ABM CH 4

Episode 4: Woo Yeonho Looks Great Even in Short Sleeves

It was a few days later, after I had somewhat recovered from my sinking mood, that I found a reply to the question I impulsively posted last time.

On my way to school, I absentmindedly checked the [What does it mean if a classmate touches my cheek and neck?] question, and there were as many as five replies.

I had already concluded that Woo Yeonho’s actions held no special meaning, so I wasn’t interested in the meaning of his actions. But I thought it would be polite to read them since people had taken the time to leave the replies. Plus, I needed to select the best answer. I swear, it wasn’t because I was curious.

[We need to know your gender to make a proper guess… But honestly, if he touched your neck and cheeks, it’s probably 100% that kind of meaning. Congrats!]

[I too was annoyed when a classmate kept pinching my cheeks. So when I asked him why, he said it was because he found me cute. We somehow ended up dating hehe. Maybe the person likes you or is interested in you like my boyfriend was. Oh, and if those actions make you uncomfortable, it’s good to firmly tell him to stop! No, don’t do it, stop. Got it?!]

[Green light.]

[It could just be a meaningless action, and you might be overthinking it. Do you perhaps like that person? Try not to interpret it positively and get hurt. This advice is from my experience, so please don’t take it the wrong way.]

[It’s a beautiful time in your life… Date a lot… People should meet many people… Don’t end up like me, who has never dated anyone. Seize opportunities when they come… Have a lovely relationship…]

Most of the replies suggested that something positive might come out of my situation with Woo Yeonho. They were telling me that I was special to him….. Maybe I should have mentioned my gender when I posted the question. It might have led to more detailed explanations, but then again, I might have been ridiculed for making a big deal out of being touched by another guy.

As my stop approached, I selected the fourth reply as the best answer. It was the most realistic. Even if Woo Yeonho touched my cheek and searched for the hidden mole on my neck, there was no way he could be my……. boyfriend. 

After all, I’m not a girl.

In any case, it was time to move on from these thoughts. Seeing Woo Yeonho’s face no longer made me feel sad or hurt. I had cried so much that my emotions seemed to have become dulled.

***

As May approached, the weather grew warmer and it felt more like early summer than spring. I didn’t like rain but I thought it would be okay to rain a bit on such a hot day. Since our school still required long sleeves, some students rolled up their sleeves, while others wore short-sleeve t-shirts under their uniforms and stripped down to just the t-shirts in class. Woo Yeonho was in the latter group.

“Annyeong, Seungwoo yah.”

Before I reached the main school gate, Woo Yeonho, dressed in a black t-shirt, greeted me with a bright smile. It felt as if the sunlight was shining just for him. It had been a while since I had looked directly at his face, so I rubbed my eyes a few times before calmly returning his greeting. Then, Woo Yeonho started walking closely beside me. Each time I moved away to avoid touching him, he would move closer again, and our arms brushed against each other at least six times.

Don’t overthink it. He’s just walking the same path because we’re in the same class. It doesn’t mean anything. See? He hasn’t said anything since the initial greeting.

“I haven’t seen you much lately.”

As I was climbing the stairs to the classroom, deep in these thoughts, Woo Yeonho suddenly spoke up. 

‘Can he read my mind?’ 

In some fantasy movies, characters have such abilities. Given that Woo Yeonho seems capable of anything he sets his mind to, it wouldn’t surprise me if he had that kind of power too.

“Are you mad at me for something?”

Woo Yeonho took a few steps up the stairs, blocking my path, and spoke. He was already tall, so I had to tilt my neck to look at him. But with him standing two steps above me, he looked quite imposing. I averted my gaze to the stair railing I was holding onto.

“…No… it’s nothing like that.”

“Oh, then is there something that you’re upset about?”

“No. It’s not… I don’t have any feelings for you…”

It’s not like I could ever be angry or disappointed with Woo Yeonho.

“Hmm, that’s hard to believe.”

I noticed Woo Yeonho’s foot coming down a step. Did he wear 285mm shoes? My foot size is 270mm, so there’s quite a difference. It seems that being tall also means having big feet. And now that I think about it, Woo Yeonho’s hands were big too.

His hand could easily wrap around my neck…

“Why are you sulking, Seungwoo?”

Woo Yeonho’s hand covered the back of my hand that was gripping the stair railing. My neck felt incredibly hot. I lowered my head as if I couldn’t look up, and it seemed that Woo Yeonho didn’t hear me when I muttered again that it wasn’t like that.

“Aren’t you going to answer me?”

Woo Yeonho’s other hand pressed against my cheeks and lifted my face up. I was sure I must have looked ridiculous with my cheeks squished like a dumpling. With my cheeks pressed, it was hard to move my lips, so I gripped the railing even tighter.

