HYUNG 66

“…You have to breathe through your nose. Hmm?”

“I tried to th, think that in my head but… you kept touching my waist and then your tongue was, just… so I got nervous…”

Ham Dowon panted with a beet-red face, and I patted his back. Honestly, it was like raising a child.

“You said you liked me, so didn’t you even study this kind of thing?”

“I did stu, study a lot, but… h, how do you study this kind of thing through books…”

“Then what have you been studying all this time?”

“Your eating habits and… what you like… things like that…”

“Right… It’s not like you can search for a study on me on the internet. Good job. It’s fine. For a first time, you did veeeery well.”

I praised him while patting his back, but Ham Dowon only twitched his lips.

“I can really do a good job. I mean it! I’m really good at…!”

I blocked Ham Dowon’s mouth with mine and pushed the candy, which had become much smaller, between his lips.

“Right. I said you did well. You finally took it, the candy.”

When I ruffled his hair, Ham Dowon made an even more dissatisfied expression.

“…It’s too sweet.”

“That was yours anyway. And considering how much you love sweet things.”

“Hyung.”

“What.”

“We’re really dating now, right? It’s because we even kissed. Right?”

I kissed the forehead of the anxious Ham Dowon.

“Yeah. We’re dating.”

“I told you so.”

“What?”

“That I would definitely seduce you, hyung. That we would definitely be a Campus Couple.”

“Right. You succeeded.”

I stroked the back of Ham Dowon, who was burrowing into my arms. Ham Dowon giggled. Because he looked so happy it almost made me embarrassed, I purposely changed the subject.

“The 2D art class… the midterm evaluation is the week after next.”

“Yeees, hyung.”

“Did you hear me properly?”

“Yes.”

“What did I say?”

“That you like me, hyung!”

…He didn’t listen to a single word. Ham Dowon just kept rubbing his face against my chest. I wondered what to do with this stubborn guy who is so quick to misunderstand and only hears what he wants to hear (even hearing things I didn’t say), but I just stroked his cheek. After all, it wasn’t a lie.

When I slowly opened my eyes, Ham Dowon was there. I don’t know when he woke up, but he was sitting hunched by the bed with a clean, washed face, looking at me. His hand was dangling in the air, as if he were debating whether or not to stroke my hair.

“…Are you awake?”

“Yeah. I’m awake.”

A chuckle escaped me. I tapped the forehead of Ham Dowon, whose eyes went wide in surprise, with my index finger.

“Why are you looking at a person like that?”

“Because I didn’t know if this was a dream or reality…”

“Do you have a better idea now?”

While I stretched and twisted my body around, Ham Dowon shook his head.

“I still don’t know.”

“Actually, it’s a dream. You’re going to wake up soon.”

I tapped Ham Dowon’s forehead again. I hit him very lightly, but Ham Dowon ended up plopping down onto the floor.

“Hyung… is it really a dream?”

“…Are you undergoing some kind of treatment by any chance?”

This wasn’t just being innocent… Because I was sincerely worried, I looked down at him seriously, and Ham Dowon wiggled closer and suddenly grabbed my ankles.

“I was just joking. I told you I’m a good actor.”

Ham Dowon, who had been lying on the floor since this morning hugging my feet, looked up at me and giggled. I lightly shook that foot. Despite that, Ham Dowon clung on and wouldn’t let go.

“Hyung-ah.”

“What. I need to wash up.”

“Hyung-aaaa.”

“What time is it now?”

Where did I put my phone? While I looked around here and there, Ham Dowon pricked the top of my foot with his fingernails.

“Hyung, I love you…”

I stopped looking for the clock and looked back down. Ham Dowon’s face was glowing in the morning sun, flushed red. After letting out a light sigh, I sat on the edge of the bed. I pushed Ham Dowon’s head weakly.

“I know.”

“Is that all?”

Ham Dowon had a disappointed face. Like he’s a kid. Seeing that, laughter burst out.

“What words do you want to hear?”

“…You know.”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me what time it is.”

