By Zephyria 
Woo-yеоn stared blаnkly at thе sсеnеrу рassing by оutsidе thе car windоw. The weаther wаs clеar, thе breеzе wаsn’t chilly, аnd asidе from the faсt that it was sunset, it wаs perfeсt weаthеr for a date. Of сourse, it wasn’t а dаtе, but tо аn outsider, it lоokеd likе one, sо rеgardless.
“…….”
Howеver, Wоо-yeоn соuldn’t fullу еnjoу his timе with Do-hуun on such a beautiful daу. It was beсause thе words he had hеard frоm Ga-ram whilе wаiting for Do-hуun earliеr keрt еchоing in his mind.
‘Кim Do-hуun hаs a sресific view оn dаting.’
Whethеr it shоuld bе сalled a “view on dating” or not, such a thing didn’t exist for Woo-yeon. He had liked Teacher even before the concept of ‘dating’ had formed in his mind, and naturally, Do-hyun had become his only standard. Ideal types be damned; for Woo-yeon, everything related to love was Kim Do-hyun.
‘He never dates people he meets at university, work, or part-time jobs.’
Woo-yeon had been a tutoring student in the past, and now he was a Hubae in the same department. He hadn’t exactly expected to date Do-hyun, but the fact that he was excluded from the possibilities from the start was heartbreaking. It felt as if a possibility he hadn’t even dared to dream of had been rooted out in an instant.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Do-hyun, who had been driving for a while, asked casually. Just then, the cinema building they were heading to came into view not far away. Woo-yeon shifted his gaze from the window and replied in a calm tone.
“The weather is just so nice.”
He didn’t know how that topic had come up, but Ga-ram’s words were definitely a potent poison. He might feel fine now, but as time passed, they would surely eat away at him. Or perhaps now was the right time, since he had been corrected before his expectations grew too large.
“The weather is nice, but……”
Do-hyun spoke slowly as he entered the parking lot. Since it was Friday afternoon, there weren’t many parking spaces available. After parking the car near the exit, he rested his hand on the passenger seat and tilted his head.
“I wonder why your mood suddenly soured.”
“…….”
Even while feeling upset, Woo-yeon marveled at Do-hyun’s profile. The angle that highlighted his neckline and the bridge of his nose made his sculpted features look about three times more handsome. He thought it time and again, but Do-hyun was a bit of a cheat in moments like this.
“Do you want to see a movie next?”
“No!”
Answering reflexively, Woo-yeon shook his head vigorously. Do-hyun narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Woo-yeon’s face. Soon, with a faint smile, he unbuckled Woo-yeon’s seatbelt for him.
“I wasn’t planning to, either.”
The words were playful, but they didn’t feel like a joke. Following him out of the car, Woo-yeon tried his best to shake off Ga-ram’s words.
Humans are such fickle creatures; they don’t want something until they find out they can’t have it, and then they suddenly crave it. Even if he weren’t a university Hubae, there probably wouldn’t have been any chance for him and Do-hyun to work out anyway.
“…….”
No, is that too miserable?
As expected, the building was crowded with people. Facing an obstacle even before boarding the elevator, the two had to let two full elevators pass before changing their route. Do-hyun led the stunned Woo-yeon toward the escalator in the center of the building.
“Are there always this many people?”
Woo-yeon’s mouth hung open as he stepped onto the escalator. Standing one step below him, Do-hyun held the handrail and looked out.
“There are usually a lot, but today is exceptionally crowded.”
“Wow……”
He absolutely hated crowds, but since this was a new place, it felt fresh. The sight of swarms of people piling into an elevator, the way they looked like tiny ants from the top of the escalator, and the fact that they all looked so happy—it all felt strangely novel.
“What floor is the cinema on?”
“The 8th. We have a long way up.”
Once again, Do-hyun put Woo-yeon ahead of him as they boarded the next escalator. Woo-yeon, who had been looking around frantically, suddenly snapped back to his senses and composed his expression. At the sight of him clearing his throat with a “hem hem,” Do-hyun tilted his head.
“Is the crowd that fascinating to you?”
Do-hyun asked if there weren’t plenty of people at department stores too. At that question, Woo-yeon awkwardly rubbed his earlobe. Whenever he went with his mother, the department store was practically cleared for them, so this was his first time standing in the middle of a crowd. University was quite bustling, but a place like this felt different.
Before long, Woo-yeon’s eyes began to wander again. In particular, when they passed the arcade on the 6th floor, his eyes grew wide enough to pop out. Various machines were lined up under blue and red lights. Among them, the one that caught his eye the most was a machine filled with crudely made plushies.
“Is that a claw machine?”
By this point, Do-hyun was openly observing Woo-yeon. Woo-yeon observed the surroundings, and Do-hyun observed Woo-yeon. As Woo-yeon’s clear eyes stared at the claw machine, Do-hyun asked nonchalantly.
“Want me to catch one for you?”
“Really?”
Without realizing it, Woo-yeon’s face lit up and his eyes sparkled. He had encountered claw machines often, but since he didn’t carry cash, he could never try them. Moreover, operating a machine alone on the street felt somehow embarrassing.
“……Do you like plushies?”
