HWAMB — Chapter 13

“…”

When he didn’t answer, I grabbed his shoulders and looked.

Hyun-woo’s lips were stubbornly pressed shut, but huge tears were falling one after another.

I was stunned. Shim Hyun-woo, crying?

Not since we were little had I seen this.

Panicked, I pulled him close and rubbed his back, fumbling clumsily.

“W-why are you crying all of a sudden? What’s wrong, Hyun-woo, huh?”

I couldn’t see his face with us hugging like this, but the dampness spreading on my shoulder told me plenty.

At my worried question, Hyun-woo swallowed back his sobs and whispered,

“…Because of what you said…”

“…What did I say?”

“‘If only it had been me instead of my parents.’”

“…Ah…”

I hadn’t known.

I never realized that the guilt I always carried could wound someone else this deeply.

“After we parted that day, I suddenly thought you might do something terrible… I got so scared.”

“Hyun-woo…”

“Promise me you won’t think like that again, okay? Eun-jae…”

His voice mumbled, muffled by sobs. Feeling a wave of guilt, I reached for the tissues beside me and wiped his tears.

The paper grew damp with his crying. My heart sank heavy.

“I won’t ever say something like that again.”

“…Promise me.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry…”

I sincerely apologized, and only after I made that promise did Hyun-woo nod quietly, still sniffling.

* * *

After class ended, Jae-ho and I stayed behind to write reflection letters.

Ignoring Jae-ho’s hostile glare, I finished writing mine.

After the teacher at the front gave me a brief lecture, I submitted the paper and left the classroom.

Thanks to my usually good behavior, I got off with just a reflection letter, but I wasn’t sure what would happen to Jang Jae-ho.

“Not that it’s any of my business…”

Hyun-woo had said he’d be waiting at the school gate, so I needed to hurry.

When I opened the classroom door, my eyes met those of the class president, who was standing there. I thought he was waiting for Jae-ho, but apparently not.

Do Jin-gyeong approached me carefully and asked,

“How’s your injury?”

“Ah… yeah. It’s fine.”

“That’s a relief.”

At my reply, Jin-gyeong smiled brightly, clearly relieved.

Earlier, he had been the one to hold back Jae-ho when things got out of control. Fitting for the PE leader, he seemed to have both strength and quick reflexes.

And come to think of it, Jang Jae-ho had muttered something strange.

No, was it the class president? Damn, now that I think about it, your face really lights up. What, are you only targeting dominant alphas?

And in the end, he’d been dragged off by Do Jin-gyeong…

Just remembering what Jae-ho said made my head throb.

If he had spread that ridiculous misunderstanding to Jin-gyeong, it would be a huge problem…

“Hey… did Jang Jae-ho say anything about me?”

“Anything about you?”

“Ah… forget it, then.”

At his puzzled smile and question, I quickly closed my mouth.

I couldn’t tell if he was pretending not to know or if he genuinely didn’t, but I prayed it was the latter.

Jin-gyeong glanced at me quietly, then changed the subject first.

“About… that day at the study hall… I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t have anything to apologize for.”

“Still, I feel bad. I think maybe I scared you somehow…”

Even when I waved my hand and told him it was fine, he still looked bothered.

As I’d thought before, Do Jin-gyeong really did have a kind personality.

After exchanging an awkward goodbye with him, I went down the stairs.

It felt strange. On days when fights broke out, it would be one fight after another. But today seemed like a day of apologies—I kept receiving them one after the other.

When I stepped outside the school gate, Hyun-woo was there waiting for me.

The sun was already dipping low in the sky. His nose, red since lunchtime, now looked completely normal.

I waved lightly to him and ran over.

“Sorry, did you wait long?”

“It’s fine. Hungry? Let’s go eat at that snack shop you wanted to try before.”

“Yeah! Oh, their fried food’s good too… Do you want vegetable or sweet potato?”

“What do you want?”

“I can’t decide, that’s why I’m asking you.”

“Then just get both. I’ll pay.”

Hyun-woo answered with his usual indifferent expression.

The sight of him earlier, clinging to me and crying like a child, was nowhere to be seen.

He then looked at the white bandage stuck to my cheek and spoke.

“Don’t fight on your own. Just tell me instead.”

“What? Tell you what?”

“Even if it’s humiliating, just close your eyes and let me handle it.”

What kind of nonsense was that?

At his ridiculous words, I flinched and shouted.

“Are you insane?! Never. That’s embarrassing!”

