‘If this morning, Huiseo had honestly said he was sick?’
Hwan, who would have jumped up, would certainly have stubbornly refused to go to the ceremony. Saying he’d stay by Huiseo’s side, to call the royal physician—doing exactly what he’d done just now during that frantically busy time. Huiseo, who would have known that better than anyone, naturally couldn’t say anything.
If he didn’t go along, he’d certainly go and grumble, but he must have judged that would be better.
‘I’m not reliable, certainly…’
Even he himself couldn’t say no, that it wouldn’t have been like that. Feeling like he’d received a confirmation kill on his pathetic self from none other than Huiseo, Hwan momentarily became very ashamed.
However, Hwan’s biggest problem was that he had no idea how he could change.
If it were up to his feelings, he wanted to act composed and mature too. He wanted to show only cool appearances instead of childishly throwing tantrums, wanted to solve difficult matters on his own without being told. Who wouldn’t want to do that in front of someone they liked?
But in reality, when it came to Huiseo, he was nothing but a greenhorn whose vision became colorfully dyed. He couldn’t even express in words how much jealousy and anger he had. The name “prince” was just grandiose—he was actually an idiot who knew less and could do less than ordinary people.
Powerless.
So he just wanted to be by his side longer, more often. If even that was criticized, he had absolutely no idea what to do.
“…I’ll do better.”
As the anxious Hwan urgently muttered so, this time too he felt Huiseo’s silent gaze watching. Though it wasn’t glaring like before, it hurt quite a bit, so Hwan instinctively shrank.
In fact, it was because he feared how Huiseo would react to words he’d already said countless times again. Even if he coldly hardened his face and accused that it no longer felt sincere, Hwan felt he couldn’t even open his mouth.
After finishing the ceremony, he’d rushed straight over and had the most dazzling appearance ever, with neatly groomed hair and even wearing splendid ceremonial robes, but before Huiseo, he was in such a small and shabby state.
“…Say something. Huiseo-ya.”
At the lengthening silent reproach, the anxious Hwan fidgeted with his hands that had become damp with sweat without knowing what to do. Then after a moment, Huiseo’s lips, which had been stubbornly pressed shut until now, finally opened.
“…Who’s saying anything?”
“Huh?”
“What more are you trying to do better here when you always say you’ll do better?”
It was an utterly sulky voice, but the content within it was completely different. Huiseo, who had grumbled like talking to himself, immediately turned his head away primly, but whether pretending otherwise or genuinely embarrassed, his ears were flushed red.
Since that was visible all too well to Hwan’s gaze as he hurriedly lifted his head, it was no wonder a small laugh soon burst from his lips.
‘Who’s saying anything?’
Until just now, none other than the person himself had been glaring and scolding, yet suddenly getting worked up and saying that—Hwan found Huiseo terribly amusing. He should reflect, but it seemed he also disliked seeing him too dejected.
“You…”
If not you, who else would I care about?
Hwan’s smile deepened.
Huiseo, knowing full well why Hwan was suddenly smiling like that, now had not just his ears but his whole face flushed red unable to hide it, and hurriedly added a clumsy excuse: “…So, what I’m saying is, you’re already doing well, but let’s try just a bit harder!”
Hwan found such a Huiseo unbearably cute and also grateful.
Already doing well, he said.
“You’re the only one who says that to me.”
“…Why are you exaggerating so much again?”
Hwan’s gaze deepened as he watched Huiseo grumbling for no reason, perhaps embarrassed by the ticklish words.
‘I like you. You like that.’
Me. A lot.
Though I can’t say it.
In the moment of closing and opening his eyes, Hwan, who barely managed to contain the feelings that had almost overflowed, forced himself to make a playful face. Then suddenly said something out of the blue.
“Then hold my hand.”
“…What kind of joke is that now?”
“It’s not a joke, it’s trying harder. To do better.”
“……”
So what does that have to do with holding hands?
Huiseo’s eyes, which had cooled coldly, looked like they clearly wanted to ask that. However, perhaps his heart had softened because Hwan had been unusually dejected earlier, in the end he held out his hand as if unable to resist.
“You do all sorts of things.”
Though Huiseo still grumbled while doing so, Hwan, grateful as always for that mercy, smiled brightly and firmly held his hand.
“There. That’s how you’ll get better quickly.”
“Fine, so leave.”
“Why do you keep telling me to leave? That’s hurtful.”
“…It’s because you can’t get sick too. Listen to me.”
“I’m already doing well, so I’ll take care of it myself. Don’t worry.”
