GBH 106

Instead of saying he liked him, Se-kyung asked if Yi-heon liked him. As the question changed direction, its meaning shifted drastically. Song Yi-heon, who had only been receiving Se-kyung’s feelings, swallowed hard when his own feelings were pointed out. The festival’s commotion sounded muffled, as if submerged in a fish tank.

Disliking the floating silence, Se-kyung asked again, “I said, do you like me?”

“… Suddenly changing the subject. Are you trying to dodge the question?” Even though he urged him to answer, the forcibly raised tone of his voice was unlike Song Yi-heon.

That awkwardness added evidence to Se-kyung’s hypothesis. Having been so thoroughly rejected when he first confessed in the counseling room, Se-kyung had ruled out the possibility that Song Yi-heon liked him, but seeing his reaction now, it wasn’t impossible.

The eyes that had been interestingly observing Choi Se-kyung wavered slightly. Se-kyung, who was looking closely into his light-colored eyes, noticed the small change.

Even if everyone else in the world didn’t know, Choi Se-kyung knew.

This was Choi Se-kyung, who had figured out on his own that there was another soul inside Song Yi-heon. It would be strange if he didn’t notice and let this level of emotional change slip by.

Se-kyung was quick to grasp situations and find changes with his innate sensitivity and intelligence. Since he was 6 years old, he had been observing others rather than looking after himself due to Choi Myung-hyun’s torment.

In order to act kindly, Se-kyung had to fulfill others’ needs rather than his own. Only then could he elicit the image of “he’s a good kid” from satisfied others. Se-kyung observed and fulfilled others’ needs to gain Choi Myung-hyun’s approval.

It was so extreme that he was called a pushover, but not all pushovers are the same. In a capitalist society focused on appearances, cases like Choi Se-kyung’s pushover tendencies were even seen as charming.

‘Se-kyung is so nice, it makes me upset.’

The girls who had fallen for Choi Se-kyung would say in unison, and Se-kyung heard these words at least once a year. Kind, rich, and handsome. The qualities Se-kyung possessed were attractive even to young students, and Se-kyung received many confessions.

He had briefly dated some of them. Se-kyung, who had never asked anyone out first, had also never been the first to break up, but sometimes they would quietly drift apart, or he would be informed of a breakup because the girls couldn’t tell if they were really dating since Se-kyung was equally kind to other girls.

As a result, while Se-kyung wasn’t proactive in romantic matters, he had a lot of experience.

Years of accumulated experience made him adept at noticing if someone liked him. This perceptiveness, usually used to pretend not to notice and gracefully exit male-female relationships, was now being actively employed against Song Yi-heon.

Se-kyung scrutinized Song Yi-heon as if he were dissecting him. Even if Song Yi-heon didn’t blush or get shy like Park Yoon-hee, the fundamentals were the same.

“Yi-heon, answer me.”

As Se-kyung pressed, Song Yi-heon turned his head to the side and ran his hand through his short hair. The gesture left a long streak in his half-dried, rough hair.

“I don’t answer nonsense.”

“Did it bother you that I was hugging Park Yoon-hee?”

If Song Yi-heon truly didn’t like Se-kyung, he shouldn’t care whether Se-kyung was flirting with or dating other girls. However, Song Yi-heon’s reaction was the opposite. 

Jealousy. 

The jealousy Song Yi-heon showed was a starting gun of hope for Se-kyung. It was like a signal flare announcing a change in their relationship.

“Why would I be bothered? It’s just a competition, a game. When kids play around, their bodies brush against each other and… ah, shit…”

Song Yi-heon bit his tongue, apparently disliking the expression “bodies brushing against each other.” When his attempt to calmly dismiss the situation failed, he glared at the distant ground before giving Se-kyung a sidelong glance.

“Hey, just because I said something about you messing around with a girl, how does that connect to liking you?”

“For me it does. Because I like you. That’s why I’m jealous.” Se-kyung admitted it frankly. And he persistently asked if Song Yi-heon felt the same way.

This was a very important issue for Se-kyung. If Song Yi-heon liked him, if such feelings existed even just a little bit, Se-kyung’s obsession could gain legitimacy and be fully unleashed.

“Answer me. Do you like me?”

Song Yi-heon pressed the inner of his cheek with his tongue, puffing out his cheeks, but didn’t say a word.

“…”

He could lie and say he didn’t like him. He actually had done so before. Before summer vacation, he truly didn’t have romantic feelings for Se-kyung and said he didn’t like him, but after summer vacation, he lied about not liking him so that Choi Se-kyung could find a good person.

The problem was that since then, Song Yi-heon had realized that he wanted Choi Se-kyung.

“Yi-heon,” Se-kyung called out earnestly. 

Song Yi-heon glanced at him from the corner of his eye, then covered his eyes with his hand as if regretting the look. This was Se-kyung’s favorite look. Choi Se-kyung, stubborn with the recklessness that only boys of that age possess, clumsy and awkward, and therefore lovable.

