Unrequited Love Thresher-Chapter 12: If You’re Too Quiet, It’s No Fun

Son Suhyeon ate silently, not paying any attention to Ha Giyeon.

Compared to others who sometimes tried to make conversation, Ha Giyeon focused solely on eating, which made him a comfortable dining companion.

Except for one thing.

‘What the hell... what’s that?’

He could feel a prickling stare from somewhere, and sure enough, not far off, there was someone staring holes into Ha Giyeon.

Ha Dohoon.

Two guys sitting next to him were also glaring this way.

‘Did he piss someone off?’

But Ha Giyeon was eating so peacefully it was hard to believe. People around him were glancing over too, so there was no way he didn’t notice, but whether he was ignoring it or really didn’t know, he sat there calmly on his own. Son Suhyeon didn’t know what kind of relationship those two had, but judging by the way Ha Dohoon was staring, he looked like a damn school bully. Well, Ha Dohoon had been pretty infamous, even a grade below, back before Son Suhyeon took a leave of absence.

You didn’t even have to try to hear the gossip—it just came to you. His looks, his family, his money, his parents’ social standing, all of it.

Teachers would suck up to him obviously, and regardless of grade, everyone tried to get close. Some hated him, sure, but they got expelled or forcibly transferred for pulling some stupid prank on him.

To Son Suhyeon, guys like Ha Dohoon were exactly the type you should never get involved with.

But Ha Giyeon, who apparently got on his radar from day one...

‘...None of my business.’

Suhyeon picked up his tray and stood up, afraid of getting caught in Ha Dohoon's line of sight. At the same time, Ha Giyeon also stood up. He glanced over, wondering if Giyeon was following him—but the tray was... completely clean.

Son Suhyeon stared blankly at Giyeon's back as he walked away, patting his full belly with satisfaction, then turned around and left.

***

‘This food sucks.’

Kwon Jongseok frowned as he looked at the side dishes on his tray. Ha Dohoon had said he’d eat at the cafeteria for once instead of going out, but he hadn’t even picked up his spoon.

‘It’s because of Giyeon, obviously.’

He even went all the way up to the fourth-floor snack bar earlier.

There were too many kids there, so it was hard to spot Ha Giyeon, but the cafeteria made it easier. Ha Dohoon had been scanning everyone in line, and the moment he spotted Ha Giyeon, his eyes lit up. But even then, he didn’t call out or wave—just silently watched, as if {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} waiting for him to come over.

Kwon Jongseok had assumed, naturally, that Ha Giyeon would come to them. Without his brother, he was helpless and socially useless. No way he had any friends.

Just like in middle school, he’d obviously trail behind Ha Dohoon.

“Can’t I eat with you guys...? I don’t have anyone else to sit with...”

“Eat by yourself, loser. What, you think I want to be seen eating with you?” fгeewebnovёl.com

“Dude, chill. His brother’s scary, and he doesn’t want to eat alone.”

Guys around them always took the chance to tease Ha Dohoon whenever this happened. It made him lash out at Ha Giyeon even more. And still, Ha Giyeon would stubbornly keep following them.

So in high school, things shouldn’t be much different.

‘He’s so damn predictable, it’s funny.’

Kwon Jongseok smirked as Ha Giyeon walked toward their direction. Looked like he’d finally given up on sulking and wanted to crawl back.

Because Ha Giyeon couldn’t function without him.

Yeah, that’s how it was supposed to be...

“...?”

He was gone. No—he’d walked past them!

Kwon Jongseok turned his head, belatedly. There was Ha Giyeon, heading toward the back of the cafeteria. Then he exchanged a few words with someone sitting alone and took a seat.

“...Hah.”

A scoff slipped out of him.

It was funny enough that he was wrong—but the looks on Ha Dohoon and Choi Mujin’s faces were something else. Especially Ha Dohoon, who rarely showed any emotion—he looked like he’d been splashed with cold water mid-step. It was almost fascinating.

Looked like their cold war was still going on.

‘Damn, it’s lasting a while.’

Kwon Jongseok clicked his tongue silently.

The last time he saw Ha Giyeon was when the cake incident happened. He thought Giyeon would get over it by the start of the new semester, no matter how bad it was. But this silent treatment had dragged on longer than expected, and now it was getting annoying. There was no one to boss around, no idiot to mess with for laughs.

Everything was dull and boring.

The only slightly interesting thing was Ha Dohoon and Choi Mujin reacting to Ha Giyeon. Who would’ve imagined Ha Giyeon would eat alone? Acting like a completely different person after graduating middle school—it was funny but pathetic. If he’d stopped when Ha Dohoon caved a little, they might’ve even gone easy on him.

