“Hurry up and change your clothes. We’re running out of time,” Hyun Gyujin’s voice came from outside the closed door. Even though Yuwon knew he couldn’t see inside, for some reason, it felt like Hyun Gyujin was right there in front of him.
“……”
Setting down the bag, Yuwon took off the school jacket and hung it behind the chair. Then, he unbuttoned his cardigan, followed by loosening his tie and unbuttoning the school shirt, one by one… Each time he did, his gaze kept drifting towards the closed door. Yuwon slipped off the school shirt and put on a thin t-shirt underneath, then quickly put on a sweatshirt, all the while glancing towards the door for no apparent reason. Hastily, he changed his pants as well.
After collecting the disheveled school uniform and draping it over the arm of the chair, Yuwon cautiously opened the door. Hyun Gyujin was still leaning against the hallway outside the door. Yuwon walked past him and entered the bathroom, closing the door slightly and turning on the water forcefully before exhaling a long sigh.
“……”
His heart was racing so fast it felt like it might burst. If only he had just gone out for a regular dinner with Hyun Gyujin, he might not have felt so suffocated. But regretting it now would be futile.
If there hadn’t been a tutoring session, he would have taken his time showering, but there was no time to spare. Yuwon quickly brushed his teeth and washed his hands thoroughly before finally examining his face once and stepping out of the bathroom. Even then, Hyun Gyujin was still standing silently in the hallway, leaning against the wall.
“…It’s time for the tutor to come. What… What do you want to drink? Juice? Coffee?”
Despite not being particularly talkative, the atmosphere felt even more awkward with Hyun Gyujin’s silence. Yuwon headed towards the kitchen, starting a light conversation for no reason. But Hyun Gyujin didn’t respond.
“……”
With a nervous and pounding heart, Yuwon poured juice from the refrigerator into a cup. Even though there were two people present, the sound of pouring juice seemed unusually loud in the silent house.
“Jung Yuwon. You…”
The moment Hyun Gyujin’s low voice echoed, the doorbell rang as well. Yuwon quickly went to the entrance and opened the door. Smiling and greeting Lee Junseo as usual, completely unaware, Yuwon bowed politely and entered the tutoring room together. He could feel Hyun Gyujin following behind. Yuwon sincerely hoped that this tutoring session wouldn’t end anytime soon.
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.
How great would it be to have the ability to stop time or jump? Even entertaining such absurd thoughts, Yuwon, once again facing Hyun Gyujin alone, took a gulp of the remaining orange juice.
“Aecu Tekbc, ktja’r gfjiis ublcu bc klat sbe? Qts tjnf sbe yffc ilxf atlr ijafis?”
“…Zf?”
“Tbe ifjnf j afza rjslcu sbe’gf ublcu ab rmtbbi olgra lo sbe’gf wjv, sbe mjc’a fnfc fja qgbqfgis ja vlccfg, sbe vlrjqqfjg obg j wbwfca ja atf rluta bo rbwfbcf firf.”
“P’nf yffc… Aera jr P rjlv. P mjc’a mbcmfcagjaf… P xffq kjxlcu eq ogbw riffq, batfg atbeutar xffq mbwlcu ab wlcv…”
“……”
“My mind… feels strange…”
This was the limit. He could only hope that Hyun Gyujin wouldn’t ask why he felt strange. Yuwon felt like crying and bowed his head. His eyes became hot like a fool’s.
“What… Worried about becoming a senior?”
“…Huh?”
“Pressured about university, like the tutor said?”
“……”
“Hey, even if that’s the case, can’t you eat properly? You feel like I’ve given up on studying, don’t you? Why do you have to avoid me?”
Yuwon’s eyes widened in surprise at the direct flow of words. Even though he had said he would act naturally, it seemed like he had been found out. Seeing Yuwon like that, Hyun Gyujin didn’t easily say anything. Honestly, he didn’t know where to start or what to say. It was more fitting to say he didn’t know what to say or where to start.
“I said I would go to the academy with you starting next year, didn’t I? I’m going to university too. I’m going to concentrate and study. So, you can talk to me about that.”
“……”
“What’s so different about those kids who go to academies together? It’s all the same anyway,” Hyun Gyujin’s hand gently grasped his shoulder, causing his toes to curl up inside my socks once again. Overwhelming guilt flooded Yuwon’s heart. Feeling sorry for Hyun Gyujin’s concern, yet trembling too much to utter a single word.
