Thump, Thump
Yuwon’s heart was filled with a strange flutter. Yuwon stared blankly at Hyun Gyujin, who was about to punch the guy who had made a suggestive remark to him. On the floor, the chocolate milk pack that he had just taken a sip from lay crumpled.
“Hey, what did you say?”
“When did I say I wanted to eat Jung Yuwon? I just said I wanted ice cream….”
“Either shut up or eat my fist.”
Watching Hyun Gyujin punch the guy, who used the phrase ‘I want to eat’ and said something unpleasant again, Yuwon quickly regained his composure and approached, grabbing the arm that was raised again. The face turned towards him had an expression full of anger, something they never saw when the two were normally together.
“Stop it, if you go on here, only you will get in trouble.”
“Is it okay now?”
“…Yeah?”
“Has your mood improved a bit? If not, I can throw a few more punches.”
Yuwon licked his lips as he looked at Hyun Gyujin who focused on my mood. He didn’t know what to say, as his heart kept pounding, and strength drained from his hands and feet. Yuwon nodded his head weakly, barely aware that his ears were turning red.
“…I’m okay.”
“Alright then.”
After hearing that response, Hyun Gyujin got up from the guy he was intimidating, afraid that he might get hit again. Of course, he didn’t forget to threaten by pretending to raise his fist once more.
“Oh, damn it. You haven’t even taken a sip yet.”
As soon as he inserted the straw and started complaining, Hyun Gyujin looked down and stomped on the chocolate milk pack he had thrown on the floor. The guy who had been watching from the surroundings and the one who was still crouching on the floor, writhing, screamed at the milk splattering everywhere. Without saying a word, Hyun Gyujin gently grabbed Yuwon’s wrist from behind and left the scene. It was an unbelievably gentle and cautious touch from someone who, just a moment ago, was throwing punches with a lively look.
“Ah, seriously, this is so damn annoying. I should have just ripped his mouth apart.”
Seeing Hyun Gyujin, who was more angered by those words, Yuwon oddly pressed his hand on the area above his heart. The emotion he felt now wasn’t anger like Hyun Gyujin’s.
Certainly, when he heard jokes that included a sexual nuance, he felt uncomfortable and angry, but before he could take any action, Hyun Gyujin would rush in, passionately express his anger in his place, and the anger would dissipate before it could solidify. And today, before the anger could even arise, a strange emotion swept through his heart and disappeared without giving anger a chance to settle in.
“Did that guy ever talk such nonsense when I wasn’t around?”
“He just kept saying it looks delicious every time he saw me eat.”
“Ah, should I really kill him?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Yuwon, who stopped Hyun Gyujin trying to turn around and go back to the main entrance, raised his head. Then, since a few bites of the chewy bar had not been properly eaten and had only been held in his hand, he offered it.
“Ljnf atlr.”
“Tbe tjnf la.”
“P vbc’a offi ilxf fjalcu jcswbgf.”
“Cgfc’a sbe regqglrfv? Po sbe rxlq iecmt, ktja klii sbe vb, tet? Ofa’r ub ab atf tfjiat gbbw.”
“Pa’r cba atja rfglber.”
“Df mjgfoei, la kbc’a yf yjv lo sbe ajxf qgfmjealbcr. Tbe rffw j yla eckfii cbk. Tbeg ojmf lr j yla gfv.”
Feeling a bit heated around his ears and face, which made it too embarrassing even if it wasn’t noticeable enough, Yuwon blankly looked up at Hyun Gyujin. Hyun Gyujin was casually checking his temperature with his hand on his forehead, ignoring the chewy bar tube that Yuwon had taken a couple of bites from. He knew he was tall, but for some reason today, he seemed taller and even more handsome.
“It seems like you don’t have a fever, but why are your ears and neck so red? Are you not feeling well?”
“…I’m fine… I’m not in pain.”
“It doesn’t seem right. Let’s just go lie down for a bit.”
“No, I’m really not in pain….”
“You’re really red. You might faint. The fifth period is P.E. So let’s rest for an hour.”
Although aware that his excessive concern bordered on overprotection, his mind was blank, and he couldn’t refuse Hyun Gyujin’s words. He silently followed Hyun Gyujin back into the main hallway and headed towards the health room along the familiar path. Understanding Hyun Gyujin’s excessive worry due to several incidents where he had suddenly collapsed and could have been seriously injured despite thinking he was okay before, he comprehended the depth of concern for his well-being.
“The nurse isn’t here.”
“They probably went for lunch.”
“Let’s go in.”
Entering the infirmary with Hyun Gyujin holding my wrist and a tongue-clicking gesture, today, there seemed to be no one sick as the infirmary was empty.
“I’m really not feeling weird enough to lie down. Seriously.”
“But why are your ears so red then?”
“It’s because I’m cold?”
“You said you were hot earlier. Wasn’t it because it was hot and not cold that I bought you ice cream? It’s all lies, hm?”
