# Chapter 18. The Words “I Like” That Can Be Attached to Everything in the World
Yeonho’s eyes were calm as he looked at me. He said he was disappointed, but he also seemed like he didn’t really care. I don’t understand why he was saying that while looking at me.
‘Does he know that rabbit ears would suit him well? Is that why he wants me to agree?’
I tried to interpret Yeonho’s words for a moment, and since that seemed to be the case, I nodded. Yeonho laughed out loud.
Every time he laughed, small vibrations transferred through the hand that was touching my hair. It made my heart feel so ticklish that I couldn’t focus at all when the girl showed Yeonho something else.
‘Was it a mouse? A bear? Surely not elephant ears?’
For the group outfit, the boys reluctantly agreed to black t-shirts after giving in to the cat ear headbands.
The classmates who had focused all their energy on deciding between cats and dogs were casual about everything else, and by the time they were deciding on the cheer song, hardly anyone was participating.
Yeonho didn’t seem interested either. Even though he was sitting right next to me, he sent messages like “I’m bored ã… ã… ” and “Let’s go together after this, Seungwoo.” I don’t know why he does such cute things.
When things were almost over, our homeroom teacher, who appeared to feel a bit guilty for dumping his work on the class president, provided hamburgers and pizza for dinner and then left again, telling us to eat well and clean up before leaving.
‘Yeonho doesn’t like fast food, so he won’t eat… Won’t he be hungry?’
Why did the teacher give us this kind of food instead of a proper meal? I wonder if the school store is still open. Come to think of it, Yeonho doesn’t seem to go to the school store much either.
As I unwrapped my hamburger, I watched Yeonho putting a straw in my cola. He wasn’t even going to eat, but he still squeezed ketchup next to my french fries. I don’t understand why he’s so thoughtful. Did he do this for the person who sat next to him before too? I picked up one of the french fries that Yeonho had arranged and held it out to him.
“Y-you eat some too…”
It was just a polite offer since he doesn’t eat fast food, but Yeonho casually answered with a bright smile.
“Aren’t you going to dip it in ketchup?”
“Oh… h-here.”
I hurriedly dipped it in ketchup and offered it again, and Yeonho ate it without even using his own hands. Since I had expected him to take it with his hands, my fingers and face felt hot even though our lips hadn’t touched. I wiped my hot hands on my pants and tried clenching my fists before picking up my hamburger again. I was annoyed at Yeonho who seemed completely unbothered, saying it was delicious and asking for more.
I was about to dip another fry in lots of the tomato ketchup he claimed to like, but afraid that others might see, I quickly lowered my hand and pretended to focus only on eating my hamburger.
The hamburger was delicious. The only problem was that Yeonho kept staring at me as I ate, maybe as revenge for not giving him more french fries, and I couldn’t tell if I was putting the food in my mouth or my nose.
As expected, Yeonho didn’t touch the hamburger or pizza, so the hamburger ended up in the hands of pig Kim Jungwoo who was passing by, and I ended up eating two slices of pizza. Yeonho said:
“It’s nice to see you eating well, Seungwoo.”
It sounded just like he was calling me a pig, similar to how I thought of Kim Jungwoo, which was a bit shocking.
***
Even so, a hamburger and two slices of pizza were too much. Feeling unpleasantly full, I headed home as it was getting dark, as summer hadn’t fully arrived yet. I was looking at a flickering streetlight when Yeonho, who was walking with me to the bus stop, started a conversation.
“Seungwoo, do you have plans tonight?”
“…? Oh, no…”
‘How could I have plans on a weekday evening…’
But Yeonho probably does. Since he doesn’t have a girlfriend yet, is he meeting someone similar? What would Yeonho be like in a private setting outside of school?
While imagining Yeonho outside of school and waiting for the traffic light, Yeonho said:
“Then do you want to go see a movie with me?”
I was so captivated by Yeonho’s beautiful face, still touched by the remaining sunset glow, that his words reached my ears a bit late.
“Huh…?”
“You don’t want to?”
Various questions flooded my mind.
‘A movie? Suddenly? At this hour? Why specifically with me?’
Since I couldn’t answer most of these questions, I just mumbled stupidly, and Yeonho made that pitiful face again.
The sunset had completely disappeared, but the surrounding streetlights were bright enough that his face was clearly visible, which was a problem.
‘If he makes such a pitiful face while asking, wouldn’t I be a terrible person if I refused? He looks just like a lost puppy.’
Of course, I know it’s all an act, but knowing it and experiencing it are two different things. What’s so special about watching a movie together that he needs to act like this?
‘Don’t the people who call themselves Yeonho’s friends ever go to the movies with him?’
How badly must he want to see a movie to ask someone like me to go with him at this hour?
The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I became with the people around Yeonho, and I wanted to say let’s go right now, but when I tried to answer, the words wouldn’t come out.
