4.2 – Summer Break

—Bored.

A large hand scribbled small letters in the corner of a textbook. Jae-min chuckled and wrote a reply underneath.

—Just hang in there.

Seung-pyo grinned and withdrew his hand. It wasn’t so much that he was truly bored, but rather that his goal was to flirt with Jae-min.

There were only ten minutes left until the academy class ended. Not just Seung-pyo and Jae-min, but most of the students in the lecture hall seemed to be staring at the clock, waiting for the class to finish.

The two of them were especially impatient. Today was the D-day they had been anticipating for days. Jae-min’s parents were attending a couples’ gathering and weren’t expected home until around 10 PM, and it was a day when Seung-pyo’s Hyung wouldn’t return until after 2 AM.

During the break, Seung-pyo’s Hyung had temporarily put aside his dream of burning passion at an amusement park and found a part-time job at a large franchise pub. He seemed to quite like the workplace, which was very large for a pub and required a uniform, giving off a strong theme park vibe. Recently, he had been coming home late into the early morning to hang out with his coworkers, and he was busy visiting friends on his days off. This was a very fortunate turn of events for Seung-pyo and Jae-min.

As soon as the class ended, the two sprang up like coils and hurried to pack their things. The instructor called out to them as they were naturally heading for the door.

“Are you two leaving straight away today? No self-study?”

“We’re planning to go to a study cafe together today.”

“Why, when you have the academy’s self-study room right here—close, spacious, quiet, and cool?”

“Sometimes changing the environment helps you study better.”

Seung-pyo answered confidently. The calm and honest expression on his handsome, neat face looked as if the word ‘trust’ had been molded into human form. Unable to doubt such a look, the instructor chuckled and let them go with words of encouragement to work hard.

It had been about a week since summer break started. Since school supplementary classes were scheduled to begin tomorrow, the two had only met at the academy for the past week. Because they could only meet there, they often sat together in the self-study room well past the regular study hours.

On days when Jae-min had no other tutoring schedules, they stayed in the self-study room until late without fail, making them look like the quintessential honor students—straight out of a painting. Even among the academy instructors, there was high praise for their extraordinary passion for learning. The instructors’ favorable evaluations were passed directly to Jae-min’s parents, which allowed the two to immerse themselves in their “study time” without interference.

The two giggled as they stepped into the elevator. They didn’t forget to make excuses for each other.

“It’s okay, we’ll play for a bit and then actually study.”

“Right. We won’t play for long.”

“Should we take the bus?”

“We don’t have much time, let’s take a taxi.”

Regardless, the title of ‘honor student’ was convenient for living, and the effect was amplified when the two joined forces. Many people at both school and the academy viewed their closeness as academic camaraderie, so minor rule-breaking was often laughed off.

That didn’t mean they were blindly betraying the adults and immersing themselves only in play. Since both school and the academy had emphasized to the point of exhaustion how important the summer break of the second year of high school was, they had no intention of overlooking the importance of the time they were spending.

Seung-pyo and Jae-min weren’t worried. They were strictly following the summer break study plan they had submitted to their homeroom teacher, and they weren’t ruining the model student routine they had maintained for a long time. In any case, because they stayed at the academy longer to spend time together, it was also true that the time they spent studying had increased accordingly.

“It’s seriously hot today. I’m sweating even though I took a taxi.”

As soon as they opened the front door to Seung-pyo’s house, Jae-min grumbled. His pronunciation was imprecise because he was speaking while sucking on a tube-shaped ice pop bought from the convenience store at the entrance of the apartment complex.

Jae-min’s smiling lips were stained purple from the dye of the grape-flavored frozen treat. Seung-pyo chuckled and pointed at Jae-min’s lips.

“You look like a monster right now.”

“Look who’s talking. Your lips are green.”

“Then it’s monsters talking to monsters. Epic.”

Once inside, the two carelessly tossed their ice pops onto the dining table and began to kiss. They might have looked like monsters on the outside, but their lips, sticky with melted sugar, were incredibly sweet.

Faced with the desire to overlap their bodies right then and there, a bit of sticky skin was not a problem at all. No, for Seung-pyo, far from being a problem, it was actually better. He rubbed his nose haphazardly from Jae-min’s ear down to his nape. Perhaps because they were heated up by the sweltering heat, the scent emanating from Jae-min’s body was stronger than usual.

For a long time, whenever Seung-pyo smelled Jae-min’s scent, his lower half would grow hot. Since it was a human scent, it wasn’t purely sweet like candy or fruit, nor purely fragrant like flowers or perfume, but whenever he rested his face on Jae-min’s neck or chest, he felt a constant hunger. Since he couldn’t eat Jae-min to fill his stomach, there was only one thing he could do.

“Ah, ugh.”

The front of Jae-min’s shirt, which had been undone at some point, fluttered loosely. Seung-pyo leaned down and was sucking on a protruding nipple instead of the ice pop.

With just a few sucks, the small bump swelled up red and plump. Seung-pyo smiled, thinking it looked like a small mountain berry.

“Doesn’t your nipple look delicious?”

“What am I even supposed to answer to that?”

“As for the taste, it’s a bit salty right now.”

“Ah, move. I’m going to shower.”

Jae-min frowned and tried to escape Seung-pyo’s embrace. But Seung-pyo didn’t let him go and this time set his teeth against the nipple. As he lightly bit and stimulated the areola, Jae-min’s breath hitched and his moans grew louder, like someone in pain. His skin, not yet accustomed to the contact, quickly became sensitive, and a dizzying pleasure surged up his throat.

After their first experience, both of them spent every day in a state of restlessness. The physical pleasure they tasted for the first time was so intense that it repeated in their dreams several times, and on the days after such dreams, when they met at the academy, they wanted to throw away their studies and hide away anywhere. They felt like they were going crazy wanting to review everything they had experienced in their dreams in reality, without being constrained by time.

They wanted to welcome the ‘second day’ as soon as possible, but reality wasn’t so easy. Seung-pyo’s Hyung, who had returned from camping, spent a while at home staring at his phone while looking for a part-time job, and Jae-min’s parents checked on Jae-min’s life more frequently and in more detail than usual to ensure his return home and his studies during the break.

Naturally, their secret messenger window became increasingly busy. They talked endlessly about what to do during their first summer break together, where they would like to go if they could, and what they wanted to see and eat together. The one who first brought up the ocean was Oh Seung-pyo.

Of course it’s the ocean in summer. I like the East Sea the best.

Really? Why? The South Sea looks great too.

The water is deep, so it’s easier to swim lol

The South Sea is too far anyway, so it’s hard to go now.

It would be great to take a bus to Sokcho or Gangneung together, eat delicious food, and see the ocean.

It’s been a really long time since I’ve been to the ocean in summer.

If we can go during the break, let’s definitely go.

The two also scrutinized the position chart they had seen together at Seung-pyo’s house more thoroughly and diligently discussed new types of pleasure they wanted to try if the opportunity arose. Seung-pyo, who had said he wanted to try doing it with Jae-min face down, soon became fickle and wanted to try something else.

I want to try that. Sucking it with my mouth.

You want me to suck yours?

That’s good too, and I want to try sucking yours.

“Ah, not there! Oh Seung-pyo, no!”

When Seung-pyo undid the front of his pants and tried to bury his face in Jae-min’s groin, Jae-min pushed him away in earnest this time. Because he pressed his palms hard against Seung-pyo’s face, the handsome cheeks were squashed. Seung-pyo brushed off the resisting hands and looked up at Jae-min with a look of confusion.

“What’s wrong? You saw it too back then. They say it feels amazing if you suck it here.”

Today was the day they seized their second opportunity. As with last time, it would be a brief window before Jae-min had to go home, but even a short amount of time was desperate for them.

“I’m sweaty right now. If you want to do it, do it after I wash.”

“I don’t care. I like it because it smells a lot.”

He meant he liked it because Jae-min’s scent was strong, but Jae-min somehow understood it differently and his face turned even redder. With an expression of genuine shame, he now even crossed his legs, trying to avoid Seung-pyo’s aggressive foreplay.

However, contrary to Jae-min’s reason, which was suffering from embarrassment, his penis was gradually standing straight, gaining strength. Therefore, without needing to struggle, Seung-pyo slowly stuck out his tongue and lightly licked the tip of Jae-min’s glans.

“Uwah…!”

He had only been touched by hands; this was the first time a mouth had touched him. The efficiency compared to the effort was tremendous. Seung-pyo held onto Jae-min’s penis, which was twitching in surprise just from the slight brush of a tongue.

After licking the glans a few times, he bit the stiff shaft with his green lips. Looking down at his red penis being swallowed between the deep-blue stained lips, Jae-min let out a heartfelt sigh.

“You really look like a monster….”

Then, instead of stopping him, he breathed heavily.

Just touching it with his hands made his body tingle and heat up to the point of madness, but when the tongue and lips touched, it literally felt as if his lower half was melting. Jae-min’s legs lost strength, and he leaned his hips against the table, supporting himself with his hands.

Just a moment ago, he had been complaining about the summer heat that raised the discomfort index, but for some reason, the pleasure that slowly heated his body was not unpleasant at all. Slurp, schlick, chu. Wet, humid sounds, different from those of kissing, reached his ears.

“Ha, ah-eut, haa.”

The fingertips gripping the table trembled as strength surged into them. His hips and waist bounced instinctively, and strength kept entering his thighs. He didn’t want to ejaculate too quickly, but the pleasure surging up from the lower parts of his body screamed that it wanted to escape.

I think I’m going to come. The moment Jae-min thought that and grit his teeth, Seung-pyo, who had been diligently sucking his penis, suddenly spat it out and sat up.

“I can’t take it.”

Seung-pyo said as he threw off his clothes. His face, breathless from clinging to the clumsy fellatio, was flushed red, not much different from Jae-min’s. The center of his lower body was already noticeably erect.

“I just want to do it quickly.”

Jae-min also hurriedly took off his clothes, which were already disheveled. Tossing the clothes aside, the two hurriedly moved to the bathroom.

As they had done before, the two squeezed into the shower booth together and kissed under the pouring water. Seung-pyo’s long fingers pushed between the buttocks, which had become smooth and wet. He stroked the entrance and gradually dug deeper inside, awakening the sensation he had tasted only once.

“Haa-eu….”

Was Jae-min’s body as good at remembering as his head? The fingers hadn’t even reached deep inside yet. Even though he was just playing around the entrance, Jae-min’s gaze became vacant, staring into some unknown void as if he fully remembered the previous pleasure. Seung-pyo took Jae-min’s hand and led him.

“You touch mine too.”

“Yeah….”

Jae-min, who was moaning in gentle pleasure, caressed Seung-pyo’s member, which stood up to touch his stomach. The penis, which felt like a sturdy piece of wood in his hand, was hotter than any other part of the body.

“Haa.”

“Hng, mmm.”

