Unrequited Love Thresher-Chapter 71: Between Inferiority and Pity

“What are you doing in front of the nurse’s office?”

A sharp voice rang out across the hallway. The school nurse was walking up behind Kwon Jongseok. The hand that had been raised suddenly shifted to rest on Ha Giyeon’s shoulder. The eyes that had just been glinting with sticky desire were now neatly shuttered behind a composed smile.

“...!”

Son Suhyeon felt a chill crawl up his spine at the sight.

Wasn’t he about to hit Ha Giyeon just now? No—everything he had been saying to him had been strange. It was like he was insisting that Giyeon had to be this way.

Kwon Jongseok’s hand on Ha Giyeon’s shoulder might have seemed like a gentle pat, but Suhyeon could see the tension in his fingertips. And Ha Giyeon’s brows were slightly furrowed, too.

“Hello, teacher. Dohoon’s little brother said he wasn’t feeling well, so I was helping him out.”

“Oh, Jongseok. Dohoon’s brother isn’t feeling well?”

“...I just wanted to get some cold medicine.”

“You look quite pale... Class is over, so Jongseok, you head upstairs, and Giyeon, come with me.”

Kwon Jongseok didn’t like that the conversation had been cut off, but he knew chasing after Ha Giyeon now wouldn’t get him anywhere. Giyeon didn’t look like he was in any condition to talk, anyway.

Well, there’s plenty of time.

“Giyeon, I’ll see you later.”

With a few light taps on Giyeon’s shoulder, Jongseok turned and walked away. Giyeon rubbed the spot on his shoulder where he’d been touched, then stepped into the nurse’s office.

Son Suhyeon clenched his jaw watching the scene, then slowly sank to the floor with his back against the wall. From beginning to end, he’d gotten everything wrong. He only learned about Giyeon’s family situation after hearing it from someone else—because Giyeon hadn’t been able to say it himself.

His stomach churned. Drowning in self-pity and inferiority, what kind of things had he said to Giyeon?

“Sunbae, you don’t know anything.”

He really hadn’t. He said he’d wait for Giyeon to speak when he was ready, but he never tried to listen. All because he was Ha Dohoon’s younger brother.

He distanced himself. He hurt him. He was the one who let go first—and now, too late, he was the one desperately trying to hold on again. How could someone be this shameless and selfish? He had only ever thought about himself. Even so, when he finally twisted his shameless tongue into an apology, Giyeon had smiled and forgiven him. Even though he must have hated the very sight of Suhyeon.

Even while sick, Giyeon had listened to his apology, forgave him, and smiled. How could someone be this precious?

And why was he, Suhyeon, so disgusting in contrast? He was revolted by himself. He had hurt Giyeon because he was too afraid of getting hurt.

And even now, even after all that, he still wanted to see him. He felt like he was losing his mind.

He didn’t want to hurt him. He wanted to cherish him. Was this the result of that? It wasn’t Giyeon who had stayed by his side—Giyeon had been the one who chose to stay. He had been so busy running from reality, he hadn’t even tried to look at him.

Even now, Suhyeon wanted to see him. He wanted to face him and hear what he had to say.

Beep. The nurse removed the thermometer from Giyeon’s ear and checked the reading, then looked at him worriedly.

“38 degrees... That’s a pretty high fever. Are you feeling dizzy?”

“...I’m okay.”

“You’re not okay... Let’s start with some fever-reducing medicine. Lie down for an hour. If your fever goes down, you can go back to class. If it doesn’t, I’ll have to mark you for early dismissal.” freeweɓnøvel.com

He hated missing class, but there was no way he could concentrate like this. Clutching his aching head, Giyeon swallowed the medicine and lay down on the bed.

His body was trembling from the chills, his swollen throat burned, and the heat made his head throb. He couldn’t fall asleep, so he kept his eyes closed, but the only person in his foggy mind was Son Suhyeon.

He never would’ve expected Suhyeon to come apologize. He’d never received a sincere apology before. He figured that if Suhyeon came looking for him, it would just be because of their part-time job. But Suhyeon had bowed deeply and said he was sorry—and even in the haze of illness, Giyeon could tell that he meant it. He was wearing an expression of guilt so raw it hurt to look at.

He had never seen Suhyeon make a face like that before, so he’d been startled. But there was no reason not to forgive him. Suhyeon hadn’t known about his circumstances, and considering how much Giyeon had avoided attention, it made sense to avoid someone who turned out to be Dohoon’s brother. It was only natural.

It would’ve been a lie to say Suhyeon’s words at the time hadn’t hurt. But thinking about it from his perspective, it was understandable. So Giyeon couldn’t hold a grudge. It hadn’t even really been a matter of forgiveness or not.

The memories from before the regression had burst forward again, and they stung—but he was fine now. Like always, he would bury it and move on.

