- My confession was ruined because of zombies!
“The end is coming. Believe in God! Believe in God and be saved!”
At a busy intersection, an old man with a sign around his neck proclaiming that you can only be saved by believing in God shouted, preaching his cult. Choi Yeoul, wearing his school uniform and wireless earbuds in both ears, glanced at the old man and stood in front of the crosswalk.
Can you really be saved if you believe in this God? Then wouldn’t many people already believe in that God?
As he pondered seriously while waiting for the traffic light to turn green, it suddenly occurred to him that this might be the last time he sees that old man. He looked at the old man once more.
“You must believe in God to be saved and go to heaven!!”
Despite his white hair, the old man seemed healthy, preaching loudly from the morning. Feeling envious, Yeoul turned his head and the news playing on the phone of the man next to him caught his attention.
[The world is locking its doors against the North American Respiratory Syndrome NARS, also known as the zombie virus. In Korea, the risk is low but…]
As he read the white subtitles at the bottom of the screen, there was a sudden commotion around him.
What’s going on? He looked around and with a scream, someone bumped into his left shoulder as they passed by. The impact was so strong that Yeoul collapsed weakly to the ground.
“…Owww.”
He landed hard on his butt with a thud. A groan escaped involuntarily.
As he sat there grimacing and groaning, a hand was suddenly thrust in front of his eyes. Huh? Yeoul raised his head, his eyes going wide.
“Hey, someone fell down and you just leave without even apologizing?”
The man wearing the same school uniform as Yeoul glared at the guy quickly walking away after knocking Yeoul down, then looked back at Yeoul.
“Are you okay? Can you stand up on your own?”
‘Are you alright? I told you to be careful when kicking, but you put too much force into it. Sorry. Can you get up?’
Huh? Is this déjà vu from the impact to my butt? Yeoul absentmindedly looked up at Taewoong with a dazed expression. Taewoong’s face turned serious.
“Should I carry you on my back?”
‘Your nose is bleeding, how will you walk like this? Can you walk? Ah, want a piggyback ride?!’
What’s going on, is there really some mixup in time? It keeps overlapping with that time.
As Yeoul stared blankly in confusion, the crosswalk signal changed. The people around them left one by one. Belatedly coming to his senses as people brushed past him, he let out a gasp and jumped to his feet.
“I-I’m fine!”
“Really? Then let’s run.”
Huh? Before he knew it, Taewoong grabbed Yeoul’s hand. He turned his body and began running across the crosswalk, still holding Yeoul’s hand. Yeoul let out a silent scream.
I’m not just running with Nam Taewoong, but holding his hand too! In the midst of disbelief, Taewoong was too fast. Yeoul quickly became out of breath.
“Huff, haaahh…”
“Wow, we made it across with just 1 second left. Oh, are you okay?”
His vision spun as if he had sprinted a short distance race. As he bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for air, Taewoong patted his back. Startled as if having a seizure, Yeoul straightened up from his hunched position, trembling.
“Y-Yes!”
“That’s a relief. Oh right, here. I think it fell off when you got hit earlier, it was on the ground.”
Taewoong held out one of the small wireless earbuds he had been holding. Yeoul sighed as he took back his earbud.
“Oh, really? Thank you.”
Since meeting Taewoong, his entire mind had been focused on him, so he didn’t even realize one earbud was missing. Slightly flushing as he thanked him, Taewoong grinned and let go of the hand he had been holding.
“I’m going ahead. Go to the nurse’s office if you’re hurting.”
Before Yeoul could say goodbye, Taewoong dashed off to his friends not far away. Watching him go, Yeoul belatedly held his own hand that Taewoong had been grasping and hopped up and down.
What kind of day is it today? I held hands with Taewoong, ran together, and even greeted each other! It’s unbelievable, and my heart is pounding so much I might die! After hopping around excitedly for a while, he put his earbuds back in as Taewoong disappeared from view. Clutching his racing heart with both hands, he walked slowly.
“…So today is the last day.”
Yeoul’s high school was located halfway up a mountain. As he scanned the ordinary scenery he always saw while hiking in the morning, trying to etch it in his eyes, he spotted Taewoong holding a convenience store bag.
