SS Chapter 1.2

Beep beep beep. Click.

 

As Eunho lay on his bed reading a comic book, he heard the sound of the door lock followed by movement. He checked his phone – it was already 9 PM.

 

Eunho put down the comic and went out to the living room. His mom was placing two boxes she’d brought on the dining table.

 

“What did you bring? Where’s Dad?”

 

Eunho asked, peering at the boxes on the table.

 

“Oh, don’t even ask. We had so many customers today that your dad had to stay and watch the restaurant. We’ll have to take turns closing up for a while.”

 

His parents ran a fairly large meat restaurant in the neighborhood and spent a lot of time there. Even though sales weren’t low and they had enough staff, their reasoning was that no employee could match the owner’s touch.

 

“What’s this? Red ginseng? I don’t need this stuff.”

 

Eunho opened one of the boxes on the table and held up a pouch. 6-year-old red ginseng. The gold lettering on the red background looked luxurious.

 

As he was about to tear open a corner with his teeth, his mom quickly smacked his hand.

 

“What are you doing? Put that back carefully! It’s for Dohyun.”

 

“Cha Dohyun? Why him?”

 

“What do you mean why? Dohyun got first place in the whole school on the mock exam. Studying is important, but it’s a battle of stamina from now on. I bought some for your dad and got some for Dohyun too.”

 

“This is for Dad? And one is for Cha Dohyun? So there’s nothing for me?”

 

It was puzzling how someone who spends all day at the restaurant hears such news. Moreover, Eunho couldn’t hide his bewilderment at his mother worrying about Cha Dohyun’s stamina while ignoring her own son.

 

“You just said with your own mouth that you don’t need it. And why would I give red ginseng to someone who doesn’t even study?”

 

The issue wasn’t the red ginseng itself, but the natural flow of prioritizing Cha Dohyun right after Dad. Eunho let out a small scoff.

 

“I’ll leave one box by the front door, so go put it in Dohyun’s fridge early tomorrow morning.”

 

“Ugh, what a hassle. Just tell Cha Dohyun to come get it.”

 

“Tsk! Why make Dohyun go back and forth when he’s studying? You go deliver it.”

 

Eunho got smacked on the back for his offhand comment. It was clear that his mother loved Cha Dohyun more than the child she painfully gave birth to.

 

Cha Dohyun didn’t even need to show the consideration of ringing the doorbell to avoid startling his parents. If they ever moved, they’d probably tell Cha Dohyun the new house password before their own son.

 

Eunho pointlessly took out a ginseng pack from his dad’s box and drank it.

 

“Ugh, what a pain… Now I have to wake up early to deliver this.”

 

Eunho grimaced at the bittersweet taste filling his mouth. A subtle ginseng flavor lingered on his tongue.

 

***

 

Early in the morning, Eunho raised his left hand to enter the door lock code.

 

0. 7. 1. 1.

 

As he input the four digits of Cha Dohyun’s birthday, the door opened with a beep. The first thing visible upon entering was a pair of neatly arranged black canvas shoes.

 

Eunho carelessly kicked off his white sneakers, roughly pushing them to the side before going inside. He placed the heavy red ginseng box he’d carried from home on the dining table with a soft thud. His palm stung where white marks had formed.

 

The house was quiet, as Cha Dohyun hadn’t woken up yet. Eunho opened the fridge while gathering up the ginseng packs. Thanks to the housekeeper who came regularly, the inside was neatly organized with side dishes and fruits.

 

As he was transferring the pouches from the box into the vegetable drawer one by one, the fridge started beeping a warning. Eunho furrowed his brow slightly.

 

“Hey, Cha Dohyun! Wake up already.”

 

Eunho called out towards the closed bedroom door, but there was no significant response. Unlike himself who reacted sensitively to small noises, Cha Dohyun was the type to sleep deeply once he lay down.

 

After roughly folding the empty box and setting it next to the trash can, Eunho put a slice of bread in the toaster and took out cereal from the shelf, pouring it into a bowl. The colorful donut-shaped cereal was one of his favorites. He opened the fridge and poured cold milk over the cereal, making the pink and yellow circles float to the top.

 

After putting the milk back, Eunho took out juice and placed it on the table. The premium carrot juice in a square glass bottle was to Cha Dohyun’s taste.

 

Breakfast preparations were mostly done, but there was still no sign of the homeowner waking up.

 

“What am I, a nanny or something?”

 

Grumbling quietly, Eunho walked over and opened Dohyun’s bedroom door.

 

Thin light was leaking through the blackout curtains. Upon entering, he saw Cha Dohyun lying in the center of the large bed in a straight posture.

 

His bangs covering his forehead were neatly arranged, as if he hadn’t tossed and turned all night.The slightly upturned corners of his lips, even when sleeping expressionlessly, were something Eunho hadn’t gotten used to even after 19 years. Whether his face didn’t get puffy in the morning due to his constitution or thanks to the freshly squeezed carrot juice, it was blessed genes anyway.

 

 

 

“Hey, Cha Dohyun. Wake up and wash!”

