OMLM | Chapter 5

Don’t come, don’t come, Kang Yebon had prayed every night, but as soon as he entered the classroom, his eyes met with Cha Hyuk’s.

Moreover, it seemed like there were more students in the classroom than the last time, but just like the first day, they all sat at a certain distance from Cha Hyuk.

Lee Seunggu said that word spread slowly that Cha Hyuk was taking this general education course, and now this course, known as a dead-end class, was fully packed with students.

Kang Yebon made a face that showed he couldn’t understand at all, but Lee Seunggu, on the other hand, seemed disappointed that he couldn’t take it.

‘What’s so disappointing about it?’

Kang Yebon hesitated before taking a seat not right next to Cha Hyuk but one or two seats away.

Then, feeling the intense gaze on his side profile, he turned to see Cha Hyuk lightly waving at him.

Surprised by this unexpected reaction, Kang Yebon awkwardly bowed his head, and Cha Hyuk seemed satisfied, taking his eyes off him.

Kang Yebon was completely dazed.

‘That guy…’

Was it because he didn’t want to sit next to him or because he couldn’t bear to take this shitty class alone that he kept him from withdrawing?

Or was it revenge for picking a fight in the alley last time, only to refuse the meal he bought but then devouring three slices of cake?

As Kang Yebon stared at Cha Hyuk’s profile with confusion, Cha Hyuk turned his eyes to look back.

As soon as their eyes met, he grinned, a smirk that anyone could tell was mischievous.

Kang Yebon felt a tug at the back of his neck.

“How about some dakgalbi and soju tonight?”

“Didn’t you say you stayed up all night with the kids from the Engineering Department yesterday?”

As Kang Yebon descended the building stairs, he glanced at Lee Seunggu’s face.

His face, which had been haggard in the morning, now looked totally drained. Even the upturned corners of his mouth were drooping more than usual, more pitiful than smiling.

Kang Yebon felt like his own energy was being sapped, so he quickly looked away.

“I’m having dinner with my mom and my aunt tonight. Let’s do it next time.”

“Oh, your aunt means Jung Woochan hyung’s mom?”

At the mention of that name, which still made him uncomfortable, Kang Yebon’s steps faltered slightly. His grip on the books tightened until his knuckles turned white.

Jung Woochan hadn’t contacted him once since that day, and fortunately, Kang Yebon hadn’t caused any trouble by contacting him either. It was partly because he was focused on Cha Hyuk…

Yet, the image of Jung Woochan throwing punches at him was still vivid in his mind.

“Will you be eating with Jung Woochan hyung too?”

“No, he said he’s too busy to come.”

That was a relief. If Jung Woochan had come, Kang Yebon’s day would have been quite miserable.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen that guy. Gu Seungbin was saying he got a job at some awesome company.”

“…Yeah, so they say.”

“The world is really unfair… Ugh, my stomach’s turning. I feel like dying…”

Kang Yebon’s eyelids tensed up. For some reason, he swallowed the saliva gathering under his tongue.

“Damn, I keep saying he’s cute, cute, and this homo bastard…”

The fierce face and angry voice from that day seemed to visualize again in his mind.

His vision blurred then cleared repeatedly, and his steps quickened.

“What’s the rush, Kang Yebon!”

Beside him, Lee Seunggu, clutching his stomach, called out in confusion, but Kang Yebon, like someone who couldn’t hear, didn’t stop.

His chest felt heavy, his breath stifled.

As Kang Yebon was almost running, something black caught his eye at the edge of his blurry vision.

In the bright, tidy campus landscape, the lone black figure caught Kang Yebon’s attention.

Unconsciously, he turned his head to see Cha Hyuk standing alone in the smoking area, a cigarette in his mouth.

The thin smoke dispersed into the sky, and his brows were furrowed as if something annoyed him. His gaze was fixed on the phone in his hand.

Even though there was a significant distance between them, today, unlike that day, was bright to the point of dryness, but the moment he saw him, the musty, bitter scent from that day filled his breath.

“Kang Yebon! Why are you running off like that, huff, what’s going on!”

Catching up, Lee Seunggu placed a hand on Kang Yebon’s shoulder, gasping for breath.

At that moment, Cha Hyuk lifted his face from his phone, and his eyes met Kang Yebon’s, who was already looking at him.

Cha Hyuk’s previously furrowed expression softened.

“What’s with that guy looking at us? Did you do something wrong? You’re taking classes with him, right?”

“…No, it’s not like that. I guess I just recognized his face. Let’s go.”

With Lee Seunggu making a fuss, Kang Yebon finally snapped out of it, quickly turning his head away and walking off as if escaping from Cha Hyuk’s sight.

The feeling of something tightening in his heart eased for some unknown reason.

“Kang Yebon looks even brighter these days. How does he get more handsome as he grows up? He could be a model, wow.”

“What model? Jung Woochan would look better as a model. He’s tall, isn’t he?”

“Then he could be an actor, an actor!”

In the cheerful atmosphere, Kang Yebon’s lips twitched. He could only relax his tense smile when he bent his head to eat.

His mom and Woochan’s mom were chatting away, occasionally talking to him, and he just nodded quietly with a gentle smile.

If it had been before, he might have felt a bit sad about Jung Woochan not showing up and kept checking his phone, but now there was no need for that.

It was a relief he didn’t come, but at the same time… when he actually didn’t show up, it felt a bit sad.

Jung Woochan had always been decisive in relationships. Once a relationship soured, he wouldn’t mend it, even if the other party humbled themselves.

That used to seem decisive and mature, but now that he was on the receiving end, it didn’t feel good at all.

‘Still, this is kind of upsetting.’

