“…”
The sound of water droplets falling from the faucet strangely seemed louder than usual. Have I ever heard this sound before? Leaning against the closed restroom door, Hyun Gyujin checked the time. There were still about 15 minutes left until the end of the class. Plus, it was lunchtime right after, so even if he spent all of the gym class waiting for Jung Yuwon, there would be plenty of time to talk.
“…”
Today, time seemed to pass exceptionally slowly. It felt like 5 minutes had passed, but when he checked the time, only about 30 seconds had gone by. And this time, it truly felt like 5 minutes had passed, but when he looked at the clock, only 1 minute had passed. Just when he felt like he had waited for about a year, he heard a rustling sound from inside the restroom. And shortly after, Yuwon, with red eyes, slowly walked out.
“The thing you said earlier…”
“D… don’t talk about that… If you talk about it again… I’ll never talk to you again.”
Ah… his ears are turning red again.
Hyun Gyujin clenched his lips and nodded at Yuwon’s flushed ears. He was determined not to bring it up ever again.
“Lunchtime is coming up soon. Do you want to talk after eating?”
“…I don’t want to eat. You go ahead and eat…”
“I’m not hungry either. Then let’s talk first.”
“…I have something to talk to you about…”
“Nothing to talk about?”
Hyun Gyujin, tilting his head with a twisted expression as he looked at Yuwon, grabbed Yuwon’s wrist gently, as if not wanting to hurt him.
“Why…”
“Worried you might run away? Why else.”
“…No.”
“What do you mean ‘no’? I saw you almost bolt earlier. Think of it as handcuffs. Let’s go. What are you doing in the restroom, anyway?”
Hyun Gyujin, holding onto Yuwon’s wrist, opened the locked restroom door and stepped into the corridor. Fortunately, it was still before the end of class, so the corridor was very quiet.
“…Where are we going?”
“The art room.”
“Are you smoking there?”
“Huh?”
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.
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Entering the quiet art room and closing the door, the bell signaling the end of class rang ominously. Yuwon chuckled softly while looking at the fabric deodorizer placed on the window sill. Sometimes, there would be a scent of fabric softener from Hyun Gyujin that smelled like freshly washed laundry, and it seemed like he had sprayed it there.
“Now, tell me.”
“W… what…”
“Why have you been acting like this lately?”
Wanting to casually reply and escape from this situation, but honestly, it seemed difficult now that he had come this far. Yuwon tapped the floor of the art room with the toe of his sneaker, still not changed.
“Dodging with excuses about the academy, avoiding me, and telling me not to come get you. After all that, you just openly run away in front of me, and now you have nothing to say to me?”
“…Can’t I just tell you next time?”
“No, I won’t give you time. You’ll just come up with excuses anyway.”
Startled by Yuwon’s slight step backward, Hyun Gyujin grabbed his wrist and pulled them closer. Then, he leaned forward as if to confine Yuwon and raised his leg.
“D… don’t…”
“Then why are you trying to run?”
“…Let go of me…”
Hyun Gyujin gently shook the wrist he held, but he didn’t let go. As Yuwon stood between his legs with his wrist held firmly, his body temperature rose all over again. Yuwon quickly lowered his head to hide his hot face.
“…Let go quickly…”
Seeing Yuwon’s unfamiliar appearance, Hyun Gyujin became certain. The reason why Yuwon suddenly acted so strange towards him. Honestly, he was already somewhat convinced since the restroom, but if it was 90% then, it was 100% now.
“Look at me.”
“…I don’t want to.”
“I said look.”
As Yuwon hesitantly raised his head, unable to meet Hyun Gyujin’s eyes and quickly lowering it again, Hyun Gyujin’s finger touched Yuwon’s chin. In that moment, a tingling sensation ran through his entire body. Startled, Yuwon stepped back from Hyun Gyujin. It felt like he had acted foolishly and now everything was exposed.
“I had my doubts, but…”
“…”
“Jung Yuwon, you like me.”
Expecting various follow-up phrases like ‘Do you like me?’, ‘Are you saying you like me?’, or ‘You like me, huh?’, Yuwon was completely caught off guard by Hyun Gyujin’s words. Yuwon couldn’t even muster a basic denial in response to those words, which carried so much certainty. He just stared blankly at Hyun Gyujin’s face.
“How did you know?”
“For over ten days now, whenever it’s just the two of us, you avoid me like the plague, flinch away even if our hands touch, and your ears turn red even at a whispered conversation. How could I not know?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“…You might feel uncomfortable. It’s awkward and…”
Hyun Gyujin, sitting on the edge of the art room desk, absentmindedly brushed the dust off the desk with his fingertips, lost in thought.
