Yi-hyeon craned his neck, stretching it out to peer at Han Jun’s phone screen. Han Jun then held out the phone so Yi-hyeon could see it better.
“Wow, there are fifty-eight of the same color alone. If you include other colors, it’d be over a hundred. Are there any scratches or marks you can identify from the photos?”
“There aren’t.”
“You’re the type to keep your stuff really clean.”
“I wanted to find it before the school violence committee convenes. If I buy all fifty-eight and try to restore them one by one, it’ll take at least a few months.”
As Han Jun said this with a bitter edge, Yi-hyeon’s eyes sparkled.
“Why would you buy all fifty-eight?”
He’d finally found a way to help Han Jun.
“You just have to buy yours out of the fifty-eight.”
Yi-hyeon grinned as he poked his own nose with his index finger. Seeing that, Han Jun let out a huge shout of amazement, like an adventurer who’d just discovered a new continent.
“You can recognize mine by smell?”
“If even a little of the scent is left. It’s a machine, so it’s not like they could wash the inside out with water. And you use hand cream a lot. So even if it’s faint, I think the scent would still be there.”
Even if Wonseok tried to use his head and send out a substitute, Yi-hyeon could still identify Han Jun’s phone by the lingering scent left on it. Though honestly, Yi-hyeon wasn’t sure if Wonseok was smart enough to think that far ahead.
On Han Jun’s phone, there wasn’t just the voice recording of Wonseok vowing revenge on Yi-hyeon that day—there was also footage from earlier, showing Wonseok harassing Yi-hyeon in front of the old building. Which meant that if they could find and restore it, they could bundle all the harassment together and push for a harsher punishment for Wonseok.
Who would’ve thought that an ability he’d always considered monstrous could be useful like this? As Yi-hyeon walked on with lighter steps, Han Jun suddenly grabbed his arm and stopped him.
“Wait.”
Leaving Yi-hyeon standing there, Han Jun slipped into one of the shops lining the street. When Yi-hyeon lifted his head to check the sign, it turned out to be a place that sold both bead ice cream and tanghulu.
A moment later, Han Jun came back to Yi-hyeon’s side holding bead ice cream. He piled the little beads high on a spoon, then parted his lips slightly as if telling Yi-hyeon to open his mouth.
“What is this all of a sudden?”
“What do you mean? You did something nerve-wracking, so it’s a gift. You like this, don’t you?”
“Even so, this is way too random.”
“What’s random about it? You tracked down the whereabouts of the phone that Seo Wonseok, that bastard, stole from me, and I, a grateful guy, bought you bead ice cream you like. Where’s the flaw in that logic? Hurry, it’s melting.”
Han Jun tapped Yi-hyeon’s lips with the spoon. A few beads fell and dropped downward. Just as Yi-hyeon was thinking what a waste it was, the ice cream—slightly melted by the warmth of his lips—slipped through the gap and flowed into his mouth. The sweet flavor spread as he smacked his lips a few times before reluctantly opening his mouth with an “ah.”
A few beads slid in, then caught on his upper lip and pattered down. Han Jun stared at Yi-hyeon’s lips with a strange look in his eyes and asked,
“Is the inside of your mouth small too? Can you even fit a full spoonful of rice?”
At Han Jun’s words, Yi-hyeon answered confidently.
“Of course I can.”
“What about a hot dog?”
“That fits.”
“Don’t lie.”
“Small ones fit.”
“So big ones don’t?”
“How big are we talking?”
At Yi-hyeon’s question, Han Jun paused as if imagining something, then roughly indicated a thickness with his hands. His hands were fairly big and long, yet even then, his fingertips didn’t meet.
“You mean a potato hot dog?”
“Mm, probably a bit bigger than that?”
“I haven’t eaten anything that big, so I don’t really know.”
“Oh… really?”
Looking slightly worried, Han Jun sucked on the spoon that had just gone in and out of Yi-hyeon’s mouth with a soft chu, dragging out his words. Then he scooped up more ice cream and brought it to Yi-hyeon’s mouth again. Having already accepted it once, Yi-hyeon seemed to have gotten used to it and took it without complaint this time.
