I somehow managed to survive my morning class. Since I’d been out of it since early morning, I was on my way to the back courtyard to catch my breath. I let out a dry laugh, thinking how impressive it was that I’d remembered to bring cigarettes.
I pulled one out, placed it between my lips, and was just about to light it when a familiar voice came from around the corner.
“Hey, Cha Jung! What’s this? I heard you actually showed up to class today?”
It was Yoo In-ho, looking as bright and lively as ever. Maybe he’d overslept—he had a cap pulled low over his head as he lazily waved a hand at me.
It seemed Yoo In-ho had already heard about me from some of our classmates in the short time since class ended. Judging by the atmosphere, this was going to be a long conversation.
With a resigned sigh, I stuffed the cigarette back into my pocket and jerked my thumb toward the vending machines a short distance away.
“Want something? I’ll buy.”
“Oh? Then thanks, I’ll take it.”
Thunk—thud—two cans dropped in succession from the vending machine. I picked them up and tossed one to him, telling him to drink it while it was cold. Yoo In-ho quickly caught it and popped it open.
It was obvious he was going to ask me all sorts of things, so I was wetting my throat in preparation.
“Cha Jungwoo, what’s with the patch?”
“Pff—kgh, cough—!”
The sudden question hit me straight on, and I choked immediately. Luckily, we were standing a fair distance apart.
I quickly turned my body and spat the drink toward the flowerbed. Behind me, Yoo In-ho grimaced in disgust.
“Ugh, don’t come near me.”
“This is all your fault.”
I raised my arm and wiped the drink that had dribbled down past my chin. It was such a hot day that it would probably dry quickly, but there was no escaping the sticky residue of sugar.
Feeling uneasy, I was at least grateful it had been an isotonic drink. Since the liquid was nearly transparent, it didn’t show much on the clothes.
You crazy bastard, this isn’t even my shirt. That was something I couldn’t possibly say to Yoo In-ho. I swallowed the complaint and quietly fixed my clothes.
Still, what was I supposed to say about that? I knew he could be blunt, but I hadn’t expected him to be this straightforward. I felt flustered.
I’d barely made it into class on time that morning, so I hadn’t really run into anyone I knew.
A few people nearby had glanced at me, but they’d just brushed it off with indifferent expressions.
But judging from the current situation, that wouldn’t be the case with close friends or classmates. Even this guy wasn’t trying to hide his curiosity. I’d have to say something anyway.
In fact, I had a feeling it might be easier in the long run if I just fed something plausible to this loudmouth first.
So I decided to tell him. Though “tell” was a stretch—it was really just covering things up with the excuse I’d already prepared.
“Got drunk and fell over.”
It was a bit embarrassing, but better to look pathetic than have some scandalous rumor spread.
Since I kept up a brazen attitude, Yoo In-ho didn’t have much to argue with and nodded reluctantly.
“Well damn, you even got drunk and fell? How wild did you go that your neck ended up like that?”
“This part’s scraped, this part’s twisted.”
“Oh really now.”
I gestured toward the patches and bandages as backup, just in case. Yoo In-ho didn’t seem to suspect they were there to hide hickeys.
Guess living like a model student up till now helped. I felt relieved by how readily he seemed to believe me.
Then again, there wasn’t really a reason for someone to stare that closely at the back of another guy’s neck. I decided I’d pretend to feel under the weather for a few more days, just in case.
“Anyway, why were you drinking in the first place? Drinking alone?”
It was roughly that, yes. But the rest was different. I couldn’t tell him the truth, so I’d have to smooth it over.
After all, Yoo In-ho had suffered in the middle of all this too. I figured I should at least tell him that Min Siheon and I had made up.
Made up? It was a bit vague to define it that way, but it wasn’t a lie.
“I was drinking alone, then we ended up drinking together.”
“With who? Don’t tell me Min Siheon? You guys done with the cold war?!”
“Yeah. It just kind of happened. Thanks, though. For taking my side. And sorry. It must’ve been stressful.”
“What the hell? Don’t get all sentimental on me. You crazy bastard. Why’s your face like that? Hey, don’t lower your eyes. Don’t avoid my gaze! Anyway, stop making it weird!”
“I show a little gratitude and you act like that. Seriously, what an asshole….”
When I expressed my thanks while sipping my drink, Yoo In-ho recoiled, swearing in a very manly way.
He tossed his empty can into the trash and kept grumbling.
“Still, thank God. You two were brutal. Or should I say Min Siheon was brutal? You were too busy running away.”
“Running away, my ass.”
“Am I wrong? Honestly, I would’ve run too. I admit it. That guy looked seriously pissed…. Ugh, I’m getting chills. I shouldn’t think about it.”
Apparently recalling something, Yoo In-ho scratched his own forearm hard enough to leave nail marks, though he acted like it was nothing.
Was he really that bad? To be honest, he had been terrifying. He might be pretty, but that had nothing to do with it.
“Hey, how’d you smooth things over? Tell me the trick. In case I fight with that bastard later, I might need it.”
