Formless Chapter 57

Gangwoo paused in the middle of his sentence. Heewoon, who had been intently watching the tablet PC screen, lifted his head. His round pupils shone.

Gangwoo, frowning slightly, stood up as he was and pressed their lips together. Heewoon, sitting in the chair, had his head tilted back. Gangwoo’s hands, which had been cupping his cheeks, delved into the back of his head.

“Hnngh…”

Heewoon let out a groan like a sigh and grabbed Gangwoo’s arm. Gangwoo kissed him lightly on the lips and, as if to give him time to breathe, slowly licked only his lower lip. But he soon pushed the tip of his tongue through the gap between his lips.

When the tips of their tongues met and rubbed against each other, a thrilling sensation vibrated below his chest. His body relaxed languidly, and every time their lips parted, a sigh would escape.

What stopped Gangwoo, who was about to press his lips against his slowly blinking eyes and kiss him again, was a knock on the door. Gangwoo turned back, glanced at the door, and then lowered his head as if he didn’t care.

“The door’s opening…”

As Heewoon, with his dazed eyes, pulled on Gangwoo’s arm, Gangwoo let out a sigh and pulled Heewoon’s head into a hug. His nose was pressed against a hard stomach, and Heewoon squirmed, but he couldn’t escape the hand pressing on the back of his head.

“Leave it there.”

Gangwoo said, covering Heewoon’s face. The housekeeper bowed her head slightly and placed the snacks on the desk. Only after she closed the door and left did Gangwoo let go of Heewoon’s head.

Heewoon gasped for air, as he had been suffocating. His hair, which had been neat, became messy from the static electricity generated by rubbing against Gangwoo’s stomach.

Gangwoo slowly stroked Heewoon’s head. Tilting his head, he studied the slightly flushed face and muttered.

“Still lewd.”

His face was red because he had been suffocating just now. Heewoon swallowed the words he wanted to say. Gangwoo, who had lightly brushed Heewoon’s cheek with the back of his hand, pushed the slightly displaced chair back into its original position.

“Study.”

And then, as if nothing had happened, he sat down in his own seat and went back to work.

Heewoon decided not to glance at Gangwoo anymore. He pressed the power button on his laptop and pulled the tray of snacks closer.

Although his concentration was often broken by Seo Gangwoo’s presence beside him, he managed to watch one lecture to the end. As he was rolling his stiff neck, a short vibration came from his phone. Since KakaoTalk was on silent, it seemed to be a text message.

[…1st Semester Tuition Payment Period…]

He had forgotten. The tuition payment period was for three days starting today. It was also from today that he could check if he had received a scholarship.

Heewoon glanced at Gangwoo, who was concentrating on his work, and then went to the school’s homepage. He clenched and unclenched his fists in nervousness. He knew the chances were low because two of his subjects were A0, but he couldn’t give up.

Holding his breath, he clicked on the payment notice. His pupils moved quickly from left to right.

“…”

Heewoon swallowed the sigh that was about to escape. In the end, he didn’t get the scholarship. After the national scholarship, he had to pay a little over 1 million won in tuition.

However, he felt very different from the last semester. Last time, he had resented himself for choosing a school with unnecessarily expensive tuition and had considered taking a leave of absence due to the overwhelming feeling.

Now… he felt it was a pity, but there was nothing he could do.

Seo Gangwoo had sent him money this month as well. Thanks to Gangwoo occasionally giving him cash for taxi fares, the money left over after sending money to his mom and the loan shark had steadily accumulated. He now had about 8 million won in his bank account. Even if he spent 1 million won of that, he would still have plenty left.

It was a relief that he didn’t have to get a student loan. If it weren’t for Seo Gangwoo, it would have been really tough…

“Tuition?”

Heewoon was so startled he almost jumped out of his chair.

“What are you so surprised about.”

Gangwoo said with a laugh and pulled Heewoon’s chair closer. Heewoon was surprised not just because Gangwoo had suddenly spoken to him. It was because he realized the thought he was having was absurd.

Or, on the contrary, that the thought was an undeniable, clear fact.

“I’m graduating now, so what are you going to do, sunbae.”

As Gangwoo pulled the chair closer, their knees barely touched.

There had been a time when he had resolved to just wait for Seo Gangwoo to graduate. Heewoon smiled awkwardly, trying to humor Gangwoo. Gangwoo looked down at Heewoon’s face from an angle and asked in an affectionate voice.

“Do you think you can manage on your own?”

“…”

When Heewoon remained silent, at a loss for words, Gangwoo stroked the back of his head. He twirled the short hair at the nape of his neck with his fingers and sighed.

“I worry too much.”

“…I’ve always managed fine on my own.”

“Then I’m glad.”

The fingers on the back of his neck kept bothering the short hair. Even as Heewoon shrank his neck, Gangwoo followed and looked at the laptop.

“Why are you looking at this so seriously?”

“Ah… because I didn’t get the scholarship.”

As his fingers slid slowly down from behind his ear, he got goosebumps on his arm. Heewoon pressed down on his arm and looked at the laptop screen.

