Formless Chapter 37

Heewoon held the paper cup in one hand and looked around. The house was so large that finding a trash can was difficult. Gangwoo, who glanced at Heewoon, naturally took the paper cup from Heewoon’s hand. “Sit on the sofa.” Releasing the hand he was holding, he went towards the kitchen.

“Sunbae, what would you like to drink?”

“…Um, if there’s water….”

“Is there a house that doesn’t have water?”

Hearing his playful voice, Heewoon cleared his throat.

A moment later, Gangwoo returned with a glass. Most of the drinking vessels in Seo Gangwoo’s house were glass cups. Heewoon carefully took the cup, anxious that his hand might slip and drop it. He didn’t know for sure, but he suspected they might be expensive, and ever since he saw someone hit a person’s head with a cup like this, his actions became more careful around glass.

“How is your mother?”

Gangwoo asked. Heewoon looked down at the ripples on the surface of the water, took a sip, and then opened his mouth.

“I think she’s doing well.”

The awkward words came out quite smoothly. Gangwoo nodded and looked out the window. The trees outside, swaying slightly, were dropping their fallen leaves. Heewoon watched Gangwoo briefly and then started to speak.

“Um, Gangwoo….”

However, he froze with his mouth open. The word that was about to escape was ‘thank you.’ He had been about to say thank you to that Seo Gangwoo.

Gangwoo, who turned his head to look at Heewoon, tilted his head sideways. His gaze landed on Heewoon’s parted lips. The tip of his tongue was slightly visible.

“I knew you were secretly eager.”

“Huh?”

“It’s alright. I quite like it.”

Gangwoo raised the corners of his mouth and strongly pulled Heewoon’s arm. Because Heewoon practically fell into Gangwoo’s arms, almost floating in midair, he dropped the glass cup he was holding.

Pasak (shattering sound), the glass cup shattered into pieces. Gangwoo paid no attention. Only when Heewoon kept glancing at the floor and couldn’t concentrate did Gangwoo pull his lips away and look down at the floor.

And then he collided their lips again. As if commanding him to concentrate, Gangwoo bit his lower lip hard and stood up, holding Heewoon in his arms.

Gangwoo walked steadily out of the living room. Heewoon wrapped his arms around Gangwoo’s neck and kept his eyes on the broken cup.

The fine glass shards reflected the lavish light fixtures on the ceiling, sparkling dazzlingly. Heewoon thought that was a bit strange.

That it sparkled even more brightly when broken than when it held its complete form.

8.

His mother was discharged a week later. It was a long hospitalization period compared to the average person. However, his mother seemed slightly more energetic than before. Although she occasionally worried about the hospital fees, she generally seemed to like hospital life.

Heewoon couldn’t quite understand it. He hated the hospital. To be precise, he hated the bed his mother was lying in and the patient gown she was wearing. Seeing his mother looking accustomed to the white bed and the patient gown made his heart feel chillingly parched.

“Did you pay the bill? It must have been expensive.”

“No. Look. It wasn’t as much as we thought.”

His mother continued to look worried. Heewoon deliberately changed the subject.

“Why don’t you seem happy that we’re going home?”

When he playfully rolled his eyes, his mother laughed and shook her head.

“I am happy. Why wouldn’t I be? Hospitals are places for sick people.”

Heewoon nodded.

“Mom isn’t sick. You should go home.”

His mother murmured as if to herself.

Heewoon couldn’t understand the faint gloom that appeared on her face.

🧸

Lately, Heewoon slept well. Contrary to his worries, his mother’s biopsy results showed no problems at all, and perhaps because he was eating meals properly, he had gained some weight. Although he often spent time with Seo Gangwoo, he was able to live a much more relaxed life than before. He wasn’t rushed when doing assignments, and he frequently went to cafes.

When sitting in a cafe, opening his laptop, and working on assignments leisurely, all the misfortunes he had experienced sometimes felt like a dream. He felt like he wasn’t much different from the other college students sitting next to him.

“Excuse me….”

Someone tapped his shoulder, startling Heewoon, and he removed his earphones.

Heewoon was currently at a cafe near school that he frequented lately. He had come to work on an assignment but was just playing around without writing a single line. He tried to research materials but stumbled upon a video completely unrelated to the assignment and had been watching it for an hour already.

“Please take this.”

A familiar part-time female worker placed a plate on Heewoon’s table. It was honey bread topped with a tall swirl of whipped cream. Heewoon stared blankly at it, then raised his head and asked curiously.

“Why?”

“Ah… this is, um, I made it wrong by mistake… so I’m giving it to you. S-since you come here often!”

The woman stammered, blushing. Heewoon’s eyes widened.

“Ah, thank you!”

His habit of liking free things hadn’t gone away. A small smile appeared on Heewoon’s face. The woman’s mouth gaped slightly open. She had always thought he was a fair-skinned and handsome person, but this was truly….

“Tomorrow too! I will definitely give you something tomorrow too.”

Heewoon gave her a puzzled look, seeing the part-time worker speak urgently. Then she corrected herself with a flustered expression.

