“Edin!” Hamin shouted. “Thank god you’re here!”

The moment Edin walked into the classroom with Yuel, Hamin pulled him in for a hug while also checking behind his back for their short friend. He sighed in relief seeing that Euiheon was not with him.

“Why are you here so early?” Edin asked, pushing Hamin away from him. He sent Yuel a quick look and whispered, “Sorry.”

Yuel wasn’t sure what he was sorry about but decided not to question it.

Edin was looking forward to spending the morning with just Yuel. He figured Hamin would come at his usual time of just a minute or two before morning homeroom began. That was when all three of the friends always came. But Edin was sure to leave his house early from now on, knowing when Yuel left his.

“Just… because,” Hamin stammered. “Uh, hi, Yuel.”

“Hey,” Yuel said back just as awkwardly. Even if he had gotten somewhat closer to Edin, he wasn’t quite there with his friends yet.

Hamin turned back to Edin. “You don’t think Euiheon’s waiting for us, do you?”

“Why don’t you just let him know that we’re already here?” Edin said.

“Uh… Could you do it?”

“Did you two fight?”

“Fight? No way! Why would we?” Hamin laughed nervously.

Edin wasn’t convinced, but it was too early in the morning to try and pull a proper explanation out of him. He took out his phone and texted Euiheon that he and Hamin were at school so he shouldn’t wait for them.

[Chu Euiheon: Okay.]

Euiheon was never one to express emotions through his texts via emoticons or LOLs, so his reply didn’t seem off to Edin. But he did wonder if he would also act weird once he got to school.

Edin had his question answered soon enough. Euiheon seemed perfectly fine when he arrived. Hamin was the only one acting extra weird today.

“No, don’t leave me…!” Hamin called out when Edin took Yuel to go to their seats on the other side of the classroom.

Euiheon turned around and looked at Hamin, who could not return his gaze and instead stared down at his desk. “What’s wrong with you today?”

“How the hell are you so—”

Hamin lowered his head back down the second he snapped it up. He really couldn’t look at Euiheon at all. His face kept reminding him of Saturday night. More specifically, how it ended.

“How the hell am I so what?”

“Never mind,” Hamin groaned.

“Okay, then? Anyway, sorry for just leaving Sunday morning. I got a bunch of messages from my mom that night. She was even more pissed when she figured out I’d been drinking. I’m never following you on any of your stupid meetups again.”

“No, of course! You don’t have to!” Hamin blurted out, confusing Euiheon even more.

But how could Hamin not panic right now? He just realized what an asshole he was to invite Euiheon to that meetup when he already had someone he liked—that someone being the very friend that invited him to hang out with some girls in the first place. That was like going to a sushi place with a date that already wanted pizza.

Speaking of date, Hamin didn’t know what he should do about Eunji. She wouldn’t stop texting him all of Sunday. He did reply back each time since he didn’t want to leave her on read, though it always left him feeling guilty.

It was clear that she liked him. But so did Euiheon…

“Uh, hey?” Hamin said, tapping Euiheon’s back, who turned around to face him again. Hamin immediately averted his eyes.

“What?”

“So, uh, you know Eunji? She was one of the girls we hung out with on Saturday.”

Euiheon dug through his memories of that day, his neutral expression not changing in the slightest. Hamin took note of that and wondered if Euiheon was a robot. He definitely texted like one and talked like one, too. How else could he not be blushing like crazy talking about Saturday when Hamin felt like his face was on fire?

“Yeah, I remember her,” Euiheon replied. “What about her?”

“She… wanted to hang out again this weekend.”

“As the four of us? I told you, I’m done with that shit now.”

“I know, I know! And she wanted to meet up as just the two of us.”

“Like a date?”

Hamin nodded.

“Okay? Are you trying to brag?”

“What? No, of course not!” Hamin paused, thinking about why he had brought this up in the first place. “I just wanted to know if you’re okay with it. With me going on a date with her, I mean.”

He anxiously waited for Euiheon’s reply, prepared for his friend to be completely against it. He was willing to turn Eunji down if Euiheon didn’t approve. But he seemed to have already forgotten that Euiheon was practically a robot.

Euiheon looked at him with a raised brow. “Why are you asking me? Since when did you need my permission for that? Do what you want, like you always do.”

Hamin was reminded of all the dates he bragged about to Euiheon in the past, never having asked if he was okay with any one of them. He felt like such an idiot now.

“No, I want to get your thoughts on it this time.”

“What? Are you not going to meet her if I’m not okay with it?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Wow.” Euiheon thought about it. “Have you finally come to your senses?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m fully aware now…”

…That you like me, Hamin wanted to add but wouldn’t dare, especially not with all his classmates around.

“Then, forget the date and start studying. You’re a third-year now.”

“Right, I’ll study really hard if that’s what you want!”

“Okay…? Did all that alcohol mess with your head or something? What’s with you?”

“It’s because…!”

Before Hamin could finish that sentence, their homeroom teacher arrived. Euiheon turned around, and soon, morning study hall began. Even the sight of Euiheon’s back made Hamin blush, so he did the previously unthinkable and took out a textbook, not to use as a pillow for his morning nap, but to actually read and study. It was time he started listening to his friend for once.

…Well, at least until lunchtime, that was.