Chapter 18: Stare

 

Han-gyeol headed to the basketball court with a boy from our class.

 

Ever since we were no longer seat partners, the time we spent together had greatly diminished.

 

Even if I came to school early in the morning, we couldn’t have much of a conversation since our seats were far apart.

 

After class, we were together until dinnertime, but today he went to play basketball.

 

“Eun-ha, if you’re sad about it, you should’ve just told him not to go.”

 

“What?! No! That’s not it! Absolutely not!”

 

“Hmm~ You seemed to stare at Han-gyeol’s back for quite a long time though~”

 

“You’re mistaken. Let’s study, study! We have mock exams next week!”

 

“If Eun-ha says so~”

 

I suddenly recalled something my sister Hyun-joo said over the weekend, and it made me feel more embarrassed.

 

Almost fleeing, I picked up my study book and started reading the text from top to bottom.

 

But I really didn’t know why everyone kept saying things like that.

 

Had I been too attached to Han-gyeol?

 

Was that why?

 

“Hey, Harim.”

 

“Yeah. What’s up?”

 

“I’m just curious, so I’m asking…”

 

“Okay, go ahead.”

 

“Why did you say what you just said?”

 

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

 

“You assumed I would be sad about Han-gyeol going to play basketball. Why did you think that?”

 

“Ah- Did it hurt your feelings? If so, I apologize. I’m sorry.”

 

When Harim offered a sincere apology, I quickly waved my hands in dismissal.

 

“Not at all! I wasn’t hurt or anything. I’m just purely curious why you thought that.”

 

“Ah- Honestly?”

 

“Yes, honestly.”

 

“Can I really be honest?”

 

“Yes, you can be really honest.”

 

Taking my earnest urging seriously, Harim looked into my eyes and said,

 

“Well... because it seems like you like Han-gyeol?”

 

“Wha-?! Why?! In what way?! It’s not like anything happened between Han-gyeol and me!”

 

“Ahh- I’m not concluding that. But you seem interested in Han-gyeol.”

 

“Can I ask what gave you that impression?”

 

“It seems like you laugh especially bright when you’re with Han-gyeol?”

 

“…Huh?”

 

From the look on Harim’s face, it was clear she wasn’t joking.

 

I blinked a few times before waving my hands in the air, trying to explain.

 

“Well, that’s because Han-gyeol is considerate and also funny!”

 

“I guess Han-gyeol does seem that way, though I haven’t observed him much.”

 

“Right! You think so too, Harim? Han-gyeol just has this easygoing nature!”

 

“But even when Han-gyeol isn’t doing anything, you seem slightly happy. Why’s that?”

 

“Ah-! That’s also because Han-gyeol is easygoing. Being around him feels comforting, you know?! Like he’s always considerate? Uh-uh! Like I’m being respected!”

 

“Hmm- So you’re saying, ultimately, Han-gyeol is an extremely comforting person to you?”

 

“Exactly! Just like you said, Harim!”

 

“Isn’t that what love feels like?”

 

“...?!”

 

I couldn’t argue with Harim, only flailing my hands around.

 

“Ah-ah! So, what I mean is-”

 

“Eun-ha, can you keep your hands still?”

 

“Harim, you’re misunderstanding. I haven’t even known Han-gyeol for that long.”

 

“Who says there’s a set amount of time to fall for someone?”

 

“But you still need a certain amount of time, right?!”

 

“You do know the saying ‘love at first sight,’ don’t you?”

 

“Ugh… But I didn’t fall for Han-gyeol at first sight or anything!”

 

“Then maybe you fell for him at fifth sight.”

 

“Wh-?!”

 

I like Han-gyeol? I like Han-gyeol?

 

For a moment, my face flushed bright red.

 

“Well, these are just my thoughts, and I’m not defining your feelings for you~ If you say that’s not true, then that’s not true.”

 

“Uh… Han-gyeol and I are just friends, friends. It’s probably because I spent a lot of time with him at the beginning of the semester that it looked that way.”

 

“Right. If you say so, then that’s that. Ah- I don’t want to study anymore. Want to go out and clear our heads?”

 

“Sure. Let’s take a short walk.”

 

I was also struggling to focus on my studies.

 

I had planned to just take a lap around the track and head back to the classroom when I noticed some kids playing basketball on the court.

 

Thinking Han-gyeol might be among them, my eyes naturally drifted in that direction, but I quickly looked away.

 

I didn’t want to give Harim the wrong idea.

 

However, it seemed Harim noticed where my gaze had landed.

 

“Do you want to stop by and watch Han-gyeol play basketball for a moment?”

 

“Uh?! We could go straight back to class, you know? Seriously!”

 

“We can just watch for a little bit. Let’s stay for a short while.”

 

“Alright.”

 

I redirected my steps, which were originally heading back to the classroom, towards the basketball court.

 

With each step, Han-gyeol came more clearly into my line of sight.

 

But then my eyes met with Jung Yeon’s, who was sitting in a corner of the court.

 

“Huh? Eun-ha!”

 

“Jung Yeon. What are you doing here?”

 

“I came to watch Seo-ha play basketball.”

 

“Oh, I see.”

