CR | Chapter 6.4

“Ah, so frustrating. Ah, so boring!”

“Why stay here if you’re bored? Go somewhere else?”

Hearing a familiar voice right beside him, Wi Woori turned to see Kim Chanyoung approaching casually, one hand holding a cool Americano and the other a coat.

“What, you’re playing soccer too?”

“Eh, I got too lazy too.”

“Why didn’t you stop him?”

“Kim Donghwa’s obsession with sports isn’t new. You could just go home, you know?”

Of course, going home was an option.

With the weather getting warmer, watching a sport he had no interest in seemed less appealing than staying home and watching a movie while waiting for Kim Donghwa. But he didn’t want to do that.

Kim Chanyoung glanced at him briefly before turning his gaze forward. In the middle of the dusty field, Kim Donghwa, having just scored a goal, was joyfully jumping around, and his classmates were playfully tapping his shoulder and giving thumbs up.

“Kim Donghwa is really good at soccer.”

His indifferent comment was met with a quick retort.

“Is he a soccer player or what? Always soccer.”

“He’s good at everything, you know.”

“Exactly, it’s like he’s from a national sports training camp, always exercising.”

Wi Woori’s comments, always finding fault, were delivered with a nonchalant look at Kim Donghwa. Kim Chanyoung found the dynamics between the two genuinely amusing. Even if Kim Donghwa did it out of affection, Wi Woori’s stress from constantly sticking around him was beyond understanding.

They were clearly a mismatch, yet somehow, their interaction created a bizarre synergy. Watching them, Kim Chanyoung had no intention of intervening. Ah, was Wi Woori feeling the same frustrating enjoyment from this?

“Want to grab something to eat while waiting? I’m hungry.”

“Are you paying?”

“This guy, you’ve gotten too used to Kim Donghwa paying for everything, haven’t you even thought about spending money?”

Wi Woori grinned.

Weirdly, he had money too, but somehow it had become normal for Kim Donghwa to spend on him. Although Kim Donghwa’s family was considerably wealthier, Wi Woori had never bothered to stop him from paying.

“Wow, caught. Kim Donghwa has been paying a lot lately. His family must be doing well.”

“His family has never had it tough. Get up, Kim Donghwa says he’ll pay.”

What? What does that mean?

Wi Woori tilted his head and belatedly looked at Kim Chanyoung, who had just shown him a text message. The message from Kim Donghwa read, “I’ll send the money later, take Wi Woori to a café and get out of here,” which annoyingly made him scoff.

“Get out of here? Really?”

After sending a harsh message back to Kim Donghwa, Wi Woori followed Kim Chanyoung out of there, feeling less burdened since Kim Donghwa was paying. In annoyance, he thought it might be a good chance to make Kim Donghwa spend all he could.

“Why are you so pissed?”

“Because what Kim Donghwa says is so annoying.”

“These guys need to broaden their horizons. They aren’t uneducated, so why are they so narrow-minded?”

“What nonsense are you spouting now?”

Kim Chanyoung approached quickly, shaking his head. He then showed his phone again to Wi Woori.

[Kim Donghwa]
Take Wi Woori to the café.
I’ll send the money later.
It’s hot, he might get a heatstroke.

[Kim Chanyoung]
Am I your errand boy?
Where’s Wi Woori?

[Kim Donghwa]
Right side stands.
No shade.

[Kim Chanyoung]
Why sit where there’s no shade?
He’s sensitive to heat.
Take him away.

[Kim Donghwa]
…Well, it’s not like he would actually get a heatstroke.

Wi Woori bit his lip. Choosing a seat without shade was obviously because that spot had the clearest view of Kim Donghwa. Maybe that was what had been bothering him lately.

Despite being suspicious, Woori found the increasingly affectionate Kim Donghwa not so bad—and started to smirk.

“Ah, right.”

He quickly took out his phone.

He needed to smooth over the harsh message he had sent to Kim Donghwa before he saw it.

[Kim Chanyoung]
ㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗ
ㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇ

After sending a string of “ㅗ” emojis and then quickly adding “ㅇ” underneath to form a makeshift “ㅎ”, Wi Woori followed up with a message.

“I’m with Kim Chanyoung, in front of the school. Come after soccer.”

Once at the café, Wi Woori confidently added an extra shot to his usual Americano, while Kim Chanyoung’s teasing about his choice—likening it to a strangely bitter chocolate latte—went largely ignored.

Sitting across from him, Kim Chanyoung seemed to have fulfilled his duty just by being there, mostly fiddling with his phone. Judging by the half-closed eyes he shot at Wi Woori, he might actually be getting serious about dating. Woori just smiled, prompting Kim Chanyoung to sheepishly put his phone away.

“Do you really like it that much?”

“Hey, why aren’t you dating?”

Kim Chanyoung’s face lit up as if he had won the world, an overreaction, perhaps. At the question, he just shrugged nonchalantly.

“I like someone.”

“Who is it? Tell me. I won’t tell Kim Donghwa.”

As if he could really tell.

