NCBF Ch 5

Yuwon, who stared blankly at Hyun Gyujin leaving the classroom with both his bag and his own bag slung so naturally over one shoulder, moved his feet to follow behind him. It felt as though heat were emanating from the back he stroked and the edge of the shoulder he gripped just a moment ago. Just thinking about their eyes meeting at close range made his heart ache.

Ah…. Why on earth is this happening all of a sudden. Since it was something he had never experienced before, Yuwon was extremely flustered. He thought it would just happen briefly during lunchtime and pass, but now, several hours later, that abnormal reaction was still continuing.

“They say Choi Haeyoung got dumped by his girlfriend over KakaoTalk.”

“She said let’s break up over KakaoTalk?”

“Yeah. What on earth do you have to do to get dumped over KakaoTalk. He’s crying and throwing a whole fit.”

“Choi Haeyoung cried? I can’t imagine it.”

“It’s better not to imagine it. Gross, gross.”

Yuwon, who let out a small laugh along with his breath looking at Hyun Gyujin speaking as if dealing with a young child, crossed the sports field. The sound of his own feet stepping on the sand with each step wasn’t heard very well, but the crunchy sound of Hyun Gyujin stepping on the sand sounded exceptionally loud today. It was an experience similar to hearing the slippers dragging loudly when going to the snack bar earlier.

“Is the girl Choi Haeyoung broke up with this time the girl we saw last time when eating hamburgers?”

“When eating hamburgers? Ah, during that summer vacation?”

“Yeah.”

“No, that ended a long time ago.”

“Then after breaking up, he met another girl and dated her, and broke up again?”

“Yeah, that bastard isn’t normal either, seriously.”

It wasn’t his business how others date, but still, repeating meeting and dating so quickly, breaking up quickly again, and meeting another person easily, dating, and breaking up easily again was a bit fascinating.

“Still, he must have liked her a lot this time. That’s why he’s crying.”

“That feeling won’t even last a week.”

“Uh…. Over there, Choi Haeyoung.”

On the way toward the apartment complex, in front of a 1st-floor cafe at a large shopping mall, Choi Haeyoung was with some girl. Hyun Gyujin, who clicked his tongue as if he knew that would be the case, passed in front of them with Yuwon without even greeting them.

“That guy is a total crazy bastard.”

Yuwon, who laughed looking at Hyun Gyujin cursing, pulled out his phone at the vibration ringing inside his pocket. On the screen, the name ‘Dad’ popped up.

“Yes, Dad. It’s Yuwon.”

― Yeah, my puppy. Did school end?

“Yes, it ended and I’m on my way home now. What about Dad? Are you at the filming site?

― Yeah, originally I should be shooting right now, but filming got delayed by a few hours. It looks like it’ll end around dawn. Even if it ends, the set here is far from home so I think I’ll have to go to house number 2, so I wanted to let you know. Can you sleep alone?

“Of course. I’m fine.”

Yuwon’s dad, Jeong Kijun, was actress Lee Haeyeon’s manager. He first met Lee Haeyeon when she was twenty-five, always traveled together with her, fell in love, and got married after 5 years of dating. After that, Lee Haeyeon moved agencies following Jeong Kijun, who set up a small agency to become independent, and under that influence, fairly well-known people began to join Jeong Kijun’s agency one by one. Like that, ‘Jun Actors’ established itself as a solid management agency and produced many renowned actors.

Even while managing an agency that grew to such a size, Yuwon’s dad still personally took on the manager role for his most beloved actress and wife, Lee Haeyeon. That’s why whenever Yuwon’s mom started a project, the house was empty for almost the entire filming period. At first, it was scary and lonely at times, feeling like his whole family had suddenly left and he was left alone in a large house, but now it was all something he was used to.

― You’re with Gyujin, right? Is today a tutoring day?

“Yes, that’s right.”

― Eat a delicious dinner together, and if it’s scary to be alone, tell Gyujin to sleep over.

“Yees, I will.”

― Ah, Dad has to go now. I’ll call you again later tonight. Love you, son.

“Me too, Dad.”

Finishing the phone call and putting his phone away, Yuwon held his breath and couldn’t exhale at the arm resting back on top of his shoulder. The arm was heavy, and also… the hand touching his shoulder felt so hot that his mood felt strange.

