ABM CH 5

Episode 5: The Apple Juice Tasted Sweet Even Without Drinking

‘How many people at school know Woo Yeonho’s phone number?’

How about the people who actually exchange messages with him? At school, Woo Yeonho was the only one who knew my number. Oh, and the homeroom teacher, of course.

Anyway, I was no longer just one of the 34 classmates. Even if Woo Yeonho and I were in different classes next year, I would still be one of the people who knew his phone number. Somehow, it felt like my status had risen.

“You smile a lot, our Seungwoo.”

Woo Yeonho said ‘<em>our</em> Seungwoo.’^[1] I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling and not to let my lips curve upward any further.

Woo Yeonho had come to me whenever he had the time these days. 

Even now, as soon as the third period ended and it was break time, Woo Yeonho sat in the seat of my classmate who had run off to the school store. He had been fiddling with his phone and somehow noticed me, commenting on my smile. 

Woo Yeonho must have eyes on the sides and back of his head, as well as on top. I tried to play it cool, pretending it wasn’t true.

“If anyone saw, they’d think you two were dating.”

Kim Jungwoo, who claimed to be Woo Yeonho’s best friend said. He dragged a chair to my desk and sat down, grumbling. He was sulking because he felt that Woo Yeonho had been taken away from him. What a delusional guy.

In the end, it all depended on Woo Yeonho, so complaining to me was useless.

‘I guess it’s natural. He doesn’t know the real Woo Yeonho, after all.’

Kim Jungwoo propped his elbows on the desk and rested his chin on his hands, staring intently at me as if he were judging me—deciding if I was worthy of being near Woo Yeonho or if I was someone who should be kept away. If anyone saw this, they might have thought that he was Woo Yeonho’s personal manager.

I didn’t particularly like Kim Jungwoo. His behavior was questionable and he had a constantly changing stream of girlfriends visiting our class. He also bragged about the love confessions Woo Yeonho received as if they were his own.

Last time, Kim Jungwoo loudly proclaimed that another boy from a different school had confessed to Woo Yeonho and he even encouraged him to give it a try out of curiosity. 

What a terrible jerk.

Did the boy who confessed to Woo Yeonho know that Kim Jungwoo was blabbing about his business? He must have mustered an enormous amount of courage, only to have it fall into the hands of such a gossipmonger………… Poor kid.

From what I had seen, Kim Jungwoo was nothing but a bad influence on Woo Yeonho, like a germ spreading negativity. He was always dragging Woo Yeonho around with girls, showing off, and engaging in all sorts of mischief. Even though we hadn’t talked much since becoming classmates, I had already pegged him as the worst kind of person. He even had a mean look about him. It would be better if Woo Yeonho didn’t associate with him.

When that jerk and I stared at each other’s faces without saying anything, Woo Yeonho spoke up.

“Seungwoo yah, do you know him?”

“What are you talking about? Of course he knows me, we’re in the same class. Right?” 

Kim Jungwoo said, playfully punching my arm. He was as big as Woo Yeonho, so it hurt quite a bit. I frowned and nodded.

There was no way I didn’t know him. That jerk.

“I thought I was the only one you looked at.”

I turned my head at Woo Yeonho’s lower-toned voice, stopping mid-glance at Kim Jungwoo. Woo Yeonho was staring at me with a slightly pouted expression, which made him look incredibly cute, as if he were sulking.

How could I not know him when I’m always watching you…… Wait, was Woo Yeonho actually sulking?

“Uh, no… I…”

“Wow, it really feels like you guys are dating. You guys give me the creeps. Hey, are you gay?”

Kim Jungwoo said with an unpleasant smile. It was not worth listening to, but I shook my head vigorously, worried that Woo Yeonho might misunderstand. Kim Jungwoo, with his usual nonsense about strong denials being affirmations, really needed to shut his mouth.

“Stop it, you will be dizzy.”

Woo Yeonho said, cupping my ears with his hands. Wouldn’t Kim Jungwoo misunderstand this close contact? I was worried about that so I turned my eyes towards Kim Jungwoo, even though my head was being held, but he kept his mouth shut for some reason.

“You kept getting distracted.”

I was just about to deny it when the bell signaling the start of the fourth period rang. Our Korean teacher, who had been waiting outside, came in immediately, tapping the blackboard and telling everyone to take their seats.

Kim Jungwoo quickly got up and returned to his seat, while Woo Yeonho also stood up and….

“Let’s have lunch together later.”

Woo Yeonho’s hand brushed my cheek again. He was touching me as he pleased, and it had already happened three times today.

‘Did Woo Yeonho always touch others this much?’

I couldn’t remember. I thought about Woo Yeonho throughout the class, barely hearing the teacher’s explanation of the midterm exam material, like I was under hypnotized.

‘When did Woo Yeonho become a hypnotist?’

Ah, I was going crazy. My ear was aching, likely from blushing again, so I covered my left ear, which was closer to Woo Yeonho’s seat.

The lunch that day was bean rice, soybean paste stew, stir-fried shredded potatoes, radish kimchi, and Vienna sausages. For dessert, there was milk and an apple, both of which Woo Yeonho had mentioned he liked. Sitting with Woo Yeonho in the cafeteria naturally drew a lot of attention.

