Not even Bada is immune to Minjun's charms and he ends up shuffled to the end of the little bed whilst Minjun sits right at Taehyeon's side.
"How come you stopped using the ice pack?" Minjun asks. He picks up the ice pack and carefully presses it against Taehyeon's face. Well, Taehyeon assumes he would attempt to be careful. Unfortunately the ice pack being bulky and sharp is the reason Taehyeon had left it on the bed and now Minjun is pressing the corner of an ice cube against Taehyeon's right eye. Would going blind be worth being fussed over like this?
Taehyeon can't be certain but he believes Woobin would naturally be more gentle and careful with a clumsily injured Taehyeon. It is a nice thought about a universe in which the two of them have courage. As things stand, Woobin can't justify that risk to himself.
Leaning away from the small towel wrapped around way too many ice cubes, Taehyeon tries to look grateful. "Thank you," he says, "It doesn't hurt that much anymore."
Minjun surreptitiously glances at Bada and Dongmin before leaning closer towards Taehyeon. He doesn't look entirely happy as he quietly asks, "Are you sure? It looked like it really hurt. You cried so I was worried you broke your face."
As mortifying as that revelation is, Taehyeon can't be surprised that Minjun saw him crying. It couldn't be helped. He did cry. In his entire life, Taehyeon has never actually been anywhere near a physical fight and luck has steered him well away from so much as an accidental fist or elbow carelessly swung his way. The dull burst of pain was like nothing he'd ever felt before and it is something he is determined to never feel again.
"I'm fine. It was nothing," Taehyeon says. Minjun still looks unsure but he doesn't want to go in circles over the most useless lie he's ever told. Besides, he has repeated it enough times that Bada's expression is looking a lot less bleak.
The school nurse arrives, her high heels clicking loudly until she stops in the doorway. She folds her phone with another click and clears her throat as though all attention wasn't on her the second she stood at the threshold.
"I'm sure I only had one patient today. Why are there so many students loitering around here during lesson time?" she asks as she makes her way to her desk. Sitting in her chair she crosses her legs and looks patiently at Bada and Dongmin.
Bada most certainly isn't the type to plead his case for any type of rule-breaking. What surprises Taehyeon is the fact that Dongmin has nothing to say for himself.
"I'm sorry, Miss Kim. We'll go back to our classes," Dongmin mumbles like the losing donor in a personality transplant. He herds an understandably acquiescent Bada towards the door but seems to think better of bringing Minjun into his fold.
Unable to protest or even plead to stay, Bada shoots an alarmed look Taehyeon's way. Taehyeon does his best to look reassuring whilst telepathically letting him know that they can text each other throughout the afternoon. The last glimpse of Bada doesn't indicate that the bestie telepathy worked but Taehyeon is nothing if not an optimist.
"Seolhwa, you didn't have to send Taehyeon's friends away," Minjun says brightly. He doesn't sound like he's particularly concerned and that goes some way to explaining why Minjun didn't bother opening his mouth until the door had closed on poor, worried Badabada.
The nurse rustles wrappers loudly as she delves into her tub of lollipops in search of the lolly closest to the bottom. She yanks the clear plastic off her chosen lolly and crumples it in her hand whilst twisting her seat slowly side to side.
"Why are you still here anyway? Chanmi thought I was lying about you coming to school but she'd probably believe me if I said you just came in to skive off."
Somehow Taehyeon had forgotten all about Minjun and the school nurse being acquainted. Wonderful. They're both having a great time with gentle jibes and precipitate laughter. Maybe Taehyeon should leave too. This thought must show something horrible on his face because Minjun's expression turns serious after glancing at Taehyeon.
"My exam's already happened. Someone should look after Taehyeon seeing as he got punched today for no reason."
The nurse suddenly sits upright and the good natured crinkling of her eyes pulls taut. "What? Was there a fight?"
"I wouldn't really call it a fight." Minjun's dithering is at least less unhelpful than the revelation made a second ago.
"I wasn't punched," Taehyeon says in the space where Minjun is trying to reconcile whatever thoughts he has, "I walked in the way of someone's hand."
