Chapter 7 : I have to sleep

“Do you guys have an ideal type?”

Suddenly, the conversation shifted to the topic of ideal types.

Ideal type, huh?

I had never really felt my heart race for someone, so I wasn’t sure.

It was a difficult topic to jump into, so I just kept my mouth shut and listened.

“T-That’s not the important thing!

The important thing is the flow!

They say timing is everything in relationships, right?”

“Oh, so you’ve never actually seen that ‘timing’ yourself?”

Someone teased .

For a moment, Yeonhee sunbae seemed at a loss for words.

Then, out of nowhere, she turned to me like she was sending out an SOS.

“Jian, what about you?”

“Huh?

Me?”

I was caught off guard by the unexpected question.

Everyone was looking at me with expectant eyes.

“Hmm…”

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

For some reason, someone came to mind.

A quiet road, a silent bus stop, and the faint sound echoing in the air.

Pop.

The small sound from a can opening, rising in my mind like carbonated bubbles.

“Someone who seems indifferent but is kind only to me?”

Then—

“What the?

That’s oddly specific.

Do you have someone you like?”

The girls playfully questioned.

“No, I really don’t.”

I waved my hands in denial.

And without realizing it, I glanced to the side.

There he was—Kim Dohyun.

He was quietly organizing camera equipment, a little apart from the others.

With his usual indifferent expression.

Like someone detached from this world.

“Then why do I keep thinking about him?”

I realized it at that moment.

Ever since the topic of ideal types came up,

Ever since I said I liked someone who seems indifferent but is kind only to me,

Kim Dohyun kept coming to mind.

…Nonsense.

It’s just a coincidence.

I shook my head vigorously, trying to erase the thought.

“No way.”

I deliberately refocused on the girls.

But the truth was, Kim Dohyun had already occupied my thoughts.

Just then—

A comment from the side caught my attention.

“Now that I think about it, isn’t Jian pretty great too?”

“Right?”

“You think so?”

Yoon Jihoo tilted his head in curiosity.

“That bastard?

What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shot a glare at Yoon Jihoo.

But then came an immediate rebuttal.

“She’s pretty, though.”

“Yeah, she is.”

“No joke.”

“Hey, aren’t you two childhood friends?

You’re not secretly dating, are you?”

“Wait, are you guys a couple?”

Even the girls started murmuring now.

For a second, my heart dropped.

All eyes were suddenly on me and Yoon Jihoo.

And then—

“What are you guys talking about?

Jian and Jihoo are dating?”

A familiar voice cut in.

It was Park Nayul senior.

She stepped into the group of guys, wearing a teasing expression.

“That’s not true at all.”

Yoon Jihoo waved his hands in an awkward smile.

And then, he said it clearly.

“We’re just friends, nothing more.”

Of course.

I had never even thought of Yoon Jihoo that way.

But I still felt uneasy—what if someone misunderstood?

I sensed a gaze from somewhere and turned my head.

As expected, Kim Dohyun was standing there.

“Seriously, we’re just friends.

That’s all.”

Honestly, I was saying it for Kim Dohyun to hear.

Why?

…Why did I want him to hear it?

I didn’t know the answer.

But my lips had already spoken.

And then, my eyes met his.

As always, his expression was unreadable.

But he was looking straight at me.

He had heard what I said.

Then, with his usual indifferent face, he turned away.

No reaction.

No change.

It felt like I was the only one caught up in this.

For some reason, that made me feel annoyed.

“Weird.

What is this feeling?”

Feeling unsettled, I left the gym.

It didn’t feel like my emotions were my own.

Feelings I couldn’t explain kept rising to the surface.

Wanting some time alone, I headed behind the gym.

Then, I heard a soft chuckle from a distance.

I stopped in my tracks.

It was Kim Dohyun.

He was sitting there, wearing earphones, quietly laughing to himself.

“He can make that kind of expression?”

I approached him silently.

He still hadn’t noticed me.

Under the slowly darkening sky, beneath the streetlights that flickered on one by one—

He sat alone, earphones in, laughing softly.

For some reason, I found myself just watching him.

Whenever I thought of Kim Dohyun, his usual indifferent face came to mind first.

His glasses hiding his eyes, his detached tone, the way he rarely showed emotion.

But now—

Smirk.

He chuckled quietly.

The faint curve on his lips looked strangely fascinating.

My gaze naturally shifted to his hands.

A phone in his grip, wired earphones in his ears.

Not wireless.

Even that somehow seemed like him.

And—he was using the same wired earphones as me.

Why did that small similarity feel so nice?

“What kind of music makes him laugh like that?”

Curiosity suddenly sparked.

And as I took another step closer, my heart started pounding strangely.

It ached.

A heart that usually beat quietly in the background now pounded thump, thump—loudly, right next to my ears.

My fingertips tingled.

It tickled.

It felt weird.

TAP.

TAP.

I lightly tapped his shoulder.

Kim Dohyun turned his head.

And then—poke.

I extended a finger and poked his cheek.

“What the hell?”

Surprised, he looked at me with wide eyes.

“Haha.

