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Only after reluctantly giving an answer that he understood did Gu Wanjae let go of Taein’s head. Taein, with his reddened face, pulled his body back and said, “Listen well my ass, you idiot.” Hearing that, Gu Wanjae replied nonchalantly.
“Are you saying two different things with one mouth? You know.”
“What.”
“What happens when a man says two different things with one mouth.”
“Fuck off.”
“This guy.”
Gu Wanjae held up his middle finger upside down. With his other hand, he quickly flicked his middle finger. It meant it would fall off.
“Hey… seriously fuck off.”
One of Taein’s eyes crumpled in displeasure. Hearing the small muttering, Gu Wanjae burst into loud laughter. Teasing his friend seemed to be the most fun thing for him. Taein looked at Gu Wanjae with a pathetic expression, let out a hollow laugh, and then buried his face on the desk.
Over 30 minutes left of lunch break. Still, since he had buried his face again, Taein expected Gu Wanjae to say something like “I’ll leave on my own, bye” and leave his seat. He was trying to fall asleep while smelling the familiar desk scent when he felt a ticklish sensation on the side of his face, like a cockroach crawling. Gu Wanjae had come closer, tickling his face with his hand.
“Hey, you bastard.”
Taein immediately lifted his head and frowned at Gu Wanjae.
“How petty, man. Your friend came but you won’t even play with him.”
“…Didn’t you say you were busy?”
“I’m fucking busy. But I also have some business to take care of at school.”
“……”
Gu Wanjae looked ahead calmly as if he really had some business.
Then he spoke without looking at Taein.
“Hey.”
“What.”
“That bastard is an Alpha.”
The guy Gu Wanjae mentioned while looking ahead was Lee Juhyeon. He was someone who had been in the same class for the first time in their third year, and they had no interest in each other. But an Alpha, huh. It was surprising. He was short and not particularly aggressive in personality, so he belonged to the quiet side of the class. It might be his own stereotype, but he couldn’t associate “Alpha” with Lee Juhyeon at all.
“He doesn’t look like it.”
“What do you mean he doesn’t look like it.”
“Just from looking.”
“Hey, anyway.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t talk to that bastard.”
“……”
“And sit further away from him.”
“He sits in the very front.”
“Exactly. So you sit further away.”
“How can I sit any further away from here?”
Gu Wanjae got up without even listening to Taein’s words. Where he headed was the most secluded seat, an empty desk. It was a desk that had been used by someone who had dropped out. Going there, Gu Wanjae wiggled his fingers and stared at Taein who turned his head with an expression that showed no response. He didn’t wait long. Suddenly, because Gu Wanjae started banging on the desk, other guys’ gazes turned toward the back. That’s when Taein got up with his bag.
“Stay still for a bit.”
When he said that while approaching, Gu Wanjae said this was him staying as still as possible.
“Bullshit.”
“Whatever.”
Though Gu Wanjae responded with “Whatever,” he even kindly pulled out the desk chair. Taein sat down, and Gu Wanjae sat on the desk. He deliberately occupied the narrow space and looked down at Taein with an amused expression.
“Ah, managing this kind of thing for a lifetime is going to be a headache.”
“What management.”
“Ah, the future looks bleak.”
“……”
“When will you understand my intentions?”
“…I don’t really want to understand….”
“Hah.”
He raised his hand as if to hit him, but it was just a joke. Taein also looked at Gu Wanjae with indifferent eyes and rested his chin on his hand. Was it because Gu Wanjae was being so excessive that such rumors were spreading? With Gu Wanjae in front of him, who had come all the way to school to tell him who the Alpha was and even made him change seats, the words he had heard from Choi Chan came to mind.
Lee Wuyong and Choi Chan. It was ridiculous that the guys he somewhat knew at school were such bastards. It was wrong from the start. Since he became friends with Gu Wanjae first, getting entangled with such guys bit by bit was unavoidable, but still.
Meanwhile, Gu Wanjae was tapping Taein’s cheek with his finger.
“Your cheek jiggles like crazy.”
“Everything does that if you flick it hard. Try yours too.”
“Mine doesn’t really.”
Saying that, Gu Wanjae brought his face close. Taein raised his finger and flicked Gu Wanjae’s cheek like he had been subjected to. Indeed, perhaps because there wasn’t much flesh on his cheeks, the area that shook was small. After flicking Gu Wanjae’s cheek several times, Taein lost interest and said, “Must be nice, having no cheek fat,” and took his hand away.
“Doesn’t it feel a bit different too?”
Gu Wanjae said while stroking his own cheek.
Taein also touched his own cheek and gave an answer.
“The texture is similar though.”
“No it’s not. Come closer.”
Taein could see Gu Wanjae wiggling his fingers and coming closer as if to whisper something. Taein just stretched his neck and brought his face forward. Then Gu Wanjae’s cheek touched his cheek, creating an unfamiliar sensation. It wasn’t rough, but it felt hotter and firmer. Gu Wanjae also seemed to feel Taein’s skin texture as he made a curious expression saying, “Hey, I’m right, aren’t I?”
