He didn’t have much talent for imagining things that couldn’t be seen with the eyes. Seo Eunho was especially incapable of discerning someone’s thoughts or feelings.
Because there was no reason to, he had always consistently ignored such things, and at some point, it became difficult for him to grasp what was on someone’s mind.
“I’m hungry.”
“…….”
“What do you want to eat? Jjajangmyeon?”
“…….”
What was absurd was that he was only now realizing this fact. All thanks to Tae Shinwoo, who acted with an unconcerned face, as if that previous phone call had never happened at all.
Tae Shinwoo, who had been watching the silent Seo Eunho, chuckled lightly.
“I’ll order whatever I want then.”
He seemed to know why he couldn’t answer properly and was just staring blankly—in other words, how complicated his mind was.
Of course he would. Tae Shinwoo was the one who had thrown out the question. Saying he hoped he would figure it out himself now.
‘Figure it out on your own. If I explain everything step by step, it’ll seem like I’m forcing you.’
Even though he clearly knew that forcing wouldn’t work on someone like him, Tae Shinwoo had deflected with a flimsy excuse.
Seo Eunho didn’t ask for long what that meant. As if his throat was blocked, the question wouldn’t come out.
The truth was, it wasn’t that he had no idea at all. However, Seo Eunho couldn’t readily put his thoughts into concrete form. Somehow, it felt like he shouldn’t.
What if he was wrong?
The reason he felt suddenly frightened must be because Tae Shinwoo was an extremely important person to Seo Eunho.
“I should go home.”
“Sweet and sour pork too?”
“…….”
“I’m ordering it.”
As if he couldn’t hear the words blurted out at all, Tae Shinwoo just acted nonchalant. Seo Eunho clicked his tongue and turned his body. There was no way his words about going home sounded sincere when he was lying in bed without moving an inch.
It wasn’t like he really meant to do that either. Although he reached the conclusion that Tae Shinwoo needed to be out of sight in order to resolve the question he’d thrown out, that didn’t mean he wanted to return to the home where his father and some unknown woman were together.
He didn’t really need to go home. That’s why a few days ago, he had tried wandering around anywhere by himself.
However, far from coming to an answer, he quickly returned to this house because he was curious about what Tae Shinwoo was doing, because he missed him. And Tae Shinwoo had actually welcomed him.
“…….”
Seeing things like that, he wondered if Tae Shinwoo was playing with him. If so, wouldn’t he know how he felt? He was originally the type who couldn’t help himself when it came to things he found amusing.
There was plenty of possibility that the feelings he harbored for Tae Shinwoo would seem like an amusing matter to him. He was the type who would toy with a person over something like that and then some.
Seo Eunho laughed softly at his remarkably specific imagination in the negative direction. It was because he found himself ridiculous for hoping for the exact opposite situation, even while knowing this made much more sense.
What was he thinking when he couldn’t even think about it easily?
So feelings of liking someone could turn a person into such a fool. It was a thought that struck him anew.
“You sleeping?”
Tae Shinwoo, who had been saying only what he wanted to say regardless of whether Seo Eunho ignored him or not, slowly drew closer. Seo Eunho’s body, which had been lost in thought until then, flinched and stiffened.
Tae Shinwoo drawing closer was an everyday occurrence. Even so, Seo Eunho tensed up every time and stiffened every time.
“Don’t touch me.”
He had made an effort to compose himself, but somehow his voice seemed to tremble. When he heard Tae Shinwoo’s laughter from behind him, he became certain his suspicion was correct.
“Should we sleep together?”
“Get away from me.”
“I’m suddenly feeling a bit sleepy.”
“Don’t talk shit.”
He felt one side of the bed tilt. It seemed Tae Shinwoo had finally climbed onto the bed. His heart pounded as if it had been waiting for this, so Seo Eunho hurriedly pressed down on his chest. Doing so wouldn’t slow his rapidly beating heart, but he thought it would be good if he could at least hide the sound.
“Ugh.”
Seo Eunho, who deliberately expressed annoyance, got up from the bed. If Tae Shinwoo wouldn’t back off, he planned to avoid him himself.
“Where are you going?”
However, just before escaping from the bed, Tae Shinwoo grabbed his wrist, so Seo Eunho had no choice but to stop. He froze as if he’d turned to ice.
“Weren’t you sleepy?”
“Let go.”
“You’ve been constantly tired lately. You can sleep.”
“Hey, I said let go.”
Even Seo Eunho himself knew there wasn’t much strength in the hand he was shaking. Tae Shinwoo smiled with crinkled eyes.
“You seem especially more tired since the day we had that phone call.”
No proper answer followed. It was a tone that clearly knew he was racking his brains over the question he’d thrown at him.
Well, how could he not know? Seo Eunho was in the palm of Tae Shinwoo’s hand.
“Is it difficult?”