“…Come to think of it, I didn’t get an answer last time.”

What answer?

Before I could even comprehend what was happening, Woo Yeonho’s lips touched mine.

Lips that make a beautiful curve when he smiles. Sweeter and warmer than in the dreams.

“…….!”

I kissed Woo Yeonho.

Not in a dream or fantasy, but in reality. It felt like a very, very long time passed while we stayed like that.

During that moment, I noticed that Woo Yeonho’s eyebrows were neater and prettier than those of girls who wear makeup, his eyelashes were as light as his hair color, and the pleasant scent from him was actually shampoo.

If I hadn’t been startled by the strap of my loosely hanging bag slipping from my shoulder and resting on my arm, I might have wrapped my arms around Woo Yeonho’s neck. 

The bag contained only a few pens, a couple of notebooks for assignments, and the self-defense spray that my older sister insisted I carry. The weight of the light bag almost caused me to topple backward like a paper doll. I wondered if falling headfirst down the stairs would kill me. The absurd thing was that, for a moment, after kissing Woo Yeonho, I thought, ‘Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to die like this.’

In that brief moment. From just one kiss.

“Are you okay?”

Instead of falling, I ended up awkwardly sitting down. Woo Yeonho was now sitting in front of me, looking concerned. 

‘Would I be okay? Why did you suddenly kiss me?’

I wanted to ask why he did this…….. but my throat felt completely blocked. What were you thinking behind that unreadable expression?

All I could understand was that neither he nor I were quite normal.

Maybe he didn’t notice me swearing with my eyes because Woo Yeonho crouched down and smiled softly with his chin on his hand. 

His eyes, partially hidden beneath his light, soft hair, were half-closed, and the hand covering his mouth trembled slightly with his laughter. He seemed genuinely amused and delighted. I wanted to imprint that beautiful image a little longer, but Woo Yeonho pulled me up by my arm. His strength was so firm it felt like I was being lifted.

It was only after standing up, forcibly, that I realized the situation. We were standing on the school stairs. Specifically, the central stairs that students and teachers use the most. It would have been problematic if someone had seen us kissing.

I quickly glanced down at the bottom of the stairs and leaned my head to look up at the top. Fortunately, it was still early, and it seemed there were no students or teachers wandering around the stairs or hallways.

“Seungwoo yah.”

I was relieved that no one had seen us when Woo Yeonho called my name in such a gentle voice. 

Had my name ever sounded so sweet? I remembered my grandfather had given me this name. Thank you very much, Grandpa.

…No, I shouldn’t be so pleased. I was smiling without realizing it. I pressed my hand against my mouth to make sure I wasn’t smiling, but Woo Yeonho said.

“I’m really curious about you.”

With such a sweet voice.

From that moment on, I could hear nothing but Woo Yeonho’s voice.

What is he curious about? Whether my shoe size is 15mm smaller than his, or that my birthday in May is three months apart from his?

Or maybe he’s curious that the milk I drink every day is actually the same brand he said was good after trying it at school, or that the celebrity I dislike is the same one he once said he didn’t like for no reason?

Or the fact that he occupies everything around me to the point where the sentence of the story I want to tell cannot be complete without the name Woo Yeonho in it?

I almost impulsively said that I was curious about him too.

I knew enough about him, but it’s all just the surface. 

Will there ever be someone who gets to see the real you someday? Someone who you’d introduce as your girlfriend to friends, who’d kiss you without hesitation, hold your hand every day, and sometimes even indulge your whims?

While I was pouring out my thoughts internally, Woo Yeonho continued to hold the strap of the bag that was hanging from my arm and placed it on my shoulder. His attentive hand then brushed against my fingertips, very slowly, before his large hand tightly clasped mine.

So tightly that escape was impossible.

“So I need to get to know you better, Seungwoo.”

***

I pondered the meaning behind Woo Yeonho saying he wanted to know me better, while staring at his phone number.

That’s right. Today I not only kissed Woo Yeonho but also got his phone number. I wondered why such a simple combination of numbers looked so cool, but I kept staring at Woo Yeonho’s number on my phone, which I had set to never turn off its screen.

Woo Yeonho gave me his number and told me to contact him anytime, but I didn’t think that meant I should call him without any specific reason.

In the end, I had no answers, and I couldn’t bring myself to contact him. Still, Woo Yeonho’s number was saved in my phone, with his beautiful name written next to it.

Before going to bed, I clutched my phone in my hand and kicked my blanket with my feet. 

‘Is it really okay to feel this happy just because of a small piece of data?’