As they chatted idly while walking, the orphanage building eventually came into view. The distance from school to the orphanage was too short to bother taking a bus, yet just a bit too long to walk comfortably. Yi-hyeon used to wish it were just a little closer every time he made the trip. Lately, though, he found himself wishing the orphanage were two more bus stops away.
“Thanks for walking me home every time. But isn’t it a hassle?”
“It’s not about hassle. I’m more worried about you getting home safely.”
“……Sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? I’m doing this because of me. I’ve got a shitty personality and can’t even make friends, so I can’t let the one friend I do have get snatched away to a lab. You don’t need to feel bad.”
“How is your personality shitty? You’re super kind.”
“Me? Kind? Pfft!”
When Yi-hyeon nodded, Han Jun—who’d stopped in front of the orphanage gate—burst out laughing as he handed back the bag he’d been carrying for him. Then, noticing Yi-hyeon looking up at him with a red face, he wiped the smile off his face and asked in a more serious tone.
“In what way?”
“If you laugh like that and then ask, how am I supposed to answer?”
“I laughed because it felt good. And because it’s something I’ve never heard before, so it felt awkward too.”
“Just… you’re kind in everything.”
“Be specific.”
“You carried my bag just now. You worry about my ears too.”
“I worry about your ears because I’m afraid you’ll get dragged off to a lab. And I carried your bag because you’re short and I thought the straps might drag.”
“I’m not so short that my bag straps drag.”
Sensitive about his height, Yi-hyeon couldn’t help snapping back. When Han Jun asked exactly how tall he was, Yi-hyeon hesitated, since the last time he’d measured was the winter of his third year of middle school. It had been 173 back then, so surely he’d grown since. He added about two centimeters and answered.
“175.”
His voice lacked confidence, since he wasn’t sure. Han Jun replied that since he himself was 191, Yi-hyeon’s head should at least come up to his nose if he were really 175, then asked,
“Want to measure?”
Yi-hyeon, who was hesitating, grew curious about the exact difference between them—and also wanted to stand close to him—so he gave a small nod. But instead of standing beside him, Han Jun faced him head-on and stood tall.
As a result, it was entirely up to Yi-hyeon to calm his violently pounding heart. Oblivious to Yi-hyeon’s turmoil, Han Jun pressed his chest flush against Yi-hyeon and gently pushed down on the crown of his head with his palm.
“What? You don’t even reach my upper lip.”
“Huh? No, I’m pretty sure I got up to your nose bridge.”
“Nope. Then stand again.”
Han Jun said lightly.
Saying they’d do it one more time and that Yi-hyeon should look carefully this time, he grabbed Yi-hyeon’s shoulders and pulled him closer. Dazed by the strong scent rolling off him, Yi-hyeon caught the tip of his foot on the uneven cement ground and staggered. As a result, his body overlapped completely with Han Jun’s. In the process, he accidentally rammed his forehead right into Han Jun’s lips.
Feeling the soft, moist texture of skin squish against his own, Yi-hyeon froze in shock and hurriedly stumbled backward.
“Why are you so aggressive?”
“S-Sorry…!”
“All you do is apologize.”
“It’s not like I meant to, my foot just—there was a crack here.”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it.”
Han Jun held Yi-hyeon’s arm so he wouldn’t fall and spoke in a slightly teasing tone. But Yi-hyeon’s attention was fixed entirely on Han Jun’s lips.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“I know.”
“Th-then, I’ll head in now, so you get home safely too.”
Fleeing from Han Jun’s face, which was still grinning at him, Yi-hyeon gave a vague wave and slipped quickly through the gate.
Thud.
Leaning his back against the closed green gate, Yi-hyeon clutched his wildly beating heart tightly with his hand. He scolded himself internally, wondering why he’d made such a mistake, then heard Han Jun’s voice loudly shout, “I’m heading off!” At that, Yi-hyeon peeked outside through a narrow gap in the gate.
Han Jun, who’d shouted so energetically that he was leaving, stood there blankly and let out a quiet huff of a sigh. Then he slowly wiped his face with one hand.
“Why is it so hot today?”
Muttering to himself like that, Han Jun turned around and walked off with heavy steps.
After staring at the gate for a long while, Yi-hyeon let out a breath just like Han Jun had, then covered his burning face with both hands.
“Yeah. It’s really hot.”
HELLO WHAT IN THE LACK OF SUBTLETY HAN JUN 💀💀💀