His cool handsome face with black hair fluttering gently in the wind, a black padding jacket, black sneakers. It was the same face as earlier but Yeoul’s heart raced again.
“Ah… Heart, please calm down.”
Was it because it felt like the last time? His heart kept pounding fiercely, as if he might really collapse at this rate.
He stopped walking for a moment, clutching his thumping heart and catching his breath, when someone tapped his shoulder.
“What are you doing?”
As he turned around, startled, he saw Jeonghyun with a puzzled expression. Yeoul was visibly relieved.
“Oh? Ah, Jeonghyun.”
“What were you staring so intensely at. Were you looking at that placard?”
Jeonghyun pointed ahead with his fingertip. Following it, Yeoul saw the placard hanging on the flagpole above the school gate.
[Congratulations on your graduation!]
It was tiresome at times, but the last day of his happy high school life where he could see Taewoong. Today was the grand graduation day. Yeoul gazed at the fluttering placard with moved eyes, then gasped with a start.
“…Ah, why am I only seeing this now?!”
He belatedly noticed the congratulatory placard hanging above the graduation one. Yeoul hurriedly took out his phone.
[Korea University College of Medicine Choi Yeoul / Korea University Physical Education Nam Taewoong]
Oh my god, Taewoong’s name is right next to mine! With his mouth agape in astonishment, he took several photos.
“Hey! Hey! Let’s take a picture together!”
After taking satisfactory photos, he sent it to the family group chat with [I got on the placard • ᎑ •);], when a loud noise was heard from somewhere. Glancing up from his phone, he saw Taewoong and his friends taking pictures in front of the school gate. He discreetly zoomed in his camera and secretly took a shot of Taewoong’s hard-to-see smiling face making a V-sign.
“Why have you been so busy by yourself since earlier?”
“Huh?! Oh, oh it’s nothing!”
He had completely forgotten Jeonghyun was next to him! His face flushed red. He waved both hands in a fluster. Jeonghyun glanced suspiciously at the school gate then walked on.
“Um… Jeonghyun, sorry but can you go ahead?”
Yeoul, who had been walking and chatting with Jeonghyun, suddenly stopped. Jeonghyun looked at him curiously, but Yeoul said he forgot something and went out the gate to stand in front of a flower bouquet stand.
“Welcome!”
From rose bouquets made of colorful roses to yellow freesias, hydrangeas, peonies… Yeoul was slightly overwhelmed by all sorts of flower bouquets.
“…Oh, gasp! Do you take cards too?”
After agonizing over which bouquet to choose, he belatedly realized he didn’t have cash. He asked hurriedly and fortunately the salesperson said they accept cards. After much deliberation, he chose the bouquet that looked the most expensive and lush, and seemed to suit Taewoong well, made of blue roses and cotton flowers.
“…I bought it for now, but how do I give it to him?”
In honor of graduation, Yeoul made one big secret resolution.
That is, to confess to Nam Taewoong!
So, 2 years ago. Yeoul happened to see Taewoong playing soccer, received his help, and fell for him, continuing to like him on his own until now.
He wanted to confess but he was too timid, plus they were both guys so he couldn’t bring himself to say it. But today was graduation! He couldn’t miss this last chance.
But how do I confess?!
How can he get Taewoong, the most popular guy in school, alone? And what should he say to confess? As he racked his brains trying to come up with a good idea, he heard a faint whistle. With a gasp, he put down the bouquet he had been looking at and hurried out of the classroom.
“…Oh my god, even today?”
Taewoong and his friends who played soccer every morning except rainy days were incredibly playing soccer even on graduation day.
It was surprising, but Taewoong looked so handsome running well even in his school uniform! Yeoul eagerly followed Taewoong with his eyes through the window.
Somehow, it seemed like the soccer ball stuck to Taewoong’s feet like a magnet whenever it came to him. As he marveled, the ball moved from Taewoong’s feet to someone else’s and gradually got closer. Huh? Huh? Not knowing what to do, the ball hit the window with a bam! Yeoul flinched greatly and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Hey, are you okay over there?!!”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
