#56
After painstaking efforts, it seemed I had roughly succeeded in reconciling the sulky 9-year-olds.
“Now, make up.”
Since no answer came back, I wondered if it wasn’t working yet…
“It’s not like you two never dated, are you going to keep doing this? If you can’t make up with words, would you rather fight it out physically and then make up?”
Bae Taeseong replied as if it was absurd.
“You’re telling me to physically fight with him now? I’m an athlete. If I fight wrong, something of his will break.”
“No, so… not fighting with your bodies, but resolving things with your bodies…”
Jin Woohyeon, who was sitting across from us, whistled softly as if finding it interesting.
“I didn’t see it that way, but our Sanho hyung has passionate charm too. Do you prefer resolving things physically? Will we do that too if we fight later?”
“…Jin Woohyeon, you be quiet.”
“Yes, yes.”
After quieting Jin Woohyeon, I extended my hands to the two petty, grudge-holding Alphas sitting on either side who became strangely harsh only to their exes.
“Give me your hands.”
Bae Taeseong gave his hand without complaint, but Han Jiwon just stared at my palm. I lightly shook my right hand.
“Won’t you give it to me, Jiwon hyung?”
“I’m curious why you’re asking for it.”
“You’ll know if you give it.”
“Alright.”
Han Jiwon chuckled softly and extended his hand. Though slender, it was quite large. Similar to Bae Taeseong’s unexpectedly? I tensed and relaxed my grip, gauging both their hands.
“Now, hold hands and make up.”
I placed both hands on my knees and shook them lightly, but the hands stuck to me showed no sign of letting go.
“Hyungs.”
“…”
“Taeseong hyung. Jiwon hyung. I said hold hands.”
Bae Taeseong answered shamelessly.
“We are holding hands.”
Not my hands…
I lifted my hands as if urging and shook them vigorously. Even though there was no lingering resentment, Bae Taeseong and Han Jiwon were still holding onto my hands. They seemed to be enjoying my reaction.
Just as I was about to scold them.
“Agh!”
Jeon Yudam appeared from somewhere and swiftly passed by, using a hand chop to break apart the connected hands.
“Don’t be affectionate without me, it makes me jealous!”
Jeon Yudam, who was about to say more, suddenly started sniffing. He also tilted his head as if he heard something.
“Hmm, this smells like peanut butter.”
You can smell that?
Puzzled, I turned my head following Jeon Yudam. With a “could it be?” feeling, I looked toward the stairway and saw Choi Eungi coming up holding a plate. Behind him were Lee Chan and An Lei as well.
“It really is.”
Jin Woohyeon muttered in amazement. It was because the plate Choi Eungi was holding had neatly cut apples and peanut butter on it.
Jeon Yudam, who had run over, seemed moved by the breakfast Choi Eungi brought. He looked at the neatly cut apples from various angles and said cheerfully.
“You still cut apples well, Eungi hyung. You used to make them into rabbit shapes for me before.”
“Should I cut them into rabbit shapes?”
“You already cut them, didn’t you? Taking care of someone isn’t easy. I’m not shameless enough to make you go through such trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. There are plenty of apples.”
At Choi Eungi’s words that he could eat the ones he cut, Jeon Yudam seemed a bit tempted. Whether what he really wanted to see was rabbit-shaped apples or Choi Eungi who would move and endure troublesome tasks for him was unclear.
“Then can I watch from the side?”
“Yes.”
“Should I share some peanut butter with you?”
“…I’ve never tried eating it that way.”
“It’s tastier than you’d think. It’s good for blood sugar. Let’s go downstairs first. I’ll carry this…”
Before long, Jeon Yudam was distracted by Choi Eungi, chatting away as they went down the stairs.
Once the troublemaker disappeared, Han Jiwon and Bae Taeseong’s hands returned to their original positions. Looking at it this way, it was certain they were enjoying my troubled reaction. Mischievous smiles faintly appeared on the faces of the two who were pretending to look away.
And Jin Woohyeon across from me was staring at me, or more precisely, at my captured hands. He clearly seemed to be considering whether to chop down all the captured hands like Jeon Yudam did.
The problem was that wasn’t all that entered my field of vision.
“…”
Lee Chan, who had followed along, was staring at me intently. An Lei was restlessly watching his mood from the side, but he didn’t care about that and continued throughout.
