ASD 20

The place Gijun took him to was a street food stall.

Although it was a street food stall, the atmosphere was geared more towards students than adults who were there for serious drinking. Perhaps because it was located near the academy district. There were several kids in school uniforms. It seemed they would stop by after their academies ended to grab a quick bite of udon before leaving.

“Hello.”

“Jun, you’re here?”

As if to prove he was a regular here, the owner, who had been diligently stirring the broth, acknowledged him. “Yeees,” Gijun replied affably with a smile and pulled out a plastic chair with a scrape.

“Sit here.”

“…Okay.”

He could have done it himself. Gijun, sitting opposite him, smiled from ear to ear. Despite having stood there waiting for him for hours, he was brimming with energy. Thinking back to what happened a little while ago, he couldn’t help but feel sorry all over again.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Me, anything is fine. Same as you.”

“Really? Then I’ll order whatever I want.”

Calling out ‘Ma’am!’, Gijun rattled off the menu. Rolled omelet, two bowls of udon, one spicy stir-fried pork, and one spicy stir-fried webfoot octopus. It was a considerable amount, as always, but now Gawon knew. He knew that Gijun would eat every last bite without leaving anything.

The sight of the food made his appetite surge fiercely. For today at least, Gawon didn’t peck at his food but ate heartily. With a voice saying, “Jun, eat up, your friend too,” two Cokes were placed on the table.

Gawon bowed his head slightly and slurped up the noodles with a slurp. After chewing and swallowing all his food, he covered his mouth and quietly asked.

“Do you come here often?”

“Mm. Sometimes, after working out.”

“…With other friends?”

“Uh… sometimes, but I usually come alone.”

He suddenly became curious. Who did he come here with? Since he always worked out late at the gym, he probably came with people from the gym.

As he was casually thinking that, Gawon’s brow furrowed for a moment. It was because he remembered the voices of the kids who had been chattering about Gijun and the hyungs at the gym.

‘…I heard the gangsters already scouted him.’

‘I talked to Seongjun hyung yesterday, and that hyung really, reeeally likes Gijun, you know?’

He probably came with hyungs like that. Gawon put down his chopsticks with a troubled face. It was hard to imagine. The image of Gijun hanging out with those hyungs, who were rumored to do not just the basics like drinking, smoking, and riding motorcycles, but also worse things quite frequently.

“What are you thinking about?”

A quiet voice broke his train of thought. He lifted his head to see Gijun tilting his head and asking. Gawon let out a small laugh and pulled out a napkin from the side to hand it to him.

“You have sauce on your mouth.”

“…Ah.”

For a rare moment, Gijun’s eyes widened. The earlobes of the boy, who was hastily wiping his mouth, were slightly flushed. He looked exactly like Gawon had in the alley earlier. Now that the roles were reversed, a playful mood started to rise.

“You have some here too.”

“…Huh? Here, here too?”

When he pointed to a clean, smooth cheek, Gijun’s ears turned even redder. He watched Gijun rub here and there with his hands in a flustered manner, and finally, a pfft of laughter burst out.

“Just kidding.”

“……”

Gijun stared at Gawon with his mouth half-open and a look of disbelief. Seeing his face, unable to say anything and just moving his lips, Gawon felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

“You know how to tell a joke?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Wow. Yoon Gawon is a total liar. A liar.”

“That’s childish. And why is your face turning red?”

“It’s a little… embarrassing.”

The warm broth filled his stomach reassuringly. The plump rolled omelet, the spicy webfoot octopus, and the stir-fried pork were all delicious. The conversations shared with Gijun as they sat facing each other, the glances, laughter, and jokes they exchanged, slowly filled his empty heart.

The chest that had felt hollow and sore all afternoon was now filled with a sense of fullness. He had no choice but to admit it. That the time spent with Gijun was special in some way.

*

“Hey, did you get a girlfriend?”

“Ugh.”

The arms that had been doing push-ups at a rapid pace collapsed in an instant at those words. He had counted up to 241, 242…. Gijun, with his face planted on the floor, glared at Ahn Seongjun with a resentful face.

“Ah, ugh, ugh… what was that, all of a sudden…. Ugh.”

“Look at this bastard. So damn suspicious.”

Ahn Seongjun, who had been sitting next to him playing a game on his phone, grinned. The corners of his eyes, which slanted up like a snake’s, curved handsomely. He quickly jumped onto the panting body with its reddened face and twisted Gijun’s arm behind his back.

“Ah, hyung. Come on.”

“What do you mean, ‘come on,’ you bastard. Spill it. You’re suspicious, you bastard.”

“What is.”

“You. Nowadays, huh? A bastard who’s never done this before is grinning at his phone. Your whole vibe has completely changed, I tell you.”

Gijun, lying face down with his arm twisted, quickly pulled his right leg to the side. He deftly twisted his body and powerfully arched his back, and Ahn Seongjun, who momentarily lost his balance, was thrown forward with a “Hmph.”

Grabbing his collar at the right moment, Gijun threw him to the side and got on top of his stomach. However, even while pinned underneath, Ahn Seongjun smiled slyly.

