ABM CH13

Chapter 13: Why Doesn’t Woo Yeon-ho’s Nose Grow?

I wondered if the entire class had changed seats on the day I was absent. My desk drawer was stuffed full of chocolates, candies, cookies, and gum, leaving no room for my hand. At first, I thought it was trash, but as I pulled things out one by one, I realized they were all brand new and still in their packaging.

‘Valentine’s Day and White Day are all in the past, right? Did someone mistake my desk for theirs? It’s probably best not to touch this.’

Still, this was really childish. How could someone think that leaving this behind would make the other person like them? I was curious who would do something so immature—definitely not someone from our class, judging by the mix-up.

‘Oh, this must be the stuff Woo Yeon-ho brought last time. He said it was delicious, so he brought some more after that.’

“Woo Yeon-ho put that in there yesterday.”

As I carefully returned the wrinkled packaging back into the drawer, the kid who always took my seat during break and disappeared to the cafeteria said this while still holding a lollipop in his mouth.

‘What was this kid’s name again?’

It didn’t matter what his name was; what mattered was that Woo Yeon-ho had put these here.  

It seemed like the gift-giving spree had started up again. Did he receive a lot of gifts yesterday? What day was it yesterday?  

I picked out the smallest piece of chocolate from the drawer and fiddled with the packaging. It looked like he hadn’t really wanted to eat it if he just tossed it in there like this. As I rolled it around in my hand, the corners got crumpled, and the wrapping became terribly damaged. I wasn’t really in the mood to eat it. Why should I eat something given to Woo Yeon-ho by someone I didn’t even know?  

‘Do they even know if he likes sweet things or salty things?’

Thinking about those kids who would fall for his looks and just chase after him made me feel sick. It was the same for Woo Yeon-ho. If he just clearly said he didn’t like it, he wouldn’t have to deal with gifts like this.  

Yeah, thinking about it again, those kids weren’t really at fault. It was Woo Yeon-ho who was acting in a way that gave them false hope. Because he smiled and acted like anything was good, it made them imagine ridiculous scenarios and hold on to nonsensical hopes.  

These days, I was overwhelmed with feelings of sadness at random times. Usually, it happened when I thought of Woo Yeon-ho’s pretty face or recalled his annoying actions that didn’t match that face.  

‘Just yesterday, he said he missed me…’  

Woo Yeon-ho, who casually tossed snacks from girls who liked him into my drawer, still hadn’t come to school yet.  

‘If he said he missed me, shouldn’t he come early?’  

Whenever he opened his mouth to tease me, challenge me, or lie, I wanted to hit that mouth until I felt better. I wanted to stop him from speaking altogether.  

As I imagined throwing everything in the drawer at Woo Yeon-ho, the kid in front suddenly leaned forward toward me. Then, he stared directly at my face.  

‘What’s he trying to say? Could it be that he has put in something here too? Does he like Woo Yeon-ho too?’  

“If you can’t eat all of it, let’s share.”  

“…??”  

I felt a bit anxious, wondering if he would ask why he had what I gave to Woo Yeon-ho and end up hitting me. But that tension turned into an absurd relief when I realized it was just a silly suggestion. I checked his expression, which was devoid of any laughter. His dark eyes sparkled, making him look innocent.  

He had an expression that looked like a child asking his mother for pocket money, which made my previously tense shoulders relax.  

“Woo Yeon-ho said it’s okay to share with you if he gives his permission.”  

When I didn’t respond, the kid added that and then shifted his gaze back to my hand.  

‘This… I’ve seen this somewhere. Was it on TV? Or in a movie?’  

I think I’d seen something similar in the park near my house. It was the way a dog would look at its owner when a treat was placed on their palm… What happens next? Would the dog rush in if it didn’t get it?  

“…Uh… Sure, let’s eat.”  

It wasn’t like I hadn’t eaten for days, and I wasn’t some wild animal, so I wouldn’t just throw reason out the window and pounce on a tiny piece of chocolate the size of my thumb. Plus, since I didn’t really like sweets anyway, it didn’t matter if I was given some. So it wasn’t because I was scared.

I placed the chocolate I was holding on the desk and grabbed a handful more from the drawer. Even though I pulled out so many, there was barely enough room for just one hand to fit inside the drawer.

If I ate all this by myself, I might have to visit the dentist often enough to wear down the door. I had gotten a cavity treated when I was young, and the feeling of having my gums numbed was so horrific that I never wanted to experience it again. So, I pulled out all the cavity-inducing sweets from the drawer and shoved them into the arms of the kid in front of me.

“You’re really nice.”

His completely expressionless face didn’t change even a little. While Woo Yeon-ho was someone who smiled easily, this kid was stingy with his smiles. But I liked that even more.

‘How nice would it be if Woo Yeon-ho was like this?’

I wished he wouldn’t smile at just anyone. If he didn’t, there would be far fewer people who recognized how lovable he was.

The kid leaned over my desk and started unwrapping the chocolate wrappers. By now, several pieces had already made their way into his mouth.

‘You’re not going to eat all of this here, are you?’

Just thinking about it made my mouth feel sticky and sweet.

“Um, you can take all of this with you.”

“?”

“You don’t have to eat it all now… You can take it and eat it slowly….”

“I’m going to eat it all.”