Various thoughts blocked my mouth, one after another.
‘What if this is another test? What if he says it was a joke? Would he think I’m easy if I agree too quickly? How should I answer?’
As I nervously fidgeted with the hem of my shirt, Yeonho grabbed my wrist. Surprised, I looked up, and he was still smiling with that gentle face. Ah, it seemed the traffic light had already changed. Yeonho pulled my hand and said:
“Think later and walk carefully, Seungwoo.”
Yeonho matched his stride with mine the entire way and didn’t let go of my hand until we had completely crossed the road. Receiving such kindness, I briefly ignored the priorities I had set in my mind while worrying and said something that didn’t really matter at the moment.
“…Y-you must really… like watching movies.”
It seemed Yeonho hadn’t expected me to ask something like that.
‘Was that too random? I should have just said I’d go.’
His footsteps paused very briefly before continuing.
“I do like it. What about Seungwoo?”
“Ah… I… I like it too.”
I answered a beat late and turned my head away to hide my inexplicably warming face.
So this is what it feels like when Yeonho says “I like it.”
It was a bit different from what I sometimes imagined before sleeping. It was different from when he said he liked tomatoes, and different from how I secretly imagined him receiving confessions.
‘If Yeonho gets someone he likes, would that person hear things like this every day?’
I was about to feel envious of someone whose face, name, and existence I didn’t even know when Yeonho took my hand instead of the wrist he had been holding. That slow motion caused a ticklish sensation that ran up my skin, making the area below my chest feel like it was being pricked.
Yeonho’s hand was bigger than mine, so it seemed to completely envelop my entire hand. He even swung it casually.
‘He seems to be enjoying this… Wait, what if someone sees us? Shouldn’t he let go of my hand?’
“Um, excuse me… your hand…”
“Who is ‘excuse me’?”
“Huh…?”
“You always call me ‘excuse me.’ You said you’d call me by my name.”
Yeonho’s eyes looked mischievously pouty as he spoke to me. Looking at his face, I realized he was just being petty for no reason.
Even though he probably wouldn’t care what I called him, Yeonho continued to whine.
“That’s mean. I was looking forward to it so much…”
“…”
“Seungwoo, don’t you like my name?”
‘…Yeonho throwing a tantrum? No way.’
This is just his wicked intention to tease me. This is what’s frustrating about being close to Yeonho.
If someone else were here and I was watching this scene from far away, I’d be able to understand what Yeonho was thinking.
Looking down at my hand held by Yeonho, I mumbled excuses in response to his question about why I wasn’t calling him by his name.
“…It’s a-awkward… And I didn’t have m-much reason to call you… Also…”
While saying that, I tried hard to free my hand from Yeonho’s grasp, but it didn’t budge at all.
‘Both Yeonho and I are guys, is there really such a difference in strength?’
Even if Yeonho is bigger than me and eats more.
“Excuse me, c-can you let go of my hand? W-what if someone sees…”
“Nope. I won’t.”
Yeonho’s voice was still full of playfulness. Now I was starting to worry. Kim Jungwoo might still be around, along with the girl who was looking for rabbit ears for Yeonho, and the class president too. I deliberately slowed down and called Yeonho.
“Y-Yeon… ho…”
My voice didn’t sound like my own. Despite all my practice, trying to say it in front of him felt like I couldn’t pronounce it properly. My tongue felt stiff, and my lips, which met when speaking, were dry.
‘What if Yeonho gets upset?’
I was losing confidence even though I was calling him as he asked. It felt like something was blocking my throat.
“H-hand… let go, Yeonho…”
Even after saying this, Yeonho didn’t respond. Thinking my voice might have been too quiet for him to hear, I was about to speak again when Yeonho opened his mouth.
“Seungwoo, you…”
Yeonho trailed off without any intention of letting go of my hand. I could see a crowd of our classmates standing at the bus stop in the distance.
‘Can’t Yeonho see them?’
Although it was dark, students with good eyesight might be able to see us holding hands.
‘Who in our class has good eyesight?’
Fortunately, Yeonho stopped walking. He looked somewhere else before facing me and taking my other hand as well, holding both in his.
‘Was Yeonho’s hand always this hot? Ah, is it because it’s warm? But does Yeonho usually feel the heat so much?’
But it’s not even that hot now since it’s evening. Earlier, it wasn’t this hot…
‘Huh? When did Yeonho get this close?’
“Do you want to watch the movie at my place?” Yeonho whispered, even though no one was listening. Thinking he might try to kiss me again, I had tightly closed my eyes, but I opened them again at his whispered question.
The sounds of passing cars and someone shouting from a nearby apartment complex mingled chaotically.
‘What was I thinking just now?’
Looking at my surely foolish face, Yeonho smiled prettily and said:
“My house isn’t that far.”
“…”
“Seungwoo, I have chocolate that you like, too.”
So, where are we going?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
