CHapter-15🌸

No matter what happened, Tae would always choose Yun over everyone else.

After a while, Jun, Yuji, and the others left the college for the rest of the day, as nobody felt comfortable staying after what had happened earlier inside the classroom, and the atmosphere between Tae and Yun became strangely heavy and quiet.

Tae's eyes kept returning to the bruise on Yun's cheek and the faint redness around his hand, and after looking at him for a few seconds, he glanced around before quietly telling him to wait there for a moment.

“I’ll be back.”

Without waiting for a response, Tae turned around and walked toward a nearby medical store to buy some ointment and medicine for Yun.

Yun quietly watched him disappear into the distance, looking slightly confused by what Tae was doing, but at the same time, a small sense of calm slowly settled inside him.

Yet even with that warmth in his chest, something continued to bother him.

What if Tae leaves him?

The thought kept returning, making him feel more anxious than he wanted to admit. Yun had never really had anyone to look after him.

After his grandmother died, he had been completely alone, without friends or family he could depend on, and over the years, he had become used to living that way, carrying his loneliness silently without expecting anyone to notice.

Sometimes, Yun felt like the moon.

The moon was surrounded by countless stars, yet somehow, it still looked lonely against the endless night sky.

But then...

One day, a star came close to the moon, and somehow, that star made the moon feel as though it was no longer alone.

For Yun, that star was Tae.

Tae had entered his life unexpectedly and made him feel special in a way he had never experienced before, making him feel as though someone finally noticed him, cared about him, and wanted to stay beside him.

The moon had always been lonely, and then a star had come close enough to make that loneliness disappear.

Yet yun couldn't stop feeling anxious because he was afraid that one day, the star would leave him, never realizing that the star would do everything it could to protect the moon.

After a while, Tae returned with the medicine.

His expression darkened slightly when he looked at Yun's cheek again, as though seeing the bruise up close made him remember what had happened inside the classroom.

Without saying anything, Tae gently applied the ointment over the swollen area before carefully placing a small bandage over Yun's cheek.

His touch remained unbelievably soft.

Even though Yun could still feel the soreness in his cheek, Tae's warm fingers somehow made him forget about the pain for a moment.

Neither of them spoke for several seconds afterward.

The quiet atmosphere around them felt strangely peaceful.

Then Tae finally broke the silence.

“Yun, I only came here to see you during lunch break. I need to leave now, but I’ll stay until the next class. Is that okay with you?”

Yun quietly nodded.

“…Okay.”

After that, both of them returned to the classroom together.

When they entered, Jun and his gang were no longer there, and Tae glanced around briefly before realizing that they had already left. He didn't say anything about it.

Instead, he quietly took his seat beside Yun, and the two of them continued listening to the class. Yun occasionally glanced toward Tae while he listened carefully to the professor, his expression focused as he quietly wrote down the important points from the lesson.

After a while, Yun took out the notes he had written for Tae and carefully placed them in front of him. Tae looked down at the pages, his eyes widening slightly before a wide smile appeared on his face.

He felt strangely happy knowing that Yun had thought about him enough to take notes for him while he was absent.

“Thank you, Yun.”

“I’ll make sure to check the notes when I get home.”

The final class passed peacefully, and once it finally ended, Tae stood near Yun before speaking calmly.

“I’ll drop you home.”

But Yun immediately shook his head lightly.

“It’s okay.”

Before they could continue talking, Tae's phone suddenly rang.

It was Kim Joo.

Tae answered the call and listened quietly for a few moments before his expression became slightly more serious. He needed to return to the office.

After the call ended, Tae stared at Yun silently for a moment before finally nodding once.

“…Okay.”

Then, with a serious expression, he added,

“Make sure you call me after you get home.”

Yun slowly nodded.

Tae looked toward him again before speaking.

“I’ll at least drop you near the bus stop.”

Yun hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing.

“…Okay.”

The two of them left the college together.

The evening sky had already begun turning orange as the last traces of sunlight stretched across the buildings, while a soft breeze moved through the streets and carried the distant sounds of traffic and people heading home.

Neither of them talked much during the drive.

The silence between them no longer felt uncomfortable.

Instead, it had become strangely familiar.

Soon, Tae stopped the car near the bus stand.

Almost at the same time, a bus slowly arrived in front of them, its headlights glowing softly against the evening road.

Tae quietly stepped out of the car while watching Yun carefully.

Yun adjusted the strap of his bag before looking toward Tae briefly.

“…I’ll call you after reaching home.”

Tae nodded once.

“Okay.”

Yun slowly got onto the bus afterward.

A few seconds later, Tae remained standing outside near the road, watching through the window as the bus prepared to leave.

The soft evening wind moved through his brown hair while the city lights slowly began flickering around him.

Yun leaned slightly toward the open bus window.

And with a small smile, he raised his hand toward Tae.

A silent goodbye.

Tae simply stared at him.

Then...

A faint smile appeared on his lips too.

The bus doors closed shortly afterward.

As the bus slowly disappeared into the evening traffic, Tae remained standing there for a few more seconds, quietly watching the road Yun had taken.

For a moment, he didn't move.

He simply stood beneath the fading evening sky, his eyes still fixed on the road where Yun had disappeared.