By Zephyria 
After causing a storm with an unprecedented runaway incident in a family of model students, Ryu Jae-min spent a long time talking with his father and mother throughout the night.
Once Jae-min poured out all the emotions he had been unable to tell his parents, they admitted that they had placed too much burden on him. Though somewhat late, they promised to understand Jae-min’s heart and make improvements. Perhaps because all the family members were naturally intelligent people, they were able to solve the problem through conversation.
Ryu Jae-min changed too. Perhaps because he felt he had escaped his parents’ abnormal oppression, his expression and way of speaking became much brighter than before.
…It would have been wonderful if it had ended with such a simple and beautiful ending, but that was merely an ideal imagination; reality was different.
“What are you going to drink?”
Jae-min asked, picking up a chocolate milk from the beverage display. Seung-pyo, who had been staring only at Jae-min and ignoring the food, grinned.
“I’ll just have white milk.”
Having chosen their drinks, the two sat under a parasol at an outdoor table of the convenience store and poked in their straws.
While it would have been much cooler inside the store with the air conditioning on full blast, having been trapped indoors all day, he wanted to feel the natural breeze. Summer had already passed its peak, and it had become the season where the shrill cries of cicadas could be heard even in the city center. The white midday sunlight was bleaching the world.
Seung-pyo murmured languidly.
“It’s hot.”
“Want to go inside?”
“No, let’s drink up and head to the academy.”
Summer vacation was slowly coming to an end. After finishing their supplementary classes, the two had stopped by the convenience store for a quick snack before entering the academy.
Their snack time was very short. The bread vanished in three or four bites, and the milk was gone after a few long sips through the straw. After cleaning up their trash, the two headed toward the academy building across the street while chatting.
“The part-time Hyung will be disappointed. He was so happy he could drive a Benz.”
“But that Hyung said he has to quit soon anyway. He’s getting a job.”
“Oh, that’s great.”
A small change had occurred in Jae-min’s life. The pickup part-time job that had diligently transported Jae-min from school to the academy, and from the academy to home, was gone.
The kids without separate pickups, including Seung-pyo, had always envied Jae-min’s Benz pickup, but Jae-min said he had secretly felt restricted and monitored because of it. He decided he wanted to commute on his own for at least one semester before entering the third year.
“Isn’t it inconvenient? Going from a pickup to the bus.”
“It’s fine. Since I’m going with you.”
“Did your parents say it was okay to stop the pickup?”
“Yeah, they told me to do whatever I want.”
At the mention of his parents, Jae-min’s expression became indifferent. Having committed the most impulsive act of his life, Jae-min must have expected a change in some direction.
Things did change. Ryu Jae-min’s parents seemed genuinely shocked by the runaway of their always obedient model son, so they withdrew their overly controlling attitude, but that was all.
Why he did it, or what they should do going forward. Despite the numerous things that needed to be discussed, Jae-min’s parents chose to bury it without a single word, as if it had never happened.
From the day he returned home, after they told him to go to his room and rest, their attitude remained unchanged until the next day. They acted as if it were a routine scene even while watching Jae-min prepare for school to attend supplementary classes, to the point where Jae-min only confirmed that his running away hadn’t been a dream after hearing the helper lady’s worried words: “Still, you can’t stay out overnight without permission.”
“Where did you stay?” was the only question his father asked regarding the runaway incident. Jae-min simply replied that he had stayed one night at Oh Seung-pyo’s relative’s house, and his father merely let out a light sigh and spoke of it no further.
“It’s comfortable now that they let me do whatever I want.”
Seung-pyo silently watched Jae-min’s profile as he added the comment. His expressionless side profile looked somewhat disappointed.
Wouldn’t it have been better if they had at least fought loudly? To return home after making such a big decision and practically throwing himself at them, only for the ending to be ignored—it was enough to feel futile.
Jae-min took it as a blessing in disguise that things had become more comfortable than before. Now, even after Jae-min returned home, the two could freely exchange messages or call each other on their phones. It became much easier to meet on weekends, and he started playing basketball with the other kids at school again.
I’ll just have to slowly fill the void left by his parents with my overflowing love. Seung-pyo vowed firmly to himself as he opened the academy door.
“You’ve got something on your clothes.”
Because he was only looking at Jae-min, he hadn’t checked his own attire. Checking where Ryu Jae-min was pointing, a bit of something like strawberry jam was smeared on Seung-pyo’s white school shirt, likely dropped while eating the snack. Seung-pyo rubbed the stain a couple of times with his hand and spoke.
