Praise of Boys 8

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# Chapter 8. A Fairly Happy Birthday

‘Yeonho called me?’

When did that happen? Maybe he accidentally pressed the call button and hung up after one second? Can I call him back? Would he answer if I called? Is he perhaps sleeping right now? What would Yeonho’s voice sound like on the phone?

‘I want to hear his voice. I miss Yeonho.’

Before I knew it, I was crying with tears and snot streaming down my face. Even though I could see his face when I went to school, seeing the missed call made me miss Yeonho so much that I couldn’t wait even a single day.

Since I didn’t have the courage to make a call, I clutched my phone tightly in both hands and entered the chat room where I had conversations with Yeonho, sniffling as I went. I scrolled up and down the screen, which didn’t have much content since we hadn’t exchanged many messages, and revisited our conversations. The last “okay” I had sent was now marked as read, with the notification number gone.

Oh, come to think of it, I didn’t eat cake. I couldn’t make a wish either.

‘If I had made a wish, would it have come true?’

…Of course not. I stared at the phone screen, the only source of light in the dark room, and then slowly crawled onto the bed. Without changing my clothes, I lay on my side and committed Yeonho’s number to memory.

‘I’ll call him just one more time.’

Just one more time. It’s not right to give up after just one unanswered call. Haven’t you heard of the three visits to the thatched cottage?

…No, Yeonho isn’t at fault. I was the problem. Why didn’t I pay more attention to my phone?

‘Why didn’t I think to check it in between…’

To begin with, it’s my dad and sisters’ fault. If we had just had dinner and come home, I wouldn’t have missed Yeonho’s call. I felt resentful towards the three of them, who were probably now succumbing to sleep under the influence of alcohol.

‘What if Yeonho is upset that I didn’t answer his call?’

Surely he wouldn’t think I did it on purpose? Oh no, what if he does? Shouldn’t I quickly tell him that’s not the case?

‘It might be too late if I wait until I see him at school…’

As I was thinking this, the darkened screen suddenly lit up brightly, filling with Yeonho’s name.

Yeonho was calling again!

Without a second thought, I sat up abruptly and immediately answered the phone.

“H-hello!”

As soon as I spoke, I heard Yeonho’s low laughter. It seemed like he was amused that I had answered so quickly. Yeonho said, “Hi.” His voice over the phone sounded lower than in real life and had a somewhat more languid quality.

Was it because it was night? I quickly apologized for not answering his earlier call.

“S-sorry… for not answering earlier…”

“Mmm. Looks like you were having fun, not even noticing the phone call.”

“No… that’s not it… It wasn’t fun.”

“You’re lying.”

“R-really… I don’t like singing…”

I covered my mouth with a “hup” sound. Even though Yeonho wasn’t in front of me, I instinctively became self-conscious.

‘You idiot, why are you telling him you don’t like singing?’

Yeonho didn’t ask about that, and he probably doesn’t even care.

‘Oh… what should I do? He wouldn’t get bored because I talked about something he didn’t ask about, right?’

If that happened, he might hang up because it’s boring. There’s no guarantee I’d have another chance to talk with Yeonho on the phone, so this could be the last time…

I couldn’t ruin this precious call. I needed to keep it going a little longer.

But how should I do that? What should I say to make Yeonho want to continue talking with me?

“…”

Yeonho didn’t respond, perhaps thinking I hadn’t finished speaking. Unable to tell if he was bored or just waiting for me to finish, I became even more anxious. I tried to speak without trembling, but I ended up mumbling and trailing off.

“So… it just wasn’t fun. Um, really…”

“It wasn’t fun because you don’t like singing?”

Yeonho deliberately picked up on what I said and asked again. But his tone somehow sounded like one used to soothe a child, and even though his voice reached my ears through a machine, my entire body felt ticklish.

‘He’s so affectionate…’

Just like actors in dramas or movies who play roles pouring affection on their loved ones, that’s exactly how Yeonho’s voice was. I knew it was a misconception, but I couldn’t defend against it. Especially my heart, or chest, or whatever it was—it felt so ticklish that I scratched around that area vigorously. I rubbed my face hard against the pillow, which was damp from my tears, and bit my lips so hard they might split.

‘I want to keep hearing it.’

If the phone had a recording function, I would secretly record it and listen to it every day. Since Yeonho’s affectionate behavior wouldn’t last long anyway, that much seemed okay.

“Seungwoo?”

I messed up my hair, as if Yeonho had touched it, rubbing it between my fingers, and carefully chose my words.

“Y-yes… my dad and sisters like it… I didn’t want to go…”

“Ah, you went with your family? I thought you were hanging out with friends.”

“Huh? Oh… on birthdays… I usually spend them with family…”

I didn’t even know what I was saying. Only after blurting it out did I realize my mistake.

