By Zephyria 
My head tingled briefly from the familiar body warmth I felt when we were pressed together in the hotel, but I managed to keep my expression outwardly indifferent.
“That’s good.”
Once I pressed the bandage firmly in place, a dinosaur character now sat plumply on the tip of his index finger.
The design, which would have suited a child’s finger, looked oddly misplaced on the senior’s long, straight finger, creating a strange sense of dissonance that made it even cuter.
Only then did Haon remember the banana milk he had entrusted to Cha Jeong-won.
He reached out his hand, and Jeong-won gave him the banana milk.
Haon took out the straw he had brought along in his pocket. As he tried to tear the straw wrapper but kept fumbling, Jeong-won made a move to leave.
“Why won’t this open?”
Haon naturally blocked his path, pretending to walk, and finally managed to tear the straw open.
He stabbed the straw deep into the banana milk. The lid, sturdier than expected, resisted once before making a small sound and bending inward.
Haon, who had watched the yellow milk rise slightly up the straw due to the momentary pressure, immediately handed it to Jeong-won.
“Have some.”
Jeong-won remained still, showing no intention of taking it.
“Didn’t you want something to drink? But milk is better than soda, right?”
“No, thanks.”
A brief refusal came back.
I know he didn’t sleep well, but his tone wasn’t exactly gentle.
It was similar yesterday, but today it’s even worse.
It’s not like I’m asking him to be affectionate just because we broke up, but why is he being so cold?
“I’m fine now.”
Haon responded immediately.
“It’s a bit lukewarm, but banana milk tastes better when it’s lukewarm.”
Even then, when Jeong-won didn’t take it, Haon pushed it further forward.
“You’ve been giving blood since this morning, so you must be feeling off. Wouldn’t it be better to start with something sweet? Drink it. I took care of your hand, so you take care of your mood.”
A brief silence followed his words. Jeong-won looked down once more at his right hand with the dinosaur band-aid, then took the milk with his left hand.
He just held it quietly, but with Haon staring blankly, he reluctantly took a sip. Perhaps because it was sweet, he briefly scrunched his face before returning to his usual blunt expression.
“You drank from it, so it’s yours now.”
Jeong-won remained still for a moment before spitting out, “If I drink from it, it’s all mine?”
At Jeong-won’s reply, Haon looked at the banana milk.
“Should we share it?”
He retorted, thinking, ‘Can’t you finish this by yourself?’ Jeong-won furrowed his brows, then put the straw in his mouth. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily, and the speed at which the banana milk decreased was no joke.
Haon felt oddly proud and let out a laugh.
Then, not forgetting, he added a nagging remark.
“Be careful with your right hand today. If you need to write, use your index finger to hold the pen, and when eating something hot, always hold the bowl with your left hand.”
Anyone watching would think he’d wrapped it in a bandage.
Honestly, I wanted to write it for him myself. When he was with me, he never got hurt like this. Why does he keep getting hurt?
I wanted to ask if he got hurt when I wasn’t around, too.
“Exaggerated.”
Hearing this, Jeong-won also chimed in, and Haon shook his head as if that were absolutely impossible.
“When you get hurt, you should fuss over it that much.”
And he wanted to add that this was also a way of taking care of oneself, but he held back.
Jeong-won gave Haon a look that seemed to say his fussing was strange.
“I thought you’d just let it pass.”
As if he had eyes on his back.
“Huh? Class is about to start. Let’s hurry.”
Haon checked his wristwatch and waved at Jeong-won to hurry. A strong will to change the topic was evident.
But Jeong-won didn’t follow.
“Aren’t you coming?”
Even though Haon urged him to come instead of just standing there, Jeong-won only drank his milk. It would be nice if he’d just give a clear answer, but he didn’t show even a small gesture.
‘Is he telling me to go first?’
Haon tilted his head, then carefully grabbed the sleeve of Jeong-won’s shirt. Even though it wasn’t skin contact, he felt strangely more cautious, and the strength in his fingers naturally loosened.
Not pulling or holding, but at that ambiguous distance, Jeong-won briefly looked down at the hand before reluctantly moving, slowly taking a step.
The hesitation about whether to go together or not was evident in his gait.
“I can’t figure out your standards.”
“Ah, is it because we walked separately last week but are walking together again today?”
Jeong-won’s silence seemed to confirm the answer.
