Chapter 13.
Jeongwoo, who quickly frowned at the clear teasing intent, urged him to answer.
“What are you talking about. I watch all movies without discrimination.”
“You just watched trembling though.”
“I told you I watched it enjoyably. Why don’t you believe me?”
“If you had seen your own pale face, you couldn’t say that.”
“Why don’t you believe me? I really wasn’t scared.”
He repeatedly made excuses that he’d never been frightened, but Jeongwoo’s face wasn’t one that believed him.
As if he planned to keep talking until he was believed, Jihan continued to appeal to Jeongwoo without even moving.
He wasn’t watching while trembling, he was just startled by the sounds. He was originally the type to be startled by loud sounds, so Jeongwoo had misunderstood.
‘The person who slept well even when the 1st and 2nd years screamed like crazy on the playground during class time, what type startled by loud sounds.’
Jeongwoo, who was about to tell him to make his excuses at least plausible, closed his mouth. He wondered if there was a need to argue.
It was just words anyway, since they wouldn’t be watching again.
“Let’s say you watched it enjoyably.”
“It’s not ‘let’s say,’ I really watched it enjoyably?”
“Yes yes. I’m sure you did.”
He imitated his way of speaking like Jihan had done before. Jihan stood still and stared at Jeongwoo who was provoking him, but Jeongwoo threatened that if he didn’t come quickly, he’d leave him behind.
In the end, Jihan, who couldn’t win against Jeongwoo, followed behind while constantly grumbling.
“What do you want to eat?”
“……”
“You said you wanted to eat pizza.”
It was Jihan who was sulking in the place they entered to eat an early dinner.
Whether he was thoroughly sulking at Jeongwoo who didn’t believe him, his pouting lips that stuck out didn’t know how to go back in.
“You’re not even a kid, really.”
Jeongwoo, who had pushed the menu toward him, shrugged when no answer came back.
“I’ll choose anything.”
The place the two who came out of the movie theater entered was a shop specializing only in pizza. Since Jihan had bought snacks at the study hall, this time Jeongwoo said he’d buy and brought him to this place.
This pizza shop, famous for being delicious, was also a place Jihan liked.
Jihan had been sulking since the movie theater, but inside he was smiling.
‘Last time when we ate lunch together, I casually mentioned that I liked pizza, and he remembered that.’
When he asked if he liked pizza, he was silent. Just when he thought they were getting closer, Jeongwoo would distance himself, so he wondered if he had no intention of becoming close, but then he makes it impossible to give up like this.
He only recited to himself that he was a master of push and pull. If he said it outright, Jeongwoo might kick his chair and leave, since his temper was nasty enough for that.
And although Jeongwoo had never directly said “I came because you like it,” Jihan decided to think whatever was good for himself.
“I’m really choosing whatever I want?”
“Do that then.”
“Don’t regret it.”
Actually, before entering here, Jihan was hurt in his pride and was going to just go home. It wasn’t enough that he kept insisting he was startled and scared, but he had embarrassingly seen everything about him being startled.
Being startled was true. He knew it would be that kind of content when he went in, but who knew they’d keep shooting guns until the end.
The genre Jihan hated most was noir. Rather than being scared of blood spattering, he hated gunshot sounds. Even when going to the PC room, he never played shooting games at all. Everyone recommended he try it saying it was fun, but because he stubbornly refused, there were times he almost fought with his friends.
‘If I say no, they should know it’s no, why do they keep talking and reminding me of the movie.’
Jihan’s eyes looking at Jeongwoo choosing the menu became sullen.
“This and this please. Ah, is any drink okay?”
“…Yeah.”
“Two Sprites.”
But the reason he didn’t go home despite that was because he knew Jeongwoo’s personality.
Because Jeongwoo was someone who had to repay if he received something. You could tell by looking at the chocolate and milk on Jihan’s desk in the morning.
Jihan, who was caught by pizza and Jeongwoo, held back even laughter that was about to come out and pouted his lips pretending to dislike it. If Jeongwoo knew he’d completely fallen for pizza and Kwon Jeongwoo, his pride would be hurt even more.
“Eat.”
The menu Jeongwoo chose was the spicy pizza Jihan liked most. He’d never even told him about this, so how did he know?
‘Did I ever say I liked spicy things?’
Jihan, who tried to connect everything to what he’d said, gave it meaning even though Jeongwoo just chose what he wanted to eat. When Jeongwoo himself had no such thoughts.
“I’ll eat well.”
In Jeongwoo’s view, Jihan who had seemed uninterested ate well once the pizza came out. How well he ate. Jeongwoo, who had eaten lunch together with him a few times, saw him eat this well for the first time.
‘Is it because he really likes pizza?’
Tilting his head, Jeongwoo himself nibbled on the salad that came as a side.
He ordered something spicy because he suddenly wanted to eat it, but he wasn’t actually someone who ate spicy food well. But why he suddenly wanted spicy pizza, even he didn’t know.
“Why aren’t you eating.”
“I am eating.”
“Not that green grass, eat pizza, pizza.”
Whether he was concerned about Jeongwoo who hadn’t touched the pizza at all, Jihan put a slice of pizza in front of Jeongwoo. At the bright red seasoning mixed with various ingredients, Jeongwoo took a deep breath. The long exhaled breath was like a sigh.
He felt Jihan looking at him strangely.
Jeongwoo, who felt self-deprecating wondering if deep breathing was necessary just to eat one pizza, took a bite of the pizza. Though it was just a little, seeing it enter Jeongwoo’s mouth, Jihan finished eating his portion.