Even though they tried to stifle their voices, the moans that hit the tiles spread in all directions. Their worry that other neighbors might hear didn’t last long.

The more they touched each other, the more their impatience flared. The foreplay of impatient boys couldn’t last long. Just as they had stopped the oral sex halfway, they couldn’t sustain the act of touching each other for long either; just as they had at Jae-min’s house, they hurriedly moved with wet bodies and tumbled onto the bed.

Seung-pyo opened the drawer, but this time too, there was no leisure to light a scented candle. He clumsily pulled out the gel and condoms and drenched the area between Jae-min’s buttocks almost excessively. He thrust his fingers deep inside, whereas under the shower he had only tickled the entrance. His fingers slid smoothly in and out of the wet hole. Seung-pyo frowned.

“Relax. If you tighten up this much just for fingers, how am I supposed to put my cock in?”

“Ah-euk, haa, ah, I thought, ugh, it would work soon….”

It was better than the first time, but the second time was equally clumsy. Their hearts were hurried, but their bodies didn’t loosen easily. Only frustrated breaths grew louder, filling the room.

Seung-pyo leaned down and overlapped their lips. Since he had said the first time that kissing during insertion would make it less scary, wouldn’t it be the same the second time?

“Hut, nng.”

As the soft tongue entwined, Jae-min’s breath became even more labored. This is driving me crazy. Seung-pyo grit his teeth inwardly. He hadn’t even performed the actual insertion yet, but because of Jae-min, who writhed at a single kiss or a single gesture, Seung-pyo’s lower half was becoming hotter and harder. The desire made his lower body tingle and itch, and his lower abdomen felt stiff and throbbing.

Unable to hold back, Seung-pyo rubbed his angry cock against the hole that was tightly filled with two fingers. Then, the inside of the hole where the fingers were also seemed to squirm along with it.

“Ah, Oh Seung-pyo.”

“Hmm?”

“Can’t you just, hng, put it in?”

Jae-min’s voice trembled as he asked. Seung-pyo swallowed hard and answered.

“I should at least do as much as last time.”

Last time, he had spent a long time stirring with his fingers, so by the time he put his cock in, the hole had become quite soft. He didn’t know how Ryu Jae-min felt, but Seung-pyo, who was directly touching the place, could feel that the body lying beneath him wasn’t as relaxed as it had been then.

“They say it’s better to get the beating over with quickly….”

“Why are you getting a beating? It’s not like I’m trying to hit you.”

“I don’t know. I’m just… impatient.”

Jae-min breathed heavily. Jae-min’s penis, lying there, was also standing straight toward his navel, leaking transparent fluid.

Since the feeling of anxiety was likely the same, Seung-pyo understood Jae-min’s words. Was it because it was the long-awaited second time? In the materials they had looked up before their first sex, it had been strongly advised never to rush before insertion and to relax each other’s bodies and minds as slowly and leisurely as possible, but for some reason, delaying was harder today than the first time.

Seung-pyo bit the edge of the condom wrapper and tore the plastic. He slid the slippery rubber skin over the flesh pillar that had fully taken its shape and pushed up Jae-min’s legs.

“A-eu….”

As the hard penis fully pressed against the red-stained entrance and slid, Jae-min instinctively closed his legs. Seung-pyo put strength into his arms and instead spread the two legs wide.

Squish, squelch. The sound of wet flesh meeting and the sound of their mixed moans and breaths made even the two people creating them dizzy. After sliding over the hole a few times, Seung-pyo forgot to announce that he was going in and pushed the thick glans deep into the softened hole.

“Ack!”

Although he had asked him to put it in, he couldn’t help but be surprised by the sudden insertion. The tense hole tightened tightly, biting into the thick foreign object that had just entered.

“Sorry.”

Seung-pyo muttered, panting. The desire he had been working hard to suppress was on the verge of overflowing, and even while saying sorry, strength was put into his waist. Jae-min grit his teeth at the feeling of the narrow, contracted interior widening to the volume of the flesh pillar. However, he couldn’t stop his waist and legs from trembling of their own accord.

“Hng, aa-at, ah…!”

“Kugh.”

Grit-toothed with low moans, Seung-pyo finally caught his breath after managing to push in about halfway.

The feeling of the interior gripping his cock was transmitted vividly. It felt as if it were asking him to come in further and move, or as if it were asking him to wait a bit longer since it hadn’t opened yet. Seung-pyo leaned his face near Jae-min’s ear.

“How is it?”

“A-eu, ugh, it hurts.”

“Really? I’ll pull out.”

“No. If we pull it out and start over, ugh, it’ll hurt again.”

Jae-min shook his head vigorously, pinning Seung-pyo in place. Like the model student who always ranked first in school, he seemed determined to overcome the slight pain that accompanied clumsy sex through sheer persistence.

In fact, he hadn’t even shown signs of pain at first. Seung-pyo regretted rushing too much, but Jae-min’s point—that he didn’t want all their effort so far to go to waste—made sense. Seung-pyo stopped his thrusting and pulled the groaning Jae-min into an embrace, kissing him wherever he could reach.

The proverb that time is the best medicine applies everywhere. Seung-pyo didn’t miss the moment when the voice that had sounded like it was suffering from pain began to bloom and carry a hint of heat.

“Hng, ngh…!”

As they locked lips deeply and Seung-pyo thrust his hips powerfully, the remaining shaft was sucked in, reaching quite deep inside.

Seung-pyo jerked his hips upward, trying to rub the sensitive area beneath the abdominal wall with his cock. The effort seemed to work, as Jae-min’s body began to twitch involuntarily and his voice grew louder.

“You’re, haa, not hurting anymore, right?”

“Hng, yeah, I’m okay…!”

Jae-min nodded frantically. Before the answer was even finished, Seung-pyo focused on pushing forward. The sound of hard pelvises and buttocks colliding—slap, slap—was so intense that anyone hearing it from outside the door might suspect a scene of violence.

“Haa, ah, aa, aaaah!”

Every time Seung-pyo drove his hips hard into the depths where he was buried, Jae-min’s entire body jolted as he screamed. Under the hot sensation that swept over him like a wildfire, his pale skin flushed red in various places, and his wide-open lips were damp from the kissing moments before. His face, crumpled in a tearful expression as he couldn’t withstand the sensation stirring inside him, was a sight that could never be seen outside of sex.

“Kh, hng.”

Seung-pyo’s breathing grew rapidly ragged. Just looking at it made the heat pooled below feel like it was about to explode, and since their bodies were truly entwined as one, the pleasure spreading through his entire frame soared steeply, making him feel as if he were burning up.

He didn’t want to come before Ryu Jae-min. Seung-pyo grabbed Jae-min’s penis, which was shaking toward his navel. As he stroked it firmly upward while thrusting his hips in tandem, Jae-min groaned as if he were sobbing, and soon his hand was drenched as he reached ejaculation. Only then did Seung-pyo release his own heat to his heart’s content.

“Whew.”

Trembling in his shoulders as he finished discharging every last drop, Seung-pyo slowly withdrew his hips. As he pulled out the member, which had not yet lost its girth, the red and damp hole didn’t close immediately but fluttered slightly.

Seung-pyo had heard the old joke comparing the bottom hole to a mouth. Seeing the shape, he felt that the old saying wasn’t wrong and let out a giggle.

“It looks just like a fish’s mouth here.”

When he rubbed it gently with his finger, the hole flinched and closed tightly a beat later. Jae-min, seemingly lacking the energy to respond, lay sprawled on the bed, breathing heavily.

Seung-pyo lay prone, overlapping his body on top of him. Unlike Seung-pyo, who had ejaculated while wearing a condom, Jae-min’s semen was scattered, wetting his own stomach.

Seung-pyo seemed to like the slippery, drenched sensation, rubbing his stomach against Jae-min’s, and grumbled resentfully to Jae-min, who wasn’t responding to his joke.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Why… what do you mean… we just finished…”

While rubbing their wet abdomens together, Seung-pyo’s member, which hadn’t subsided even after ejaculating, quickly became as hard as it was at the beginning. Seung-pyo whispered, face to face.

“Let’s do it face down this time. I’ve wanted to try it since last time.”

“Right now…?”

“I’m down.”

Jae-min hesitated for a moment but soon nodded.

For starters, the time allowed for them wasn’t long. Since their academy classes ended in the evening, they couldn’t stay together for very long, even on days when their parents returned home late. If they lingered and missed the window, they might have to wait indefinitely for the next opportunity.

As soon as Jae-min gave his consent, Seung-pyo scrambled up. Having accumulated a lot of trivia while diligently preparing for his first experience, he placed a pillow vertically and had Jae-min lie face down on it. While doing as he was told, Jae-min looked back, confused, and asked.

“Why the pillow?”

“They say if you do this, your hips naturally lift, so it’s more comfortable when you’re lying face down.”

Jae-min nodded and looked forward. Oh Seung-pyo, being tall and large-framed, had a pillow that was quite big to match his size, providing a plush support for almost Jae-min’s entire upper body.

Jae-min propped his arms under his face and swallowed hard. Only the position had changed, but the act remained the same; however, now that Oh Seung-pyo had disappeared from his sight, he suddenly felt quite nervous.

“Ah…”

That tension gradually faded as Seung-pyo overlapped his body completely, just as before. The body heat pressed against his back and the breath felt beyond his ear seemed to tell him there was no need to be afraid. Even if that wasn’t Oh Seung-pyo’s intention.

Seung-pyo’s small, low chuckle echoed in his ear once more. Since he couldn’t see him, he became proportionally more sensitive to the movements. Jae-min, who hadn’t responded to the joke, immediately asked the reason this time.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Looking from behind, your ass is fucking pretty.”

At the unexpected answer, Jae-min responded with a light, short laugh. Seung-pyo, seemingly more at ease by that laugh, rubbed his body against him affectionately.

“There isn’t a single part of you that isn’t pretty.”

“Why the sudden flattery while I’m face down? Do you want compliments too?”

“Yeah.”

“Fine. You’re pretty too.”

Jae-min returned the compliment readily, but added a word as if he felt awkward.

“Pretty like a scruffy dog with all its fur tangled from running around outside all day.”

“You’re pretty like a Monami ballpoint pen, because you’re lanky and your hair is black but your skin is white.”

“That metaphor is so low-effort. Why are ballpoint pens coming up here?”

The joking and giggling lasted only a moment. As Jae-min’s tension dissolved with the laughter, Seung-pyo, as if he had been waiting, kissed the back of Jae-min’s long neck.

The moment the lips touched the nape, a shiver ran down his spine just from the brush. As Jae-min barely swallowed the moan that tried to escape, Seung-pyo’s hand slid to his chest, groping the small nipples. The penis, newly coated in gel, rubbed back and forth over the hole that was still loosened, just like the first time.

“Ah, ah…”

From the pleasure of being caressed all over his body, the small, slow moans gradually became hot like steam. It felt as if the penis and the hole fit more tightly together than when he was lying with his legs spread.

