Chapter 13: Time to Switch Seats
Â
“Alright, it’s been a while since the semester started, so let’s go ahead and change seats.”
Â
My ears perked up at the words of our homeroom teacher—words as shocking as a bolt from the blue.
Â
Weren’t we supposed to sit in numerical order for at least a month? Wasn’t that the unwritten rule?
Â
Had the teacher already memorized all our names and faces?
Â
What a competent teacher.
Â
“Come here and draw a number. Let’s start with number 1.”
Â
One by one, the students from the front rows got up to draw a number.
Â
They were drawing slips, cut from standard A4-size paper, from a box.
Â
I didn’t even wish for the slight chance of ending up as Eun-ha’s partner again.
Â
All I hoped for was a seat somewhere close to her.
Â
“Next, numbers 11 to 20 come up.”
Â
The students in front of me hurried out, leaving Eun-ha and me leaning against the classroom wall.
Â
It would be nice if Eun-ha felt a little regretful about us being separated, but I guessed that was probably not the case yet?
Â
She might also want to get to know some of the other girls better.
Â
I shouldn’t be too greedy.
Â
As I was lost in thoughts, Eun-ha, who had been in front of me, reached her hand into the box.
Â
She rummaged around for a bit and then pulled out a slip.
Â
I discreetly glanced at the number she’d drawn.
Â
Number 17... Interesting.
Â
It was the same seat as before.
Â
In that case, please let me have 18.
Â
I prayed to all the gods.
Â
Please, grant me number 18.
Â
I quickly snatched a piece of paper after a brief prayer and checked the number.
Â
“Lee Han-gyeol. Number 23.”
Â
“Ah! Teacher, can I please draw again?”
Â
“Life rarely gives you a second chance, you know.”
Â
“Are you saying that you want to teach that harsh reality to a developing sprout like us?”
Â
“You’ll be adults by next year, won’t you? Alright, moving on~”
Â
With my options diminishing, my only choice was to find whoever drew number 18 and attempt to swap.
Â
I was carefully watching who would pick number 18 when—
Â
“Jeong Harim. Number 18.”
Â
“Oh—I get to sit next to Eun-ha.”
Â
It was Jeong Harim who had triumphantly drawn the coveted number 18.
Â
However, there wasn’t a legitimate reason to switch with her.
Â
If I did, rumors that I liked Eun-ha would surely spread...
Â
Sigh... I have no choice. Let’s be grateful that her new partner isn’t a guy.
Â
“So, what’s your number, Han-gyeol?”
Â
“I got 23. How about Eun-ha?”
Â
“I got 17. We’re pretty far apart. Kind of a shame.”
Â
She spoke with an air of nonchalance, so casual that I couldn’t even tease her about it.
Â
Am I just deluding myself?
Â
“Hi Eun-ha~”
Â
“Harim, you got 18? Awesome.”
Â
“Haha, yeah, that’s how it turned out. Please take good care of me.”
Â
“Mhm.”
Â
What happened to the Eun-ha who had just said it was a shame? Was she really this welcoming?
Â
“Ah, take your time moving. I need to gather my things too.”
Â
“It’s fine. I don’t have much in the drawer, so it won’t take long.”
Â
“Take care, Han-gyeol.”
Â
“Yeah, yes~”
Â
I trudged over to seat number 23, lugging my textbooks.
Â
My new seating partner was a guy who would constantly ask me to play basketball with him whenever he had a chance.
Â
His name was Jang Yujin.
Â
“Oh! Han-gyeol, you’re my partner. Now I won’t be bored.”
Â
“You’re not disappointed it’s not a pretty girl?”
Â
“...Having prejudices is not good in today’s world. And also I don’t discriminate—”
Â
“Teacher, I’d like to request a seat change due to the potential for inappropriate same-sex interactions.”
Â
I immediately reported the situation to the teacher, but he ignored me.
Â
“Really? If that’s what you think, why don’t we meet up sometime~”
Â
“That’s not possible—”
Â
“Dude, chill! I’m joking!”
Â
“Don’t come near me. Just so you know, I’m completely straight.”
Â
“Same here.”
Â
“No need to hide it. I’m not judging.”
Â
“I said it was a joke—!”
Â
I ended up with a rather noisy partner.
Â
“Alright, let’s start the lesson.”
Â
After everyone switched seats, the teacher immediately resumed teaching.
Â
At that, everyone collectively sighed.
Â
Of course, I did too.
Â
“You guys... You’re all third-year students now. Why did you think you’d have time to play? Open your books now.”
Â
That line never changed, no matter how many years passed.
Â
And so, the lesson began, and I started taking diligent notes.
Â
Without Eun-ha beside me, I felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness.
Â
The moment the boring class ended, my eyes instantly darted to where Eun-ha was sitting.
Â
But Jeong Harim was already deep in conversation with her, so I didn’t bother going over.
Â
Sticking too closely to her since the start of the semester might make us the subject of idle chatter.
Â
I also thought it’d be good for Eun-ha to build some friendships with the other girls in the class.
Â
“Hey Han-gyeol, you got anything to eat?”
Â
“You’re not giving me anything, so why ask?”
Â
“Man, you’re harsh. We’ve even played basketball together.”
Â
“Doesn’t feel like we have been very close, though?”
Â
“What if I were a pretty girl?”
Â
“I’d be sprinting to the convenience store to fetch some snacks right now.”