As if he’d never been dejected, his spirits and mouth came alive in an instant.
Watching Hwan quickly take the words he’d said to appease him and immediately use them as an excuse not to listen, Huiseo couldn’t help but click his tongue.
“…I really made a slip of the tongue.”
Though he spoke as if regretting it, he still didn’t let go of the held hand. Hwan’s pleasant laughter, familiar with such gaps in the dishonest Huiseo, echoed softly in the quiet room for a while.
***
The next morning, Hwan appeared in a state that could be said to be a completely different person from the day before.
The words “returned to his usual spirits” somehow fell short. More than that, though it was somewhat rude to say about a prince, he was grinning to the point of wondering why he was like that. Even the fact that today was Monday, and therefore he had to go to school, seemed unable to stop his mood from soaring to the sky.
In fact, well, could there be another reason?
‘It’s obvious.’
Though everyone was just pretending not to know, everyone who encountered Hwan knew the cause of that strange appearance was precisely Huiseo standing by his side. Of course, to be more precise, it was because last night he’d held the sleeping Huiseo’s hand and stayed with him to his heart’s content, but even without knowing that much.
‘Could he be that pleased?’
Among them were occasionally those who sent such glances, making only the innocent Huiseo’s eyes roll silently in embarrassment.
Huiseo had fortunately gotten up and about after just one day.
It truly couldn’t help but be fortunate for many people in the literal sense. If he’d been bedridden for several days, there was no telling what kind of commotion would have erupted where.
Huiseo conversely seemed to have worried about the misfortune of Hwan also getting sick from being by his side, but that too seemed to have passed without incident in the end. Looking at Hwan who’d just cheerfully run over with his school uniform tie in hand and stood beside him.
Too healthy and too shameless.
Huiseo looked at the tie in Hwan’s hand with disapproval.
“Why are you bringing that?”
“It’s prettier when you do it.”
“…Wh-“
“Wh-?”
Habit was frightening.
Huiseo, who barely stopped the words “What nonsense” from bursting out without thinking, glared at Hwan instead, but whether Hwan didn’t know or was pretending not to know, he just tilted his head with an innocent face.
What kind of situation was it to refuse the touch of so-called “professionals” and come saying “it’s prettier when you do it,” and also, a tie is a tie—how much prettier could it get? In short, it was logic Huiseo could never understand.
However, if they got into a pointless argument here about who was right, they’d certainly be late, so Huiseo ultimately concluded that obediently accepting this time too was more efficient.
“Just this once.”
Whispering softly and accepting the tie as he wished, Hwan watched Huiseo with a satisfied smile.
One might think this trouble too would be easily resolved as usual, but in fact, while doing so, another problem arose. No, but this was truly ambiguous to point out as wrong, making it even more troublesome from Huiseo’s standpoint.
None other than, the problem was that Hwan was staring “too intently.”
Nothing could have changed much overnight, nor had anything actually changed. Yet somehow finding it so fascinating, at Hwan’s persistent gaze meticulously examining each of his face’s eyes, nose, and mouth, even pretending otherwise, Huiseo’s fingertips kept hesitating.
If it had been just the two of them, he could have at least retorted asking why he was staring.
If he’d said something absurd as usual, it would have at least been funny.
Huiseo was unfamiliar with this serious atmosphere.
‘Why is he acting like that?’
***
Though it was a calm face on the outside, Hwan could tell Huiseo was actually quite flustered. The evidence was his eyelids, visible right before his eyes, blinking more frequently than usual.
That appearance was unbearably cute and laughter seemed about to burst through his lips, but Hwan bit down even on his molars and desperately held it in. If he carelessly laughed now, Huiseo would certainly glare and pull away.
‘That would be disappointing.’
What an opportunity this was.
However, despite Hwan’s such efforts, it would soon become disappointing anyway. In fact, tying a single tie wouldn’t take that long. The time they were touching was too short, making Hwan anxious.
Not knowing this, Huiseo was just looking at the neat tie he’d tied with satisfaction, so it couldn’t help but be truly heartless.
As expected, this wasn’t enough.
For that reason, Hwan instinctively grabbed Huiseo’s hand as it was pulling away.
Naturally, at the hand suddenly holding him, Huiseo’s puzzled gaze reached him. Happy that even that much was touching, Hwan smiled willingly and asked teasingly and playfully as always:
“Yesterday you held my hand while sleeping. Remember?”
While doing so, he even meaningfully stroked the back of Huiseo’s hand with his thumb tip.
It was precisely that moment when Huiseo’s startled face turned sharply away.
