THE HIRED BOYFRIEND

4

Hyeyoon's POV

Jonho avoided me completely. During class, his eyes never once met mine, meticulously avoiding my gaze with every passing second. Each sidelong glance that missed me felt like a knife twisting deeper into my gut. I let out a frustrated grunt, and Somi, sitting beside me, nudged me with her elbow, clearly curious about my sudden shift in mood.

"What's up with you today?" she whispered, her eyes scanning my face for clues.

I sighed heavily, letting my frustration seep into the sound. The weight of it pressed down on me as I slumped forward, resting my cheek against the cool surface of the desk. The coldness numbed my skin, but not my thoughts. I pouted, feeling a mix of anger and sadness swirl inside me.

"Do you think Mr. Jonho is acting weird today?" I asked, my voice muffled by the desk. I needed an outsider's perspective, someone to validate what I was feeling.

Somi scoffed lightly, shaking her head. "You're the weird one right now," she teased, her lips curling into a small smile.

"Who's weird?" Minjae's voice interrupted as he took a seat in front of me. His sudden presence made my frustration boil over, and I grunted louder, pulling my face from the desk to glare at him.

"Hyeyoon, clearly," Somi answered, rolling her eyes. "Don't ask her about it; she's in a mood."

Minjae leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, ignoring Somi's warning. His tone was casual, but there was a hint of genuine concern in his eyes.

I huffed, turning my head away from both of them. "It's nothing," I muttered, but the tightness in my chest betrayed me.

Minjae and Somi exchanged a look, and I could almost hear their silent conversation. Somi shrugged, signaling to Minjae to drop it. He sighed and leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand as he studied me.

"Come on, Hyeyoon, we're your friends," he said softly. "You can talk to us."

There was no way I was going to talk about my feelings for Jonho with others. I am not that dumb.

As I thought about my feelings, my head automatically turned to the desk near the window. It was empty today.

Weird.

I had never noticed Jisung before this. The night he saved me when I was drunk was the first time I ever really saw him. Imagine my shock when I found out that boy was in my class.

No offense to him, but he looked out of place. I don't know how to describe it, but he looked... poor?

Maybe they're new money. That's why I never heard about his family business. But, it didn't bother me until I found him eavesdropping on my conversation with Jonho yesterday.

At first, I was furious, but I don't know why. I have a gut feeling that he's not going to tell anybody. And I feel relieved after that.

My thoughts were interrupted by the loud chatter of my classmates. Somi was still by my side, her presence a comforting anchor in the chaos of my emotions. I glanced over at her, considering whether to share even a fraction of what was on my mind, but I decided against it. Somi was a good friend, but some things were better kept private.

"Have you done what I asked you to do?" I interrupted their conversation, making both of them turn their heads to me.

"You mean about Jisung?" Somi raised her eyebrows.

I nodded.

"Well, I didn't find anything particularly interesting about him other than the fact that he got in because he received a scholarship from your family," she started, pulling out her iPad. I turned my body fully toward her, curious about what else she had found.