Vol. 1 Chapter 3  

“Hey, Ki Young-hyun. Let’s go eat.”

It was Jung Ji-pil who called me. Jung Ji-pil has been a close friend of mine since first grade. His nickname is ‘Feel’, but he especially liked me because I was the only one who didn’t call him that. Honestly, I didn’t want to call him with such a low-quality nickname, and it was annoying to hear the giggle next to Ji-pil, who said, ‘Oh, why are you calling the precious name my parents gave me like that!’

I woke up when I heard it was already lunchtime. However, the air conditioner was cooler than yesterday. Going out of the hallway would be hell. Oh, I’m too lazy to eat. It would have been nice if the cafeteria came out as soon as the door opened, but that was absurd.

As I sat in the back seat of the classroom, I took a step out the back door and looked at the guys who were threatening the other students for no reason. And I made eye contact with Lim Dae-han, who was silently listening in the middle of the guys.

“…”

“…”

I was the one who avoided his gaze first. I put my hands forward and hesitated. Why did our eyes have to meet? In fact, the night before he send me a text message. He also offered to take me home yesterday. However I didn’t want to show him the way to my house, so I told him that I would go alone. Thankfully, I was able to go alone. But as soon as I got home, three messages came 10 minutes apart.

Dae-han: [Did you get home safely?] 5:28 PM

Dae-han: [Did you eat?] 5:38 pm

Dae-han: [Let’s call] 5:48 pm

Dae-han called to see if I was still there while I was sitting still without responding to the message he sent. Then he went on with the unimportant conversation.

I paused for a moment, thinking about what had happened the day before, but was startled awake by a voice calling my name.

“Hey, Ki Young-hyun.”

Dae-han waved his hand and called me. The five pairs of eyes that looking at Lim Dae-han all turned to me. Instead of responding, I raised my collar like a shriveled fish in the sun and stared at Dae-han.

“Let’s go eat.”

“…”

Jung Ji-pil’s gaze turned to me. I waved my hands. Lim Dae-han put his hand in his pocket and came closer. No. Please don’t come to me. Much to my surprise, Lim Dae-han already standing in front of me.? He was much taller than me, so even if I tilted my head sharply, I had to look up.

“Eat with me.”

“I, Fri, friend… .”

My gaze was drawn back and forth to Jung Ji-pil.

‘What do you want me to do?‘ Jung Ji-pil mouthed.

“Friend?”

Lim Dae-han’s gaze then turned to Jung Ji-pil. As soon as Jung Ji-pil’s eyes met mine, he forced a smile. Then, cleverly, he joined the group of the class leader who was just about to leave the classroom.

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“Ki Young-hyun, hahaha. I’m going to eat with another friend. You two eat together.”

That traitor…!

Jung Ji-pil is originally that kind of guy. A traitor who will betray his country. He seemed to know that he would be in trouble, so he immediately ran away. I stomped my foot in front of Jung Ji-pil, who made an apologetic face saying ‘I’m sorry’. Then he goes away, and I looked at Dae-han in front of me. “Let’s go.”

It was Dae-han who patted my shoulder with his bear-like size hand and walked ahead.

Munch munch.

There is nothing else that can be said to describe how he eats other than that word.? Lim Dae-han was good at acting cute to the aunts who served food to him. The aunts were overjoyed. ‘Our Daehan eats a lot~’, ‘If it’s not enough, come again. I’ll give you more.’ It followed with this kind of comment.

As a result, Daehan’s food tray was piled higher than the teachers’, and he held three bottles of angX served as dessert. That’s incredible. A hand capable of holding three angX on the plate. (T/N: I’m guessing angX is a censored brand for a flavored drink. I tried to look it up but found nothing T_T)

Lim Dae-han lifted the edge of the plate and scooped it up. He didn’t even need chopsticks. His determination to eat everything with only one spoon stood out.

“…”

I quietly enjoyed my meal like a normal person in front of him. It was a pity that there was no one to talk to, but I hadn’t been bored since seeing Dae-han eat with such skill.

Lim Dae-han, who had been eating with his nose stuck on the plate for a while, raised his head.

“What are you looking at like that?”

I shook my head when he asked. Lim Dae-han sighed and looked at his plate, then mine. After scratching the back of his nose, he handed me all the angX on his side.

“Why are you giving me this?”

“Drink. You are skinny and look weak.”

I haven’t seen any advertisements saying that drinking angX is good for your health. However, angX had good taste, so I only accepted one. Lim Dae-han took turns looking at the other two and me.

“You drink the rest. I don’t drink that much.”

“…”

Lim Dae-han just looked at me and nodded once. Then, he opened the bottle with his large hand and placed it in his mouth. When I saw Dae-han drinking angX like a deer drinking from a bottle, I couldn’t help but laugh and frown.

“…”

Then I had another encounter with this interesting fact that the tip of Dae-han’s ear was red again. However, I didn’t make any reaction to this fact. Does he actually have red ears? It was probably not originally red because I only noticed that his ears were turning red after a certain moment. I looked at him with my eyes wide open like a flounder, but I pretended not to know and focused on my meal.

Lim Dae-han finished his meal and went to the concession stand. Naturally, I followed him and stood quietly behind him. He was like Moses crossing the Red Sea. When the students saw Dae-han they did not split in half; instead, Dae-han pushed the students in front of him and split them in half.

Despite the fact that he had just finished eating, he went to buy a lot of snacks. There were three bread and two drinks. Lim Dae-han was carrying all of the snacks in his arms.

“…?”

I looked at Dae-han because I didn’t know why he bought so much food, and he scratched his nose as if embarrassed.

“You eat it.”

“I just ate.”