 

As I scanned the basketball court again, I noticed Seo-ha was there as well.

 

Seo-ha was dribbling the ball and happened to be facing off with Han-gyeol.

 

I felt an odd emotion but couldn’t identify what it was.

 

“Hi, Harim.”

 

“Hey, Jung Yeon. So Seo-ha is your boyfriend?”

 

“Yes. Oh, it looks like your class is playing against ours?”

 

“Yep. Who’s winning?”

 

“It’s a tie. Some kid from your class is good at basketball. We greeted each other once, what was his name?”

 

Come to think of it, I had run into Jung Yeon and Seo-ha at the library at the beginning of the semester. That was when they met Han-gyeol.

 

“Ah- His name is Han-gyeol.”

 

“Ah, right. That’s the guy who was with you at the time, right?”

 

“Uh…?! Yeah. That’s right. He’s a friend from my class.”

 

Jung Yeon seemed unfazed, but for some reason, I felt uneasy.

 

I was planning to watch just for a little bit before heading back to my seat.

 

“Eun-ha, since we’re here, shall we stay until the end?”

 

“Um... no, let’s go back in a bit. Haha.”

 

“Ah, okay then.”

 

After that, we watched the basketball game in silence.

 

Even while dripping with sweat, Han-gyeol energetically released the ball from his hands.

 

From quite a distance, he effortlessly sunk the ball into the hoop—

 

-Swish.

 

Although his teammates cheered him on and lifted him into the air, all Han-gyeol did was laugh softly.

 

He had every reason to be ecstatic, but he maintained a faint smile.

 

“Han-gyeol seems happy but he’s pretending not to be. Haha.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Ah- it’s nothing!”

 

It was then that my eyes returned to the basketball court.

 

Seo-ha had leaped high, and Han-gyeol was standing right in front of him.

 

“Huh?”

 

For a moment, I closed my eyes tightly in surprise, but the sound of their bodies colliding made me snap them open immediately.

 

The moment I saw Han-gyeol fall to the ground, I found myself blurting out—

 

“Han-gyeol!”

 

I instinctively stepped onto the basketball court and rushed over to him, kneeling beside him.

 

“Are you badly hurt?! Let me see!”

 

“Uh...?!”

 

“It looked like a pretty hard collision! Did you hit your head too? Is your wrist okay? Does it hurt here?”

 

I noticed Han-gyeol clutching his left wrist, so I cautiously took his wrist to check.

 

“Ahhhhhhh?!”

 

“Is it so painful that you have to scream?! Huh? It’s really swollen!”

 

“No, no, I’m fine...! It’s not that serious.”

 

“There’s no bleeding... Can you move your wrist a bit?!”

 

Heeding my words, Han-gyeol gingerly moved his wrist.

 

“How does it feel? Does it hurt?”

 

“It’s a bit sore, but I don’t think it’s seriously injured.”

 

“Let’s go to the nurse’s office to get a bandage then. Can you stand up?”

 

I looked intently at Han-gyeol’s face.

 

His face was slightly flushed.

 

“Ah... I think I twisted my ankle a bit.”

 

“Okay—no visible bleeding... I’ll help you up. Let’s go to the nurse’s office. Come on, get up carefully.”

 

“Ah—Thanks.”

 

It was then that I tried to support the now-standing Han-gyeol.

 

Oh right, Seo-ha had also fallen, but he seemed to be unharmed.

 

“Ah—! I’m sorry about that. I got too eager. Eun-ha, I’ll support him.”

 

Seo-ha apologized to Han-gyeol, but neither of them were particularly close friends, so—

 

“It’s fine. I was planning to go back to the classroom with Han-gyeol anyway, so I’ll take him to the nurse’s office.”

 

“Ah...okay. You said your name was Han-gyeol, right? I’m really sorry. Are you hurt badly?”

 

“Ah—not at all. Don’t worry about it. These things can happen in sports. Let’s go, Eun-ha.”

 

I supported Han-gyeol, who had his arm over my shoulder, as we walked towards the nurse’s office.

 

I felt bad for Harim, who was standing outside the basketball court, but I asked her to grab Han-gyeol’s bag.

 

“Ah—should I bring your bag too, Eun-ha?”

 

“Could you? But wouldn’t that be too much for you alone?”

 

“Then I should ask some of the guys for help as well.”

 

“I’ll wait for you in the nurse’s office with Han-gyeol.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Limping along, Han-gyeol was smiling despite his injury.

 

I wondered what could be so funny when his wrist and leg might be fractured.

 

“Why are you smiling when you’re hurt?”

 

“Huh? Am I smiling right now?”

 

“Yeah. You’re smiling a little.”

 

“Well, we did win the basketball game after all.”

 

“What—?! Now’s the time to think about basketball?”

 

As I shifted suddenly, Han-gyeol wobbled significantly.

 

“Ah—! Careful, careful!”

 

“It’ll be alright as long as you support me well.”

 

“Stop kidding around. What if you fall?”

 

“Haha! Point taken. Let’s go a bit slower, shall we?”

 

“We should walk carefully, right?”

 

“Absolutely~”

 

--- The End OF The Chapter ---

 

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