NCBF Ch 36

Yuwon, who had been keeping a little distance from Hyun Gyujin, looked at Hyun Gyujin gesturing to him and then edged a little closer. At the gesture telling him to come a bit more, he took another step, and at the nod still telling him to come closer, he took yet another step, until in the end he was trapped between Hyun Gyujin’s long legs again.

“You go around eating, going home, laughing and everything with other bastards, but only avoid me, so I was really fucking pissed, me.”

“…”

“I was so pissed I couldn’t even sleep.”

“…Sorry….”

“I said I was pissed at those other bastards, not you. Especially that bastard Lee Yunseong, it felt like he stole you away, for real…. Can I swear?”

Watching Yuwon shake his head no, Hyun Gyujin let out a soft laugh, raised his hand, and gently held and lightly shook Yuwon’s clear cheek that was looking down at him, careful not to hurt him.

“Without you everything was boring. Just annoying.”

“…”

“Do I like you too?”

“…”

“You saying you like me makes me feel so fucking good. I feel like I could even kiss you, so this is liking you, right.”

Watching Hyun Gyujin casually say something he had never even thought about—no, actually he had thought about it, but had never dared to think he would do it with Hyun Gyujin in reality—Yuwon’s ears flushed bright red again.

“…Don’t, don’t say weird things. I, I! Haven’t thought that far….”

“Really? Then how far did you think. Have you thought about dating?”

He had never thought in detail about what kinds of actions they would do, but he had thought about something like, could I date Hyun Gyujin? so Yuwon quietly nodded his head a little. Smiling at that Yuwon, Hyun Gyujin tilted his head to the side and met Yuwon’s eyes even more deeply.

“Then should we date?”

His heart lurched. Unable to give any answer, Yuwon just stared blankly at Hyun Gyujin.

“What are you doing spacing out at such an important moment.”

Pressing Yuwon’s cheek with his fingertip without hurting him, Hyun Gyujin smiled. Even though the face smiling at him looked so good, Yuwon couldn’t smile along.

“…Isn’t that something we shouldn’t do?”

“Why?”

“…We’re friends.”

“Then should we just keep being friends?”

This time his heart dropped with a thud. Hyun Gyujin was saying the very words he had wanted so badly, yet it didn’t feel good at all, and it didn’t bring any relief either.

“You don’t like that either?”

“…”

“Then what should we do.”

The affectionate voice gently guided his chaotic heart. The impulsive answer that had raised its head tickled the inside of his lips.

“These kinds of things are hard to answer all at once, so I’ll ask one more time.”

“…How do you know?”

“Hm?”

“…I don’t know anything at all…. How do you know so well? Have you done this before?”

“I’m doing it with you right now.”

The heart that had lurched and then dropped was now pounding hard while holding Hyun Gyujin inside it. Looking at Hyun Gyujin touching his face again, Yuwon went blank.

“I can’t space out too, so I’m trying really hard to keep my head on straight right now.”

“…”

“I’m asking again?”

“…”

“Do you want to date, or just keep being friends?”

“…”

“Should we date?”

He knew there were a lot of things he needed to think about. He also knew it wasn’t an easy problem he could just nod along to without thinking. But even though all the things he had been agonizing over came rushing into his head, not a single one rose up clearly. Right now, in this moment, the only thing clear to Yuwon was the single Hyun Gyujin in front of his eyes.

As if bewitched, Yuwon nodded. It was the first time in his life. Making such an impulsive decision.

“Then we’re dating from now on?”

Is it okay for it to be this easy? The question did arise, but only for a moment. The instant he saw Hyun Gyujin smiling while lightly tapping his cheek with his fingertip, all the anxiety and doubt disappeared, and only Hyun Gyujin remained.

Yuwon was happy. The Hyun Gyujin who smiled while touching his cheek, the Hyun Gyujin who slipped his long fingers between his and met his eyes.

“Say it out loud. I want to hear it too.”

“…”

“Yuwon-ah, do you like me?”

“…Yeah…. I like you….”