Whenever the protruding glans scraped past the folds of the entrance, a tingling, sweet pleasure—different from the sensation of being thrust into—swept through his body. Jae-min’s hips twitched.

“Ah, haa.”

“You already like it even though I haven’t put it in yet.”

The sound of Seung-pyo teasing him was equally heated.

“Going in.”

He probably intended to warn him in advance so Jae-min wouldn’t be surprised, but it wasn’t very effective. Despite it being their second time, his urgency remained; the moment he spoke, Seung-pyo plunged his rubbing member deep inside.

Since it hadn’t been long since they finished, the hole was closed but still soft, and with just a bit of strength in his hips, it opened without resistance to swallow the fiercely erect shaft.

“Haa…!”

Unlike the first time, nearly half of the penis entered with a single thrust. Jae-min couldn’t close his open mouth and trembled. He felt as if stars were flashing before his eyes.

“It definitely goes in better than the first time.”

As Seung-pyo marveled and put more strength into his hips, the thick shaft pushed in relentlessly. Jae-min gripped the pillowcase beneath him tightly and let out a low moan.

Once the insertion became easy, the thrusting quickly gained speed. Unlike the first time, which started slowly and gradually accelerated, Seung-pyo found it amusing to slap his pelvis against the buttocks he had called pretty, so he crashed their bodies together loudly as soon as he entered. Jae-min’s voice, which had started as a low groan, quickly grew louder.

“Aaah! Ah-ugh! Ngh, nngh!”

Between the sounds of flesh colliding, heated screams and panting words intervened.

“Maybe because I came once, ugh, it feels more bearable than before.”

“Ngh, ah…! Hng, ugh, ugh, ah!”

Their positions were polar opposites. Unlike Seung-pyo, who found it easier to hold back ejaculation after coming once, Jae-min couldn’t even answer properly due to the lightning-like pleasure surging up his spine the moment the thrusting began.

As he had felt during his first experience, thrusting immediately after a climax stirred the inside more vividly than the first time, making his mind feel mushy. Moreover, perhaps because they changed positions, if it wasn’t just his imagination…

“Hng, wait, ah, it’s too deep, right now…”

“Yeah. It really feels like it’s, nngh, going in further.”

“Haa, ah! Ah!”

Even as Jae-min barely managed to speak while shaking his head, Seung-pyo responded casually while jerking his hips. That was because it had been clearly written in the position chart they had read together: the doggy style position, where the receiving partner is face down, is a position where great pleasure can be obtained through deep insertion.

As the blunt glans violently hammered the deep parts of his belly that had never been touched by a foreign object, he even felt a chilling sensation in his lower abdomen. Noticing that Jae-min’s trembling had increased, Seung-pyo leaned deep and whispered.

“Huu, because it goes in deep, it gets even tighter.”

“Stop putting it in, haa, that, ah-nngh!”

“Earlier, it felt like this part was a bit, stiffly blocked…”

The thick penis slid in long, reaching a part that hadn’t been stimulated until now. The inner flesh, unaccustomed to the contact, convulsed and tightened as if screaming.

When it entered heavily and lodged deep, his entire body froze as if he were being pierced through, and when the bulging glans and veins scraped along the inner wall as they withdrew, his buttocks and hips shook mercilessly. Looking down at Jae-min, the strength left Seung-pyo’s half-closed eyes.

“Hey, your back view, haa, is fucking erotic…”

Seung-pyo muttered and increased the speed of his thrusting. Thwack, thwack, thwack. The sound of flesh hitting hit his ears. Unconsciously, Jae-min rubbed his lower half against the pillow he was pressed into.

From behind, Seung-pyo’s member pushed him, and from the front, a familiar pressure made his stomach throb.

“Hng, hng, nngh.”

His legs trembled, and a nasal tone mixed into the voice leaking through his lips. Seung-pyo, who initially thought Jae-min’s body was jolting because of the force he was thrusting with, soon noticed Jae-min’s movements.

He laughed lowly and once again flopped his body over Jae-min, adding his weight. He didn’t forget to tease him by nibbling on his earlobe.

“Ryu Jae-min, huff, are you, haa, masturbating right now?”

“Ah-nngh, no, no.”

“You’re rubbing your, ugh, cock against my pillow right now. I’ve seen you do something similar before. You, huu, pushed it up.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You’re like Benny, it’s cute.”

Benny? Even in his delirious state, being compared to someone else while on the bed felt unpleasant. Moreover, some foreigner’s name. Jae-min frowned and snapped.

“Fuck, hng, who the hell is that?”

“My aunt’s dog. He always does, haa, the humpy-humpy thing against the pillow.”

“Ah, haa, what kind of, dog-shit talk is that. Haa!”

He couldn’t maintain his sharp edge for long. Jae-min returned to moaning frantically, shaking as he was hit from below. It was because the thrusting, which had slowed down while they were joking, had become rough again.

“Ryu Jae-min, ha, try barking.”

“Aaah! Aaah! Ah-hng, ah!”

“Do it like a puppy. Huh? It’s cute.”

Oh Seung-pyo’s voice, fueled by heat, sounded utterly sincere. To sincerely tell a person to bark—this crazy bastard.

Moans kept escaping, so Jae-min only grumbled internally, but the second climax was surging like a burning sensation. His throbbing lower abdomen, the sweetly melting inner flesh, and his whitening mind gradually made him unable to hold any complaints, making him think that only Seung-pyo’s voice whispering in his ear was pleasant and deep.

When Seung-pyo begged him to bark for the third time, Jae-min, on the verge of tears, reflexively opened his mouth.

“Woof woof…”

* * *

Whirrr, whirrr. The sound of the washing machine turning the removed pillowcase and the blankets drenched in sweat and bodily fluids could be heard faintly in the living room.

Sitting on the sofa wearing only a T-shirt, Jae-min accepted the glass of water Seung-pyo handed him. The cold water gulped down his thirsty throat.

“This has completely turned into water.”

Seung-pyo showed him a Jjujju-bar (ice pop) that he had left on the dining table and completely forgotten about. It looked like a water bucket with watercolor paint dissolved in it. It was delicious when it was sweet, crunchy ice, but seeing it melted into paint, it didn’t look like food, and somehow his appetite vanished.

“Throw it away,” Jae-min replied curtly.

Seung-pyo grinned and sat next to him. Just as when he first visited, the two of them clung to the corner of the wide sofa.

“Are you still embarrassed?”

“I’m not embarrassed.”

“I told you, it was cute.”

Jae-min, who had obediently barked as told, had become curt after the fact.

Right after ejaculating, he had been soaked in the afterglow of the climax, hugging Seung-pyo and kissing him deeply several times, and had even removed the wet condom with his own hands, doing everything he needed to do. It was only after putting the semen-drenched pillowcase and blankets in the washing machine and finishing his shower that his original rationality returned, and he was now hardening his face.

Thus, in Seung-pyo’s eyes, even his pouting appearance looked cute. Jae-min poked Seung-pyo’s side with his elbow.

“You pervert. Why do you make a person do that?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if you hadn’t done the humpy-humpy.”

“I told you it wasn’t humpy-humpy.”

Eventually, Jae-min also chuckled and put Seung-pyo in a headlock. Because of that, the two of them rolled around on the sofa as one again, staring blankly at the ceiling while lying down. The first one to speak was Seung-pyo.

“I originally planned to go to the study cafe after we finished.”

“I don’t want to go…” Jae-min said in a drained voice.

Jae-min was someone who rarely slacked off on his scheduled studies, but today was an exception. Seung-pyo also nodded.

“Let’s just relax and rest for today. We did a lot of self-study at the academy for a week.”

“I can just work hard starting tomorrow, right?”

“We go back to school tomorrow anyway. Everything is set up so we’re forced to do it even if we don’t want to.”

“Supplementary classes are a pain too.”

“Still, it’s good that we can see each other at school.”

“Yeah.”

Jae-min smiled without denying it. Seung-pyo, loving that Jae-min simply said ‘yeah’ without adding anything else, had a wide, goofy grin on his face.

Since they had run hard for a week after the break, taking a day’s rest wouldn’t cause the top student to plummet to 10th place. The two justified a day’s worth of laziness by praising their own diligence. Above all, Seung-pyo’s motivation today was being directed somewhere other than studying.

“Which was better, today or last time?”

“You.”

“No reflecting. I asked first.”

Hmm, Jae-min seemed to consider it seriously and then shrugged.

“I don’t know. I think I was nervous the first time because it was the first time, and today felt a bit rushed because it was the second time…”

Mmm, Seung-pyo also hummed. Judging by the lack of further words, he seemed to have similar sentiments.

Their first time wasn’t a typical first time. Since it was their first experience after fighting, they couldn’t help but be extremely nervous, and as such, they trembled throughout the entire act.

Today’s second sex, occurring before the memory of the first had faded, was nervous in a different way, perhaps because of the previous experience. There was a lingering feeling of regret that he had acted more clumsily and impatiently than the first time, driven by the greed to do better and try more things because it was the second time.

I’ll do better next time. Vowing this, Seung-pyo toyed with Jae-min’s hair, which had been dried not long ago. The black strands were moist and smooth one by one. Seung-pyo muttered.

“Once we get used to sex, will it be less good than now later on?”

“You’re already worrying about that? I just hope we get used to it first.”

“That’s so erotic. Thinking about your hole getting used to taking my cock.”

“Get off.”

As Seung-pyo giggled while stroking between his buttocks, Jae-min laughed and grabbed his hand. With his hand still held, Seung-pyo asked Jae-min.

“You have tutoring all weekend, right? Can we go on a trip?”

“I should be able to skip one day.”

“It might be hard to go far, but we can go to places like Gapyeong or Chuncheon by subway.”

“I’ve never gone that far by subway.”

“It’s pretty fun. You get to people-watch.”

He wanted to keep lying down and exchanging idle chatter, but time was flowing frustratingly fast. After a brief moment of locking eyes and rubbing lips, ten or twenty minutes would slip by in the blink of an eye. If they couldn’t keep having sex, he wanted to at least keep kissing, but after sex, he was too hungry to just keep pressing their lips together. The two got up from the sofa and ordered pizza.

When would he ever achieve his ambition of not leaving the bed for twelve hours? In the end, the two had to part ways today as well, their hearts full of lingering regret. As before, Seung-pyo rode in the same car with Jae-min until they reached the vicinity of Jae-min’s house, and then Jae-min trudged back alone.

Opening the front door and stepping inside, Jae-min paused to listen to the sounds within the house. His goal was to arrive before his parents, so he had returned a bit early despite the regret of leaving.

Fortunately, the only person waiting for him at home was the housekeeper.

“I’m home. Mother and Father aren’t back yet, right?”

“No, not yet. It looks like they’ll be here soon. I got a text a little while ago.”

“Okay.”

