ABM CH18

Chapter 18: A Word That Can Attach to Everything: ‘I Like You’

Woo Yeonho’s gaze, fixed on me, was calm and composed. Although he claimed it was a shame, his expression didn’t seem to care much one way or the other. What puzzled me most was why he made that comment while looking at me.

‘Does he know he’d look good in rabbit ears? Is he expecting me to agree with him?’

I spent a moment trying to interpret his words and eventually nodded, convinced that must be it. In response, Woo Yeonho laughed aloud.

His laughter sent tiny vibrations through the hand that was still playing with my hair, and the sensation left my chest feeling unbearably ticklish. I couldn’t focus on the other things the girl was showing Woo Yeonho—something about mice or bears? Surely it wasn’t elephant ears?

Eventually, the class agreed to settle on black T-shirts for the group outfit, a concession made to the boys, who had grudgingly approved of the cat ear headbands after much debate between cat and dog ears.

The intense energy that had gone into deciding between cats and dogs left the rest of the decisions half-hearted, and by the time it came to selecting a cheer song, most of the class had checked out.

Woo Yeonho, seemingly just as uninterested, had started sending me messages despite sitting right beside me:

“I’m bored ㅠㅠ”

“Let’s go together when this is over, Seungwoo.”

Why does he do such ridiculously adorable things?

Near the end of it all, the homeroom teacher finally made an appearance, perhaps feeling a little guilty for dumping all the work on the class president. To make up for it, he brought in hamburgers and pizzas for everyone, telling us to eat well and clean up after ourselves before leaving yet again.

‘Woo Yeonho doesn’t like fast food. He won’t eat it.…Will he be hungry?’

I glanced over at him, worried, but as usual, he didn’t seem bothered by anything.

The teacher could have given us something healthier instead of fast food. I wondered if the school store was still open. Then again, Woo Yeonho didn’t seem like someone who frequented the store either.

While unwrapping the burger, I watched as Woo Yeonho placed a straw in my cola. Even though he wasn’t eating anything, he still neatly squeezed ketchup beside the fries. 

Why was he so kind? Did he do this for the person who sat next to him before me? Feeling awkward under the weight of my thoughts, I picked up one of the fries he’d organized and held it out to him.

“You, you should eat too…”

I said it more out of politeness, knowing he wouldn’t, but Woo Yeonho surprised me by smiling brightly and replying casually.

“Aren’t you going to dip it in ketchup for me?”

“Oh, right. H-here.”

Flustered, I quickly dipped the fry in ketchup and offered it again. Instead of taking it with his hand as I expected, Woo Yeonho leaned forward and ate it directly.

Although his lips didn’t actually touch my fingers, my entire face and hands flushed hot. I tried to cool my hands by wiping them on my pants or clenching them into fists before returning to my burger. 

Meanwhile, Woo Yeonho, unbothered as always, grinned and asked for another fry, saying how tasty it was.

I found myself annoyed by his shamelessness. I almost dipped another fry in an absurdly large amount of ketchup to spite him but stopped myself, worried someone might see us. Instead, I pretended not to hear and focused on finishing my burger.

The burger was good—really good. The problem was Woo Yeonho staring at me so intently while I ate that I couldn’t even tell if the food was going into my mouth or my nose.

Since he refused to touch the burgers or pizza, the leftover burger ended up in the hands of Kim Jungwoo, who happened to pass by. As for the pizza, I ate two slices.

“You have such a good appetite, Seungwoo.”

Woo Yeonho said while watching me. His tone sounded innocent, but it stung, as if he were indirectly calling me a pig. It was like hearing my own thoughts about Kim Jungwoo reflected back at me, and the realization left me feeling oddly attacked.

***

Even so, two slices of pizza and a hamburger was too much. As I walked home, I felt an unpleasant fullness in my stomach. It was still a little too early for summer, so it was already dark. A streetlight flickered, and I focused on it when Woo Yeonho, who had been walking with me to the bus stop, spoke up.

“Seungwoo, do you have plans today?”

“…? Oh, no…”

‘It’s a weekday evening. There’s no way I have plans…’

But it seemed like Woo Yeonho did. He probably didn’t have a girlfriend yet, so maybe he was meeting someone else like that? I wondered what Woo Yeonho would be like outside of school.

While waiting for the signal, I was imagining Woo Yeonho outside of school when he spoke again.

“Then, do you want to go watch a movie with me?”

The last remnants of the sunset reflected on Woo Yeonho’s face, which looked so beautiful that I got distracted by it, and only then did I realize his voice had reached my ears.

“Huh…?”

“Is that a no?”

A flurry of questions came rushing into my mind.

‘A movie? Suddenly? At this time? Why me?’

Most of the things I couldn’t figure out, so I ended up mumbling and stumbling over my words. Woo Yeonho, with a pitiful expression on his face, was looking at me.

The sunset had completely disappeared, but now the surrounding streetlights were bright, and his face was so clearly visible that it became a problem.

‘He’s using that pitiful look to ask me? If I say no, I’d be a huge jerk, right? It’s like a lost puppy face.’

Of course, I knew it was all an act, but knowing that and actually dealing with it were two different things. What was the big deal about watching a movie together? Why was he putting on such a performance?

‘Do the people who say they’re friends with Yeonho never go to the movies with him?’

