By Zephyria 
‘If the rumors are all true, Darling is supposed to be the son of some loan shark, drinks and smokes, uses nicotine patches, and is a piece of trash who’s dating about three people at once.’
At the terrifying content, Yeon-jun let out a small, involuntary chuckle.
‘Funny, right? He was only in eighth grade back then. Seriously, middle schoolers are scary…’
Shaking his head with a reminiscent look, he rested his chin on his hand and continued. But, in truth, I knew about those rumors vaguely. There was just so much talk. Since he was the type who didn’t talk about himself much and was quiet, things got exaggerated.
‘I mean, do you believe those rumors too? I told him, of course, that I thought they were ridiculous.’
‘….’
‘He said he figured I’d think that. Then he said he just approached me first because he wanted to get close to me. That there was no one else in class he liked. That if it weren’t for me, he’d have to eat school lunch alone. Because he really didn’t want to eat with the other boys in our class… and it’s not like he could just wedge himself into the cliques of girls. That’s roughly how it went.’
‘….’
‘Then he asked me. He thought we were on speaking terms in his own way, and wondered if it had just been his imagination. Ah, we were in the same class in seventh grade too. Since we were classmates, we naturally knew each other to some extent. There was even a time when we sat next to each other.’
‘….’
‘I didn’t know he viewed me that way. That we were “on speaking terms.” I thought he barely noticed my existence.’
Hearing up to that point, a question arose in Yeon-jun’s mind. As he listened, he felt his own heart fluttering for some reason. Even he, who was only hearing this second-hand, was overwhelmed by these emotions, so the person actually involved must have…
Perhaps that “what if” thought leaked out unconsciously. Catching a glimpse of Yeon-jun’s expression, Hyeon-ji burst into a twisted laugh as if it were absurd.
‘Wow. You really are a funny kid.’
‘…Me?’
‘Who else would it be? That serious look on your face just now was exactly it. “He acted like that, and she didn’t like him?”’
‘….’
Having been hit right on the mark, Yeon-jun just blinked silently. How did she know?
It was a belated realization that he was particularly bad at hiding his expressions.
Yeon-jun continued to think seriously. He was someone who denied the saying that there are no friendships between men and women, and he actually had close friends of the opposite sex, but this was just too… wasn’t this a blatantly guilty trajectory?
If it had been him, he thinks he would have liked him.
Park Hyeon-ji answered readily.
‘Exactly. How could I not like him?’
‘….’
‘Eun-ha was my first love.’
‘….’
‘Ahaha. This is really funny. Relax your face. That was middle school, middle school. You don’t think I still feel that way, do you?’
‘…You don’t?’
‘Of course not.’
Making a face of disgust as if he were talking nonsense, Hyeon-ji added lightly in passing that the boy had become too precious to her to choose a relationship that would only end in a breakup.
Yeon-jun nodded, but soon felt a bitter taste in his mouth. It was ironic that he, himself, was in a relationship with Eun-ha that would only end in a breakup—or rather, a relationship that had already ended.
Of course, he didn’t mention it to Hyeon-ji. It was merely a temporary problem that would eventually be resolved.
‘…But is it okay to tell me things like this?’
‘Everyone knows the story anyway.’
‘Everyone? Even Eun-ha Hyung?’
‘Right? Obviously. Since I confessed and got rejected. And that story still comes up whenever we drink. Because Gu Hae-bin spread it everywhere. It’ll be drinking snack material for life.’
Lamenting, Park Hyeon-ji wrinkled her nose. Starting from there, a stream of trivial gossip about Gu Hae-bin followed. Yeon-jun responded appropriately while keeping his eyes on Hyeon-ji. Next, he thought of Eun-ha’s old friends, including Hae-bin, and finally, he reflected on himself.
A person possessing an unknown magnetism.
It was then that Yeon-jun, who had been staring blankly at the screen lost in thought, suddenly focused his gaze. After a brief moment of hesitation, he sat up in bed and gripped his phone. He sent a message.
One week. He thought this was a sufficient grace period.
I miss you.
I’ll be waiting in front of your house.
He fell asleep while waiting.
It was around four in the morning when Eun-ha discovered him.
As he usually did when he was alone, he had been staring blankly at the TV screen, unable to sleep, before opening the front door thinking Yeon-jun had probably gone home. There, he found Yeon-jun asleep, leaning against the hallway wall right next to the door.
When the top of the head, buried deep in a hoodie, first entered his sight, he wondered what on earth this was.
The moment he grasped the situation, Eun-ha froze like someone hit in the head with a rock, then belatedly snapped out of it and crouched down. He urgently shook Yeon-jun awake. What are you doing right now? Why are you here? Are you crazy…? He muttered incessantly in his bewilderment.
Soon, Yeon-jun tossed his head and slowly lifted his eyelids. As soon as he met the eyes revealed through the narrow slit, Eun-ha asked sharply.
“Why are you doing this here?”
“I told you I’d wait…”
“…No. Even so, you stayed here until this hour? You should have gone back if I didn’t come out after a while. Why…!”
Nagging the moment they met after a long time. Yeon-jun simply tilted his head, still groggy from sleep. Leaning into Eun-ha’s arm, he wrapped both arms around his torso. It was an unhesitating display of skinship.
“Because I missed you, Hyung.”
It was an unhesitating answer. As if they were still dating.
Eun-ha, who had frozen in place, barely managed to compose himself and grabbed Yeon-jun’s shoulders. He tried his best to push him away.
“…We broke up.”
“We never did.”
“What are you talking about…? A whole week has already passed.”
“Exactly. A whole week… I had such a hard time during that week.”
“….”
“We didn’t break up.”
“What are you even…”
“How can one person break up alone? We agreed to date when we started. Then shouldn’t we also agree to break up?”
“…So. You want to agree now?”
“No way, Hyung.”
“….”
“Didn’t you miss me for a week?”
“Please… why are you being like this.”
Criticizing the boy for being somewhat reckless, he pushed away the body entwining him with all his might. However, Yeon-jun didn’t budge at all. Just as Eun-ha began to frown at the obvious difference in strength.
“Why are you being like this, Hyung?”
“….”
“Did you suddenly start hating me?”
“….”
“Why can’t you answer?”
“….”
“Then why did you say let’s break up?”
His tone was more grumbling than usual. Like someone who was slightly sulking.
Eun-ha maintained his silence. As the silence lengthened, the body in his arms, which had been stiff, gradually relaxed. Yeon-jun let out a faint sigh and, half-giving up on being pushed away, hugged the now-lethargic body even deeper.
“At least tell me the reason.”
“….”
“If it’s a convincing reason, I’ll break up.”
These were words spoken under the judgment that there could be no convincing reason. And immediately, Yeon-jun felt a hesitation that was impossible to miss. It happened the moment he said, ‘I’ll break up.’
As he loosened his grip slightly and looked up, he saw eyes that were deeply sunken and faintly trembling. Like someone whose heart had momentarily dropped.
Yeon-jun smiled bitterly to himself. This was exactly why there could be no convincing reason. He showed such obvious instability just at the mention of a breakup; how much rational judgment could possibly be involved in this current turmoil?
“…If I tell you the reason. Will you stop?”