Leaving the housekeeper’s greeting behind, Jae-min hurried to change his clothes. Although he had washed up thoroughly at Seung-pyo’s house before returning, he felt strangely guilty and sniffed his own body to check for any scent.

He sat at his desk, opened his textbook, and sent a message to Seung-pyo before starting today’s studies.

Are you home too?

Almost there

I’m going to study now since I couldn’t go to the study cafe today

Now?? You said let’s take a day off

Changed my mind

Ah, I’ll do it too then

Stop copying me

Wait a bit. Start when I get home, let’s do it together

Finding it amusing that the competitive streak toward the other hadn’t completely vanished even after they started dating, Jae-min let out a muffled giggle.

Benny, my foot. Oh Seung-pyo needs to realize who the one actually whimpering like a puppy is, and which one of them is the cute one.

“You’re home.”

Just then, the housekeeper’s voice drifted in from outside. Jae-min hurriedly set his phone far away on the desk and stood up. As he headed toward the entrance, his parents were just taking off their shoes and stepping inside.

“Welcome home.”

“Yes, did you have dinner?”

“I did.”

His father’s expression was exceptionally bright, as if the gathering had been enjoyable. Though he didn’t know the reason, as long as his parents were in a good mood, it was never a bad thing for Jae-min. Jae-min smiled and gave a small nod.

“I was in the middle of my academy homework, so I’ll be going in.”

“Wait, come here for a second. Listen to something before you go.”

His father gestured. Seeing him settle onto the sofa as if he intended to speak at length, Jae-min approached awkwardly.

“About what?”

“You know my friend, the former judge? His son is the same age as you.”

“Ah, yes.”

The slight curiosity in Jae-min’s expression cooled rapidly.

Although he lectured at a school now, his father had originally been a man who handed down verdicts in court, and thus he knew many people in that field. The former judge was his father’s friend.

He had heard that the son of his father’s friend, who was the same age as him, was as good at studying as Jae-min was. It was common knowledge within the family that whenever the two men met, they would fervently engage in subtle bragging about their children, and naturally, Jae-min had never welcomed stories about that boy.

If there was any good sign, it was that judging by his father’s expression, he seemed to have won today’s childish bragging war with that friend.

“But why is he…”

“There’s a teacher who is very famous in entrance exam circles through word of mouth, and I heard that person opened their own academy this time. Because of that, many excellent students, including that boy, enrolled this break. It’s not a place where anyone can enter just because they want to. I was late to the news because I don’t know much about private education like academies or tutoring.”

Sensing that he was about to tell him to change academies, Jae-min immediately became dissatisfied. He liked things as they were now, attending the same academy as Seung-pyo.

However, since Oh Seung-pyo was also an honor student who didn’t lag behind in grades, they might be able to move together. As long as the price wasn’t absurdly expensive.

Even if circumstances didn’t allow them to attend the same academy anymore, supplementary classes would start tomorrow… Since they could meet at school, it was too early to be pessimistic.

“So, I think it would be good for you to take classes there during the break as well.”

“Yes.”

Just as Jae-min was about to nod obediently, his father continued.

“It’s a residential summer school that many people go to these days. As you know, I’ve never really trusted those academies that make you leave home to study. But if the former judge is sending his own son, it must be a trustworthy place.”

“…What? Residential?”

“You’re a sophomore now, so consider it practice for becoming independent.”

“I don’t want to.”

The words flew out before he could organize his thoughts. His father fell silent, seemingly taken aback by the sheer firmness of the refusal.

Jae-min was equally flustered. It had been a very long time since he had spat out the words “I don’t want to” like a throwing a tantrum. Surprised that those words had actually come out of his own mouth, Jae-min, after his bold rebellion, instead faltered and avoided his father’s gaze.

“You don’t want to?”

His father questioned. He shouldn’t have avoided the gaze. Gathering his regrets, Jae-min looked his father in the eye again. He followed up with a question.

“Why?”

“My break plans… I’ve already made them all. I decided to take the school supplementary classes too.”

“Supplementary classes can just be canceled. Are you saying you’ll give up this place because of school supplementary classes that anyone can take?”

Just as the conversation between the two began to sharpen like an argument, Jae-min’s mother, who had returned after seeing off the housekeeper, intervened.

“Stop it. I’m not fond of sending him to a dormitory either. The academy even called separately saying Jae-min is showing a lot of enthusiasm lately. Why is there a need to send a child who is doing well now to a different academy?”

“If the environment improves, he’ll work even harder. The results will be better too.”

“Kids are dying to leave the house eventually anyway. How many days do we have left to keep him by our side before he’s already off to a dormitory? Honestly, you…”

“And.”

His father frowned slightly.

“If you don’t want to go, you should explain calmly and politely. To cut off your father while he’s speaking and suddenly say ‘I don’t want to’? Is that an appropriate way to speak?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“That’s enough. Since you were wrong, reflect on it and get ready to go. Your mother and I will prepare the daily necessities needed for admission, so you pack the workbooks, reference books, and texts you want to take personally. You have to go in two days.”

“In two days?”

As unexpected words continued to pop up, Jae-min’s voice, which had subsided, grew loud again. His father let out a sigh.

“I know I told you abruptly. Actually, registration is already finished, but they agreed to make a spot for you. I even personally asked for a favor; do you think they’ll let it slide if you say you’re not going?”

It was a way of saying that since things had already been processed while following the mood of a gathering, it would be a blow to his pride to retract it now.

Seeing him act as if he were granting a favor after arbitrarily arranging something Jae-min never asked for, Jae-min found it hard to control his expression. The frown he had tried to keep smooth collapsed and formed naturally. Jae-min repeated what he had said.

“No, I’m not going.”

“Ryu Jae-min.”

“How can you tell me to go to a dormitory with only two days left? Father, could you tell anyone else to go somewhere or not with only two days’ notice? Why do you think it’s okay to do that to me? Because I’m your child?”

“Do you think I’m doing this for my own sake? I did this for your sake, to be helpful to you.”

“It’s not for me. You’re doing this because the former judge mentioned it!”

Raising his voice without realizing it, Jae-min grit his teeth. It was because he knew that what he had just said touched upon a weakness his father wanted to hide. He knew it wouldn’t be strange if his father slapped him right then and there.

His father had always been busy since he was young, making it hard to even face him properly, but he hadn’t hated him when he was little. When there was time, his father would take him and his Noona to the park or the outskirts of town, and like ordinary fathers, they would sit on the sofa and watch TV or talk together.

As he had told Oh Seung-pyo, there was even a time he entered a haunted house while held in his father’s arms. Compared to his mother, who was frail and sensitive to noise and always told them to be quiet, he had once thought he liked his father more, who played with the siblings when he wasn’t busy.

However, because of “adult circumstances” that Jae-min and his Noona were never told the details of, his father changed gradually, like getting soaked in a drizzle, after he took off his judicial robes. His mother’s efforts to stop the changing father, as always, did not last long, and as his father’s changed educational policy produced results that could be called “achievements” and led to praise from those around them, his mother also gradually began to share his father’s thoughts.

“What does the former judge have to do with this conversation?”

Fortunately, his father did not slap Jae-min’s cheek. However, indignation began to swell in his eyes and expression, and his tone became chilly. Still, Jae-min looked him straight in the eye.

“…Father, you just want to send me because the former judge’s son is going to that academy.”

“For that to be true, you’d have to attend every single place that boy attends, not just the academy I just mentioned.”

“He probably goes to academies and tutoring after school, and during the semester, he’s probably similar to me. But you’re anxious thinking that only that boy is going to the summer school during the break.”

It felt strange because he had never rebelled against his father for this long since he reached the age of wearing a school uniform.

He thought he should be scared, anxious, and nervous, but surprisingly, he wasn’t. This time, he was able to refute quite calmly without raising his voice.

“Have I asked too much of you?”

After a moment of silence, his father spoke.

“I’m not telling you to study abroad at an Ivy League school; I’m telling you to study hard for the entrance exams like everyone else and go to a target university within the country. Preferably with good grades. Is being told to leave the house for two or three weeks to study hard something to glare at your father and defy him over?”

“I might go. But not when you tell me with two days left. I have my own plans and thoughts too.”

“What plans? Let’s hear what kind of great and grand plans and wise thoughts you have that make you raise your voice like this.”

Jae-min was speechless. Naturally, he had no grand plan that could surpass a residential school that took only a small elite group and took responsibility for their studies during the break.

The break plans Jae-min had made with Seung-pyo weren’t about studying, but about where and how they would meet, what they would do if they had time, what things they could only do during the break, and how they could overlap their bodies and press their lips together again.

Thinking back, it had been a very long time since he had been excited about planning how to play before a break. Since the summer break of the second year of high school is mostly filled with schedules aimed at entrance exam preparation, he knew that most of the plans they made together would actually be hard to achieve.

Still, just planning and talking together was enough. Even if they couldn’t actually go on an outing to the outskirts or visit the sea, just imagining themselves walking along the beach together was joyful.

Friend. Since Oh Seung-pyo said with his own mouth that they were dating but also friends, he could call him that. It had been years since he had made break plans with a peer; it was awkward yet pleasant, and just being with Oh Seung-pyo made the world around him feel a bit more sparkling.

The original him would have nodded even at his father’s words to leave for a residential academy in two days. Jae-min had accepted to some extent his parents’ words that he should endure for three years and then enjoy the deferred pleasures to his heart’s content once he became an adult. Since there was nothing particularly good about summer break, he might have even welcomed the idea of leaving home for a dormitory.

But this summer was different. Once this summer break passed, it would never return. He had said that the things they couldn’t do this year could be done together next year, but in truth, there was no guarantee anywhere that he and Oh Seung-pyo would be together next year.

“My plan is to maintain my grades by studying as I am now. Since entering high school, my grades have never dropped, I’ve never disappointed the two of you, and I’m not at a level where I’m anxious about barely hitting the cutoff. So why do I have to go that far? As Father said, I’m not trying to study abroad at an Ivy League school, and my current pace is enough to get into my target university.”

“Are you saying you only need to do as much as you can manage? Other people will continue to strive and improve, and you don’t think you have to keep striving just as much to maintain those grades you’re so proud of?”

“What’s the point of working hard? You’re not actually interested in me at all. Why won’t you believe that I’m doing well now? For me, this year’s summer break only happens once this year, so why do you decide what I’ll do during the break on your own and notify me two days before?”

These weren’t words filled only with emotions limited to this incident. As he listed the complaints he had suppressed and buried, his tone became increasingly rebellious. Like a stone rolling down a slope, gaining speed.

His father’s eyes narrowed as if he were very displeased and suspicious. Staring at Jae-min as if to dig out his inner thoughts, he clicked his tongue and spoke.

“Are you dating?”

The expression of Jae-min, whose heat was beginning to boil with anger, cooled instantly. He gasped for words, his lips fluttering, before barely managing to spit out a question that wasn’t quite a question.