“I should wash it with water. I’ll be back after going to the restroom. Go in first.”
“Okay.”
Jae-min headed to the classroom, and only Seung-pyo went into the restroom to lightly wash the hem of his clothes at the sink. Fortunately, the stain was easily removed with just water and soap.
While walking down the hallway with one side of his shirt hem damp, Seung-pyo encountered a familiar face for the first time in a while. The other person greeted him first.
“Oh Seung-pyo, are you still attending this academy?”
“Kang Ji-seon.”
It was a middle school classmate he had briefly greeted at the academy around winter break. Seung-pyo didn’t hide his pleasure and acknowledged her.
“Long time no see. I don’t think I’ve seen you lately.”
“Yeah, I attended somewhere else for a while and then re-registered.”
“Is studying going well?”
“It’s just stress every day. There’s only half a year left of the second year.”
Upon meeting Seung-pyo, Ji-seon’s eyes widened as if she remembered something.
“That’s right. I heard you used to meet Su-hyun, just the two of you?”
“Jung Su-hyun? Yeah, it’s been a while, but we saw each other briefly.”
Hearing that, he recalled the atmosphere between the two classmates, who had been best friends but recently seemed to have grown distant, saying they didn’t contact each other much. Seeing as she knew about their meeting, had they become close again? It had nothing to do with him, but since they met after a long time, Seung-pyo asked as a way of checking in.
“Are you getting along well with Jung Su-hyun lately? I heard it was hard to get in touch.”
“Yeah, we’re doing well.”
Just as it seemed she would end with a short answer, Ji-seon continued with a slightly embarrassed look.
“Actually, things were a bit awkward between us for a while.”
“Yeah, it seemed that way.”
“You knew? Did Su-hyun tell you?”
“No, just because you both said before that you weren’t in touch much. You guys were really close.”
“Right.”
Hesitating, Ji-seon pointed to an empty lounge table. Is there more to say? He had only intended to exchange brief greetings, but Seung-pyo followed his middle school classmate without complaint and sat at the table in the lobby. Ji-seon lowered her voice and continued.
“We’ve written a blog together like a diary since elementary school, but from around the third year of middle school, I was the only one writing and he stopped writing much.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, I was a bit upset about that, so we fought. But thinking about it, I think I was too obsessed. Trainee life is completely different from school life, so he can’t keep doing everything exactly the same as me.”
“That’s true.”
“He’s going to be a celebrity and I’m going to college, so I have to accept the parts that changed. Su-hyun said writing a diary was a bit hard for him.”
As far as Seung-pyo knew, Jung Su-hyun was the type to find reading and writing tedious. Even on the SNS he used now, the most he did was attach a few words like ‘sparkle’, ‘pretty, right’, ‘what I ate today’, or ‘myong-myong’ to a photo.
He was good at speaking, but it was hard to see him use proper sentences in writing, let alone the fact that he had run a diary blog with the book-loving Kang Ji-seon. It could only be evaluated as a commendable effort on Jung Su-hyun’s part to do his best for the sake of friendship.
“You think I thought about it correctly, too?”
“Yeah.”
“What a relief. I didn’t have anyone to talk about this with, so I told you since you know.”
“Sure. I hope you guys keep getting along.”
“Let’s all meet up together three of us when you have time.”
“Yeah, if I have time.”
Perhaps feeling shy after opening up, Kang Ji-seon stood up, saying it was almost time for her class. Seung-pyo watched her back as she hurried to find her classroom, then hummed and rested his chin on his hand.
Since they were all high school students now, their lives were similar, but in the future, they would each become different. Just as it was natural for him and Ryu Jae-min to wear the same clothes, study at the same school, eat the same cafeteria food, ride the same bus, and move to the same academy at the same time, there would eventually be more differences than similarities between them. More and more as time passed.
Would a day come when they couldn’t understand each other, or when they fought or grew distant because they lost their common ground? If such a day came, what should he do?
“Aren’t you coming into the classroom? I saved you a seat.”
Having fallen into a vague imagination because he was thinking too much, Seung-pyo turned his head at the somewhat grumpy voice. Jae-min, who had entered the classroom first, had come back out into the hallway and was looking at Seung-pyo.
“Oh, coming now.”
Seung-pyo picked up his bag. Jae-min, who scanned Seung-pyo up and down as he strode toward him, turned first and headed back into the classroom.
