Main Male Lead Disqualified

“Don’t follow me.”

Hanbin tightened his grip on his backpack strap and turned to glare at Jeong-hwan. The situation was exactly like in the morning, and Jeong-hwan had to hold back a laugh.

“I’m just heading home too. Is it a crime that we’re going in the same direction?”

“It feels like you’re keeping an eye on me.”

“Well… you’re not entirely wrong.”

At Jeong-hwan’s nonchalant response, Hanbin looked horrified and quickened his pace. Jeong-hwan simply lengthened his stride, catching up to him in no time.

“Is walking together really such a terrible thing?”

“Depends on the person.”

Hanbin shot back sharply, his words as precise as a knife. Jeong-hwan, unfazed, simply kept pace with him.

“If you’re out of breath, why don’t you slow down? Your face is turning red.”

Jeong-hwan pointed at Hanbin’s flushed cheek.

Hanbin glared at him and replied with deliberate, clear pronunciation.

“I always walk fast. It’s good for my health.”

“Yeah, gotta take care of your health.”

Jeong-hwan barely held back a laugh at Hanbin’s stubbornness. Hanbin, suspicious, side-eyed him and asked,

“Weren’t you riding your bike before?”

“Well, after a little collision with someone, I decided to take a break from it.”

As they neared Hanbin’s house, he started to feel anxious and kept looking at Jeong-hwan’s expression.

“Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

Jeong-hwan, unable to ignore it any longer, asked bluntly.Hanbin looked at Jeong-hwan with wary eyes and spoke cautiously.

“You’re not seriously planning to walk me all the way home… right?”

Jeong+hwan let out a dry chuckle at Hanbin’s genuine suspicion.

“What, do you think we’re dating or something? Even if you asked me to walk you home, I wouldn’t, so don’t worry.”

He had only intended to walk with Hanbin for as long as their paths overlapped. But Hanbin still seemed unconvinced, eyeing him with lingering suspicion. As they finally reached the entrance of Hanbin’s apartment complex, Jeong-hwan waved a hand dismissively, signaling that he wasn’t going to hold him back. Hanbin turned, looking ready to bolt inside.

“Hey, wait. I’ve got something for you.”

Jeong-hwan suddenly remembered and grabbed Hanbin’s arm.

“Something for me…? Oh, the T-shirt?”

Realizing he should at least take the shirt before heading in, Hanbin stood still and watched as Jeong-hwan rummaged through his bag.

‘I did wash it… but maybe I should’ve sprayed something on it too.’

Jeong-hwan hesitated before pulling out the shirt. Even though he had cleaned it, he felt oddly self-conscious.

‘Giving him this is way more over-the-top. I should just return the shirt and be done with it.’

The bigger issue was what lay beneath the shirt. He found himself hesitating again wondering if he was doing something wrong.

“What’s wrong?”

As Jeong-hwan stood frozen, his hand still inside his bag, Hanbin leaned in curiously.

Jeong-hwan quickly hid the contents of his bags and said.

“I… forgot the shirt at home. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”

Hanbin simply thought that Jeong-hwan had left it behind by accident and nodded lightly and said.

“As long as you return it, I don’t really care when.”

Jeong-hwan fell silent, just staring at Hanbin. The atmosphere felt strangely awkward, making Hanbin shift uncomfortably. After a moment of hesitation, he lifted a hand in an awkward wave.

“See you.”

“Wait a second.”

Jeong-hwan grabbed Hanbin again just as he was about to leave.Hanbin stared at Jeonghwan, his expression unreadable as he processed the fact that he had been stopped twice.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

Jeong-hwan, as if making up his mind, reached into his bag and shoved something into Hanbin’s hands.

“Take it.”

Hanbin looked down at the item and blinked in surprise.

“Wait… What is this?”

Avoiding Hanbin’s gaze, Jeong-hwan scratched the back of his head awkwardly and mumbled.

