Chapter 22

Chapter 22

After class, Doyeon and Hyunoh walked toward the break room where Kangbin was obviously inside. They could hear his resounding laughter all the way out in the corridor.

“Having fun?” Doyeon asked as he plopped down next to Kangbin.

Hyunoh sat across from him, but he had a piece of paper and was correcting things and checking numbers. Doyeon peered over only to find Hyunoh’s time chart with his tutoring schedule and daily schedule laid out.

“Wow, you’re busy.”

“Yeah,” Hyunoh agreed with a tired nod.

Doyeon took his paper away and skimmed it. Hyunoh’s life was packed to the brim, even though it was summer break. In fact, he was definitely busier than usual. He had tutoring center classes until 9 P.M., self-studying at the library into the night, and some more things he planned to do before the tutoring center class that started early in the morning. He had broken down the hours into eating time, snack time, and game time, too.

“Didn’t we do this for homework before break? I think I wrote a daily planner out and stuck to it for like, two days,” Kangbin exclaimed as he looked at the schedule with Doyeon.

Doyeon agreed.

“I stuck to everything exactly how I planned it,” Hyunoh said.

“Really? Down to the hour? Including what time you’ll sleep, what time you’ll eat, and what time you’ll study? You stuck to all of that?”

“Yup.”

“Wow... you’re amazing,” Doyeon raised a thumb.

“I get annoyed when things don’t go as I planned.”

Doyeon felt the clear difference between them once more. He scratched his neck. “I do plan things, but I don’t do it as detailed as you. Isn’t it hard to stick to such a detailed plan?”

Kangbin leaned on Doyeon’s shoulder by propping his arm on it and laughed.

“Right, see, Doyeon’s always optimistic. If it works, it works, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. He’s been like that for a long time. He seems like he has stuff planned out but he doesn’t have anything planned out.”

“Dude, you’re heavy.”

“In middle school, all he wrote in his planner was ‘breathing time’ and ‘sleeping time’ and slept all through the break. I thought he was dead.”

“You’re choking me,” Doyeon protested, moving his shoulders to shuffle Kangbin’s heavy arm off. But Kangbin only wrangled his neck into a chokehold, making it harder to breathe.

“Dude, get…off. Damn...it!”

“Darling, is my love suffocating you?”

Doyeon shoved Kangbin’s face away with both of his hands. He was such a leech, he didn’t fall off.

Hyunoh’s blank expression stared at them as they fought, including how close their faces got as Kangbin’s arm wrangled Doyeon’s face closer.

Sunwoo laughed next to Hyunoh. “Aw, are the lovebirds fighting? Goodness, it’s such beautiful love.”

Hyunoh’s gaze turned on Sunwoo. It was unnaturally cold, but Sunwoo only shook his feet.

“You know, when I first saw those two together, I thought they were too different to get along. But now and then I see how they get along so well. Don’t you?”

“I don’t know. I can’t tell,” Hyunoh said in a monotone manner. He picked up his things and stood up. When the chair screeched back, Kangbin and Doyeon immediately stopped flapping around and turned to him.

“Where are you going? It’s still break time.”

“Class,” Hyunoh answered and left.

Doyeon stood up from his seat. He was taking the same class as Hyunoh anyway, so it was better to get back to class at the same time. When he left the break room, he found Hyunoh’s huge back in the corridor.

“Hey, Hyunoh! Wait!”

Hyunoh glanced back but didn’t say a word. Instead, he started walking a little slower to match Doyeon’s pace.

“Do you have something planned? Let me see your schedule.”

“No.”

“No?” Doyeon smiled awkwardly. He had noticed Hyunoh was in a poor mood for a while, and he wanted to know why, but he didn’t want to ask either.

Doyeon sat down and continued to glance at Hyunoh’s schedule.

“Why don’t you study at home? I thought you’d get private tutoring. You know, those tutors that cost 3,000,000 won per session? The intense ones?”

“Why should I?”

“What?”

“I’m here right now, so why are you asking? Do you want me to get private tutoring at home?” Hyunoh asked coldly.

Doyeon hesitated. The first question that came to mind was what had got up Hyunoh’s sensitive rear end again, but Hyunoh had always been a sensitive, stuck-up bastard, so he didn’t bother.

I’m nicer, so…

“No, I’m just wondering why you’re attending the same tutoring center as everyone else.”

“I was told I have to be in the same space as others to compete.”

“Compete? Who said that?”

“My dad.”

Hyunoh shoved his schedule in his bag and spoke fleetingly, “And I like being outside more than staying home.”

Like being outside more than home? Doyeon recalled Hyunoh’s humongous mansion. If I lived in such a place, I would never leave it…

Hyunoh must have something going on that he can’t tell others, Doyeon reasoned. He focused back on class.