Is the atmosphere weird? Seung-pyo stuck close to Jae-min and leaned his head in.
“What’s wrong? Are you upset about something?”
“No.”
Though he said no, Ryu Jae-min’s characteristic cold atmosphere lingered over his entire expression. What is it? Seung-pyo tried hard to guess the reason as he sat at the desk Jae-min had saved. Since several students had already filled the classroom, it was difficult to continue the conversation.
But conversation is possible even without words. Seung-pyo discreetly picked up his phone and typed a message.
[Tell me what I did wrong]
Jae-min, glancing at the notification window, looked straight ahead as if hesitating, then soon picked up his phone and moved his fingers quickly. Jae-min’s messages lined up in the messenger window at a rapid pace.
[You’re too close with girls]
[I heard from the middle, and when she asked to meet, you said let’s do that]
Seung-pyo blinked, swallowing his surprise. Is he seriously jealous because of Kang Ji-seon, whom I’m not even close with?
It felt unfair to be told he was close with girls. The only times he had spoken with a girl this year were twice: once with Jung Su-hyun in the first semester, and just now with Kang Ji-seon. Even the reason he had met Jung Su-hyun was, if you think about it, because of Ryu Jae-min.
Almost bursting into laughter, he pressed his lips tight and sent a reply.
[It’s not the two of us meeting, but the three of us middle school classmates]
And he said “if there’s time,”
Two out of the three are girls. You’re dead.
I won’t meet them. He just said it as a greeting; he’s not actually going to ask to meet. He’s a busy guy.
As Seung-pyo worked hard to explain himself, a short, hollow laugh escaped him, and he tapped the screen even faster.
It’s only like this because we’re at an all-boys high school. Once you go to college, you’ll have plenty of female friends.
Let’s see how well you can keep them at arm’s length. Just try giving them an opening.
I’m absolutely nothing like you. You’ve been like that since middle school.
Was that person also someone you kissed?
Seung-pyo’s eyes widened once more, blinking in surprise.
What are you talking about? I’ve only kissed… Just as he was about to ask back in bewilderment, Seung-pyo stopped his hands. Being immersed in a sweet romance lately, he had forgotten a lie he had tossed out carelessly in the past.
After an impulsive kiss in a coin karaoke booth, Seung-pyo had asked Jae-min if that was his first kiss. It was unlikely, but he asked just in case, given Jae-min’s surprisingly sensitive reaction.
Jae-min had answered, “Of course not,” and feeling like he would lose if he were the only one whose first kiss was revealed, Seung-pyo had also lied, saying it wasn’t his first time either… Yes. That was what had happened.
‘He wasn’t his first either, so why is he getting jealous over this? I didn’t say a word when he posted erotic photos on SNS for all sorts of people to see.’
Feeling inexplicably grumpy, Seung-pyo pouted and sent his reply.
I’m not telling you.
Right.
But his conscience pricked him at the thought of letting the innocent Kang Ji-seon be misunderstood as someone he had kissed. Seung-pyo typed a new message.
Are you curious?
Forget it.
If you tell me when, how, and who your first kiss was with, I’ll tell you mine.
I can’t be the only one spilling everything.
Damn human curiosity. He didn’t even know why he suddenly wanted to find out who Ryu Jae-min’s first kiss had been. Even if he heard it, it would likely be someone he didn’t even know.
However, jealousy wasn’t Ryu Jae-min’s exclusive property. Once the curiosity had taken root, Seung-pyo began to feel incredibly curious as well.
Honestly, isn’t posting an anonymous photo with your face covered on the internet completely different from kissing someone while looking at their face? In the former, neither the person posting nor the person seeing it can know the other’s identity, but kissing is something that cannot be done anonymously.
Jae-min didn’t answer, his brow furrowed. Then, instead of replying via phone, he suddenly reached out his hand.
“Rock-paper-scissors.”
“Suddenly?”
“The loser speaks first.”
It was just rock-paper-scissors, but Ryu Jae-min had proposed a bet for the first time in a while. Seung-pyo narrowed his eyes and nodded. He didn’t know how things had ended up like this, but since it already felt unsettling, it seemed like a good idea to clear things up today so it wouldn’t happen again.
As more students filled the classroom, the two reached their hands under the desk and whispered. Rock, paper, scissors.
“I won!”
Forgetting they were in the classroom, Seung-pyo shouted out loud without realizing it. Jae-min, frowning, looked resentfully at the ‘paper’ he had thrown.
