#002
“Hey, they changed the schedule. We’re doing PE!”
Fucking annoying. Jiwoon slowly got up and rummaged through his locker.
As he took off his jacket and shirt, his straight collarbones and shoulder blades showed above his white t-shirt. His upper body, packed with lean muscle, wore clothes beautifully. Jiwoon roughly threw on his PE uniform, which was roomy enough to cover his broad shoulders, and cracked his neck with quick snaps.
The PE uniform sleeves reached halfway down his palms. Due to his preference for loose fits, Jiwoon always insisted on PE uniforms that were at least two sizes too big.
“No, I’m telling you, you could just get plastic surgery.”
“You crazy bastard, think about the original goods.”
Kyungjun and Jukyung were still talking about looks. Jiwoon, who had come out to the playground, yawned quietly without softening his sharp eyes.
The main building spat out students struggling into their PE uniforms. Due to the schedule change, they ended up having an unplanned joint PE class.
“2nd year Class 4, 3rd year Class 2. Nobody missing, right? Okay. Today’s a joint class… play soccer. Start with warm-ups first.”
As the PE teacher’s half-hearted words ended, the 3rd year students jeered. Though it quickly died down when he yelled at them to be quiet and just do their warm-ups.
The grumbling students soon moved in unison to the whistle, rotating their necks, wrists, and ankles for warm-ups.
Still, perhaps because the sport was soccer, anticipation began to bloom on the students’ faces before long. The spirited soccer game continued more intensely than expected.
* * *
“Lee Jiwoon! Pass!”
Choi Min’s shout snapped him back to attention. Jiwoon roughly kicked the ball toward where the voice came from. His attention kept getting drawn to the pale kid.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, he could clearly see where that kid was. The problem was that whenever that kid came dribbling the ball, he would rush over like a shot and steal it away.
Huh. Jiwoon let out a hollow laugh as he observed himself.
The first time he stole the ball, it was just that. He had simply caught that refreshing scent once more. The second time became a bit more interesting.
And when he stole the ball for the third time, the pale kid bit his lower lip. His eyes had hardened completely.
Interesting. Jiwoon slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
He was out of breath, but his mood wasn’t too bad.
When he stole the ball for the fourth time, the pale kid openly frowned. Jiwoon focused only on the pale kid, regardless of whether the other kids were playing soccer or not.
Before long, he saw the pale kid coming with the ball again. Jiwoon ran straight at him and swooped in with a tackle to intercept the ball. This was the fifth time.
Then the kid, his brow deeply furrowed, stuck out his foot to trip him. With the deeply committed tackle, both of them tumbled onto the playground ground with a thud.
The pale kid’s body crashed into Jiwoon. Their legs tangled and their thighs touched. The pale kid’s lips, braced against the ground with his palms, came into Jiwoon’s view.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
The one who had collided with him quickly pulled away. Jiwoon immediately got up. His knee throbbed.
And his heart was fluttering. The pale kid’s voice was… sweet. It was a beautiful voice that perfectly suited the word melodious.
“Anyone hurt over there? Go to the nurse’s office!”
The PE teacher’s voice rang out. Jiwoon looked at the PE teacher while pointing at himself and the pale kid.
As the PE teacher nodded, Jiwoon spoke.
“Follow me.”
The pale kid seemed about half a span taller than Jiwoon. At Jiwoon’s words, the kid silently followed behind him.
“Crazy, Seo Yechan. This is bad. Of all people to bump into, why did it have to be that hyung.”
Behind Yechan, who was following Jiwoon without a word, Taehyun muttered.
* * *
Yechan had his ball stolen by Jiwoon several times. To be precise, it was stolen only by Jiwoon.
Once or twice could happen. However, the moment he saw Jiwoon subtly smile after stealing the ball for the third time, Yechan was certain his opponent was doing it on purpose.
Perhaps that’s why. A surge of defiance quietly rose at the continued tackles. Thanks to that, he eventually got heated and pushed back.
And now, dragged away from the playground by Jiwoon, he was walking toward the nurse’s office with him.
Yechan quietly sighed and kept his eyes on the small head walking ahead of him.
Jiwoon’s voice telling him to follow kept echoing in his ears. That voice was much lower and huskier than he had expected.
“I’m sorry.”
Yechan said as he opened the nurse’s office door.
“Yeah.”
Jiwoon answered roughly. The nurse’s office was completely empty.
“It’s always empty. You, bring that over here.”
Jiwoon pointed at the first aid kit with his chin and chose a suitable bed to sit on. Yechan picked up the first aid kit and approached Jiwoon sitting on the bed.
Jiwoon stared directly at Yechan and said.
“Do you know how to disinfect?”
“Yes.”
“Do it. Here.”
When Jiwoon rolled up his PE uniform pants, his firm legs were revealed. His pale knee was scraped and bleeding.
Without realizing it, Yechan knelt on one knee in front of Jiwoon and immediately opened the first aid kit.
“I’ll disinfect and apply medicine.”
