If Only Spring Would Come.

“Should I have worn something brighter?”

Junyoung muttered to himself, staring at his reflection in the glass door of Yangji Art Academy. His dark gray knit sweater somehow looked too drab. Maybe he should have gone with the ivory sweater he’d debated over until the last minute. Fiddling with his outfit, he sighed with regret.

Today was the second class. Bom would probably lose her temper again as soon as she saw him.

Junyoung’s mind drifted back to the first class.

“What the… What are you doing here? Why are you even here?”

Bom had looked at him as if she’d seen a ghost, her expression a mix of shock and confusion. The bright smile she’d worn when he saw her through the glass door before entering the classroom had completely vanished. Eunju must not have warned her beforehand, as Bom was too stunned to even form coherent sentences.

There was no trace of joy or welcome on her face, yet Junyoung had felt an odd sense of relief. Bom was alive, vibrant, and standing right in front of him.

“Teacher, who’s that?”
“Ah, well…”
“He’s a student! He’ll be taking classes with you all from now on.”
“What?!”

The memory of Bom’s piercing scream, ringing through the classroom, still echoed vividly in his ears. After that, her agitation only grew stronger.

“Are you out of your mind? A student? What kind of ridiculous nonsense is this?”

Of course, it must have seemed insane to her. Even Junyoung couldn’t deny how absurd it was.

“Follow me!”

Bom had dragged him to the supply room, where she began her interrogation.

“Why are you here? What are you trying to do?”

Junyoung silently looked down at Bom, who stood facing him in the narrow space. For the first time, in the quiet with just the two of them, he could truly take in her face.

Her deep, double-lidded eyes, her cute button nose, and her delicate lips.

What kind of misfortune could possibly befall someone so lovely? What had tormented her so deeply?

“I’m here to save you.”

He would save her no matter what. He would protect Bom at all costs.

Naturally, Bom had no idea how serious he was and looked at him incredulously.

“What?”
“I told you, I’m a student here. If this academy does well, you benefit too, right?”

He couldn’t tell her the truth. She’d never believe it. So, Junyoung opted to stick to a bold, unapologetic lie.

“Why else would I come to an art academy? I’m here to learn art.”
“Are you seriously going to keep this up?”

Junyoung could see Bom’s anger building, but there was nothing he could do about it. They argued back and forth, draining energy until Bom finally exploded.

“Why do you care? Why do you even want to see my face again? Did you forget how we broke up?”

Looking at Bom’s fiery eyes, Junyoung felt a small sense of relief. Her anger meant she still had feelings toward him, even if those feelings were negative.

He didn’t care if it was anger. It was better than indifference. If she had truly moved on, it would make it much harder for him to intervene between her and Dongwook.

“You probably won’t believe me, but… I wanted to see you.”

Even though he knew she’d laugh or sneer, he wanted to express his sincerity. He wanted to tell her he still had feelings for her, that he had missed her all this time.

“What a joke. Did you come here just to mess with me?”

Bom tended to curse when she was truly angry. Even though her words were harsh, Junyoung didn’t mind. Oddly, he found comfort in her anger. If he told her that, though, she’d probably kick him in the shin.

So instead, he asked a different question.

“Are you… seeing someone right now?”

It was a question he’d wanted to ask from the beginning.

“Yes, I am! Someone far better than you!”
“Is it… Dongwook?”

He prayed it wasn’t. He prayed their relationship hadn’t begun yet.

But his hopes were crushed. The way Bom’s eyes flickered said it all.

“You didn’t deny it, so I guess it’s true.”

As Junyoung stood there grappling with his disappointment, his phone rang. It was a call from Byeonggyu, a senior from college.

While running the artisan workshop, Junyoung occasionally worked as a freelance journalist, a side gig he’d started two years ago at Byeonggyu’s magazine. Originally meant to be temporary until the workshop was stable, it had continued since the workload wasn’t overwhelming.

“You sent the wrong file.”

Byeonggyu explained that Junyoung had attached the wrong document to an email—an earlier draft instead of the latest article. Realizing his mistake, Junyoung apologized and rushed to correct it.

Unable to miss the magazine’s deadline, he had no choice but to skip the rest of the first class.

“Something came up. I’ll miss the first class, but I’ll see you in two days!”

And just like that, his first reunion with Bom in a year had been cut short.

“Whew.”

Snapping out of his memories, Junyoung took a deep breath. He wondered what would happen during today’s class.

Hoping Bom’s temper had cooled, he adjusted his outfit one last time and finally pushed open the door.

Ding.

The bell on the door jingled as Junyoung stepped inside. He grabbed a pair of indoor slippers from the shoe rack and swapped out his sneakers. Looking around the academy, he noticed a boy sitting in the lounge area, but no one else was in sight. Bom and Eunju were likely preparing for their classes.

“Hmm.”

Glancing at his watch, Junyoung realized he’d arrived too early in his eagerness to avoid being late. Now, he wasn’t sure what to do.

