After finishing the last exam, Heewoon let out a long sigh. The semester was finally over, and he felt he had done well on the exams. Unlike during the midterms when he had to cram his studies, this time he had been able to review all the reference materials. Perhaps it was expected.
Heewoon put on his padded jacket and wrapped his scarf tightly around his neck. It had been hot and sweaty during the exam, but now that he was out in the corridor, it felt cool.
The corridor was bustling with noise. A lot of people were talking about having a drink since the exams were over. Heewoon navigated through the crowd and headed towards the lockers.
He opened his locker and immediately grabbed a piece of chocolate he saw. While munching on it, he took out the books he had used for today’s exams from his bag. I’ll throw this one… I might be able to sell this one as second-hand. As he separated the books he wanted to throw away from the ones he wanted to keep, he happened to open a page with some scribbles.
‘I don’t like playing hard to get.’
‘Did you sleep well?’
‘Yeah.’
Heewoon stared at the words for a moment and then abruptly closed the book. I’ll have to throw this one away.
He packed all the books he wanted to keep back into his bag, including a few pieces of chocolate, which caused a rustling sound every time he moved.
He was in the midst of sorting his things in front of the trash bin when he heard a booming voice.
“Hey, Woo Heewoon!”
Startled, Heewoon turned around. From the end of the corridor, someone was running toward him.
“Huh, yeah?”
Heewoon’s eyes widened. The man who had run up to him crashed into him and put his arm around Heewoon’s shoulders.
“You shit, why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“Oh, I just finished my exams and hadn’t turned it on yet. But when did you come to Korea?”
This extremely playful man was Park Jihwan, a student of the same year as Heewoon.
“Yesterday. I’m fucking dying because of jetlag.”
“What brings you to school?”
Heewoon asked as he threw his book into the paper bin.
“I’m stopping by the department room for a bit. But seriously, buddy, at least act a little happy to see me.”
Jihwan ruffled Heewoon’s hair roughly. Heewoon chuckled awkwardly. It was actually a little awkward with Jihwan. They had been close friends before he went into the military, so it had been years since the last time Heewoon saw his face.
“Oh, right. Are you coming to the end-of-term gathering tomorrow?”
Heewoon furrowed his brow. It had been a long time since he attended an event in his department. Plus, wouldn’t he be a bother to go to the end-of-term gathering this year?
“No, I’m not going.”
“Why not? Let’s go together.”
“…You’re going?”
You bastard, look at your expression. Jihwan looked slightly hurt and clung to Heewoon for a moment.
“Please? Let’s go. Come with me.”
“I don’t go to those kinds of places…”
“I need to get to know the juniors before I go back to school, so please come with me.”
“You can go alone. If there are two of us to bother them, that’s a bit…”
“Bother? Come on. Who would be a bother? It’s you here.”
What are you saying? Heewoon took out his phone from his pocket and pressed the power button while Jihwan continued to persuade him.
Heewoon gave Jihwan vague responses and then his eyes widened. He had three missed calls, and among them, two were from Seo Kangwoo. There was also one message.
[Call me when you see this.]
It was a simple message, but it made his heart sink. What time was it now? The exam had ended at 5 pm, but it was already 5:30.
“I’ll talk to you later.”
Heewoon patted Jihwan’s shoulder and immediately put his phone to his ear. He waved at Jihwan, who shouted from behind, “I’ll chat you on KakaoTalk, you have to come with me!” and focused his attention on the sound of the call connecting. Ding, the dial tone stopped, and a voice came through.
– Hello.
“Locker. I was tidying up my locker and forgot to turn on my phone.”
As soon as Kangwoo answered the call, Heewoon spoke urgently.
– I told you to call as soon as the exam was over.
His voice wasn’t cold, but it still sent shivers down Heewoon’s spine. Why did he forget those words? He regretted it.
“I’m sorry…”
– Come to the parking lot.
After ending the call, Heewoon rubbed his face with his hands. It felt like it had been a long time since he was so scared about going to the parking lot.
Heewoon rushed to the parking lot. If he had to go anyway, it was better to get there quickly. He could see Seo Kangwoo’s car, increasing his nervousness.
He got into the car without even pausing to catch his breath.
“Ugh, euk, uuk…”
Kangwoo raised one eyebrow at Heewoon, who was breathing heavily. His cheek, half-covered by a scarf, was slightly flushed.
“Why did you run here?”
“Because, uuk… I thought you would be waiting.”
Heewoon, panting heavily, untied the scarf that kept covering his mouth and nose. A few strands of his hair stood on end due to static electricity.
Ah, so pretty.
Kangwoo muttered to himself while contemplating Heewoon’s words. He reached out toward Heewoon’s head. He pressed down on the hair that had stood up due to static electricity.
“Did you do well on the exam?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I did well. How about you?”
“Me? I just did it somehow.”
