SMW 61

I’ve always thought this, but Choi Seol’s love was more arrogant, and more fervent, than my first love. Perhaps that was why it felt more precarious. Something too hot eventually turns to ash, leaving nothing behind in the end.

“It’s cold.”

Despite that, all I could do was look away, making an excuse as I turned my gaze toward a nearby mountain ridge.

Nature was always changing, every single moment. The autumn mountains, which had boasted deep, vibrant colors, became distant and faded like a washed-out watercolor after the typhoon swept through. Then, as the fallen leaves gradually dropped and the colors bled away, filling the world with achromatic tones, winter arrived.

Would Choi Seol be able to recover his memories by then? If not, would we spend the winter together? If so, it would probably be our first winter together.

Because that winter, when I was seventeen, had passed by without any point of contact with Choi Seol.

Is that really true?

Suddenly, a memory surfaced along with a question that felt like an auditory hallucination, only to fade away quickly. What was that just now?

“Han Yeo-reum?”

“……You know, when I was seventeen, I was once rushed to the hospital in the dead of winter for hypothermia.”

Choi Seol knit his brows at my sudden, random confession.

“How did that happen?”

“I accidentally dozed off outside.”

“You dozed off outside in the dead of winter?”

Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned it. Seeing the look of sheer horror in Choi Seol’s eyes, it was clear he had no knowledge of this. The dream I had before waking up must have just been a dream.

“It wasn’t that serious, I’m just saying it happened. Now that the weather’s getting cold, all sorts of things are coming to mind. I’m hungry, let’s eat soon.”

“Han Yeo-reum. You……”

Choi Seol looked at me with a face that seemed to have a lot to say, but he eventually let out a deep sigh.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. I’ll be here anyway.”

“…….”

“I’ll get the food ready, so go change into something warm first. You’ll catch a cold.”

“U-uh, okay.”

I was curious about what Choi Seol had just visit our sitemuttered, but since it was truly cold to stay as unauthorized copyI visit our sitewas, I hurried toward the room.

Winter was approaching. It would be here soon.

「Oh, Han Yeo-reum, please grant me your warm salvation.」

「Salvation for me too!」

「Save me too, Yeo-reum!」

The heat vanished in an instant. Although it was still technically autumn, winter-like weather arrived, requiring winter uniforms and jackets, leaving us shivering. And it was also the season when my name once again became a widespread joke.

「Shut up and get lost.」

As soon as I entered the classroom, I managed to reach my desk after fending off Gyeong-ho and a few other villains who lunged at me with open arms. Without fail, I didn’t forget to glance at Choi Seol’s seat. It was a habit I’d developed since the summer. The seat was empty; he hadn’t arrived at school yet.

「Yeo-reum, I’m so cold.」

It seemed a villain I thought I’d finished off was still alive. I frowned, pushing away Gyeong-ho as he tried to put me in a headlock from behind.

「If you’re cold, wear a puffer jacket.」

「I mean, a coat is one thing, but isn’t a puffer a bit over the top?」

「……It’s all the same.」

「Wait, does our Yeo-reum want to wear a puffer jacket?」

The sudden baby talk gave me goosebumps in a completely different way.

「Are you crazy? What’s with that tone?」

「Crazy? I’m just wondering if our Yeo-reum is holding back and checking the room because he’s sensitive to the cold.」

Maybe it was because we’d known each other so long, but this bastard knew me too well. While half the other guys were just joking about being cold, I really was cold lately. I wanted to throw something over my shoulders, but the problem was that not a single guy in the class was wearing a coat. I didn’t want to stand out for no reason.

「Gyeong-ho. Do you want to start wearing a coat from tomorrow?」

「Huh?」

I tried to coax Gyeong-ho, thinking I’d attract less attention if at least one other person wore one, but he betrayed me immediately.

「Sorry. As a man, I cannot tolerate wearing extra layers in this kind of cold. Instead, if our Yeo-reum devotes his body to wearing a coat, I’ll be right beside him cheering him on……」

「Forget the cheering. Why don’t you just freeze to death like a man? Then I think anyone would start wearing something.」

「Is that so? Alright, then shall I sacrifice this body to bestow the blessing of a puffer jacket upon our Yeo-reum…… actually, I guess it’s better not to die.」

Whatever. As I ignored Gyeong-ho’s resolute will, he continued to chatter away.

「Still, it’s a relief that our school uniforms feel somewhat like suits. The uniforms in the neighborhood over the hill have check patterns and the colors are really tacky.」

「……That’s true.」

Our uniforms were all black, so they were definitely on the safe side. Thanks to that, I’d worn them a few times when attending formal events with my parents. If I had to pick a downside, it was that when the students were gathered together, it felt like a funeral.

「Anyway, Yeo-reum, tie my tie again for me.」

Gyeong-ho asked, fiddling with the tie loosely draped around his neck. Naturally, my face crumpled.

「Why the hell is that thing already a mess this early in the morning?」

「I can’t help it. It’s suffocating.」

「Then just keep it undone.」

「Hey. First period is the homeroom teacher. The only person in our class who can survive whether they untie their tie or throw off their shirt during homeroom is Choi Seol.」

At the mention of a single name amidst the trivial conversation, I paused, and my body reacted.