Unable to provide a candid explanation for why his ears turned red, his ambiguous reply appeared to agitate Hyun Gyujin. Yuwon sighed heavily, silently removed his slippers, and settled onto the bed. Observing his accelerated heartbeat, it seemed advisable to heed Hyun Gyujin’s suggestion and quietly rest.
“If you feel unwell, tell me. Don’t endure it alone.”
“Alright.”
Bringing a chair, Hyun Gyujin placed it next to the bed and sat down. Seeing this, Yuwon pulled the blanket up to his lips.
“You should go to P.E.”
“There’s still time. Besides, if you skip, I’ll skip too.”
“You’re not in pain.”
“I’m hurting inside.”
“Ugh…”
Disgusted, Yuwon turned away from Hyun Gyujin and lay down, facing the wall. Even as a joke, he couldn’t understand how Hyun Gyujin could casually say such cheesy words.
“Look at Jung Yuwon turning away so rudely.”
A playful and light voice, filled with a pleasant resonance, reached his back. The blanket, which had slipped down below his shoulders while turning, covered him again as it came up. Even the unseen touch that lifted the blanket made Yuwon feel a flutter.
Confused and agitated, he couldn’t fathom the reason behind the rapid thumping in his chest. Yuwon feigned slumber, shutting his eyes momentarily, only to reopen them and fixate on the sterile white walls of the health room. He yearned for a moment of tranquility to ponder the cause and origin of his unsettling heartbeat. However, with Hyun Gyujin lingering behind him, deep concentration eluded him.
“….”
A comforting touch on the blanket, as if trying to calm and put him to sleep, was felt. Usually, he would have felt comforted by the regular, stable, and familiar touch, falling asleep. But not today. Thoughts seemed to form and then disperse, creating shapes, and then getting scattered repeatedly.
In the end, until the preparation paper for the fifth-period class was filled out, Yuwon didn’t think about anything, just embraced the unusual feeling and pretended to sleep.
“….”
Still accompanied by the tapping sounds on the phone screen, there was also the sound of the chair being pushed back. Probably playing a game with one hand, unlike Yuwon, who usually enjoyed games matching candy shapes, Hyun Gyujin preferred combat games. He was probably still enthusiastically smashing something with one hand.
“Ah…”
Unlike usual, there was a slightly uncomfortable feeling at the end of his spine, perhaps due to the ongoing unfamiliar emotion. As soon as he made a faint groaning sound, the sound of tapping on the phone stopped, and there was the sound of the chair moving backward.
“Why are you like this? Is something bothering you?”
“My stomach feels a bit stuffy…”
“Maybe you caught a cold. Ah, I should just kill that bastard. You were eating well for once.”
“It’s not that severe. I think I’ll be fine if I just take some medicine and rest. When the teacher comes, I’ll get some medicine, so you should go now.”
“Go where?”
“You have to attend class.”
Looking at Hyun Gyujin, who stood with an obviously reluctant expression, Yuwon pressed his thigh with one finger and nudged him. Of course, Hyun Gyujin didn’t react at all.
“Why do you keep making a fuss?”
“The nurse said that last time. They can look after me when I’m sick, but there’s no reason for you to look after me and skip your classes.”
“What if the teacher doesn’t look after you?”
“Don’t force it, just go quickly.”
With both hands uncomfortably stuffed into the pockets of his school uniform pants, Hyun Gyujin, who glared down disapprovingly, finally nodded in a defeated manner. There was no need to unnecessarily make the guy who was lying down because he was sick worry more about this. Also, he should go out to the playground for now to let the P.E. teacher know that Yuwon was in the health room.
“Oh, and don’t tell Mom and Dad. They’re already busy, no need to make them worry.”
“Got it.”
“Go quickly. Don’t get scolded for being late.”
“The teacher is probably here. I’ll tell him when I leave, so take your medicine and get some rest.”
“Mm. See you later. Bye.”
As the feeling of someone outside the infirmary caught his attention, Hyun Gyujin turned around, and looking down at Yuwon, who was lying on the bed and waving his hand, he seemed to find it cute. Every time they parted for a moment, he always waved his hand like that, saying goodbye, and it was always so cute that it made him smile every time. None of the other guys he knew ever made such cute farewells, which made it even more endearing.
After lightly patting his head once, substituting for a greeting, Hyun Gyujin left the health room. Yuwon listened attentively to the sounds outside and then released the tension in his body.
Shortly after, the school nurse came in and handed Yuwon lukewarm water and some medicine. After swallowing a small pill, Yuwon lay back down in the quiet health room, using his fingertips to brush away the light coming through the curtain, illuminating a spot on the bed. Now that he was alone, his thoughts began to settle more deeply.
“Will you be okay?”
When Hyun Gyujin turned around and inquired about his mood, for some reason, his heart dropped with a thud. And with an unfamiliar sensation, his heart beat rapidly, something he had never experienced before.
this is from the same writer as warm boy and is also one of my favorite works from her! hope you will stay for the ride, thank you!
love this trope im excited to see where this goes thank you for tling ~
Thank you for the chapter!