Still, the atmosphere that had been playfully improving stiffened awkwardly in an instant.
Lee Chan’s persistently pouring gaze, An Lei looking at us with some complexity, Bae Taeseong not hiding his displeasure, Han Jiwon glancing at such Bae Taeseong, and Jin Woohyeon calmly observing this situation.
Ah. I smiled awkwardly and lamented inwardly.
‘I feel like I’ll get indigestion from breakfast I haven’t even eaten…’
I wished Lee Chan would just disappear from in front of me. Surprisingly, such a thought occurred to me. To think the day would come when Yoo Sanho, who used to follow around missing even Lee Chan’s shadow for a lifetime, would be immersed in such thoughts.
Of course, Lee Chan was Lee Chan as always. Which meant he never obediently did what I wanted.
“Yoo Sanho.”
Lee Chan called my name in a firm tone. He seemed not to care even though there were so many people around.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
Strength was put into the captured hands. I thought it was Bae Taeseong, but when I glanced sideways, it was Han Jiwon. My grip tingled from the force contrary to his gently smiling face.
Was he displeased? Even if he didn’t hold on like that, I actually had no desire to go.
“I have nothing… to talk about with you.”
A sharply edged answer came back immediately.
“How can we have nothing to talk about?”
After thinking for a moment, I slowly got up. The hands that seemed like they would never let go instantly fell away.
I took a little breath and said.
“You want me to tell you exactly? I have no more stories I want to have with you.”
If I faced Lee Chan, I would definitely lose my reason. It would be difficult to distinguish between words that were okay to say in front of cameras and those that weren’t, and I would cross the line and even show the bottom, inevitably regretting it.
So I needed time. Time to become more calm. Time to settle down so I wouldn’t easily boil over. Time to not be startled by every word Lee Chan said, every fragment of coldness.
Really unavoidably, unless an X conversation room was arranged like last time, I would never stand before him on my own feet.
As I tried to pass Lee Chan and go down the stairs, an irritated voice pierced my back.
“Do you think you can avoid me forever like this?”
My foot, which was about to step on the stairs, stopped abruptly in mid-air.
“Well…”
There’s still no apology in your voice. You’re just troubled. Or annoyed because things aren’t going your way.
“It probably won’t work.”
“…”
“But I think I’ll avoid you today, Chan.”
In case he tried to hold me back further, I quickened my pace. I didn’t want to be troubled because of Lee Chan, nor did I want to feel burdened under everyone’s attention.
I hurried down the stairs. My heart raced wildly and my eyes stung with an incomprehensible emotion.
Was it disappointment, anger, or perhaps embarrassment, regret?
I don’t know. I didn’t want to distinguish. When I’m with Lee Chan, I’m always a mess.
“Hyung.”
“…”
“…Sanho hyung.”
My body was caught and spun around. I felt large, warm hands completely encompassing my cheeks.
Jin Woohyeon’s body heat seeped in a beat late. Only then did sadness surge.
“You were right.”
“…”
“Lee Chan isn’t a good person. He might be to others, he might have been before, but not now. I know that now too. I know, but…”
“Your heart won’t listen to you.”
He pressed my cheeks firmly from both sides. Jin Woohyeon looked at my lips protruding like a fish and smiled as if grimacing.
“As if I didn’t know that and was hovering around hyung.”
“…”
“I told you. I have good patience.”
At his words ‘Did it seem like a lie?’, I couldn’t nod or shake my head. I knew it was sincere and true, but feeling it was a separate matter.
“Let’s do it one by one.”
“One by one…”
When listening to Jin Woohyeon’s words, I’m captured by a truly strange feeling. My shortcomings feel like they’re not particularly unusual, like things that could naturally happen. It seemed like ordinary, obvious trials of the world that could definitely be overcome someday.
Jin Woohyeon’s thumb slowly rubbed my drooping outer corner of the eye.
“Let’s start with not crying, hyung.”
“Not crying isn’t everything.”
“Of course. But that’s the most important thing. Surprisingly, all the affairs of the world don’t need to be shouldered and resolved alone.”
His smile was warmly engraved on my retina.
“Hyung just focus on not crying.”
“…”
“Making you laugh is my job.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
