checkmate. | pi hanwool

Chapter 10

Hanwool's jaw tensed.

He didn't have to guess.

Minwhan grinned knowingly. "Gaeun."

Hanwool's fingers stilled against the fabric of the couch.

A second passed.

Then-

"And?"

Minwhan blinked. "Huh?"

"And?" Hanwool repeated, his tone calm. Too calm.

Minwhan watched him carefully. Then, slowly, his smirk widened. "You're pissed."

Hanwool exhaled through his nose. "I don't care."

Minwhan laughed, shaking his head. "Deny it all you want, man. But I saw her. Even beat up, she looked good."

Hanwool's jaw ticked.

Minwhan didn't miss it. And for some reason, that annoyed Hanwool even more.

He leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees, eyes dark and unreadable. "She got hurt?"

Minwhan lifted a shoulder lazily. "Yeah, but she held her own. Took some nasty hits, though. If Gamin hadn't stepped in, who knows how bad it could've gotten."

Hanwool didn't respond.

Something about that sat uncomfortably in his chest. Not because he cared. He didn't.

But the thought of his father's men landing blows on Gaeun... It made his fingers twitch slightly.

Annoying.

Minwhan continued, oblivious to the shift in Hanwool's expression. "You should've seen her, man. Even with those bruises, she looked fierce."

Hanwool exhaled slowly. "You're talking too much."

Minwhan chuckled. "You're listening too much."

Silence stretched between them. The movie on the screen kept playing, the sounds of gunfire and sirens blending into the background.

Finally, Minwhan leaned back, a smug grin still on his face.

"You know," he said, tilting his head, "for someone who doesn't care, you sure are reacting a lot."

Hanwool shot him a sideways glance. "Shut up, Minwhan."

Minwhan only laughed.

-

Yusung Technical High was as loud and chaotic as ever. The hallways were filled with students shoving past each other, voices overlapping, and the occasional fight breaking out in the background.

It was the kind of disorder that was normal here. For most people, it was just another morning.

But for Hanwool, it was a morning spent with an annoying thought gnawing at the back of his mind.

A thought with a name.

Yoon Gaeun.

Hanwool leaned against the second-floor railing, surveying the crowd below with his usual disinterest. Or at least, he wanted to act like he wasn't paying attention. His posture was lazy, hands shoved into his pockets, but his eyes were sharp-calculating.

He hadn't been able to shake off what Minwhan told him last night.

Not because he cared.

Because it was stupid.

She was stupid for getting involved in something she didn't need to be a part of.

A sigh left his lips. Maybe if he ignored it, the irritation would go away.