ABM CH21

Chapter 21: Woo Yeonho’s Lips Are Like Marshmallows

If Woo Yeonho had seen me and Kim Jungwoo together, he probably would have asked if we were about to fight again. He’d look at me with those kind eyes, not even offering any real support, and then give me that pretty little chuckle of his.

If it’s a person, not an object, I suppose there’s at least some point to fighting.

But could I even win in a fight with Kim Jungwoo? He’s bigger than me and looks like he could hold his own in a fight.

I wasn’t actually planning to fight, but as Kim Jungwoo kept running his mouth, I found myself glancing back and forth between my clenched fist and him. Eventually, I loosened my grip, realizing it would be pointless. 

He might be smaller than Woo Yeonho, but his build was stockier. Punching him with my fist would probably feel like trying to break a boulder with an egg.

Now that I think about it, Woo Yeonho’s arm felt incredibly firm when we shared an umbrella the other day.

It wasn’t something I’d noticed before, seeing him usually in his loose-fitting uniform shirt. But that day, soaked to the skin, his build was much more noticeable.

Woo Yeonho was already taller than most guys our age, and he had the strong, athletic physique to match.

I bet he could easily lift someone like Yoon Heureum, a petite girl, with one arm, no problem.

‘No way Woo Yeonho could lift someone like Yoon Heureum with one arm. He’s not a strongman or anything.’

I thought, trying to shake off the unpleasant image of Woo Yeonho and Yoon Heureum from my head. I focused hard on redirecting my thoughts, but unfortunately, my efforts only made Kim Jungwoo’s voice—something I had been half-ignoring—become all the clearer.

Kim Jungwoo leaned closer, narrowing his eyes as he looked at me.

‘Does he know he looks even more like a rat when he does that?’

“It’s weird. I’ve never seen that guy take an interest in anyone.”

He still doesn’t.

‘The only thing Woo Yeonho cares about is figuring out how to tease me in the most annoying, attention-grabbing way possible.’

I answered Kim Jungwoo’s unspoken question in my head and decided to focus on my own business instead. I hung my bag on the back of the chair and pulled out a tissue to wipe down the desk. 

That’s when Kim Jungwoo leaned in even closer. His face now so near, I could see a scar above his brow—probably from a fight. Kim Jungwoo was definitely the kind of guy who lived for conflict.

“Maybe I should tell Woo Yeonho to cut ties with him as soon as possible. There’s no way hanging around someone like this is doing him any good.’

Kim Jungwoo, who acted like he knew everything about Woo Yeonho, suddenly rapped his knuckles on my desk, snapping me out of my thoughts.

But honestly, what could Kim Jungwoo possibly know about Woo Yeonho that I didn’t? He didn’t know what Woo Yeonho was thinking when he looked at him. Whether Woo Yeonho was bored, annoyed, or even irritated by his presence—he’d never figure that out.

For the first time, I felt a tiny flicker of triumph over Kim Jungwoo. This rat-like pest might know Woo Yeonho on the surface, but that was all it was—surface level.

Woo Yeonho’s true self? I was the only one knew that…..

“Hey, look at me!”

“…What?”

“Did you and Woo Yeonho do it?”

“What…?”

“Otherwise, there’s no way a guy like him would hang out with someone like you.”

“Th-that’s… I… I mean…”

“Oh, there you go stuttering like an idiot again.”

Kim Jungwoo sneered, his smirk dripping with condescension. But my head was too much of a chaotic mess to even care about his taunts.

What did he mean by “do it”? It’s got to mean that… right?

Did he actually see something? Where could he have seen it? Was it that time on the stairs?

No, I clearly checked that no one was around then. So where? Was it on the way home before? Or was it yesterday? Would he believe me if I said Woo Yeonho was just blowing dust out of my eye?

“Your face looks hilarious right now.”

Kim Jungwoo said, his eyes narrowing even more, the glee on his face as unsettling as ever. He looked like someone savoring a particularly juicy secret.

The way he licked his lips before speaking again sent a shiver down my spine.

“Woo Yeonho’s good, right? Did you enjoy it? I heard he has some pretty bad habits when he’s doing it.”

“N-no, we didn’t—didn’t do anything…! Really…!”

“Oh, is that so~? Then I’ll just ask Woo Yeonho myself.”

“No, don’t! Don’t do that…!”

My voice came out louder than I intended, and the few students in the classroom all turned to look at me. It felt like something sharp was scratching at my chest, leaving a stinging sensation.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong, so why do I feel like this? Why do I have to feel so scared because of someone like Kim Jungwoo?’

