Anything But Study - Chapter 55

The fireworks aren’t clearly visible from here.

Even knowing that.

Even though he’d told himself he wanted to see Melia’s happy face, he couldn’t understand why he was heading this way.

And then.

‘…That girl.’

Someone entered his field of vision.

At the same time, Hailon’s brows drew together.

He recognized that long, dark blonde hair. He’d seen it several times before.

Catherine Russell.

The girl who always looked at Melia with obvious displeasure.

Why is she here right now?

Everyone else should be heading to the other building to watch the fireworks.

There’s nothing to see here.

Catherine moved like someone with a fixed destination. Not someone searching for a place with a good view of the fireworks.

She entered the building where the library was.

Hailon kept his footsteps quiet.

Knowing how Catherine usually treated Melia, he couldn’t simply ignore it.

He slowly followed behind Catherine Russell.

Her destination was the end of the right corridor on the first floor.

If she went further inside, there was only one place she could be heading.

‘The infirmary.’

A strange premonition brushed past him.

Catherine kept glancing around, but she didn’t look sick at all.

And yet she was going to the infirmary?

He couldn’t guess her reason, but his instincts told him he needed to follow her.

Step. Step.

He trailed behind her carefully so she wouldn’t notice.

Unaware of Hailon’s presence, she entered the infirmary.

Perhaps she thought no one was in this building. She didn’t even close the door properly.

Thanks to that, he could easily see what Catherine was doing through the gap.

‘Medicine?’

Catherine was switching out a bottle of medicine.

Hailon’s eyes narrowed as he watched.

With trembling hands, she lifted a blue vial and peeled off the label attached to it.

She took out a transparent vial from her pocket, stuck the label onto it, and placed it where the blue vial had been.

She quickly turned her head left and right to confirm there were no witnesses, then hurried out of the infirmary.

‘What was that?’

Hailon, who had hidden himself at the right moment, stepped forward.

Catherine Russell had moved one bottle while checking her surroundings, then quickly left.

It was suspicious beyond doubt.

Without hesitation, Hailon walked toward the spot where the medicine was placed.

But then.

Step. Step.

From somewhere, he heard the sound of weak, limping footsteps.

Hailon clicked his tongue and hid himself again. There was no harm in being cautious.

Catherine might have returned, or it could be one of her companions.

But then.

“Ha… it hurts….”

At the voice he heard, Hailon’s eyes flew open.

It was just a short murmur mixed with a sigh, but it was a voice he could never mistake.

‘Melia?’

Why is she here?

And that sigh just now sounded like something was wrong.

Hailon’s gaze fixed on Melia, and her awkward gait came into view.

Even in the darkness, he could see clearly.

Red blood was flowing from Melia’s knee.

Irritation surfaced in Hailon’s expression the moment he saw it.

There was no reason to keep watching.

He was about to approach her.

Boom.

A loud firework exploded.

A flash of light pierced into the infirmary.

For a moment, Melia stood there blankly, looking toward the direction of the sound.

Her lowered eyes were filled with regret.

It was completely different from the face Hailon had imagined, the one he’d hoped would be smiling happily as she watched the fireworks.

Perhaps it was because she couldn’t see them directly.

Watching her like that, Hailon couldn’t immediately bring himself to step out in front of Melia.

“Ah, found it.”

In the meantime, Melia happened to pick up the very bottle Catherine Russell had left behind….

Thwack.

The thought ‘No’ flashed through Hailon’s mind, and at the same time his body moved.

Before he knew it, the medicine bottle was in his hand.

Startled, Melia quickly turned her head toward Hailon.

“What are you…!”

“You’re the one who should know what this is.”

“H-Hailon?”

The veins stood out beneath his tightly clenched jaw.

There was no way something Catherine Russell had secretly hidden like that was legitimate.

His gaze fell to the glass bottle in his hand. In that instant, his pupils dilated.

‘This bottle.’

The transparent vial contained a clear liquid. But the contents weren’t what mattered.

What mattered was the shape of the bottle.

It looked far too familiar. It should have been something he was seeing for the first time.

It was identical to the one he’d discovered in Cheskan. He would need to send it for confirmation, but it was practically certain.

Which meant.

“Ha.”

A sigh thick with irritation slipped from deep in Hailon’s throat.

This situation was clearly Anastasia Ribelline’s doing.

He didn’t know why Catherine had been carrying it.

But what was certain was that, judging from the circumstances, Melia had been the target, and that Anastasia was likely behind it.

Anger boiled up inside Hailon.

His clenched fist seemed to embody that emotion.

You dare pull this kind of trick?

If Melia had applied this medicine, something irreversible might have happened.

“Hailon?”

Hearing her call his name again without understanding, he tore at his own clothes.

Riiip.

The sound of fabric ripping rang out clearly.

“Let me see the wound.”

Without hesitation, Hailon knelt down.

“What are you doing….”

“Stay still.”

As he wrapped the torn cloth around Melia’s injured knee and finished stopping the bleeding, his expression remained rigid.

Looking down at his face, Melia couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

She had no idea why Hailon was here or why he was this angry.

But unlike his commanding, almost coercive tone, the hands treating Melia’s wound were careful.

As if he were handling something most precious.

That contrast stirred a strange feeling inside Melia.

After finishing the bandaging, Hailon stood up.

Before Melia could demand an explanation, his large hand abruptly grabbed hers.

“Let’s go for now.”

“No, wait!”

Thud.

Melia shook off Hailon’s arm as he tried to lead her away.

He’d suddenly appeared, snatched the medicine, and now he was pulling her hand and telling her to go somewhere without a word?

Shouldn’t he at least explain?

But no answer came from Hailon.

Instead.

“What on earth… ah?”

The next moment, Melia’s vision lifted as her body rose into the air.

Hailon had hoisted Melia’s slender body up.

His solid shoulder pressed against her abdomen. All she could see was the floor and his broad back.

“Put me down!”

She kicked her legs, but his strong arms didn’t release her.

“Where are we going? At least say something.”

Without saying a single word, Hailon simply carried Melia over his shoulder and strode forward.

Her resistance was useless.

He kept walking toward the far end of the opposite corridor.

Boom. Boom.

Outside, the sound of fireworks continued to explode. Melia realized that no matter what she said, it wouldn’t matter.

From the start, the booming fireworks were so loud that even his heavy footsteps couldn’t be heard.

How long did he walk? For a brief moment, the fireworks stopped.

It was a short lull before the next round was prepared.

Hailon forcefully slid open the door of a classroom located in the most secluded corner, directly opposite the infirmary.

The empty classroom was steeped in silence.

Aside from Hailon’s footsteps as he entered, it felt as if no other sound existed in that space.

Thud.

Only after bringing her here did Hailon set Melia down.

Her feet finally touched the ground, and Melia looked up at him.

Now she needed answers.

Why was Hailon here, and why had he taken the medicine bottle?

…No, more than anything, why did he look so furious?

“Hailon, what is this pla—”

But Melia’s question couldn’t reach the end.

“Mm—.”

It was immediately cut off by Hailon’s lips.

Her mouth filled with hot breath and the heat of his flesh.

At some point, his firm embrace wrapped tightly around her body, leaving her unable to move at all.

Trying to keep up with his one-sided, forceful kiss left her breathless.

It felt like she was being devoured.

Each time his tongue pressed deep inside and swept around, her mind grew hazy.

The subtle ridges brushed repeatedly against her own, creating a strange, intoxicating sensation.

Caught off guard by the sudden kiss, her body gradually lost its strength.