A Scorching Day Chapter 11

“Let’s go home together.”

It was right after class ended, when I was packing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. In the noisy, bustling atmosphere, only Ki Joon’s face approaching me stood out clearly. Gawon blinked his wide-open eyes.

“…You’re asking me to go home with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Where do you even live? More than that, why would I—.”

“Ugh, you’re really noisy. Let’s just get outside first and talk, the two of us.”

Amid the clamor, Ki Joon nonchalantly blamed the other kids and grabbed Gawon’s arm. Just then, the guys who always swarmed around with Ki Joon every day came over.

“Hey, Joon! Let’s go!”

“You guys go on your own today.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I’ve got something to talk about with Yoon Gawon. See you tomorrow!”

Ki Joon grinned familiarly and slung his arm around Gawon’s shoulder. With Gawon tucked under his side, he strode out with such force that Gawon’s feet nearly moved on their own. Gawon, with his bag still on, was unexpectedly dragged out of the classroom.

There was no benefit to constantly showing the other kids that he was close with him. And surely Heo Yeonggyu had seen this too. The guy who would normally have tormented him relentlessly had been ominously quiet lately. Feeling anxious, Gawon shoved Ki Joon’s thick torso hard as soon as they were out of the classroom.

“Walk separately.”

“Ah. You hate being touched like this?”

Despite his blunt attitude, Ki Joon pulled away and laughed. It was a kind smile.

“I’m always glued to the guys during practice, so it’s become a habit. Sorry.”

The smile he made, awkward yet unruffled, was dazzling. The smile formed by his nicely tanned face was enough to put anyone in a good mood.

It wasn’t that he hated being touched. Gawon swallowed the unnecessary words. Instead, he decided to say what he had to say. Steeling himself, he deliberately spoke in a cold voice.

“Hey, Ki Joon.”

“Yeah?”

At Gawon’s cool tone, Ki Joon brightened. A spreading smile lit up his face.

“Do you even know my name?”

“…Of course I do. Anyway.”

In fact, it was a name he had never forgotten since hearing it during gym class on the first day this kid transferred in. Early March snowflakes scattering like petals from a gray sky. The tall boy who ran through the cold air with a mischievous laugh, raising his hand and shouting that name.

Gawon continued gruffly.

“I told you. There’s nothing good about hanging out with me.”

It felt like pushing thumbtacks into his chest one by one. It wasn’t easy to say this to Ki Joon, who showed tireless, consistent kindness.

Even knowing that this kid was connected to thugs. No, to be more honest, that fact didn’t actually affect Gawon as much as one might think. Maybe it was because of what he’d heard in the cafeteria a few days ago.

‘Actually, it’s the opposite.’

Ki Joon, who supposedly didn’t work out to hit anyone. If it was the opposite, what did that mean? The question that had arisen then occasionally surfaced in Gawon’s daily life.

When he studied late in the school library, when he walked home through the gradually warming spring night air, when he lay alone in his empty, chilly room, familiar with settling himself to sleep.

A strange, strange kid who always smiled with a playful but warm warmth, often offered food, and persistently clung on no matter how much he was pushed away. That Ki Joon didn’t resemble any of the thugs Gawon knew.

“Hmm. You always say the same thing. Our Gawon.”

Ki Joon folded his arms and pretended to ponder seriously. At the playful and embarrassingly intimate nickname tacked on at the end, Gawon’s heart fluttered strangely.

“I’m fine with it? Being with you.”

Having reached his own clear conclusion, Ki Joon grinned slyly. “I told you, it makes me uncomfortable and I don’t like it.” Gawon tried saying it nastily again, but Ki Joon pretended not to hear and familiarly slung his arm around Gawon’s shoulder.

“Don’t be so cold. Hey, wanna go eat tteokbokki?”

“…What? Suddenly?”

“Yeah. I’m a little hungry before practice. Come on, please? Come with me.”

Gawon was dumbfounded. More than the fact that Ki Joon had made this suggestion to him, he was more surprised that the guy was going to eat something again after having piled up food like a mountain at lunch. The adults’ saying that growing boys could chew rocks wasn’t an exaggeration. Ki Joon looked like he could tear apart not rocks but a tank and crunch it up.

In the morning, he’d be munching on something, and if Gawon glanced over, it was a protein bar—and he’d always hand one to Gawon—and during breaks, he’d diligently drag Gawon to the snack bar. And now tteokbokki. Even considering that Ki Joon played soccer and basketball vigorously every break, his digestive power was well above average for their age.

Gawon tried to refuse, but unfortunately, he was just stepping outside the school gate with Ki Joon. There were two snack bars right in front of the gate, and Ki Joon, as smooth as a snake slithering over a wall, nonchalantly led Gawon that way.

“I wonder if this place is good too. The place next door was tasty, but there’s nowhere to sit.”

Ki Joon chattered on calmly and led Gawon to a place with relatively fewer people. Gawon, who hated crowded places, secretly thought his choice wasn’t bad.

Inside the snack bar, he saw a few familiar faces sitting. Those kids looked back and forth between Ki Joon and Gawon, openly puzzled, but Gawon pretended not to see and lowered his head.

“What do you want to eat?”

“…But I didn’t bring any allowance today.”

Gawon said in a subdued voice. For him, who had never received an allowance in his life, it was a laughable and detestable lie.

It was embarrassing and pathetic to keep using the same excuse every time he went to the snack bar with Ki Joon. But Ki Joon, seemingly unconcerned, said cheerfully.

“I’m the one who asked you to come, so of course I’m paying. What do you like?”