“Are you full with just that?”

“I’m full…”

Lim Dae-han made a strange expression. I’ll also have the same expression as him. We’re not in sync. One, two, three, there was no response from him.

“You eat it.”

I handed over bread and drinks to Dae-han. Lim Dae-han let out a deep sigh and handed me a drink. It was an apple-flavored pack drink.

“Let’s go out and drink.”

Then we went to the empty stairs, where no one was around. I didn’t really like this place. There was a warehouse next to it where the waste tissue was thrown away because students were frequently caught smoking in it. Of course, one of them is Dae-han.

However, I couldn’t say I didn’t like it. He sat me down on the stairs and then he sat next to me. He was so big that the school uniform that wrapped around his thigh felt like it was going to burst anytime. His ankles were also visible. Contrary to my expectation that it would have a rough shape, his ankle bone was round like a real ripe peach and was dyed a deep pink color.

I put a straw in the drink pack and sucked it next to Dae-han. Lim Dae-han turned around and stared at my face. I remained polite and said nothing to Lim Dae-han, who gave me angX and bought me a drink. Originally, I would have asked what are you looking at. It wasn’t because I was scared of Dae-han.

Dae-han’s tenacious gaze did not last long. I closed my eyes for a long time and then opened them again. Drinking didn’t make the heat go away. I fanned my hands because it was hot. In fact, it was difficult to tell which was hotter, the weather or Dae-han’s gaze, but it was definitely the weather. Even though it was a staircase beneath a leafy tree, it was still a perfect steaming. Dae-han, on the other hand, was preoccupied with whether or not I feel hot. One of his legs was draped on the steps, and the other leg stretched all the way down. Then he rested his elbows on his thighs and gave me a soft look. I sucked the drink pack while pretending not to notice his gaze. Because the floor was already empty, all that could be heard was the wind blowing.

“… Stop staring.”

In the end, I couldn’t stand Dae-han’s gaze, so I looked straight ahead and said that, without even making eye contact with him. Dae-han asked me.

“Is it hot?”

“… Do you not feel hot?”

It’s almost June. It felt like I was in a steamer because of the humidity. The sound of cicada could be heard. Dae-han raised his upper body, straightened his shoulders, and tilted his head.

“I don’t get hot easily.”

Yeah, I can see that.

He raised his hand as he spoke. I immediately shrugged. My legs were lifted together as I shrugged, which was a little pathetic. Anyone who looked at it could tell I was scared. Lim Dae-han paused for a moment, his brow furrowed. But he put his hand close to me without hesitation. He moved his large hands slowly. I shrugged as I watched, trying to figure out what his actions meant.

Dae-han was fanning me.

The wind tickled my skin. However, there was no way the heat could subside just by moving his hands a few times.

I was taken aback when I saw Dae-han doing this. I sucked on a straw and stared at him blankly. Dae-han asked with his eyes. It was a face that asked as to whether the heat had subsided.

“I want to go to class.”

“Why class? You’ll just be sitting absentmindedly in class.”

It wasn’t that I’m ignoring Dae-han, but it was unavoidable given the group we played with is different in the first place. I’ve never befriended Dae-han. Then, I suddenly feel unfair. Why does he make me sit in this hot sun? Even when he isn’t getting hot easily!

My body ached even more as my stomach boiled. I ran my hand down my neck and placed it on my forehead. Lim Dae-han looked at me for a moment before standing up. The shadow fell as soon as he stood in front of me.

“Follow me.”

He then grabbed my wrist and took a step forward. I ascended the stairs, turned the corner, and returned to the canteen. There were a lot more people than when we first came.

There were four sofas in the corner of the canteen, each with its own table. Students ate and drank there frequently. It’s always been a popular gathering place. It was still crowded and there was nowhere to sit.

“Hey, Dae-han.”

On the innermost sofa, there were Dae-han friends. They are a close friend of his. But they were just bullies number 2, 3, or 4 to me. And bully number 1 was holding my wrist.

They pretended to be friendly, waved their hands, and called Dae-han. Dae-han pulled me in front of them.

“Move. Let him sit.”

It was only then that I realized why Dae-han had brought me here. This was the seat with the best view of the air conditioner. Lim Dae-han pulled the guy from the farthest corner and put me in his place.

I leaned over as if tossed into a soft chair. The air conditioner was blowing from the front. Oh, that’s cool. But what is this cold feeling? As I raised my head, I met the original seat owner who was staring at me coldly, and I immediately lowered my gaze.

“I’ll buy you some ice cream.”

Lim Dae-han walked to the canteen again, this time holding out a few thousand won bills at the stand. After accepting a freezie bar, he returned to my seat. The frezzie bar popped out when it was hit from the bottom of the table. It had a chocolate flavor to it. It was chocolate-flavored. Lim Dae-han handed me the frezzie bar.

“What’s your problem, Dae-han?”

The guy who was staring at me spoke to Dae-han with a sad smile. I feel awkward and uncomfortable as I fiddle with the frezzie bar. He eventually ripped the frezzie bar wrapping off and sucked it out with his mouth. Lim Dae-han looked at the guy speaking to him from the side, then staring at my face again.

“…”

“…”

He was staring at my lips, to be precise.? I put my lips together to stop sucking the frezzie bar. When I kneaded the frezzie bar with my hand, Dae-han’s gaze turned to my hand this time. Lim Dae-han didn’t even blink. I got a little scared and handed over a small bite. Lim Dae-han shook his head. My ears, neck, and face were all red. It was better under the scorching sun.

Lim Dae-han covered my eyes with his palm. He muttered without even minding the people around him.

“You eat it.”

“…”

“I’ll buy it for you every day.”

***