In any case, when Yuwon showed signs of accepting it, Huiseo quickly drew a line and spoke.
“That doesn’t mean I’m saying I’ll study abroad.”
“You’re really selfish too. Then what exactly do I get?”
“If you don’t like it, attach the receipts for the costs of this matter and post them. I’d prefer that anyway.”
“That won’t do. How can a person be so heartless?”
Heartless?
Huiseo’s eyebrows twisted at Yuwon’s nonsensical words.
In the first place, he had pinned what he himself had done on someone else, and now was shamelessly spouting off—what a sight it was. In fact, this situation where Huiseo was debating whether to do something or not for him was ridiculous. In the end, hadn’t that bastard cleaned up what he’d done himself?
And yet, desperately trying to gain something as if he were someone who had bestowed some great favor—what a nasty disposition.
But what could he do even if he thought that way? Either way, they were entangled together, and it had become a situation where one side had done all the cleanup, so it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Hwan and Huiseo were the weaker party in the current situation.
“…So what exactly do you want to do?”
Looking at Yuwon, Huiseo let out a deep sigh.
***
A few days later, Hwan, who had finally returned to school, couldn’t hide his contorted expression at the scene that followed. No, it was because Yuwon was stuck next to him and Huiseo as if it were completely natural. This was something Hwan absolutely couldn’t accept, something absurd.
However, the problem was that unlike before, Huiseo wasn’t saying anything particular to him about it.
Could something have happened during those few days he wasn’t there?
Anxious, Hwan asked Huiseo.
“What exactly is this situation?”
Then Yuwon looked at him and smiled leisurely, while Huiseo frowned as if troubled.
“…I told you it can’t be helped if we want to suppress the rumors.”
He had already heard the story separately from Huiseo in the car on the way to school today. Though the rumors had mostly died down, they didn’t know what kind of things people might say when Hwan showed his face, so for now it seemed they needed to show that the relationship between the three people written in the clarification post was fine.
Hong Donghyeon had reached an agreement with Myeongwoon Group, and according to his own wishes, it was decided he would transfer schools. That could invite suspicion once again, so he’d also said that for now, sticking with Yuwon was advantageous in many ways.
Though there were surprised looks that the three people, who were thought to have a bad relationship, were sticking together, everyone certainly didn’t dare have any unnecessary thoughts. Dirty and petty as it was, Yuwon’s background and the lawsuit notice were truly effective.
“…Right.”
Hwan understood the situation too. But he wanted to blurt out, ‘Then how long are we doing this?’
Though his conscience, having unintentionally gotten involved in an incident and caused tremendous trouble for the imperial family and Huiseo, couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.
‘How annoying.’
School life, which had been happy because he could freely enjoy time alone with Huiseo, had now turned into time spent enduring stress day by day. All because of a certain unwelcome guest with a uselessly large build who followed those two people around.
There was no way the change in Yuwon’s attitude could escape Hwan’s notice, sensitive as he was when it came to anything about Huiseo.
If before he had always told Huiseo he had to leave the palace, had to study abroad, feeling like some kind of ‘life consultant,’ now he had the eyes of a boy hopelessly in love. The way he looked at Huiseo reading a book from beside him resembled his own gaze so much that he couldn’t possibly not notice.
Hwan’s heart sank with a loud thud.
‘Since when?’
‘How?’
Unanswerable questions kept blooming as if tormenting his mind.
However, the most agonizing thing was the moments when Yuwon reached out his hand to Huiseo without permission. Every time he saw that scene, Hwan found it too overwhelming to control himself from bubbling and boiling over until he was about to explode. If he had his way, he wanted to snatch that hand and break it.
‘Does Huiseo not know about that blatant behavior and just stay still?’
He was wearing himself out and couldn’t stop sighing.
What way would he try to touch Huiseo next, what kind of outrageous thing would he do—being on guard, Hwan couldn’t even let his eyes wander freely. To make matters worse, Yuwon teased him even more as if to provoke him, which seemed to corner Hwan even further.
Hwan collapsed in bed with a fever.
It was no wonder. Even though he pretended otherwise, he had been greatly heartsick from the previous commotion, and right after that came the nerve war with Yuwon over Huiseo. Both body and mind must have been quite exhausted. Was this what they meant by words becoming reality? The excuse he’d used to skip school for a few days had actually become real.
He was someone who, even when Huiseo was sick, had been so robust that Hwan worried about catching it but was embarrassed by how healthy he was.
‘Should I call this a rare sight?’
After the royal physician finished the examination and left saying he needed sufficient rest, Huiseo, who remained by his side to nurse him, pressed Hwan’s forehead to check his temperature and clicked his tongue.