I had firmly answered that I had plans, but now I was saying I spent it with family—Yeonho would definitely mock me.

He might be doing so now. Thinking it was strange that someone without friends claimed to have plans. Stupid Park Seungwoo. Why did I stubbornly insist on something that would be revealed anyway?

‘He said he hates lies, what must he think of me?’

But contrary to my worries, Yeonho didn’t seem bored or upset.

‘Phew, that’s a relief.’

My chilled heart warmed a little. As soon as I felt relieved, I sniffled once because of the lingering effect of my earlier crying. Naturally, since I had moved the phone away slightly, Yeonho, who hadn’t heard the messy sound, asked just as affectionately as before:

“What else did you do after karaoke?”

“Um… that was it… Dad said we should g-go to the arcade… but he was too drunk, so we just came home.”

“He must have been in a good mood because it’s Seungwoo’s birthday.”

That’s not really it. My family doesn’t feel happier just because it’s someone’s birthday; they just naturally enjoy having fun. But since it would be strange to say this, I nodded, forgetting it was a phone call, and then hastily added, “I guess so.”

“What about dinner? What delicious food did you eat?”

“Steak and… um… ribs and meat pie and… also…”

“So you like meat, huh?”

“Ah… y-yeah, I do… um… I like everything, actually, I’m not picky.”

“But it’s surprising that you’re so small. Where does it all go?”

“…I’m not small…”

I responded somewhat indignantly. I’m about average.

It’s you, Yeonho, who’s ridiculously tall.

“I’ll give you that.”

And then I heard Yeonho’s pleasant laugh.

Phone calls were kind of interesting. If we had this conversation face-to-face, I would probably only manage to say things like “yes,” “no,” “right,” “okay,” but over the phone, where I could only hear his voice, I felt like I could talk endlessly.

After that, Yeonho continued to ask affectionately about my day, and I told him the details of what had happened today.

I told him how I forgot to eat cake, so I couldn’t make a wish, what my sisters’ gifts were, and that I ate seaweed soup full of meat.

No matter how I thought about it, the content was childish and unremarkable, but Yeonho didn’t listen halfheartedly to a single bit. After hearing what I said, he would always ask follow-up questions, and then ask about the next thing.

I newly realized one of the reasons why Yeonho is popular. Whether sincere or not, Yeonho made the other person comfortable, made them depend on him, and made them want more.

There are too many people who like Yeonho in the world. Even those meeting him for the first time would probably feel love for him. And those people would also likely hope for unrequited affection that wouldn’t be returned.

‘Just like me…’

After some consideration, I tried to imitate Yeonho. It wasn’t at all the same because of my awkwardness, but I managed to somewhat successfully introduce a conversation topic.

“Umm… w-what did you do…?”

My heart was racing even as I asked.

Isn’t this like getting to know an unknown Yeonho, different from the one I see at school? What could he have done? Was he studying as expected? Or did he go out somewhere with his friends?

He might have taken a long nap if he surprisingly likes sleeping a lot, or he might have spent time with his family like me. But Yeonho’s answer was completely unexpected.

“I spent the whole day wondering whether to contact you or not.”

“…Huh?”

“I thought you’d be having fun, and I shouldn’t interrupt.”

“…Ah… no… um… uh…”

“There you go malfunctioning again. Don’t break down when I’m not around. I can’t fix you then.”

Yeonho said playfully.

‘Ah. Even his jokes are, really, so strange…’

Feeling the heat rise to my nape, I collapsed from my upright sitting position and buried my face in the pillow. The pillow was just as damp as before.

‘Ah, I’m so glad Yeonho can’t see my face right now.’

If he could, he would immediately recognize that I like him.

‘If he knew, would he still treat me the same way…?’

Far from it, he might even avoid me and detest me. I know Yeonho has received confessions from guys, but I don’t know what his reactions were. Even blabbermouth Kim Jungwoo didn’t gossip that much.

But judging by Kim Jungwoo’s reaction when he recently asked if I was gay, Yeonho’s response would surely not be positive either.

How many people in the world would react well to a guy liking another guy? Even I wouldn’t. That’s why I absolutely didn’t want these feelings to be discovered. Absolutely not.

But Yeonho, unaware of my state, didn’t stop at verse one. Not satisfied with verse two, he seemed determined to make my heart explode.

“Your face must be super cute right now.”

“…”

“Makes me want to kiss you.”

“…”

“Can I?”

“…H-how…”

Is he being sincere? No, he’s definitely teasing me. Was he very bored today?

Ah, whatever it is, I didn’t want to think anymore. I just wanted to be completely immersed in Yeonho’s casual words.

‘There’s only five minutes left of today, but it’s still my birthday.’

Yeonho was silent for a moment. Then I heard a very small sound.

“Mwah.”