“Are you going early tomorrow again?”
“…No…”
“Then I’ll come down at the usual time we are supposed to leave.”
“……”
“Huh?”
“…Yeah.”
“I’ll leave then. Rest. Don’t come out.”
Hyun Gyujin lightly tapped Yuwon’s cheek and headed towards the entrance. Yuwon stood still, only exhaling the trapped breath in his mouth after hearing the sound of the door opening and closing at the end of the fading footsteps.
This time it passed like this, but what about next time? If I continue to distance myself, will Hyun Gyujin still try to understand me then?
Although it hasn’t happened yet, thinking about the inevitable day when it will happen made his head ache.
Slowly, Yuwon walked to the room and collapsed onto the bed, closing his eyes as if falling into a dream. In the darkness, the image of Hyun Gyujin, who always made him laugh in his dreams, flickered. Just the thought of it tightened his thighs and filled his body with tension. Remembering Hyun Gyujin’s gentle touch on his shoulder moments ago, Yuwon’s hand slid down between his legs.
It seemed like today was a day when all kinds of guilt could nestle in his heart.
***
Jung Yuwon had become strange. That was the conclusion Hyun Gyujin reached recently after observing him. It might seem like a rather insensitive conclusion, but there was no other way to explain the situation than to say that Jung Yuwon had indeed become strange.
Firstly, his gaze when looking at Gyujin became strange. He couldn’t seem to meet Gyujin’s eyes properly, and even when they did, he often looked away or down after a brief moment. Of course, they didn’t only look into each other’s eyes while talking, but somehow, it felt like there were many more instances where they didn’t make eye contact compared to before.
Secondly, Yuwon started avoiding Gyujin strangely. Suddenly, he said he was going to Yoon Sung’s house to do homework, suddenly he left the classroom even though they hadn’t met any academy friends before. On Saturdays, he slept all day due to fatigue, and on Sundays, he didn’t give Gyujin even a little space, insisting on doing those damn academy assignments without a break. It felt like he had set a firm goal not to meet Gyujin on weekends.
Of course, it’s not necessary for friends to meet and do something together every weekend just because they’re close, but when Gyujin thought about all the time they’ve spent together as friends since they were born in, whether Gyujin remembered it or not, this was just absurd. Resting together was always natural, and spending time together until dinner and late-night snacks was so taken for granted that Yuwon’s sudden deviation felt even stranger. Even if he was worried about becoming a senior or feeling pressured about university, it didn’t make sense. Avoiding Gyujin won’t improve his grades or help him get into a good university, so Gyujin couldn’t understand why he was acting like this suddenly.
Thirdly, Yuwon seemed surprised every time Gyujin touched him. While Gyujin could conclude that the first two were him being overly sensitive, he couldn’t overlook this one. Even just resting Gyujin’s arm on his shoulder or leaning in made Yuwon startle and back away. Gyujin hadn’t done anything threatening or wrong, but Yuwon kept hunching his shoulders and not meeting Gyujin’s eyes. There were several situations that came to mind immediately. Like when they were going home after the academy ended, Gyujin just leaned down to confirm that there was no smell of cigarettes, but Yuwon seemed genuinely taken aback as he moved back. Honestly, it was a bit disconcerting. It felt like their relationship had suddenly become distant, which made Gyujin worry and feel heavy-hearted.
And when was that again? Every time Gyujin touched his shoulder, he seemed startled, and when their faces got close, Yuwon would noticeably back away.
Fourthly, his dreams. Yuwon dreaming about Gyujin was strange. At first, Gyujin thought it was just a joke, but his last words, filled with excitement, kept echoing in Gyujin’s mind. Not only did Gyujin appear in his dreams every day, but even the fact that Yuwon was touching him in his dreams, which turned out to be his waist, was driving Gyujin crazy. And that word that was cut off when his mom came didn’t leave Gyujin’s mind.
don’t worry people…they will reconcile soon :)) what are your thoughts on it, though? even though this is my second time reading it, i’m melting over how cute they are!!
This is too cute, I’m so ready for the next update 🥺🥺
Poor Yuwon is so stressed! I hope they can figure it out soon.
Thanks for the chapter! ❤️
Hi when is the next update for this please?
today or tomorrow!
Thank youuu
I hope they talk soon these situations are just like mine when I have a crush I will immediately start avoiding people not talking to them at all. It’s scary and I understand Yuwon 😭😭