“…What?”

“Somin started defying her parents after getting a taste of that kind of mischief, and you’re acting exactly like Somin did back then! Are you saying you won’t listen even after seeing your Noona doing useless things during a critical period? Tell me the truth! Is your father right or wrong!”

“Don’t bring up Noona! I said don’t talk about Noona!”

Bellow! Jae-min’s voice grew louder than his father’s, who was scolding him. As Jae-min lost his composure and screamed, his father’s eyes, which had been darkened with anger, finally lost their equilibrium and wavered.

“You little brat, where do you get off screaming just because you’ve grown a bit!”

Slap! The sound that seemed like it would burst at any moment finally struck Jae-min’s cheek, leaving it stinging.

“Honey!”

Even his mother’s angry shout, which was rarely heard, echoed through the house. Jae-min, his head snapped to the side, sighed as if it weren’t surprising. They say it’s better to be beaten first. After being slapped once, it felt as if the tension that had been swelling had burst, and he actually felt calmer.

His cheek, which had heated up in an instant, throbbed and burned, and his stomach, chest, and head became hot in succession. The pain spreading like poison in his chest, heated by anger, uncontrollably fanned the violent impulse.

He wanted to give it back exactly the same. To this person who thought it was his natural right to hurt others every time in this small castle simply because he was the father.

It wasn’t that he had endured because he didn’t know how. It was because they were the parents who gave birth to him, because he remembered the times they spent happily, however small, because he lived without needing to worry about trivial things—being called a young master of a wealthy house and envied by others due to their social status and money, just as Oh Seung-pyo had teased—and because, regardless, they were people who sincerely wished for his success, and thanks to them, he would seize more opportunities and have a more advanced starting line than others, now and in the future. He couldn’t deny all these facts.

But just because the facts were clear didn’t mean the limit of patience wouldn’t arrive. Jae-min slowly opened his mouth.

“Even if I get better grades than him, go to a better university, and become more successful, it doesn’t mean Father wins against the former judge.”

Once the clearly articulated words ended, the living room, which had been noisy with shouting and various sounds, became silent as if cold water had been poured over it.

The most surprised person was Jae-min’s mother, who had been looking for a gap to stop the two from arguing.

“How could you say such a thing…”

Muttering weakly, she approached the father with a pale face.

“Go inside now. Both of you calm down and talk again tomorrow morning. There’s still one day left.”

“Did you not hear what that brat just said?”

The father asked back, grabbing the mother’s shoulder.

“Go in first. I need to talk a bit more with our smart son.”

“I told you to calm down, just!”

“You admit it too. The academy isn’t the problem anymore. Discipline is necessary when needed. Wasn’t that the educational philosophy of the two of us?”

“You’re too excited. Why did you slap the child’s cheek?”

“Yes, that was a mistake just now. I won’t do it again. I promise.”

“Jae-min, you go to your room too. Hurry.”

But Jae-min didn’t move. This place wasn’t his space anyway. In a house where the owner reigned supreme, mobilizing housekeepers to rummage through things whenever people were away, a “room of his own” didn’t exist in any true sense.

To be asked to act like a foolish beast, shoving his head under the covers and deluding himself into thinking he was safely hidden in front of someone trying to catch him—that was simply too humiliating. Some people only became more emboldened when their target avoided eye contact, perceiving it as fear. Jae-min had long known that to such a person, avoiding them out of disgust would only be interpreted as a gesture of surrender.

Since things had come to this, Jae-min reached a state of indifference. He had been the one to provoke first, so there was nowhere left to retreat.

* * *

It was a tragedy that the actual break lasted only a week. After the short vacation, the faces of the students sitting in the classroom early in the morning were worn out with their own respective brands of lethargy. Of course, they were glad to see friends they hadn’t seen in a while, but they took turns venting their complaints.

“Isn’t a week too harsh? This is seriously terrible, just terrible.”

“Vacations were so great until middle school…”

“My cousin Noona just got a job, and she told me I should appreciate being a student. She says there are no vacations when you work at a company.”

Life only gets more miserable as it goes. The children groaned and sighed.

“How’ve you been?”

A few students turned their heads at the voice coming from above. Seung-pyo, having entered the classroom, was putting his bag down at his seat. The students waved to him, as handsome as ever.

“Oh-Seung, you’re here?”

“What’d you do for the week?”

Then, another student answered instead of Seung-pyo. It was a boy who attended the same academy as him.

“Rumor has it Oh-Seung’s been working his ass off at the academy. Lately, he’s been staying in the self-study room until 10 PM.”

“Really? Damn.”

“Oh-Seung and Ryu Jae-min, both of them together.”

Letting the students’ admiration slide past his ears, Seung-pyo looked around. When he didn’t see the person he was looking for, Seung-pyo asked.

“Have you seen Ryu Jae-min?”

“He’s not here yet.”

Unlike the majority of the students who arrived at school as if being dragged to a slaughterhouse, Seung-pyo’s steps toward school today were light with excitement. Because if he came to school, he could see Jae-min from the morning. As long as Ryu Jae-min was there, wherever it was became the most enjoyable place for Seung-pyo.

“What about you guys? What’d you do?”

While waiting for Jae-min, Seung-pyo asked the friends he hadn’t seen in a while how they were.

“What can you do in a week? I just slept at home. Played some games.”

“I at least went to a water park once.”

“Ah, must be nice.”

Everyone had bored expressions, as if the answers were obvious, but for Seung-pyo, this summer had brought something that could be called a turning point in his life. He had started dating for the first time and had his first experience.

However, he couldn’t share this story with his friends. The only thing he could say was the half-truth: that he had attended the academy all week and studied hard.

Come to think of it, Oh Seung-pyo wasn’t the type to keep secrets. He used to think that if you just didn’t do things you’d be ashamed to tell others, you wouldn’t need secrets, but since meeting Ryu Jae-min, secrets had been piling up.

He used to think secrets were things made by people with a lot to be guilty of, but now it was different. Having realized the sweetness of secrets, he felt as if he had become a bit more of an adult.

“Did you have a good break?”

“It was too short.”

But as the teacher entered and greeted them, Jae-min still hadn’t appeared, and Seung-pyo gradually became puzzled. If Jae-min had decided to be late or skip class, he would have told him first, so something must have happened.

When are you coming?

There was still no reply to the message he had sent immediately after arriving at school. After the short morning assembly, Seung-pyo quickly followed the homeroom teacher as they left the classroom.

“Teacher!”

“Oh, Seung-pyo. Did you have a good week?”

“Yes. Ryu Jae-min isn’t here yet; did you happen to hear anything?”

“I heard Jae-min is skipping the supplementary classes? You didn’t know?”

Knowing that the two had become quite close during their second year, the teacher asked back with a puzzled tone.

Seung-pyo frowned, looking bewildered.

“He told me he was taking the supplementary classes.”

“Ah, he cancelled suddenly, so he probably hasn’t told you yet. Jae-min is going to summer school this break. You know, right? Those boarding academies many people go to during vacations.”

“Summer school?”

When he asked back in surprise, the homeroom teacher nodded. Seung-pyo’s speech quickened.

“Which summer school?”

“I didn’t hear the name of the academy.”

“Starting from when?”

“I’m not sure about the date either. He said it starts soon, so it must be shortly.”

“Ah, Teacher. Why don’t you know anything?”

“You brat, do you know how many people hate sharing this kind of information? He’ll tell you when you need to know.”

Now is exactly when I need to know, and you don’t even know. Without wasting any more time, Seung-pyo finished his conversation with the teacher and hurriedly called Jae-min. He had used the SNS messenger window incessantly, but since Jae-min had said it was hard to use his phone at home, this was the first time he had tried calling.

—The number you have dialed is powered off…

It was his first monumental attempt at a phone call since they decided to date, but only a voice announcing the unavailability of the call was heard. Seung-pyo’s hand holding the phone dropped limply.

It was only yesterday evening that Ryu Jae-min had replied “Yeah” and laughed when Seung-pyo said he was happy he could see him at school tomorrow. The sudden departure for summer school was undoubtedly his parents’ will, but regardless of whose decision it was, it was only right that he should have told him at least one word once the decision was made.

‘He went to a boarding academy without even telling me?’

He had entered a dormitory and cut off contact without a single hint. From Seung-pyo’s perspective, it was no different from being ghosted. They had planned to go on a trip to the outskirts of town together just yesterday, so the sudden boarding academy left him stunned. No matter how rushed the decision was, couldn’t he have left a single line of a message?

Was Ryu Jae-min playing some mean prank, aiming for the back of his head again? Ryu Jae-min had a mischievous side that was more than meets the eye. Sometimes, it was incredibly annoying.

Seung-pyo frowned deeply and, feeling pouty, checked the messages they had exchanged right after parting yesterday. At the very bottom of the messenger window, only the messages Seung-pyo had sent remained in a row.

Wait a bit and then do it. I’ll start with you once I get home.

Are you still studying?

Supplementary classes start tomorrow, so don’t go to sleep too late.

Whether it was because he was truly focused on studying or not, after Jae-min said he would do today’s work at home since he couldn’t go to the study cafe, there had been no reply at all.

Although he had confirmed his whereabouts through the homeroom teacher, the fact that he couldn’t reach him like this made him feel strangely anxious. His connection with Ryu Jae-min’s parents consisted only of a chance encounter and a single greeting with the mother, so if he went to the house to ask about Jae-min, he might accidentally put Jae-min in a difficult position.

For now, he had no choice but to wait for a contact first. There was only one place left where he could ask. Seung-pyo hurriedly made a call.

—Yes, this is the academy.

“Hello. I’m a student, Oh Seung-pyo.”

—Ah, Seung-pyo? Aren’t you at school now? What’s going on?

The staff member, who had answered the phone stiffly, immediately became friendly upon recognizing Seung-pyo’s voice.

“You know Ryu Jae-min at our school. I heard he’s transferring academies, is that right?”

—Yes, we got word from home that he’s taking other special lectures during the break.

“Do you know which academy he transferred to?”

—I didn’t hear the name.

“Did you happen to hear when the term starts?”

—Why do you keep asking? Don’t tell me you’re planning to transfer too?

“No, we’re close, so I’m just curious. He transferred so suddenly that his phone isn’t working right now.”

—They said it starts tomorrow. The academy side tried to dissuade him because it’s a shame Jae-min is missing out during the break, but it seems they’ve already prepared everything. It can’t be helped.

“Yes. Thank you.”

After hanging up, Seung-pyo returned to his seat and searched for a four-letter term.

‘Summer school’

Seung-pyo had heard stories several times about boarding academies that opened every vacation under names like summer school or winter school. However, since he had never participated and had no friends who had gone, he didn’t know exactly what kind of place it was.

They said the term started tomorrow, but seeing as his phone was already off without any notice, he must have already entered the dormitory. If it was a boarding academy, it wouldn’t be strange for them to have an orientation a day before official classes began.