‘Woo Yeonho has never eaten with someone like me before….’

I couldn’t tell if I was eating or breathing through my nose because of the attention. In fact, it was more because Woo Yeonho kept staring at me. 

Apart from Woo Yeonho, Kim Jungwoo and his girlfriend, and some other kids I’d seen in the old building were also sitting at the table. From a distance, it was clear that Woo Yeonho was mostly listening rather than talking. But when I noticed Woo Yeonho’s gaze focused on me, I realized Woo Yeonho wasn’t paying attention to their conversation.

I was sure that he wasn’t paying attention when Kim Jungwoo, who was chatting animatedly, asked Woo Yeonho something, and Woo Yeonho looked very clueless. I couldn’t help but twitch my lips, but I wondered if Woo Yeonho noticed.

Since Woo Yeonho kept staring at me, I barely ate my lunch, leaving us with plenty of time. I was back in the classroom, sipping the milk that I brought with me from my home. When I heard Woo Yeonho, who had been out somewhere else, called me, I raised my head.

“Are you drinking milk so diligently to grow taller?” 

Woo Yeonho chuckled, wiping my mouth. It seemed I had some milk on my lips, and he kindly cleaned it off.

Was Woo Yeonho always this gentle? Oh, right. I guess he was.

I had never really thought about my height, but standing next to Woo Yeonho made me realize it would be nice to be a bit taller so it wouldn’t be so hard to look at his face. 

I tilted my head back and wiped my mouth with my sleeve because Woo Yeonho kept rubbing my lips. 

It was getting too ticklish to endure otherwise.

“Seungwoo yah.” 

Woo Yeonho crouched beside my desk, put his arms on it. He rested his head on his arms  and looked up at me from an angle.

‘He looks like he’s…’ 

Oh my god, Park Seungwoo, what are you thinking?! I was so startled by my thoughts that I tightly gripped the milk carton I was holding. Thankfully, there wasn’t much left inside, so nothing spilled out.

“Do you want to kiss again?”

“….crazy……”

I was so shocked that I covered Woo Yeonho’s mouth with my hand and quickly looked around. I didn’t realize I had such quick reflexes. 

Fortunately, it was still lunchtime. Most of the students were either outside on the playground or at the snack bar, and the few who remained in the classroom were too busy to hear Woo Yeonho’s crazy words.

“……!!”

No, I felt like I was going crazy. Woo Yeonho grabbed my wrist and started rubbing his lips against my palm as he pleased.

“…S-stop… If someone sees us…”

What’s gotten into him? I tried to pull my hand away from Woo Yeonho’s grip, twisting and turning, but his hand didn’t budge an inch.

‘Does all his strength come from what he eats?’

Woo Yeonho completely covered the back of my hand with his own, intertwining his fingers with mine. Each time his lips touched our clasped fingers, my joints curled reflexively. It was an eerie sensation, different from a kiss. 

The spots Woo Yeonho touched felt like they were burning, and I thought I might get a blister if it continued. I waved my arm desperately, but Woo Yeonho just tightened his grip and seemed to enjoy it more.

“…Ugh…”

I had no intention of wrestling with Woo Yeonho, and I couldn’t hold out any longer. When I saw his mischievous eyes teasing me, I pushed his forehead, using all my strength.

“Ouch, ouch…”

Woo Yeonho finally let go, feigning pain after resisting briefly. They say when your heart beats like this, your blood circulates faster, but I wasn’t sure if it was good or bad for my health.

The back of my hand, which Woo Yeonho had held, was red. My face was probably the same, and Woo Yeonho lightly tapped my cheek as he spoke.

“You whimpered like a puppy, so I wanted to tease you. Sorry.”

Tease me twice, and you’ll drive me crazy.

It seemed that to Woo Yeonho, the gaze of others was really a trivial matter. Even if someone actually saw us, Woo Yeonho wouldn’t bat an eye.

I lowered my hands under the desk and clasped them tightly, afraid that Woo Yeonho might grab my hand again. My hands were extremely hot, perhaps from the transferred heat.

Once was enough for such impulsive behavior. I spoke very firmly to stop Woo Yeonho from doing this again.

“…Don’t do that again.”

“Will you be mad if I say no?”

Me, mad at Woo Yeonho? 

I tried to imagine it for a moment, but such a thing could never happen. Not just for me; who could ever be mad at Woo Yeonho?

“……..No.”

“You really like me, huh?”

“…”

For the first time, I thought that Woo Yeonho was annoying. How could he be so confident about knowing if I liked him?

‘…Did I ever tell Woo Yeonho I liked him?’

Suddenly, I remembered that I had said something like that to avoid dealing with him further. But how could he know whether I meant it or not?

Woo Yeonho didn’t explicitly say he wouldn’t do it again. Seemingly not to consider my feelings at all, he took my crumpled milk carton and replaced it with an apple juice, saying he noticed I enjoyed the apple earlier. I carefully put it into my bag.

“Aren’t you going to drink it?”

“…I’ll have it later…”

Woo Yeonho didn’t say anything more and just smiled.