“Hyung can tell just by looking. I mean, with that face of yours, it was more suspicious that you didn’t have a girlfriend yet. You didn’t show much interest even when we talked about girls, and you said you wouldn’t take any introductions. I thought you were impotent, you know?”

“I’m very healthy, sir.”

“I mean, you’re… huge. Here. Like a damn black eel or something…”

“I am a bit big.”

Ahn Seongjun started spouting low-class jokes, cackling unpleasantly. Gijun ignored him and got off his body.

He got back into position and started doing push-ups again, but that too was short-lived. After bending and extending his arms three or four times, Gijun stopped and asked in an awkward voice.

“…Is it obvious?”

“What is? That you’re big down there?”

“Not that. You were talking about my vibe earlier.”

“Kekekek, I knew it. This bastard. He got a girlfriend.”

Once again, the unpleasant voice cackled, teasing him. He shouldn’t have asked. Gijun scowled and increased the speed of his push-ups.

“Hey, you bastard. Don’t just laugh from the sidelines, get some exercise in too.”

The director, who came out of the shower room, feigned hitting Ahn Seongjun’s shoulder with a wet towel. The director, leaving behind Ahn Seongjun who was grumbling that he had been exercising all along and was just taking a short break, immediately turned to Gijun and asked.

“Oh, right. You’re going to compete, right? Jun. The deadline is next week, why haven’t you applied yet?”

“Ah.”

Gijun, who had jumped to his feet and stopped his movements, let out a single, blank sound. As he just stood there scratching the back of his head, the director added with a puzzled face.

“Of course you have to go. Jun, how can it be if you, the face of our gym, don’t go?”

“Yeah, man. You gotta go and wipe the floor with all of them. Just like last year.”

If his situation had been the same as last year, he would have completed the application long ago. Fighting with the same old people in the neighborhood gym he went to every day, and then competing against new opponents popping up from all over the country was a thrilling and exciting thing to even think about.

However, Gijun couldn’t answer easily and mumbled. His father’s intimidating voice from the day they came back after settling with the victims of the trouble he caused at his old school came back to him.

‘Are you exercising to go around causing trouble like this?’

The coldly sneering voice had informed Gijun with detached cruelty.

‘Don’t do this kind of thing anymore. If you get on my nerves one more time, that sport you love so much is over.’

His father usually neglected him, but Gijun didn’t feel much dissatisfaction. Even though he couldn’t expect the warmth of a loving family, he was someone who at least tried to provide for him without any lack in material terms. Gijun knew that he just didn’t know how to express it, but he definitely acknowledged and cherished him as his only son.

He was that kind of person, but when he was scary, he was reckless. He was completely incomparable to other ordinary fathers who were said to be strict.

When he was occasionally punished corporally, breaking a bone was a common occurrence. There were also a few times when he was confined after talking back and defying him fiercely. The laughable farce of the men he usually called ‘uncle’ and followed affectionately keeping watch over him and preventing him from leaving the house only ended after the school principal called.

Knowing his father’s personality, he had been lying low recently. He went around as carefully as possible, trying not to stand out. He quietly went to school, stopped by the gym to work out, and then went straight home. He thought he would get into more trouble if he got involved with Ahn Seongjun or the other hyungs who attracted trouble, so he avoided that as much as possible too. They often called him at night to hang out, but he refused, making up this or that excuse.

He was told not to stand out as much as possible. His father, who occasionally had him investigated, would definitely not be pleased if he won a prize at the competition this time. He had made it clear that moderate exercise was fine, but going to college with it was not.

Still… he didn’t say not to compete. After pondering for a moment, Gijun soon replied brightly.

“…Please sign me up. Director.”

In the end, there was only one answer. Giving up without even trying didn’t suit his nature.

“Yes! Good thinking.”

The director couldn’t hide his happy expression. This star pupil, who participated in the numerous competitions held every year and consistently brought back medals, was playing a solid part in raising the status of the center.

Preparing for the competition wasn’t much different from his usual workout. After going through the steps from basic physical training to sparring, it was already 9:30 PM. Gijun quickly took out his phone.

[Gawon. Are you at school?]

[I just finished my workout.]

Should he shower while waiting for a reply? Or wait and then shower? While he was contemplating, a welcome reply came right away.

Yoon Gawon

[Yeah. Me too. You worked hard at your workout too]

He said I worked hard. He said I worked hard… at my workout. Gijun’s lips quirked up into a grin. His fingers, typing out a reply with a tap tap tap, were faster than ever.

[Are you maybe very tired?]

[If you’re okay with it, want to go get a hamburger?]

[You get hungry around this time haha]

Thump thump. His heart was beating violently. Much faster than when he was doing push-ups.

After sending it, he wondered if he was being too pathetic, if he was asking to see him too often these days, and if Yoon Gawon would find him annoying because of it. Just as he was having too many thoughts, unlike his usual simple and straightforward self.

Yoon Gawon

[Okay]

With that one word, his chest felt wide open. Something welled up like a spring. After exchanging messages to decide on a place and time, Gijun rushed into the shower room. He hummed a tune as he lathered his body with more soap than usual.