“Let’s see,” Ms. Kim said, looking around the room. “There’s an empty desk at the back. Next to Edin.”

The teacher knew who Edin was because she was his English teacher during the previous year. At the sound of his name, Edin sat a little bit straighter. He wondered if he was taller than Yuel or if it was the other way around. He hoped he was the taller one. That way, he would be able to put his arm around the boy’s shoulders more easily like Hamin did to Euiheon. He also preferred to do the hugging instead of being hugged.

Yuel walked over to his seat and placed his heavy backpack down on his desk. Since he couldn’t make it to orientation day the week prior, he had to get all his textbooks this morning.

As the boy pulled the chair out next to him, Edin said, “Hey—”

“Actually, Yuel,” Ms. Kim called. “There are a few more textbooks you have to take from the teacher’s office. Could you please follow me?”

“Okay.”

And the new student was gone just as quickly as he arrived.

“No fucking way,” Hamin said, turning around to look at the vacant seat behind him.

Euiheon also turned around. “Yeah, I thought I was just seeing things earlier at the front gate, but it really was him.”

“How do you guys know Ye Yuel?” Edin asked.

His lips tingled again from saying the boy’s name out loud for the first time. But aside from the fluttering in his chest, there was also a hint of jealousy at being the only one among his friends who didn’t know who Yuel was.

“Ham and I went to the same middle school as him,” Euiheon explained.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Edin said with a frown.

His friends never mentioned having gone to school with someone so pretty. Hamin did show him a few pictures of his middle school classmates before, but they were all of girls he wanted to set him up with, and none were nearly as pretty as Yuel.

“To be honest, I totally forgot about him until just now,” Hamin said.

Edin glared at him. A face like that was far from forgettable.

“Yuel moved away after our second year,” Euiheon said. “People thought it was because of the rumor that spread about him. Ham, do you remember?”

“Oh, yeah. That he was dating some older guy.”

Euiheon nodded. Meanwhile, Edin found himself caught up on the word guy.

“Like a boy guy?” Edin asked curiously.

“Nope,” Hamin replied. “Like a man guy. People apparently saw him hanging out with some dude that looked to be in his twenties.”

“I mean, the dating part was probably only a rumor,” Euiheon said. “But I saw him with that man, too. They did seem pretty close.”

Hamin’s stomach growled. “Ah, enough about Ye Yuel! Let’s go get something to eat at the school convenience store.”

“Didn’t you have breakfast?” Euiheon asked.

“Yeah, but I’m still hungry.”

“You pig.”

“Hey, unlike you, I’m still a growing boy.” Hamin grabbed Euiheon by the arm and pulled him up. “Let’s go, Chewie.”

“Ugh, why do I have to go with you?”

“Because this hyung will buy you some milk to help you grow taller.”

(*Hyung: used by males to address an older brother or any older, usually close male; also used jokingly to refer to a person who might not necessarily be older but is paying for someone else or doing them a favor)

“Fuck you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Hamin put his arm around Euiheon’s shoulders to keep him from running away.

“God, you’re so annoying…”

“I know you still love me, baby.”

“If you don’t want me to dump an entire carton of milk on your head in about three minutes, I suggest you shut up.”

“……”

With his two friends gone, Edin was left alone to process the new information he had just acquired about Yuel.

An older guy. A man guy. A guy.

“Does that mean he’s okay with that kind of stuff…?”

Yuel returned to class through the back door with a pile of books in his hands. Although he didn’t appear to be struggling, Edin got up to offer some help. That was when he learned that he was taller than Yuel by a few centimeters.

In an even better mood, Edin said, “I can carry some for you.”

“I’m fine,” Yuel replied, turning the books away from Edin before they could be taken from him.

Yuel sat at his desk and began organizing his things. Edin returned to his seat too and watched him attentively. It was impossible for Yuel not to feel his gaze, but as long as the boy stayed silent, he found no reason to try to talk to him first.

On the other hand, at the new kid’s lack of response, Edin rolled his brain around for a conversation starter. Something to break the ice with this pretty boy…

He recalled today’s moral.

“Have you ever gone fishing before?” Edin asked.

“Um, not really,” Yuel replied, taken aback by both the random question and suddenly being acknowledged.

“Cool.”

Yuel turned his head away in the hopes that the conversation would end there—

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

—only to snap his head right back around. “Do I have a what?”

“A boyfriend.”

“W-Why would I…?”

“If you don’t, does that mean I have a chance?”

“Woah, slow down. What? We just met.”

“After we get to know each other more, then?”

“That’s not what I meant…” Yuel got the odd sense that the boy’s face was getting ever so closer to his, to which he blurted out, “I don’t even know your name.”

“I’m Yang Edin.”

Instead of his face, Edin put out his hand. He kept it there for a few seconds until Yuel eventually gave in and shook it.

“Your hand’s really soft.”

Yuel pulled his hand free. “A-Are you a pervert?”

Edin didn’t look the least bit offended. He actually passed his partner a rather perverted grin. “Will you like me more if I am?”

Yuel narrowed his eyes at the boy, unable to comprehend what must be going through his mind right now. Not that he wanted to find out, either. Unfortunately for him, Edin was waiting for his answer, and he didn’t seem to have any plans of leaving him alone until he heard it.

Yuel sighed. “I’m not into that kind of stuff.”

“What are you into?” Edin asked right away.

“Why should I tell you?”

“So that I can match it, of course.”

“You can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” Yuel searched through his head for a convincing enough reason. “Well, I’m not into boys. I’m not gay.”

“Then, I’ll come to school tomorrow in a girl’s uniform.”

“…Please don’t.”

“Okay. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.” Edin winked at him. “You’re special like that.”

Yuel was finally rendered speechless. He had never met someone this persistent and downright strange before. He wondered when the class would be changing seats. It ought to be very soon. This boy was clearly someone he needed to stay away from.