Chapter 53
I hope he won’t change his mind later after answering so casually.
I glanced at Kwon-oh with doubtful eyes. Then a question suddenly came to mind.
“Why did you ask me to draw you? You didn’t like being a model before.”
“We can spend more time together, right? And I can see my face as you draw it.”
“Ah, that’s true…”
When I smiled, Kwon-oh grinned back. Then after touching my forehead and cheeks that were hot with fever, he covered me with the blanket up to my neck.
“Your fever is too high. At this rate, the water peach might burst.”
“My head hurts.”
“Just sleep for now. If your fever doesn’t go down when you wake up, let’s go to the hospital.”
Despite Kwon-oh’s words, I forcibly lifted my heavy eyelids. I was anxious that if I fell asleep now, the conversation we just had might all be gone when I opened my eyes.
“…Don’t go anywhere.”
“I won’t. How could I when my boyfriend is sick?”
Only then did I slowly close my eyes. Before falling asleep, I found myself smiling without realizing it. Boyfriend. It sounds nice.
*
As we started dating, we set a few rules.
We would always inform each other and share our schedules when meeting or exchanging contact information with girls. If we had any doubts or suspicions about each other, we would ask right away.
This was to prevent the recurrence of the misunderstanding that had just happened.
For the first rule, as an exception, I had to inform Kwon-oh every time I met not only female friends but also new male friends. It was Kwon-oh’s strong assertion that because I’m gay, he had to be wary of both men and women.
And I decided to accept that opinion.
At first, I was worried that sharing and interfering with each other’s private lives to this extent might become uncomfortable. I had never insisted on sharing daily schedules and SNS activity details with someone, and I firmly believed that was an individual’s domain.
But as I gradually got used to talking in detail about each other’s relationships and daily routines, I was realizing that this method had many convenient aspects. Above all, it was good for someone like me who thinks a lot, as it eliminated anxiety.
And contrary to my initial concerns, Kwon-oh rejected girls who approached him neither too rudely nor in a way that seemed to leave room for possibility, but firmly.
I had been concerned about his overly kind attitude towards girls, but after seeing it with my own eyes a few times, I had to admit it was unnecessary worry.
Kwon-oh’s way of rejecting usually went like this:
Girl 1
[Girl 1: Kwon-oh, what are you doing this weekend?]
[Girl 1: Let’s have lunch together haha]
[Kwon-oh: I’m too busy these days so I can’t lol Sorry]
[Girl 1: Oh really? Can’t be helped then T_T]
Girl 2
[Girl 2: Sunbae~ Thanks for showing me the liberal arts materials last time!!]
[Girl 2: I wrote it well thanks to you hehe]
[Girl 2: Let me buy you a coffee as thanks~]
[Kwon-oh: It’s okay, I’m cutting down on coffee these days]
[Kwon-oh: Just consider it drunk lol]
Girl 3
[Girl 3: What have you been up to these days? Let’s have a drink :)]
[Kwon-oh: ?]
[Kwon-oh: Who is this?]
[Girl 3: We exchanged numbers in front of the club bar before T_T]
[Girl 3: Don’t you remember? T_T_T_T Sigh]
I stopped reading the KakaoTalk with Girl 3 and glared at Kwon-oh in disbelief.
He must have felt guilty too, because as soon as our eyes met, he shook his head.
“It’s been a long time since I went to a club. This must be from January or even before the semester started.”
“…”
“And I only went because my friends asked me to go together, nothing happened. Okay? I just drank and left.”
“Seems like you spread your number around quite a bit.”
“It’s a misunderstanding, Jeong-ha. It’s all in the past.”
“…”
“You know you’re the only one for me.”
This kind of pattern happened a few times. I would get annoyed, then feel discouraged seeing that all the profile pictures of the girls contacting him were glamorous, but seeing Kwon-oh fidget nervously, those sulky feelings would quickly melt away.
Although it was vexing, it seemed that as Kwon-oh said, he hadn’t seriously dated anyone until now.
Clearly, when I first started liking Kwon-oh, I thought there was no way I could become special to him, and I didn’t even dare to hope for such a thing. But now, I was consumed by the desire to become the most special person to him.
And that wish wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It would be a problem if the desire wasn’t fulfilled, but if it was fulfilled, nothing could be more peaceful. These days, I was incredibly happy and satisfied, filling myself with that desire.
