Unrequited Love Thresher-Chapter 84: Dinosaur?

“...?”

Son Suhyeon froze in place, mouth agape, staring at the dinosaur standing in front of him—or rather, the inflated dinosaur balloon suit.

“Suhyeon-ie hyung?”

He forced his gaze away from the overwhelming dinosaur head and looked toward the source of the voice. There, in the neck area of the suit, was a round transparent window just big enough to reveal a face. Through it, Ha Giyeon blinked up at him with an innocent expression.

Suhyeon was so dumbfounded he couldn’t speak. Okay, sure, it was a dinosaur—but not the kind he had imagined.

It felt like seeing a cute cartoon dinosaur in a picture book, then going to a museum and coming face to face with the real thing. It was just... too realistic.

Not that Giyeon wasn’t still cute, of course. But the moment he saw him, Suhyeon burst into laughter before he could even think about how cute it was. He clenched his jaw, squeezed his eyes shut, and turned his head away. He couldn’t laugh in front of Giyeon. Giyeon might get sulky.

But—it was impossible to stop!

“Suhyeon-ie hyung? What’s wrong?”

Please—just stay still. Every time Giyeon moved in that dinosaur suit, the rustling plastic sound drove Suhyeon mad. And it wasn’t just him—people nearby were already laughing their heads off.

Struggling to catch his breath, Suhyeon asked,

“Wh-why is your class shirt...?”

“Oh, there was a problem with our order... It was supposed to be pajamas, but they gave us this instead.”

“...Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“Other than the noise when I move, it’s fine. But... hyung?”

“...?”

“Why won’t you look at me?”

“....”

Because if I do, I’ll laugh in your face!

As Suhyeon desperately avoided eye contact, Giyeon tilted his head and tried to move into his line of sight. When Suhyeon kept turning away, Giyeon finally realized—he was laughing.

He already knew the outfit was funny. The moment everyone in class put it on, they couldn’t stop laughing at each other. On the way to the field, people had stared and burst out laughing nonstop.

But he hadn’t expected Suhyeon to laugh this much. Was that... a good thing?

Contrary to his thoughts, Giyeon’s lips formed a pout—like a duck ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ bill. Though his face wasn’t visible inside the suit, he was visibly sulking.

“...I’m gonna go.”

“W-Wait—!”

The second Suhyeon heard Giyeon’s voice, he immediately knew he was upset. He reached out to grab him but missed and collapsed right to the ground.

Giyeon ran off in the dinosaur suit, tail swaying dramatically in the wind. Suhyeon, unable to stop him, lay flat on the schoolyard floor and silently laughed his guts out. He wasn’t the only one—everyone nearby was rolling on the ground laughing.

Giyeon was sulking. He needed to go apologize and smooth things over—and, honestly, Suhyeon just wanted to spend more time with him.

But still... Giyeon... you’re too funny...

Suhyeon couldn’t get up off the ground until the opening ceremony started.

***

Ha Dohoon had no interest in school festivals, events, or exams. To be precise, there was no reason for him to care.

He maintained top-level grades but didn’t bother fighting for first or second place. After all, he’d be studying abroad after graduation—the real competition would start then. So a sports day where everyone kicked up dust on the field? Just made him scowl. The yelling, the stench of sweat that made him want to puke—he usually skipped school or left early whenever this nonsense came around.

This was supposed to be no different.

...But this time, it was.

Because Ha Giyeon was here.

Since the day he’d barged into Giyeon’s room and lost control, Dohoon hadn’t been able to approach him. Originally, he had planned to rush home after school, apologize, and interrogate Giyeon about where he had slept that night. He’d intended to be kind—to take care of Giyeon, since his hand was injured, to take him to school, even feed him if needed.

But all those plans were crushed. The one who ruined everything... was none other than their mother, Lee Mihyun. Just as he was cornering Giyeon with questions, she suddenly appeared. Why she’d been home and not at the office that day, he had no idea. What mattered was—she had stood in his way and taken Giyeon’s side.

Seeing that had brought back what he’d said at the hospital:

“Father, Mother... Why do you hate Giyeon...?”

What had their expressions looked like back then?

He remembered now. Faces twisted with shock and pain, unable to answer. The look of parents confronting a truth they couldn’t handle. For the first time, they had been visibly shaken. That was when something changed. Just like he’d said—they couldn’t think of a single reason to hate Ha Giyeon.