“You can pay the tuition with a card.”

“Huh?”

Heewoon turned his head to look at Gangwoo. Gangwoo also looked at Heewoon and said.

“Just in case you didn’t know.”

Heewoon stared blankly at Gangwoo’s slightly smiling face, then turned his gaze back to the laptop screen. He saw a seven-digit number. It seemed even amounts in the millions of won were fine with Seo Gangwoo. But why was he doing so much for him? While he couldn’t understand it, a small excitement was bubbling up from deep within.

What else could he do with the card? There were his mom’s regular hospital bills, and oh right, he still hadn’t gotten a proper gift for his aunt. He hadn’t even been able to visit her during the holidays because he was being watched. It would be nice to send her a gift to make up for it. And if he used the card as much as possible for groceries, maybe his mom could save up too. Then how much more money could they save?

The part of his brain that calculated money was spinning unusually fast.

🧸

Gangwoo stood in front of the pond, his eyes on a few goldfish, before he started walking. His steps on the stepping stones were slow. He also looked up at the blue sky visible above the pitch-black roof tiles and thought that the weather was quite warm today. Even in this weather, Woo Heewoon would probably be wearing several layers of clothes.

The elegant traditional Korean house was his grandfather’s home. Unless it was an official occasion, Gangwoo’s family gathered together for a meal twice a year, around the holidays, and today was that day.

“Gangwoo, you’re here.”

An old man with a straight back and a sturdy build was standing on the wooden porch. He didn’t look like he had turned seventy last year. Gangwoo bowed his waist respectfully. The old man came down from the porch and patted Gangwoo’s back heavily.

They went to the separate building in the back. The rather large annex with a huge window was the most recently built and was used only for meals.

The seats were still empty. It was as expected. The other family members, as if they were uncomfortable in this house, would arrive exactly on time and leave in a hurry after the meal was over.

Gangwoo and his grandfather drank tea in silence. The two of them didn’t engage in friendly conversation unless it was about work.

Gangwoo felt the warmth of the teacup and watched the yellow sunlight shattering on the glass window. On a day like today, it would be nice to go see the sunset.

“We’re here.”

Gangwoo turned his head toward the voice that came from the door. It was his father and his wife. His stepmother, in her early forties, smiled warmly when her eyes met Gangwoo’s.

“Gangwoo, you were here first.”

“Yes. Have you been well?”

When Gangwoo smiled, his eyes curving, his stepmother added a few more words, saying he looked well. Gangwoo chatted with her with a smiling face. His father cleared his throat and sat down to the left of his grandfather.

After that, his two older brothers and his aunt’s family came in. The meal began, and like any other family, they talked. In fact, except for Gangwoo and his grandfather, they met quite often. Because they all worked for the same company.

Gangwoo occasionally chatted with his stepmother and ate neatly. The old man next to Gangwoo was eating without a word.

His grandfather was a man who did all sorts of illegal things. About twenty years ago, Gangwoo’s father grew sick of it. So he started his own business. A respectable business in the light, one that he wouldn’t be ashamed to present anywhere. It took exactly twenty years for the small food company to become a leading conglomerate.

It was only possible because his grandfather had cleaned up after him.

Gangwoo found it funny that he had taken all the help while despising what his grandfather did. And yet they pretend not to know, pretend to be so noble. Gangwoo slowly scanned the faces of his father, his brothers, his aunt, and his cousins, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

“Ahem, Gangwoo, are you learning the work well?”

His father, who had been quiet the whole time, opened his mouth. Gangwoo nodded.

“Yes.”

“It must be tough learning from the bottom up. You’re doing well.”

“It’s just for a little while, you know.”

When Gangwoo smiled slightly, his father furrowed his brow and said.

“In this day and age…”

And then he shut his mouth with a flustered expression. The old man’s gaze brushed past him, but his father fidgeted as if he had been glared at.

What his father was about to say was that you shouldn’t act like a gangster in this day and age. It was something Gangwoo had heard to the point of being sick of it since high school.

His grandfather had coveted Gangwoo for a long time. There would be nothing better than for his grandson to inherit the business that his son had not.

Moreover, Seo Gangwoo had shown signs of it since he was young. Things like cruelty or violence that would never allow him to live as an ordinary person. In fact, when he taught him the work, his grandfather became convinced upon seeing his lack of hesitation in any matter. Perhaps he cherished Gangwoo more than his own weak-willed son.

“Oh my. Gangwoo, did you have your graduation ceremony?”

“It’s tomorrow. But I don’t think I’ll attend.”

“That’s true. People don’t really go to their university graduation ceremonies, do they? Anyway, congratulations on graduating.”

“Thank you.”

Gangwoo also smiled at his beaming stepmother. His stepmother, who had married his father three years ago, was a bit more friendly towards Gangwoo than his two older brothers. It was probably because Gangwoo, a university student, was more comfortable to be around than his brothers, who were married and even had children. Even though the rest of the family found Gangwoo quite uncomfortable.