“This much is, well, different for everyone.”
Taein pulled his face away and stroked his own cheek.
“Wow, Kang Taein was even born with good skin.”
“It’s not like that.”
“I confirmed it myself, so what.”
“It’s not like that,”
“Isn’t the world fucking unfair? When there are guys like that.”
Gu Wanjae pointed with his chin at a guy with a lot of acne. The guy seemed to know Gu Wanjae, and when he thought Gu Wanjae was looking at him, he went “Huh?” and tried to greet him. Gu Wanjae’s eyes quickly returned to Taein.
“When there are bastards like you too.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“What do you think. I’m talking about skin.”
Today especially, he was giving him embarrassingly many compliments. Feeling embarrassed, Taein unnecessarily changed the subject.
“…Are you going to attend classes before you leave?”
“I don’t know. Should I?”
It would be one thing if he was dressed normally, but he didn’t know what classes he planned to attend at school while wearing a full suit. Taein looked Gu Wanjae up and down and muttered that it probably wouldn’t work. Gu Wanjae also stepped back from the desk and looked at himself up and down. As if he thought it wouldn’t work either, he could be seen grinning and lifting his head.
“This is a bit much.”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t have time anyway.”
“Hmm….”
“Call me when you’re leaving. I’ll be nearby.”
“…Alright.”
Gu Wanjae tapped Taein’s cheek with two fingers and left the classroom. He didn’t tap gently before leaving, so the stinging sensation lasted for several minutes. Taein put his hand near his jaw like someone with a toothache, then straightened his body when he heard the bell ring. Separate from doing other things during class time, he tended to sit properly at first.
* * *
He only attended summer vacation supplementary classes a few times. Even the few students who were there started skipping like it was nothing, so the classes themselves were canceled. It would have been a big deal at a normal school, but the school he attended was different. All he got was a text message with an urgent school notice. And it included a proposal to create new classes for students who wanted them. It meant that if 10 or more people applied, they could take supplementary classes again. Taein didn’t bother applying. Would 10 or more people even gather? Thinking that, he turned off his phone.
“Hey, go get some water.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Come on.”
Gu Wanjae’s toes poked Taein’s thigh persistently. On peaceful summer days, the two often watched action movies or horror movies in the living room. What they were watching now was also a moderately violent action movie. Taein was wearing shorts that came to his knees and a short-sleeved t-shirt. He was sitting on the floor while Gu Wanjae was lying stretched out on the sofa. He was poking Taein’s arms and thighs while lying down.
“Hey, hyung’s ankle is injured.”
“Where.”
“The left one.”
“It looks fine though.”
Taein only turned his head to look down at Gu Wanjae’s foot. The poking force was no joke either. Who would believe that? He just didn’t want to get up. Yesterday, Gu Wanjae had come home for the first time in a week. He was fine when he left, but came back looking like a beggar. This bastard isn’t doing organized crime business, is he doing tuna fishing? He had such thoughts. Taein watched Gu Wanjae, who had quickly showered with cold water and fallen asleep, and quickly fell asleep himself. Thanks to that, he woke up early today and had been watching movies continuously since 8 AM.
“Kang Taein.”
“Yeah.”
“Should we go out?”
“Go out where? Just drink some water.”
Although sleeping soundly for a day had gotten him out of his beggar appearance, the memory of yesterday’s beggar look kept coming back, so he couldn’t not get him water. Taein filled a glass full of cold water and held it out to Gu Wanjae. Gu Wanjae immediately sat up. He took the cup and downed it in one shot.
“Stupid bastard. If you were this thirsty, you could have gotten it yourself.”
“I was actually going to do that, but you got up first.”
“Fuck. Bullshit.”
Gu Wanjae grinned and asked “Should we go out?” again.
“Where to? It’s fucking hot outside.”
“The temperature dropped a bit though.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Want to go sing karaoke?”
“What singing? You’ll be singing alone.”
“Anyway.”
“If you want to sing, go by yourself.”
“Should I?”
He showed that he wanted to go, then tested the waters as if he’d go because his friend wanted to. Taein fiddled with his nose and said “Do whatever you want,” then went into his room. Since vacation started, he hadn’t gone out with Gu Wanjae much. Except for the few times he gave him rides to and from school, they had hardly done anything together. It was because Gu Wanjae had become very busy since summer came. Sometimes he would come home waving bundles of money, though he didn’t know where he earned it. Was it going well? Since he was doing it anyway, he hoped it would be a huge success.
Taein put on a white t-shirt over the shorts he was already wearing. When he came outside, he could see Gu Wanjae’s smiling face instantly harden.
“Hey.”
“What.”
“Your legs.”
“What.”
“You’re going out like that?”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t the exposure a bit much?”
At the gaze looking downward, Taein also lowered his eyes. The shorts came up to just above his knees. A length that might or might not cover his knees. Couldn’t be more moderate than this… ordinary shorts. Taein lifted his head and looked at Gu Wanjae with pathetic eyes.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