“That is to say… if I make a mistake by accident.”

“Yes. But if you do that tomorrow too, please share it with the other people.”

“Ah….”

“There’s a CCTV camera there, what if the Owner sees?”

Heewoon glanced at the CCTV camera in the corner of the cafe. His face clearly showed that he was worried about being noticed. The part-time worker covered her mouth, thinking she was about to groan. I need to quickly go inside and tell the others how cute he was.

“It’s okay. That one is fake.”

“Pardon?”

“Enjoy your meal!”

The part-time worker rushed back behind the counter. Heewoon watched her wrap her arms around a colleague and stamp her feet, then looked at the CCTV camera attached to the ceiling. It’s fake. There are still places that put up fake ones nowadays.

Thinking it was strange, Heewoon pushed his laptop back slightly and pulled the plate closer. Once I finish the bread, I really need to do the assignment. Heewoon resolved, putting on his earphones.

To summarize, Heewoon barely managed to write a single paragraph by the time Gangwoo arrived. Still, since the deadline was a week away, Heewoon closed his laptop without regret.

“Are you done?”

“I can do it later.”

Gangwoo, sitting across from him, nodded. His gaze rested on the empty coffee cup and the two stacked plates.

“You ate so much before dinner.”

“Ah. One of them the part-time worker gave me, saying she made a mistake.”

Gangwoo raised an eyebrow, so Heewoon added an explanation. He relayed exactly what she said: that she made a mistake and gave it to him because he was a regular customer.

“So. And you gladly took it and ate it?”

“Huh? Uh huh….”

Gangwoo’s tone suddenly became sarcastic, making Heewoon roll his eyes awkwardly.

Gangwoo suddenly turned his head and looked towards the counter. His eyes met directly with the part-time worker, who happened to be looking their way. Gangwoo’s mouth twitched slightly. After watching her for a moment longer, Gangwoo turned his head back.

He said calmly,

“It would be best if you didn’t come here starting tomorrow.”

Gangwoo was about to add more, but Heewoon was faster.

“Yes. I won’t come.”

Heewoon, who answered without asking for a reason, simply had an innocent face. The way he blinked at Gangwoo was submissive.

“This is a place you often came to. Are you sure it’s okay?”

Gangwoo asked in an subtle voice.

“It’s okay.”

When Heewoon nodded, the corners of Gangwoo’s mouth slowly curled up. He reached out his hand and stroked Heewoon’s hair.

Heewoon put his laptop into his bag and put on his outerwear. He first put on a thick hooded zip-up and then a loose-fitting jacket over it.

The padded jacket he took out last night was completely flattened and not warm at all. So, he ended up layering two autumn clothes. Last year, it was still wearable somehow. That was unfortunate.

Heewoon glanced at Gangwoo. Layered in a thin mock neck shirt and a beige knit sweater, he was dressed comfortably and neatly. The jacket he held in his hand was also not very thick. He was very different from Heewoon, who was layered bulkily because he hated the cold.

People in the department used to say that Seo Gangwoo liked luxury goods. That’s why Heewoon couldn’t describe how happy he was after finding out about Gangwoo’s magnificent mansion. Unlike the people who were merely guessing whether Seo Gangwoo’s luxury wallet or watch was just showing off, or if he was truly rich, only he knew the answer.

He loved knowing a fact that the people in the department didn’t know.

Now Heewoon also knew another fact. That Seo Gangwoo made an effort to be less conspicuous when he came to school.

He drives a Korean car, not a foreign car with a chauffeur, and the watch he wears is different. Heewoon saw that the watches in the dressing room were divided into two categories, and he guessed they were probably for school and for everything else. In other words, the watches that the department people whispered about as luxury goods were the cheapest kind Seo Gangwoo owned.

Heewoon looked at Gangwoo’s wrist, which wore a brown leather watch, and put on his scarf. Gangwoo watched Heewoon loosely tying the scarf in front so it wouldn’t slide off, then chuckled softly.

“Are you cold?”

“I feel like I will be.”

Heewoon replied softly. He had gained a little confidence after seeing a few people wearing scarves on the bus this morning. Actually, the weather had suddenly warmed up again since yesterday, so only older people were wearing scarves.

“Let’s go.”

Heewoon moved sideways to exit between the tables. However, perhaps because his body was clumsy from wearing layers of clothes, he accidentally knocked over a cup.

“Ah….”

Fortunately, only about a mouthful was left, so only a few drops fell onto the floor. Heewoon wiped the table with a napkin and also wiped the floor. Then he placed the empty cup and plate on the tray and put it on the pickup stand.

Gangwoo watched Heewoon’s back, then shifted his gaze to the part-time worker. She was still looking at Heewoon. Hmm…. Gangwoo rubbed his chin, making a sound in his throat.

“It’s all because of you, Sunbae.”

Gangwoo, who was staring intently at the part-time worker, abruptly said to Heewoon, who had approached him.

“W-what is?”

“It makes me want to do unnecessary things. Even though it’s not worth the trouble.”

“Uh huh….”