Perhaps not expecting such an intense reaction, Do-hyun frowned slightly to confirm. Woo-yeon shook his head without hesitation.
“No, it’s just fascinating.”
If he liked plushies, he would have bought enough to overflow his house. Not just plushies—he could have even installed the machines themselves. The reason he hadn’t was that his interest was only at that level.
“How big is the theater?”
“It varies by theater, but it’s smaller than your house.”
“I see. I thought it would be really big.”
“That size is already really big.”
Woo-yeon nodded and turned toward Do-hyun. Since they were standing on different steps, Woo-yeon’s eye level was slightly higher as they faced each other. Realizing he was looking down at Do-hyun, whom he always looked up to, Woo-yeon gave a slight, smiling squint.
“I can see the crown of your head, Seonbae.”
Do-hyun looked back at Woo-yeon’s face with a blank expression. He looked a bit dazed, or perhaps lost in thought. After staying still for a long while, Do-hyun ruffled Woo-yeon’s hair only after their eye levels returned to normal.
“I can see the crown of your head, too.”
“…….”
The sensation of those long fingers touching him was overly vivid. Woo-yeon followed Do-hyun’s steps a beat late. “I still have a bump on my head,” he protested, but Do-hyun only gave a thin smile.
Upon arriving at the cinema, the first thing they did was print their tickets. They could have entered using their phones, but Woo-yeon was curious about physical tickets. In reality, the printed tickets were no different from receipts, but the unmanned kiosk for booking movies was far more fascinating than he had imagined.
“I saw somewhere that this movie is so scary that popcorn flies everywhere.”
“You saw something like that too?”
He had felt it since this morning, but Do-hyun gave a ticklish smile every time he spoke. The smile that made his eyes fold and the corners of his mouth lift made Woo-yeon’s heart throb so hard he wanted to scratch it. Because of that, Woo-yeon kept saying silly things, marvelling at the way Do-hyun smiled for him.
“What drink do you want?”
The snack bar selling food was also incredibly crowded. Hot dogs, squid, nachos…… Woo-yeon, who had been staring blankly at the menu, answered belatedly.
“I’ll have blueberry…… no, orange?”
As soon as Woo-yeon answered, it was their turn to order. Do-hyun ordered a large popcorn, one blueberry ade, and one orange ade. He paid with a card—the same card he had once used to send Woo-yeon on an errand.
Woo-yeon watched the employee’s actions with wide eyes. The employee inserted a paper divider into a large popcorn bucket, filled it with caramel and cheese flavors, and handed it to Woo-yeon. Because they ordered the large size, the bucket was bigger than his head.
“Who is going to eat all of this?”
Even if it was before dinner, the amount was excessive. Do-hyun would likely barely eat any, and it would be too much for Woo-yeon to eat alone. Seeing Woo-yeon clutching the popcorn bucket to his chest, Do-hyun suddenly burst out laughing.
“If we spill it while watching the movie, the people around us will eat it for us.”
The low laugh felt as if he found Woo-yeon cute. Instead of carrying the popcorn, Do-hyun took the two drinks and started walking. Then, he suddenly looked back at Woo-yeon and smiled as if he were melting.
“Why are you holding it so preciously?”
“…….”
He could feel his cheeks flushing red. Realizing he had been hugging the popcorn bucket unconsciously, Woo-yeon awkwardly lowered one hand. Do-hyun placed one of the ades into Woo-yeon’s now-empty right hand.
“Here, hold this.”
“Then I won’t have a hand left.”
“You have my hand.”
Do-hyun kept a smiling face, as if something was incredibly funny. He was always a person who smiled, but he had never been this beaming. After tearing the straws and inserting them into both drinks, Do-hyun held the drink he was carrying up to Woo-yeon’s lips.
“Try it. See which one tastes better.”
Woo-yeon reflexively took the straw in his mouth, but when his eyes met Do-hyun’s, he looked away. He knew that being fed a drink was no big deal. But because it was Do-hyun, he felt shy. Surely, Do-hyun had only done it because Woo-yeon said he had no hands.
“Which one tastes better?”
“I think the blueberry is better.”
“Really?”
Do-hyun naturally brought the straw Woo-yeon had just used to his own lips. Seeing him drink the orange ade just like that, Woo-yeon lightly bit the tip of his tongue with his front teeth. His entire mouth felt sweet, and he couldn’t tell if it was because of the drink or because of Do-hyun.
“Which popcorn tastes better?”
“……Seonbae, you’re teasing me, aren’t you?”
He hadn’t even been able to taste it because he had no hands, yet Do-hyun was asking which one was better. When Woo-yeon glared at him with a sense of injustice, Do-hyun laughed and lifted the drink. For Woo-yeon, who secretly hoped he would be fed popcorn too, it was quite a disappointing turn of events.
“The caramel popcorn is better.”
“You don’t like the cheese?”
“It’s okay, but…… do you want to try some?”
Woo-yeon held out a piece of popcorn he had picked up for himself in front of Do-hyun’s mouth. It was an action done half-hoping that Do-hyun would be flustered, but Do-hyun leaned his head down without hesitation. As he took the popcorn from Woo-yeon’s hand, his soft lips brushed against Woo-yeon’s fingertips.
“…….”
“Not bad.”