#016
Friday lunchtime, Yechan sat at a parasol table in front of the school store and stuck a straw into a banana milk before handing it to Jiwoon. Jiwoon, who had sent messages since morning saying he wanted banana milk, moved his throat bobbing as he gulped it down.
Do you like that, hyung? Isn’t it tasty when you have it occasionally? As the two were giggling over trivial conversation, suddenly a strong perfume scent wafted over.
A pure-looking beauty with long straight hair was standing in front of Jiwoon.
“Hello, oppa.”
“Oh hey.”
The girl greeted Jiwoon with sparkling eyes. Jiwoon, who answered as if he had known this unfamiliar girl, sucked on his straw.
“I have something to say, could you spare me a moment?”
“Just say it here.”
Jiwoon sucked on his straw once more, looking uninterested. This situation seemed familiar to him.
The girl shrugged her shoulders once and held out a small shopping bag to Jiwoon. The logo of a chocolate brand that Yechan had once given Jiwoon, telling him to do well on his exam, was visible.
“I like you.”
Yechan was a bit flustered by the surprise confession that suddenly unfolded before his eyes. Attention from the surroundings rushed toward them.
“Sorry.”
Jiwoon answered with a leisurely attitude and pushed the shopping bag away with his hand.
“You’re just like the rumors say. You won’t even consider it once?”
“I’m originally the type who doesn’t give openings like that.”
Jiwoon sucked on his banana milk. The girl laughed as if dumbfounded and held out the shopping bag to Jiwoon again.
“I’m also the type who doesn’t leave openings when rejected. I bought this for oppa, so either eat it or throw it away.”
The girl who had arbitrarily thrown the shopping bag at Jiwoon left.
Clean. Jiwoon said that and then shook the shopping bag at Yechan.
“Want to eat it, Yechan?”
“Why would I eat that?”
At Yechan’s words, Jiwoon immediately threw the shopping bag into the school store trash can. The shopping bag drew a parabola and landed in the school store garbage bin.
The shopping bag sitting in the shabby trash can looked incongruously luxurious. Several people who had been snacking glanced at the shopping bag with regretful eyes.
“Hyung is popular.”
“I know.”
“Are you not dating because of Suneung?”
Jiwoon, who had been resting his chin and staring at Yechan, grinned and answered:
“No.”
“Are you just taking a break?”
“If I date, who would friendless Yechan hang out with?”
“I could hang out alone.”
Yechan said with a chuckle.
“Drawing lines.”
“I absolutely never cross these kinds of things. Didn’t I tell you my creed?”
“Yes. Let’s keep the lines.”
Jiwoon answered with a languid smile.
“Even if you get a girlfriend, study with me sometimes.”
At Yechan’s words, Jiwoon nodded and repeated once more. Let’s keep the lines. Seo Yechan is different from Lee Jiwoon. This ends the moment you cross it.
“Right. Hyung, do you have gym clothes?”
“Yeah. Want to borrow them?”
“What size?”
“Two sizes bigger than me. It should fit you too. Let’s go.”
Jiwoon slowly got up. The sunshine was hot in weather close to early summer.
Yechan walked beside Jiwoon and went on about next week’s sports festival practice.
“Why do they even do things like 10-person 11-legged races?”
“To watch people fall. Are you participating too?”
“No. I hate bumping into people.”
“With your build, you’d probably hold the kids well.”
Jiwoon glanced at Yechan’s shoulder and soon raised his hand to touch his forearm. Yechan’s bare skin under his summer uniform shirt touched his palm.
The thick forearm was solid. Jiwoon, who had been gripping various parts of his arm, said:
“Yechan has a good body.”
“It’s average.”
Yechan said with a shrug.
“Do you still exercise these days?”
“I have to because of stamina. I do strength training after coming back from academy.”
Saying that, Yechan placed his palms here and there on Jiwoon’s back as he walked. For a moment, Jiwoon’s body stiffened slightly.
However, Yechan didn’t seem to notice. Yechan also placed his hand on Jiwoon’s upper chest. Even though he was wearing an undershirt, the hand felt hot through the thin summer uniform.
Jiwoon unconsciously furrowed his brow. And when Yechan’s hand touched below his solar plexus, Jiwoon had to quickly grab that hot hand.
“If you keep touching me, I’ll get excited.”
His heart was pounding. Feeling heat rising to his face, Jiwoon turned his eyes away from Yechan to look at the end of the hallway.
“I think hyung’s body is much better though. Hyung really worked out hard.”
Yechan chuckled in response. Jiwoon’s back, chest, and stomach were full of muscles characteristic of someone who exercised.
Unlike Yechan, who mainly built the large muscles of his shoulders and upper and lower body through swimming and strength training, Jiwoon’s body felt packed even with small muscles. So Yechan was genuinely impressed.
And watching such Yechan, Jiwoon had to keep biting various parts of his mouth.
Arriving at the classroom, Jiwoon took out his gym clothes and handed them to Yechan. The gym clothes carried the bitter yet sweet scent that came from Jiwoon’s house and from Jiwoon himself.
* * *
The day of the sports festival approached. Children wearing matching class t-shirts in various colors fluttered here and there like the international flags hanging in the schoolyard.