He just grinned, and as Kim Chanyoung eagerly pressed for an answer, Wi Woori playfully dodged the question. They both knew that there were no secrets between Kim Donghwa and Kim Chanyoung.

They were an easygoing trio, weren’t they? While Wi Woori trusted Kim Chanyoung, he was more cautious because if two of them got too close, one would always be left out. And the ‘what if’ scenarios, though unlikely, could always become a reality.

“I’ll tell you later.”

“Ah, I’m so curious. How can you like someone else when you’re always with Kim Donghwa? When do you even have the time to see someone else?”

“Any news from Kim Donghwa?”

“With you around him 24/7, when would he have the time to see anyone else?”

Unable to relay Kim Donghwa’s feelings directly, Wi Woori gave a roundabout answer, which the simple Wi Woori accepted with a flick of his eyebrows. The more they watched, the more peculiar their relationship seemed. While Kim Chanyoung was intrigued, he also felt a pang of sympathy towards Kim Donghwa, who liked this very Wi Woori.

Leaning back into the plush seat, Wi Woori felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket. Likely a message from Kim Donghwa, who had probably just finished playing soccer. Sure enough, the message on the locked screen was from Kim Donghwa.

[Donghwa]
Wi Woori, were you cursing at me and then suddenly changed it?
Ahaha, look at this guy’s timing.

Wi Woori forced a smile, straightening his lips.

Unlocking his phone to see the follow-up message, it read:

[Donghwa]
Guess I was mistaken, huh?
Caught you right there.

“^^What nonsense.
Hurry up, I’m hungry.
Pretending it’s not you.
What can you do? I said it’s not me.

[Donghwa]
Yep, coming now.”

After reading the reply, Wi Woori hastily gathered his things. Kim Chanyoung’s puzzled gaze was on him. If it had been Kim Donghwa, he would have guessed what was about to happen, but Kim Chanyoung, despite their long friendship, still seemed to miss these cues.

“Donghwa coming now.”

“The drinks you buy turned ‘Kim Donghwa’ into ‘Donghwa’ huh?”

“If you’re going to mooch dinner off me, you’d better act nice.”

Of course, Kim Donghwa would be paying. Wi Woori, relaxing his body into a tease, received a chuckling response from Kim Chanyoung.

“Sure, should I hold your bag too?”

“Kim Chanyoung, have you been doing okay lately?”

As they bantered, Wi Woori noticed Kim Donghwa entering the cafe. He waved frantically, and the approaching Kim Donghwa returned the gesture with a grin. When he got close enough, he playfully poked Wi Woori’s nose.

“Quick start.”

“Huh?”

“After you snap at me and then switch up because I buy coffee? I know everything.”

The nickname didn’t sit well with him, but he couldn’t deny Kim Donghwa’s accurate interpretation.

“Buy me food, you’re the one who made me snap.”

“Why should I buy food when you’re the one who snapped? I’m the one who got cursed at.”

“Not buying?”

“What do you want to eat?”

Oh, look at these guys.

Kim Chanyoung tilted his head. As soon as Kim Donghwa showed up, Wi Woori’s attention was glued to him. Kim Donghwa’s demeanor changed when dealing with Wi Woori, as if to defy any claims that he didn’t like Wi Woori.

Annoying guys, thought Kim Chanyoung as he frowned.

“I’m leaving.”

“Why? Aren’t you eating with us?”

Thinking it might be better for them to spend some time alone, he made to leave, but the clueless duo seemed oblivious to the suggestion.

“How do they manage life with that kind of timing? No, wait, usually, they’re pretty sharp, so how come they’re so clueless when it involves each other?”

Even the most entertaining sitcom gets stressful if watched too often. Kim Chanyoung decided it was healthier for his mind and body to say goodbye.

“Ah, I’ll just eat with my girlfriend. You two eat, you cockroaches.”

“See you tomorrow. Thanks for looking after Wi Woori.”

Kim Chanyoung shook his head as if to say no thanks, while Wi Woori already clung to Kim Donghwa, complaining bitterly.

“Am I a kid? What, are you handing me off to a nanny?”

“Isn’t that so? You were all mad and glaring.”

“I told you not to play soccer, but you did it anyway.”

“Am I supposed to do everything you say? Really, you’re ridiculous, you know.”

Who’s the real joke here, wondered Kim Chanyoung as he watched the two bickering figures from afar.

Really, the more you see, the more they annoy you.

Maybe I should pry into who Wi Woori likes. Could it be Kim Donghwa? Of course, it’s hard to imagine, but if by some chance it’s true, it might be easier on everyone if they just dated.

But he quickly dismissed the thought. Whether Wi Woori would willingly tell him was uncertain, and if it wasn’t Kim Donghwa, it would just be pitiful.

“Ah, forget it. Let them figure out their own relationship.”

With that, Kim Chanyoung also made his carefree exit.

⛧⛧⛧

Kim Chanyoung was seriously starting to wonder if he had inadvertently signed up to be Wi Woori’s nanny.

Today, as usual, at Kim Donghwa’s request, he had brought Wi Woori to the café in front of the school and was now just watching him sip through a straw, wearing a dull expression.