‘I don’t even get why I have to apologize.’

That face Ha Giyeon made, looking so wronged when he said that, was laughable. Getting cake on him must’ve embarrassed the hell out of him since he’d avoided them until school started. Still, they went to the same high school, so he had to come find them eventually. Even in middle school, he’d sulk but get over it quick.

“I’m sorry, hyungs... I won’t do it again. Please don’t throw me away.”

The way he clung to their sleeves, begging. That face was the best. Clinging, kneeling, looking up like they were his salvation—that look in his eyes had been perfect.

Seeing someone’s life and behavior flip just because of something you said.

“Giyeon-ah, hyung’s a little upset, you know?”

“S-sorry. What should I do?”

That face, acting like he’d do anything.

That was why Kwon Jongseok always kept Ha Giyeon beneath him. Nothing like a toy or a doll that got boring within the hour.

He’d had a lot of toys since he was a kid. His rich parents gave him anything he asked for as an only child. He had a whole room just for toys, but they were mostly just for display.

They all ended up in the trash within three days.

The ones he played with for a whole week were the dolls or robots with movable joints. He liked how he could control each arm, leg, head—every piece, exactly how he wanted. But dolls that couldn’t talk or only repeated phrases? Boring. One day, he broke all their limbs.

The next thing he got into was pets.

His parents gave him a dog to ease his loneliness. It was white, clean, dressed up—nothing like the dolls he could control, but it followed him around and craved his attention. That part was nice.

It only looked at him. It only ate what he gave. With training, it obeyed well. It was a smart dog. So he treated it decently. Kept it for a few months, even.

That was a long time for someone like Kwon Jongseok. But the dog didn’t even last a year. It died. In Kwon Jongseok’s hands.

While their peaceful routine continued, one thing started to bother him: the way the dog accepted snacks from someone else. A cousin had visited and given it a treat, and the dog—tail wagging like crazy—gobbled it up like it didn’t even care who gave it.

“Haha! Looks like I’m the real owner now, huh? Wanna live with me instead?”

So easily swayed by food, without even knowing who really fed it.

‘You’re only supposed to eat what I give you.’

That day, Kwon Jongseok tampered with the dog’s food. Watching it scarf it down—without even knowing whether it was poison or not—he sank into boredom again. Maybe his parents thought he was heartbroken after the dog died, because they introduced him to new “friends.”

That’s how he met Ha Dohoon and Ha Giyeon.

Ha Dohoon, raised in wealth, was just as arrogant and aloof as you'd expect. He looked down on people, always bored like him.

But there was one time his eyes sparkled.

“Hyung!”

A kid who trailed after Ha Dohoon like a puppy. Unlike Dohoon’s constant poker face, the kid smiled and cried easily. It was hard to believe they were brothers. That was Giyeon’s first impression. Clueless, spineless, shameless—he’d smile like an idiot even when Dohoon teased or bullied him. It didn’t make any sense.

So Kwon Jongseok approached Giyeon, who always looked sad as he gazed at Ha Dohoon.

“Don’t you hate it when your brother bullies you?”

“...He’s still Dohoon-hyung.”

Just a few words, but they felt loaded with meaning.

What Kwon Jongseok saw in them was endless affection. Not some dog wagging its tail at anyone. Not a puppet or robot you could bend at will. A human.

‘How great would it be if those eyes looked at me instead?’

A strange desire curled inside him. He wanted to test Giyeon. See if his affection could truly stay unshaken, no matter what.

But first, he had to get rid of something.

The object of Giyeon’s affection—Ha Dohoon.

If Dohoon had just been some arrogant idiot, it would’ve been easy to redirect Giyeon’s attention.

But Dohoon turned out to be nastier than expected.

He was just like him.

And that made him repulsive.

If it weren’t for Giyeon, he wouldn’t even go near him. But for someone like Dohoon to look at his family—his own brother—like that?

Obsession, possessiveness—that sick, clinging gaze.

What kind of brother looks at his sibling like that?

So Kwon Jongseok decided he had to take it slow. Carefully. In a way Dohoon wouldn’t notice.

He was waiting for the day Dohoon graduated and left for overseas. When that happened, he’d fill the void himself—and Giyeon would become his toy alone.

Lately, Giyeon had been acting a bit strange, sure. But it wasn’t a problem.

‘Well... it’s no fun if they’re too obedient anyway.’

If they’re too submissive, they get boring fast. He’d been messing with him a bit more than usual lately, but he planned to start giving him attention again—soothe him a little. Giyeon would definitely come back, crying and clinging like before.

Kwon Jongseok took out his phone, a small smile curling on his lips.