#009
“Don’t say such awful things.”
Lee Jiwoon and himself were just close sunbae-hubae. They occasionally ate together and studied together.
To imagine the two of them hooking up with each other as guys. Yechan’s appetite completely disappeared at such rude words, and he scowled with a serious expression.
“Ah, sorry, sorry. Really sorry.”
“The gay bastard is sitting right over there.”
Choi Yeon’s expression had soured after witnessing Jiwoon pouring snacks onto Yechan’s plate at the table across from them.
Seungwoo, who had turned his head following Yechan’s gaze, picked up a Vienna sausage and put it in his mouth as he spoke.
“Hey, don’t be so harsh to Yeon. That kid’s pitiful too.”
“Being pitiful and causing trouble for other people are two different things.”
“Hah, this one’s really got a nasty temper.”
“If you know, then don’t provoke me.”
“Alright, alright. Let’s eat.”
Seungwoo let out a small sigh and waved his hand as if to say ‘whatever happens, happens.’ Yechan barely finished the rest of his meal before getting up from his seat and walking away with the candy Jiwoon had given him in his mouth.
Before they knew it, it was full spring. The spring sunlight was hot. Only one day remained before the exam.
* * *
The midterm exams were finally over. After eating lunch and preparing for homeroom, Yechan had a message on his phone.
Lee Jiwoon: It’s over ㅏㅏ what are you doing today
Me: Nothing much
Lee Jiwoon: Let’s hang out
Me: I need to work on my incorrect answer notes
Lee Jiwoon: You said nothing much ㅠㅠ liar
Me: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Do senior year students have time to play?
Lee Jiwoon: I do
Me: Then do you want to come to my house? I think I’ll finish the incorrect answer notes quickly
Lee Jiwoon: You did well on the exam
Me: Just so-so ㅋㅋ See you at the entrance
Lee Jiwoon: ㅇㅇ
Today, Taehyun, Seungwoo, and Minho had sworn they would drag Yechan to the PC room no matter what, but Yechan had no intention of doing that at all. Leaving behind those who were wandering around looking for him, Yechan ran to the entrance.
Naturally, he didn’t tell them he was going home with Jiwoon either. Based on what happened at lunch before, if they got caught again, it felt like they’d drag him straight to an interrogation room.
Jiwoon was standing at the entrance that Yechan had rushed to. Yechan hid his body between the shoe lockers and stealthily approached, then reached his hand toward the head of Jiwoon, who had just turned to face outside. His approaching hand slyly grabbed and pulled out one of the earphones that was plugged into Jiwoon’s ear.
With a swift motion, the pale face turned toward Yechan. In his upturned eyes, a glimpse of double eyelids could be seen. The sharp gaze immediately softened the moment he confirmed the other person was Yechan.
Meeting eyes with him, Jiwoon smiled slightly and immediately started walking. Yechan grinned and held the earphone back out to Jiwoon.
“You listen.”
“What are you listening to?”
Yechan walked side by side next to Jiwoon. From the earphone in his ear flowed thumping beats and rap.
Yechan thought it was music that went well with Jiwoon’s swagger, and his lips curved up more. His uniform shirt sleeves were rolled up several times because of the heat, revealing Yechan’s forearms.
Jiwoon put both hands in his pants pockets and turned his gaze to the street trees that had somehow become green. The music continued.
“Hyung, do you want to wash up? I’m going to shower because I’m hot. I’ll lend you clothes.”
When they arrived at Yechan’s house, Jiwoon blinked at the sudden suggestion. After thinking for a moment, Jiwoon answered.
“Okay.”
While Yechan looked for clothes in the dressing room, Jiwoon put down his bag. Even though it was something he always did, for some reason his throat felt strangely dry like the first day he came to this house. Yechan came out of the dressing room and held out some clothes.
“These are clothes I wore in middle school, but I think the length will fit you, hyung.”
“Kind of annoying.”
Yechan laughed “haha” and went back into the dressing room to get his own clothes.
“Hyung, use this bathroom. I’ll use that one. There’s a new toothbrush in the cabinet.”
Yechan pointed this way and that way with his chin and disappeared like the wind after opening the door.
Jiwoon stood still for a moment, then soon took Yechan’s clothes and headed to the bathroom. This feeling is fucking weird.
The shower didn’t take long. Having quickly finished showering, Jiwoon put on the comfortable clothes Yechan had given him. The short-sleeved t-shirt was a bit loose, but the pants roughly fit in length.
Jiwoon headed to Yechan’s room while drying his hair with a towel. Yechan, who had apparently showered first, was already sitting in front of his study desk with a towel draped over his head, spinning his mechanical pencil.
“There’s moisturizer there. On the desk.”
“This?”
“Yes.”
Jiwoon twisted open the round moisturizer. The cream he roughly applied had a familiar scent.
It seems like this is mixed with something else. Jiwoon, who pondered Yechan’s scent once, sat across from Yechan for the incorrect answer notes.
Water droplets were dripping from Yechan’s head. Jiwoon stared intently at him biting his lip in concentration and raised his hand.
“Oh, it’s okay.”
“You’ll catch a cold.”
