He was curious about the identity of this scent.
Perhaps he had secretly gotten jelly or something from the college noonas, or maybe the soap had that kind of smell, or maybe…….
Hakyoung, who had woken up first, waited a long time for Yumyeong to wake up. He wanted to ask him when he woke up, so he brought some paper and wrote something on it.
[What’s that nice smell?]
However, no matter how long he waited, Yumyeong, who had his grand adventure in Jangchung-dong all by himself today, never woke up.
Not knowing when the car to pick him up would arrive, Hakyoung grew anxious, and upon hearing the familiar sound of a car from outside, he belatedly shook Yumyeong’s body urgently.
“Zzz…….”
But no matter how much he shook those shoulders and slapped those soft cheeks, Yumyeong didn’t wake up.
“We have to go now, Yeonga. Oh my, you were awake.”
In the end, even until Hakyoung left the house, that dummy Yumyeong just kept sleeping soundly.
That day, he left without even being able to say goodbye.
When Hakyoung returned home, he lay face down on his bed for a long while because of feelings of regret and frustration that had no clear reason. Then he suddenly got up and wrote a letter filled with indignation.
[Yumyeong is stupid and doesn’t know anything.]
Even at this point, Hakyoung himself didn’t know in detail what Yumyeong didn’t know and what he should know. He just didn’t know what to do with his angry and regretful feelings, so he began listing one by one the things Yumyeong had done wrong.
[One, letting go of his hand and chasing after a cat. Two, receiving milk from the noonas. (Yumyeong’s face grinning and smiling in front of the noonas set Hakyoung’s heart on fire for no reason) Three, coming back dirty and hurt. Four, suddenly kissing his forehead…… No, this one is okay.]
Then what did he want Yumyeong to do?
Hakyoung asked his own heart.
The teacher told him not to get angry at Yumyeong and to try writing a letter. He did pick up a pencil, but the letter with its ambiguous answer lost its way and its contents began to wander severely. The letter’s contents were written all over the place, going this way and that.
Still, Hakyoung knew very well what he wanted.
The next time he visited Yumyeong’s house, he felt an awkward atmosphere.
Yumyeong seemed very sorry about having sent Hakyoung off alone while he was asleep. It showed clearly in the way he twisted his body and tapped the floor with his toes.
Unable to help it, Hakyoung handed the letter to Yumyeong first.
“A letter?”
Yumyeong happily received the letter.
“I’ll read it before bed.”
Saying that, he slipped the received letter into his desk drawer.
“Um…… should we go outside?”
Okay.
Hakyoung nodded.
As they stepped outside the heavy door, fresh air rushed into their nostrils. On the summer day, fluffy clouds floated in the deep blue sky. The beautifully manicured garden shone freshly in green light. Everything evoked admiration, but the sun’s force was fierce. In just a few minutes, the crown of his head grew hot.
Hakyoung, who had been touching his warmed crown, soon took an interest in the thorny plants. Under the rose branches, sharp and fearsome thorns were positioned. On the other hand, the thorns in the areas where new shoots emerged looked very small and fragile. Hakyoung first touched the rose petals. They were as soft as Yumyeong’s cheeks. Next, when he reached out to touch the tip of the transparently shining thorn.
“Don’t!”
Yumyeong, who had cried out urgently, seemed embarrassed as he twisted his hair and muttered.
“Ahem, you might get hurt, you know? It’ll hurt if you touch it.”
Okay.
Hakyoung only answered in his mind.
“You know, last time I……. did…….”
While Yumyeong was chattering about something, with one hand he kept plucking the grass leaves beside him. The fresh green leaves were being ruthlessly plucked by the child’s hand and falling plop, plop. At the same time, he was trying somehow to put on his half-worn shoes using only his foot skills, poking at the lawn with one foot. All of it was very bustling.
Hakyoung’s gaze moved to Yumyeong’s face.
Yumyeong had jet-black hair and even blacker, sparkling eyes. Contrasted against his white skin, it gave a very clean impression. Life overflowed from the child’s face with its distinct features. Hakyoung would lose himself whenever he looked at Yumyeong’s chattering face.
That moment.
“Bug!”
Without warning, Yumyeong let out a shriek. Startled, Hakyoung fell on his bottom right there. When he looked up with a bewildered face, Yumyeong had already caught a tiny bug, placed it on the back of his hand, and thrust it out to Hakyoung.
“You want it?”
On the small, white hand sat a bright red ladybug. Up to that point it was fine. But in a moment of carelessness.
“Ah!”
