# Chapter 20
“Tastes vary so much. That’s why I don’t catch your eye. But there are diverse standards of beauty in the world. My friend. You can’t disparage someone as ugly just because they don’t meet your standards.”
“……”
“You’re saying that face that’s a bit shorter than you, soft, and kind of cute-looking seems pretty, right? Hey, no matter what, there’s such a thing as objective standards of beauty. I’ve never once been told I’m ugly in my entire life……”
“……Shut up.”
Hakyoung muttered weakly.
“You’re too tall.”
“Ha!”
Yumyeong let out a breath of disbelief. He’d never once seen a case where a man’s height was considered a disadvantage. He suppressed the urge to argue back after getting worked up.
“Okay, I understand everything, alright? You like someone around your shoulder height like Lee Sunmin, so around 170cm. 180cm must feel too tall to you.”
“Your voice is also annoying…… it grates on my ears.”
“This bastard…… that’s because you hate me that it sounds like that. Heeun said my voice was nice though? Even though it turned out like this.”
“……”
Noticing the silence, he turned his head to see Hakyoung just raising his head and glaring this way. Feeling the murderous intent from the heartbroken guy, Yumyeong felt awkward and looked elsewhere.
Hakyoung let out a deep sigh again and flopped down. Before he knew it, the sun had set and the surroundings were dyed in complete darkness. A cuckoo’s call could be heard in the distance, and the sound of wind rustling through dry grass filled all around. Only in the sky did a bluish-green tint remain, with a slightly waning early evening moon floating roundly.
Being together, they weren’t scared even in the mountains, but the cold was the problem. His body trembled intermittently.
How long did he plan to sprawl here? Yumyeong looked down at the motionless Hakyoung.
“Hey, I’m going.”
“……”
“Wild animals sometimes come out here. There are wild boars too. It’s a headache if you run into them. Didn’t you hear? There was a time when kids were having late-night snacks delivered and a raccoon stole it. They got scratched a bit here and had to get shots in case of rabies……”
That’s when it happened. Hakyoung suddenly spoke up.
“Lee Sunmin likes you.”
Those words were like a bolt from the blue for Yumyeong too. Yumyeong’s feet got tangled just as he was trying to get up, and he plopped back down on the ground.
“Wh-what?”
“You didn’t know?”
Hakyoung rustled as he sat up.
It seemed Hakyoung had been silent all along, hesitating whether to say this or not. Yumyeong stared at Hakyoung intently with shaking eyes. Even with bits of dry grass stuck in his hair, that guy was handsome. Light shone from his cheeks bathed palely in white moonlight, and his deeply sunken black eyes were saying many things. It didn’t seem like he was lying.
Having turned pale, Yumyeong screamed without realizing it.
“How was I supposed to know that!”
“Everyone knows except you.”
“Everyone knows except me?”
Yumyeong said while making eye contact with Hakyoung with frantically shaking pupils.
“I don’t think so? Hanju probably doesn’t know either.”
Hanju probably knew nothing when it came to that kind of perception. Hakyoung sighed as if telling him to stop with the pathetic talk.
“What do you think the reason Lee Sunmin was bullied in the first place was?”
“Because he was caught liking guys……”
“Then who do you think that guy was?”
Instead of answering, Yumyeong opened his mouth soundlessly. Attracted to his face shining white under the moonlight, a flying insect fluttered around and a disaster occurred where it flew into his mouth. Yumyeong was horrified and spit out the bug, ptui, ptui, then asked in a trembling voice.
“How did you know?”
“I heard it directly.”
Silently shocked, Yumyeong tried to deduce again how his past actions must have felt to Ryu Hakyoung and Lee Sunmin. Only then did the reasonless hatred Hakyoung had shown him seem slightly understandable.
After a moment, Hakyoung, who had lowered his head deeply, asked.
“What will you do if Lee Sunmin confesses to you?”
Yumyeong suddenly trembled all over and shook his head.
“There’s no way that would happen…… ah, you said you heard it directly. Wow, seriously what do I do?”
Previously he’d boldly said things like ‘I’ll seduce the Dormitory fairy or whatever,’ but Yumyeong was clearly showing that it had only been bravado after all. Hakyoung, who had been quietly watching that sight, asked.
“Will you tell that kid not to feel lonely, and thank him for liking you?”
Hakyoung recited exactly what Yumyeong had said to Sunmin earlier. This proved once again that what he’d said about eavesdropping from outside the door was true.
Yumyeong fell into thought while hugging his own arms. Then he nodded once.
“Haa, I think I would.”
“……”
“It’s true I still can’t quite grasp it, but still, the feeling of one person liking another is all the same, isn’t it? Just because it’s a guy doesn’t mean I need to coldly reject him.”
