Chapter 26
“Igeon.”
While waiting for Han Taekyung to finish his phone call, Igeon heard a familiar voice and looked up to see the healthy-looking senior.
“Hello.”
“Oh, Sunbae!”
Igeon jumped up and stood in front of him.
“It’s been a while. Ah, has it really been a while?”
“It’s been almost two weeks. We were supposed to meet tomorrow. How are you feeling?”
“I’m healthy, thanks to you.”
“That’s good.”
“It’s all thanks to you. You saved me by bringing that medicine. Really.”
These words made Igeon feel good. Even if the senior hadn’t actually recovered because of his medicine, it was still pleasing and rewarding.
“I’m glad.”
“But what brings you to the library?”
“Ah, I need to find some materials for an assignment.”
“I see. Shall we look together?”
“Ah, Taekyung is waiting for me. He’s on the phone over there.”
When Igeon pointed to where Han Taekyung was, the senior peeked his head out to look in that direction. Just then, Taekyung finished his call, looked back and forth between Igeon and Kang Yuhan, and slowly approached.
“Hello, Sunbae.”
“Hello.”
“I heard you were sick. Are you feeling better now?”
Oh, surprisingly giving a proper greeting. And thanks to that straightforward greeting, the senior’s face lit up with joy. He looked at Han Taekyung with a smile a hundred times prettier than the one he had just shown Igeon.
“Yes, I’m healthy now thanks to your concern.”
The senior’s flushed cheeks and shy smile somehow made Igeon’s heart ache. He really liked that the senior was comfortable with him, but it seemed like it was just genuinely comfortable… He wished the senior would look at him more, but it seemed still far away. When would he make such a face for him?
“I didn’t do anything. It was this guy. He forgot his promise with me and went to bring you medicine. I was so angry that day.”
Huh? Something’s strange here. Han Taekyung was saying something strange with a smile, making Seo Igeon flustered as he approached and pinched his side. The senior looked at Han Taekyung and Seo Igeon alternately with a confused face.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Igeon, I’m really sorry.”
“No, it was my fault. I forgot my promise with this guy.”
“Still… I’m really sorry.”
“Sunbae. Please don’t say that.”
“No. I’ll apologize again tomorrow. I have to go now. Sorry.”
The person who had just suggested looking at books together in the library was now hastily leaving. If he had known this would happen, he would have just gone into the library with the senior regardless of whether Han Taekyung lived or died. Regret rushed in belatedly.
“What’s wrong with you? Did you have to say that to the senior?”
“I didn’t make anything up. I just told what actually happened.”
“Anyone would think we had a big fight. It was just a small argument? It was just at that level.”
Honestly, Seo Igeon didn’t even think of it as an argument. It was his fault for breaking the promise, and Seo Igeon had rightfully gotten angry. But saying it like this made even his apologetic feelings disappear.
Han Taekyung looked at Seo Igeon with a very displeased expression. Even with that face, he wasn’t scared at all.
“You don’t really want to do well with the senior, do you?”
At Seo Igeon’s question, Han Taekyung exhaled deeply.
“How many times have we met? That’s still valid. And I don’t think I did anything wrong today. I just told the truth, and in a way, isn’t it advantageous for you? I think I was supporting you more.”
In a way, one could think like that… But because the senior likes you more. Such words would hurt the senior, and seeing the hurt senior would make his own heart ache more. But he couldn’t say that. He felt that saying it would create more complicated issues. Han Taekyung also doesn’t seem to want to back down. He doesn’t look like he’s in a good mood today either. Better not to provoke him. Igeon raised both hands.
“Okay, okay. Let’s stop here and go to the library.”
Worried that Taekyung might get upset and leave again, Seo Igeon grabbed his wrist.
“What?”
“I was afraid you’d leave first. You have a habit of leaving first when you’re angry. So this big brother wants to hold hands with his little chick brother and take him along.”
At Igeon’s words, Han Taeseok laughed incredulously. The previously tense Taekyung relaxed and followed Igeon’s footsteps, letting himself be led. The previously chilly air had disappeared, and the wind blew as usual.