Since his discharge from the hospital, they had started showing interest. But instead of getting closer, they kept their distance—if anything, they seemed even further away. Whether out of guilt or something else, they had begun to worry about him now.

Dohoon didn’t care if they felt guilty—what mattered was that he should be the first person Giyeon forgave. He should be the one Giyeon trusted.

If his parents continued acting guilty, maybe he could use that to bring Giyeon along with him overseas. That meant he needed to patch things up—get back to being the kind, loving older brother.

“Where are we going right now?”

“Madam instructed us to attend the anniversary event at Seongil Gallery.”

“What the hell...”

He had been planning to go straight to Giyeon after school. But the moment he got in the car, he was whisked off to the gallery ceremony. He changed into a suit, shook hands with people he didn’t recognize, and wasted an entire day pretending to represent his parents.

Why the sudden order to attend this party? He’d filled in for them at events before, but they always told him in advance. This time, it had been out of nowhere.

Dohoon chalked it up to his mother’s way of venting her anger. He’d hurt Giyeon again so soon after his release—of course she was mad. Whether it was because of Giyeon’s actual injuries or fear of the gossip, he wasn’t sure.

So for once, he let it go. Attended the party without complaint. Didn’t go looking for Giyeon.

But then... why?

Since that day, he kept getting dragged off—to parties, to his grandfather’s estate. Every time he got home, it was already midnight. Giyeon was already asleep.

After about a week of this, Dohoon finally couldn’t take it anymore. He confronted his mother and asked why she was keeping him from going home after school.

But she never even looked up from her papers. She just said it was the schedule and gave no further explanation. She didn’t mention Giyeon, didn’t show a single sign of sympathy. If anything, she snapped at him even more coldly than before—told him to just focus on his responsibilities.

But Ha Dohoon wasn’t someone who backed down that easily. Screw the schedule. He stormed into the house unannounced and looked for Giyeon.

But Giyeon wasn’t there. Maybe he was going to the library again like he used to. Dohoon sat alone in the house.

Staring at Giyeon’s empty room, his anxiety only lasted a moment. He decided to rethink his approach. If Giyeon was that scared, if he cornered him again like last time, something might actually happen. Better to ease in slowly. Coax him. Win him over. If he started treating him kindly at school, let everyone see it, the others would fall in line and treat Giyeon better too.

And once Giyeon was used to that kind of attention—he’d start to like it. Who doesn’t like being elevated above others?

So today—sports day, in front of the whole school—was the perfect opportunity to show that he and Ha Giyeon were on good terms. Besides, he was curious about Giyeon’s class shirt too.

Dohoon’s class had chosen police uniforms. Normally, he wouldn’t be caught dead in something that tacky. But if wearing it got Giyeon to look at him even once—it might be worth it.

As he walked among the students in their colorful outfits, he spotted a group in animal pajamas... and even maid costumes. He thought he remembered Giyeon wearing an animal pajama suit when he was younger... Maybe this would be similar.

Feeling a twinge of excitement, he headed toward the first-year tents.

And then, Ha Dohoon froze.

“...?”

What the hell is this?

There were goddamn dinosaurs everywhere—little dinosaur freaks running wild. This was their class outfit? What idiot class picked this crap?

His scowl deepened as more and more dinosaurs popped up the closer he got to the tent.

No way...

Please don’t tell me Giyeon’s shirt is that ridiculous dinosaur suit.

But that hope was crushed instantly. Under a tent labeled “Class 1-8,” a row of baby dinos were sitting side by side. He couldn’t even see their faces.

“Are you f**king kidding me...”

Were they all out of their minds? Who the hell was the class president, and why had they chosen this nonsense for a class outfit? More importantly—where was Giyeon? The neck holes had a clear spot to look through, but they were all blurred by the plastic. There was no way he was going to check each one.

Just as he was about to shout for Giyeon to come out—

“—Before we begin the opening ceremony, each class should form a line on the field.”

“Hey! They’re starting!”

“Let’s go!”

Before the announcement even ended, the baby dinosaurs stampeded off toward the field in a herd.

“You crazy little shits...”

Dohoon stared blankly, utterly dazed.

And so, the sports festival began.