“Did he say he can’t come home today?”

“Yeah…. It seems filming got delayed. I think it’ll end around dawn, but this place is a bit far from there, and they have to film at that set for a few days, so there’s a place they got near there and I think he’s going there.”

“Ah, then I’ll have to sleep over again.”

“Forget it.”

“Playing hard to get again.”

His breath ended up trembling at the hand gripping his shoulder tightly. Yuwon escaped Hyun Gyujin’s arm, feeling the back of his neck flare up with heat. The cold wind touching his flushed cheeks and the back of his neck felt refreshing.

Fearing that his strange state would be caught, he walked faster than usual, and by the time he arrived at the entrance of the apartment complex, his breath was up to his chin. Yuwon breathed out his ragged breath and tapped his apartment access card against the machine. He wanted to quickly go to a place where Hyun Gyujin wasn’t around. Since his mood was so strange today, he wanted to stay alone for a long time and sort out his thoughts by looking closely into this strange heart.

“What should we eat for dinner.”

However, nothing helped Yuwon today. He wanted to be alone, but since today happened to be a tutoring day, he had to eat dinner with Hyun Gyujin, and he had to see his face until tutoring ended. It was a very obvious thing he had always done…. Today, he was unusually bothered by it.

“Woof, woof.”

“I told you not to call me that.”

“Why, Uncle calls you puppy too.”

“Are Dad and you the same?”

“Because we’re different, I say woof-woof. That’s why when a person is talking, who told you to keep spacing out.”

Yuwon, who pulled down and lightly hit Hyun Gyujin’s hand ruffling his hair as if petting a real puppy without causing pain, entered Building 119. Hyun Gyujin also followed Yuwon inside, got into the elevator, and pressed the 6th floor where Yuwon lived and the 12th floor where he lived in turn.

“I’ll change clothes and come down. Think about what to eat for dinner.”

“Yeah.”

Before getting off on the 6th floor, Yuwon received his bag from Hyun Gyujin, stepped off the elevator, and waved his hand in farewell.

“Bye.”

They would see each other again in 10 minutes at the earliest or within 30 minutes at the latest, but seeing Yuwon waving his hand to say goodbye, Hyun Gyujin laughed and raised his hand to wave the same way.

“Yeah, bye.”

Their eyes met through the closing doors. Yuwon quickly shifted his gaze, opened the door lock cap, and pressed the six digits of the passcode. Only after hearing the sound of the door closing and seeing the numbers going up one by one did his body, which had been tense with strength, go limp.

Barely opening the door and entering, Yuwon took off his sneakers and walked in along the hallway beside the living room. Usually, there were times he thought the house was extremely quiet, but today he first thought it was a relief that it was quiet. Because today was a day with very, very many thoughts, being alone in a quiet house like this was perfect for such a day.

If there were a problem, it was that on a day when his heart was so crowded, Hyun Gyujin might sleep over. Since he was little, whenever his parents left the house empty due to filming schedules, he would go stay at Hyun Gyujin’s house or Hyun Gyujin would come here to be together, so it was nothing strange, but today he definitely wanted to have time to himself. Somehow, by all means.

“…”

For now, let’s stop thinking about Hyun Gyujin first. Yuwon, who resolved himself with both fists clenched, went to his room, set down his bag, and changed his clothes. Since he was told to think of a dinner menu, he thought it would be best to decide on that first.

Dinner menu, dinner menu…. Cleaning up his taken-off school uniform and washing his hands, he tried to think of what would be good to eat for dinner, but there was nothing in particular where he really wanted to eat this!, making it so difficult to decide. Why are there so many difficult things in the world? Yuwon took out a small bottle of fresh water from the refrigerator and sat on the sofa.

Because he kept thinking only of food names, nothing more came to mind. I don’t know, I give up. Hugging a cushion, leaning his head back over the sofa, and closing his eyes for a while, he heard the sound of the door lock cap going up and immediately going back down. At the bell that rang soon after, Yuwon stood up from his seat, went out to the entrance, and opened the door. Outside the door stood Hyun Gyujin wearing a black hoodie, with even the hood pulled over his head.

“I need to teach you everything from the beginning, tsk tsk. I told you to ask who it is before opening the door.”

“I opened it because I knew it was you.”

“How do you know.”