“……”
Though the mood was still a bit subdued, Hyun Gyujin missed Yuwon. What should he have for dinner tonight? Lately, they had been eating too much instant food or fried food together, so having a proper meal tonight seemed like a good idea. There was Salisbury steak at home; he should bring that and eat it with Jung Yuwon… Hyun Gyujin, already thinking about dinner, left the art room with Choi Haeyoung and descended the stairs.
***
A strong scent of soap emanated from Hyun Gyujin. Yuwon remembered the fabric deodorizer he saw last time he went to the art room.
“Did you smoke?”
“No, I didn’t. Only Choi Haeyoung.”
“But why did you spray it then?”
“…To get rid of Choi Haeyoung’s smell too. You don’t like the smell of cigarettes.”
Even though he responded to the question, he still didn’t seem in a particularly good mood. Yuwon stood in front of the crosswalk, glancing sideways. He debated whether to say that he was just kidding right away, but decided to postpone it for a while. He thought it would be better to have a serious conversation when they were alone rather than walking outside.
Today was the day for tutoring, so they would have dinner together, and they could be alone until the tutoring started. It would be good if he could relieve his mind by saying it was just a joke back then.
“I’ll go change my clothes.”
“Yeah. Bye.”
Even until they arrived home and parted ways, Hyun Gyujin didn’t seem to be in a particularly good mood. Ah, I should relieve his tension quickly. Yuwon quickly went home, washed his hands thoroughly, changed his clothes, and even tidied up his always well-organized room once more.
“……”
Should I wear something else…? Yuwon, looking at himself in the mirror, rummaged through the drawer while considering the ivory-colored hoodie. Perhaps wearing a loose-fitting sweater would be better. No, maybe just a zip-up jacket.
Lost in a dilemma he wasn’t accustomed to, Yuwon kept staring into the drawer when suddenly, the doorbell rang, startling him. He quickly went to the front door and opened it.
“Again, again.”
“Who is it?”
“Study effectiveness: zero.”
Although he remembered to ask who it was and to open the door, he knew it could only be Hyun Gyujin coming at this time, so he didn’t bother asking and just opened the door.
“Next time, seriously ask before opening.”
“Sure.”
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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“Our Gyujin studying? I’m impressed.”
“…Are you talking like my mom?”
“Just hearing that phrase makes me talk like this automatically.”
As if praising him, Yuwon patted Hyun Gyujin’s back, then took out instant rice and put two servings in the microwave. Once they finished eating, and cleaned up, they could solve the problems. Hyun Gyujin had just said what he intended to say. He should have lifted his mood first, but why did it feel like he was getting pushed back more and more… Yuwon tilted his head slightly.
***
In the end, the tutoring teacher helped with the problem solving. After hearing the explanation that it was easy to get confused due to the two parts that were deliberately misleading, he was now able to solve other problems correctly without making mistakes.
The problem was not understanding the process, but rather not being able to properly say that the kiss was just a joke while solving the problem.
It would have been nice to give up after a couple of tries and ask the teacher for help, but he kept trying to solve it until he had used up all his time. By the time he came to his senses, Junseo had already rung the bell.
“……”
With his chin resting on his hand, Hyun Gyujin glanced at Yuwon, who absentmindedly pressed his lips tightly with a sharpie. Though such occasions were rare, the thought of the tutoring session ending quickly filled Yuwon’s mind. He wanted to be alone with Hyun Gyujin soon.
“Starting from the next class, we’ll begin preparing for the finals together, so if there’s anything you don’t understand from what we learn at school, make sure to note it down. After this final, you know we’ll immediately start preparing for the March mock exams for the third year, right? Let’s work hard together after a few mock exams because it’ll be the real deal, the college entrance exam.”
Though there seemed to be some time left before becoming a third-year student, after hearing the teacher’s words, Yuwon felt a bit nervous. It wasn’t incorrect to say that after a few mock exams, it would be the college entrance exam.
“That’s it for today. These are the questions with a high frequency of occurrence selected from three years’ worth of mock exams. Since they’re selected to surely appear in the school tests, solve them by the next class.”
