Chapter 13: Time to Switch Seats

 

“Alright, it’s been a while since the semester started, so let’s go ahead and change seats.”

 

My ears perked up at the words of our homeroom teacher—words as shocking as a bolt from the blue.

 

Weren’t we supposed to sit in numerical order for at least a month? Wasn’t that the unwritten rule?

 

Had the teacher already memorized all our names and faces?

 

What a competent teacher.

 

“Come here and draw a number. Let’s start with number 1.”

 

One by one, the students from the front rows got up to draw a number.

 

They were drawing slips, cut from standard A4-size paper, from a box.

 

I didn’t even wish for the slight chance of ending up as Eun-ha’s partner again.

 

All I hoped for was a seat somewhere close to her.

 

“Next, numbers 11 to 20 come up.”

 

The students in front of me hurried out, leaving Eun-ha and me leaning against the classroom wall.

 

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?

 

She might also want to get to know some of the other girls better.

 

I shouldn’t be too greedy.

 

As I was lost in thoughts, Eun-ha, who had been in front of me, reached her hand into the box.

 

She rummaged around for a bit and then pulled out a slip.

 

I discreetly glanced at the number she’d drawn.

 

Number 17... Interesting.

 

It was the same seat as before.

 

In that case, please let me have 18.

 

I prayed to all the gods.

 

Please, grant me number 18.

 

I quickly snatched a piece of paper after a brief prayer and checked the number.

 

“Lee Han-gyeol. Number 23.”

 

“Ah! Teacher, can I please draw again?”

 

“Life rarely gives you a second chance, you know.”

 

“Are you saying that you want to teach that harsh reality to a developing sprout like us?”

 

“You’ll be adults by next year, won’t you? Alright, moving on~”

 

With my options diminishing, my only choice was to find whoever drew number 18 and attempt to swap.

 

I was carefully watching who would pick number 18 when—

 

“Jeong Harim. Number 18.”

 

“Oh—I get to sit next to Eun-ha.”

 

It was Jeong Harim who had triumphantly drawn the coveted number 18.

 

However, there wasn’t a legitimate reason to switch with her.

 

If I did, rumors that I liked Eun-ha would surely spread...

 

Sigh... I have no choice. Let’s be grateful that her new partner isn’t a guy.

 

“So, what’s your number, Han-gyeol?”

 

“I got 23. How about Eun-ha?”

 

“I got 17. We’re pretty far apart. Kind of a shame.”

 

She spoke with an air of nonchalance, so casual that I couldn’t even tease her about it.

 

Am I just deluding myself?

 

“Hi Eun-ha~”

 

“Harim, you got 18? Awesome.”

 

“Haha, yeah, that’s how it turned out. Please take good care of me.”

 

“Mhm.”

 

What happened to the Eun-ha who had just said it was a shame? Was she really this welcoming?

 

“Ah, take your time moving. I need to gather my things too.”

 

“It’s fine. I don’t have much in the drawer, so it won’t take long.”

 

“Take care, Han-gyeol.”

 

“Yeah, yes~”

 

I trudged over to seat number 23, lugging my textbooks.

 

My new seating partner was a guy who would constantly ask me to play basketball with him whenever he had a chance.

 

His name was Jang Yujin.

 

“Oh! Han-gyeol, you’re my partner. Now I won’t be bored.”

 

“You’re not disappointed it’s not a pretty girl?”

 

“...Having prejudices is not good in today’s world. And also I don’t discriminate—”

 

“Teacher, I’d like to request a seat change due to the potential for inappropriate same-sex interactions.”

 

I immediately reported the situation to the teacher, but he ignored me.

 

“Really? If that’s what you think, why don’t we meet up sometime~”

 

“That’s not possible—”

 

“Dude, chill! I’m joking!”

 

“Don’t come near me. Just so you know, I’m completely straight.”

 

“Same here.”

 

“No need to hide it. I’m not judging.”

 

“I said it was a joke—!”

 

I ended up with a rather noisy partner.

 

“Alright, let’s start the lesson.”

 

After everyone switched seats, the teacher immediately resumed teaching.

 

At that, everyone collectively sighed.

 

Of course, I did too.

 

“You guys... You’re all third-year students now. Why did you think you’d have time to play? Open your books now.”

 

That line never changed, no matter how many years passed.

 

And so, the lesson began, and I started taking diligent notes.

 

Without Eun-ha beside me, I felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

 

The moment the boring class ended, my eyes instantly darted to where Eun-ha was sitting.

 

But Jeong Harim was already deep in conversation with her, so I didn’t bother going over.