“It was a little before 8:30 AM. Right before you woke up, hyung…”

Ham Dowon mumbled with his lips pouted. Since class was at 10:00 AM, there was a bit of time. I purposely looked elsewhere, feigning uninterest, but eventually had no choice but to look at Ham Dowon because of the finger poking my foot tap, tap.

“Ham Dowon. I like you too.”

It’s not like I expected an intense reaction like crying or being startled, but Ham Dowon just sat with his mouth shut, blinking his eyes.

“Is that all for you too?”

“Hyung… I’m just so happy this isn’t a dream.”

“Did you have a lot of dreams like that?”

“Not a lot… I just had a few. Dreams where you appear, hyung…”

Ham Dowon, as if shy, pressed his cheek against my calf and looked down. Right. Looking at him like that from the morning is really nice, it’s nice, but…

“But can’t I go wash up for a bit?”

I want to brush my teeth and clear the sleep from my eyes. I’m human too, so it wasn’t exactly pleasant showing this whole appearance starting from the morning of the day we decided to date. If anything, it was embarrassing.

“You can.”

“You have to let go for me to go or not.”

“Hyung.”

“What.”

“You have to come back quickly, okay? I’ll wait.”

Ham Dowon put on a sorrowful expression as if I were someone going far away overseas and slowly let go of my legs. This is ridiculous. It’s just going to the bathroom in this cramped house. But I felt like I was also strange for deciding to date this strange guy. Because I was concerned, I washed up and came out as quickly as possible.

“Why are you sitting like that?”

“I was waiting for you, hyung.”

“So I’d feel concerned?”

“That wasn’t it, but…”

When I came out, I made eye contact with Ham Dowon, who was sitting under the bed with his knees pulled to his chest. It was quite a pitiful sight, seeing his large body folded up like that.

“Sit properly. Properly.”

When I clicked my tongue, only then did Ham Dowon scramble up onto the bed and sit down.

“Hyung, we have to go to class, right?”

Since it was a bed without a headboard, Ham Dowon, who was sitting in a formal posture with his back against the wall, began to spout total nonsense.

“We have to go, of course.”

“What do you think about skipping just for today?”

“I think badly of it.”

“…It’s just one day?”

“Do you not care about your attendance? You made a mess of coming to school last week and this week.”

“I think there are things more important than a system called school.”

“Then drop out.”

“… .”

Ham Dowon’s lips twitched.

“Hyung, you’re really cold-hearted.”

“There’s no one else as generous as me.”

“Am I really dropping out? Hmm?”

Ham Dowon shouted with his fists clenched. No matter how I looked at it, he seemed sulky.

“If you want to do it, you do it. I won’t stop you.”

“I’m asking if you really won’t stop me!”

Ham Dowon had a very sulky face, but he didn’t stop me from touching his face.

“You said there are things more important than a system called school. I respect your convictions. …As your lover. There can be things more important than the school I’m at. Isn’t that right?”

Ham Dowon’s mouth distorted, and soon he lowered his head deep. But he quickly jerked his head up and tightly grabbed my hand that had very lightly touched his cheek.

“…Let’s go to class. I’m going. I’m not dropping out! I’m going to have perfect attendance from now on! School is the most important thing for a student!”

“Right, right.”

Ham Dowon was much easier to soothe than a child. It was a relief. Because we weren’t in a relationship where it didn’t matter if he was sulky or angry anymore.

“Hyung… can I kiss you?”

Ham Dowon buried his face in my palm and whispered. I thought of yesterday’s kiss. It was nice. Even though he was incredibly bad at it.

“Can you do it?”

“Hyung, it’s not like I’m a fool…”

Ham Dowon grabbed my forearm and pulled me. Surprised by the sudden movement, my posture collapsed and I had no choice but to practically lie on top of Ham Dowon. Ham Dowon narrowed his eyes and smiled, cupped both my cheeks with his palms, tilted his head to the side to match the angle, and brought his mouth close. It was a fairly smooth process. The act of sucking on my lips mwah, mwah wasn’t bad either. However, as it gradually deepened, it was immediately revealed. That Ham Dowon is extremely clumsy at kissing.

“You plotted this out a lot in your head, didn’t you.”

“I didn’t…”