He had no reason to harbor feelings toward Son Suhyeon, nor any reason to cross paths with him again. If he quit the café job, they really wouldn’t see each other anymore. Even the thin thread of a sunbae-hoobae relationship would be cut.

He recalled something Suhyeon had once said when introducing him.

“Just a junior I know.”

Just a junior. That was the exact distance they had shared—and now, they had become truly nothing. Nothing remained between them.

And yet, why?

Why couldn’t he get Son Suhyeon out of his mind?

***

He had no idea how he’d made it back to class. Son Suhyeon had been scolded by the teacher and sat through the lesson unable to concentrate at all, thinking only of Ha Giyeon.

That image of Giyeon walking into the nurse’s office.

That figure wouldn’t leave his mind. He knew he had no right to think about Giyeon—but his thoughts searched for him involuntarily. That face, like he was about to cry.

What kind of expression had Giyeon worn when he was being sneered at by Kwon Jongseok? Was it a face twisted in pain, like the one he’d made when Suhyeon hurt him?

They said it was arrogant to think you could understand someone’s heart—but Suhyeon wanted to understand Giyeon. Just like Giyeon had been hurt because of him, he wanted to be hurt too.

Ha Giyeon.

It had only been a few months. Just a few repeated months in Suhyeon’s monotonous life—but they had flipped everything upside down.

From the moment he returned to school, Ha Giyeon had changed his world. He made ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) him smile, made him enjoy things. Even when he was upset, even when he was lost in emotion like a winter night’s breath, it was always Giyeon.

Only now had he begun to understand what it meant to connect with someone else—or maybe even what happiness felt like. He didn’t want to lose that. No matter how shameless it made him, he wanted to beg Giyeon for forgiveness and stay by his side.

He used to think he just wanted to go back to the way things were.

But the more he thought about Ha Giyeon, the more he realized—it wasn’t that.

He wanted to get closer. He wanted to touch him. He wanted to be there to hold him when he was sad, to photograph his smile and keep it forever.

It was creepy. Disgusting. He really was abnormal.

But so what? Even if he was abnormal, he still wanted to stay by Ha Giyeon’s side. He really was selfish.

“The lesson ends here today. Don’t forget to finish the assigned homework for next time.”

As soon as the bell rang, Son Suhyeon snapped out of his daze and bolted from the room toward Giyeon’s class. He looked inside—but Giyeon wasn’t there.

Was he still in the nurse’s office? Suhyeon didn’t even stop to ask someone—he just ran straight for the office, sweat dripping down his back. The nurse jumped when she saw him.

“Are you feeling unwell...?”

“No... um, is Ha Giyeon here?”

“Ha Giyeon? His fever didn’t go down, so he left early.”

He really did look sick—he must have been in a bad state. Feeling hollow, Suhyeon raked his fingers through his hair as he stepped back out of the nurse’s office.

What was he planning to do if he had found him? Just watch while he suffered?

When he was fully recovered—then. He would apologize again properly. He would try to talk to him.

That was what he decided.

Just then, as he walked down the hallway, something out the window caught his eye. Outside on the field, he saw someone trudging along with a big bag slung over their shoulder, shoulders slumped low.

“Ha Giyeon...?”

Suhyeon’s eyes widened. There was no way he could mistake that figure. It was Ha Giyeon. He was staggering across the field, like he might collapse at any moment.

The moment that thought registered, Suhyeon was already leaping over the window ledge and running toward him. He caught up quickly—Giyeon’s steps were slow and shaky. Reaching out, he grabbed his arm.

“Ha Giyeon...!”

Still wearing his mask, Giyeon looked like he could barely open his eyes. He squinted at Suhyeon.

“S-Son... Suhyeon... sunbae...?”

His voice was barely audible, his legs trembling like a newborn chick.

“Are you okay?”

“Why are you... here...”

Giyeon thought he’d lost it. It had to be a hallucination. Why else would Suhyeon be here, holding his arm?

“Are you headed to the hospital? I’ll help you.”

“Ah, no... I’m just going home. I’m okay.”

Even as he looked like he could collapse any second, Giyeon waved him off and tried to pull his arm free. Suhyeon, startled at the thought he might be forcing himself on Giyeon again, quickly let go. But Giyeon’s body immediately sagged—and Suhyeon caught him again, holding him firmly.

“...I’ll just help you walk. I won’t say anything.”

“What...? Why...?”

“...”

“There’s no reason for us to be involved anymore... Are you doing this because you feel sorry for me...?”

“...!”

The sharpness in Giyeon’s voice made Suhyeon stiffen, lips pressing shut. He told himself it was guilt that made him want to help—but could he truly say there wasn’t even a sliver of pity?

He couldn’t answer.

“I’ll go... alone... So...”

At that moment, Giyeon’s body tilted and collapsed—but Suhyeon caught him in his arms.

“Ha Giyeon...? Ha Giyeon!”