â—†
“Seo Igeon, Han Taekyung, come out.”
At the professor’s call, the two stood up and positioned themselves in the center of the gym.
“These two took first and second place at the national competition. Everyone, give them a round of applause.”
The national competition held in Korea was smaller in scale and less intense than international competitions, but it was still quite challenging due to the high skill level of participants. The National Sports University always sent only first-year students to this competition and had never missed taking first and second place. So this time too, they confidently sent Seo Igeon and Han Taekyung to secure those positions, and the two proudly faced each other in the finals, taking first and second place. Han Taekyung was first, Seo Igeon second. Receiving applause from seniors and classmates, the two bowed and returned to their seats. The joy was brief as the two soon returned to training, sparring to maintain their focus.
“Do you know your kick angle is off?”
Han Taekyung said as he blocked Seo Igeon’s attack and came close. Seo Igeon kicked while backing away, and Han Taekyung blocked the attack with his arm and smiled.
“I think my angle is the same as always.”
“You can’t feel it yourself. But I know.”
“Oh, you know me better than I know myself?”
“I may not know everything, but I know Seo Igeon better than he knows himself.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
Igeon laughed incredulously at the confidently answering Han Taekyung and sent him flying with a kick. Seeing Han Taekyung lose his balance and fall backward, Igeon smirked once and returned to the waiting room first to wipe his sweat. But there was a continuous vibration coming from Han Taekyung’s cabinet. At first, he thought it might be a message, but from the persistent ringing, he knew it was a call. It would end and then start again, over and over. Sensing something was wrong, Igeon called Han Taekyung, who was talking with classmates.
“Han Taekyung! You have a call.”
“Huh? What call?”
“How would I know? But it keeps coming. It ends and comes again. Might be urgent?”
At Igeon’s words, Han Taekyung’s brow furrowed. He excused himself from his classmates and quickly came to the waiting room. He opened his cabinet, took out his phone, and checked the caller. From his expression, it didn’t seem to be spam.
“Hello.”
After that one word, Han Taekyung didn’t say anything. He slammed the cabinet once with a bang and bit his lip, giving Igeon a bad feeling.
“Yes, I understand. I’ll come right now.”
After hanging up, he tossed his phone onto the chair, quickly changed his clothes, and hurried outside. Seeing this, Igeon also hastily changed and followed him.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
He wasn’t heading to the dormitory. He was going towards the school’s main gate.
“Han Taekyung!!”
Seeing Han Taekyung’s back as he almost ran, seemingly deaf to his voice, Igeon unconsciously became anxious. He caught up to Han Taekyung and grabbed his arm. Then he was shocked. Han Taekyung was trembling.
“You…”
“Let go. I need to go now.”
“Where?”
“Home, no, the hospital.”
He looked confused. And he also seemed angry. This was the first time seeing Han Taekyung so agitated. That’s why Igeon felt even more strongly that he shouldn’t let him go like this.
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, I’ll go by myself.”
“Han Taekyung, let’s go together. If I were you, you would definitely have come with me. Right?”
He neither affirmed nor denied the question.
“Let’s go together.”
“Okay.”
“And wait. Let’s call a taxi from here.”
“No, someone’s here.”
“Huh?”
Just as Han Taekyung finished speaking, a black sedan stopped in front of them. It was the car Han Taekyung usually rode in. He hadn’t seen this car since entering university, so the fact that he called it confirmed that something was definitely wrong, as he had said. Igeon pushed Han Taekyung in first and then sat next to him. The car started smoothly, but no words were exchanged. The air in the car was heavy. The few times Igeon had ridden in this car before, Han Taekyung had always spoken kindly to the drivers and greeted them, even when the drivers changed. But now, he just kept his head down without doing anything. Han Taekyung’s wrist, held in Igeon’s hand, was trembling. Feeling sorry for him, Igeon loosened his grip slightly and patted Han Taekyung’s hands. Then Han Taekyung’s hand slipped out slightly, covered Igeon’s hand, and interlocked their fingers tightly. It was strange, but Igeon didn’t want to pull away. Especially as Han Taekyung’s trembling gradually subsided.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
