NCBF Ch 1

Thump, thump. His heart was filled with an unfamiliar thrum. Yuwon stared blankly at Hyun Gyujin, who had lunged straight at the guy who made a dirty joke to him and swung his fist. On the floor lay the chocolate milk carton Hyun Gyujin had taken only a single sip of, thrown to the ground.

“Hey, what did you just say?”

“When did I say I wanted to eat Jeong Yuwon? I said I wanted to eat ice cream…”

“Why don’t you eat my fist instead.”

Yuwon, who was watching Hyun Gyujin plunge his fist once more into the face of the guy who used the word ‘eat’ in a strangely uncomfortable, offensive way, quickly came to his senses. He approached and grabbed the arm that had raised up again. The face turning around to ask what he wanted was filled with rage. It was a look Yuwon could never see when it was just the two of them normally.

“Stop, if you do more than this, you’ll just get in trouble for nothing.”

“Are you feeling okay?”

“…Huh?”

“I asked if you’re feeling better. If you’re not, I’ll land a few more hits.”

Looking at Hyun Gyujin, who was asking while focusing entirely on his feelings, Yuwon moved his lips slightly. He had to say something, but his heart kept pounding, and the strength was draining from his hands and feet. Yuwon barely nodded, without even realizing his ears were burning red.

“…I’m feeling better.”

“Then that’s fine.”

Only after hearing that answer did Hyun Gyujin get up from on top of the guy, who was cowering in fear of being hit more. Of course, he didn’t forget to threaten him by raising his fist once more and feigning a strike.

“Ah, fuck. I didn’t even get to drink a single sip.”

Looking down at the chocolate milk carton thrown to the floor without even drinking it because the guy threw a fit as soon as he inserted the straw, Hyun Gyujin raised his foot and stomped hard on it. Milk splattered in all directions, making the kids watching nearby and the guy still curled up on the floor scream. Whether they did or not, Hyun Gyujin gently grabbed the wrist of Yuwon, who stood behind him, and left the scene. It was a touch so soft and careful that it was hard to believe he was the same person swinging fists with bloodlust just a moment ago.

“Ah, I’m seriously fucking pissed off. I should have just ripped his mouth open.”

Looking at Hyun Gyujin, who was huffing and puffing with anger even more furious than him, who had heard such words, Yuwon pressed his hand firmly against his strangely thumping heart. The emotion he was feeling right now was not the same anger as Hyun Gyujin’s.

Of course, when hearing taunts containing sexual nuances, he naturally felt bad and angry, but because Hyun Gyujin would rush in and get passionately angry on his behalf before he could even take action, the anger would melt away into mush and disappear before it could harden. And today, before he could even get angry, an unfamiliar emotion struck hard through his heart, leaving no time for anger to settle.

“Has that bastard ever said bullshit like that when I wasn’t around?”

“Whenever he saw me eating something, he just kept saying it looked delicious.”

“Ah, seriously, should I just kill him?”

Yuwon grabbed Hyun Gyujin, who whipped his body around trying to go back inside through the main entrance, and shook his head. Then he held out the ice pop he had been holding in his hand without properly eating more than a few bites since earlier.

“Eat this.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t feel like eating it anymore.”

“Aren’t you really shaken up? Fuck, what if you get indigestion from what you ate for lunch? Let’s go to the nurse’s office.”

“It’s not to that extent.”

“It doesn’t hurt to be careful. You look a bit sick right now. Your face is a bit red.”

While he did feel a burning sensation around his ears and face, it was embarrassing that it had turned red enough to be visible. Yuwon stared blankly up at Hyun Gyujin, who casually held the ice pop tubeYu-won had eaten about two bites of in his own mouth while checking his temperature by placing a hand on Yuwon’s forehead. He had always known he was tall, but today, for some reason, he looked even bigger and even handsomer.

“It doesn’t seem like you have a fever, but why are your ears and neck so red? Are you not feeling well?”

“…I’m okay…. I’m not sick.”

“This won’t do. Let’s go lie down for a bit first.”

“No, I’m really not sick….”

“I’m telling you, you’re really red. You’re going to collapse at this rate. We have PE for 5th period. Take an hour to rest.”

Even though he knew it was overprotective and excessive concern, his mind was blank, so he couldn’t refuse Hyun Gyujin’s words. Yuwon quietly allowed himself to be pulled along by Hyun Gyujin, heading back into the main entrance and along the familiar path toward the nurse’s office. Since there had been several times in the past where he thought he was fine only to suddenly collapse and almost get severely injured, he fully understood why Hyun Gyujin worried to an extreme degree.

“There’s no teacher.”

“She probably went to eat lunch.”

“Let’s go in.”

Hyun Gyujin clicked his tongue once upon seeing the empty school nurse’s desk, then took Yuwon’s wrist and entered the rest room. Perhaps because there were no sick people today, the rest room was completely empty.

“I’m really not weird enough to need to lie down. Really.”

“Then why are your ears so red?”

“…Because it’s cold?”

“You said it was hot earlier. Didn’t I buy you ice cream because you said you weren’t cold and it was hot? Look at you, your lies are just increasing.”

Unable to honestly explain the reason his ears had turned red, his vague excuse happened to displease Hyun Gyujin. Yuwon let out a deep sigh, quietly slipped off his slippers, and climbed onto the bed. Thinking about how his heart was beating so fast he wondered if it was okay to beat like this, he thought it might be better to rest quietly, just as Hyun Gyujin said.

“Tell me if you feel like you have indigestion. Don’t endure it alone.”

“Got it.”

Glancing at Hyun Gyujin, who brought an extra chair, placed it beside the bed, and sat down, Yuwon pulled the blanket up over his lips.

“You should go to PE class.”

“There’s still time. And if you skip, I skip too.”

“You’re not sick.”

“My heart hurts.”

“Ugh….”

Gagging in disgust, Yuwon turned his back on Hyun Gyujin just like that and lay facing the wall. He wondered how on earth Hyun Gyujin could say such cringey things so casually when he couldn’t bring himself to say things like that even as a joke.

“Look at Jeong Yuwon turning his back so rudely.”

A voice containing a playful and light, yet very pleasant resonance reached his back. The blanket that had slipped down below his shoulders as he turned around was pulled up to cover his shoulders. Yuwon felt a thud in his heart even from that invisible hand pulling up the blanket.

Seriously, why am I like this? Why does my heart keep beating fast? Yuwon closed his eyes, pretending to sleep, then opened them again to stare at the white wall of the nurse’s office. He wanted to think carefully about why he was acting like this, and since when and for what reason, but with Hyun Gyujin behind his back, he couldn’t concentrate well.

“…”

He felt a hand patting over the blanket as if trying to soothe him to sleep. Normally, he would have felt comfortable from the rhythmic, soothing, and familiar touch before falling asleep, but today was different. Thoughts were on the verge of forming before scattering, and forming a shape again before scattering repeatedly.

In the end, Yuwon couldn’t think of anything until the bell rang to prepare for 5th period class, merely holding onto a heart that felt different from usual while pretending to sleep.

“…”

Along with the continuous gentle patting, the sound of tapping on a phone screen could also be heard. He was probably playing a game with one hand. Unlike Yuwon, who mainly played game types matching and clearing the same candy shapes, Hyun Gyujin enjoyed playing combat games. He was surely smashing something excitedly with one hand right now as well.

“Ah….”