# Chapter 16. I Don’t Like Tomatoes, But Tomato Ketchup Is Delicious
After the rain stopped, blue sky appeared between the dark clouds.
Woo Yeonho, who was smiling sweetly with his gentle face, pressed his pretty lips against mine just as I had wished. Yeonho definitely had the superpower to read people’s minds.
I wonder if he also heard me occasionally cursing him as a jerk? It was all because of things Yeonho had done wrong. It would probably hurt his feelings if he heard, wouldn’t it? I should be more careful from now on. I won’t curse in front of Yeonho, and I’ll think less about liking him too…
‘Ah… this feels so good.’
Yeonho’s lips were still soft, moist, and warm.
‘Did everyone who’s kissed Yeonho feel this way?’
That feeling like your feet are floating off the ground, like you’re surrounded by pink, fluffy cotton candy.
‘If this is just a game, how much better would a kiss feel with someone you truly like?’
While I was thinking that, Yeonho’s palms replaced the cotton candy, cupping both my cheeks. His pressing made my lips repeatedly pout like a carp fish.
‘I probably look so ugly right now.’
Yeonho kissed those carp lips a couple more times.
“S-stop it…”
“Your face is red, Seungwoo.”
“…Very red?”
“Yeah. Like a tomato.”
I don’t like tomatoes. They taste weird, they’re mushy, and they’re inconvenient to eat… Oh, they’re edible if you sprinkle sugar on them. Mom used to make them for me like that often.
‘Does Yeonho like tomatoes?’
While I was absentmindedly touching my supposedly red face, Yeonho smiled and said:
“I like tomatoes.”
“…Huh?”
“So right now, Seungwoo, your face looks very appetizing.”
“A-appetizing…”
“I want to bite it.”
As Yeonho pretended like he was actually going to bite me, I covered my cheeks as best I could and said:
“…I’m not a tomato.”
“Of course you’re not.”
Yeonho laughed as if I’d said something nonsensical. He was the one who started this tomato talk, yet he was treating me like I was the one saying strange things.
‘You’re the one who said I look like a tomato, Yeonho.’
I muttered to myself while vigorously rubbing my still-red, heated cheeks, then closed the umbrella.
Under the blue sky where the dark clouds had cleared, Yeonho looked like a painting I’d seen at an exhibition I once visited with my younger noona. Despite being completely soaked, rather than looking pitiful, he looked even more handsome.
The handsome Yeonho said:
“Tomatoes aren’t as cute as you, Seungwoo.”
***
I parted ways with Yeonho after passing two more bus stops. Originally I was going to keep going with him, but he said he had an appointment.
‘Could it be Kim Jungwoo? …It could also be Yun Heurum who contacted him earlier.’
Yeonho said he rejected her confession, but that could have been a lie. Maybe they’re laughing at me together for falling for his teasing? With Kim Jungwoo joining in, saying this and that.
They probably made a bet before coming to me in the rain. About whether I would kiss Yeonho or not, and how many times. Yeonho won the bet again today.
‘I wonder if Kim Jungwoo will ever win in his lifetime?’
While contemplating, I waved back at Yeonho who was waving from outside the window.
‘I haven’t even done this with my real friends…’
I felt a ticklish sensation in my stomach.
After waving until Yeonho disappeared from sight, I suddenly remembered I was on a bus, so I quickly lowered my hand and sat down.
Somehow, I felt like everyone on the bus was staring at me. Fortunately, I had boarded three stops away from school, so there weren’t any students from my school.
‘…I don’t think waving would start any strange rumors anyway…’
I kept my head down as much as possible for the rest of the bus ride, then hurriedly jumped off as soon the bus stopped at my station.
It wasn’t until I was almost home that I realized I hadn’t tapped my card when getting off the bus.
***
The first thing I did when I got home was to delete the “Woo” from Yeonho’s name saved in my phone.
The name above that handsome guy’s number became “Yeonho.”
‘Ah, this feels so good.’
I kissed Yeonho’s name on the screen several times and rolled around on the bed.
I thought I’d never get to casually call someone by their first name in my life, but somehow it became possible.
But since this was allowed only until Yeonho’s game ended, I didn’t think I had much time left.
Thinking I should call his name as much as possible while I still could, I kept saying Yeonho’s name whenever I was alone at home.
I called his name while making eye contact with the teddy bear my older noona brought from the bakery, and when looking at Yeonho’s photo saved on my phone. I called the stray cat I met on my way to take out the trash “Yeonho,” and silently called the large dog I saw on a walk “Yeonho” too. When I saw male celebrities on TV, I thought Yeonho was more handsome, and when I saw female celebrities, I compared them, thinking Yeonho’s eyelashes were longer, or Yeonho’s lips were redder.
At night, I searched for the meaning of the name “Yeonho,” and repeatedly typed “Yeonho, Yeonho, Yeonho is” in our message chat before deleting it.
‘It would be nice if he contacted me first.’
Then even if I accidentally found the wrong chat room and called someone else’s name, I could say, “Yeonho, I sent the text to the wrong person.”
Will Yeonho appear in my dreams tonight too?
***
I kept thinking about it until the next day, but calling Woo Yeonho “Yeonho” didn’t require as much courage as I thought. At school, not only our homeroom teacher but also all the subject teachers called Woo Yeonho “Yeonho,” and the students in our class dropped the “Woo” and called him “Yeonho.” Even the cafeteria lady affectionately called him “Student Yeonho.”