“Don’t do what?”

A voice, so familiar that it made my heart stop for a moment, cut through my thoughts.

In that instant, all the fears, anxieties, and everything I’d been worrying about became meaningless. It was Woo Yeonho. The one I wanted to see more than anything.

He walked straight toward me without hesitation, reaching out a hand. When his large, warm palm cupped my cheek, all the tension I’d been holding onto melted away. The weight in my chest lightened, and my nose tingled as if I might cry.

The moment Woo Yeonho entered, the atmosphere in the classroom shifted. Even though the students were curious about him, they carefully avoided showing it. Nobody wanted to risk catching his bad side. They all seemed to agree that pretending not to care was the safest choice.

I tried to look toward Kim Jungwoo to see his reaction, but Woo Yeonho stopped me. Every time I turned my head, his hand gently but firmly redirected my face back to him. His thumb even brushed near my eyes, as if wiping away tears that weren’t there.

It was comforting. Too comforting.

In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to crumble under his care. But I didn’t. I held myself together, all too aware of the silent gazes fixed on us. My face burned with a mixture of embarrassment and something I couldn’t quite name.

Unlike the warmth of Woo Yeonho’s meticulous touch, he wasn’t smiling.

Was he upset about yesterday? I’d planned to confront him, to ask why he left so abruptly. But maybe seeing me seem like I was fighting with his friend only made him angrier. 

But that’s not how it was. Kim Jungwoo was the one in the wrong. You don’t know how much he badmouthed you while you weren’t around—calling you names, mocking us, and saying we were disgusting. 

You and I aren’t even dating, so why should I have to hear that? So please, don’t be mad at me. Be mad at Kim Jungwoo. You shouldn’t stay friends with someone like him…

“Oh, it was just about to get interesting.”

The sound of a chair scraping against the floor cut into my thoughts. Kim Jungwoo stood up, smiling at Woo Yeonho.

“Woo Yeonho, are you and this guy—”

“Y-Yeonho yah!”

I hurriedly cut off Kim Jungwoo before he could finish his sentence. Panic filled me at the thought of him blurting out something about kissing in front of everyone.

Still holding my cheek, Woo Yeonho responded to me in that warm, gentle tone of his.

“Yeah, Seungwoo?”

“I-I have something to tell you… outside.”

An unreadable expression flickered across Woo Yeonho’s face. It didn’t seem like a bad one, but I couldn’t confidently say it was good either. Maybe he wasn’t frowning, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t secretly cursing me for interrupting his friend.

Yeah, that’s probably it. Even if I did it for him, there’s no way he’d believe me over his friend. If anything, he’d believe Kim Jungwoo’s word over mine.

‘If it were me, I’d do the same.’

If Woo Yeonho told me that he could make meju (fermented soybean blocks) out of red beans, I’d believe him without question. But if Kim Jungwoo said he could make meju out of soybeans—something that’s entirely reasonable—I’d doubt him immediately.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kim Jungwoo glance at Woo Yeonho and mockingly pucker his lips. He added some other gesture I didn’t understand, but I didn’t care to figure it out. I stood up and grabbed Woo Yeonho’s wrist, tugging him along.

Surprisingly, he came along easily, his steps light, almost as if he didn’t mind being dragged away.

Though I managed to pull him out of the classroom, there wasn’t really a secluded place to talk. As I kept walking, I glanced back a few times to make sure Kim Jungwoo wasn’t following us. Eventually, I led Woo Yeonho to the old wing of the school, where the science and art rooms were, a place relatively empty of students.

Even as I hurried along, several students who knew Woo Yeonho occasionally came up to greet him. To my amazement, he responded to each of them, taking the time to say hello.

‘There’s a limit to how kind someone can be, but Woo Yeonho… he’s really, truly, too kind.’

Among those who greeted him were both first-years and third-years. The names on their name tags were as varied as the students themselves, boys and girls alike, all desperate to get even the smallest acknowledgment from him.

‘Am I dragging along a popular idol or Woo Yeonho? Why doesn’t he just wave at them or sign autographs while he’s at it?’

I tightened my grip on Woo Yeonho’s wrist. Even as I stretched my hand to grasp it fully, there was still some left unheld, making it clear his wrists were thick. It reminded me of the neck I had embraced in my dream—it had felt similarly strong. For some reason, I felt a slight thirst creep in.