Kangwoo closely observed Heewoon’s head that he was covering with his hand. He briefly lifted his hand and then covered it again, checking if the static electricity had dissipated. Heewoon’s hair fit snugly into Kangwoo’s hand, making him smile.
Heewoon glanced briefly at Kangwoo’s smiling face. Kangwoo seemed happy despite Heewoon being so tense when he first arrived. Heewoon finally felt a little relieved and casually removed his bag and placed it by the side of his leg. The slender bag rustled.
“The exams are over, so let’s go to eat something delicious.”
Kangwoo slowly caressed Heewoon’s head as he held the steering wheel. It seemed like they were going somewhere far. Heewoon glanced at Kangwoo as he drove, then he took out his phone from his pocket.
He checked his missed calls and noticed that there was a missed call from Park Jihwan too. Soon, a KakaoTalk message arrived.
[Everyone’s going crazy because they want you thereㅠㅠㅠ Please come with me.]
It didn’t seem to occur to Park Jihwan that their juniors might have been being polite when they asked him to come.
Truthfully, Heewoon didn’t dislike events from his department. Although he didn’t go out and play actively, he used to participate in most of them until he got discharged from the military and returned to school. However, with everything going on in his life now, he didn’t have the time or energy to participate.
Rustle. His bag kept squeaking whenever he moved his legs in thought. Since Kangwoo didn’t listen to music or the radio while driving, the sound was a bit loud.
“What is it?”
Kangwoo asked when they stopped at a traffic light.
“Oh, this… chocolates and snacks. I brought them from my locker.”
Kangwoo kept glancing at the bag, so Heewoon hesitantly unzipped the front pocket and fiddled to take out some chocolates. Then he awkwardly asked.
“Do you… want some?”
The wind rustled as Kangwoo glanced at Heewoon and narrowed his eyes. The car slowly started moving again.
“I have to drive, so Sunbae, feed me.”
Heewoon nodded, then he ripped off the wrapper and pushed it close enough to Kangwoo’s lips. But Kangwoo unexpectedly bit into the chocolate along with Heewoon’s finger.
“Ah!”
Heewoon let out a short scream. He quickly pulled his hand back to his chest and checked. There was a small bite mark.
“Hmm, it’s good.”
Heewoon glanced out the window, not catching a glimpse of Kangwoo’s nonchalant voice.
For dinner, they had snow crabs. It was a bit far out, and it would take them a while to get home, but he didn’t mind since today was the day he pretended to tutor students.
The in-season snow crab was exceptionally delicious. Heewoon skillfully picked out the plump flesh from the shells and focused on his meal. Even though the portions were generous, he almost emptied the whole plate. It had been a long time since he last had eaten too much.
He was so full, he could barely breathe, and it occurred to him that his mother liked snow crabs too. He wondered about the price, so he glanced around the place. But he couldn’t see the price anywhere.
“Not enough yet?”
Kangwoo, who was resting his chin on his hand, smiled and asked.
“Not that. My mom likes snow crabs too, and I was wondering how much they cost….”
“Ah.”
Kangwoo nodded and then called the waiter. After knocking, the waiter opened the sliding door and Kangwoo told her to pack the same thing to go. After replying that it would take a bit of time, the waiter left.
“Take it home and share it with your mother.”
“Alright!”
Heewoon’s quick response was so lively that his eyes widened. He blushed almost instantly. Kangwoo burst into laughter at Heewoon’s reaction and motioned for him to come closer.
Heewoon partially lifted his body from the chair and leaned forward. Kangwoo firmly grasped Heewoon’s face, his grip slightly too strong, causing Heewoon’s nose to wrinkle.
“Ah, what should I do with you?”
Kangwoo sighed lightly and fixed his gaze on Heewoon’s face. He gently pressed his lips to Heewoon’s, which had been slightly jutting forward due to the pressure on his cheeks, before finally releasing his face.
Heewoon rubbed his tingling cheeks and glanced briefly at Kangwoo. Seo Kangwoo seemed to be in a very good mood.
“Kangwoo, I’m planning to… go to the end-of-term gathering tomorrow…”
“The end-of-term gathering?”
“Yeah. Because it’s been a while since I last attended.”
Heewoon added that it might become a good opportunity for him to gather information about job prospects.
“Do whatever.”
Kangwoo replied indifferently, his eyes fixed on the faint hand marks on Heewoon’s cheek.
“Come sit next to me.”
Extending his hand, Kangwoo didn’t seem particularly interested in the end-of-term gathering. However, that didn’t matter as Heewoon had already gotten his permission.
Heewoon walked around the table and sat down next to Kangwoo. Kangwoo immediately wrapped his arm around Heewoon’s shoulder and pulled him closer. He placed his palm on Heewoon’s cheek and gently caressed it. Although Heewoon briefly glanced at the sliding door, which any waiter might enter through, he obediently stayed snuggled up to Kangwoo.
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