“I don’t really care. …Eat what you want.”

“Really? Okay, then… Boss! Three servings of tteokbokki, two rolls of kimbap, one jjolmyeon, and some fish cake….”

“Wait, wait. Who’s going to eat all that?”

“Huh? We’re two guys, so we can eat that much.”

Despite Gawon’s horrified protests, Ki Joon went ahead and ordered everything he’d listed. Looking at the table full of food, Gawon suddenly felt a bit hungry too.

“I didn’t know what you liked, so I ordered a bit of everything. Eat a lot.”

Ki Joon grinned and pushed a small plate toward him. So that’s why he ordered all those different things…. Ki Joon’s consideration was always so warm and delicate that it made Gawon wonder if he deserved to receive it. Gawon looked at Ki Joon’s face and said quietly.

“…Thanks. Next time… I’ll treat you.”

“Yeah, yeah, eat up.”

Ki Joon picked up his chopsticks and popped a piece of kimbap into his mouth first. Watching his handsome face chew earnestly, Gawon did the same.

Like a baby bird following its mother, at first he copied what Ki Joon ate, one bite at a time. As he tasted a little of this and that, his appetite suddenly surged. Gawon’s previously extremely cautious chopstick movements gradually quickened. As he was munching on tteokbokki, Ki Joon smiled.

“…What? Is there something on my face?”

“No. It’s just. I’m happy because you’re eating well.”

Gawon doubted his ears for a moment. It was an embarrassingly intimate thing to say between mere classmates. He hurriedly looked around, but luckily, the other kids seemed too busy chatting to notice.

Why on earth does this guy say things like that so casually? Is he making fun of me? Or maybe….

‘He’s probably popular… and has dated a lot of girls.’

So that cheesy tone had become a habit, Gawon concluded. Without answering, he kept picking up tteokbokki and chewing, when a fish cake skewer, neatly drained of broth, was placed on his plate.

“Eat this too. It’s good.”

“…I’ll eat it.”

Ki Joon’s attitude was annoyingly kind. The way he watched Gawon eat, the way he kept refilling his plate whenever it got empty, the way he noticed Gawon’s water glass was empty and got up to fill it for him….

Receiving all that consideration from him all the while, Gawon felt a complex mix of emotions. The delicate care he had never received from anyone made his heart pound. It felt good but made him uneasy, grateful but uncomfortable. Whenever the boys’ curious glances fell on the unlikely pairing of him and Ki Joon, Gawon couldn’t lift his lowered head.

“Why? Are you full already?”

Seeing Gawon stop eating, Ki Joon looked puzzled.

“Yeah. …I ate a lot.”

“It doesn’t look like you ate that much….”

“No, I’m full. Take your time.”

Only when Gawon clearly shook his head did Ki Joon finally shovel the remaining food into his mouth. He polished off the last couple of kimbap rolls, the last fish cake skewer, and then handed a napkin to Gawon.

They paid and went outside. The sunset was gently coloring the evening sky. As March neared its end, the cold morning and evening air had now softened considerably.

“Going home?”

“…No, to the school library.”

Home wasn’t an environment conducive to studying. There wasn’t even a desk or chair, let alone a desk lamp to put on the table, and under the dim fluorescent light, it was hard to read. Since there were hardly any kids who bothered or annoyed him in the school library, Gawon made a point of using it and returning home most days.

“I was going to walk you home if you were going. Too bad.”

Gawon stared silently at Ki Joon, who laughed heartily at the school gate and said that, and thought: Honestly, he’s such an idiot. After giving so much, why are you so anxious about not being able to do more for me?

…What on earth are you expecting from me, doing all this?

“…I’m going now.”

Gawon said quietly to Ki Joon, who had followed him all the way to the library. His gaze was fixed around Ki Joon’s chest. For some reason, something muddled his mind and he couldn’t look the guy straight in the eyes.

“Okay. Go in. I’ll get going too.”

“…Yeah.”

“Oh. And, can I get your number?”

Gawon should have said it to Ki Joon. No. He couldn’t give his number. Don’t get tangled up with me anymore. Don’t come closer. I don’t understand what you’re up to.

And yet, facing him, smiling brightly and extending his hand, he couldn’t utter the words of refusal.

“…”

The spring breeze blew gently, tickling Gawon’s hair and chest. The shell-like words lodged inside melted away, worn down by the soft breath of the season.

Gawon silently took out his phone from his pocket and handed it over. The phone, so old it was embarrassing to show anyone, fit snugly into Ki Joon’s hand.

Ki Joon then took out his own phone. Seeing Gawon’s number appear on the screen, he grinned.

“Oh. Got Yoon Gawon’s number.”

His goofy grin looked truly foolish. What’s so special about my number anyway.

“Alright, I’ll be off. Study hard!”

And with that, he waved his hand, turned his back without hesitation, and ran off. Gawon stood dazed, watching Ki Joon’s retreating figure.

Just before leaving the school gate, Ki Joon looked back. Their gazes met from a distance, no different from when they were closer. His clear, intense eyes, undiluted, smiled at Gawon once more.

Go in. He shouted that and waved again. The breeze, mingled with the scent of green, carried his voice and blew lukewarmly.

At that moment, Gawon felt a strange sensation blooming in his chest. The feeling was so intense it startled him, so utterly foreign.

Gawon turned and dashed into the library building. He couldn’t stand there looking at Ki Joon any longer.

Thump, thump. He wanted to ask his heart, which was pounding as if he’d been running hard, why it was doing this. What on earth does this mean?