‘There are more than I thought?’

The search results related to summer school were so numerous they were almost impossible to count.

Looking around briefly, it seemed there were more academies found through word-of-mouth than those with advertisements or contact information registered on portal sites. Clicking on a prominent link usually led to parent communities discussing entrance exam studies. Most were posts worrying about which academy would be good for sending a child to summer school, or reviews from parents who had actually sent their children.

The atmosphere and rules seemed to differ slightly by academy, but the tight schedule—starting the day before 8 AM and studying until almost midnight—was a common similarity. The rules were the same: prohibition of mobile phones and personal electronic devices, prohibition of outings and visits without a guardian’s request and the homeroom teacher’s permission, and the fact that free outings or returns home were only possible on weekends. He had never been to the military, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was like the army.

‘He’s already ranked first in the whole school, is there really a need to go to a place like this?’

There wasn’t much time to play during the summer break of the second year of high school anyway, but the fact that one had to grind much harder than during the semester felt bleak to Oh Seung-pyo, who had lived relatively leisurely. There were times he secretly envied the life of a wealthy young master who was meticulously cared for, but he now thought that if a parent’s love for their child was too excessive, it could be hard to handle.

‘…Isn’t Ryu Jae-min’s house really a bit strange?’

Thinking about Jae-min’s parents brought back a sense of incongruity he had forgotten. Ryu Jae-min, who suddenly cancelled the supplementary classes he had been attending and didn’t show up to school until the start of the term, and the mobile phone that had returned to his hand packaged in a ziplock bag as if it were criminal evidence.

At the time, he had briefly thought that Ryu Jae-min’s parents seemed like strange people, but back then, it was just an impression carved by his dissatisfaction with Jae-min, and because Jae-min’s mother, whom he had greeted in person, was very elegant and kind, he had forgotten he had even suspected them.

Seung-pyo sighed. Since it was likely in the outskirts of Seoul, he thought he could find out where it was by listing all the summer school boarding academies that appeared in the search and calling only those whose start date was tomorrow… but if he went that far, would he look too much like a stalker in Ryu Jae-min’s eyes? Or could he insist it was a surprise?

Even if the phone was taken away, he should be able to contact him somehow if he waited until the weekend. Knowing full well there would be no reply, Seung-pyo typed messages with a feeling of regret.

How could you go to a dormitory without saying a single word to me?

I can’t contact you and I can’t see you, don’t you feel sorry for me? ㅠㅠㅠ

Be prepared when I see you later. It’s really 12 hours now. I won’t go easy on you.

Contact me when you see the messages. Late at night is fine, anytime is fine. I’ll wait.

Two lines of whining, one line of threat, and one line of worry. The window filled with messages that received no reply felt lonely.

“Alright, everyone heads up and phones away.”

Just then, class began. Seung-pyo sighed and put his phone away. His mood was spoiled, but since nothing else bad had happened and it was just a sudden transfer of academies, it was a blessing in disguise.

* * *

As the door opened, a quiet and small room revealed itself. It was a simple room with two beds, two desks, and one small wardrobe. The person who opened the door explained.

“As you can see, the dormitory is two people per room. There are quite a few boarding academies with poor facilities, but we believe rest is important, so we use top-grade mattresses for the beds. It’s basic to bring and use your own bedding, but we can provide rentals from the academy if you wish.”

The manager was guiding them through the academy. Usually, most people toured the facilities before registering, but the manager looked quite proud, saying that as the director’s reputation grew, there were more cases of people coming after registering first. He and Jae-min and his mother had toured the classrooms, self-study rooms, athletic facilities, and dining facilities, and had finally arrived at the dormitory, the lodging facility.

“You said you wanted to enter the dormitory starting today, right?”

“Yes, I’d like to come in from today to get adjusted in advance.”

“The faster you adjust, the better. A few more students will be entering other rooms today.”

Jae-min’s mother answered instead of Jae-min, who stood in silence. The manager smiled and slightly pushed forward a basket he was holding. When Jae-min stared at it, not knowing the meaning, the manager added an explanation.

“The term starts tomorrow, but personal electronic devices like mobile phones, laptops, and pads must be handed in immediately upon entry.”

“I don’t have any.”

This time, Jae-min answered. The manager asked back, puzzled.

“You don’t?”

“No, I have no phone and no laptop.”

“You didn’t bring any at all? You’re diligent. There are students like that. You can’t use them during the week anyway, and if there’s a definite need to make a call, you can come to the office and request to use one.”

“Yes.”

Jae-min’s expression as he answered was indifferent, as if he didn’t care, but the academy manager didn’t seem to mind at all. Since not everyone who came to a remote boarding academy during summer break were wholesome students burning with a desire to learn, he simply continued speaking leisurely, as if he had seen children like this once or twice before.

“Does the mother need any further consultation?”

“I’m fine.”

“Then please say your goodbyes. Student Ryu Jae-min may rest today, and if he wishes, he can use the self-study room or the gym immediately.”

The manager left after a brief farewell. The mother and son, now alone, fell silent. Jae-min put down the luggage he was holding. As he approached the desk, he could see outside through the small window in front of him. Since it was far from the city, the surrounding scenery was at least lush and decent.

Because it was a quiet suburb with wonderful scenery, he had often spotted people enjoying vacations by pitching tents and grilling barbecue on the way to the academy. To think that while some come to a place for pleasure, others pay expensive money to gather in the vicinity for a prison-like life—the world felt absurd anew.

It felt like the day after a typhoon had passed and the weather had cleared. Now that the situation had been settled and the date had changed, yesterday’s intense emotions felt like a dream. Jae-min quietly told his mother.

“We’ve seen everything now, so you can go.”

“Jae-min, your father will regret yesterday’s events too.”

“I don’t care.”

“I’ll try to speak well to your father when I get back. Both of you were so emotional yesterday that even I was scared. You’ll see him again this weekend, so clear your mood.”

“Yes, I’ll reflect on it.”

There was no temperature in Jae-min’s voice as he answered. His mother sighed slightly and gave a hesitant greeting.

“Then I’ll go. Work hard.”

“Yes, get home safely.”

As Jae-min nodded his head in greeting as if to a stranger, his mother looked at him as if she still had something left to say, then, as if she had thought of a proper excuse, her face brightened as she asked.

“Is there anything you want to ask for? Since you came so suddenly. If there are things I should send by courier from home or someone you need to contact, I’ll do it for you.”

At those words, Jae-min hesitated for a moment. His mother had used the softened term ’emotional,’ but to describe what had happened at Jae-min’s house last night accurately, the term ‘shambles’ would be more precise.

Because he had left the house in a hurry, he had no time to notify Oh Seung-pyo, nor did he have a way to contact him. His father, who had shouted that he was neglecting his studies at such a critical time, had confiscated all of Jae-min’s laptop and phone, and Jae-min had arrived here in his mother’s car without being able to inform anyone of the sudden situation.

Since his mother had met Oh Seung-pyo, if he asked her to convey the story to Seung-pyo now…

“No, there’s nothing.”

“Really?”

“Yes, you can go.”

Jae-min soon gave up. There was no need to give Oh Seung-pyo’s phone number to his mother. Since they said he could use the dormitory phone upon request, he would be able to find an opportunity to contact Seung-pyo within today.

Once his mother left, Jae-min was left alone in the room where the roommate had not yet arrived. Jae-min sat limply on the bed that had no bedding, then simply flopped down and lay flat.

The small room felt unfamiliar in every corner. It had the desolate atmosphere typical of clean but cheap temporary accommodations, though it gained a bit of vitality thanks to the verdant light filtering in through the window. It was a mercy that it was summer; had he come during winter break, the place would have felt even more hollow.

While a strange room could be uncomfortable, the dormitory Jae-min had arrived at today felt more comfortable than home. Because neither his father nor his mother was here. Here, he only had to follow set rules, but at home, there were no rules. At home, there were only the capricious emotions and moods of the people who had given birth to and raised him, and if he went against their mood, he received irrational criticism as if he had broken a rule.

Until dawn yesterday, Jae-min had to undergo what his father called “discipline.” Since the deed was already done, he tried not to look back, but he couldn’t stop the regret from creeping in. If he couldn’t change the outcome, he wouldn’t have been so exhausted if he hadn’t talked back in the first place. He wouldn’t have had to leave home as if being chased, without even being able to contact Oh Seung-pyo once.

By dawn, both his father and he were so exhausted that there was no need to reconsider the conclusion. It was because Jae-min no longer wanted to stay in the house where his father was for a single second longer. The same likely applied to his father, who had been shouting with veins popping in his neck alongside him last night.

Even if permission had been granted after a grueling standoff that he didn’t have to go to the boarding academy, by that time, Jae-min would have volunteered to enter the dormitory first. In fact, if he had been told to cancel the dormitory and stay at home, it would have been an even greater punishment. He felt sorry for Oh Seung-pyo, but he had no choice last night.

‘There’s nowhere else to go but here.’

Staring blankly at the ceiling, Jae-min finally felt his eyes grow hot. He hadn’t shed a single tear when he was suddenly notified to enter the dormitory, when he was suddenly slapped across the face, or when he was hounded all night and eventually dragged into the study to receive familiar corporal punishment for the first time in a long while.

He wanted to become an adult who could work and earn money quickly. He didn’t need a grand and spacious apartment like his parents’ house; he just wanted to live in a place where no one could open his door without permission.

He remembered the first time he visited Oh Seung-pyo’s house. The time they were both clumsy but diligently overlapping their bodies, only to be startled when his Hyung suddenly walked in. Jae-min had been driven crazy with anxiety that the unlocked door might swing open, but Seung-pyo had comforted him, whispering:

‘The rule here is that if we close the door, no one opens it first without permission.’

He wished he had been born into a home like Oh Seung-pyo’s.

If Oh Seung-pyo heard this, he might tease him, saying a rich young master with a mother is talking like he’s spoiled, and perhaps it really was a spoiled complaint, but at this moment, he was sincere.

As he began to think of the past, the image of Oh Seung-pyo filled his head, replacing the unpleasant memories of last night. Jae-min’s skin vividly remembered the arms that held him when he was half-panicked and swept by anxiety, the weight of the body that pinned him down so he couldn’t move, and the suffocatingly hot body temperature. Lying alone in a room that felt chilly despite it being summer, he missed that moment even more.

“Oh Seung-pyo.”

Calling the name of someone who wasn’t there, tears suddenly surged and streamed down. Jae-min bolted upright and irritably wiped away the unfamiliar moisture.

“This is so annoying, fuck…”

He sniffled once and complained to no one in the empty room.

“Oh Seung-pyo, I miss you.”

Since he had cut off contact without leaving a single message, Seung-pyo must be incredibly angry right now. He had only just calmed down after almost turning his back on him completely, and now this had happened again.

