By Zephyria 
Woo-yеоn had lived his lifе missing roughly 80 реrсеnt оf thе exреriеnces оrdinary pеoрle hаve. Тyрiсаl exаmplеs included eаting with friends, watching mоvies, going on triрs, or shорping together. Hе had tried a fеw оf thеsе with Dаniel in the Stаtes, but еvеn so, the “mоviе theater” remаined аn unknоwn territorу.
“Whаt аrе wе watсhing?”
Еver sinсe Do-hyun mentioned hе would “show him а movie,” Wоo-yeоn’s eуes spаrklеd whenevеr he loоked аt him. If аnyоnе saw thеm, thеy wоuld think Wоо-yeоn hаd beеn thе оnе desperately begging for it, regardless of who had been reluctant at first. Whenever Do-hyun saw Woo-yeon acting this way, he smiled pleasantly, as if looking at a small puppy.
“I don’t know. Is there something you want to see?”
Do-hyun asked softly, spinning his mechanical pencil with fluid movements. Watching the spinning pencil, Woo-yeon pulled out his phone with a flushed face. As soon as he tapped the search bar, a famous cinema website appeared in his search history.
“I looked it up, and they say this one is the biggest hit lately.”
Meeting in the classroom on Friday morning, they naturally sat next to each other and discussed which movie to watch. What Woo-yeon showed him was a horror movie that felt eerie even from the poster.
“A horror movie.”
Do-hyun wondered why he wanted a horror film in such an early season. It even had a “19+ / Restricted” rating prominently displayed. Do-hyun narrowed his eyes, glancing back and forth between Woo-yeon and the poster.
“Do you think you can handle this?”
A slender finger pointed to a figure in the poster. A foreign actor was holding a blood-stained chainsaw; it seemed to be the gorey kind. Woo-yeon checked the director’s name and the rating, then nodded nonchalantly.
“I’ve seen the whole series.”
This was something that had surprised Daniel in the States several times. Contrary to his appearance, Woo-yeon was very good at watching things that were cruel or featured ghosts. To be precise, he wasn’t afraid of anything artificially created.
“……Really?”
Do-hyun replied slowly and tapped the phone screen. After swiping a few times, a movie ranked 5th on the hit list appeared. It was a children’s animation featuring a round, cute character as the protagonist.
“I was thinking of watching something like this.”
“…….”
Woo-yeon narrowed his eyes and stared at Do-hyun. With an expression that asked, Are you teasing me right now?, Do-hyun playfully crinkled his eyes. As expected, he was indeed teasing him.
“You’re only four years older than me……”
Grumbling under his breath, Woo-yeon carefully scanned the hit list. Horror, romance, action/thriller, animation, and even documentaries. There were many movies playing, but none of them immediately caught his eye.
“Mungaram calls you ‘Baby’ when she’s drunk.”
Do-hyun took the phone from Woo-yeon’s hand and checked the horror movie he had shown. He seemed to be reading the plot or reviews, then returned to the list to look at the romance movie ranked 2nd. While he was checking them one by one, Woo-yeon’s neck had already turned red at the mention of the word ‘Baby.’
“We can just pick between these two.”
In the end, the 1st and 2nd place movies became the final candidates. When Do-hyun naturally tried to include the 5th place one, Woo-yeon insistently pushed it back to the 2nd. Do-hyun let out a soft laugh and explained gently.
“Number one is very gorey, and number two is said to be interesting but quiet. Do you prefer horror or romance?”
“I don’t really have a preference for genres…… what about you, Seonbae?”
“If I had to choose, something scary. Other people’s romance isn’t really my taste.”
Woo-yeon didn’t object and suggested they watch the horror movie. As if intending to handle the reservation right then and there, Do-hyun pulled out his own phone.
“Since today is a bit sudden……”
“Today is fine with me.”
Woo-yeon countered without missing the opportunity. When he lowered the corners of his eyes and made a desperate face, Do-hyun covered his mouth and frowned. The corner of his lips seemed to twitch slightly.
“Then do you want to see the movie after class?”
Woo-yeon nodded quickly. Do-hyun, his eyes curving softly, asked in a gentle tone.
“Which seats do you prefer?”
“I looked it up, and they say I-seats are the best.”
It was a similar answer to when he had been asked about the movie. Eventually, Do-hyun burst into laughter, amused that he had even researched that. Woo-yeon felt like a child waiting for a school trip, but he nodded without complaint.
“And what else did you look up?”
“Theater etiquette…… No, you’re not teasing me, are you?”
“Why would I tease you?”
“I feel like you are……”
Fiddling with his phone, Woo-yeon winked with his left eye. Do-hyun’s double-lidded eyes twitched in response. Watching him reserve the seats, Woo-yeon murmured in a small voice.
“I looked up the theater’s location, and how to buy the tickets.”
“And?”
“…….”
His tone made it certain there was something more. Woo-yeon kept his mouth shut for a moment before speaking, trying to act nonchalant.
“I also looked up the types of popcorn.”
At the embarrassed answer, Do-hyun put down his phone and covered his face. Whether his face was small or his hands were large, his expression was hidden. Soon, he removed his hand and returned to his usual composed self, asking in a slightly ticklish tone.
“So, what flavor did you want to eat?”
“……They say caramel is delicious.”