3rd year Class 2, Jiwoon was wearing a baby pink class t-shirt with white shorts and a white ball cap. Even though it was morning, his white face was fierce with a scowl from the already strongly beating sunlight.
Jiwoon, who had hidden under the zelkova tree behind the tent, gulped down a blue can of ion drink. The schoolyard, where the mood had just risen from doing the wave, was full of the unique vitality of high school students.
Someone tapped Jiwoon’s shoulder.
“Hyung.”
It was Yechan. Hello. A kid who often hung around with Yechan bowed in greeting and passed by them. It seemed they had been on their way somewhere together when they spotted Jiwoon and stopped.
“Why is it so hot today?”
Jiwoon held out the ion drink can he was drinking to Yechan. Yechan, who received the drink, took a sip and returned it. Jiwoon emptied the remaining drink.
“Already hot? Use this.”
Yechan took off the portable fan he was wearing around his neck. Then he turned on the switch and brought it in front of Jiwoon’s face. A surprisingly strong wind blew out.
Jiwoon closed his eyes in the cool breeze. After confirming that the fierce expression had completely disappeared from his white face, Yechan hung the fan around Jiwoon’s neck.
“Use it and give it back to me later.”
“You said you run hot.”
“It’s okay.”
Yechan’s face wearing a mint-colored class t-shirt and smiling looked especially bright compared to usual. Whoever picked this class t-shirt, I should fucking praise them, was the thought that naturally came to mind.
Jiwoon slightly lifted the edge of Yechan’s short sleeve. Then the sleeve of the white t-shirt worn underneath was revealed.
Jiwoon layered the t-shirt and folded up the sleeve a couple times. Yechan’s bare skin touching his fingertips also looked whiter than usual today.
“Pretty.”
Yechan, who was examining the clothing arrangement Jiwoon had fixed for him, was still smiling brightly.
“Don’t get hurt. Class 2 will win anyway, so don’t overdo it.”
“Class 4 is the one that’s going to win though?”
Yechan said with wide eyes as if confident. Jiwoon ignored Yechan’s words. His class would really take the victory.
“Hyung, look at my knee for a moment.”
“Suddenly?”
Yechan, who had spoken abruptly, crouched down in front of the bewildered Jiwoon. His hot fingers rubbed the faint scar remaining on his knee and then moved away.
Ah. Jiwoon unconsciously crushed the ion drink can.
“It’s faint, but there is a scar. What should we do?”
“I told you it doesn’t hurt. It’s fine. More than that, I should go.”
Jiwoon, who patted Yechan’s back a couple times, hurriedly headed to his class tent. All his nerves were focused on his knee that Yechan had caressed. The irritation that had risen from the heat had long since been replaced by a strange heat.
The schoolyard was like a battlefield with everyone screaming and cheering for each event. Minho, who had returned after finishing the short-distance run in 2nd place, shook his head as if disgusted by the sight of kids who would laugh and chatter but then quickly get angry and point fingers. An announcement flowed out.
“Next, 3rd years, we’ll have the 3rd year short-distance run. Participating students, please come forward.”
“Couldn’t get 1st place, Kim Minho?”
Sure enough, Taehyun put Minho in a headlock. Yechan, who had been watching the two play around, turned his gaze to the schoolyard.
He could see Jiwoon warming up, turning his head left and right, shaking his wrists. Soon, watching Jiwoon rotating his ankles and jumping in place a few times, Yechan’s lips relaxed loosely.
The race proceeded quickly. Yechan didn’t give even a glance to the other runners as he captured Jiwoon’s figure with his eyes.
Following instructions, Jiwoon stood at the starting line, took off his ball cap and put it on backwards. His small face stood out. His eyes looking at the finish line flashed.
“Oh, it’s Lee Jiwoon hyung.”
At Minho’s words, Taehyun released the headlock and turned his head toward the schoolyard.
Bang! As soon as the starting signal sounded, Jiwoon shot out cleanly. The calf muscles revealed under his shorts were taut. His arms and legs moved swiftly without obstruction.
Yechan thought Jiwoon was like a fish in water. The sensation he sometimes felt when swimming was being transmitted from Jiwoon.
When throwing yourself completely for only the goal, that moment of immersion would bring about freedom and liberation. It was exactly that feeling. Yechan unconsciously clenched his fists tightly.
“Wow, fucking fast. Class 4 is… last place.”
Taehyun, who had been looking for a senior from the same class, muttered with obvious disappointment. Kyaaaaaak! Scream-like cheers continued throughout the schoolyard.
“Wow, listen to the girls scream.”
Minho said, putting both hands to his ears. Jiwoon’s t-shirt, which had been hanging loosely when he was standing, fluttered in the wind revealing the outline of his torso.
Jiwoon crossed the finish line first, pushing forward his broad shoulders and solid chest. Waaaaaaak! Cheers erupted from Class 2.
“Ah, they’re tied now. Kim Minho, you bastard, you should have gotten 1st place!”
“You should have gone out and done it. No wait, if you had gone out, our class would be in last place right now.”
Even so, the combined score was 2nd place anyway, but Taehyun and Minho, who had been rejoicing and lamenting over that, started round 2.
Yechan only turned his head after confirming Jiwoon adjusting his ball cap and returning to his class. The t-shirt that had been fluttering in the wind was hanging loosely again.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