Technically Taehyeon is telling the truth. There's no need for Minjun to look so scandalised. For good measure, Taehyeon adds, "I didn't see who it was. It happened as we were passing by so I don't think either of us realised what happened."
Taehyeon likes to think of himself as a competent communicator when it counts. The school nurse is staring at Taehyeon like he awkwardly laughed his way through the explanation the same way Bada does whenever he says something barely resembling a fib.
The nurse leans forwards in her seat and twirls the lollipop stick like it's a villain's moustache. "You got punched when passing someone?"
"Sort of," Taehyeon agrees.
"I thought you said you didn't get punched."
"I didn't… it just felt like I did."
"A moment ago you and this other person didn't know it happened but now you're saying it felt like you got punched."
"Afterwards. I didn't notice at first and then afterwards it started to hurt."
The nurse hums thoughtfully for a long moment. Taehyeon feels himself beginning to sweat. Interrogation isn't what most people expect when recovering from an injury.
"Minjun," the nurse says, almost stern.
"Yes, Seolhwa?"
"What happened to your friend?"
Thankfully, Minjun hesitates. He gives Taehyeon the chance to look at him with fear and alarm.
"It was just like Taehyeon said," Minjun offers.
"You don't sound convincing at all. Fine. Don't tell me what happened. But listen, if someone is bullying you, or even picking on you, tell a teacher. Nobody at this school is rich enough to pay off any of the teachers and get it swept under the rug."
"Yeah," Minjun agrees. "The teachers are really nice."
"Nice?" The nurse asks, "I'd say they're just too greedy for whatever anybody can offer to be a big enough bribe."
Minjun and the nurse laugh. Taehyeon isn't sure what is so funny but he smiles along until the nurse needs to see to a student who knocks on the door.
Minjun returns to being helpful and mashing the makeshift icepack against Taehyeon's face and trying to force him to drink the milk he'd brought in earlier.
"You don't need to stay here with me. It must be boring," Taehyeon says.
"I'd much rather hang out with you than whoever has P.E. right now."
Taehyeon wonders whether he is really allowed to be glad about this. It feels too good to be true. He already convinced himself Minjun was being kind to him as part of some injury-induced hallucination a while ago. This time he should believe it is true. Of course, Minjun publicly found himself a girlfriend since then. Taehyeon settles for being quietly glad that he has a friend with nothing better to do.
Minjun shuffles closer to Taehyeon and wears hesitation like he thinks it is a good expression to wear. Rather than not having anything better to do, he seems to have something to ask.
"What is it?" Taehyeon asks, pushing away the icepack.
Minjun laughs bashfully but keeps his voice low. "Can I ask you a question? Why did you get in the way of that boy and defend him?"
The question is a difficult one. Taehyeon has tried not to give away too much about Bada but he must already have spelled it all out for Minjun. Bada might be able to forgive Taehyeon but it would be better to avoid mentioning any suspicions he has about anybody else.
Instead of giving a difficult answer, Taehyeon asks, "Do you still talk to Siwoo?"
Minjun nods quickly, smiling widely. "I do!"
"How has he been lately?"
"He's good, I think. He wished me luck for my exams last week. He says he has been studying really hard. I think his parents are strict about studying so he is going to have basically no social life until he finishes his exams. How is he going to survive the next two years like that?"
"He's quiet," Taehyeon shrugs. "I'm sure it doesn't make much difference to him anyway."
Minjun keeps himself quiet at that and absently fiddles with the milk carton. Taehyeon doesn't say anything when Minjun starts drinking the milk. He is mostly wondering whether Minjun would have said anything if the situation with Bada had ever come up in their conversations. Maybe Siwoo does feel bad about things but he doesn't seem to have offered an olive branch to Bada. Maybe Siwoo feels just as stubborn as before. Either way Taehyeon just wants Bada to at least have his chance at a proper romance.
Just like his own stupid hopes that something could happen between himself and Minjun, Taehyeon wants to see love bloom from a person who likes Bada. There is a person who has kissed Bada before, a person who seems to be trying to get close to him. Taehyeon needs to think about a good way to set things into motion.