 

Sticking too closely to her since the start of the semester might make us the subject of idle chatter.

 

I also thought it’d be good for Eun-ha to build some friendships with the other girls in the class.

 

“Hey Han-gyeol, you got anything to eat?”

 

“You’re not giving me anything, so why ask?”

 

“Man, you’re harsh. We’ve even played basketball together.”

 

“Doesn’t feel like we have been very close, though?”

 

“What if I were a pretty girl?”

 

“I’d be sprinting to the convenience store to fetch some snacks right now.”

 

“Ahahahahaha! That’s hilarious. Hey—up for some basketball after school?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Wow, just gonna shut me down like that?”

 

“We’ve got P.E. first period tomorrow. Let’s play then.”

 

“Fair enough.”

 

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.

 

We do have a study session tonight, so there’ll be time for us then.

 

With that thought, I seized the opportunity and approached Eun-ha’s desk as soon as the bell rang.

 

“Eun-ha, shall we study—”

 

“Ah! Han-gyeol. You know Harim, right?”

 

“Ah, yeah, I do. Hi.”

 

“Hi.”

 

My intuition was sending warning signals.

 

Something about this girl was sketchy.

 

My life experience was sending me strong warning signs.

 

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.

 

“Harim mentioned she wants to study with us on Thursday during the evening study session. Is that okay?”

 

“Uh? Yeah, shouldn’t be a problem.”

 

“Wow, thanks. I had a feeling you’d agree.”

 

“By the way, Jeong Harim, what are you going to do for dinner?”

 

“Oh, don’t worry. A friend is leaving campus early, so I’ll use his student ID to grab something to eat.”

 

Sigh... looks like I can’t have any alone time with Eun-ha today.

 

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.

 

“Hmm... English is still tricky, isn’t it?”

 

“What is it? Hmm... yeah, it’s difficult. I’m not too sure about the grammar myself. Han-gyeol, do you get this problem?”

 

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.

 

Eun-ha and Jeong Harim handed me a long passage.

 

“Hmm... this is a question on syntax, right? Harim, you chose option 2; why did you pick that one?”

 

“Well... it looked like an adjective to me, so I just went with it.”

 

“Didn’t you read all the way to 5?”

 

“I was short on time, so I just answered what I thought was right and moved on.”

 

Not exactly a commendable study strategy...

 

“Alright, let’s leave 2 for now and look at 3, 4, and 5.”

 

“Uh...”

 

Jeong Harim seemed to ponder for a moment before her pencil halted at 4.

 

“Wait, so the answer is 4? Then why isn’t it 2?”

 

“Option 2 also utilizes inversion but places an adjective in the predicate position.”

 

“Oh...! Yeah, you’re right! I hadn’t thought of that because option 1 also had inversion. Thanks.”

 

“No problem.”

 

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.

 

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.

 

However, being seen as kind to just anyone would be a headache in its own right.

 

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...

 

This is hard.

 

In the first place, I was not exactly a pro when it came to human relationships.

 

Even more so in the current situation where I was longing for a special connection called a romantic relationship.

 

If I was just unconditionally nice, the other person might feel burdened and pull away.

 

And if I kept a moderate distance, I failed to express my feelings to the other person.

 

To become lovers, a balanced blend of patience and courage was necessary.

 

If only there were a definitive answer, like a test.

 

I had heard that push-and-pull dynamics were necessary in a relationship, but I didn’t expect it to be this complicated.

 

“By the way, you guys are always together, huh?”

 

Jeong Harim suddenly spat out a pointless question.

 

“Yep! We were study buddies before I got paired with Harim, so we’ve gotten quite close.”

 

“Hmm— really? You guys aren’t dating or anything? I have a pretty good sixth sense, you know.”

 

Harim propped up her chin and looked at Eun-ha and me in turn.

 

“Haha—! No, not like that. Han-gyeol and I are just friends.”

 

Eun-ha waved her hands in the air as if to dispel any misconception.

 

“Is Han-gyeol not denying it either?”

 

I somewhat disliked the cunning in Harim’s query.

 

It seemed obvious that she sensed something between Eun-ha and me.

 

Looking back at my actions up to now, they had all been ambiguous.

 

But I realized I had never properly taken the lead with Eun-ha.

 

All I had done was ambiguously state that “I’ve liked someone for a long time.”

 

Beyond that, I had only shown actions that could be seen as goodwill toward her.

 

“Do I really need to deny it?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“If Eun-ha were my girlfriend, I’d undoubtedly be over the moon.”

 

It might be a bit forward, but today, just for today, I’ll take the reins.

 

--- The End OF The Chapter ---

 

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