So what I’m saying is, being able to call Woo Yeonho “Yeonho” isn’t an earth-shattering miracle, nor is it so difficult that I need to practice for days on end.
…It was obvious. It’s not like Woo Yeonho’s name is gold or a giant diamond that I have to pay to say.
“Right, don’t you agree?”
The bakery teddy bear Yeonho nodded his round head. I hugged it close to my chest, took a deep breath, and exhaled again. Each time, the area below my chest fluttered with anxiety.
Should I just keep calling him Woo Yeonho? I won’t be the one initiating conversations anyway, so there probably won’t be situations where I need to call his name. Ah, maybe Yeonho knows that and that’s why he said what he did? Yesterday, maybe he just found it amusing that I called his name for the first time…
Thinking like that made me feel inexplicably depressed, so I rubbed the teddy bear Yeonho against my face. The soft fabric, unlike mass-produced stuffed toys, made me tear up.
Yeonho’s hands are that soft too. How pretty he looked when I called him Yeonho. Was none of that real? …He should have just gotten annoyed with me. Told me not to even dream of calling him Yeonho… You’re truly a jerk.
‘…Well, not a jerk, just a slightly bad person.’
I was squeezing the bear’s face when my younger noona called from outside, saying it was time to go. I trudged out of the room. I’d been late getting up this morning because I was worrying about how to address Yeonho, so I had no choice but to catch a ride with my younger noona. On the way to school, my younger noona chatted away by herself, but since most of it was nagging, I barely listened. When we got near the school, I asked her to drop me off around there and got out of the car. My younger noona, probably feeling bad for nagging me in the morning, watched me cautiously before giving me her coffee milk along with a second round of nagging about studying hard.
***
“Now, check the numbers you’ve drawn and sit according to what’s written on the board.”
“Teacher! I’m nearsighted, so I can’t see the board if I sit in the front row!”
“Wear glasses then.”
“I can’t see even with glasses~ I can’t even see your face, teacher!”
“You never make eye contact with me anyway.”
“Well, that’s because you’re too handsome, teacher~”
“Just switch seats on your own then.”
As soon as the homeroom teacher finished speaking, students began shouting out their numbers.
‘Why do they even do these seat reassignments?’
I looked back and forth between the number I’d drawn and the number written on the board, then glared at Woo Yeonho, or more precisely, at the slip of paper in his hand. I couldn’t possibly see the number from this distance, but I was doing this futile act in hopes that maybe he had a seat near mine.
‘Won’t someone ask what number he drew? Where’s Kim Jungwoo when you need him?’
Thinking it would be faster to look for nosy Kim Jungwoo than to stare at Yeonho’s paper slip, I scanned the room, when the student sitting in front of me turned around and spoke to me.
‘His name was Sanho, right?’
Last time, when Yeonho gave me some snacks he’d put in my drawer, I shared them with him, and occasionally he would buy me lollipops from the cafeteria. He’s a nice guy.
“What number did you get?”
‘Why is he asking what number I have?’
I was momentarily stunned before checking my number again and answering.
“2-21…”
“Ah… that’s too bad.”
The number the guy in front of me showed was 5. It truly was an unfortunate number.
‘The very front row…’
He sometimes eats during class, but you can’t do that sitting in the first row, right? He probably wishes he had my number instead, hence the disappointment.
But I don’t want the front seat either. No matter how much you look at me like that, I won’t switch with you.
“Yeah… w-what can we do…”
“You’re disappointed too?”
“Huh? Uh… yeah.”
“Wait.”
After saying that, Baek Sanho stood up and strode around the classroom with legs as long as Yeonho’s.
‘Ah, he’s talking to others.’
Since I probably won’t switch with him, is he trying to exchange with other students? Should I do that too? For a seat where I can see Yeonho as much as possible…
But to do that, I need to know what number Yeonho drew first.
Ah, but before that, there’s a difficult problem: ‘Would anyone sitting near Yeonho actually agree to switch?’
“Seungwoo, what number did you get?”
“…! Aack…”
“…Why are you so surprised.”
Yeonho fixed my bangs that were poking my eyelids as he asked with a voice mixed with laughter.
“Were you thinking about me?”
With nothing obstructing my view, Yeonho’s beautiful and handsome face filled my vision.
‘Can he really read people’s thoughts?’
I blinked two or three times and then nodded. Yeonho tilted his head to one side and narrowed his eyes.
“Hmm…”
‘He does that when he’s displeased about something. I didn’t say anything. Why is he doing that?’
“I’m number 22, what number are you, Seungwoo?”
“…Huh?”
“It would be nice if we’re close.”
Saying that, Yeonho held up his paper to show me. A paper that clearly had the number 22 written on it.
‘What number was I again? 21? Really?’
It felt a bit unreal, so I checked my number and Yeonho’s number on the board again. Numbers 21 and 22 were written side by side in yellow chalk in the middle of the third row.
‘How does the homeroom teacher write numbers so prettily?’
Anyway, the fact that my number was written right next to Yeonho’s number meant that I would be Yeonho’s…
“Seat neighbor…”
I must have mumbled without realizing. Yeonho moved closer. His soft hair tickled my cheek. I was distracted by that sensation when I heard him echo, “Seat neighbors.” Looking back at the sound of his voice, Yeonho said with a beautiful smile:
“That’s great. Now I can look only at you, Seungwoo.”
Yeonho really had a confusing way of speaking. I almost misunderstood again, but fortunately, I quickly came to my senses.
‘I almost interpreted that strangely.’
My forehead, where Yeonho had touched earlier, felt like it was burning.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