“You must have suffered mentally from this trouble too?”
“…I’m still suffering.”
Hwan whined like that while exhaling hot, wheezing breaths.
“That guy transferred schools too, and there’s no outlet even if you agonize alone over something that’s already passed. You need to forget about it.”
“Do you think I’m really doing this because of that Donghyeon or Dongwoo guy or whatever?”
At Hwan’s resentful question, Huiseo’s lips pressed firmly shut.
Huiseo had actually already known the things he thought Hwan didn’t know all along. Then this time too, he would surely know. That right now, Hwan was talking about none other than Yuwon. When he showed his distaste so obviously, it would be stranger not to notice.
“…Hwan-ah.”
When Huiseo called him as if to admonish, Hwan, his eyes reddened from the rising fever, spat out words.
“…I don’t like it.”
Hwan knew too. That this was really shameless behavior.
All of this had happened because of him. Without thinking carefully, he’d gone out alone and fallen into a trap, making both Huiseo and the imperial family terribly troubled. For them, who must have run around with sweat on the soles of their feet to clean up while he was confined alone in the palace, he couldn’t even easily say he was sorry.
‘I must be prudent and exercise self-restraint.’
With this incident, Hwan had received such a warning.
Don’t even dream of doing useless things for the time being, was what it meant.
‘And yet I dare throw a tantrum at Huiseo?’
When he should be keeping his mouth shut and reading the room even more quietly than a dead mouse. Even if one has no conscience, there’s a limit. Hwan also blamed himself hundreds and thousands of times a day. But what could he do?
Even so, he didn’t like it.
“…I don’t like it, Huiseo-ya. You and that guy being stuck together.”
Recently on edge, Hwan had even been having nightmares almost every night.
That unlucky Choi Yuwon bastard always took Huiseo away with a smirking face. While he was bound to the palace and couldn’t even run to get Huiseo back. When he couldn’t do anything.
Though it was just a dream, Hwan despaired, cried, and collapsed in it every time.
“…I have bad dreams of losing you, so I can’t even sleep well.”
Would he have the same dream today too? Every moment of falling asleep was anxious and agonizing.
Seeing Hwan panting roughly with feverish breaths while talking about such things, Huiseo had a troubled look in his eyes.
Though it didn’t seem like it, Hwan was indeed quick-witted. That’s why even when he was young, he must have been so sensitively hurt by adults’ small signs. This time too, perhaps, even if he hadn’t completely noticed, he might have instinctively sensed Huiseo’s resolution through small clues without realizing it.
‘Would it be better to tell him now?’
So Huiseo came to wonder if, now that things had come to this, he should reveal it now. None other than his resolution to leave the palace upon graduation. Huiseo wanted to share with him the things he had always wanted to do for the imperial family and Hwan from outside the palace.
“……”
But that would certainly be a very disappointing story for Hwan.
That was precisely why Huiseo hesitated. Though it was something they would have to go through once anyway since the decision had been made, he didn’t want to make him more disappointed and frustrated while he was already sick. So right now, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
‘…I can do it next time. There’s still time.’
Perhaps it was Huiseo’s own complacent heart, wanting to postpone that day even a little.
And so, Huiseo, who had only been moving his lips needlessly, ultimately held Hwan’s hand to soothe him and comforted him.
“Don’t think useless thoughts and sleep. That’s how you’ll get better.”
Useless thoughts?
At words that could sound heartless, Hwan looked at Huiseo with resentful eyes and pouted. If it were as easy as it sounded, he wouldn’t have been suffering like this already.
Hwan didn’t want to let it pass like this.
If he just covered it up and moved on, he would become anxious again soon, so he wanted to talk with Huiseo. Then he hoped Huiseo would say like usual, ‘Where would I go? I won’t go.’ He wished he would at least say that. With that hope, Hwan forced his body, heavy as a thousand pounds, to sit up.
“…Huiseo-ya.”
Hwan called Huiseo’s name with difficulty.
But it was then. Huiseo suddenly pulled Hwan’s hand that he was holding toward himself. Wondering what he was trying to do out of nowhere, when he stayed still and watched, soon Huiseo lifted that hand and pressed his lips to the back of it with a soft sound.
Warm lips touched like a feather for a moment and then fell away.
“Huh…?”
Then Hwan couldn’t help but blink several times as if he’d malfunctioned.
There couldn’t be a more appropriate word than ‘malfunctioned.’ His mouth, which couldn’t quite close, even made silly sounds. Hwan had no idea what on earth this situation was.
