Chapter 4 The Professional Annoyance

Taehyun had discovered something important.

Arin was extremely difficult to annoy.

Not impossible.

Just difficult.

And, unfortunately for Arin, Taehyun had always been very good at turning difficult things into personal challenges.

By the end of their morning class, he had already tried several methods.

Tapping his pen against the desk.

Arin ignored it.

Dragging his chair unnecessarily.

Arin glanced at him once.

Whispering completely irrelevant comments during the lecture.

Arin continued writing.

Finally, Taehyun leaned closer.

"Do you ever get irritated?"

Arin didn't look up.

"Yes."

"When?"

"When people ask unnecessary questions."

Taehyun stared at him.

"That was unnecessary?"

"Very."

Taehyun leaned back.

"You're unbelievable."

Arin continued writing.

"You've said that before."

"Because it's still true."

"Then your vocabulary needs work."

Taehyun's mouth opened.

Closed.

Opened again.

"Did you just insult my vocabulary?"

Arin finally looked at him.

"I think you understood me."

Taehyun stared at him for three seconds.

Then smiled.

"Okay."

Arin's eyebrow lifted slightly.

"Okay?"

"New goal."

"What?"

"I'm going to make you lose your temper."

Arin's pen stopped.

For the first time, genuine confusion appeared on his face.

"Why?"

"Because I can."

"That's not a reason."

"It is for me."

Arin studied him for a moment.

Then sighed.

"You're strange."

Taehyun grinned.

"Thank you."

"It wasn't a compliment."

"I'll take it anyway."

Arin shook his head and returned to his notes.

Taehyun watched him.

That expression again.

The slight narrowing of his eyes.

The almost imperceptible movement of his mouth.

Arin never looked openly angry.

He just looked like he was silently questioning the existence of whoever had annoyed him.

Taehyun found it incredibly entertaining.

By lunchtime, the cafeteria was packed.

Taehyun was sitting with Jae and a few other engineering students, talking loudly enough to compete with the noise around them.

Arin had chosen a table in the far corner.

Alone.

His lunch sat untouched for several minutes while he read something on his phone.

Noah had texted him earlier that he would be late.

Arin didn't mind.

He preferred quiet. Or at least had no other option.

Unfortunately, quiet was apparently not available anywhere Taehyun existed.

Taehyun's voice carried across half the cafeteria.

Arin didn't bother looking.

He had learned that acknowledging Taehyun's existence only encouraged him.

He took another sip of water.

Then someone suddenly approached Taehyun's table.

A girl.

Beautiful.

Confident.

She placed a folded letter beside his lunch.

"Read it."

Taehyun looked at it.

Then at her.

"What's this?"

She smiled.

"You'll know."

She turned and walked away.

The entire table went silent.

Jae picked up the letter.

"Bro."

Taehyun snatched it back.

"What?"

"That's Mira."

"So?"

Jae stared at him.

"Are you serious?"

Taehyun frowned.

"Yes."

"That's Mira."

"You've said that twice."

"She's basically the prettiest girl in the university."

Taehyun looked at the letter.

"Congratulations to her."

Jae laughed.

"Open it."

Taehyun unfolded the paper.

His eyebrows rose.

A confession.

On the second day.

He read it once.

Then folded it again.

"She asked me out."

Jae leaned closer.

"And?"

"And what?"

"You have a girlfriend."

Taehyun's expression changed.

Before he could answer, his phone began ringing.

Sora.

He stared at the screen.

"How does she already know?"

Jae frowned.

"Know what?"

Taehyun answered.

"Hello?"

Sora's voice came immediately.

"Who is Mira?"

Taehyun's eyes closed.

There was no greeting.

No How was your day?

No Did you reach class?

Just Mira.

He stood.

"How do you know about her?"

"That doesn't matter."

"It does to me."

"I have my ways."

Taehyun's jaw tightened.

"You're not even here."

"I don't have to be."

He walked away from his table.

Not far.

Just behind a large pillar near the corner of the cafeteria.

Unfortunately, that put him only a few steps away from Arin's table.

Arin looked up briefly.

Taehyun was on the phone.

He went back to his food.

He had no interest in other people's conversations.

Until Sora's voice rose enough for him to hear.

"You should have told me."

"I've known her for approximately thirty seconds."

"Someone sent me a picture."

Taehyun frowned.

"Who?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Sora."

"What?"

"How are you getting pictures of me when you're not even at this university?"

A pause.

"I know people."

Taehyun gave a humorless laugh.

"That's creepy."

"You think I'm creepy because I care?"

"I think it's creepy because you're somehow getting information about my life faster than I am."

"I need to know what's happening."

"Why?"

"Because you're my boyfriend."

Taehyun's voice lowered.

"And you don't trust me."

"I don't trust girls around you."

"That's not the same thing."

"It is when they're throwing love letters at you. You must have given her a hint."

Arin's hand paused around his fork.

He didn't turn.

He hadn't intended to listen.

But the conversation was happening directly behind him.

Taehyun exhaled.

"It's a letter."

"A love letter."

"Yes."

"And you still have it."

"I'm holding it."

"Then throw it away."

Taehyun looked at the folded paper in his hand.

"Fine."

"Now."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

Taehyun crumpled it.

"Happy?"

"No."

"What now?"

"I don't know."

"Then why did you call?"

Silence.

When Sora spoke again, her voice was quieter.