So you do have expressions?”

I laughed playfully, trying to hide the storm of emotions inside me.

The expression I thought was always indifferent—

Somehow, without realizing it, I had memorized it deeply.

When he explained that he was listening to a funny song, I tilted my head.

A song that’s funny?

How can a song be funny?

Was it the lyrics?

I didn’t get it.

It felt like he was hiding something.

A mischievous thought crossed my mind.

With a grin, I swiftly snatched the earphone from his hand.

“Then can I listen too?”

“Ah.”

— “Aaaa~ ♬ Mmm~ ♬ Getting closer to you~ ♬”

…”Huh?”

“Wait.

This is… my voice?”

“…OF!!”

I screamed instinctively.

My face flared up instantly.

“What the hell?!

Why do you have this?!

You said you didn’t record it!!”

“Just because.”

“Just because?!”

“I listen to it whenever I feel down.”

“What!?”

I glared at Kim Dohyun.

“I tried it out today, and it worked well.”

But—

He was looking at me so casually.

“Thanks to you, I feel a little better now.”

With an indifferent expression, he was staring right at me.

Thump.

My heart pounded hard.

I quickly averted my gaze.

“What is this?

Why am I so flustered?

Is it just an embarrassment?

Because I’m ashamed?”

Or—

I clenched the earphones tightly in my hand.

Yet, the strange feeling inside me only grew stronger.

Strangely—

It felt like Kim Dohyun… might actually have an interest in me.

And oddly enough—

I didn’t hate it.

“Just this once, I’ll let it slide.”

“Let it slide?”

“But you’re the only one allowed to listen.

It’s a special privilege just for you.

No sharing with anyone else!”

I blurted that out and bolted from the spot like I was running away.

Maybe it was just the sunset, but my face felt a little red.

Lying in bed, I absentmindedly fiddled with my phone.

The room was dark, with only the faint glow of the streetlamp slipping through the window.

I hugged my blanket, rolling onto my side.

There wasn’t much to do, but going to sleep felt like a waste.

I don’t know why, but—

Without realizing it, I opened my messaging app.

Among the countless names, one stood out.

Kim Dohyun.

I hesitated for a moment before moving my fingers without thinking.

→ What are you doing? (duck lifting its glasses emoji)

A duck from a barley drink can. The same emoji Kim Dohyun had shown me.

After sending it, I stared at my phone.

He didn’t read it right away.

“Figures, he’s probably asleep.”

I stared blankly at the screen, then buried myself under the blanket.

“I shouldn’t have sent that.

It’s weird.

I don’t even have anything to say—why did I text first?”

But then—

Ding.

A soft vibration lit up the screen.

→ Just.

I frowned slightly.

“……Just?

Just what?”

Mumbling under my breath, I replied.

→ What do you mean ‘just’?

→ Say something, at least a little.

This time, he read it immediately.

And his reply came just as fast.

→ I was listening to your recording.

I stared at the message for a long time.

“What?”

That recording…

Could he mean that embarrassing moment from before?

“Are you insane?!”

I hurriedly typed back.

→ Are you crazy??

→ You’re seriously weird.

→ Delete it. Right now!!

→ (angry duck emoji)

And then—

→ No.

→ Never deleting it.

“Ughhh!”

I pressed my pillow against my face.

Why the hell was he treating that thing like some precious treasure?

This was making me even more conscious of it.

→ Do you like me or something?

Sent.

For a split second, my heart dropped.

I stared at the message I had just sent, frozen.

“Shit, what did I just do?!”

I scrambled to cancel it, but—

Ding.

Read.

I’m screwed.

I curled up under the blanket, trembling.

“How the hell am I supposed to fix this?”

The last time I hid like this under my blanket was when I was a kid, scared of monsters under my bed.

That’s how terrifying this moment felt.

What was he going to say?

Would he confirm it?

Deny it?

Or worse—

Would he just tease me?

Honestly, I hoped he’d just tease me and brush it off.

That way, I could laugh it off too.

“Alright, let’s do this!”

Mustered up my courage, I popped out of the blanket and grabbed my phone.

His response was already there.

→ (duck shaking its head emoji)

→ Aren’t you the one who likes me?

“……Huh?”

Now I was the one frozen.

I…

I…

What was I supposed to say?

I lifted my fingers to type, then hesitated.

Typed again, then erased it.

My mind went blank.

“Ugh, seriously, what is this?”

I covered my face with my hands.

Why was he making me so conscious of him?

My heart was pounding.

I started typing something, then stopped.

“What do I even say?”

→ I don’t know.

Sent.

And the moment I did, my heart raced even faster.

But Kim Dohyun—

Didn’t read it immediately.

I waited for a while, but no response came.

“What the hell?

Say something!”

I clutched my phone tightly.

And then, finally—

→ I’m going to sleep.

“……What?”

I stared at the screen in disbelief.

That was it?

For real?

“Ugh, what the hell!”

My heart thumped wildly.

I hugged my pillow tightly, frustrated by the strange, unfamiliar feelings swirling inside me.

Tonight—

It felt like sleep wasn’t coming anytime soon.