He thought he’d be riding a motorcycle like last time, but Cha Dobum pulled out a bicycle from who knows where.
Cha Ihyun irritably took off the helmet. It was a bicycle helmet Cha Dobum had forcibly put on him.
“Why are you riding a bicycle when you have a motorcycle?”
“The night air is fucking cold, you know?”
“You can just go slowly like that time.”
“Hmm. Now that I think about it, you’re right.”
Is he really an idiot? Cha Ihyun looked at Cha Dobum with pitying eyes.
Cha Dobum was still in those same outdoor clothes from earlier. The black t-shirt that revealed his muscles as is, and the loose tracksuit pants looked thuggish even from 100 meters away. The cigarette smell on his clothes had faded compared to when they’d met at the entrance, but it was still there.
“Quit smoking.”
“What are you talking about. What cigarette?”
“I can smell it all over you.”
“Am I crazy? Would I smoke when there’s a princess at home?”
Seeing him smell his clothes, it seemed he didn’t even know he reeked. Cha Dobum exclaimed in disgust.
“What the hell! I took it off and shook it out so many times!”
It seemed he’d even tried to get rid of the cigarette smell before coming in.
That made him even more curious. Just where does he wander around to come back soaked in cigarette smoke?
“Those bastards. If they smoke, I should cut them all off, fuck.”
From what he heard, it seemed he was spending time with someone. Unable to contain his curiosity, Cha Ihyun asked.
“Don’t tell me you’re hanging out at a PC bang?”
“Why would I go to a PC bang with no class?”
“Then where? You said you’d show me last time, why didn’t you take me?”
“It’s obviously a place Cha Ihyun would absolutely hate.”
“So where is it?”
Cha Dobum picked at his ear. The side of his face that was slightly visible showed annoyance. Cha Ihyun hit his back.
“What were you just thinking?”
“The thought ‘he nags so fucking much’?”
When he threw another punch, laughter came over on the wind.
“No, that’s why I like it. You’re kind of like a wife too.”
“Stop talking nonsense and tell me.”
“Ah, you’ll probably nag again. I’ll just take you next time.”
“Let’s go now.”
“It’s closed now. Tomorrow.”
“I’m going to school tomorrow.”
It was already the day before the new semester started. Cha Ihyun didn’t need to attend school, but he did need to stop by to submit his application. Cha Dobum said nonchalantly.
“Then just go after you’re done. Should I wait in front of school?”
Coincidentally, he didn’t have an afternoon lesson tomorrow either. Cha Ihyun nodded his head quickly.
“Okay. Then let’s go tomorrow.”
It suddenly seemed like it was the first time making plans after school. Especially a plan to just hang out, not because of an assignment. There wasn’t much of his school days left, and strictly speaking, his companion was a dropout, not a student, but still, somehow he was excited.
But the word ‘excitement’ didn’t suit Cha Dobum, so Cha Ihyun deliberately hardened his expression and smacked his back.
“Ah! Why are you hitting me again? I said I’d take you?”
“Why do you even go to a place you can’t even proudly tell me about?”
He’s bitching even though I said I’d take him… Cha Dobum grumbled and slowed down. The bicycle that had entered the park at some point stopped in front of a bench.
“What. Why are we stopping here?”
“Because Cha Ihyun is treating me so harshly.”
Cha Dobum, who had stopped the bicycle, stretched and walked somewhere. Then he picked up a ball that had been rolling on the ground. Cha Ihyun, who had been sitting there blankly, only then realized this was a basketball court in the park.
“Our princess, do you play basketball?”
Thump, thump, Cha Dobum grinned as he walked over bouncing the basketball on the ground. Cha Ihyun glanced at him as if absurd.
As if I would be good at it. He was excluded every time during PE class, so he’d never played a game even once. At most, he’d thrown the ball a few times when they had performance evaluations, but even that was just standing behind the line marked with blue tape and putting it in the goal.
“Want to try stealing the ball from hyung?”
He knows everything, that petty bastard.
Cha Ihyun stood still until Cha Dobum came right up to him, then quickly reached out his hand as soon as there was distance. As if he’d expected it, Cha Dobum bounced the ball and let it flow away.
“Hey. Too obvious, Ihyun-ah.”
The moment he saw that smug face, an emotion that might have been competitiveness or just youthful pride surged up. He dug into his side thinking he’d snatch the ball, but Cha Dobum just slightly turned his body and laughed. Even reaching out with both hands was useless. Cha Dobum deliberately dribbled low, but when his hand seemed about to reach it, he’d swiftly lift it up. He even tried lifting his heels fully and hanging on Cha Dobum’s shoulder, but the ball didn’t even touch his fingertips.
