is unforgettable.

Expressionless, staring at the floor. But that look… he’s embarrassed.

And I’m secretly proud of myself for knowing that.

If someone had told first-year high school me, “You’re going to start throwing matches just to see Go Yohan’s embarrassed face,” would I have believed them? Not a chance.

I blamed my past self for being such an idiot.

Meanwhile, Go Yohan, still staring at the ground, glanced at me enjoying myself and muttered,

“We should have been in the same department.”

“Yeah, really.”

I put on a fake sulky act.

The second our eyes met, Go Yohan’s widened in surprise, and he hurriedly looked away again.

God.

“…I should’ve known which department you’d apply to beforehand.”

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Just as my mind started assembling a mental Rubik’s cube at high speed, Go Yohan abruptly cut off my train of thought.

The moment my thoughts settled, the stalled cube clunked back into motion.

Plastic rods scraped against air, twisting in a jarring motion.

When nine squares locked into place with a final click, the realization hit me.

“Was it you?”

I heard Go Yohan’s breath catch.

Actually heard it.

At the same time, my eyes narrowed.

“You were already accepted, so you deliberately lowered my target major to sociology, just to make sure I ended up at this university with you, didn’t you?”

“……”

“No way… You didn’t, right?”

His pale eyes flicked sideways.

His lips, which had been perpetually tilted in a lopsided smirk, pursed forward as if deflating.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, like a fish gasping for air, before—finally—his lips stretched into a slow, carefree grin.

“No?”

Not, What are you talking about?

Just a casual, No?

Hmph.

I squinted at him, suspicion still lingering in my gaze. Go Yohan, avoiding my stare, turned to the window. His eyelashes fluttered as he blinked quickly, then let out a small gasp.

Naturally, I followed his gaze and saw it, too.

“Kang Jun, look. It’s snowing.”

Outside, white specks drifted lazily through the blue sky, fluttering toward the ground.

“…Yeah. It is.”