Unrequited Love Thresher-Chapter 9: He’s Smiling?

While Ha Dohoon was fuming at the video, his classmate in the next room, Choi Mujin, was also watching the same footage with unusual focus.

“......”

Normally, he would’ve been more irritated than Dohoon—but for once, he silently stared at the screen, fixated on Ha Giyeon. Even though the quality was grainy, the figure sitting there was unmistakably him.

No matter how you looked at him, he had an ordinary face. Just like when they were kids—unchanged.

The first time Choi Mujin met Ha Dohoon had been at a party his parents dragged him to. Among the noisy crowd of children, Ha Dohoon’s appearance had stood out sharply.

“Mujin, make sure to get along with Dohoon, okay?”

He was the same age, held the same level of power and wealth.

Just as his parents always told him to make friends who were “on his level,” Choi Mujin had approached Ha Dohoon. Standing there like he was bored out of his mind, Dohoon ignored the noisy kids and just stood there. Mujin, equally bored, had chased off the others and exchanged some casual conversation with him. He liked that Dohoon didn’t act flashy or cocky—calm, but subtly arrogant. It suited him.

There were plenty of benefits to being close with Ha Dohoon. His father’s business would benefit, and they wouldn’t have to deal with lower-level kids. Conversation flowed well, too.

Eventually, they grew close enough to visit each other’s homes. Mujin once came over with Kwon Jongseok. They were playing video games in Dohoon’s room when it happened.

“Hyung, what are you doing?”

The door creaked open, and a little face peeked in.

He looked two, maybe three years younger—small and slight.

“Who’s that?”

“My little brother.”

That was how he first met Ha Giyeon.

Choi Mujin and Kwon Jongseok blinked in disbelief.

“That’s seriously your brother?”

Honestly, Mujin had thought he was just some houseguest squatting there.

Not only did he look nothing like Ha Dohoon, his way of speaking, expressions, personality—everything was different. He just didn’t seem like someone who belonged in that family. Unlike the stoic and indifferent Dohoon, Giyeon laughed easily, cried quickly, and clung to Dohoon no matter how cruelly they teased him.

“Hyung, wait for me...!”

Ha Giyeon constantly trailed after Dohoon, and it was annoying. Every time Mujin tried to hang out with Dohoon, the kid would follow them around. Even though Mujin was just a kid himself, he found it embarrassing to play with someone even younger.

“He should at least get mad or something.”

All Dohoon had to do was yell or hit him and he’d stop. But Dohoon only got mildly irritated—he never pushed Giyeon away harshly.

More accurately, he only pretended to push him away.

“He’s following again.”

And yet... when Mujin glanced at Dohoon’s face watching Giyeon follow them, it almost looked like he was enjoying it. A glint of interest and amusement shimmered in his eyes—eyes that stayed expressionless even when being praised or winning games or attending fancy events.

“What’s so fun about being followed around like that?”

Mujin couldn’t understand it. What was so entertaining about a kid who smiled and cried like a fool? Was it just some kind of affection for a little brother?

But if that were true, Dohoon would’ve been nicer to him. Instead, he always picked the meanest things to do—throwing Giyeon’s toys out the window, ruining his drawings, breaking anything he showed interest in.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just let him have fun with his toys?”

That way, at least he wouldn’t follow them around so much.

Mujin got curious. What was it about Ha Giyeon that kept Dohoon entertained?

He began watching him more closely—how he looked for Dohoon, cried when he lost sight of him, sulked when he couldn’t play with him, smiled when he ate cake, laughed while holding Dohoon’s hand.

The more he watched, the more idiotic Ha Giyeon seemed.

“He gets treated like shit, but still follows him around. Why?”

Most kids would’ve been pissed and avoided them by now.

That’s when curiosity turned to fascination. Mujin wanted to see what Giyeon looked like when he got angry.

Maybe he wasn’t the only one.

The biggest and loudest kid in their group once filled a bucket with water and dumped it on Giyeon. They were on the second floor, and the water came crashing down on him from above.

Soaked, stunned, and confused, Giyeon just stood there, unable to even cry.

“Pffft—hahaha!”

The boy and the others burst out laughing at the sight. Maybe he’d been jealous of Dohoon and taken it out on Giyeon.

“Oh my god, Giyeon!”

The housekeeper, who happened to be passing by, rushed over to help the dizzy boy and brought him inside. That day, Giyeon caught a severe cold and was bedridden with a fever for a week.

Naturally, he couldn’t follow Dohoon around during that time.

Maybe that’s why Dohoon had been in such a terrible mood the whole week.

“Then why didn’t he do anything?”

Mujin had watched from a short distance as Giyeon got soaked. Dohoon had been right there too. He’d looked over briefly—but his face hadn’t changed. He just stood there, completely still.

Mujin had honestly expected him to blow up—punch someone, yell, kick the guy out of the house. After all, it was his little brother. Could he really just stand there watching while a member of his family got treated like that?

“How can someone react like that?”

Even Dohoon’s parents had said nothing.

That’s when Mujin realized what Ha Giyeon really was in that house—and what kind of person Ha Dohoon really was.

While Giyeon lay sick in bed, they went on a field trip.

“Be careful, everyone! Don’t go near the pond! Don’t touch the water!”