Woo-yeon thought Do-hyun was being unusually sweet today. Do-hyun was always kind, but he hadn’t usually felt this soft. Seeing him so inexplicably excited made Woo-yeon look forward to it as well. Seeing Teacher act like this, the movie theater must truly be a fun place.
“We can get a half-and-half mix, so try another flavor too.”
Having finished the reservation, Do-hyun shared the booking details via messenger. Woo-yeon examined the ticket numbers meticulously with a face full of wonder. In the meantime, the professor entered the room, and Do-hyun covered Woo-yeon’s phone with his hand.
“Listen to the lecture first.”
Just as when he gave him tutoring, Woo-yeon obediently put his phone away. From four years ago until now, his body moved reflexively at Do-hyun’s words.
* * *
Friday, with the appointment looming, passed slower than ever. After the morning class, going to the club room with Do-hyun, and having lunch with the club members, it was only 2 PM. To make matters worse, he had a free period until his afternoon lecture, so Woo-yeon stared at the clock hands, waiting for Do-hyun to finish.
“Hey, hey, Woo-yeon’s eyes are gonna pop out.”
Ga-ram teased him playfully. Even though it was a day without lectures, she was rolling around on the cot in the club room as usual. Suddenly sitting up, she asked suggestively.
“Do you have a date? Why are you acting like a puppy that needs to pee.”
“Ah, today……”
Woo-yeon hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. It wasn’t a real date; there was no need to keep it a secret that a Seonbae was showing him a movie.
“Seonbae promised to show me a movie if I did well on the exam.”
“Kim Do-hyun?”
“Yes.”
Having answered, Woo-yeon resumed his staring contest with the clock. He had started with his phone, but finding the lack of a second hand frustrating, he had switched his target to the wall clock. The ticking time felt as slow as a slug.
“Really? What movie are you seeing?”
Ga-ram lay back down as if she weren’t interested. When Woo-yeon told her the title, she reacted with disgust, saying, “Ugh, something gross.” Shuddering, she rolled over with a de-gururu.
“You two have gotten really close. Even going to the movies.”
Woo-yeon didn’t answer and gave a vague reaction. At his slow nod, Ga-ram grinned, showing her teeth. Her characteristic boisterous smile seemed full of some hidden motive.
“Woo-yeon.”
Rather than calling him, it was a preamble signaling the start of a question. Woo-yeon took his eyes off the clock and looked at Ga-ram as if telling her to speak. He thought she was about to say something pointless again, but unexpectedly, Ga-ram brought up something Woo-yeon was genuinely curious about.
“Aren’t you curious about how Kim Do-hyun and I became close?”
It was something Woo-yeon had found a bit puzzling at one point. Their personalities weren’t similar, nor were their hobbies, yet the two were exceptionally close within the club.
“Didn’t you just naturally become close?”
“Like you and Seon-kyu?”
Ga-ram waved her finger, indicating that Woo-yeon was wrong. Her index finger flicked, pointing to the floor of the club room.
“Woo-yeon was the one who joined the club, but in my case, I approached him on purpose to get close.”
“…….”
Woo-yeon retraced his memories discreetly. Even when they smoked together or talked, the two didn’t seem like more than friends. While they seemed more comfortable with each other than with others, to him, it didn’t seem like behavior stemming from special feelings. Nevertheless, feeling a flicker of anxiety, Woo-yeon asked cautiously.
“……Did you perhaps like Seonbae,”
“Absolutely not. Absolutely, absolutely!”
Cutting him off immediately, Ga-ram made a truly disgusted face. She even covered her mouth with one hand, as if she might actually gag. Woo-yeon, who liked Do-hyun, felt a small, secret surge of irritation.
“He’s not my type. I like guys who are cuter and smaller.”
Certainly, Do-hyun was far from being cute or small. Woo-yeon thought of a person named Min-jeong he had seen at the midterm after-party. That Seonbae probably fit Ga-ram’s ideal type.
“Then why did you approach him?”
“Because the person I liked liked Kim Do-hyun.”
Woo-yeon looked at Ga-ram with a stern face. It was a reaction that slipped out before he could manage his expression. Fortunately, Ga-ram was fiddling with her phone instead of looking at him.
“Maybe it happened three times? Everyone said they liked Kim Do-hyun, so I wondered what kind of bastard he was and started picking fights with him, and then we became close.”
“……You picked fights?”
“Of course. He’s annoying.”
Come to think of it, Ga-ram was often particularly prickly toward Do-hyun. It seemed that wasn’t because they were friends, but a habit of picking fights from the past. Woo-yeon stared blankly at Ga-ram’s fingertips and spoke as naturally as possible.
“……Um, the people who said they liked Do-hyun Seonbae.”
He knew he was popular, but this was the first time he had heard a specific number like three. Since Ga-ram wouldn’t only like people who liked Do-hyun, this was probably just the tip of the iceberg.
“Did they… date?”
Teacher’s lover. Whether when he was receiving tutoring, or now that they met as Hubae and Seonbae. He had never heard such a thing. A long time ago, when asked about his ideal type, the only answer he got was a strange condition: ‘I hope I don’t have a childhood friend.’
“With Kim Do-hyun?”
Ga-ram let out a scoff as if it were an absurd suggestion. Her long, monolid eyes flashed sharply for a moment.
“He would never do a CC (Campus Couple).”