Yechan wiped his hands with wet wipes, then poured saline solution to wash the wound. The saline mixed with blood flowed down the pale leg.
Yechan bit his tongue. After catching the saline with tissues, his hands seemed to tremble slightly as he rummaged through the box looking for alcohol swabs.
Jiwoon, who had been quietly looking down at Yechan, was suddenly swept by a strange impulse.
Am I crazy? As he pondered the impulse and observed Yechan, Jiwoon’s eyes slowly deepened.
Yechan’s deep eyes with double eyelids were focused intently on Jiwoon’s knee. His eyelashes moved each time his eyelids blinked.
“Ah.”
When the alcohol swab touched the wound, Jiwoon made a sound. At that sound, Yechan looked up. Their gazes intertwined.
Jiwoon’s black eyes narrowed slightly. At the strange tension he felt in that moment, Yechan drew in a breath.
Do you wear cologne? A bitter yet sweet scent came from Lee Jiwoon.
“Does it hurt?”
“It’s fine. Do it.”
Yechan carefully wiped away the blood that had risen red on the pale knee. Jiwoon made no more sounds.
“You’re good at this.”
“I played doctor a lot when I was little.”
“I see.”
Jiwoon answered strangely while watching Yechan’s pale hands. Even as Yechan applied ointment squeezed onto a cotton swab to the wound and finished the dressing with gauze and bandages, Jiwoon’s gaze continued to rest on those hands.
“It’s done.”
Yechan’s hands fell away after finishing the treatment. While Jiwoon moved his knee back and forth to test it, Yechan organized the first aid kit on the floor.
“Think I can put this down now?”
Jiwoon said, pointing to his PE uniform pants that were rolled up above his knee. After briefly assessing the affected area, Yechan soon nodded and answered.
“It should be fine since it’s covered with gauze.”
“Put it down.”
Then Jiwoon slowly closed and opened his eyes as he spoke. At those words that had a strange power, Yechan reflexively put his hand on the PE uniform, inwardly flustered.
Yechan moved his hands slowly. He grabbed the hem of the pants and pulled, but for some reason his mouth seemed to go completely dry. That strange tension he had felt earlier was felt more vividly now.
Somehow he couldn’t lift his head. It felt like he shouldn’t for some reason.
Yechan held his breath as he continued moving his hands. Finally, Jiwoon’s PE uniform pants slid all the way down smoothly.
“…If it hurts a lot, it would be good to get some painkillers from the hospital. I’m sorry.”
Yechan said as he slowly straightened his knees and stood up. Jiwoon, who had been sitting and testing his leg, also got up.
Jiwoon rummaged through his pocket, took out a candy, skillfully unwrapped it, put it in his mouth and chewed. His small face with distinct eyebrows and delicate features moved slightly as he ate the candy.
“What’s your name?”
Yechan, who had been staring at Jiwoon’s bulging cheek, answered.
“Seo Yechan.”
Before he knew it, another candy had been unwrapped in Jiwoon’s hand. The candy in his hand touched Yechan’s lips.
Yechan hesitated and looked into Jiwoon’s eyes. They were cool eyes with a languid expression flickering in them. Before he knew it, he had reflexively opened his mouth.
“I’m Lee Jiwoon. Let’s get along well.”
Despite the friendly content, Jiwoon’s tone and expression remained cold. The candy that entered his mouth was sweet.
Jiwoon, with both hands in his pockets, soon passed by Yechan and left the nurse’s office.
Yechan rolled the candy around in his mouth for a long time before leaving the nurse’s office.
* * *
Yechan, who had barely made it back to the classroom just before class started and sat down, immediately opened his book without even taking off his PE uniform. Taehyun, sitting behind him, tapped his back.
“Hey, Seo Yechan. Are you okay?”
Taehyun’s face was quite serious as he asked while shaking his leg. Oh Taehyun, who had been stuck to Yechan since middle school, had an easygoing and cheerful personality.
But he was just as nosy. Since Taehyun admired his journalist parents and went around declaring he would become a journalist too, it was a fitting personality for him.
“What do you mean?”
Yechan replied indifferently.
“Nothing happened with Lee Jiwoon hyung? He didn’t hit you, did he?”
“Nothing happened. The nurse wasn’t there, so we just disinfected and applied medicine, that’s all.”
I can’t keep candy in my mouth during class. Thinking this, Yechan crunched and swallowed the candy.
“Wow shit, I aged ten years.”
“Why?”
“Last year Han Seungwoo came with his face all bruised up blue. He got beaten by Lee Jiwoon hyung.”
Yechan searched his memory. As far as rumors went, it made sense that Seungwoo’s gang, who were known for fooling around in the same grade, knew Jiwoon.
However, Seungwoo getting beaten wasn’t a particularly impactful event for Yechan. He didn’t care what anyone around him did or where they did it. As long as he wasn’t involved in those matters.
“Right. But the reason Han Seungwoo got beaten back then was because he laughed too loudly while eating.”
Minho, sitting next to Taehyun, lowered his voice and chimed in.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