“I, uh… didn’t know which one to get, so I just bought the top-ranked one. If you don’t like it, there’s a receipt in there, so exchange it or whatever.”

It was a romance comic.

Hanbin stared at the book in disbelief. “Why are you giving me this?”

“Think of it as a bribe.”

The day Hanbin had kicked Jeong-hwan out, after their argument, Jeong-hwan had found himself loitering outside the bookstore on the first floor of his academy building. He had never planned on apologizing first, but just in case, by some miracle, he did decide to apologize he figured he’d need something to go with it. That was when he had bought the book.

“It’s a bribe so you don’t kick me out again. Happy now?”

Hanbin hesitated. “But back then…”

“I get that it’s something you want to keep private,” Jeong-hwan cut in, meeting Hanbin’s eyes.

“But I don’t care what you read. So don’t kick me out over something like that.”

Clearly uncomfortable, Jeong-hwan scratched his head even harder, as if trying to physically shake off his embarrassment.  Seeing Hanbin’s dazed expression, Jeong-hwan suddenly regretted his decision.

“Whatever. I’m leaving.”

He waved a hand dismissively and turned to walk away.

“I already have this one.”

Hanbin watched Jeong-hwan’s retreating figure and muttered to himself.

“I guess he really did feel bad.”

After a moment, Hanbin quietly tucked the book into his bag.

***

“Waiting for a text from someone?”

During a short break in their training session, Dong-hyuk walked over to Jeong-hwan, who was staring blankly at his phone. Sensing an opportunity, Dong-hyuk teasingly probed, wondering if Jeong-hwan had started seeing someone.

“I was just checking the time.”

Jeong-hwan locked his screen and replied flatly. His evasive response only made him look more suspicious. Dong-hyuk’s eyes gleamed with curiosity as he pressed further.

“I totally saw you looking at a profile picture just now. Who is it? Someone I know? Do they go to our academy?”

Annoyed by Dong-hyuk’s persistence, Jeong-hwan waved him off as if swatting away a fly.

“Instead of snooping around my phone, why don’t you use that time to practice more?”

“Hmm… The way you talk, Lee Jeong-hwan, I don’t think you’ll ever be able to date.”

“I would not date, even if I could.”

In perfect sync, they both flipped each other off. Their break ended with the sound of their coach yelling, and Jeong-hwan shoved his phone into his bag before stretching again.

Why is this bothering me so much?

It was only natural to be aware of someone he was literally sharing dreams with. On top of that, he needed Hanbin for his physical endurance, so it was impossible not to think about him.

I only need to see him on Thursdays.

It wasn’t like he had to deal with him on weekends, but for some reason, he couldn’t shake the thoughts from his mind.

“Are you angry about something? You’ve been frowning all day.”

“Have I?”

“You don’t seem stiff or anything, but you’re grinding your teeth and working out like a maniac.”

It was after class, just as Jeong-hwan finished a quick shower and was drying his damp hair. Dong-hyuk sidled up to him again and smirked.

“First, I ask if you’re dating someone, and now I have to ask if you’re mad about something? Make up your mind.”

Jung-hwan answered as if he found it bothersome.

“Dating? I was just focused, that’s all.”

“Take it easy~ You’re intense.”

Dong-hyuk playfully tapped Jung-hwan on the shoulder. Jung-hwan packed his bag and was about to head straight home.

“You go ahead.”

Jung-hwan said, staring absently somewhere.

“I’m stopping by the convenience store.”

“Hey, why? What’s up?”

Dong-hyuk was taken aback when Jung-hwan suddenly left him behind and strode into the convenience store. Through the glass door, he saw Jung-hwan walking purposefully toward a guy wearing a gray hoodie.

What’s this? Where did this shadow come from all of a sudden?

Han-bin was crouched down, picking out some snacks. Suddenly, he sensed a shadow looming over him, sending a strange chill down his spine. He hesitantly lifted his head.