He couldn’t let this happen. He had finally made up; he couldn’t ruin his relationship with Seung-pyo like this. Wiping away the tears that flowed incessantly like a burst dam, Jae-min entered the bathroom.

Looking in the mirror, the cheek that had been struck hard by his father yesterday was still slightly swollen. Even though his mother had applied a cold compress for quite a while, saying it would be embarrassing for others to see, it hadn’t fully subsided.

The person who had guided him to the academy earlier must have seen his unnaturally swollen cheek, but seeing as they didn’t acknowledge it, it seemed there were quite a few children dragged here after being beaten like this. It wasn’t surprising.

After washing his face with cold water for a long time, Jae-min left the dormitory room with a face that had barely erased the traces of crying. He knocked on the office door he found via the notice, and the door opened from the inside.

“What is it?”

“Hello. I’d like to use the phone.”

“Who are you calling?”

“A friend.”

“Ah, you can’t call friends. The phones here are only for calling guardians.”

At the unexpected answer, Jae-min was left speechless, his mouth slightly agape. If they had told him sooner, he would have made a different excuse.

“Classes haven’t officially started yet, but is it still not allowed?”

“Once you enter the academy, you must follow the rules from that moment on.”

“I understand.”

Since arguing would only drain his energy, Jae-min quickly complied and stepped back. He looked around as he walked down the hallway, wondering if there was anything he could use to contact the outside.

While scanning his surroundings, Jae-min suddenly stopped. He looked inside a room that was half glass window and half wall. It was a classroom with several computers. A person who appeared to be an instructor passed by and called out to Jae-min.

“Why are you standing there? Do you want to take an online lecture?”

“Huh? Yes. Can I take online lectures today too?”

“Of course you can. If you want to take online lectures during self-study time, just apply, write your name, and take them. Oh, if you’re caught doing other things or installing games, you’ll get penalty points. You know penalty points mean your parents get contacted, right?”

“Yes.”

Jae-min returned to the office, wrote his name on the online self-study room application, and a teacher in charge of living management followed him to open the door. Since classes hadn’t started yet and Jae-min was the only user, the teacher seemed annoyed, though he tried not to show it.

“If you use it for an hour, you have to write your name again.”

“Yes.”

Whether it was a general self-study room or an online one, it was the academy’s principle that students must be supervised, so the instructor sat in the teacher’s chair at the back of the room.

Jae-min silently turned on the computer, accessed the online lecture site he frequently used, and asked:

“Since I’m the only one here, can I use the speakers?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

As he pressed the play button, the energetic voice typical of online instructors filled the silent study room. While staring at the monitor as if listening to the lecture, Jae-min kept his nerves on edge, glancing at the instructor’s movements.

It was difficult to monitor since the instructor was sitting in the back, but he didn’t think he would be closely watched during a self-study session with only one student the day before official classes began. There was a high possibility that a little distraction would be overlooked. Still, there was no need to take risks, so Jae-min pretended to focus on the lecture.

Naturally, none of the lecture content entered his head, and a tedious time passed as he looked at the monitor with his eyes while monitoring the instructor’s presence with his ears.

“Hello.”

Only after several dozen minutes did a signal finally come. The instructor had lowered his voice and started talking to someone, indicating a phone call.

He made a move to stand up and told Jae-min:

“I’m going to step out for a moment to take a call. I’ll be right back.”

“Yes.”

As soon as the door closed, Jae-min quickly minimized the site window, opened a new window, and entered an address. After logging into a social media site, he first opened the messenger window where the notification indicator was lit.

Sure enough, a string of messages from Seung-pyo had arrived.

How could you go to a dormitory without saying a single word to me?

I can’t contact you, I can’t see you, don’t you feel sorry for me? ㅠㅠㅠ

Be prepared when I see you later. It’s really 12 hours now. I won’t go easy on you.

As expected, the tone was full of anger. It would be stranger if he weren’t angry, so there were no excuses to make. Anxious, Jae-min chewed his lip and scrolled down.

Message me when you see this. Late at night is fine, anytime is fine. I’ll wait.

But upon seeing the final message comforting him, his anxiety vanished instantly, and his eyes grew hot.

Now was not the time to cry. Before the instructor returned, Jae-min hurriedly placed his hands on the keyboard. If he just sent a message now, Seung-pyo would check it as soon as his supplementary classes ended, and at least he could prevent a misunderstanding.

Sorry. My father suddenly told me to enter the dormitory, so I didn’t know I’d come here either.

It might not make sense to you, but my father is just like that sometimes. He said I can go out on weekends, so I’ll contact you then. I’m really sorry.

Just as he hurriedly left the two lines of messages and was about to close the window, Jae-min saw a speech bubble appear in the messenger window. It was the indicator that the other person was typing a reply.

Jae-min checked the clock. It should still be class time, but Seung-pyo didn’t seem to care. And indeed, a new message popped up.

You scared the hell out of me because you suddenly went MIA. I only found out you went to a dormitory by asking my homeroom teacher.

Even the homeroom teacher didn’t know which academy it was, so I was going to find every academy that starts tomorrow and call them after class today, but thank god.

Crazy lol. Aren’t you in class right now?

Dunno. I pretended to go to the bathroom and came out.

Because he hadn’t expected an immediate reply, Jae-min unconsciously let out a laugh. It wasn’t a situation to laugh in, but a smile formed naturally. Wanting to say more, Jae-min moved his hands busily.

I don’t have my phone right now so I’m on a computer. Pretending to take an online lecture.

Good job. I heard they let you use computers even in prison. But where is the academy?

Here in Gapyeong.

Gapyeong?? That’s damn far. That’s the place we were planning to visit.

I saw people visiting on my way here.

How am I supposed to wait until the weekend? I was so happy we were meeting early at school today.

A series of playful emoticons, sinking into their own shed tears, filled the screen. To Jae-min, who had shed real tears, those emoticons weren’t particularly funny.

He stared blankly at the screen and then placed his hands on the keyboard again. Tadak-tadak, the sound was faster than before, reflecting his urgent heart.

Oh Seung-pyo.

Yeah.

I don’t want to be here. I want to get out.

Is that okay?

I can’t go home. If I leave, can I stay with you?

Unlike the calm letters, Jae-min’s heart was fluctuating more violently than yesterday. His heartbeat accelerated as if it would burst, and his fingertips trembled heavily. The sentence he wrote was so chilling even to himself that Jae-min swallowed hard.

What do you mean by that?

Seung-pyo’s immediate reply clearly showed he was bewildered, not understanding Jae-min’s words right away. He didn’t seem to immediately grasp the correlation between wanting to leave the boarding academy and not being able to return home.

However, Seung-pyo soon grasped Jae-min’s intention and defined the long story in one word.

Don’t tell me you’re planning to run away from home?

Running away.

Seeing that word right before his eyes, a chill ran down Jae-min’s spine. He felt as if he would break into a cold sweat from the instinctive guilt tightening his chest. Running away from home. It was a word that seemed to have no connection at all to Ryu Jae-min, the honor student who had never missed first place in the whole school and the model student everyone praised.

Entering elementary school at eight, he was now a second-year high school student. For about ten years of diligently attending school regardless of rain or snow, he had only heard rumors about some kid in some class running away; he thought running away was someone else’s story.

In middle school, a classmate had run away, and that child’s seat had been empty for over a week. At the time, the teacher who entered the class with a heavy face had frightened the students by explaining how dangerous running away was.

The pained face of the teacher standing before the podium, telling the children in a tone that was half warning and half plea, “Even if you run away, come to school,” and the rumors that followed the runaway child until graduation—that they had gotten involved with gangsters, that they worked at a bar—still remained in Jae-min’s memory.

To Jae-min, running away was that kind of thing. A thing where the faces of surrounding adults darkened, the school became noisy inside and out, reputation dropped due to groundless rumors, and something only problem children, whom the school couldn’t handle, did—in short, something unrelated to him.

It was a spontaneous action on a completely different level from rebelling against parents at home or running a secret SNS account. Confused about how to handle the word “running away,” Jae-min eventually repeated the same question.

Can’t I go to your house?

I’m totally down for that lol. But are you really okay doing that?

I’ll probably get in trouble if I’m caught.

Are you still coming?

Yeah. As long as you’re okay with it.

Again, Seung-pyo answered immediately. As if he hadn’t spent a single second contemplating.

Then should I come pick you up?

Jae-min’s eyes had grown moist again. Without time to dry his tears, Jae-min hammered the keyboard.

Yeah. I can’t get out on my own. This is a valley in Gapyeong, and I don’t have the fare to get to the station.

I’ll go tomorrow then.

No, even if you come, I absolutely can’t meet you.

I can’t go out, and visitors aren’t allowed unless they’re guardians.

What is this? Even prisons allow visitors, why is an academy this strict?

My mom said she’d pick me up on the weekend. If you come before my mom, I can leave then.

It’ll be relaxed if you come around 8 AM.

OK. Tell me the academy’s location.

Jae-min gave Seung-pyo the academy’s name and address. To isolate students from the outside as much as possible, the academy was located in a remote area that was difficult to access without a car.

To get to the station, he would have to call a taxi, but since he couldn’t use the phone, catching a taxi was difficult. Furthermore, to prevent students from dropping out or leaving without permission, the academy arranged it so that only a dedicated card charged by a guardian could be used instead of cash within the academy. It could be used at the on-campus convenience store, but the moment it was taken outside, it was nothing more than a piece of plastic with no effect. It was truly worse than a prison.

The door swung open, and the teacher who had left the classroom to take a call returned.

Closing messenger.

Jae-min left a short message, quickly logged out, and closed the SNS window. The lecture content continued to flow from the speakers, and as expected, the teacher didn’t seem to have much interest in what the sole self-study student was doing, returning to his seat without a proper check.

After that, it was a tedious time. The lecture video Jae-min had put on was one he had heard before and had almost memorized. Still, treating it as a review, he listened to the sound coming from the speakers when the teacher’s voice came from behind.

“An hour has passed. Do you want to use the study room more?”

“No, I’m done now.”

The dormitory room he returned to was still empty. Only now did Jae-min slowly unpack his things. Although it was a place he would leave in a few days, since he was staying here, he planned to enjoy the advantages of the place for a few days. Since the scenery outside was nice despite the remoteness, he decided to go for a short walk and then come back to study. It was a place where there was nothing to do besides study anyway.

Before talking to Oh Seung-pyo, he had felt like he just wanted to die, but after exchanging a few words via messenger, his mood improved quickly. Since he planned to leave by the weekend, he didn’t take all the clothes out of his suitcase. He took out only the daily necessities he would use for a few days and a few textbooks he had brought personally, placed them on the desk, and looked down at them blankly.

One way or another, elementary school was a life within a range a child could handle, and the pressure regarding grades and studying began in earnest from middle school. Even then, unable to shake the desire to play, he had often played tricks behind his parents’ backs.