* * *

It was summer break, but there was nothing special happening. He woke up and went to the tutoring center instead of school.

There was nothing different about vacation time. If there was a difference, it was that Hyunoh’s clothes changed every single day, and outside of school uniforms, Hyunoh shined in everything he wore. He was the kind of person who attracted people’s gazes by being in a shirt and knee-length shorts. Not only was he born with a gifted physical stature, but he seemed to mind his fashion, because everything he wore so carelessly was from expensive brands.

Of course, Sunwoo was the one who told him that Hyunoh’s everything was from expensive brands. Doyeon had no clue to begin with.

“I’m going ahead. Have fun with class!” Doyeon waved at Hyunoh.

Doyeon left for the library at five after class, while Hyunoh went to a different tutoring center and arrived at the same library at nine.

“Take this,” Hyunoh said as he held out a small bag. Doyeon grabbed it, knowing it was a packed meal with sandwiches and fruit. They were snacks the housekeeping aunty probably made at Hyunoh’s house.

“Thanks, I love them.”

“Yeah, see you later.” Hyunoh climbed into a car parked nearby.

Doyeon went to the library near the tutoring center and ate the food Hyunoh gave him in a different room. It was as delicious as ever.

Hyunoh had only started to give him packed dinner a week into their classes together when he had suddenly asked…

“Do you eat dinner before walking over to the library?”

“Yeah, at the convenience store.”

Doyeon didn’t want to ask his mom to pack him a meal when she was already so busy, but that didn’t mean he could pack something from home, either.

“What do you usually eat?”

“Those triangle kimbaps or ramyeon.”

“That’s enough for dinner?”

“Yeah, I can eat more when I get home anyway.”

Immediately the next day, Hyunoh began giving him packed meals.

“What the hell? What’s with the bag?”

“Snacks.”

“But it’s yours.”

“I have mine. I just asked the aunty at home to make yours too when making mine.”

“Oh...”

“Just give me the empty box in the library when you’re done.”

“Huh...”

“It’s not sympathy or charity, so shut the heck up in advance, thanks.”

Doyeon ended up laughing at Hyunoh’s playful tone. It reminded him of when they’d fought over sympathy and making him feel like a charity case, but things were different now. These days, he accepted whatever Hyunoh gave him. He was rich! It didn’t matter.

Simplifying his thoughts made everything so easy, he sometimes wondered why he’d felt so aggravated about Hyunoh’s actions in the past.

Doyeon munched through the food as he took a picture of its contents and texted it to Hyunoh.

[Me: It’s amazing today too. I applaud myself for becoming ur friend]

[Hyunoh Gong: If you know, be nicer to me]

Hyunoh’s reply was too quick, as though he had been waiting.

Wasn’t he supposed to be in class? Doyeon felt confused, but he dismissed the question and finished the food. He tidied it up and stacked it back inside the bag.

He was definitely blessed with amazing friends.

* * *

The next day, on a Saturday at noon, Doyeon struggled to get up and check the clock.

“Shoot!”

The moment he saw the time, he ran into the bathroom. He washed and brushed his teeth in minutes and rushed out of his house.

Ten! It was already ten in the morning! He promised to meet Hyunoh to do their advanced class homework together at ten! He must have turned off the alarm in his sleep.

Doyeon sprinted out of the alley while calling Hyunoh, and he picked up the phone in a few rings.

“Yeah?”

“It’s me! Sorry, but I think I’ll be late. I’m really sorry! I’m on my way, like, right now.”

“‘Kay.”

“I’m seriously super sorry!”

“I get it.”

Hyunoh’s voice was calm despite Doyeon’s heavy, flustered shouting, which only scared him further. He knew how down-to-the-minute Hyunoh planned his day and how exact he was with his time.

He was the kind of person who planned his breaks down to the minute, so Doyeon couldn’t imagine how annoyed he would be with someone late to a promised meeting. Hyunoh even set aside time to game!

“Crap, he’s going to be so mad,” Doyeon panted as he waited for the light to turn green.

He could see the café on the other side of the street. Hyunoh was reading a book by the window, which only urged Doyeon on more as he jumped from one foot to another. When the green light turned on, he sprinted across the crossing and jumped into the café. He found a large back sitting next to the window.

“Dude! Sorry, I’m here!” He panted as he approached him.

Hyunoh looked up from his workbook with a surprised look. Then, he pointed at the seat across from him.

“Why did you sprint here?”

“Haaa—haa, I... was late... to our meeting... Guh... I can’t breathe—Sorry dude...”

Doyeon fanned himself. The AC wasn’t enough to cool down the heat on his face. When he kept fanning himself, Hyunoh began to fan him with his workbook.

“You should have walked here. It’s hot outside.”