“Oh… okay…”

If he said he would eat it all, I had nothing more to say. Going to the dentist would be his problem, not mine.

‘But if you’re going to eat it, why not do it at your desk? Is he really trying to throw away his trash at my desk? Actual trash?’

I squinted in dissatisfaction and scrutinized the kid’s figure. The name tag that hadn’t been visible before was now in plain sight.  

‘His name is Bae… Baek Seon-hoo? San-oh?’  

I couldn’t tell if it was San-hyo or Seon-ho since he was busy peeling off the wrappers. As I leaned closer to get a better look at the name tag, a voice came from behind me.  

“If you give him all of that, what are you going to eat, Seung-woo yah?”  

It was Woo Yeon-ho. 

Before I could even turn around, his arm brushed against my side as he leaned on my desk. The solid wall behind me felt like it was pulling me back, making my face heat up in an instant. The space that had been scentless was now filled with Woo Yeon-ho’s fragrance, making my heart race with every breath.  

Ah, I really wanted to see Woo Yeon-ho’s face. Even if it was that annoying face that smiled at everyone the same way, I still wanted to see it. Right now, I just wanted to…  

As I tried to lift my head to put my thoughts into action, Woo Yeon-ho’s light brown hair spilled into my field of vision. Ah, those beautiful eyes too.  

Lost in those pretty eyes, I felt Woo Yeon-ho’s large hand lightly grasp my chin and cheek, as if to say, “Don’t look at anything else.” Then his fingertips gently tapped my bottom lip.  

“You like sweets too. How can you let it all be taken away?”  

Woo Yeon-ho’s eyes sparkled with joy. Perhaps it wasn’t just his parents who had created this beauty, but a genius sculptor instead?  

Just like how a blue fairy breathed life into Pinocchio, maybe some deity somewhere had brought a perfect statue to life with just a breath.

How could a person be this beautiful without some kind of trick? Is that why Woo Yeon-ho is such a good liar? Is that why he’s so good at acting?  

“What do you want to eat?”  

“…….”  

Woo Yeon-ho tilted his head.  

How could that be so cute? I felt like no matter what silly thing Woo Yeon-ho did, I would think the same way.  

Well, it wasn’t just me. Woo Yeon-ho was the kind of person who shone brightly no matter where he was placed. So even if he did something crazy, people would never hate him.  

‘Would they even cheer him on more? I wonder what it feels like to live surrounded by fools who are only captivated by appearances?’  

Suddenly, I recalled the first day I saw Woo Yeon-ho’s true self. That exhilarating moment when I alone recognized the face behind the mask that no one else knew or cared to know.  

As I remembered that scene, I instinctively bounced away from Woo Yeon-ho’s embrace, like a child pulling away from a hot fire.  

Moving my stiff neck, I rubbed my cheeks where Woo Yeon-ho’s hands had touched, fearing that my face would turn red if I didn’t. 

The cheeks I touched were burning hot, whether it was from Woo Yeon-ho’s warmth or just the heat of the day, I didn’t know. I was so focused on that sensation that I forgot what Woo Yeon-ho had said earlier.  

‘What did he say? Was it important? It felt like it was just a greeting or something.’  

When I didn’t respond, Woo Yeon-ho, interpreting it as he pleased, picked up a few of the remaining chocolates from the desk and popped one into my mouth. He didn’t seem to mind that someone was watching us with wide eyes right in front of him.  

Since I couldn’t spit it out after it had already gone in, I reluctantly chewed on the sweetness while glancing at the kid in front of me. But he, too, seemed to care little about the situation, just like Woo Yeon-ho. 

No, rather, he seemed more focused on eating. It even looked like he disapproved of Woo Yeon-ho’s hand invading his territory. Technically, since this was something Woo Yeon-ho had received, he was the rightful owner.  

“Is it good?”

Woo Yeon-ho, who had been standing behind me, turned to the side and leaned in to show his face. Now I could finally see him properly. It was the face I had missed so much until this morning. 

As I looked him in the eyes, my heart melted enough to forgive him for dumping the gifts he received into my drawer. When I nodded in response, Woo Yeon-ho reached out to ruffle my hair, saying he knew I would like it.  

“But if you keep taking everything, I’ll be worried and won’t be able to leave you alone.”  

Woo Yeon-ho glanced at the crumpled wrappers scattered across the desk. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking being so close, but his voice remained warm, so it didn’t feel like he was upset or anything.  

Well, it wouldn’t make sense to be upset about something he had discarded when I offered to share it.  

“……You told me to share it, so that’s why I did.”  

Woo Yeon-ho’s gaze returned to me. The confident tone he had used to state his reason gradually softened.  

“It’s not like it was taken away…”  

“Did Sang-ho do something cute?”  

Oh, so his name is Sang-ho. What a pretty name. Come to think of it, his face is as lovely as his name…  

“? Something cute…..?”  

“How could you give away everything you had without even saving any for yourself? You must have thought it was so cute.”  

‘It was just that he suggested we eat together.’  

I wasn’t sure what kind of misunderstanding Woo Yeon-ho was having. When I looked up at him, still puzzled, he popped another chocolate into my mouth. This time, it had almonds inside, making it even tastier than the last.

“Will you give me a prize if I do something cute too?”