But whenever he was caught, severe scolding followed without exception. After going through that process a few times, the desire to avoid the coming scolding became greater than the desire for immediate pleasure, so he stopped doing things that could be easily discovered. He also became increasingly skilled at acting as if nothing were wrong and telling brazen lies.

Jae-min sometimes wondered if the adults around him had also had childhoods, or if they had forgotten everything, or if they had been good children who had never told a lie. When they couldn’t accept the restrictions made by adults, many children lied instead of following the rules. It wasn’t just Jae-min; it was the same for other children he met at school or academies. When chatting in groups, it was a common sight to exchange stories of what lies and tricks they used to deceive parents or teachers as if sharing heroic tales.

Ryu Jae-min didn’t hate studying in the first place. Even without being shoved into a remote boarding academy, even if he occasionally got distracted with Oh Seung-pyo, he could manage his grades on his own, successfully enter his target university, and show his parents that he was living the life they wanted.

Even though he hadn’t received particularly bad results since entering high school, the reason his father couldn’t trust him wasn’t because he was lacking, but because of his father’s own problem. He had suspected it long ago, but feeling it realistically this time left him with a heavy heart.

Roughly a year and a half until high school graduation. His plan was to live quietly, causing as little noise as possible and complying with his parents’ stubbornness, and then leave home. Since they had promised him long ago that he could live independently like his Noona once he got into college, he just had to endure until graduation…

‘Father doesn’t trust me, so why should I trust him?’

Jae-min’s gaze was cold as he looked down at his desk. He thought of the word “running away” once more, but his heart no longer fluttered, nor did he feel anxious.

Jae-min finished packing his things and left the room to spend the day according to his plan. Perhaps because he had decided to escape, the scenery of the boarding academy—which had felt like a prison he was dragged into—looked quite different. Jae-min decided to think of this place, where he would stay for a few days, as a scenic resort. If only for today.

The next day, the dormitory began to bustle. Jae-min, who had woken up early, met the roommate he would be sharing the room with. The boy was someone who had requested his parents to send him to the boarding academy first because he couldn’t concentrate on his studies once vacation started.

“I mean, you spend more time at home during break. I hated it when my mom and dad walked on eggshells around me just because I was studying, and it was annoying hearing them fight because of me sometimes, so I just asked them to send me to an academy with a dorm. I thought it would be more comfortable here than at home.”

Another boy nodded in agreement with the roommate’s words.

“I went to winter school during the winter break, too. I keep getting distracted when I’m at home. Here, the teachers manage us, and since it’s an academy, there’s less to worry about than at home, so it’s easier.”

The students gathered for the orientation got close quickly, sharing their personal circumstances even before they finished introducing themselves. Their hometowns, schools, and reasons for coming to the academy varied, but quite a few said they came because they thought it would be more comfortable here than at home.

Jae-min felt a silent sense of relief knowing that he wasn’t the only one who found a strange academy dormitory more comfortable than a home where he spent his daily life with family. When he was alone in an empty room thinking such things, he felt like a very bad son, and the thought of having nowhere to go made him feel lonely, as if he were the only person left in the world. But blending in with children sharing similar stories diluted both the guilt and the loneliness. He melted into the comfort that seemed to tell him these were ordinary emotions anyone could feel.

“Hey, Ryu Jae-min. Long time no see.”

There was a boy at this remote academy who recognized Jae-min. He was one of the indirect reasons Jae-min had ended up here—the son of a former judge and his father’s friend. He sat in front of Jae-min, turned around, and sneered.

“My dad always compares me to you, saying you study hard and do well on your own. So you came here too?”

“I came because of your father. Because your father bragged to my father about sending you here.”

“He’s just trying to fill the quota for those alumni meetings.”

The boy sighed with a look of understanding and pointed to Jae-min’s cheek.

“By the way, what happened to your left cheek? It’s a bit swollen.”

“It’s just because it’s morning,” Jae-min replied indifferently. Now, it was barely noticeable unless someone looked very closely, so it would be completely gone by the weekend when he met Seung-pyo.

The students, each carrying their own burdens, gathered at the boarding academy and received guidance on the rules to follow during their stay, the daily schedule that would continue every day from 7 AM to 11:30 PM, the layout of the special rooms and the entire academy, and the etiquette to observe during meal and break times.

Once the morning OT ended, it was lunchtime, and after eating, they immediately entered mandatory self-study on the first day. As expected of a small, elite academy that selected only high-achieving students, the atmosphere in the study hall was tense from day one. Although it was a place he had been dragged to, now that he had accepted the situation, Jae-min didn’t dislike this tense atmosphere.

* * *

Oh Seung-yeon, Seung-pyo’s Hyung, discovered that the living room light was still on when he returned home late at night. Since his younger brother, Seung-pyo, often spent late nights lounging in front of the TV after vacation started, it wasn’t particularly surprising.

“You’re back?”

Seung-pyo, who had been sitting on the sofa, jumped up to greet his returning Hyung. Seung-yeon tossed his bag into his room and asked,

“Not sleeping? Even if it’s vacation, we still have to go to school, so I’m just going to nod off in class tomorrow.”

“Aw, how can I sleep before Hyung gets home?”

Since when had they been on such greeting terms? The way he spoke, word by word as he approached, was disgustingly sweet. Oh Seung-yeon, who was heading toward the bathroom, looked at his brother—who had grown as big as a door—with suspicious eyes. Sure enough, Seung-pyo smiled sheepishly and got to the point.

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“I knew it. What is it?”

“I’m going to meet a friend this weekend, and I want to stay overnight.”

“Go. Just go.”

“But my friend isn’t in Seoul right now, so I have to go a bit far. Lend me some money. I don’t think I’ll have enough with what I have left.”

“How much?”

Seung-pyo replied, curling the corners of his smiling lips even further.

“500,000 won.”

“Are you crazy? Hey, why does a high schooler need 500,000 won just to meet a friend once?”

“You just don’t know, but kids these days all spend that much. And I need money for transportation.”

“I didn’t graduate high school that long ago, you know? Where do you think… Don’t go anywhere expensive; just buy some tteokbokki.”

“Who said I wanted it for free? I’ll pay you back as soon as I get my allowance next month.”

Instead of answering, Seung-yeon glared at Seung-pyo with an even more suspicious look.

“Did you get a girlfriend? You need money for a date, right? Hey, if you want to date, do it next year after the early admissions are over. You’ve been a solo your whole life, and now you’re making a fuss about dating?”

“It’s not a girlfriend. It’s a guy. I can provide proof later. I need the money because I’m staying overnight.”

Since it was an answer without a single lie, Seung-pyo was confident. However, Seung-yeon shook his head.

“500 is too much. 100,000 won.”

“How can I stay overnight with that? It’s vacation season, so pensions and things are all super expensive.”

“Then go after you get your allowance. It doesn’t have to be this weekend.”

“Ah, just lend it to me.”

“I don’t have money either.”

“You can just take it from the living expenses. I’ll make it up as soon as I get my allowance next week.”

“No.”

“It’s money Dad gave us to use together! Why do you only do things your way?”

Seung-pyo’s father sent each brother their own allowance once a month and also transferred living expenses for them to share to the eldest son. Consequently, the economic power of the household rested with the older brother, Oh Seung-yeon, rather than Seung-pyo, who was still in high school.

Because their father, who couldn’t look after his children often, tried to resolve his guilt by giving generous allowances, Seung-pyo was more financially comfortable than his peers and spent accordingly. Recently, he had spent his allowance faster than during the semester because he had been buying snacks and going out to play with Jae-min whenever he went to the academy.

Even now, he had enough money to meet Jae-min and bring him back, but Gapyeong was one of the towns they had looked forward to visiting together if they had the chance. Since they had decided to meet, he thought it would be better to spend two days and one night playing together rather than returning immediately and killing the mood.

To do that, they had to eat delicious food, go to cafes that took good photos, do water activities, and pay for accommodation. If they successfully escaped the academy, it would be their first overnight trip together, and he didn’t want to spend the night in some shabby guesthouse. Even if a hotel was still impossible, they had to at least go to a cute pension.

Seung-yeon headed to the bathroom, covering his ears to signal that he wouldn’t listen any further. He hadn’t intended to go this far since there was loyalty between brothers… Seung-pyo let out a short sigh and raised his voice behind his brother’s retreating back.

“I know you’re saving money behind Dad’s back to buy a bike!”

“…”

“If you don’t give it to me, I’m telling Dad.”

Seung-yeon, who was about to open the bathroom door, slowly turned his head. His expression was murderous, as if he had encountered a parental enemy.

“You cowardly bastard.”

Seung-pyo didn’t even bat an eye and snorted.

“If you give me the money, I’ll keep it a secret.”

“Where did you learn to be such a schemer? You were cute when you were little. My brother’s future is fucking bleak.”

“If you keep stalling, I’m raising the amount to 800,000. Deal?”

“Ugh, I can’t even hit you!”

“Send it to my allowance account now.”

Seung-pyo stuck out his tongue and entered his room, grumbling to himself. As if anyone didn’t know he was skimming off the living expenses to satisfy his own greed. It was outrageous; maybe he should just not pay him back.

Whether the scheme… no, the negotiation worked, a text message arrived saying 500,000 won had been deposited into his account. Proud of achieving his goal, Seung-pyo wore a beaming smile and began writing a message to summarize the day in his chat window with Jae-min.

He wouldn’t be able to check it immediately, but whether it was tomorrow or the day after, he—who was outside that prison… no, boarding academy—was always ready to respond to Ryu Jae-min’s call.

[Let’s go play in Gapyeong when we meet this weekend]

[I’m looking up all the good restaurants, cafes, date courses, and accommodations in Gapyeong right now]

[All you have to do is have fun with me]

[Since we’re running away, let’s do it properly]

[I want to see you soon]

[Good night]

[See you this weekend]

After leaving a rambling series of messages that wouldn’t be delivered immediately, and still feeling a lingering longing, Seung-pyo stared at the screen for a long time before flopping onto his bed.

When Seung-pyo was little, he had also stubbornly insisted several times that if the adults made him do something he didn’t want to do, he would run away and hide at a neighbor’s or a friend’s house and never speak to his father again. Whenever that happened, his father, auntie, or paternal aunt would come to pick up the family troublemaker, awkwardly carrying a small gift, and would pat him on the back as he reluctantly followed them, venting a sort of fake anger, telling him to do whatever he wanted.

To be suddenly dragged to a boarding academy during summer break—if it were him, he would have jumped in rage. It seemed Ryu Jae-min’s father also had some crazy tendencies. That must be why Jae-min intended to protest by resisting. A satisfied smile returned to Seung-pyo’s face as he lay staring blankly at the ceiling.

To think of hiding at a friend’s house and acting spoiled at eighteen; as expected of a young master, he had a cute side. Seung-pyo giggled, hugging the pillow that had hit Jae-min’s stomach when he was lying face down on his bed. His heart fluttered in anticipation of the coming weekend.