Yuwon waited, his face on the verge of tears, for Hyun Gyujin’s decision. They had been friends since birth, countless family gatherings together, and although they weren’t grown-ups yet, they had bathed together and slept together countless times. However, it would not be easy for Hyun Gyujin to easily accept suddenly having romantic feelings. Yuwon knew there was a possibility of losing his friendship due to diminished affection or disgust. That’s why he had tried to organize these feelings as best as he could, but he couldn’t do it properly, and now he found himself in this worst-case scenario. Yuwon couldn’t believe what was happening right before his eyes.
If we end our friendship, then what? What should I say if Mom and Dad ask why I haven’t been seeing Gyujin lately? We’re in the same class at school, so we’ll see each other every day. How should I even look at him…
Should I just tell him it’s not true, that I was just kidding? No, I’m terrible at lying, it’ll only make the situation worse… What should I do? What if I say I feel uncomfortable, or if I suggest ending our friendship…
“I felt bad. Because you’ve been avoiding me.”
“…”
“Suddenly making excuses about ridiculous homework, going out with Yoon Sung, someone I don’t even know. Eating tteokbokki and hanging out, and even asking me to come over right before tutoring.”
“…”
“Not even looking at my face properly, jumping at the slightest touch. If you were me, wouldn’t you feel bad?”
“…I’m sorry…”
And I feel sorry that I like you too. Yuwon gathered his thoughts, preparing for what would come next. He tried to reassure himself that it was something he would have to hear anyway, that it was natural, and he tried to convince himself with a mindset that wouldn’t be swayed. But his heart, pounding painfully, didn’t want to hear any of Yuwon’s words.
“…”
“…”
The brief silence was deliberately created by Hyun Gyujin to calm down the excitement in his heart that was threatening to overwhelm him. After confirming that Yuwon liked him, he felt ecstatic. More than feeling awkward or uncomfortable about his childhood friend liking him in a romantic way, he felt overwhelmingly happy.
Well, this couldn’t have gone any better. It felt amazing. It felt like he had conquered the world. Jung Yuwon liked him. Despite all the confusion and awkwardness, the overwhelming feeling was one of intense joy. Every action that had bothered him before now seemed like actions of affection. It was almost too much to handle. Hyun Gyujin looked at Yuwon, who lowered his head like a criminal, and tilted his head slowly.
“I felt really bad when you were avoiding me… but knowing that you like me doesn’t make me feel bad at all.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. Jung Yuwon, come here.”
Yuwon’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer. Hyun Gyujin gestured for Yuwon to come closer.
“…”
Keeping a slight distance from Hyun Gyujin, Yuwon watched as he gestured towards them and then slowly approached. With each gesture urging them to come closer, Yuwon took a step forward, and then another, until finally, he found himself trapped between Hyun Gyujin’s long legs once again.
“I was really pissed off, you know? Everyone else eats, goes home, laughs with me, but you always avoided me. It really got on my nerves.”
“…”
“I couldn’t even sleep, I was so mad.”
“…I’m sorry…”
“I was pissed off at those other guys, not you. Especially that Yoon Sung guy, it felt like he stole you from me. Can I swear about him?”
Seeing Yuwon shake his head in refusal, Hyun Gyujin gently held his trembling cheek to prevent it from getting hurt as he raised his hand and shook it gently.
“It wasn’t fun without you. Just frustrating.”
“…”
“Do I like you too?”
“…”
“I feel so damn good knowing that you like me. Feels like I could even kiss you. Is that what liking someone feels like?”
Yuwon’s ears turned bright red again as he looked at Hyun Gyujin, who casually said things he had never even thought about, or rather, never dared to think about in reality.
“Don’t say weird stuff like that. I, I! I haven’t… thought about that… kind of thing…”
“Yeah? Then how far have you thought? Have you thought about dating?”
While he hadn’t considered specific actions, Yuwon had thought about whether he could date Hyun Gyujin. So, he nodded quietly. Seeing Yuwon like that, Hyun Gyujin smiled and tilted his head, locking eyes with Yuwon even more deeply.
“So, should we date?”
sorry for the cliffhanger…
No no, you’ve been very generous! You didn’t leave us with them in the bathroom after all. That’s a cliffhanger that would’ve really hurt!
Thanks for your hard work.
Thank you for the updates! ❤️
It’s not a big cliffhanger I mean if you e ded the chapter when Gyujin said “Yuwon, You like me” could have been the biggest cliffhanger. I would have cried and spend a whole day thinking what would Gyunin say next. You are a generous person 😭♥
Thank you so much for the chapter 🥺
Can’t wait for more <3