When we finally reached the far end of the old wing’s hallway, I stopped walking and tugged on Woo Yeonho’s arm with both hands, pulling him closer. In hindsight, it probably looked like I was hugging his arm.

‘Anyway, there’s no way we’d bump into someone he knows all the way out here, right?’

I shoved Woo Yeonho into a secluded corner, as if trying to hide him, and glanced around. A few students passed by, but they were far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to hear us.

“Phew…”

As I let out a deep breath, I felt a soft chuckle through the arm I was holding. Startled, I immediately let go of his arm and stepped back a couple of paces.

Or at least, I tried to. Woo Yeonho’s large hand caught my arm and pulled me back. I found myself so close to him that his chest was almost right in front of my face. My heart started pounding again, for reasons I couldn’t quite identify.

Oh, wait. I get it now. My heart’s racing because of Woo Yeonho’s voice. That gentle, kind voice of his—it’s all because of that.

“Yesterday, you left me behind, and now today… it seems like you’re trying to get me alone?”

“…That’s…”

“You’re pretty quick on your feet, Seungwoo.”

“…I, I forgot something at school… That’s why…”

“You ran so fast, I thought you were a rabbit.”

“…S-Sorry…”

I wanted to crawl into a hole, but of course, there wasn’t one. Besides, Woo Yeonho was gripping my arm so firmly that even if there was, I wouldn’t be able to get away. As I struggled to figure out what to say next, Woo Yeonho lightly bumped his forehead against mine, holding it there as he whispered softly.

“Did I do something wrong again?”

His voice was so quiet, with a gentle chuckle woven into it, like flower petals drifting down from a tree. It made my ears tingle unbearably. Or maybe it was my heart. No, my hands too. Even my stomach and feet. My whole body felt that way…

“…You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But I made you upset.”

“N-No, I wasn’t upset or anything…”

“Really?”

“….”

“Do you not want to tell me?”

I just nodded. There was no point in him knowing—it wouldn’t do any good. This was a feeling I could keep to myself.

Sure, I might’ve been just the tiniest bit hopeful when I heard him say he liked me. Really, just a little. But that wasn’t why I ran off. It wasn’t because I was upset either. Or… maybe that was part of it? Wait, what am I even doing right now? Why did I come here in the first place?

“Ah…!”

I suddenly remembered what I had completely forgotten—Kim Jungwoo. I jerked my head up in a panic, and Wooyeonho’s face filled my vision. Even in this dim, secluded hallway, his face was still as stunning as ever.

It made me want to reach out and touch it… No, focus!

“J-Jungwoo saw it all, I think…!”

“Hm? Saw what?”

“W-We… We… um…”

“We what?”

“K-Ki… Kissed…”

My voice trailed off more and more, and I wasn’t sure if Woo Yeonho caught the last part. Still, saying something like that out loud, even quietly, was just so embarrassing.

‘At least I think I got the “s” part out properly. Woo Yeonho’s smart and quick-witted—he must’ve understood, right?’

“Hm.”

But his expression was strange.

“Did we ever kiss?”

The moment he said that, my shoulders went rigid.

‘We did! Not just once, but three times! Oh, is he pretending not to remember on purpose? Maybe he’s at a loss because his friend saw us. Yeah, that could be it. Woo Yeonho’s human too, after all…’

“We’ve pecked each other, but…”

Woo Yeonho grinned mischievously, like a playful troublemaker I’d seen somewhere before.

‘What’s the difference between a peck and a kiss anyway? Both involve pressing lips together. Kissing is just… um, a little more… licking, maybe…’

Suddenly, the memory of Woo Yeonho from my dream surfaced. His large hand gripping the back of my neck tightly and the warmth that matched that hand…

“What did Jungwoo say?”

Woo Yeonho’s voice brought my spiraling thoughts to a screeching halt, snapping me out of it. Thank goodness. If I had let that thought go any further, I wouldn’t have been able to tell if this was a dream or reality. Feeling guilty, I stammered through an answer to his question.

“Uh… um… h-he hasn’t said anything yet, b-but… what if… w-what if he starts spreading weird rumors…?”

“What kind of rumors?”

“…”

“About you and me kissing?”

I was so startled I slapped my hands over Woo Yeonho’s mouth and darted my eyes around to check if anyone was nearby. Luckily, almost everyone had gone back to their classrooms, and the hallway was empty.

Thank goodness.

But seriously, Woo Yeonho needed to be more mindful of his words.

I pressed my hands firmly against his soft lips, which felt warm and ticklish against my palms—almost like he was intentionally breathing against them.