With that answer, and with Hyun Gyujin’s smile, the name “friends” that they had carried for eighteen years disappeared. But he couldn’t feel even the slightest regret. Because right now, in this moment, there existed one day that sparkled more than those eighteen years.

And so the romance between friends began.

∞ ∞ ∞

It was only natural that Hyun Gyujin took the seat next to Yuwon again. Hyun Gyujin went to the cafeteria even if late and ate lunch with Yuwon.

Perhaps because the weight on his heart had been lifted, Yuwon ate the hamburger steak and rice very well. Even while eating, Hyun Gyujin kept looking only at Yuwon’s face the whole time. He couldn’t remember at all what the hamburger steak had tasted like, and even the chocolate milk he bought at the school store after finishing didn’t really register.

What remained in his eyes and in his head was the face of Yuwon cute like a squirrel as he chewed his rice, and the way he poked a straw into his banana milk and sipped it little by little. And the back view of him heading to the bathroom holding a yellow toothbrush cup and toothbrush, the hand pressing a paper towel against his damp lips—those kinds of things kept catching his eye. He had always thought he was cute, but after deciding to date, he looked even cuter, even prettier.

“…Why do you keep looking?”

“Because you’re pretty?”

“…I think you’ve gone crazy…. Stop it.”

“Saying stop it while your ears turn red—who’s going to believe that.”

Grinning, Hyun Gyujin draped his arm over the shoulder of Yuwon heading to the classroom. Yuwon still flinched his shoulders. But Hyun Gyujin no longer felt disappointed or worried about it. Because now he knew the reason why Yuwon flinched.

“Uh…. Tutoring got canceled today.”

Watching Yuwon check his messages, Hyun Gyujin also checked his phone. In the group chat with the tutor, himself, and Yuwon, a message had arrived saying his cold was too bad so he would have to cancel today’s tutoring and asking them to tell their parents.

GY, Spacey-Yuwon
GY
Gyujin-ah, Yuwon-ah. My cold is so bad I think I have to cancel today’s tutoring
Could you tell your parents?

Yes

When he sent just that one character, Yuwon, who had been typing something at length, looked up with wide eyes.

“Why?”

“At least write something like ‘get well soon.’”

He thought just confirming that tutoring was canceled was enough, but having decided to listen to Yuwon, Hyun Gyujin added the characters without complaint as Yuwon told him to.

Get well soon

Even while he was adding those three characters, Yuwon was still typing something. Hyun Gyujin stopped completely in the hallway, stood behind the typing Yuwon, rested his chin on his shoulder, and looked at the screen.

I heard colds are pretty bad these days so please rest well until the weekend and get better soon, teacher! We’ll make sure to tell our parents about doing a make-up class next time. Don’t worry and rest well!

Watching Yuwon send it only after typing several lines, Hyun Gyujin smiled and draped his arm over Yuwon’s shoulder again.

“What does it matter whether he’s missing because he’s sick or because he’s slacking off.”

“Teacher’s not the type to do that.”

“People are all the same.”

Raising the hand that had been hanging over his shoulder, Hyun Gyujin kneaded Yuwon’s soft cheek like dough without hurting him, then tilted his head as if something had occurred to him and met his eyes.

“Has Lee Yunseong ever done this kind of thing?”

“This… kind of thing?”

“Has he ever touched you.”

“No.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Of course not. This kind of thing… you’ve been the only one who does it since way back, other kids don’t.”

“Obviously only I should. All the other bastards are perverts so no.”

Smiling at Hyun Gyujin shaking his head rather firmly, Yuwon went into the classroom. Lightly catching the fingertips of Yuwon who was about to head to his seat, Hyun Gyujin smiled as he looked at the face that turned back to him.

“Tutoring’s canceled today too so should we hang out outside before going home?”

Looking at that face for a moment, Yuwon quietly nodded. In any case the distant atmosphere had improved, and they had even become a dating couple, so he wanted to spend more time alone with Hyun Gyujin. He also wanted to talk about the various things they hadn’t finished in the art room earlier, and he wanted to hear more too.