Originally, I wanted to walk a bit apart. But seeing Jeong-won injured, I couldn’t leave him.
He entered the building side by side with Haon. After walking a bit, Jeong-won spoke first.
“Seo-jun seems to like you.”
The question itself was calm, but there was a hint of wanting to confirm something.
Haon blinked once.
“Ah, Seo-jun? Yeah, he does like me.”
Only after giving this unmodest reply did a question arise. Wouldn’t it be faster to ask Cha Seo-jun himself?
“Then he’d tell you even more not to come near me.”
“Ah…….”
He reacted without thinking.
If he had just stayed quiet, he could have pretended not to have heard such a thing. But now he couldn’t.
“Did I say ‘near’ or ‘behind’? But what does that matter? What’s important is that we’re in the same grade.”
No matter what he said, it was a given that he was walking with Jeong-won.
So he brushed it off with a nonchalant reaction.
Wouldn’t it be nice if his seemingly indifferent yet considerate demeanor warmed Jeong-won’s heart?
“You’re good at indirectly saying you’re contrary.”
Haon pouted.
“I don’t know why Seo-jun came up all of a sudden, but don’t worry about it. And if we’re being precise, Seo-jun is closer to Hyun-gyu than to me.”
Even though he knew Jeong-won’s gaze had fallen on his face, Haon didn’t look back. So he didn’t realize the meaning behind that gaze.
“Sometimes Hyun-gyu introduces part-time jobs to me. Once, I worked at a cram school, and Seo-jun attended it. That’s why he’s closer to Hyun-gyu.”
“If that’s what you think, then I guess so.”
“But I never would’ve guessed Seo-jun was your cousin. I found that pretty interesting.”
Jeong-won let out a short breath.
“Is that a coincidence, too?”
Haon chuckled.
“If coincidences keep piling up like this, you should start suspecting something.”
Of course, he knew all of this was a coincidence.
So now things will flow according to the original story!
His tone was so composed it was almost irritating.
Jeong-won turned his head very slightly.
The look in his eyes as he glanced at Haon’s profile seemed to hold a lingering trace of unresolved suspicion.
“What is it? Don’t tell me…….”
Realizing the meaning behind that look, Haon exclaimed in surprise.
“No, it’s not me.”
“How do you know what I’m thinking?”
“It’s not because I have lingering feelings for you that I approached you. Seo-jun is truly a coincidence.”
Jeong-won remained silent. He didn’t even tell him not to joke, which only flustered Haon more.
I didn’t mention lingering feelings with this intention, but now it seems like I really do have them.
Actually, I can’t say I have none at all……
As his own feelings became increasingly tangled, Haon tightly closed his mouth.
Then, as if he remembered something to say, he abruptly blocked Jeong-won’s path.
“You know you’re popular, right?”
“What.”
The sudden shift in direction made Jeong-won pause.
Haon nodded with a slightly suppressed smile.
“You know it well yourself, so that’s why you said that to me, right?”
When Jeong-won didn’t particularly deny it, Haon took the silence as an answer and nodded to himself.
“Well, why wouldn’t you know? The person involved knows best.”
Once the words started flowing, they poured out in Haon’s usual manner.
“You know the chat room went crazy when they heard you were returning to school? Some asked how many years it had been, and there were so many people who said they’d been dying to see you.”
A look unique to someone at a loss for words flashed across Jeong-won’s face.
His lips seemed about to speak but stopped.
“If you have something to say, say it. It’s not like we’re strangers.”
Haon lightly pressed his shoulder against Jeong-won’s, then pulled away.
Originally, he should have bumped into him lightly, but even that felt cautious, almost like a mere touch.
Somehow, the spot they touched felt warm. Maybe I’m just being overly sensitive?
“I…….”
Jeong-won forced his lips apart but couldn’t continue. Then, as if trying to change the topic like Haon had, the shape of his lips changed.
“My mo……”
“Hold on.”
A vibration rang from his pocket, and Haon abruptly stopped walking.
After checking the name on his phone screen, he raised his hand as if asking for Jeong-won’s understanding.
“It’s Hyun-gyu.”
As soon as he pressed the call button, Kim Hyun-gyu’s voice poured out.
[Hey, why aren’t you here? It’s almost full.]
“I’ll be right there.”
Haon answered with a slight nod.
“Is that why you called?”
[Hey, you want a part-time job?]
58 – NOT 58