A very small change occurred after we officially started dating. We often met near the school at night and went for walks.
And… that was it. Other more varied and active dating activities had to be postponed, regrettably, due to the final exams being right around the corner.
I had to go back and forth between the art studio and the library every day in preparation for my final art evaluation and liberal arts class exam, and Kwon-oh’s situation was similar.
Kwon-oh said he didn’t have much ambition for grades themselves, but due to the nature of the Business Administration department, there were many group projects, so he had to do his part properly to avoid causing trouble for other group members.
With more major and minor mandatory departmental activities than me, including group projects, he prepared for exams by dividing his time almost by the minute.
Due to this reality, honestly, it wasn’t easy to feel how things were different before and after we started dating.
Ah, it was nice that we frequently texted and called each other.
Anyway, given this situation, I was counting down the days until the exams were over and vacation started. Then I would be able to date Kwon-oh all day long. For now, I had to be satisfied with staying in touch whenever we could.
While I was enduring the exam period, going back and forth between the excitement of my first relationship and the harsh reality, I received a phone call from my mom after a long time.
“Son, are you doing well?”
“Yeah. What’s the occasion?”
“What do you mean, what’s the occasion? Can’t a mother call her son? I heard you caught a cold. How are you now?”
“I’m almost better now.”
A few days ago, I had mentioned the cold while chatting with my sister, and it seemed she had told mom about it.
“How come you never call your mother first? It’s hard enough to see your face, I might forget your voice too. Are your exams all over?”
“Tomorrow is the last exam.”
“Are you coming home during the break?”
At that question, I belatedly realized my mistake. I had completely forgotten that staying at home during breaks was an implicit agreement.
But having just started dating, I couldn’t waste the vacation at home.
“…No. I have a lot of assignments this time, so I don’t think I can go.”
“What? How many assignments could you have? You should still spend your vacation with family.”
I couldn’t agree with mom’s words. Because mom was so neat, there was nothing I could do comfortably as I pleased at home.
Dad sits on the living room sofa with the TV turned up loud every weekday evening after work and all weekend, so I had to be cooped up in my room.
My sister is a graduate student, so if I upset her mood, it would be the end of me.
“There’s an assignment that’s been pushed back to the second semester submission… I think I’ll be busy working on that.”
“So you’re saying you won’t come home? What am I supposed to tell your father?”
“I’ll call dad later and explain myself.”
“Since when have you been so diligent in your studies? I hear it’s hard to get a job even with an art degree these days, I wonder if all this effort is worth it.”
“Why is the conversation jumping there again… I’ll come visit on a weekend later.”
“Sigh, I guess it can’t be helped. But we won’t be able to give you allowance during the break.”
“What? …Why?”
My eyes flew open at this bolt from the blue. It was like a shock of being hit on the back of the head.
“Why? During the semester, we have no choice because you’re attending classes, but what do you need money for during the break?”
“No, but not giving me even a penny is too much.”
I need to go on dates with Kwon-oh too. I was already struggling and trying to save money, so this was disconcerting.
“Be grateful that we’re paying your rent on time without missing payments.”
“…”
“Your dad is retiring soon, money doesn’t grow on trees. Go out into society and see.”
I wanted to protest more, but when dad’s retirement was mentioned, I was at a loss for words.
Regardless of my disappointment, honestly, mom’s words weren’t wrong.
“…I understand.”
“Anyway, even if you’re busy, stop by home once during the break. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
After hanging up the phone, I felt like crying.
I’ll be meeting Kwon-oh more often during the break than now, but how am I supposed to handle movie tickets, meal costs, clothes shopping expenses, drinking costs, and so on?
“I’ll have to get a part-time job.”
I soon resigned myself and muttered while holding my brush.
I should look for a part-time job. Something I can do short-term just during the break.
But if I do that, won’t it reduce the time I can see Kwon-oh? Then what’s the difference from when I’m attending school?
Ah, my head hurts.
The more I thought about it, the more I sighed. I thought I’d be able to stick with Kwon-oh all day as I wanted once the break started. To think there was another obstacle lurking that interfered with my first relationship besides exams. It’s pitch dark before my eyes.
I decided to focus on the final touches for now, picking up color with a knife.
