ABM CH14

Chapter 14: I Hope The Umbrella Is As Small As Possible

‘Oh my gosh. Why does he look so cute while saying that?’  

Somewhere in my stomach or heart felt ticklish. I couldn’t help but notice that the area where I brushed my palm against my chin felt hot, which meant my face was probably flushed again. Woo Yeonho was staring at my face intently.  

If we were not in the classroom and were alone, or if this was a dream, I might have pulled him in to kiss him right then and there. That’s how I felt at the moment. No matter what you did, Woo Yeonho, you were always cute.  

Anyway, I needed to cool my head. It felt like my senses were becoming distorted because of Woo Yeonho’s strange words, which he said without caring about the surroundings.  

But I needed to regain my composure so that Woo Yeonho wouldn’t be misunderstood unnecessarily…  

“Y-you should go back to your seat quickly…”  

“Are you kicking me out?”  

“I’m not… kicking you out…”  

“But you said you missed me.”  

“…!”  

“You said you missed me too.”  

Woo Yeonho added cheekily. I suddenly glanced at Sang-ho in front of me, my face burning bright red.  

‘Why did I say that? Why did I send that message?’  

I knew that all those romantic words from Woo Yeonho were lighter than a balloon rising in the air, yet I forgot that in the moment.  

The ticklish feeling inside me tightened as if someone was squeezing it tightly. It seemed like that day’s message was indeed some kind of punishment. Seeing it made public that I had said such things was likely part of a bet. I, who had floundered happily over words that had no sincerity from Woo Yeonho, was a complete fool.  

“I ate well.”  

As my mood sank helplessly, the kid in front crinkled the wrappers loudly and said.

“What should I get you from the store later as a thank you?”  

“N-No… It’s fine.”  

“Alright then.”  

The kid answered cleanly and immediately turned back to sit down. Even though he had witnessed the conversation and actions between Woo Yeonho and me, he didn’t ask anything or laugh at us like Kim Jungwoo would have.  

Had they always been like this? Well, they had been quiet after coming back from the store each day, just sitting at their desk without saying much to Woo Yeonho.  

Right now, I was really grateful that they were turning away like that. It was obvious what state my face was in without even needing to see it.  

Perhaps a bit of their calmness had rubbed off on me; my fading sanity returned somewhat. I gathered the snacks that remained in my drawer into my hands and held them out to Woo Yeonho. As he instinctively accepted them, I snapped at him.  

“From now on, if you don’t want to eat something, just throw it in the trash!”  

“…Seungwoo yah.”  

“And the teacher is here, so you should quickly go back to your seat!”  

“Why are you mad? Did I do something wrong?”

Woo Yeonho didn’t budge from where he stood, not even as the teacher entered. Luckily, the bell hadn’t rung yet, and the class was still chaotic, so he got away with it.

‘Seriously, asking what he did wrong… How can he even say that?’

Not realizing what he did wrong was his mistake. With my feelings in check and looking at him more logically, I could see right through his act. Even now, he was putting on a pitiful face as if he was hurt, but I wouldn’t be surprised if, deep down, he was just disappointed he couldn’t tease me more.

Dealing with him was emotionally exhausting. Just when I thought I was done, his little displays of fake kindness pulled me right back into the same feelings. Would it be possible to one day look at him indifferently, like that kid in front of me? Could I eventually go back to being a mere observer, detached from it all?

“…What did I do to make our Seung-woo so mad?” 

He asked, with exaggerated sweetness.

I wished I could get to that place someday. Or, at the very least, that he’d lose interest in teasing me. I was tired of this endless cycle that left me feeling overwhelmed.

“I’m sorry, Seungwoo. Okay?” 

‘Please. Stay still, my heart. I told you I don’t want you to be fluttering anymore.’

At the sound of his sweet voice, my heart, which had finally started to calm down, pounded twice as fast. And then, as if that wasn’t enough, Woo Yeonho knelt beside me, leaning his arms on my desk to look up at me. 

It was the same expression from that photo he’d sent me the day before. His face was innocent on its own, but now, with that intentional look of helplessness, it was almost impossible not to give in.

Soon, the class started murmuring around us, and I felt like my heart had dropped right to the floor. Woo Yeonho had acted like this before, but only when no one else was around. 

I tried listening intently to catch if anyone was whispering something like, “Aren’t they acting weird?” or even “Is Kim Seungwoo really gay?” 

Lowering my voice, I tugged at him, urging him to stop.

“I’m… I’m not mad… Just get up already… Everyone’s watching.”

Then Woo Yeonho killed me with his voice, whispering back softly. 

“Will you forgive me, then?”

I nodded vigorously, so many times that I felt dizzy until he reached out and steadied me. Satisfied with my answer, he stood up and went back to his seat, drawing everyone’s attention back to their own business. 

Finally, the tension left my shoulders and neck, like I’d been holding my breath for ten straight minutes.

After a few more deep breaths, I looked over at him at the window, watching him laugh with that beautiful smile, as if nothing had happened at all.

***

A week had passed since that day when I had fallen for Woo Yeonho’s little act. Every morning, I checked my desk and locker just in case, but Woo Yeonho, being true to his word, hadn’t left anything for me. I couldn’t help but wonder who he was sharing things with now. Was he feeding that person, too?

‘…I hope they bite his hand at least.’