The ladybug made a fluttering sound as it flew and landed on Hakyoung’s face. Shocked almost to the point of fainting, Hakyoung embarrassingly cried right there on the spot.
Even after calming down, Hakyoung kept sniffling for a long while.
“But really, ladybugs are okay. They don’t even bite…… and their backs are all shiny.”
Yumyeong wanted to comfort Hakyoung in his own way somehow. But the tears wouldn’t easily dry from Hakyoung’s eyes after receiving such a big shock. Occasionally wiping his dampened cheeks with his sleeve and sniffling, Hakyoung sat still.
“Wait here?”
Yumyeong, who went to sit at the desk, spread out paper and began drawing something. After a moment, Yumyeong showed the completed drawing in front of Hakyoung.
“This one isn’t scary.”
On the paper was a crudely drawn ladybug. It was much bigger than the actual bug but wasn’t scary. Hakyoung mustered the courage to touch the back of the ladybug in the drawing.
The smooth, shiny back of the ladybug.
As he touched the drawing like that and raised his head, he saw Yumyeong’s brightly smiling face. Seeing that happy face, he thought it was good that he had mustered the courage.
“Want to listen to a song? I’ll play you a song I like.”
Saying that, Yumyeong played music through a small speaker.
“It’s a song my mom likes.”
“…….”
“You don’t like this kind of song?”
No.
Hakyoung answered. Then Yumyeong muttered “That’s a relief” and smiled at Hakyoung.
It seemed like that sweet shampoo scent was coming from somewhere again.
Like he had done before, Hakyoung wanted to get close to Yumyeong’s cheek and sniff the smell, but he didn’t have the courage to actually do it.
Even after returning home that day, Hakyoung constantly thought about whether Yumyeong had read the letter by now.
When he imagined what kind of face Yumyeong would be making while reading the letter, his heart would pound so much he couldn’t fall asleep. All kinds of thoughts and all kinds of Yumyeong’s expressions floated around above his head. Yumyeong’s voice wouldn’t leave his ears.
Even though he had seen him just a few days ago, he wanted to see Yumyeong again. So instead, Hakyoung searched for and listened to the song Yumyeong had played for him.
A few days after that.
“Yeonga. Are you singing right now?”
Seeing Hakyoung humming the song Yumyeong had played for him, his mother made a surprised expression. Moving busily as if a little nervous and also excited, his mother made a phone call somewhere.
“Yes, teacher. Hakyoung is speaking…… To be exact, he’s singing along to the lyrics. This is…….”
Hakyoung, who had been humming the song, looked at his mother, then returned to what he had been doing.
At that time, Hakyoung had no problems understanding writing and speech, and his intelligence and psychological tests were also normal. He just lived cut off from the outside world with his mouth firmly shut for reasons unknown. The fact that he had no peers during his childhood was because of that.
Hakyoung always answered people’s questions only in his mind and thought he was communicating with the world that way, but in reality, there was no one who could hear the voice inside his heart.
Under those circumstances, it was natural for his mother to be surprised seeing Hakyoung opening his mouth and humming lyrics.
Later, after time passed and he became able to understand his own situation, Hakyoung found the existence of the young Shin Yumyeong even more fascinating and wondrous.
The child who didn’t look at him strangely for not being able to speak, who didn’t ask why, and who chattered away enough for both of them.
“You don’t like this kind of song?”
No.
“That’s a relief.”
How could he not like the child who listened to words not spoken aloud with his heart and smiled?
And when he visited Yumyeong’s house once again, Hakyoung was able to receive a response to that previous letter.
“Sit here.”
Yumyeong, who had fewer words than usual, led Hakyoung in front of him with a slightly nervous face. After kneeling and sitting facing each other like that, Yumyeong firmly grasped both of Hakyoung’s hands.
Yumyeong’s face, with eyes closed, came closer. Soon, a light sensation touched his lips with a peck. A sweet fruit scent lingered at the tip of his nose, then soon disappeared.
A soft and lovely sensation.
At that brief bird kiss, both children’s hearts beat rapidly.
“You know, can I do it again next time too?”
With his face turned bright red, Yumyeong asked while firmly gripping the hands he was holding.
Yes.
When Hakyoung answered in his mind, Yumyeong smiled brightly.
“That’s a relief.”
That smiling face struck Hakyoung’s heart fiercely.
The end of the first letter Hakyoung gave to Yumyeong at that time went like this. It was the sentence right after [Stupid Yumyeong doesn’t know anything.]
[But if you kiss me next time, I’ll forgive you.
It’s a secret that I cried. Promise.
Even if tears come out, if there’s love, I can forget.
Yumyeong, I really like you! ⌒__⌒]