They were at a small petting zoo in a forest park. The teachers tried to supervise, but there were too many kids to keep track of. There were bunnies, hamsters, chicks—but the most popular attraction was the koi pond.

Orange goldfish swam lazily through the water. The kids gathered around, leaning in close.

“It’s dangerous, so don’t get too close!”

The pond was shallow enough for adults, but not for kids. The teacher stepped away for a moment, leaving only students near the pond.

That’s when Ha Dohoon appeared.

Mujin had been sitting away from the pond, bored of the animals, when he noticed Dohoon walking over the small bridge.

He was heading straight toward the kid who had dumped water on Giyeon.

The kid was leaning dangerously far over the railing, totally focused on the fish.

“Huh...?”

In that brief second, while the other kids were focused on the pond, Mujin saw it.

Dohoon lifted his foot—and kicked the boy square in the back.

Splash!

“Wha—AAAH!”

“Kyah! O-Oh my god!”

“Teacher! Chanhui fell in the water!”

The kid flailed in the pond, screaming, while the others cried and yelled in panic.

And Dohoon?

He was already standing a few steps away, watching the chaos unfold.

“He’s smiling...?”

A chill ran down Mujin’s spine. He almost pissed himself right there.

Because he instantly understood the reason Dohoon had done it.

It wasn’t just about avenging his little brother. It was a warning to anyone who touched what was his. Since it had started with water—he ended it with water, too.

“Chanhui! Oh my god!”

The teacher rushed in and pulled the boy out of the pond like a flailing fish. He sobbed, shouting that someone had pushed him—but no one believed him.

No one had seen it.

No one but Choi Mujin.

And even though he easily could’ve said something—he didn’t.

Sure, part of it was fear of Ha Dohoon. But he was also annoyed that Giyeon hadn’t been around. At first, he’d enjoyed the peace and quiet—but after three days, the silence felt strangely hollow.

That’s when he began to understand.

Why Ha Dohoon found Ha Giyeon so entertaining.

There was something fun about being adored like that. He talked, and Giyeon would cry or laugh in response. Like a pet that could talk—only more amusing.

Mujin started going over to Dohoon’s house almost every day. When he stopped ignoring Giyeon and gave him just a little attention, the boy’s eyes would light up.

“I lost my marble over there, will you help me find it?”

Playing with him just enough to keep from crossing a line was surprisingly fun. He’d tease him, embarrass him, make him cry, then laugh in his face. And when it felt like it had gone too far, he’d do one nice thing—and Giyeon would beam like a fool.

“Thanks, hyung!”

He’d look like he’d give you his heart if you asked. His affection was blind, unshakable.

Years passed that way.

Ha Giyeon was, the more you looked, the most consistent kid you could imagine. Never got angry, no matter what you did. Mujin had been convinced he would never fight back—not then, not ever.

But then...

“I don’t know why I’m the one who has to apologize.”

What was with that expression?

He’d brushed it off with a {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} smirk like always, but that one look on Giyeon’s face lingered in his mind.

“Why did he look at me like that?”

He’d gotten so used to things being a certain way, he hadn’t noticed.

The emotion Ha Giyeon had shown.

“Eh, whatever. He’ll probably be smiling like an idiot again soon.”

He’d soften right up if they just talked to him at school.

“Wasn’t the first-year snack bar on the fourth floor?”

Just imagining the surprise on Giyeon’s face when he saw him was already making him excited.

***

“Next period, head out to the school field.”

At the sound of the break bell, the P.E. teacher left the room.

Ha Giyeon let out a small sigh of relief. He’d been worried they might head to the field on the first day—but thankfully, several kids hadn’t brought their P.E. uniforms either, so the teacher had just gone over the assessment requirements in class.

“I should go buy one tomorrow.”

He stood from his seat and walked into the hallway. As he made his way toward the restroom, he noticed the hallway was more crowded near the end.

Probably because the snack bar was nearby. It was a mess of kids crowding around.

He slipped past them, and just as he stepped forward—

“...!”

Familiar faces appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Hyung...?”

At the center stood Ha Dohoon, flanked by Choi Mujin and Kwon Jongseok.

A trio of third-years suddenly appearing on the first-year floor made the surrounding students scatter like mice—but all of them kept sneaking glances.

“Isn’t that them? From Myeongjeong Middle...”

“The one in the middle—that’s Ha Dohoon. Seriously, he’s crazy good-looking. I heard he was gonna be a celebrity.”

“Nope, not true. His family’s so loaded he doesn’t even need to be famous.”

“So fucking lucky...”

Admiration and envy filled the air around them. Ha Giyeon froze, then looked at Ha Dohoon with uneasy eyes.

“Why is he here...?”

In the past, Dohoon had never once come up to the first-year floor. Why now...?

Snapping back to his senses, Giyeon quickly turned to leave.

“...!”

And locked eyes with Ha Dohoon.

Dohoon’s eyes widened—and then he started walking toward him fast.

“Why... why does it look like he’s coming at me?”

He knew Ha Dohoon wouldn’t approach him like this... but still, something felt off. Giyeon’s anxiety kicked in, and he quickly ducked into the group of students near the snack bar.

“I need to avoid him.”

He was weaving between students, trying to disappear into the crowd when—

Grab.

“...!”

A sudden hand seized his wrist and yanked him back.