"Because I wanted to hear your voice."

Taehyun's expression changed.

The irritation on his face faded slightly.

Arin noticed that without meaning to.

"You could've just said that."

"You would've ignored me."

"I wouldn't."

"You didn't answer my messages last night."

"I was asleep."

"You didn't tell me you were going to sleep."

Taehyun rubbed his forehead.

"Sora, I can't report everything I do."

"I just want to know where you are."

"You know where I am."

"I mean exactly where."

Taehyun frowned.

"Why?"

Another pause.

"Because I worry."

Arin looked down at his food.

That wasn't worry.

At least, not entirely.

It sounded like something else.

Something tighter.

Something possessive.

Taehyun sighed.

"I'm in the cafeteria."

"I know."

He stopped.

"What?"

"I know you're in the cafeteria."

Taehyun stared at his phone.

"How?"

"I told you. I know people."

"That's seriously disturbing."

"You shouldn't have anything to hide."

"I don't."

"Then why are you upset?"

"Because you're monitoring me."

"I'm your girlfriend."

"You're not my security system."

Arin's eyes flickered toward the pillar.

He could see only Taehyun's shoulder from where he sat.

Taehyun's voice dropped.

"I don't like fighting with you."

"Then don't give me reasons."

"I didn't."

"That girl—"

"Asked me out. I didn't ask her."

"Do you think she's pretty?"

Taehyun hesitated.

Arin heard the silence.

Then:

"She's objectively pretty."

Sora went quiet.

Taehyun immediately sighed.

"That doesn't mean I like her."

"That's not what you said."

"Because you asked me a stupid question."

"Maybe I asked because I wanted to know what you think."

Taehyun's jaw tightened.

"She's pretty. Happy?"

"No."

"What answer do you want?"

"I don't know."

"Then neither do I."

The call ended.

Taehyun stood there for several seconds, staring at his phone.

He looked exhausted.

Then he shoved the crumpled letter into his pocket.

"I'll throw it away later."

A voice behind him spoke.

"You know that's usually what people say when they don't intend to."

Taehyun turned sharply.

Arin.

Sitting at the corner table.

Watching him.

Taehyun's eyes narrowed.

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough."

"You were listening?"

"I wasn't trying to."

"That's not an answer."

Arin took another sip of water.

"You were standing behind a pillar next to my table."

Taehyun looked at the table.

Then the pillar.

Then back at Arin.

"...Right."

Arin's expression was unreadable.

Then he added,

"Your girlfriend sounds exhausting."

Taehyun's eyebrows shot up.

"You were listening."

"I just said I wasn't trying to."

"That's still listening."

"You're loud."

"She was loud."

"She was on the phone."

"So were you."

Arin looked at him.

"Exactly."

Taehyun stared.

Then scoffed.

"You know, you're really irritating."

Arin returned to his lunch.

"You've said that before."

"Because it's still true."

"Then your vocabulary needs work."

Taehyun's mouth dropped open.

"You're recycling my own words now?"

"Apparently."

Taehyun laughed despite himself.

Then immediately stopped.

"No."

Arin looked up.

"What?"

"You don't get to make me laugh after insulting me."

"I wasn't aware that was a rule."

"It is now."

Arin gave him that expression again.

The one Taehyun had already decided was his least favorite thing in the world.

Calm.

Slightly unimpressed.

Almost bored.

Taehyun pointed at him.

"That face."

"What face?"

"That one."

Arin blinked innocently.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You absolutely do."

"No."

"You're doing it on purpose."

"Perhaps."

Taehyun stared at him.

Then laughed.

"You are such a pain."

Arin went back to eating.

"You're still standing here."

Taehyun looked down.

He was.

He immediately stepped away.

"Whatever."

He returned to his table.

Arin watched him leave for exactly two seconds.

Then looked back at his lunch.

Why did Arin react to everything Taehyun did?

A word.

A look.

A pause.

Everything became a full event.

Arin didn't understand it.

More importantly, he didn't understand why he kept noticing it.

He frowned slightly.

It wasn't curiosity.

It wasn't interest.

Taehyun was simply...

Professional at being annoying.

That was all.

The afternoon class didn't improve things.

The professor handed them their project instructions.

"Your assignment is simple. Create something that represents conflict."

Taehyun looked at the blank paper.

Then at Arin.

"Easy."

Arin raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"What is conflict?"

Taehyun pointed between them.

"This."

Arin stared at him.

Then calmly wrote something down.

Taehyun leaned over.

"What did you write?"

"Chaos."

Taehyun's eyes narrowed.

"You think I'm chaos?"

Arin looked at him.

"No."

A pause.

"You're worse."

Taehyun stared.

Then grinned.

"Okay."

Arin frowned.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Because I'm finally getting somewhere."

"Where?"

"Annoying you."

Arin's expression became completely blank.

"Congratulations."

"That sounded sarcastic."

"It was."

Taehyun laughed.

Arin sighed.

He was beginning to suspect that Taehyun didn't actually want him angry.

He simply enjoyed getting a reaction.

Unfortunately...

Arin was beginning to find that reaction strangely easy to predict.

And that was irritating in itself.

He returned to his sketch.

Across from him, Taehyun was still smiling.

Their rivalry had barely begun.

Neither of them knew it yet.

But by the end of the mid- semester, everyone on campus would know exactly what happened when Arin Seo and Kang Taehyun were placed in the same room.

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