「……Then buy one with a zipper. Why do you even wear it if you don’t know how to tie it?」

「Because zippers keep breaking.」

「Bullshit.」

I had also switched to a tie-on version instead of a zipper for the same reason, but Gyeong-ho seemed to have absolutely no intention of learning how to tie a necktie.

「Give it here. I’m really not doing this next time, so learn how.」

「Aw, you’ll do it anyway. And can’t you just tie it right now?」

Should I just strangle him while pretending to tie the tie?

「I don’t want to do something like tying a tie for another guy.」

「Wow, I’m genuinely hurt, Yeo-reum. Am I just ‘another guy’ to you?」

You’re just a friend. And you’re a guy. I didn’t consciously think about Gyeong-ho’s gender every time we hung out, but I never forgot it either.

I had still never felt attracted to any member of the same sex other than Choi Seol. Looking at it this way, perhaps gender wasn’t the important part, but that I simply liked the person who was Choi Seol. Or perhaps because I was in the middle of liking someone, no one else caught my eye.

「Oh, it’s Choi Seol.」

No. Identity or whatever, I felt like I needed to do something about this damn heart first.

「Hey. Look over there. I think you can wear a coat from tomorrow.」

At Gyeong-ho’s urging, I barely suppressed my pounding heart and turned my stiff neck. Choi Seol, wearing a long black coat, was just stepping through the back door of the classroom. Beside him was Baek Hee-won, a student from the next class who always hung out with Choi Seol.

「Look at those shoulders. The uniform looks like a full-on suit. It’s weird. When we’re lined up, it’s a total funeral, so how does he smell like a corporate building?」

「What the hell is ‘building smell’?」

「You know, buildings are where businessmen swarm.」

Why did this feel nonsensical yet somehow convincing?

Regardless, Choi Seol, dressed in his winter uniform and a long coat, was truly handsome. His calm, settled atmosphere felt mature. He seemed to have grown even taller, to the point where all the other boys in the surrounding classes looked like kids. The way he indifferently listened to his friend’s chatter gave off an air of intimidation, leaving me tense the entire time I watched him. I could understand why rumors of him being a chaebol’s illegitimate son or the youngest son of a gangster had been inflating lately. Even though we were the same age and in the same class, he felt like someone from a completely different world.

Liking someone like that was a hopeless endeavor. Not that I had ever expected anything in the first place.

「But Yeo-reum. There’s one thing that’s bothering my aesthetic eye.」

In times like this, having one noisy friend was helpful. To shake off the habit of digging a hole in the ground whenever I got depressed, I responded actively to Gyeong-ho’s words this time.

「What is it?」

「That bag.」

Looking where Gyeong-ho pointed, [stolen content]Choi Seol was just placing his bag on [stolen content]the [Read on Read BL Novels]desk. I hesitated for a moment before asking back.

「What about the bag?」

「It doesn’t match. Why is there a middle-schooler’s backpack with such a perfect suit look? The color is dull and it looks totally cheap…… but I feel like I’ve seen that somewhere before…… Gack!」

「Stand still. I’ll tie your tie again.」

I quickly yanked Gyeong-ho’s tie, diverting his attention back to me.

「Hey, if you pull it suddenly like that, I’ll di……」

「Don’t move. Otherwise, I might actually strangle you.」

I swiftly untied Gyeong-ho’s tie and began to wrap it around and tie the knot again.

「Oh, you’re tying it directly on my neck today?」

「Just for today.」

It would be troublesome for a guy with unnecessarily keen observation skills to take an interest in Choi Seol’s bag. Because it was originally mine. It was the bag Gyeong-ho had even teased me for being tacky on the first day of high school entrance; if he looked too closely, he might recognize it.

Come to think of it, the bag is one thing, but I also need to get my book back.

It had been a long time stolen contentsince the library contacted me about [Read on Read BL Novels]an overdue [visit our site]item. That book was still with Choi Seol.

I wasn’t blaming Choi Seol. It was entirely my fault for letting things get this way. If I had returned the book I borrowed from Choi Seol along with the bag sooner, I would have been able to get my bag and the library book back and return them on time.

I had finished reading the book long ago. The reason I had kept it until now was simply because of a lingering heart that couldn’t let go.

「There, all done.」

「Thank you. As expected, it only looks right when our Yeo-reum does it. The more I see it, the more amazing it is. Why are you so good at this?」

「Anyone can do it if they learn.」

「No no, not everyone becomes like this just by learning. Yeo-reum, you said you haven’t found your aptitude yet, right? You’d definitely be talented at housekeeping.」

「How did you know? Being a virtuous groom was my dream.」

Though it seems it’s already too late for that.

「Instead of that, how about a virtuous bride? Our Yeo-reum, do you want to marry me?」

I knew it was a joke, but for a moment, I felt like my inner thoughts had been exposed, and I experienced a brief mental buffer.

「Bullshit.」

Right, I should start with an insult.

But, the one who said that insult wasn’t me.

「Hey, Park Hye-mi. Did you just say ‘bullshit’ to me?」

Hye-mi had arrived at some point and was sitting in the chair in front of me, resting her chin on the backrest and watching us.

「Yeah, I did. There are plenty of women in the world who would take a virtuous man, so why is a guy reaching for that and talking bullshit?」

Hye-mi, who had shut Gyeong-ho’s mouth, looked at me and beamed.

「Our Yeo-reum is good at tying ties, too. Do you cook? Noona’s dream is to support a virtuous and modest groom. How about it? Do you want to marry Noona?」