The more I thought about it, the more I felt frustrated with the people around him. I wanted to say yes right away, but when it came time to answer, my mouth wouldn’t move.

My thoughts were spiraling, one after the other, so much that I couldn’t find the words to speak.

‘What if this is another test? What if he’s just joking, and if I respond too eagerly, he’ll think I’m too easy? How should I answer?’

I was absentmindedly fiddling with the hem of my shirt when Woo Yeonho grabbed my wrist. Startled, I looked up and saw him still smiling kindly at me. Oh, the signal must have changed. He tugged my hand and said,

“Think about it later, just walk carefully, Seungwoo.”

As we walked, Woo Yeonho matched his stride to mine and didn’t let go of my hand until we had crossed the street. His kindness made me forget my hesitation for a moment, and I ended up saying something unrelated, ignoring the priorities I had been thinking about.

“…I guess you really like watching movies.”

It seemed like Woo Yeonho hadn’t expected me to ask something like that.

‘Was that random? I should have just said yes.’

I took a brief pause, but soon resumed walking.

“I do. What about you?”

“Ah… I guess… I like them, too.”

I answered a bit slower than usual, turning my face away to hide the heat spreading across my cheeks.

So, this is what Woo Yeonho meant by saying “I like it.”

It was a little different from what I had imagined before falling asleep sometimes. It was different from when he said he liked tomatoes, and even different from the scenario I had sometimes imagined where Woo Yeonho confesses his feelings to someone.

‘When Woo Yeonho likes someone, they’ll hear this every day, right?’

I started to feel a little envious of the person whose face, name, and existence I didn’t even know. Just then, instead of holding my wrist, Woo Yeonho took my hand. Even with the slow movement, I felt a tingling sensation that made my chest tighten.

His hand was bigger than mine, almost as if it completely enveloped mine. He even started to gently swing our hands back and forth.

‘It looks like he’s enjoying this… but, gah, someone might see us, I should really let go of his hand, right?’

“Uh, um… your hand…”

“Who’s over there?”

“Uh…?”

“You always call me ‘you there,’ but you said you’d call me by my name.”

Woo Yeonho’s eyes had a mischievous glint below his gaze, and I realized that he was teasing me.

He probably wouldn’t care what I called him, yet he kept acting all pouty, as if he were upset.

“You’re being mean. I was really looking forward to it…”

“…”

“Seungwoo, don’t you like my name?”

‘…Woo Yeonho is pouting? No way.’

I could tell this was just him trying to mess with me. Being close to Woo Yeonho like this was frustrating.

If there were someone else here, and I were watching this from far away, I’d understand exactly what Woo Yeonho was thinking right now.

I looked down at the hand Woo Yeonho was holding and muttered excuses in response to his question about why I hadn’t called his name.

“…I… I just felt awkward doing it. There haven’t really been… that many chances to call you by your name… and also…”

While saying that, I tried to wriggle my hand free from his grip, but I couldn’t move it at all.

‘Is there really such a difference in strength between us, even though Woo Yeonho and I are both guys?’

No matter how much bigger and stronger Woo Yeonho was than me, it didn’t seem fair.

“Hey, can you… let go of my hand? What if someone sees…?”

“Mm….Nope!”

Woo Yeonho’s voice still held that playful tone. Now, I was starting to get a little worried. There were probably still people like Kim Jungwoo nearby, and the girl who had been looking for rabbit ears for him, and even the class president might be around. I deliberately slowed my pace and called out to Woo Yeonho.

“Y-Yeon… ho yah…”

My voice didn’t sound like my own. Even though I had practiced a lot, it felt impossible to pronounce it properly in front of him. My tongue felt stiff, and my lips were dry and tight as I spoke.

‘What if Woo Yeonho gets upset?’

I had called out to him because he asked me to, but now I was losing my confidence. It felt like there was a lump in my throat, and I was getting anxious.

“Please… let go of my hand, Yeonho…”

Even after saying that, Woo Yeonho didn’t respond. I thought maybe he hadn’t heard me because my voice was too quiet, so I was about to try again when he finally spoke.

“Seungwoo, you…”

Woo Yeonho didn’t seem like he was planning to let go of my hand anytime soon. In the distance, I could see the rest of our classmates gathered at the bus stop.

‘Does Woo Yeonho not see them?’

It was getting dark, but for those with good eyesight, they might be able to spot us holding hands.

‘Who in our class has good eyesight?’

Fortunately, Woo Yeonho stopped walking. He paused for a moment, looked away, and then turned to face me, taking my other hand into his and wrapping it firmly in his own.

‘Was Woo Yeonho’s hand always this warm? Or is it just because it’s hot? But has Woo Yeonho ever been sensitive to heat?’

It wasn’t particularly hot at night, though. It hadn’t been this warm just a while ago…

‘Huh? When did Woo Yeonho get this close?’

“Do you want to go watch a movie at my place?”

Woo Yeonho whispered this, as if no one else could hear. I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut, thinking he was about to kiss me again. But when I opened my eyes, the whisper left me feeling empty.

The sound of passing cars and someone shouting from the nearby apartment complex mixed together in a disorienting way.

‘What was I just thinking?’

Looking at me with a sweet smile, Woo Yeonho said, “It’s not far to my house.”

“…”

“There’s chocolate, your favorite kind, too.”

So, wait. What was he saying? Where are we going again?