Chapter: 05
“Rick, you absolutely have to come to the pool party I’m throwing this weekend. It won’t be the same without you—”
Frederick sat at the center of the first-floor lounge sofa, surrounded by the school’s elite.
Among them, Stella, who was closest to Frederick, linked her arm through his and pestered him for an answer.
“Huh? Huh?”
“But why are you stealing my ID card?”
Grinning mischievously like a little thief, Stella held Frederick’s ID card in both hands. She had slyly taken it from the pocket of his blazer.
A boy standing nearby smirked, raising one corner of his mouth.
“You just noticed? Other things might be missing too.”
Frederick’s eyes narrowed. One hand fumbled into his pants pocket.
“Can’t be helped. This month’s challenge is tough. October’s PicTok challenge is called ‘Heist Kings’—Steal something from the school’s most popular guy.”
By now, Stella had taken out her phone and, with a gleeful expression, held Frederick’s school ID card up to film.
“Tag it #Canyoucatchmeow!”
Stella took a few steps back, grinning as if she didn’t want the ID to be snatched back.
“They’re playing around…”
Isu turned his head straight ahead again.
Though his eyes had shifted, he couldn’t shake the image from his mind.
How on earth—
How do I even bring it up?
Isu let out an unconscious sigh.
He didn’t even know Frederick’s number, had no activities in common, and they weren’t the type to casually talk.
Moreover, Frederick Bastia was the top-tier popular guy who was never seen alone.
There was a reason Emily had gotten so sensitive about the time Isu had been alone with him in class.
“Sigh…”
Ideally, Isu would have to wait for a moment when Frederick was alone—but the very thought of such a moment existing seemed doubtful.
Lost in thought, Isu stopped walking. His head turned back without him realizing it.
And, unavoidably, his eyes met Frederick’s. Rarely, Frederick’s expression was neutral. His irises were dark.
Startled, Isu froze.
Was he looking at me?
No, it couldn’t be.
His chest felt like it had lost all blood. Isu quickly looked away first and hurried forward, almost like he was running away.
While the girls were absorbed in Frederick’s “steal the stuff” challenge, the boys at the center table quietly started their own challenge, which had now evolved into a league.
Called the “Queen Nerd, Take Off Those Glasses” League, it was currently at a stalemate—no winner had emerged yet.
“You’re not interested, huh?”
Walking toward the parking lot, Joshua explained to Frederick how each boy had tried to get Isu’s glasses off.
He had hoped for some reaction, but Frederick barely responded.
The only reaction he got was a single, indifferent reply.
“Come to think of it, Daniel, you didn’t have swimming class, did you?”
“Guess that’s why no one saw your bare face. Anyway, the point of this league is to remove them without Trial noticing or getting mad.”
Joshua made a gun shape with his index and thumb and waved it lightly in the air, a playful grin on his face. His expression was full of mischievous curiosity.
“Pretty, right?”
An athlete’s peripheral vision wouldn’t miss a fleeting moment.
Daniel Ryu was pretty—extremely so.
That was Joshua’s conclusion.
Joshua smiled at Frederick, clearly trying to provoke some reaction.
“Everyone’s hesitant, but I’m more excited for what happens after this league ends.”
“Ah, s**t.”
Joshua stopped in his tracks at the sharp curse and looked back at Frederick. Frederick’s hand was fumbling inside his blazer pocket.
“No luck. Car keys are gone.”
Frederick gave a bitter, somewhat incredulous chuckle. His tie was already gone, leaving him in just a shirt and blazer.
“Want me to search tags to see who took them? Or just take my car and go?”
“No, if they’re not in the locker either, I’ll just call a driver. Go ahead.”
Frederick nodded and turned in the opposite direction. Joshua watched his back.
Not once did he fall for it…
Even though it was interesting and amusing to see the boys doing something they normally wouldn’t, the main attraction had to be Frederick Bastia.
But Frederick had a knack for changing his attitude the moment someone started to figure him out, so Joshua’s attempts yielded nothing.