As he debated whether to find Bom or wait in the lounge, a young voice called out.

“Hey?”

Turning toward the sound, Junyoung saw the boy from the lounge looking up at him with a curious expression.

“Hey!”

Junyoung replied with a friendly smile, recognizing the boy from the first class. He figured befriending his classmates wouldn’t hurt and might even work to his advantage.

“Hi,” the boy said shyly as Junyoung approached and sat beside him.

“Do you remember me?”

The boy nodded silently.

“You’re here early too, waiting for class to start?”

Though Junyoung’s tone was warm, the boy remained reserved, nodding without saying a word.

Junyoung decided to ask something that couldn’t be answered with just a nod.

“What’s your name?”

“Hun. Lee Hun.”

“Hun, huh? That’s a cool name!”

Junyoung grinned widely, complimenting the boy’s name. Only then did Hun crack a small smile in return.

“I’m Junyoung—Cha Junyoung! We’re going to see each other often, so why don’t we be friends?”

“Friends?”

Hun tilted his head, looking puzzled.

“Yeah.”

“How old are you, mister?”

“M-Mister?”

Mister? Junyoung was momentarily stunned. He’d never been called that before, and the word hit harder than he expected. If Hun called him that in front of Bom, it would be a disaster…

Not yet ready to accept the title of “mister,” Junyoung quickly thought of an alternative.

“Uh… ‘Mister’ doesn’t sound right. Let’s go with ‘Uncle.’ Just call me Uncle from now on.”

“Uncle?”

“Yeah, Uncle is thirty-two.”

“Wow, that’s old.”

Hun’s innocent, wide-eyed response made Junyoung laugh.

“How long have you been coming here, Hun?”

“Uh… since summer break.”

“Wow, so you must know a lot about this academy, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Hun beamed, clearly pleased by the exaggerated praise.

“Then could you help Uncle out if I don’t know something? It’s my first time at an art academy.”

Junyoung knew boys Hun’s age loved to feel important and take charge. Giving him the opportunity to teach something to an adult seemed like the fastest way to win him over.

“Uh… sure!”

Already puffed up with pride, Hun pretended to think for a moment before nodding eagerly. Junyoung found the boy’s reaction so endearing that he reached out to ruffle his hair.

“Okay, so what are the names of the other students in the class? Besides you, there were two more, right?”

“Oh, that’s Jia and Yeo Eun.”

“Jia and Yeo Eun?”

“Yeah. The one with the long hair is Shin Jia. She’s in first grade, like me.”

Junyoung almost burst out laughing. Hun had started to say Jia was “really pretty” but caught himself just in time. The flustered correction made him even more adorable. It was obvious Hun had a little crush on “really pretty” Jia.

“Song Yeo Eun is in second grade.”

As expected, Yeo Eun didn’t get any special adjectives. This kid is hilarious, Junyoung thought.

“Ah, I see. Thanks to you, Hun, I’ll be able to make friends with them faster!”

Feigning ignorance, Junyoung praised Hun again, who grinned proudly in return.

Junyoung had a good feeling. He was confident he could quickly win over the kids and get them on his side.

“Hello!”

As Bom finished preparing for class and stood up, she heard two voices greeting her in unison. The cheerful sound made her turn around—and the sight that greeted her left her speechless.

“…!”

Why on earth are those two holding hands?

Bom stared blankly at Hun and Junyoung standing at the door, hand in hand. Since when were they so close? Why? How?

“Hey, teacher!”

Junyoung called out to her with childlike innocence, as though he really was one of her students.

…Right. The issue here isn’t why they’re close. The issue is that Cha Junyoung, that crazy guy, actually had the audacity to show up here. Again.

Bom took a deep breath, determined to stay calm. Reacting emotionally, like last time, wouldn’t help.

Stay composed, Choi Bom. Don’t lose your cool.

“Hun, hi! Come in and take a seat.”

Ignoring Junyoung, Bom greeted Hun with a bright smile.

“Okay! Uncle, let’s go!”

Uncle? Seriously, Hun?

Bom’s eyes widened as she watched Hun lead Junyoung by the hand, guiding him toward the classroom. When did Junyoung manage to charm this innocent kid?

“You can sit anywhere you like,” Hun said cheerfully as he brought Junyoung to the large oval table in the center of the classroom.

“Hmm…”

But Junyoung hesitated, looking uncomfortable. The low tables and small chairs clearly weren’t designed for someone his size.

Serves you right, Bom thought, stifling a laugh. Even she found the seating arrangements a bit uncomfortable at times, and she was much smaller than Junyoung. What possessed you to sign up for this in the first place? Honestly, why?

“How about I sit next to you, Hun, to celebrate our new friendship?”

Seemingly deciding, Junyoung smiled and, after a brief struggle, folded his long legs awkwardly to sit beside Hun.

“Ha…”

Bom let out a deep sigh.

What am I supposed to do with this ridiculous duo?