With a weak body, even a little movement following others made him quickly out of breath and his heart race as if it would burst. His vision would sometimes whiten out, but this sensation was distinctly different from the countless experiences he had endured. Feeling numb was the same, and his heart racing was the same… Yet, he didn’t mind it.
Raising his hand stained with light, Yuwon pressed firmly on his pounding chest just by recalling that situation earlier, making his heart race with excitement. Why am I like this, really? Was it because I was surprised earlier? Or is it because of Hyun Gyujin?
“……”
No, that couldn’t be it. It didn’t make sense that his heart would race rapidly just by seeing his childhood friend Hyun Gyujin, whom he had been with since the existence of memory. They had spent most of their time together, and there had never been a moment like this.
It was also incomprehensible why he felt this excitement, even though it wasn’t the first time he had seen him teasing and tormenting others. Where did this excitement start from? Even the thoughts swirling in his mind were itching at Yuwon’s heart.
Watching Hyun Gyujin sitting quietly on the chair, Yuwon rose from his seat as the class began and drew the curtains aside. Opening the window, he gazed out onto the schoolyard.
Among the few classes that had physical education in the fifth period, Yuwon easily found his classmate, Hyun Gyujin, who stood out with his taller stature. Although the distance made it hard to see his expression clearly, just by seeing him standing with his hands buried in the pockets of his gym pants, Yuwon could guess what kind of face he was making.
Once again, his heart fluttered as he took in Hyun Gyujin with his eyes. As if showing that the reason his heart had been constricted and then loosened, fluttering all along was truly because of Hyun Gyujin.
A cool breeze tousled Yuwon’s bangs. Seeing his face flush, it seemed like he was blushing again. Yuwon couldn’t help but keep his eyes on Hyun Gyujin on the sunny schoolyard, feeling his heart flutter inexplicably.
His big, awkward, and warm friend.
***
About 20 minutes into the fifth period, the supervision of the physical education teacher began to slacken. After spending 20 minutes pretending to progress in PE by holding a ball and fooling around, he seemed to have grown tired of it himself and sat on the stands, picking on one guy. Hyun Gyujin passed the ball he was holding to Kim Junjae and glanced at the PE teacher discreetly.
“Hey, if that P.E teach looks for me, I’m dead.”
“Going to Blanky?”
“Yeah.”
“Let him rest a bit. Blanky must be sick of you.”
“Damn it, no. Jung Yuwon really loves me.”
“…Ah, damn it.”
Kim Junjae, shaking his head at the childish retort, threw the ball to Hyun Gyujin. Hyun Gyujin, receiving it effortlessly, without any sense of impact, returned it to Kim Junjae with a bit more force before leisurely leaving the field.
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.
Despite being just a little over 20 minutes away, it was worrying to the point of being excessive. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t seen him take medicine, and at other times, when he was sick, he would turn pale, but this time, his ears and the back of his neck were red, making him feel more uneasy.
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“Where are you hurt?”
“Nowhere.”
“Then did you come here instead of attending class because you are worried about Yuwon?”
“It’s free time anyway.”
“Who cares.”
There were times when he was scolded for missing class or leaving midway, even though he was worried, but it never applied to Hyun Gyujin. It didn’t matter how he spent his time. Hyun Gyujin greeted the school nurse, who gestured for him to go in, and quietly entered the sickroom.
“……”
On the innermost bed in the sickroom, Yuwon was asleep. Hyun Gyujin, seeing the open window, closed it quietly and pulled the curtains. Judging by the even sound of his breathing, he seemed to be fine. Confirming it with his own eyes, Hyun Gyujin finally felt relieved.
Seated on a chair, Hyun Gyujin pulled out his phone. Debating whether to play a game, he lost interest and decided to check a portal site instead. There, on the main page, an article caught his attention: ‘Once Again, Lee Haein! <Career> Achieves 26.8% Ratings, Ranked 1st Overall!’
Everyone knew the famous name, but to Hyun Gyujin, it held a more special meaning than for others. His gaze, which casually skimmed through even articles he wouldn’t normally care about, turned back to the sleeping Yuwon. He recalled Yuwon’s words, advising not to tell his parents if he was sick.
Decorating the main page of the portal site, Haein was a nationally famous actress and Yuwon’s mother. To Hyun Gyujin, she was an aunt he had frequently seen since he was very young.
It was a bit fascinating that the friend’s mom, who was as close as a second mom, became a different person every time she appeared on TV. Although he didn’t diligently watch dramas, he knew how high 26.8% ratings were from just the 4th episode.