“……”
“Whether I get rejected by Heeun, or you get rejected by Sunmin, or Sunmin gets rejected by me, it’s all the same…… Wow, we’re all pathetic. There’s not a single part where the arrows match. If Heeun ends up liking you too, it’ll be a perfect quadrilateral, hahaha! Ha……”
Yumyeong shuddered at the unfunny imagination and let his shoulders droop.
“Don’t.”
At the out-of-the-blue words, Yumyeong raised his head. Hakyoung said quietly.
“What?”
“Don’t say things like thank you.”
“Who are you to say?”
“The person being rejected will harbor hope just from that. It’s the worst kind of rejection.”
“What do you know? That’s better than being coldly rejected.”
“No, it’s much better to reject and not give any room. At least then you won’t be tortured by emotions anymore.”
Hakyoung said that and suddenly stood up. Then he passed by Yumyeong and walked away briskly.
“Where are you going?!”
Yumyeong quickly followed him, walking down the dry forest path. The ground was a bit slippery, wet with the night’s moisture, and there were stones here and there that were easy to trip over. Hakyoung descended this rough path just fine.
“You’re saying that out of jealousy, right? You’re saying it because you want Lee Sunmin to get over me.”
“Misunderstand as you please. But what I’m saying is the truth.”
“You talk like you’re an expert on romantic feelings. Acting superior when you got rejected just the same.”
“……”
“Be honest. You’ve never had a relationship, right?”
“Just one thing.”
Saying that, Hakyoung stopped walking abruptly. Yumyeong, who had been walking carelessly and bumped into Hakyoung, hit his forehead on that shoulder and stopped, going ow ow ow.
“What?”
“You asked me if I was driven out because of guy problems.”
Yumyeong searched his memory for when he’d said that. At the time it had seemed like nothing, but to think he’d kept that in his heart. Yumyeong wondered whether he should be pleased or not that he’d precisely scratched Hakyoung’s heart.
“That was something I said to hurt you.”
That day, Yumyeong himself had also been unintentionally hurt over money matters. He’d felt unpleasant realizing that when you stab others, it always comes back to you. Yumyeong wanted to cleanly shake off that emotion.
“To be precise, I was desperate to hurt you. Did it make you mad?”
“……”
“I’m sorry.”
Hakyoung, who had been staring at Yumyeong silently, suddenly turned around. Then he suddenly started descending the mountain path with quick steps. There was no hesitation in each step he took.
“Hey, let’s go together!”
As the distance between them gradually widened, Yumyeong felt troubled. He had poor night vision. When the surrounding light decreased, his ability to distinguish objects greatly diminished. Moreover, since it was in the mountains with no streetlights, it felt even more frightening to step on the sloping path.
Yumyeong turned on his phone’s flashlight and walked while groping at the ground. It was better than nothing, but the light was still weak so it wasn’t much help.
“Waah!”
There happened to be a thick tree root where he stepped wrong. At the moment he felt his ankle twist, Yumyeong’s hair stood on end and he barely managed to keep his balance. He could feel that Hakyoung’s steps ahead had also stopped. Yumyeong shouted toward him.
“Hey! A bit slower……”
“……”
“Let’s go together. Ugh……”
His ankle throbbed. It wasn’t to the point where he couldn’t walk, but he seemed to have properly twisted it when he caught on the tree trunk. Yumyeong, who had even more trouble walking, limped slightly as he went down. When he finally narrowed the distance with Hakyoung, that guy was standing still in one spot. Eyes suspicious of what trick Yumyeong was trying to pull again.
Yumyeong felt wronged.
“Is it enough to just go fast by yourself?”
“Then you should have followed quickly.”
“I told you it’s dark and I can’t see well……”
Yumyeong grumbled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. With his twisted ankle, he’d broken out in cold sweat without realizing it while tensing with each step into the darkness.
“Can’t you hold my hand?”
“Get lost.”
When he grabbed his elbow, Hakyoung looked disgusted and swatted away Yumyeong’s hand. But Yumyeong clung on even more shamelessly.
‘You think I’m doing this because I like it?’
If he lost Hakyoung again, he’d have to grope his way alone down the dark night path. That was out of the question.
“How petty. Then I’ll at least grab your clothes instead of your hand.”
“……”
Hakyoung still had suspicious eyes, but Yumyeong was satisfied just that he didn’t shake him off.
Gripping around the elbow of Hakyoung’s jacket, Yumyeong followed one step behind, stepping where Hakyoung stepped. The flashlight that had felt somewhat weak also became much easier when he followed along shining it on Hakyoung’s heels.
Whenever the uniform pants lifted, Hakyoung’s clean white ankle was glimpsed beneath the flashlight. That was somehow impressive. Moreover, unlike the sole covered in dirt, the heel of Hakyoung’s shoe was spotlessly clean.
Yumyeong thought anew that this was truly a symbol of wealth. The white sole of the sneakers, clean without a single trace of daily life.
Then suddenly Hakyoung asked.
“Did you lose a shoe?”
“Huh?”
“You’re walking strangely right now.”