The hand that was gripping him moved slightly. Seo Eunho vividly felt Tae Shinwoo’s thumb slowly pressing against his wrist bone. Without realizing it, his Adam’s apple moved. Seo Eunho couldn’t look directly at Tae Shinwoo.
After not bringing it up for a while, what kind of wind was blowing now? With the urge to kick off from this spot and leave right away, Seo Eunho’s gaze turned toward the front door.
“Should I give you a hint?”
But Seo Eunho couldn’t move, and Tae Shinwoo was still holding his wrist. Fire ignited on the skin touched by his leisurely moving fingertips. Seo Eunho’s body trembled and flinched once again.
“If you really can’t figure it out, I’ll give you one.”
“…….”
“It’s hard to wait quietly.”
The spark instantly spread throughout his entire body. Only belatedly did Seo Eunho shake off Tae Shinwoo’s hand and escape from the bed. Tae Shinwoo was watching Seo Eunho with a smile, but he didn’t look the same as usual.
His heart pounded thump thump thump thump so rapidly. The assumption he hadn’t put into concrete form, the one he’d thought could absolutely never be real—he began to think it might actually be reality. Seo Eunho couldn’t prevent the unwanted certainty from filling his head completely.
“…….”
His lips moved wordlessly but no words came out. His face flushed reddish-hot. Seo Eunho hurriedly turned around.
You like me too, don’t you?
If he kept making eye contact with Tae Shinwoo any longer, it felt like he would end up asking that. So Seo Eunho ran away. Tae Shinwoo didn’t hold him back. However, his gaze—leisurely yet filled with passion—was tenaciously chasing after him.
***
The cell phone that had been ringing insistently for a while now had no news at all. It was because Seo Eunho had turned his phone off.
However, most of Seo Eunho’s attention was directed at his phone. Even though a phone that was turned off couldn’t possibly ring. The rest of his attention was directed at the clock. Because break time was approaching soon.
“……Let’s end today’s class here.”
Seo Eunho, who had been in an ambiguous state of neither sleeping nor exactly listening to the lesson, stiffened his body as soon as the teacher’s words ended. He planned to burst out of the classroom the moment the bell rang to end class.
He couldn’t even hear the noise in the classroom that became rowdy as soon as class ended.
I shouldn’t run into him.
With only that single thought, Seo Eunho was just staring at the back door as if he’d kill it.
You like me too, don’t you?
The question that couldn’t quite leave his mouth kept spinning round and round. The more it did, the more desperately Seo Eunho plotted his escape. Because if he saw Tae Shinwoo’s face, it felt like he’d really end up asking.
He no longer thought there was zero possibility. Rather, judging from the attitude Tae Shinwoo had shown all this time, the probability of being right was much higher.
‘I hope you figure it out now too. That’s why I’m asking.’
Seo Eunho knew that not only did Tae Shinwoo like him, but he had also noticed his feelings.
That was the problem. That’s why he couldn’t muster the courage to face Tae Shinwoo.
“…….”
As soon as the bell rang to end class, Seo Eunho, who had burst out of the classroom, went down to some random floor and walked.
Since it was a floor used by a different grade, Seo Eunho’s presence was out of place, but he didn’t care. The priority right now was not to be caught by Tae Shinwoo’s eyes.
Tae Shinwoo’s feelings might be the same as his. No, they were the same. Seo Eunho had now entered the path of certainty. The problem arose from there. He absolutely didn’t have the confidence to look at Tae Shinwoo’s face.
When he thought it was his one-sided crush versus now when he’d realized that he also liked him—it was too different. The feelings of liking were the same, but seeing his face was insanely embarrassing.
Embarrassing. Now he was thinking all sorts of strange thoughts. But there was no other expression besides that.
After moving around here and there, Seo Eunho, who had reached the second floor of the annex building where there were few people, entered a classroom whose door was slightly open.
He didn’t know what they’d left it empty for, but the empty classroom with nothing in it felt awkward.
“……Haah.”
Seo Eunho quickly felt at ease. Anyway, if he stayed here, it seemed like he wouldn’t run into Tae Shinwoo, so a sigh of relief escaped.
He should just settle down here. It seemed like he could stop the bothersome act of walking around here and there during break time and only returning to the classroom after the class bell rang.
Seo Eunho, who had settled down and sat in front of the door just like that, leaned his back against it and closed his eyes, then opened them.
How many days had it been already? At this point, Tae Shinwoo must be pissed. His hardened face was so vivid, as if it were right before his eyes.
At this rate, if we run into each other face-to-face, it’ll be even more awkward.
Seo Eunho imagined Tae Shinwoo’s face smiling while looking at him. Just imagining it made his heart ache. But what if he hardens his face instead? That would be a problem in its own way.
Is everyone originally like this? Seo Eunho ruffled through his hair wildly. With his own head, he absolutely couldn’t find an answer to the situation, and there was nowhere to ask for help either, so it was frustrating.