Lee Joonseo, seeing Yuwon looking a bit glum from the numerous problems, smiled and affectionately ruffled his hair. Meanwhile, Hyun Gyujin, still with his chin resting on his hand, had a visibly displeased expression that anyone could tell.
“See you next week. If you have any questions while studying over the weekend, just send me a message.”
“Yes, goodbye.”
As Yuwon bowed politely at the entrance and took a deep breath as the door closed, he quickly turned back to Hyun Gyujin. Seeing his clearly displeased expression made Yuwon feel awkward, but at the same time, he found it cute, and a laugh escaped him.
“Does Junseo owe you money or something? Why does he keep touching you? He needs to have his fingers broken to come to his senses.”
“You’re terrifying.”
“It’s irritating. I hate it when that guy touches you. I hated it before, but now it’s really… damn, I really hate it.”
Instead of emotions flowing in a way that could be moderately controlled, it felt like they were being dammed up and overflowing uncontrollably.
“I know. I know it’s childish, but what can I do if I hate it.”
“…”
“I’m leaving.”
It seemed better to go home than to keep seeing such childish and pathetic scenes. Once he got home, he wanted to wash off his irritation and let it all out.
“Well then! Next time, you sit in my spot…”
“…”
“Sit in your spot. Then that won’t happen. The teacher’s arms won’t magically stretch to reach me,” Yuwon’s suggestion was quite reasonable. If he sat where Yuwon was sitting now and Yuwon sat where he usually sat, Junseo’s hands would never reach Yuwon, unless he stretched to touch his face or head. If he did that, it would be reasonable to twist his fingers off. So, for now, it seemed best to do as Yuwon suggested.
“Is that okay?”
“Of course it is. I don’t mind where I sit. And…”
“…I care most about your feelings. So, let it out, okay?”
It was truly astonishing. Seeing Yuwon smile at me, tilting his head, all irritation seemed to vanish instantly.
“I’ve let it out.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Hyun Gyujin’s large hand rested gently on Yuwon’s head. After a few strokes, conveying warmth and affection more than Junseo’s earlier touch, he withdrew his hand satisfied.
“I’ll go. Rest.”
“…Did you really let it all out?”
“Yeah. Everything.”
“But why…”
Hyun Gyujin waited silently for Yuwon to continue. He was curious to hear what he wanted to say, but at the same time, he found Yuwon’s hesitance endearing and wanted to keep looking at his face.
“…Shall I just go?”
“…”
His head was spinning. His vision blurred, and his stomach felt queasy. His fingertips felt both cold and hot, and he felt awkward as his temperature rose. Hyun Gyujin hesitated, then took another step closer to Yuwon, looking into his eyes, before his body seemed to give in, lowering himself and enveloping the small body in his arms.
“…I might really lose it. What if I just stay?”
With his lips pressed firmly against Hyun Gyujin’s shoulder, Yuwon smiled and quietly wrapped his arms around his waist, feeling a sudden surge of tension in his body.
“I… haven’t kissed anyone before. I just joked around because I thought it would surprise you.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. I haven’t done that with anyone… We’re always together, you know.”
“…If you wanted to, you could have. It’s not like it would take hours.”
“I’ve never even thought about it.”
Hyun Gyujin’s body, which seemed tense as if frozen, suddenly relaxed. It felt like a relief, and Yuwon could sense Hyun Gyujin’s relief, which made him feel relieved too.
“Oh, I’ve pecked someone before.”
“With whom?”
Again, Yuwon lifted his head to look at Hyun Gyujin, who seemed excited, then smiled and leaned his head against his shoulder again, facing him.
“With you.”
“……”
“I used to kiss you on the cheek all the time when I was little, so you should know… but on the lips… I’ve only dreamt of it.”
“……”
“Before we started dating… I kept having those dreams, and it was so hard for me. I was scared to sleep. Even seeing you was a bit… unsettling.”
They are so fluffy??? It should be illegal to be this fluffy!! 😭❤