“Hmm… Oh? When did you come? Is the fifth period already over?”
“No. Normally, after PE, we skip the rest and have free time.”
“You’ll get in trouble if caught.”
“If I get caught, I’ll just get scolded. Isn’t that scarier? Getting scolded by you. I’m more scared of you getting sick. Did you take your medicine?”
“Yeah. I’m fine now.”
Hyun Gyujin, putting his phone carelessly in his pocket, held Yuwon’s hand on the bed. It wasn’t very warm, but it wasn’t cold either, indicating that he wasn’t seriously unwell.
“……”
Seeing Hyun Gyujin gently stroking his hand, Yuwon withdrew his hand subtly. Even looking at Hyun Gyujin from a distance felt strange, but having him this close made his heart feel like it was about to burst.
“Can we have a tutoring session today?”
“Nope. I’m good. Did you finish your homework?”
“No.”
Hyun Gyujin looked at Yuwon in disbelief as he casually admitted to not doing his homework again. It was consistent, considering how difficult it must be to avoid doing it every time.
“Why are you seeking a tutoring session when you haven’t completed your homework?”
“Because you are there.”
The tone was dismissive, as if asking something obvious, but Yuwon couldn’t help feeling his heart pound again at Hyun Gyujin’s unexpected response. Today was indeed a very strange day.
“Oh, Aunt’s article got a lot of attention.”
Hyun Gyujin, holding his phone, showed Yuwon the article that appeared on the portal main page. Honestly, there was a reason for diverting the topic. He knew he was on the verge of being scolded by Yuwon if he didn’t listen attentively to the lessons for which he paid money and the teacher devoted time.
“Mom’s photo came out nicely.”
“When does the shoot finish?”
“They started the shoot a bit late, so now they’re in the middle of the 8th episode. It’s a 24-episode series, so… it will take a few more months, I guess?”
Hyun Gyujin, who had thought that he should pay more attention to Yuwon for a while, got up and gently ruffled his slightly disheveled bangs.
“……”
A much larger hand approached, and without realizing it, Yuwon shrugged at the movement in front of his eyes. Even though the hand was too close for clear focus, his heart started beating rapidly as if there were some issue.
“Now… let’s go.”
“There’s still about 10 minutes left.”
“I want to drink milk. Banana milk.”
“Let’s go to the school store, then.”
Yuwon got off the bed, put on his slippers, and straightened up. Even with Hyun Gyujin’s hand brushing through his hair, his lips kept getting dry, and he felt strangely off.
As they walked to the school store, Yuwon was conscious of Hyun Gyujin the entire time. Every sound, from the zipper of Hyun Gyujin’s gym uniform to the sound of him putting on slippers, resonated in his ears, creating a turmoil in his mind.
“How did you both come together during class? Did you play hooky?”
“Well, it’s similar. It’s PE free time.”
Responding to the gentle voice of the school store lady, Hyun Gyujin picked up banana milk and Yuwon’s favorite lemon-flavored caramel. He also grabbed the chocolate milk he couldn’t drink earlier because of the crazy guy.
“If you’re always together like that, don’t you fight?”
“No, we don’t fight. I always lose to Jung Yuwon.”
“Really? Yuwon should confirm that.”
Hyun Gyujin, inserting a thin straw into the banana milk, laughed lightly as he awaited Yuwon’s response.
Yuwon, sipping on his banana milk while contemplating, soon nodded his head. The idea of countering the claim that Hyun Gyujin always loses to him didn’t even cross his mind.
“Well, it seems like that. But, honestly, we rarely have reasons to fight in the first place, unless Hyun Gyujin is playing pranks.”
As Yuwon answered while sipping his banana milk, the cute-looking school store lady handed him a hamburger-shaped jelly and another one for Hyun Gyujin.
“Thank you.”
Smiling and thanking, Yuwon left the school store. Following behind, Hyun Gyujin put the hamburger-shaped jelly into Yuwon’s pocket along with the lemon-flavored caramel. Although Yuwon wasn’t particularly fond of the squishy texture of jelly, he liked all kinds of jellies, as evidenced by the variety stored in his desk drawer.
their friends call yuwon blanky as a nickname or more accurately mong (blank)-yu(yuwon) so for this instance i only used blanky to be clear but i am going to switch to mongyu in the few chapters for more authenticity(?)
So far, I’m loving this, it’s cute !!💕
it is! and it only gets cuter from here 🫶
Thank you for the chapter!