Like Jeongwoo had done at the study hall, this time Jihan ate almost one whole pizza.
He kept worrying about Jeongwoo asking why he wasn’t eating, but Jeongwoo only shook his head each time.
‘Why does it look delicious when I watch Moon Jihan eat, but when I actually eat it, it’s only spicy and salty.’
Jeongwoo, who took a big bite watching him eat deliciously and got thoroughly hit by the spicy taste, thought tteokbokki would have been better and pushed even his portion of pizza to Jihan.
“I feel like I ate everything alone.”
“That’s why I bought it.”
“I said I’d pay.”
“I brought you saying I’d treat you, so why would you pay?”
At the innocent question asked with wide eyes, Jihan swallowed his saliva. He asked to hang out because he wanted to get closer, but somehow it felt like another invisible line had been drawn.
Along with the movie choice that didn’t fully consider each other’s tastes, and the wrong menu choice of choosing spicy pizza while disliking spicy things.
That’s how Jihan felt. That everything would become a reason to separate them.
But Jeongwoo’s thoughts were different.
He was seeing Jihan differently. At first, he came out pretending he couldn’t win against his suggestion to hang out. But whether walking side by side and going to the study hall had become familiar, he who had been uncomfortable wasn’t as dislikeable as the first time.
Plus, the movie he watched today was extremely his taste.
Jihan, who didn’t leave in the middle despite disliking it and stayed until the end, looked different to him. Moreover, it was also quite nice that he ate well what he himself couldn’t eat. If Jihan also couldn’t eat spicy food, it would have just been wasted money.
“Let’s go, I’ll walk you home.”
Jihan spoke as if walking him home was natural.
When Jeongwoo only looked without saying anything, he grabbed and pulled Jeongwoo’s hand.
“Let’s go? Why are you spacing out like this.”
“Wh-when was I.”
“Right now. You studied until late yesterday too. You must be tired, so let’s go quickly.”
Jeongwoo, who was looking at the hand caught by Jihan, obediently followed him. Though he himself also studied until late, Jihan who was considerate saying he’d walk him home looked newly different again.
“Are you very tired? Should we take a taxi?”
“It’s not that much.”
Jihan shrugged. Having walked him home every time they went to the study hall, Jihan walked toward Jeongwoo’s house direction more familiarly than Jeongwoo.
“And we studied together until dawn yesterday.”
He muttered in a small voice.
“Huh? What?”
“I said let’s go quickly since I’m tired.”
Whether he didn’t hear, Jihan who had been walking ahead came back. Jeongwoo shook his head and passed by Jihan.
Jihan who didn’t think about his own fatigue and only thought of him was strange, yet that consideration wasn’t bad.
“Wash up early and sleep today.”
“I’ll take care of my own business.”
“Okay, okay. Our Jeongwoo is a child of the new nation. Plus he’s even a model student.”
“What does that have to do with anything.”
Jihan’s laughter was heard.
He thought the refreshing sound somehow matched with the coolly blowing wind. Wondering if this was the feeling of the refreshing laughter he’d only seen in books.
A heavy weight was felt from above his head.
“…What.”
“Our Jeongwoo has to sleep early to grow tall. You’re not stopping here, right? No way. You have to grow more.”
Jihan pressed down firmly on the crown of Jeongwoo’s head, which was smaller than his own.
Jeongwoo, who felt his temperature, warm to the point of being hot, being transmitted above his head, frowned and swatted the hand away.
“Mind your own business. Whether I grow or not. And 178cm is average, you know?”
“You’re shorter than me though.”
“You’ve already finished growing, so now you only have shrinking left. You’re an adult.”
“Don’t you know that originally even adults can grow taller? Even if I shrink 1 centimeter per year, we’d have to wait about 6 years to be the same, right? Oh no, you’ll also get shorter when you become an adult, so what should we do.”
“……”
“Our eye levels will never match.”
Jeongwoo, who was looking at Jihan who was annoyingly teasing him with pathetic eyes, stepped on his foot.
Though it was sneakers, he stepped so hard that Jihan flailed at the feeling like being pricked by a needle.
“A person who’s a full-grown adult being so frivolous.”
“What? Hey, background check.”
“Why, what!”
Jeongwoo, who didn’t usually raise his voice, raised his voice and lifted his chin.
Jihan, who burst into laughter as if his wide-open eyes were cute, stroked his chin. Like stroking a dog.
Jeongwoo, who came to his senses at the strange posture, cleared his throat saying he’d conversed casually without realizing it.
He even glared at Jihan saying this was all because they went to the study hall together.
Though they hadn’t become close, it seemed like one of the countless walls had crumbled.
Jeongwoo, who firmly grasped the wall that had become soft and mushy, only glared whenever Jihan tried to play around until they arrived home and never opened his mouth once.
Jihan, who had no way of knowing why it became like this when the atmosphere was good until just before, agonized over what he’d done wrong. Of course, Jeongwoo didn’t know since it didn’t show outwardly.
In Jeongwoo’s view, Jihan’s face was grinning no different from usual.
“Get home safely.”
“Sleep well.”
The figure of Jihan who walked him home grew distant.
Though not perfect, it was a satisfying day for Jeongwoo in many ways.
It was an unexpected incident that the wall he’d built saying he wouldn’t get close with him had become soft, but since he’d firmly grasped it again, it was okay.
Though he hadn’t become close with Jihan whose first impression was a thug itself, absolutely not! He thought it might be okay to get a little closer.
Because thanks to him walking him home even though he must be tired, he was able to come home without being scared.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