The end-of-day announcements were approaching, and I was packing up when a sudden rain started pouring outside. At first, I thought it was just a passing shower, but as the minutes went by, it showed no signs of stopping.

Third period, P.E., was when I first felt things going off track. We’d been paired for some practice volleyball passes before our performance evaluation, so I hadn’t paid any attention to the weather. 

But the moment Woo Yeonho stepped away to talk to the coach, things started unraveling. First, a ball came flying my way and smacked me right in the face, hard enough to knock me backward. From then on, it felt like everything was going downhill.

During lunch, just as I got in line for my favorite side dish, the spicy stir-fried sausages, they ran out right in front of me, leaving me with a pile of limp vegetables. Then, while running an errand for the teacher on my way back from the bathroom, I looked out a corridor window only to see Woo Yeonho being confessed to by a girl in the courtyard. 

It wasn’t my fault I happened to see it, but I still panicked and ran, not wanting him to catch me there.

‘Why did I run, anyway? It’s not like I did anything wrong. Why did they have to make such a show of it there, out in the open?’

That corridor was busy with students coming and going, so I probably wasn’t the only one who saw it. If someone like Kim Jungwoo had witnessed it, the gossip would already be spreading—who she was, what grade she was in, who her last boyfriend was, and so on. Woo Yeonho sure had it rough with vultures like him always hovering nearby.

I, on the other hand, wasn’t the type to eavesdrop or delight in sneaking glances at others’ private moments. To be safe, I took the long way around outside, avoiding the old building’s entrance and going through the back courtyard to get to our classroom in the new wing. 

That girl… she was pretty, now that I think about it. They looked good together, even though I only caught a glimpse of them standing there. They were framed by the window like a painting, with blooming flowers from the school’s landscaped courtyard complementing the scene. Our school is known for its extravagant, sometimes wasteful spending, but even I had to admit that the flowers looked beautiful, adding to the almost surreal atmosphere. 

‘What did he say to her?’

Standing in such a pretty place with such a pretty girl, Woo Yeonho would have probably thought she looked beautiful too.

‘Did he smile at her the same way, maybe even blush?’

…No, I couldn’t picture it. Woo Yeonho, blushing? Looking flustered? Still, thinking about how he’d been acting around me lately, I guess it wasn’t entirely impossible.

When he’s with someone he genuinely likes, someone he doesn’t need to lie to or act for, I bet Woo Yeonho becomes just an ordinary guy. He already has a beautiful smile, but he’d probably smile even more warmly for someone like that. 

He wouldn’t push away what he doesn’t want, wouldn’t toss away things he’s been given, and he’d say “I miss you” or even “I love you” as naturally as breathing. That would all come easily to him with someone he truly cares about.

Maybe he’d reach for her hand first, or lean in close… 

‘Or even ask for a kiss…’

I glanced down at the compact, three-fold umbrella tucked in my bag and then back over to Woo Yeonho. My mom, predicting the weather’s unpredictability, had put it in there for me three days ago. Dad’s saying that “listening to mom means blessings come your way” was proving true, apparently.

‘Does Woo Yeonho have an umbrella too? Should I ask him? And if he doesn’t, maybe I could suggest we share…’

But my umbrella was embarrassingly small for that idea. 

‘Besides, he might find it strange if I asked.’

Even if I did, if Woo Yeonho admitted he didn’t have one, his little fan club would probably spring into action, each offering their own. They’d probably even suggest a rock-paper-scissors match to decide who’d get to share with him. I had no interest in joining that kind of scene, treating Woo Yeonho as if he were some sort of prize. Quietly, I took out my umbrella and closed my bag.

No sooner had the homeroom teacher given the word to head straight home due to the rain than my classmates scattered out of the classroom. I was one of them, blending into the crowd. Today, just like last time, I wasn’t in the mood to see Woo Yeonho walk off under one umbrella with someone else.

Before anything else could go wrong, I figured it was best to hurry home. Even though no one was chasing me, I practically leaped down the stairs, skipping multiple steps at a time, and finally opened my umbrella. 

The walk down the hill toward the school gate was slower than usual, though, as my bag started getting wet due to the umbrella’s small size, which barely covered just me.

‘Oh… I even brought my textbooks and notes for homework today.’

I really didn’t want to go home and have to dry out soaked papers with a hairdryer. Just in case, I glanced back to see if Woo Yeonho was already out while staying close to a tree by the flower bed. I adjusted my bag in front of me and checked to see if the inside had gotten wet. The inside was fine, so I brushed off the water from the outside and began walking again. Suddenly, I felt someone tug on the back of my collar.

“…Huh?”

“Geez… why are you walking so fast?”

Of course, it was Woo Yeonho. He slipped his head under my umbrella, his face damp from the rain he’d run through to catch up. The small three-fold umbrella barely covered his head, leaving one of his shoulders still exposed to the rain. Instinctively, I pushed the umbrella further toward his side.

Despite the thick spring rain making my shoulders damp, my heart raced, blocking out any discomfort. Our eyes met as he asked why I had left without him, and I noticed droplets clinging to his wet eyelashes. When he smiled brightly, one of those droplets fell, landing somewhere on my face.

He then swung his bag from his back to his opposite arm and, with his newly freed hand, gently pulled me closer. Chuckling softly, he whispered.

“The umbrella’s too small, so we’ve got no choice.”