Now, just looking wasn’t enough to satisfy him, and whether it was because Kim Yeon-ji had put unnecessary ideas in his head, making him feel nauseous.

“Ah, Kim Yeon-ji. Really…”

In this serious situation, Kim Yeon-ji’s words echoed in his ears as she had exclaimed, clapping her hands, ‘Confess your love, just like that! Be manly, just like that! Then you’ll be a couple by Christmas, just like that!’

It seemed as if Kim Yeon-ji’s voice was playing in rhythm with the precise “tick! tick! tick!” Her urging to confess distracted Song Yi-heon’s mind like a mosquito buzzing around his ears. No matter how much he messed up his hair trying to chase it away, it wouldn’t easily disappear, only teasing him like impudent kids these days.

“Why Kim Yeon-ji?” Anxious at the mention of another woman’s name, Se-kyung grabbed Song Yi-heon’s shoulders.

“…Let go of this.”

“Look at me. Look me in the eyes and tell me. Do you like me?” Unaware of Song Yi-heon’s situation, Se-kyung tried anxiously to get an answer. 

But Song Yi-heon couldn’t look directly at Choi Se-kyung as Kim Yeon-ji’s chatter kept coming to mind, asking why they weren’t dating, whether he didn’t love him, and telling him to confess,

No, what was he supposed to do with someone so young and pretty?

Feeling at a loss, Song Yi-heon rubbed his face with his palms and looked everywhere except at Choi Se-kyung.

“Forget it. We’ll talk later.”

And he walked past Se-kyung. Se-kyung quickly grabbed his shoulder. Song Yi-heon stumbled but didn’t look at Se-kyung. It wasn’t denial, but avoidance. Song Yi-heon’s strong avoidance came across to Se-kyung as affirmation.

“Let go.”

“Let’s finish talking before you go.”

When Se-kyung grabbed Song Yi-heon’s shoulder to stop him from leaving, Song Yi-heon shook him off, and Se-kyung grabbed him again, and Song Yi-heon shook him off again… 

From a distance, it looked like some kind of comedic skit, and as the ridiculous repetition gradually sped up, tension arose.

Song Yi-heon’s strides widened and Se-kyung became urgent. His dusty sneakers stretched out towards the field as if escaping through the creased wrinkles. Se-kyung’s sneakers followed. As the quick steps were about to turn into speed walking, they entered the club event area with blue tents, where their pace slowed again due to collisions with students. Se-kyung called out to the brown back of Song Yi-heon’s head, trying not to lose him as he pushed through the students.

“Yi-heon!”

The aisle lined with club booths on both sides was crowded with students in all kinds of free attire, including school uniforms, character pajamas, and casual clothes. Some students and outsiders were there mainly for sightseeing, while others were shouting at the top of their lungs to attract customers. The bustling atmosphere was so chaotic that it was dizzying.

Song Yi-heon, who was smaller than Choi Se-kyung, went against the crowd relatively easily. On the other hand, Se-kyung, whose shoulders kept bumping into people, found it difficult to break through the densely packed crowd with narrow gaps, so he twisted his shoulders and chased after Song Yi-heon.

“Happy Happy House Building~ Come and see our joint club! You’ll get a commemorative badge and postcard just for looking!”

However, a member of the club, who was sparkling his eyes to attract customers, blocked Se-kyung’s path.

“Sunbae, come and see our club!”

When Se-kyung tried to pass by, the club member also followed him with a sideways shuffle, promoting the club. Knowing Se-kyung, he waved his hands brightly, trying to bring him to the club, but Se-kyung’s gaze was fixed on the back of Song Yi-heon’s head, who was calmly walking away.

“Yi-heon.”

Se-kyung, who was chasing Song Yi-heon’s back, called out his name. But the brown back of his head didn’t turn around and blended into the crowd. Se-kyung’s eyes became dazed.

“Song Yi-heon.”

Even with Se-kyung’s faint call, the heartless brown back of his head grew smaller and smaller. It was partially obscured by long hair and black heads. He was going to lose him. When the brown back of his head was barely visible, hidden by people’s heads, Se-kyung felt a sense of crisis and shouted without hesitation.

“Catch him!”

“C-Catch him? Me, me?”

The club member who was holding Se-kyung back was startled and jumped, and the promotional panel connected by a string and covering the front and back of his torso shook.

“There! Catch Song Yi-heon!”

When Se-kyung shouted loudly, the bustling crowd momentarily fell silent. Everyone wondered what was going on that he was suddenly telling them to catch someone, and when they confirmed that the person causing the commotion was Choi Se-kyung, the students all turned their heads in the direction Se-kyung’s fingertip was pointing. As the bustling aisle fell silent, everyone looked at one person. Song Yi-heon, who received the bizarre gaze, felt the back of his neck prickle.

“Ah, damn it!”

Sensing that he was screwed, Song Yi-heon started running, pushing through the students. Se-kyung also kicked off the ground, not wanting to lose him.

“Song Yi-heon! Stop right there!”

“Don’t follow me!”