CR | Chapter 5.2

Did he think he hadn’t heard? Wi Woori repeated his cheerful voice. Kim Donghwa didn’t think Wi Woori was bad at biking, but even for him, who had been biking for a long time, Wi Woori’s speed was satisfying, so he responded, “Yeah, it’s nice.”

It was nice. The dark night sky, the quiet road without a single person, the wind brushing through his hair, the blooming cherry blossoms.

Kim Donghwa inhaled the fresh air deeply and then exhaled with a whoosh. From behind, Wi Woori was shouting something with joy, but not catching it clearly, Kim Donghwa just gave vague responses.

“Let’s take a break! Let’s take a break! Hey! Let’s rest!”

Rest?

Wondering how long they’d been riding to need a break already, he turned around.

Bang! There was a sound like the ground splitting, and then Wi Woori, who had been pedaling with all his might, fell over with a thud. Startled, Kim Donghwa quickly dropped his bike and ran to Wi Woori.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“…My legs gave out. I can’t get up.”

Like a tragic drama protagonist, Wi Woori collapsed to the side, holding his trembling knees and speaking nonsense.

Quickly checking for injuries, he first looked at Wi Woori’s face. Thankfully, there wasn’t a single scratch under the gentle streetlight.

Sitting down beside him, Kim Donghwa grabbed Wi Woori’s wrist to check, and Wi Woori let out an “Aaaah,” grimacing in pain.

“What happened? How did you fall?”

“I don’t know, it hurts.”

“It must hurt.”

“Are you mocking me?”

Wi Woori looked at his palm, crying out in pain. Having fallen on what was essentially asphalt, his palm was covered in small gravel and looked pitiful.

After all that shouting to take a break. When Wi Woori threw a resentful look at him, Kim Donghwa responded with a nonchalant “What?”

“Should I get some medicine? Or do you want to sit here?”

“Where’s the pharmacy around here?”

“Then what do we do? We have to go home.”

“Aaah, it hurts.”

Wi Woori collapsed backward, seemingly knowing that Kim Donghwa would support him, which was a bit annoying, but Kim Donghwa still moved steadily, offering his shoulder.

Leaning comfortably against him, Wi Woori looked up at the sky. This path seemed very familiar to Kim Donghwa, had he come here often? What did Kim Donghwa think about while biking alone? Pondering this, he remembered Kim Donghwa’s black hair fluttering in the wind and his handsome back of the head.

Following Kim Donghwa and pedaling was quite fun. The wind carrying Kim Donghwa’s pheromone scent as he passed made it feel like he was racing through the rain.

During the rainy season, this was the most delightful moment for him, always sticking by the window. Of course, it would have been better if his legs hadn’t given out.

“You ride pretty well.”

Trying to hide his embarrassment, he gently broached the subject, and Kim Donghwa’s shoulder under his neck shrugged slightly.

“I’ve liked biking since I was a kid.”

“Did you come here often alone?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

Kim Donghwa looked at him with furrowed brows. Why what, indeed? It was annoying that he knew about this nice place alone, and on top of that, he didn’t know why he came alone. Wi Woori pouted his lips and shook his legs, which had no strength.

“Why didn’t you bring me along?”

This question, posed with a bit of affection like a protagonist from a youth drama…

“This is where I come when you piss me off.”

Huh.

“I come here to curse you out, and it feels refreshing.”

Look at this bastard.

Wi Woori, who had been enjoying the serene atmosphere and the night sky, immediately frowned. Suddenly, strength returned to his legs, which had been trembling from fatigue.

“Fuck, you’re so annoying.”

“Oh, what are you getting worked up about now?”

“Do I look like I’m not worked up? Why would you bring the person you’re cursing out to the place where you curse them? I hate it.”

“Well, I was just being honest, why are you mad?”

“Argh!”

Wi Woori grabbed his bright hair and crouched down again.

Why bring up honesty at this moment? Even if this was where he came when they fought and he was in a bad mood, couldn’t he just say something like he found this place by chance while biking or that he couldn’t bring him because their schedules never matched?

His anger rising, he gripped his hair even tighter. Was this bastard doing this on purpose? When he gave a sharp glance, Kim Donghwa was there, snickering.

I’ll kill you, seriously.

“Do you want to die?”

Just when he was about to kick Kim Donghwa’s thigh, whether it was his agility only showing in moments like these, Kim Donghwa swiftly dodged, stood up, and brushed off his butt.

“Hey, if you can stand, let’s go home. Aren’t you hungry?”

“I’m not hungry!”

“Your stomach was growling.”

“That wasn’t mine.”

He thought he hadn’t heard the slight rumble when he stood up, but Kim Donghwa had heard it too. Despite his anger, Wi Woori felt embarrassed as he lifted the fallen bike.

