TWYW C8

“Because you seem to care about my business.”

“I don’t care.”

“Then it’s okay for me to go to a cafe with her again, just the two of us.”

“What, did you not hear a word I said?”

“You said you don’t care about my business.”

Gyeoul, caught by the words he had just spat out, couldn’t retort and just looked at Yuhyeon askew.

“Cursing and glaring, you’re being so mean to the person giving you a ride home.”

“Do you know you have a really weird personality?”

“That’s the first time I’m hearing that.”

“Sunbae, you’re as weird as me, so how do you have so many friends?”

At Gyeoul’s words, Yuhyeon simply showed a smile on his lips. In the meantime, Yuhyeon’s car arrived in front of Gyeoul’s house. Gyeoul, still with a pout on his face, opened the passenger door and got out, and once again, he closed the car door without a goodbye and turned his back.

“Lee Gyeoul.”

At the voice calling his name, Gyeoul reflexively turned his head, and his eyes met Yuhyeon’s through the open passenger window.

“You’re not weird at all.”

Gyeoul was flustered by Yuhyeon’s sudden words and just moved his lips without a sound.

“See you tomorrow.”

Gyeoul stood frozen in place until Yuhyeon’s car was out of sight. He pressed his palm firmly over his chest, where his heart was suddenly pounding.

That’s weird. Why am I like this.

Feeling a baseless palpitation, Gyeoul went into his house. Gyeoul, who had quietly opened the front door and entered, placed his foot on the stairs with cautious movements, afraid of making a sound. But unfortunately, the sound of a door opening was heard from the master bedroom on the first floor.

“You’re just getting in now.”

At his mother’s voice from behind him, Gyeoul composed his expression and turned around.

“Yes. You’re not in bed yet.”

“Are you going to come in so late every time?”

“On days I close the cafe, I always come in at this time.”

It was something Gyeoul had been doing since high school, but at his mother’s question, as if she were hearing it for the first time, Gyeoul picked at the flesh near his thumbnail.

“How long are you going to do it. Shouldn’t you be focusing on your tutoring lessons? It’s a really important position, you know.”

His head throbbed at his mother’s words, which showed no consideration for his situation, as if wondering how on earth he was supposed to live if he didn’t work his part-time cafe job. Moreover, even if he received a scholarship for tuition, Gyeoul, who did not receive an allowance, couldn’t survive without a part-time job. Doesn’t he at least need bus fare to attend school? Gyeoul barely managed to swallow the words he couldn’t say out loud.

“I’m preparing well. Don’t worry.”

“Good. I trust our son will do well and not disappoint us.”

“Yes. Mother. I’ll go up now.”

“Alright, go on up.”

Gyeoul quickly wrapped up the conversation with his mother and continued up the stairs into his room. He had entered the only space in the house where he could barely breathe, but even so, it felt just as suffocating. The reality of having to consider it a relief just for not running into his father weighed heavily on Gyeoul’s heart.

After washing up in the bathroom, Gyeoul was about to lie down on the bed but recalled his mother’s words and sat down at his desk. He opened a high school problem book for his next tutoring session. Since Yuho was already maintaining top-tier grades, he reviewed the material and organized lesson plans to teach a more advanced course. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but Gyeoul only got up from his seat when his eyelids grew heavy.

Lying straight on his bed, Gyeoul covered himself with the blanket and closed his eyes. The drowsiness that had washed over him at the desk vanished as if it had never been there the moment he laid his body on the bed. Instead, Yuhyeon came to occupy Gyeoul’s mind.

‘Lee Gyeoul.’

Yuhyeon’s voice, calling out the three syllables of Gyeoul’s name, still echoed in his ears. Feeling strange, Gyeoul rubbed the back of his ear and tossed and turned.

‘You’re not weird at all.’

No, I am. I am weird. That’s why I have no friends, and even my adoptive parents don’t love me.

Gyeoul, only now inwardly refuting Yuhyeon’s words, spent the night unable to fall asleep easily, mulling over his words.

₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊

In the warm weather of a full-blown spring, Gyeoul, who had taken off his coat and was dressed only in a hoodie and jeans, finished his lecture and sought out his personal hideout. It was a day with only morning lectures, so Gyeoul didn’t have to stay at school, but because Yuhyeon had told him last night to meet at the club room, he didn’t know when he should go and simply lingered on campus.

He had Yuhyeon’s contact information, which they had exchanged for a group project, but his hand wouldn’t readily reach for his number. Gyeoul bit his lips together with a sense of unease, wondering if he had given a thoughtless positive answer to something said out of politeness. He didn’t know how long he had been sitting on the bench like that when a ringtone flowed from Gyeoul’s phone, which was usually quiet as he had no one to contact. He looked down at the phone in his hand, and the three characters for ‘Weirdo’ caught his eye. Gyeoul immediately pressed the call button.

“……Hello.”

—Where are you.

“Uh, the stairs…… on top of the hill……”

—I was there a little while ago, must have just missed you.

Gyeoul pressed a palm against his chest, thinking that Yuhyeon’s voice coming from the phone sounded unfamiliar because his heart kept pounding.

—We were supposed to meet at the club room today.

“……Yes.”

—Let’s meet at the bottom of the stairs. I’ll come get you.

After briefly ending the call with Yuhyeon, Gyeoul quickly packed his bag and descended the stairs.

“Trying to fall again? What’s the rush.”

As Gyeoul was going down the stairs, taking two steps at a time, he spotted Yuhyeon coming up towards him.

“This is how I normally come down the stairs.”

As if he hadn’t been rushing down at all, Gyeoul went back to taking one step at a time and replied nonchalantly, making Yuhyeon let out a small laugh.

“You’re a smooth talker.”

Gyeoul stood next to Yuhyeon and matched his footsteps, walking alongside him. While feeling the pleasant spring breeze brush against the tip of his nose, Yuhyeon and Gyeoul walked without a word, and before they knew it, they had arrived in front of the club room door. Yuhyeon opened the door with familiarity and led Gyeoul inside.

“Oh, you’re here.”

A person who appeared to be Yuhyeon’s friend, who was watching a video on his phone, lifted his head and greeted him. Then he spotted Gyeoul following behind Yuhyeon and showed a face full of curiosity.

“Who’s this?”

“A freshman, new to the club.”

“Did you run into him on the way?”

“No. I brought him.”

“You did?”

“What.”

At the words that Yuhyeon had brought Gyeoul himself, his friend looked back and forth between the two with a puzzled expression.

“This is my classmate, Jo Seungwon. This is a first-year, Lee Gyeoul.”

“Hey, nice to meet you.”

“……Yes……”

With Yuhyeon introducing them to each other, Seungwon greeted Gyeoul first. Gyeoul replied awkwardly and followed Yuhyeon to sit next to him on the two-person sofa placed in front of the table.

“You must be really shy. I thought you ignored my greeting for a second.”

Seungwon, having noticed Gyeoul’s shyness, brushed it off casually. Yuhyeon, who was watching Gyeoul, let out a chuckle.

“Why are you smirking.”

“Are you not going to talk nicely?”

At the bluntly spat-out words, Yuhyeon put on a blank expression, as if scolding a younger sibling, and looked Gyeoul right in the eye.

“……Why, why are you smiling……”

Yuhyeon’s face, wiped clean of its smile, was overflowing with a cool impression, and Gyeoul, without realizing it, corrected his words and asked again.

“Because you’re cute.”

“Wha-what are you talking about……”

As if he had never worn a blank expression, Yuhyeon returned to his usual gaze, and at the answer he uttered, Gyeoul rubbed his ears, which were about to turn red.

“Ooh, Jeong Yuhyeon, look at you scolding a junior just because you’re a sunbae.”

“If you want a scolding too, keep messing around.”

Yuhyeon, who playfully retorted Seungwon’s words, got up from the sofa. At that, Gyeoul grabbed the hem of Yuhyeon’s shirt.

“Where are you going?”

“To get some water over there.”