“If you hate that so much, then at least fight properly. Otherwise, stop getting your ass handed to you.”

“…Fine, I’ll just stop fighting altogether. Happy?”

At his menacing glare, I immediately backed down.

Seeing me grumble in defeat, Hyun-woo finally relaxed and walked alongside me again.

Before long, we arrived at our usual snack shop. We ordered two servings of tteokbokki, a small fish cake skewer, one serving of soondae, plus vegetable tempura and sweet potato tempura.

“Think that’s enough?”

“Yeah. This much is fine for me… but if you don’t think it’s enough, order more.”

“No, I’m good too.”

Without waiting for me to move, Hyun-woo poured water into my cup. Ripples formed across the surface as the clear glass slowly filled.

After some chatting, the steaming tteokbokki was brought out first. Blowing on a fat rice cake, I popped it into my mouth. The chewy texture melted on my tongue.

It was delicious—until the spicy sauce stung against my split lip, making me wince.

Noticing even that small change, Hyun-woo pulled out a tissue and handed it to me.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“Ah, ssshh… a little. But it’s fine. After some sleep, it’ll be better.”

“If you can’t eat, we can pack it up and go somewhere else. Don’t force yourself.”

“I said it’s fine. I was craving something spicy today.”

When I grinned and spoke cheerfully, Hyun-woo finally let it go.

We cleared every dish on the table, finishing with a sip of hot fish cake broth.

For dessert, we each had a cheap ice cream bar from the mart. The cool, sweet flavor filled my mouth.

Hyun-woo walked me all the way home. Before going inside, I turned to face him.

He was still staring at my injuries with worry. His brows, always furrowed, were carved even deeper.

“…Your face is gonna swell a lot.”

“I told you, I’m fine.”

“Change your bandage before bed. If it hurts, take some painkillers.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Don’t forget.”

“What, you gonna spam me again like last time?”

I remembered when I had indigestion weeks ago and forgot to take my medicine, so Hyun-woo had flooded me with messages saying “Take your meds” over and over.

He listened to me with a faint smile, then replied that he could just call me every minute instead.

I shut my mouth quickly.

If he was serious, this was no laughing matter.

So now he was planning to go beyond texting mania and practice phone-call mania in person.

Damn, he was disgustingly kind.

Hyun-woo didn’t move from the spot until I went inside and waved from the second-floor window of my villa.

Ever since our upper elementary years, this had been our unspoken rule: when I came home late, he always stayed until I was safely inside.

The neighborhood wasn’t especially dangerous, but the world was unsettling. There could always be thieves or shady strangers lurking.

As soon as I stepped inside, I turned on the living room light and went out to the veranda.

Hyun-woo was still standing below.

I raised my hand to wave, but he wasn’t looking at me.

Instead, his gaze was fixed elsewhere. Curious, I turned my head toward the direction he was staring.

There was a man in a cap pulled low, loitering around.

Uneasy, I texted Hyun-woo. The vibration made him check his phone, and he glanced up at me.

After confirming my “I’m home safe” message, Hyun-woo smiled faintly and waved.

[Something wrong?]

[Nope]

[That guy kept staring… is he shady?]

After a short pause, Hyun-woo replied.

[No, just a drunk.]

[Really? Then don’t stare and just head home. Don’t get into trouble.]

[Ok]

When I looked again, Hyun-woo mimed pulling something shut. I blinked, not understanding, until another message came.

[It’s kinda chilly. Close your curtains.]

[Huh? Got it.]

It wasn’t that cold though…

As I dawdled, Hyun-woo sent another text.

[Now.]

[Now??]

[Yeah. Not leaving until you do.]

[Why?]

[That guy looks about ready to flip a pancake.]

At his coded words, I quietly shut the veranda door and drew the curtains.

So he was protecting me—from sights and smells.

I quickly texted him back.

[Closed them. You can go now.]

[Good. Don’t forget to put medicine on before bed.]

[Ok]

[I’ll check later.]

[Ok. Dinner was good today. I’m going to wash up now. Bye]

Before Hyun-woo could start another long lecture, I turned off the screen.

After washing up, exactly two hours later, Hyun-woo really did call to check on me.

It seemed he had gotten home later than expected.

When I asked why, he only said he had something urgent to stop by for, and left it at that.

Hyun-woo confirmed that I had reapplied the medicine and changed my bandage, and that the pain wasn’t bad enough to need painkillers. Once satisfied, he nodded and ended the video call.

Maybe because we had reconciled, my heart felt lighter, and that night I fell asleep without tossing or turning.