“You’re the one who suggested it. Now tell me.”
Seung-pyo tapped the phone, acting smug. He meant for the answer to be sent via message. Jae-min let out a deep sigh and hesitated for a long time before he seemed to make up his mind and slowly began typing.
My first kiss was
Finally, the first message arrived.
Seung-pyo swallowed hard. To suddenly find out about the veiled mystery of Ryu Jae-min’s first kiss…
Thump, thump. Clutching a mixture of jealousy and curiosity, Seung-pyo waited for the next message.
At an arcade karaoke
Seung-pyo’s eyes flew open in shock.
His first kiss was also at an arcade karaoke? He thought he’d had his first kiss in a rather unique place, but the location overlapped like this?
…Wait, didn’t Ryu Jae-min say that was the first time he’d ever been to an arcade?
With a classmate
“What?!”
Staring intently at the message, Seung-pyo raised his voice again without realizing it. Just as he whipped his head around to look at Ryu Jae-min to demand more details, the classroom door opened and the instructor walked in.
“Everyone be quiet and put your phones on the desks!”
“Teacher, wait a second!”
“Ah, does Seung-pyo want to be the first to hand his in?”
When Seung-pyo protested, the instructor stepped forward and held out the bag used for confiscating phones. Having brought this on himself, Seung-pyo sighed and put his phone inside.
“While you’re at it, Jae-min too.”
“Yes.”
Jae-min obediently handed over his phone. In the classroom that had gone quiet with the instructor’s appearance, Oh Seung-pyo was the only one feeling anxious. Seung-pyo hurriedly whispered to Jae-min.
“Ryu Jae-min, is what you said earlier true?”
“Oh Seung-pyo, be quiet! Now, everyone open your textbooks. If you weren’t dozing off last class, you should know which page we’re on without me telling you, right?”
Damn it. At the instructor’s harsh shout, Seung-pyo shut his mouth, flipped open his textbook, and quickly scribbled on the corner of the page.
—So who is it?
—What’s their name?
On the other hand, Jae-min wrote his answer calmly. His normally neat handwriting seemed even more refined today.
—Class has started. Let’s talk after.
—You like it when I’m the only one anxious, don’t you?
—Yes.
“Crazy.”
Muttering his feelings quietly, Seung-pyo gave up on the conversation and turned his gaze forward. Since the top student in the school wanted to focus on the lesson, he couldn’t disturb him any further.
He couldn’t help the corners of his mouth from curling up. If he kept grinning to himself during class, he’d look like some kind of lunatic who had something good happen to him, so Seung-pyo covered his mouth with his hand and dropped his gaze to the textbook, which he wasn’t even reading.
As soon as class ended, he was going to drag Ryu Jae-min out and ask if it was really about him. It was obvious even without hearing it, but he still had to confirm. He wanted to hear with his own two ears those lips say that his first kiss partner was “Oh Seung-pyo.”
After that, it would be the turn of Oh Seung-pyo, who lost at rock-paper-scissors, to confess. How would Ryu Jae-min react to the confession of revealing his first kiss partner?
He was full of questions. Even though they lived a cycle of being in the same classroom, wearing the same clothes, eating the same school meals, taking the same bus, and arriving at the same academy, his desire to know more about Ryu Jae-min did not subside. Rather, new curiosities bloomed every day. Like the white clouds drifting outside the window.
The blue summer sky cast a magic spell called hope once again. That even if everything surrounding the two of them changed and crises occasionally struck, they would be able to overcome them together.
Wasn’t there a famous saying that studying is a lifelong endeavor? Even after passing the entrance exams, graduating from college, and successfully finding a job, Oh Seung-pyo would make Ryu Jae-min his subject of study, and Ryu Jae-min would do the same for Oh Seung-pyo.
It would truly be a vast research topic. Fortunately, since both were recognized as honor students by themselves and others, he didn’t think studying the person he loved would be particularly more difficult.
If he were to give a name to this subject of getting to know each other…
“Everyone understands, right? If there are no questions, move to the next page.”
Following the instructor’s direction, as Seung-pyo was about to turn the page, his gaze fell upon a phrase written next to the page number at the edge of the paper, which he usually ignored. Science Inquiry Area. Staring blankly at the short phrase indicating the subject of the book, Seung-pyo chuckled and turned the page.
…If I were to give a name to the subject of getting to know each other, let’s call it the ‘Oh-Ryu Analysis Report,’ taking from both our names.