Chapter 65 (1/2)

“I’ll bring him the change.”

“Huh? You’re friends with that boy?”

The school store lady seemed a little suspicious. She was wondering if Myohan was trying to take the money for himself. Myohan nodded and tried his best reassuring smile.

“Yes, I am his friend.”

2-1, O Myohan. Myohan had to show his student ID to get the change. He went out with a few coins and the nametag. O Shin was waiting for them. He had his arms crossed and was staring at something. Myohan walked to him fast and opened his palm. O Shin tilted his hands to see the coins.

“For me?”

“No, not the money.”

He must have been joking, as he said nothing more and looked at the nametag. Then he smiled. A small twinkle appeared in his black eyes. It made Myohan know he had been right again. He closed his palm.

“It’s him, isn’t he?”

O Shin just shrugged. It meant he couldn’t tell him.

“He was afraid of me.”

An armful of snacks and chubby cheeks. The boy had run away as soon as Myohan offered him a hand. Myohan regretted not seeing his face, but it was too late. O Shin heard what he muttered and said,

“People think dogs have a good sense of smell.”

Then he pointed at where Sinsul was, trying to protect his snacks from Seonhan. Sadeol was with them, watching and laughing, and then he saw Myohan and waved a hand happily. Myohan just nodded to him and turned back to O Shin.

“But in fact, the greatest sense of smell belongs to another kind of animal.”

O Shin pointed at the other side, at the boy’s back. He was walking away fast, and he was gone after a second. Myohan narrowed his eyes.

When he caught Sinsul, he had told him he could smell animal scents on the animal boys. If O Shin was right and there was an animal that could smell even better than dogs, then he must have sensed their smells too.

Myohan almost wanted to laugh. The boy had not hurried to pay because he was ashamed of buying too much.

“What are you doing here?”

While they were waiting for Sinsul to return, Jagyeom, Miho and Sajun came out from the cafeteria. Jayeom asked with surprise as soon as he spotted Myohan. Miho looked quite full. Myohan stroked his hair (which made Sajun jealous and O Shin frown), and pointed at Sinsul with his chin. Seonhan had succeeded in taking his snack, and he was angrily jumping up and down.

“What’s that?”

Miho asked, pointing at what was in Myohan’s hand. Myohan showed it to him. Sajun looked at it and said,

“Huh, that’s the name of that gochujang brand.”

The white nametag said ‘Hae Chandeul.’

***

Myohan visited all the classrooms, which he hadn’t done since he caught the rabbit. Of course he excluded his own homeroom, Class 2. He also didn’t go to Class 2, Class 5, Class 6, and Class 10, as his animal friends were in those classrooms and they didn’t recognize Chandeul. He eventually found out he was in Class 8.

Before he went to find him, he headed to the school store. He bought a pastry and the shop lady recognized him. She asked if he had given the money back, and he replied with a smile,

“I’m going right now.”

The nametag was in his right hand, and in his left hand was the pastry he had just bought. The coins were in his pocket. Standing at the back door of Class 8, he tried to put on his best uninterested look, determined not to lose his target right in front of his eyes again.

“Is Hae Chandeul here?”

He was planning to ask one of his classmates to give the things to him later if he wasn’t there. What he had to do at the moment was to let Chandeul know he didn’t have to be afraid of him.

“Chandeul? Someone’s looking for you!”

Thankfully, Chandeul was there. He was sitting in a corner and cowering. He flinched as he got up.

Myohan saw his face for the first time just then. He looked quite mild. His eyes made him look like he was smiling, which exactly matched the animal Myohan had in mind.

Myohan eyed at his pink cheeks, then he offered a hand. Chandeul flinched and looked up at him. They were of similar height.

“You dropped this the other day at the store.”

“Oh, okay.”

Myohan placed the nametag on a hand that was as pink as his cheek. He was thin, but his hands were chubby, which proved he had to be the pig. Still, he’s thin for a pig. Myohan thought so.