Â
“Ahahahahaha! That’s hilarious. Hey—up for some basketball after school?”
Â
“Nope.”
Â
“Wow, just gonna shut me down like that?”
Â
“We’ve got P.E. first period tomorrow. Let’s play then.”
Â
“Fair enough.”
Â
For the first time since the semester began, I wasn’t seated next to Eun-ha. While it felt somewhat empty, part of me believed it was for the best.
Â
We do have a study session tonight, so there’ll be time for us then.
Â
With that thought, I seized the opportunity and approached Eun-ha’s desk as soon as the bell rang.
Â
“Eun-ha, shall we study—”
Â
“Ah! Han-gyeol. You know Harim, right?”
Â
“Ah, yeah, I do. Hi.”
Â
“Hi.”
Â
My intuition was sending warning signals.
Â
Something about this girl was sketchy.
Â
My life experience was sending me strong warning signs.
Â
I didn’t think she was a bad person, but I got the sense she was reading more into the dynamic between Eun-ha and me than she should.
Â
“Harim mentioned she wants to study with us on Thursday during the evening study session. Is that okay?”
Â
“Uh? Yeah, shouldn’t be a problem.”
Â
“Wow, thanks. I had a feeling you’d agree.”
Â
“By the way, Jeong Harim, what are you going to do for dinner?”
Â
“Oh, don’t worry. A friend is leaving campus early, so I’ll use his student ID to grab something to eat.”
Â
Sigh... looks like I can’t have any alone time with Eun-ha today.
Â
The three of us ended up studying together, and the dynamic somehow made me more self-conscious. I hesitated even to offer Eun-ha the orange-flavored candy I had in my pocket.
Â
“Hmm... English is still tricky, isn’t it?”
Â
“What is it? Hmm... yeah, it’s difficult. I’m not too sure about the grammar myself. Han-gyeol, do you get this problem?”
Â
She couldn’t possibly think that I’d understand something that had stumped her. Still, I leaned on my experience of drafting countless work emails in English.
Â
Eun-ha and Jeong Harim handed me a long passage.
Â
“Hmm... this is a question on syntax, right? Harim, you chose option 2; why did you pick that one?”
Â
“Well... it looked like an adjective to me, so I just went with it.”
Â
“Didn’t you read all the way to 5?”
Â
“I was short on time, so I just answered what I thought was right and moved on.”
Â
Not exactly a commendable study strategy...
Â
“Alright, let’s leave 2 for now and look at 3, 4, and 5.”
Â
“Uh...”
Â
Jeong Harim seemed to ponder for a moment before her pencil halted at 4.
Â
“Wait, so the answer is 4? Then why isn’t it 2?”
Â
“Option 2 also utilizes inversion but places an adjective in the predicate position.”
Â
“Oh...! Yeah, you’re right! I hadn’t thought of that because option 1 also had inversion. Thanks.”
Â
“No problem.”
Â
After returning the workbook to Harim, I refocused on my own work. To be honest, I was still trying to figure out the “correct” way to navigate this new social dynamic.
Â
I couldn’t be overly friendly with Harim like I was with Eun-ha, but at the same time, I didn’t want Eun-ha to perceive me as indifferent.
Â
However, being seen as kind to just anyone would be a headache in its own right.
Â
If I was going to subtly make a move, I needed to make Eun-ha feel that she was treated a little differently by me compared to others...
Â
This is hard.
Â
In the first place, I was not exactly a pro when it came to human relationships.
Â
Even more so in the current situation where I was longing for a special connection called a romantic relationship.
Â
If I was just unconditionally nice, the other person might feel burdened and pull away.
Â
And if I kept a moderate distance, I failed to express my feelings to the other person.
Â
To become lovers, a balanced blend of patience and courage was necessary.
Â
If only there were a definitive answer, like a test.
Â
I had heard that push-and-pull dynamics were necessary in a relationship, but I didn’t expect it to be this complicated.
Â
“By the way, you guys are always together, huh?”
Â
Jeong Harim suddenly spat out a pointless question.
Â
“Yep! We were study buddies before I got paired with Harim, so we’ve gotten quite close.”
Â
“Hmm— really? You guys aren’t dating or anything? I have a pretty good sixth sense, you know.”
Â
Harim propped up her chin and looked at Eun-ha and me in turn.
Â
“Haha—! No, not like that. Han-gyeol and I are just friends.”
Â
Eun-ha waved her hands in the air as if to dispel any misconception.
Â
“Is Han-gyeol not denying it either?”
Â
I somewhat disliked the cunning in Harim’s query.
Â
It seemed obvious that she sensed something between Eun-ha and me.
Â
Looking back at my actions up to now, they had all been ambiguous.
Â
But I realized I had never properly taken the lead with Eun-ha.
Â
All I had done was ambiguously state that “I’ve liked someone for a long time.”
Â
Beyond that, I had only shown actions that could be seen as goodwill toward her.
Â
“Do I really need to deny it?”
Â
“Huh?”
Â
“If Eun-ha were my girlfriend, I’d undoubtedly be over the moon.”
Â
It might be a bit forward, but today, just for today, I’ll take the reins.
Â
--- The End OF The Chapter ---
Â
[TL:Â Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 5 chapters ahead of the release: https://www.patreon.com/taylor007 Â
Â
Join Our Discord for regular updates and have fun with other community members: https://discord.com/invite/SqWtJpPtm9 ]