As if the panting Cha Ihyun was funny, Cha Dobum burst into loud laughter.
“Princess, what are you doing right now? Are you rock climbing by any chance?”
The giggling was infuriating. Cha Ihyun, who had been glaring hard at Cha Dobum, soon groaned and squinted his eyes. When he couldn’t open one eye and bowed his head, Cha Dobum approached awkwardly.
“What? What is it, suddenly? Did sand get in?”
Cha Dobum, who had bent down to look at his face, tucked the basketball under his arm and reached out his hand saying ‘let me see.’ Right at that moment, Cha Ihyun nimbly snatched the ball with his outstretched hand.
“Hey, wait—!”
Cha Dobum didn’t even have time to shout. Cha Ihyun ran straight to the goal holding the ball tightly in both arms. It was clearly a foul and he just ran without dribbling, but his pride wasn’t hurt. Because Cha Dobum had been petty first.
The moment he arrived at the distance where he’d done his performance evaluation, he threw the ball with all his strength. The ball that hit the backboard with a thump spun round and round on the rim, then fell straight through the net.
“Wow, fuuuck…”
Cha Dobum laughed helplessly and swept back his bangs. He muttered with a truly admiring face.
“Our princess is a basketball genius?”
On the other hand, Cha Ihyun was panting heavily. He was out of breath from running just that little bit. As he was catching his breath, Cha Dobum came over with the ball.
“You have talent. I can tell people anywhere. That you stole the ball from Cha Dobum.”
“Where would you even say that?”
“Anywhere? But anyway, are you okay?”
He seemed to be talking about his breathing. Cha Ihyun nodded while wiping the sweat from the bridge of his nose. The thrill of making the shot was greater than the difficulty breathing. Cha Dobum spun the ball on his fingertip and smiled.
“Want to play a game?”
He didn’t know how the basketball rules worked at all, but Cha Ihyun nodded confidently.
The basketball game that started in the middle of the night had somewhat unusual rules. One person was allowed to run holding the ball without dribbling, and only one side’s goal points were counted.
The thudding sound of the ball on the court, the sound of shoe soles scraping the floor, and breathless laughter mingled together. Despite the unfavorable rules, Cha Dobum cheered every time Cha Ihyun scored, and the more he did, the more flushed Cha Ihyun’s face became.
Whenever Cha Ihyun’s breathing got rough, Cha Dobum lowered the pace to let him catch his breath. Continuing the game that way, excited breaths escaped through Cha Ihyun’s lips. It wasn’t the panting, painful breathing, but the breathing after finishing a pleasant run.
Naturally, the game ended with Cha Ihyun’s victory. Cha Dobum, drenched in sweat from running around picking up balls everywhere, took off his shirt and threw it. On the other hand, Cha Ihyun’s body was dry. His body was so cold that even his sweat only slightly beaded on his nose.
He was wiping the sweat with the back of his hand when Cha Dobum trudged over. Then he suddenly snatched his arm and kneaded it.
“Wow shit, if I carry Cha Ihyun around I won’t need ice.”
He tried to pull his hand away, but Cha Dobum was persistent. The hand that had been fiddling with the inside of his elbow soon moved up and invaded even inside his t-shirt. At the heat that suddenly entered, Cha Ihyun was shocked and swatted the hand away.
“Ah, don’t!”
“Ah, why. Just a little.”
“I said don’t! And you smell like sweat.”
“That was really mean. It’s physiological, what are you criticizing that for? And you also smell like sweat…”
Cha Dobum, who had buried his nose straight into Cha Ihyun’s arm, tilted his head. After sniffing for a while, he asked with a quite serious face.
“Can I maybe smell your armpit?”
“Would that be okay?”
Cha Ihyun, disgusted, quickly pulled his arm away. Even though he was being blatantly treated like a pervert, Cha Dobum grinned happily for some reason.
“Look at Cha Ihyun’s expression. So fucking prudish.”
“Are you really a pervert? Why do you like it when I say I don’t like it?”
“Because you’re cute.”
“……”
Cha Ihyun awkwardly created distance, but regardless, Cha Dobum looked around the area.
“I need to go to the convenience store and buy some water. Princess, should I buy you something?”
Cha Ihyun shook his head. Cha Dobum arbitrarily handed him the clothes and stuff, then ran to the convenience store. From far away, he shouted at the top of his lungs.
