Jinkyung leaned in, lowering her voice. "Okay, I didn't mean to eavesdrop or anything, but yesterday at the bingsu place the restroom, right? While I was washing my hands, I heard them."
Irina's eyes lit up instantly. "Heard what?"
"'Isn't your hair seriously weird?' Then another voice 'I told you, it's fine. How many times do I have to say it, you idiot.'"
"And then," Jinkyung continued, fighting back laughter,
"one of them goes, 'Did his hair up all serious like how long did it take?'
And Jinsu answers, 'About an hour to style it.'.
"Park Dong goes, 'Ugh, if his hair was just a little longer, it'd be perfect.' And then someone asked, 'Do you think Seolhyo likes styled hair?'"
Jinkyung gave Seolhyo a sly glance.
Irina covered her mouth, giggling. "Oh my god."
Seolhyo froze. "…What?"
Jinkyung chuckled. "And Park Dong says, 'Not your business.
She only likes it if the guy's good-looking.' Then Jinsu goes, 'You motherfucker, lol.'
'Why are you so conscious of Seolhyo? You're so freaking obvious!'
Yang jinsu "I don't know when I told you guys I like her I've been nervous as hell"
The room fell silent.
Finally, Jinkyung shrugged. "…Or so I heard."
"I knew it!" Irina burst out, her voice cracking with the force of her conviction.
She whipped around, eyes blazing, as if daring anyone to deny her. "Come on we all felt it, right?"
Her words tumbled fast, fevered, impossible to stop.
"Yang Jinsu he was always flexing, always trying to look cool whenever he saw us!"
She leaned forward, jabbing her finger as if the air itself were guilty. "And he kept coming to our class for no reason!"
"He even came with us to the Lotte world!!"
"It was all for Seolhyo!!"
"Oh my god, what do we do?! This is freakin' hilarious! KYAAAAA!!"
"This feels like some kinda online novel or something!"
"W…wait, shut up for a sec" Hyorim blurted, overwhelmed by Irina's relentless energy.
"Lol, it's crazy," Jinkyung said, her grin widening.
"So what do you think, Seolhyo? If Yang Jinsu actually confessed to you?"
Seolhyo blinked, caught off guard. "Huh?"
Out on the school field, Class 1 boys were lined up in chaos. The disciplinary teacher's voice boomed, sharp as a whip:
"All you long-haired bastards, over here! You don't get it unless you're beaten, huh?"
The crack of the stick followed, and groans of pain erupted as students winced and clutched their heads.
"Ah, teacher, that hurts!"
"Is this even allowed?" someone muttered.
"Shouldn't someone report this…?"
But another student sighed, resigned. "Just cut your hair already. Save yourself the trouble."
Park Dong cursed under his breath. "Ugh, fuck it. I'll just cut mine."
"No way," Jinsu said firmly, jaw tight. "I'm not cutting it. Not until this weekend."
Seojin raised a brow. "Why this weekend? …Wai t" he smirked. "You gonna confess or something?"
Seojin's eyes darkened as he looked at Jinsu, the memory of his reckless plan flashing in his mind how he intended to confess and corner Seolhyo with social pressure, trying to force a "yes" she might never willingly give.
Jinsu's face flushed instantly. He avoided their eyes, mumbling, "I'm holding out no matter what. This weekend… I'm going to confess."
The words hung in the air, shocking even his friends.
******
Back inside the classroom, Jinkyung leaned in closer, her eyes glittering with mischief. "You hear that? He's serious."
Irina let out a little squeal, elbowing Hyorim. "Ooooh~ what are you gonna do, Seolhyo?"
Seolhyo stomach lurched. Her expression twisted, half disbelief, half disgust. "Are you crazy? There's no way I'd say yes."
******
Returning to the building, I slipped into my uniform, while walking the hallway that's when I caught voices from class 1-6, from behind the curtain at the back of the class.
I slowed, tilting my head.
"…Yang Jinsu," Seolhyo's name-drenched voice floated out, almost hesitant.
"He used to be quiet, nice even," Jinkyung said, her tone edged with a kind of disbelief.