“Aahhh!”

Jung-hwan had been waiting for Hanbin to turn around, feeling too awkward to call out to him first. He had expected Han-bin to flinch slightly upon seeing him, but he hadn’t expected him to freak out this much.

“What, do you think I’m gonna eat you or something?”

Jung-hwan squatted next to Hanbin, meeting his gaze.

“Why do you always act so scared when we run into each other?”

Feeling embarrassed that he was the only one startled, Hanbin rubbed his now-reddened ear and mumbled.

“Well, every time we meet, you get so annoyed and angry that you feel like you going to me.”

“I did?”

Hanbin furrowed and said  seeing Jung-hwan shamelessly asked the question.

Jung-hwan shamelessly asked back, making Hanbin furrowed his brows.

“Did you lose your memory or something?”

“Now that I think about it, you’re the one who’s irritating.”

Jung-hwan stifled a laugh and playfully tugged at Hanbin’s hoodie strings with both hands.

“What are you even wearing? You look like an unemployed bum.”

“What, am I supposed to wear a suit to the convenience store instead of sweats? Why are you picking a fight again?”

Hanbin frowned as Jeong-hwan started nitpicking and picking a fight with him. Instead of responding directly, Jeong-hwan pointed at the snacks Hanbin had been looking at and spoke.

“…Just pick one. I’ll buy it for you.”

Hanbin stared at Jeong-hwan, wondering if he had misheard. Avoiding Hanbin’s gaze, Jeong-hwan added, as if embarrassed,

“I’m just buying mine anyway, so think of it as a donation or something. You should hurry up before I change my mind.”

“Stop trying to solve everything with money. If you’re sorry, just apologize sincerely.”

“Just pick one already!”

Despite his words, Hanbin swiftly began scooping up the snacks in front of him like a ghostly apparition. Seeing him go overboard, grabbing an armful of snacks, Jeong-hwan trailed behind and quietly put a few back on the shelves.

“Thanks. I won’t forget this kindness.”

Hanbin hugged the nearly bursting black plastic bag and gave Jeong-hwan a slight bow. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Jeong-hwan grabbed his wrist.

“You already forgot, didn’t you? Are you seriously trying to run off after taking all the snacks?”

“If there were conditions, you should’ve said so from the start!”

As Hanbin wriggled to escape, Jeong-hwan jerked his chin toward something.

“Sit.”

He was pointing at a table outside the convenience store.

“There? Why?”

Hanbin eyed him suspiciously. Jeong-hwan spoke as if it were nothing.

“I’ve been stuck in cram school, running around without talking much. I’m bored, so keep me entertained for a bit. Is that too much to ask?”

“What am I, your personal clown?”

Even as he grumbled, Hanbin sat down. Since Jeong-hwan had bought him something, keeping him company for a while didn’t seem like a big deal.

“You should seriously consider changing your career path to being a clown. Watching you chatter away is pretty amusing.”

“For a second, I thought you were complimenting me. What, are you trying to tame me or something?”

“You’re not a wild animal. At best, you’re a pampered house pet that eats store-bought food. There’s nothing to tame.”

Hanbin placed some of the snacks Jeong-hwan had bought on the table. After a brief pause, Jeong-hwan, watching Hanbin munch on them, asked,

“By the way, do you have a dog?”

“A dog? No, why?”

“Never mind. Forget it.”

Brushing the topic aside, Jeong-hwan picked up one of the snacks Hanbin had set down and took a bite. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked,

“So, what’s next?”

Hanbin blinked, not understanding what he meant. Seeing his confusion, Jeong-hwan clarified.

“You said you can see the next episode title, right?”

“Yeah, I did. But why?”

Jeong-hwan scratched the back of his head, his cheeks faintly red, before answering.

“I’m going to take this seriously from now on. That whole romance thing.”

[t/n: novel schedule: 2-3 chapters every Thursday.]