TWYW C17

Gyeoul, who had entered his first midterm exam period in college, was spending a busier time than ever, juggling his studies, his part-time job at a café, and his tutoring sessions. Moreover, he had to prepare for Yuho’s midterms at the same time, so Gyeoul was shouldering a heavy burden. If by any chance Yuho’s grades didn’t improve, no, the worst-case scenario would be if his grades dropped, Gyeoul didn’t even want to entertain such a thought.

After finishing his tutoring session, Gyeoul walked toward the bus stop, habitually looking around on his way home. Lately, it was difficult to see Yuhyeon’s face outside of their shared liberal arts class. Not only were there many people looking for Yuhyeon, but he was also likely in his midterm period, so he wasn’t often seen on campus. On his way to tutoring today, he had held a small hope that he might see Yuhyeon, but unfortunately, he couldn’t meet him. Gyeoul wondered how he had come to seek out Yuhyeon so much, but in any case, he had to return home with the sense of emptiness from not having met him.

“…I’m home.”

“Oh, did your tutoring session go well today?”

His mother, whom he met in the living room, approached Gyeoul.

“Yes….”

“I spoke with that lady from the house the other day, and she said it’s high school midterms soon. I trust my son won’t let me down.”

Gyeoul also had midterms around the same time, but he didn’t think his mother was aware of that fact. And even if she did know, she wouldn’t even care.

“Yes, I’ll work harder.”

“Gyeoul, working hard is a given, you have to do well. Right?”

“…Yes, I’ll do well.”

Every time Gyeoul exchanged words with his mother, his chest felt tight, as if he had indigestion. Gyeoul simply spat out the answers she wanted to hear to end the conversation quickly and went into his room. Gyeoul quickly washed up in the bathroom and then sat down not at his bed, but at his desk to work on an important assignment. The assignment was in place of a midterm exam, so it was lengthy, and he had to start preparing early amidst his busy schedule.

Just as he was about to finish the portion he had set for the day, his phone, which was on his desk, started ringing. After checking the name, Gyeoul immediately pressed the call button.

—Lee Gyeoul.

“Yes.”

—Did you decide to give up on the liberal arts class?

“What? No, I didn’t.”

—Then why haven’t you contacted me first to work on the assignment.

Even though he was always looking for Yuhyeon, Gyeoul had completely forgotten that he had a legitimate reason to contact him.

“I, I was going to.”

—When. After I graduate?

“N-No, but senior, when do you graduate?”

—Not gonna tell you.

“Ah, why….”

—You said you weren’t interested in me.

It was something Gyeoul had said to him a few times before.

“No, that’s….”

—That’s what.

“…I am interested.”

Annoyed by Yuhyeon’s words that kept teasing him, Gyeoul ended up blurting out his true feelings unintentionally. The sound of his laughter coming through the phone made the shell of Gyeoul’s ear burn hot.

—If Lee Gyeoul just does well on the assignment, next semester will probably be my last.

For a moment, the thought of not doing the assignment crossed Gyeoul’s mind, but since his scholarship was on the line, he had to finish the assignment with Yuhyeon well.

“Um, I’ve finished writing the report.

—Then what time are you free tomorrow.

“Wh-Why.”

Why is he suddenly asking for my time.

Gyeoul’s heart began to beat a little faster.

—Why? You think I’m asking you on a date right now?

Oh, right. The assignment.

Gyeoul was so captivated by the sound of Yuhyeon’s voice, which he hadn’t heard in a while, that he had foolishly just asked back when Yuhyeon asked if he was free tomorrow.

“N-No, it’s not that. It’s because of the assignment.”

Again, a low laugh flowed from the phone. Gyeoul pointlessly rubbed his ear, which must have already turned red.

—Actually, you’re right, I am asking you on a date.

“….”

When Gyeoul, stunned by his words, gave no reply for a moment, the sound of laughter filled with mischief grew a little louder.

“…Jeez… you keep teasing me….”

The sound of Yuhyeon’s voice, who wouldn’t stop laughing, kept tickling Gyeoul’s ear.

—Baby, let’s have an assignment date in the club room tomorrow.

“I’m not a baby….”

—I know. If you want to be an adult, stop biting your lip.

Surprised that Yuhyeon, who couldn’t possibly see him, knew that he was biting his lower lip, Gyeoul gently released the lip he had been tormenting.

—What time do you want to meet tomorrow.

“Um… around one….”

—Okay. Let’s meet then. Sleep well, Lee Gyeoul.

“I’m not going to sleep yet.”

—There you go again, not taking my words nicely.

“…You too, se-senior, sleep well….”

After whispering in a barely audible voice, Gyeoul put down his phone, the last thing he heard being the sound of Yuhyeon’s soft laughter. That night, Yuhyeon’s voice kept ringing in his ears, and Gyeoul had to keep fiddling with the ear he had held the phone to.

₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊

Feeling his steps were lighter than usual for some reason, Gyeoul came to school and, after finishing his back-to-back lectures since the morning, headed to the club room during a much-needed break. The club room was located close to the building where his last lecture was held, so Gyeoul arrived a little earlier than the promised time and opened the door. While waiting for Yuhyeon, who hadn’t arrived yet, he took out his major’s textbook and began studying for the upcoming exam. The scope was so wide and most of the questions were in essay format, so he had to cram as much information as possible into his head. Given the nature of the Creative Writing department, everyone would surely use dazzling writing skills, so to get a good grade among them, he couldn’t afford to read a single letter carelessly.

“Studying hard, I see.”

Yuhyeon opened the club room door and came in.

“You seem surprisingly diligent, so why don’t you care about the liberal arts assignment?”

“N-No… I really was going to do it….”

Yuhyeon chuckled and sat down right next to Gyeoul, placing a wrapped sandwich on the table.

“You’ve had a sandwich before, right?”

“…I have had one.”

Gyeoul glared with narrowed eyes at Yuhyeon, who started teasing him as soon as he saw him. Yuhyeon casually ignored him, unwrapped the sandwich in front of him, and placed it in Gyeoul’s hand.

“You probably haven’t had lunch.”

“Did you eat, senior?”

“Yeah. I’ll be reading the report you wrote, so go ahead and eat.”

Who did he eat with.

A question quietly surfaced in Gyeoul’s mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask, so he took a bite of the sandwich Yuhyeon had put in his hand. Unlike the ones Gyeoul usually bought from the convenience store, this sandwich, filled to the brim with ham, tomato, and lettuce, was perfectly to his taste.

“You’re eating well.”

Watching Gyeoul quietly eat his sandwich, a smile formed on Yuhyeon’s lips.