"Remind me why we're coming to school today?" Euiheon groaned, dragging himself behind Hamin into their homeroom.
They were only supposed to come to school for the first week of February to finish out their second year. But a heavy snowstorm postponed their official last day to Valentine's Day, a fact that made Euiheon groan even more.
"Cheer up, Chewie. At least it's only a half day," Hamin said, taking the seat next to Euiheon by the window at the back of the classroom.
Since it was the last day of school, there was no reason for the students to sit in their assigned seats. Euiheon only went to his out of habit, which he regretted feeling the cold winter breeze seep in through the crevices of the closed windows. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering uncontrollably.
"Ugh, it's so fucking cold today," he groaned for the millionth time this morning.
"Aw, is my baby cold?" Hamin teased, pulling Euiheon close to hug him tight.
"Get off me, asshole!"
"What was that? Hug you tighter, baby?"
Euiheon squirmed around to free himself to no avail. He was simply much too weaker and smaller than Hamin. He took note of just how broad the boy's shoulders and chest were compared to his. It made it nice to lean his head on—
Euiheon shoved Hamin away with all his strength. He panted from his struggle, starting to feel a little hot now. He unzipped his puffer jacket.
"Hey, look!" a male classmate said to his friend while peeking out in the hallway. "Won Soyoung's giving chocolates to Yang Edin."
The friend peeked out, too, and shook his head. "She's definitely going to get rejected. Edin's face says it all."
"Not surprised. Edin's gay," the boy joked.
"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if he actually is. He never seems interested in girls."
"If he is, would you date him?"
"Aw, hell no. I'm not gay!"
"You're denying it too strongly. I'm getting suspicious, man."
"Would you date him?"
"I mean, if a guy like Edin asks me out, I'd at least consider it."
"Bullshit."
"Hey, you never know."
As the two friends laughed and continued their lighthearted chatter, Euiheon tossed one short glance at Hamin and then looked out the window. He welcomed the cool air hitting his face. Had it been the middle of summer, his cheeks probably would've been noticeably red by now. He felt a heaviness in his racing heart that made him wish he could go home already, or at least just be anywhere but next to the friend to his right.
Still with his head turned away, Euiheon muttered, "Don't you have anyone to receive chocolates from, Ham?"
"Huh?" Hamin responded, not having quite heard him.
But Euiheon's question got answered by the call of a female voice from the classroom entrance. "Hey, Seong Hamin!"
Euiheon heard the scraping of a chair against the floor and two pairs of footsteps drawing close to each other.
"What's this?" Hamin asked. "Don't tell me you have feelings for me, Soomin."
Euiheon recognized that name. Park Soomin. She also attended the same middle school as the boys and had been close with Hamin since then as well. The two never dated, but Euiheon always figured it would be a matter of time.
"You think I'm crazy?" Soomin snapped. "I'm only here on delivery. My friend was too shy to give you that herself."
Hamin read the name on the letter attached to the box of chocolates. "Uhm Yoonseo?"
"Yeah, she's a class friend. Read that when you're alone. She said she poured her heart into it. She seems to really like you. Anyway, I'm out."
"Sure, bye. Thanks."
Hamin returned to his seat, and despite what Soomin told him, he opened the letter and began reading it aloud for Euiheon to hear.
"I've liked you for a while but never had the courage to tell you. You're just so cool and cute and funny. I think you're the best-looking guy in the whole school—"
Euiheon slammed his hands on his desk and pushed himself up, nearly knocking back his chair.
"Chewie, where are you going?" Hamin asked, seeing his friend head for the back door.
"To the bathroom to puke after what I just heard."
Euiheon flipped Hamin the middle finger with his back turned before leaving the classroom. Just outside, he ran into Edin who was about to enter their homeroom. Euiheon noticed the lack of chocolate in his hands, being reminded of how his classmates joked about him being gay earlier.
Edin joked about it himself sometimes, especially when he came back after turning down a girl's confession, which seemed to happen at least once per semester. Whether he was telling the truth or just that confident and comfortable with his heterosexuality, no one knew. Euiheon wondered about it, too. But he could never find an appropriate moment to ask, nor was he even sure he should. What if asking only brought the focus back on him?
Before Edin could say hi to him, Euiheon rushed off to the bathroom. On the way, he saw a few more chocolates and love letters being passed between students. Of course, every single pair consisted of a boy and a girl. That fact didn't bring Euiheon down, however. It actually brought him back to his senses.
Seong Hamin was his friend. Nothing more, nothing less.
. . .
"Enjoy your two weeks of break, and I wish you all luck during your third year," the homeroom teacher said, dismissing her second-year class for the final time.
The students spilled out into the hallway. A few new couples could be seen in the mix.
Euiheon, Hamin, and Edin walked out of their homeroom together and left the school building. Hamin opened the box of chocolates he had gotten from Uhm Yoonseo and offered one to his friends. He had forgotten all about her by then, having received a few more gifts from different girls afterward, which made it impossible for his simple head to keep track.
Edin declined, seeming like a chocolate hater with the amount he turned away that morning. Unlike Hamin, he didn't want to accept anything from someone he knew he wasn't going to date. He would rather not risk leading anyone on. Plus, he was very adamant that his first relationship would be with someone he confessed to. He wanted to be the one more in love between the two of them.
Euiheon, on the other hand, accepted Hamin's chocolate. He chewed it very thoroughly, making sure to crush and entirely melt away its heart shape, before swallowing it.
"Do you have plans today?" Hamin asked both his friends.
"Nope," Edin replied.
"I have to head to math hakwon now," Euiheon replied.
"What? I thought you don't go today."
Euiheon was surprised Hamin remembered his schedule. This was the same boy who hardly ever knew what day of the week it was.
"I'm going more often now since we'll be in our third year."
"Okay, hold on." Hamin reached into his backpack and took out another box of chocolates. "Have this while you study. I heard chocolate makes your brain work better."
"Then, you need it more than me."
Hamin pushed the heart-shaped box right into Euiheon's hands. "Come on, just take it. Consider it my love, baby. Let's go to my place, Edin."
"Sure."
The three friends split up at the front gates, Hamin and Edin headed in one direction and Euiheon in the other. Euiheon's hands were freezing from holding the box of chocolates. He wanted to chuck it at the nearest tree, but he couldn't bring himself to go through with it.
"So annoying," Euiheon muttered, recalling how Hamin said the chocolates were his love. "You don't even know what you're saying..."
Euiheon opened his backpack and carefully slid the box in. It hit something hard at the bottom. The rustling sound reminded Euiheon of what he had done last night.
On his way home from hakwon, he had the sudden urge to buy some chocolate. He knew what a stupid idea it was, but his brain was way too fried after four hours of English class to rationally convince him not to walk into the convenience store. He bought Hamin's favorite cookies & cream chocolate bar and shoved it deep into his backpack under all his textbooks and hakwon homework.
Euiheon totally forgot about it until now. He wished he could have just forgotten about it forever. What was he supposed to do with it? There was no way he would actually be able to give it to Hamin, not even as a joke. Knowing his friend, he would probably accept it saying something like, "I love you, baby."
The second he imagined Hamin's lips saying those words, Euiheon tasted the lingering sweetness in his mouth from the chocolate he had just eaten. He quickly zipped up his backpack and continued on his way, telling himself he wouldn't be eating any more chocolate that day.
Comments (0)
See all