Even if former lovers can’t be friends, considering they had been like brothers for five years, excluding the time they dated, could he be this resolute?

While he thought this, he also knew that once lovers break up, they become strangers, and it would be strange for them to remain close, which only made him feel more frustrated.

Still, Kang Yebon had thought if he really broke up with Jung Woochan, it would be a clean break.

It was a foolish thought. Where was there such a thing as a clean break?

At least if he hadn’t impulsively kissed him, he wouldn’t have been hit. In the end, it was Kang Yebon who messed things up.

‘Yeah, it’s me again.’

He couldn’t eat well, so Kang Yebon put down his chopsticks and drank water in large gulps.

His relationship with Jung Woochan was severed, yet they were intertwined in so many ways.

Looking back now, he resented why he had liked Jung Woochan, but even if he went back to high school, Kang Yebon would have no choice but to like him again.

Back then, Jung Woochan was his only sanctuary.

“Speaking of which, hasn’t that Deacon Park been at church lately? He doesn’t answer calls; is something going on at his place?”

At Kang Yebon’s mom’s question, Jung Woochan’s mom furrowed her brows slightly before lowering her head. Even though they were in a private room, she glanced around quickly as if sharing a secret, and Kang Yebon pretended not to listen while subtly eavesdropping.

“There’s been a total mess at his house. You know he has a high school son.”

“Yeah, was it Kwon Seong? I think I’ve seen him a few times…”

“Yeah, that kid. He looks so calm, but they caught him watching gay porn.”

“What!”

Kang Yebon’s mom, who had exclaimed, quickly realized her voice was too loud and lowered her shoulders in haste.

“At first, he said it was an accident, but after some pressure, he finally admitted he liked boys. So now, they’re busy taking him to a psychiatrist.”

“…Oh my, what to do.”

A quiet sigh followed by silence. Neither spoke any explicit curse or criticism, but Kang Yebon could sense the disgust hidden in their silence.

Fearing they might ask him next, Kang Yebon ate plain rice, but it only made him feel more anxious and suffocated.

Fortunately, they didn’t particularly ask him, and the conversation moved on to other topics.

Just when he wished this endless meal would end…

“Oh, by the way, Kang Yebon, did you know?”

Jung Woochan’s mother looked at him while asking. Kang Yebon, who had been staring at his half-eaten rice, quickly softened his tense expression.

“Huh?”

Looking like Jung Woochan, his mom narrowed her eyes seriously, leaning forward.

Sitting next to her, Kang Yebon’s mom also leaned in, interested.

“Well, Jung Woochan, that crazy kid, without me knowing…”

Before she could finish, the door suddenly opened.

Everyone in the room widened their eyes at the unexpected guest, and only one person’s face stiffened.

“Hello.”

Long time no see, Kang Yebon.

Jung Woochan playfully winked at him as if they hadn’t broken up.

Seeing that face, Kang Yebon felt an intense urge to run out of the room, but his body felt like it was being pressed down, unable to move.

“But you said you couldn’t come! You said you were too busy to make time!”

“I had some unexpected free time. It’s been a while since we gathered, so I wanted to come. It wouldn’t be right for me to miss out.”

With an ironic smile, Jung Woochan naturally sat next to his aunt, right in front of Kang Yebon.

It felt like a hole had opened somewhere, draining his energy.

Kang Yebon could only stare at Jung Woochan without saying anything, while Jung Woochan looked back at him with the same gentle face as before.

“If you were coming, you should have said so; we ordered for you too, then.”

“It’s okay, it’s fine. I just came to see everyone for a bit. I’ll be heading back soon. How have you been, Mom?”

“I’ve been fine, very fine. It’s nice to see Woochan after a while. You must be busy with work these days, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll probably be swamped for the next two years.”

Woochan seamlessly joined the group, while Kang Yebon was the only one still on the outside.

Kang Yebon stared at Jung Woochan like someone out of his mind.

‘Why did Jung Woochan come here? Does he have a reason to show up?’

He wouldn’t have come just to join this gathering. If he wanted to mend things with him, he would have contacted him separately, so there was only one reason left.

Why come to this family gathering?

Kang Yebon’s jaw trembled slightly as he clenched his lips.

Kang Yebon had now become a perfect threat to Jung Woochan.

After a while of chatter, it was his own mother who first noticed something was off with Kang Yebon.

“Son? What’s wrong?”

A gentle hand touched his thigh.

Kang Yebon couldn’t look his mother in the eye and mumbled, “I need to go to the bathroom.”

His mother, not quite catching what he said, tried to ask again, but Kang Yebon had already left the room.

“Is he sick or something? Please look after him.”

“No, he was totally fine until a moment ago, really. I’m so attentive to him; he’s all I have.”

“But Kang Yebon is so quiet, he doesn’t speak up. Remember when he had appendicitis during a church service and he kept it to himself until it almost became a big problem?”

“…That’s true.”

As Kang Yebon’s mother watched the spot where her son had been with concern, wondering if he had indigestion, Woochan stood up.

“I’ll go get him.”

“Oh, thanks. I appreciate it.”

With a gentle smile and a slight bow, Woochan left the room, his face hardening the moment he stepped outside.

He took out his phone from his pocket and dialed Kang Yebon’s number.

As the ringing continued, Jung Woochan’s expression darkened with impatience. Just when his patience was about to run out, the call cut off.

Instead of a voice, the sound of cars passing by noisily came through.

“Where are you?”

“…The alley next to the restaurant.”

Jung Woochan immediately hung up and moved his feet.

Exiting the building, he entered the narrow alley right beside it, where Kang Yebon was standing with his head down, kicking at the cement ground.

“Kang Yebon.”

His voice was cold, unlike the tone he had used inside the restaurant.