You couldn’t pull it off even if I told you. I shook my head. All we’d done yesterday was confess our feelings, share saliva, and press our bodies together.
Ah, shit. Thinking about it like that made my face burn. Thankfully, I could blame it on the sun.
“Just don’t make things you’ll have to fight about. Why overthink it?”
“Then why did you fight?”
“You’re unusually talkative today.”
“Heh, aren’t I the great Yoo In-ho who’s been handling every single group presentation lately? …Wait, what the hell do you mean unusually? That’s harsh. What do you think of me normally?”
Somehow, it seemed like things had wrapped up well enough. We were making idle, small banter and enjoying the break.
Since we both had a long gap before our next class, we talked about grabbing lunch together.
I pulled out the cigarette I hadn’t been able to smoke earlier and put it between my lips. Yoo In-ho shrugged as if he couldn’t help it and sat down on a nearby bench.
“It’s good you made up, but that bastard Min Siheon? His image is already screwed.”
What was that supposed to mean? I whipped my head toward him. Oblivious to my reaction, Yoo In-ho had his hands clasped behind his head.
With his legs crossed and his foot lazily bouncing, he spoke in an indifferent tone. That was how I learned about Min Siheon’s ruined reputation.
“You just didn’t see it. Everyone came to me asking what the hell was wrong with him. Saying he was overreacting like crazy. I took one look at his face and admitted it right away. He was seriously scary as hell. It’s a miracle you two made up safely.”
The more I heard, the worse it sounded. Was this all because of me? Guilt began to creep in.
Just then, I sensed someone behind me. A lukewarm palm landed on my shoulder, and I flinched before turning around.
“That rumor’s going around?”
It was Min Siheon, dressed in a thin summer long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up. There wasn’t even a trace of the ominous expression I’d seen a few days ago—only a soft, gentle atmosphere.
A warm voice flowed from beneath the faint curve of his lips. Why was he here?
The class he had today was in the afternoon, more than an hour from now.
It was strange that he’d come to campus during this awkward lunch break.
When I failed to respond out of surprise, Min Siheon lowered the hand on my shoulder and rubbed the small of my back instead. From the bench a short distance away, Yoo In-ho wouldn’t be able to see it.
“Oh? Min Siheon, you’re here? Bastard, you finally look human again.”
First, I stubbed out my cigarette in the ashtray and brushed off Min Siheon’s clinging hand. Apparently, I was the only one feeling tense here.
When I shot him a look asking why he was here so early, Min Siheon tilted his head as if to say, Don’t you know? Through the curtain of hair sliding down, his playful eyes glinted.
I had told him to call if he missed me, but I hadn’t expected him to show up this fast.
Unexpectedly, Min Siheon seemed like a complete novice at dating. Watching him charge straight ahead like this, I couldn’t even bring myself to tell him to go back.
…If I find this cute, doesn’t that mean I’m hopeless too? I felt a little sorry for all the times I’d cursed Go Heemin and Kang Taeyoon for being ridiculously lovey-dovey. Compared to them, I was the real mess.
Still, what Yoo In-ho had said bothered me. Min Siheon had already been someone surrounded by rumors.
By second year, it seemed like people around him had started realizing some of those rumors were wrong, but after this incident, it looked like he’d become the subject of bad talk again.
Since the fault lay entirely with me, the problem felt even heavier. With a sigh, I raised my hand and patted his shoulder.
After justifying to myself that this level of skinship was fine, I spoke.
“Min Siheon, is this really the time for you to be hanging around like this? Just go show your face to the others. Go walk around smiling with that dumb look on your face.”
“Dumb…?”
“Cha Jung, why are you worse than him? Look at that bastard. He’s not even listening to a word I’m saying. Judging by that shameless face, I guess there’s nothing to worry about. Ah, what a blessed life he’s got. I should worry about myself instead. And you, stop playing errand boy just because you feel bad for him. If you ask me, he’s the one who’s going to eat well and live well out of all of us.”
I couldn’t completely disagree with Yoo In-ho. Whether people cursed at him outright or tried to screw him over indirectly, Min Siheon looked completely unaffected. In fact, Yoo In-ho looked far more exhausted than he did.
As Yoo In-ho waved his hand as if he were done with the topic, Min Siheon leaned his body against my shoulder.
“It’s fine. If you feel that bad, Jungwoo, just take responsibility for me.”
Looking at his long, fluttering lashes, I wondered why any of that even mattered.
The lukewarm but solid weight against me felt steady and reassuring.
I’d been about to step back so the smell of cigarettes wouldn’t cling to him, but I stopped, simply looking at the now docile Min Siheon.
“…Yeah, it’s all my fault anyway. I’ll take responsibility.”
At that, Min Siheon smiled beautifully.
“No, but seriously, why did you guys fight in the first place?”
Yoo In-ho kept grumbling from the bench, staring our way, but he might as well not have existed. Right now, all I cared about was getting along with this guy in front of me.