"Yeah, but look at him now," Irina cut in, a smirk in her words. "Total show-off. Acts like he owns the place."
"Learned it from those guys he hangs out with," Jinkyung added, scoffing.
Irina snorted. "All that cringe because he likes you, y'know? Lol."
My pulse jumped.
Through the small gap, I could see them: Jinkyung standing left, arms folded; Irina in the middle, animated and biting her lip like she was holding back laughter; Seolhyo on the right, shifting uneasily, her gaze lowered.
Without thinking, I slipped closer and lifted the curtain, stepping into their little circle.
I positioned myself just beside Seolhyo, so close I could feel the faint stir of her breath pause. Her eyes widened in surprise, cheeks flushing as she turned toward me.
"Whoa" I let a grin curl at my lips, feigning casualness though my heart hammered. "Jinsu likes you?"
Before Hyorim could answer, Park Dong appeared at my side, dragging Suwon along. Jinsu slipped in on Hyorim's other side, trying way too hard to look casual, but it only made him obvious.
"Man, that teacher lost it on us," Park Dong groaned, rubbing his head. "I swear, I'm just gonna shave it all off. Buzz cut, done."
Seolhyo raised a brow. "Literally no one cares."
Irina smirked. "Actually, I do. I'd love to see you humiliate yourself."
"What?!" Park Dong barked. "You think I won't pull it off? Come outside let's fight!"
Irina laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. "Please. The only one who can pull off a buzz cut and still look decent is Seojin. You? You'd look like a potato."
The group erupted in laughter. Park Dong froze, then shot me a glare. "Tch, unfair. Why does he get all the praise?"
Seolhyo was hiding a smile, but Irina caught it instantly. "Don't you think he looks good, Seolhyo? Even with just a buzz cut."
Jinkyung chimed in, grinning. "Yeah, most of the guys in school have buzz cuts, but not even half of them look as good as Seojin does."
"Wha-n-no!" Seolhyo stammered, cheeks flaring red.
I tilted my head, grinning. "You sure about that?"
Jinsu's jaw tightened, his shoulders stiffening beside her as the laughter rolled on, the teasing merciless.
Amid the chaos, I leaned slightly toward Seolhyo, lowering my voice so only she could hear.
"So… what do you think?" My eyes glinted mischievously.
Seolhyo froze. The question was so unexpected her mind blanked. Her lips parted, then closed again as her heart skipped a beat.
she faltered, looking away. "You'd look fine either way."
A slow smirk tugged at Seojin's mouth. "So that's a yes."
Her ears went hot. "T-that's not what I said!" she hissed under her breath.
Irina and Jinkyung were still busy mocking Park Dong, but for Seojin, the world had shrunk to just Seolhyo's flushed face and hurried denial.
Across the circle, Jinsu caught everything. His jaw clenched, and he turned his head quickly, pretending to listen to Suwon's grumbling. But the laughter around him only made the weight in his chest heavier.
She's blushing because of him… not me.
The realization cut deeper than he wanted to admit. And with every second, the weekend the moment he planned to confess suddenly felt like a gamble he was losing before it even began.
******
Back in their classroom, the four of them slouched around their desks, the conversation drifting until someone brought up Seolhyo's brother, Seol Minsu.
"Hey, remember back in middle school?" Park Dong started, leaning forward with a grin. "That high school guy who showed up with a single rose and confessed to Seolhyo?"
"Minsu-hyung found out. He beat the poor guy to a pulp right in front of us. Seolhyo was crying, begging him to stop, but they broke up right then and there."
"The legendary three-day fling," Park Dong declared, half laughing, half grimacing.
"Legendary? More like terrifying." Daegyu shivered.
Parkdong said while trembling "You've never seen a guy that scary before. Straight-up nightmare fuel."
"Yeah, no thanks," Kim Jiseong muttered. "Anyone dating Seolhyo is basically signing up for execution."
"Exactly!" Park Dong slammed his desk lightly. "You'd really have to be insane or crazy in love to risk that kind of death sentence."
The group chuckled, but then Yang Jinsu, who'd been unusually quiet, spoke up.
"…Do you guys think Seolhyo likes Seojin?"