#Ch3 A Habit of Looking Away

Han Taeyang started noticing strange things about Seo Jiwon after that.

Not obvious things.

Small things.

The kind most people would ignore completely.

Like how Jiwon never actually looked comfortable around other people, even when they laughed at his jokes. Or how he constantly rolled his sleeves down over his wrists whenever someone got too close. The way teachers became nervous when he entered rooms, while students straightened automatically whenever he walked past them like they were reacting to something dangerous.

Jiwon was popular.

But not liked.

There was a difference.

Taeyang noticed that too.

“You’re staring again.”

Taeyang blinked before looking away from the window.

Jiwon sat across from him in the library, though “studying” would have been a generous description for whatever he was doing. His textbook remained open in front of him untouched while he lazily spun a pen between his fingers.

Taeyang frowned slightly.

“I wasn’t staring.”

“You were.”

“You’re annoying enough to notice easily.”

A quiet laugh escaped Jiwon.

It happened more often lately.

Not full smiles.

Never that.

But brief moments where his expression softened before he caught himself and shut down again.

Taeyang still did not understand why Jiwon kept following him around randomly.

Three weeks ago, they barely knew each other.

Now Jiwon somehow kept appearing everywhere.

The rooftop.

The hallway outside his classroom.

Even the convenience store once, though Jiwon claimed he “just happened to be nearby,” which was an obvious lie considering rich people like him had no reason to be in Taeyang’s neighborhood at midnight.

Still, Taeyang tolerated him more than he probably should have.

Which honestly irritated him too.

The library remained quiet except for the sound of turning pages and rain tapping lightly against the windows outside.

Taeyang focused on his notes again while Jiwon leaned back lazily in his chair across from him.

“You study too much.”

Taeyang continued writing.

“Some of us need grades.”

“You already have the scholarship.”

“And I can lose it.”

The room fell quiet briefly.

Jiwon watched him carefully.

“You really never stop, huh?”

Taeyang paused for a second before answering.

“If I stop, things get worse.”

Something about the way he said it made Jiwon’s chest tighten unexpectedly.

Not because the words were dramatic.

Because they sounded honest.

Completely honest.

Taeyang spoke like someone already used to carrying too much alone.

Jiwon suddenly remembered seeing him asleep at his desk two days ago, his fingers still holding a pen even while exhausted.

He also remembered the dark circles beneath his eyes.

And the hospital call on the rooftop.

Jiwon looked away first.

“…That sounds miserable.”

Taeyang shrugged lightly.

“It’s life.”

Jiwon hated that answer immediately.

Later that evening, Taeyang headed toward the back entrance of the school after finishing his cleaning duty.

The sky outside had already darkened completely, leaving the hallways mostly empty except for distant voices from the gym.

As he walked past the storage building behind campus, voices suddenly stopped him.

“Well, look who it is.”

Taeyang sighed internally.

Three boys stood near the back staircase, all from the second-year business class.

Rich.

Loud.

Annoying.

One of them smirked while stepping closer.

“You think you’re special because Jiwon talks to you now?”

Taeyang frowned slightly.

“What?”

“Don’t act dumb.”

Another boy laughed.

“Seriously, what does he even see in you?”

Taeyang immediately understood the problem.

Rumors.

People had started noticing Jiwon lingering around him too often.

Unfortunately, attention from Seo Jiwon usually created enemies faster than friends.

“I have work,” Taeyang said calmly. “Move.”

One boy grabbed his shoulder before he could walk past.

The pressure was not painfully hard.

Just disrespectful.

“Your attitude’s kind of annoying for someone living off charity.”

Taeyang’s expression cooled instantly.

He hated comments like that.

Not because they embarrassed him.

Because they always sounded like people believed struggling made someone less human.

Slowly, Taeyang pulled the hand off his shoulder.

“Say whatever you want about me,” he said quietly. “But don’t touch me again.”

The boy laughed.

“What are you gonna do about—”

“Are you idiots finished?”

The voice cut through the tension sharply.

Everyone froze.

Seo Jiwon stood a few feet away with one hand in his pocket, expression unreadable beneath the dim lights outside.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

The boys stepped back automatically.

One of them forced an awkward laugh.

“We were just joking around.”

Jiwon looked unimpressed.

“Does it look like he’s laughing?”

Silence.

Taeyang stared at him quietly.

Jiwon’s gaze shifted toward the handprint still wrinkling Taeyang’s sleeve slightly.

Something dark flickered across his face.

Dangerous.

“You touched him?”

The question sounded calm.

Too calm.

The boys noticed it too because their expressions changed immediately.

“N-no, it wasn’t serious—”

Jiwon stepped closer slowly.

“You should leave before I stop being polite.”

Nobody argued after that.

The boys disappeared almost embarrassingly fast.

The silence afterward felt heavier somehow.

Taeyang looked down at his sleeve briefly before sighing softly.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

Jiwon scoffed lightly.

“They were annoying.”

“So are you.”

“…Wow.”

Despite the words, Jiwon looked strangely relaxed hearing that.

Like Taeyang talking to him normally mattered more than it should.

Taeyang studied him quietly for a moment.

Then his eyes caught something near the side of Jiwon’s hand.

Bruised knuckles.

Fresh ones.

“You got into another fight?”

Jiwon’s body stilled slightly.

Most people avoided asking questions like that.

Taeyang did not.

Jiwon shoved his hands into his pockets casually.

“You notice too much.”

“You hide things badly.”

A quiet laugh escaped Jiwon under his breath.

“You’re the first person who’s ever said that to me.”

Taeyang frowned slightly.

“That’s because everyone else is scared of you.”

The words should have sounded insulting.

Instead, Jiwon’s expression changed strangely.

Like the answer disappointed him more than offended him.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Taeyang glanced toward the school gate.

“I’m going to be late for work.”

Jiwon looked at him immediately.

“You work again tonight?”

“I work almost every night.”

“That’s insane.”

“That’s rent.”

Jiwon fell silent again.

Taeyang started walking away before stopping briefly.

“…Thanks for earlier.”

Jiwon blinked slightly.

Taeyang rarely thanked people.

Maybe because he hated owing others anything.

By the time Jiwon looked up again, Taeyang was already halfway down the street.

The cold night wind moved softly through the empty campus.

And for some reason—

Jiwon kept staring long after Taeyang disappeared from view.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***