What on earth is he thinking…
Light or heavy.
Likes or dislikes.
Good or bad.
It felt like Joshua had been trying to figure out the contents of this inscrutable mystery box for over ten years.
But one thing he was fairly certain of: Frederick’s middle school meltdown had something to do with Daniel.
Now it was time to confirm if that suspicion was right.
With a furrowed brow, Joshua tilted his head side to side like stretching.
Though he was confident in reading others’ intentions, Frederick remained completely unreadable.
Tsk, Joshua clicked his tongue and continued walking.
<! W A R N I N G !>
Queen Nerd (QUEEN NERD) Area. Proceed with caution.
Far fiercer than you’d think! Especially watch out for racial issues!
Appearance – Triple Poo: nerd glasses (brown), long hair (brown), Converse shoes (brown)
Before heading to the library, Isu stopped by the cafeteria for coffee. Spotting a promotional flyer tossed on a corner table, his face instantly twisted.
Every Halloween season, fake flyers like this crawled back up like stubborn mold, never fully eliminated.
Do they never get tired of this?
Isu crumpled the flyer with both hands and threw it into the trash. He left the cafeteria without buying coffee.
Am I some kind of soccer ball?
There’s a limit to how much you can be taken lightly.
Even though this had been repeated every year since middle school, he couldn’t brush it off casually today—maybe because it was an unusually rough day.
…Would it be easier if I just dropped out?
Would the world leave him alone if he quit?
But once he started, he never considered dropping out. He would see things through.
Still, no human can be completely limitless. The suffocating feeling rising to his throat was no stranger to him.
Isu’s expression was dark as he headed to the library. He never got the chance to talk to Frederick before school ended, leaving his mind heavy, like reinforced steel.
I just need to go and say it…
Arriving at a deserted floor in the library, Isu organized his bag and pulled out his phone. On the screen of a phone over five years old, a message from his mother appeared.
“I’ll wait for the right moment to talk. Sorry for asking something weird.
Just studying is already tough, and I’m sorry for making it harder.
I’ll pray to God to watch over you. Make sure to have dinner, Isu.”
Isu stared at the text, then switched to another app: PicTok.
“…….”
The muted videos were quiet but chaotic enough to almost make hallucinations audible. Isu typed into the search bar:
C, then A.
N…
After typing the long word and hitting search, videos with many hearts appeared. All the girls wore Elmir Westrake’s navy school uniform.
Tapping one, a girl proudly held a boy’s tie in front of the camera. Instantly, Isu recognized the tie’s owner.
The video tag confirmed it.
#GWS (the Great White Shark)
“Great White Shark” had long been a dedicated tag for Frederick Bastia, the only son of the LA Sharks owner. A double meaning: both the acknowledged “Great White Shark” and “Great White” as in the most refined jewel.
“……”
Isu stared at the screen expressionlessly. Swiping to another video, Frederick’s ID card appeared.
The 9th-grade ID photo showed a rarely expressionless Frederick—more youthful but still handsome.
Soon Stella held the ID card high, smirking with pride.
Jealous? Frederick Bastia is mine.
The confident smile said it all.
Isu froze for a moment. Only after the long hand of the clock moved did he turn off the screen and put the phone away.
He had work to do. His scholarship was at risk, and if his grades wavered, it would be truly over. Even if his mood scraped rock bottom.
Time passed. Isu slowly opened his eyes, drawn by a voice.
“Oh. Did I wake you?”
Ah, he’d meant to rest only briefly…
Leaning on a large desk, arms folded under his head, Isu blinked groggily. Without glasses, his vision was blurry.
Someone handed him something. Unaware, he took it, realizing by touch that it was his glasses.
Once he put them on, the blurry curtain-like world snapped into focus. Isu furrowed his brows in a daze.
“You’re far too careless.”
“……”
Isu was speechless. Standing in front of him was Frederick.
“You should be careful, Daniel. Athletes are relentless.”
Perched on the window sill, Frederick sat in a shirt with a few buttons undone.