Jiwoon grabbed the towel and wiped the moisture from Yechan’s head. While doing so, he still held his own towel with one hand.
Jiwoon moved the towel here and there, shaking off the moisture simultaneously, then pushed the towel to one side.
“Hyung, please solve this for me.”
At Yechan’s words, Jiwoon picked up the mechanical pencil. Yechan listened to the explanation while nodding and concentrated again.
Jiwoon watched Yechan like that. Are all kids preparing for early admission like this? Jiwoon really only re-solved the problems he got wrong, but Yechan not only worked on wrong problems but also confusing ones and even worked himself to death on Suneung past problems that could be derived from them.
Having finished his incorrect answer notes long ago, Jiwoon moved to sit next to Yechan, who was sitting with his back against the bed. The round back of his head was close.
Jiwoon reached over the broad shoulders to grab a candy from the study desk and crunched on it.
“Yechan.”
“Yes.”
“Stop. Play with me.”
“I’m done.”
Yechan answered with a chuckle and moved his mechanical pencil quickly. Watching that, Jiwoon chewed and swallowed all the candy in his mouth.
Even after all the candy in his mouth had melted and disappeared, Yechan was still studying. Jiwoon rested his chin on Yechan’s shoulder.
“Play with me.”
“I’m really done.”
This time it seemed to be true, as Yechan soon closed his notebook and put down his mechanical pencil. “Whew,” Yechan’s shoulders went up and then down as he sighed in relief.
That sensation was somehow nice. Jiwoon asked without lifting his chin from Yechan’s shoulder.
“What’s your target university?”
“Korea University, Economics.”
“Ah.”
“What about you, hyung?”
“I’m just going to Korea University. Any department is fine. I’m going to law school anyway.”
As Jiwoon continued speaking, Yechan suddenly shuddered and trembled his shoulders. Jiwoon’s cold hair touching his neck was ticklish.
“Haha.” Yechan laughed quietly and held his phone up toward his face. Both their figures were reflected in the black screen.
Being stuck together like this is ticklish. When he turned on the screen and pressed the camera button, he and Jiwoon’s images appeared.
Both their hair was still damp and moist. Compared to Jiwoon’s jet-black hair, his own hair had lighter pigmentation.
I want to take a picture. At the sudden thought, Yechan looked at the camera and smiled. Light dimples appeared on both cheeks.
Jiwoon was staring intently at what was in front of him, just like that time at the morning assembly. His slightly sanpaku eyes and plump lips created a cold atmosphere on his white face.
He liked it. Yechan pressed the button as it was. A click sound echoed.
“…What.”
At the sudden sound, Jiwoon turned his head toward Yechan. Yechan shuddered his shoulders again.
“Ahaha, hyung. It tickles.”
Jiwoon’s lips almost touched Yechan’s earlobe. Jiwoon smoothly lifted his face from Yechan’s shoulder.
Yechan shrugged his shoulders a few more times and sent the photo through messenger. Jiwoon, with a somewhat blank expression, was captured together with the brightly smiling Yechan.
Seo Yechan is pretty. Jiwoon saved the photo.
“What should we do for fun? Do you want to watch a movie?”
“Okay.”
At the immediate acceptance, Yechan took Jiwoon to the living room. He turned on the large TV and looked for movies with quite practiced form.
“Should we watch this? It was famous. I haven’t seen it yet.”
Yechan looked at a classic romance featured on the main page and asked. Jiwoon nodded.
The movie was interesting. It was a story about two people who broke up while contemplating marriage and then reunited. Around the latter half of the movie, Yechan brought a large container of ice cream.
On the TV screen, the reunited couple was kissing, and then the movie ended. Outside the window had become completely dark.
While eating the remaining ice cream, Yechan asked.
“When do you want to get married, hyung?”
“I’m not thinking about it.”
“Why?”
“Looking at my dad and mom, you know. Seeing them live married without really loving each other looks fucking boring.”
“Hmm… Then hyung would only get married if you found someone you really love.”
“I guess. So when do you want to get married?”
Jiwoon thought about himself living married to someone. Unless the other person was quite special, it would probably end up boring.
Yechan scooped ice cream and put it in his mouth.
“I think I’ll just get married at an appropriate time too. Hyung, that kind of romance only exists in movies, right?”
“Why are you asking me?”
To Yechan asking with sparkling eyes, Jiwoon replied as if dumbfounded.
“You’ve dated a lot, hyung.”
And at those words spoken as if it were natural, Jiwoon was at a loss for words. It was definitely true that he’d had quite a few relationships he’d labeled as girlfriends.
While Jiwoon was choosing what to say in response, Yechan grinned.
“Han Seungwoo told me. He said you had a truckload of girlfriends, hyung.”
“A truckload?”
“Yes. I’ve only dated once, so I don’t really know. So hyung, who’s met a truckload, tell me. Does that kind of love really exist?”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Ah, I think my fantasy just got destroyed. Right now.”
To Yechan, who was cheekily clutching his chest area and laughing, Jiwoon chuckled and replied.
“Why didn’t you date more? Didn’t you get a lot of confessions?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