Hungry, my ass. His appetite had vanished from being so annoyed. Whether Kim Donghwa did anything about it or not, as he was dragging the bike back, he heard Kim Donghwa’s low voice from behind, “Let’s go together.”

Why go with this annoying bastard? Together, my foot.

While dragging the heavy bike, his wrist, which had been sore from the fall, ached. Was it wrong to brace himself with the ground when he fell? With one hand pulling the bike and the other shaking his throbbing wrist, Wi Woori gave Kim Donghwa another sharp look as he caught up quickly.

Really, you’re so annoying. Is being good-looking all you’ve got?

“Should we go eat that?”

“No, I’m not eating.”

“Beef short rib stew.”

It was the hidden card his mother brought out when she wanted to see him, once or twice a month since his parents moved to the countryside. Wi Woori stopped in his tracks without realizing it.

“…Okay.”

At his short reply, a light chuckle came from beside him.

“Not the spicy ribs, the sweet ones. Right?”

“Will you add glass noodles too?”

“Yeah, I’ll add them.”

Ah, can’t resist glass noodles.

“I’ll eat with you.”

In the end, Wi Woori let out a small “hi,” and laughed. Just the thought of Hanwoo Galbi-jjim made his mouth water, so he couldn’t be annoyed any longer. Moreover, even though they had already used up all their dining-out chances for the week, he readily suggested going out to eat.

For someone who always sticks to principles, this must have been quite a big decision, so Woori thought it was only right to go along with it. When you think about it, Kim Donghwa was strict with others but had a soft spot for him. He knew well that forcing Woori would be pointless since Woori wouldn’t comply anyway.

While he was grumbling about where they should go, the soreness in his wrist intensified. Woori, who had been chattering, gently rubbed his wrist as they waited for the traffic light.

The moment Kim Donghwa spotted this, his expression hardened immediately. Woori had fallen quite badly yet claimed to have no injuries, but now it seemed pain was catching up. When Donghwa quickly grabbed his hand, Woori winced, “Ahh.”

“What’s wrong, does it hurt a lot?”

“Uh, I think I strained my muscle when I fell.”

“Let’s go to the pharmacy before we head to the restaurant.”

“No, it’ll get better after we eat.”

“What kind of nonsense prescription is that?”

Donghwa couldn’t help but spout a string of harsh words. Although he wasn’t always gentle with Woori, he had never spoken so harshly when Woori was in pain.

With a stern look, Donghwa cursed under his breath, to which Woori reacted with an expression of disbelief, “Come on.”

“That’s my mom’s prescription, you know? Whenever I’m sick, she’d say, ‘Eat some food,’ so is my mom wrong?”

Bringing up his mother silenced Donghwa with a “hmm.” Of course, such a response from his mother was suitable for minor colds or hangovers, not quite fitting for this situation.

It was amusing how seriously Donghwa reacted to just a sore wrist. After rolling his beautiful eyes around, Donghwa gave an awkward smile.

“Your mom’s prescription from another world, huh? Indeed, she’s far beyond my understanding.”

“Whatever.”

“But if it still hurts after eating, we’re going to the pharmacy. At least put on some patches.”

“Uh, okay.”

Just as he gave a half-hearted reply, their hunger was kicking in, and they were about to set off when suddenly Donghwa snatched the bike Woori was holding.

Staring at him in bewilderment, Woori asked, “Why did you take it?”

“I’ll pull it for you. You said your wrist hurts, why bother with the bike?”

With a tone that reeked of annoyance, Donghwa briskly walked ahead, crossing the crosswalk first. Woori just stood there watching him. The traffic light blinked, urging them to move, but his knees felt weak, making it hard to walk.

He really didn’t understand why Donghwa was acting like this lately.

⛧⛧⛧

“Aah, it hurts. It hurts.”

Woori, whose wrist was being held by Donghwa, writhed and groaned. Perhaps falling off the bike had been too much; his wrist was swollen by morning.

Upon seeing this, Woori couldn’t help but scream, “Ah!” His wrist didn’t look like a wrist anymore. It was so swollen it resembled an elephant’s ankle, with an emerging purplish bruise.

Donghwa, who had rushed over, was now applying a cold compress with a stern look. Woori, sprawled on the table with the cold pack on his wrist, still groaned.

Donghwa lifted the compress to check the injury. Instead of getting better, the spot seemed to be getting hotter with a red flush.

“See, we need to go to the hospital.”

“But I can’t miss today, you know that.”

Woori shook his legs, indicating he didn’t want to go. He looked quite wronged, pouting and grimacing. His usually pale skin was now flushed with heat, clearly in pain.

“Go to the hospital first, then go. It’s fine if you’re a bit late.”

“What if they don’t like me?”

He was worrying about everything. Who would dislike Woori?