 

Eunho looked down at Dohyun, who didn’t budge even at the loud noise. He contemplated getting water and pouring it on his face, but then shook his head, thinking about cleaning up the wet bedding.

 

Hitting him hard on the back also didn’t seem like a very good idea. It was because if he made a mistake and gave that crazy obsessive bastard any excuse, he didn’t know what kind of retaliation he might face.

 

After much deliberation, Eunho walked to the window and flung open the curtains. Bright light poured into the room along with the cheerful sound of the plastic curtain rod scraping. As summer deepened and the sun rose earlier, the morning sunlight felt intensely bright

 

“Ugh….”

 

A small groan came from behind him, followed by a low, husky voice.

 

“…What time is it?”

 

“Hurry up and wash. It’s seven thirty, you bastard.”

 

Cha Dohyun, uncharacteristically, was a heavy sleeper in the morning. Eunho wondered what he did in the evenings that made it so hard for him to wake up. Was he studying all night or something?

 

Confirming that Dohyun was frowning as if the light was too bright, Eunho turned to leave the room. He figured Dohyun was mostly awake, so he’d go eat some cereal and wait.

 

The moment Eunho reached for the doorknob, his other wrist was suddenly grabbed. Dohyun pulled the grabbed wrist, simultaneously lifting a corner of the blanket.

 

Losing his balance abruptly, Eunho fell forward onto the empty bed. Dohyun then wrapped his arms and legs around Eunho, who was now lying next to him, effectively trapped by him.

 

Thanks to this, Eunho, who was relatively smaller, looked like he was completely caught in Dohyun’s embrace.

 

‘What the hell is he doing?’

 

As bewilderment washed over him, dominating his entire body, Eunho froze, holding his breath. Because of this, it took him a moment to understand what was happening and why. He had only come in to wake up the sleeping Cha Dohyun, but somehow he had ended up lying on the same bed, held in his arms.

 

The body pressed against his back felt solid all over. Especially the hardness pressing into his lower back felt unpleasant.

 

“Hey! You crazy bastard, are you insane?!”

 

Eunho’s shocked voice and the loud rustling of the blanket broke the silence in the room. He could feel Dohyun’s breath tickling his ear, sending shivers down both of Eunho’s arms.

 

Being back-hugged by a guy was something he had never even imagined. Especially not on a bed!  Feeling like bugs were crawling all over him, Eunho thrashed, wildly swinging his arms and legs.

 

“…Yeo Eunho?”

 

“Yeah, you fucking bastard! Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing from the morning?”

 

Amused by Eunho’s overly horrified reaction, Dohyun tightened his grip, even though he had confirmed it was him he was holding. He chuckled, clearly finding the situation hilarious. It seemed the crazy bastard was planning to torment him from the morning.

 

“It’s cold.”

 

“Are you out of your mind? It’s almost July, what’s cold, you psycho. Let go?! Stop clinging to me from behind like this, it’s disgusting!”

 

Cha Dohyun’s hand gripping his wrist was unusually cold, but that was because the bastard had bad circulation, not because of the weather.

 

Eunho shuddered, thinking his mother’s foresight in buying red ginseng was spot on. Soon it would be so hot that the asphalt on the roads might melt under the sun; saying it was cold was just ridiculous.

 

No matter how much Eunho struggled, he couldn’t overpower Cha Dohyun. He raised his elbow and slammed it hard into Dohyun’s side. Only then did Dohyun loosen his grip. As if waiting for the opportunity, Eunho, who had been wriggling, sprang up from the bed. He felt like he had gone in to wake someone up and ended up getting bitten by a rabid dog.

 

“Ugh….”

 

Whether it was because Eunho had put all his strength into that elbow strike, Dohyun curled up and twitched.Eunho briefly worried if he’d hit him too hard, but quickly reasoned that if he hadn’t, he’d likely still be trapped in that awkward embrace on the bed.

 

When you thought about it, this was clearly self-defense. That bastard was the one who had attacked a good citizen who had come to make breakfast and even wake him up.

 

“Did that crazy bastard go nuts after sleeping so well? Hey, if you don’t come out soon, I’m leaving first, you hear me! Seriously, that psycho.”

 

Quickly fixing his hair and clothes, Eunho flung open the door. Before leaving, he turned his head to glance at Cha Dohyun. Looking again, he realized Dohyun wasn’t twitching in pain, but laughing.

 

Of course. A guy who had been hit and kicked around throughout his sports career wouldn’t be lying there groaning in pain over something like this.

 

Even more annoyed by the sight, Eunho lifted his foot and kicked the blanket. He slammed the bedroom door shut behind him, and a muffled chuckle leaked from inside. There was no cure for a crazy person. Eunho muttered fiercely, scratching his entire body.

 

****

 

By the time Eunho, sitting on the sofa, had eaten about half of his soggy cereal, Dohyun came out to the living room with a towel draped over his shoulders.

 

Dohyun buttoned up his summer uniform shirt from the top down as he walked into the kitchen and bit into a nicely toasted piece of bread. Cha Dohyun always buttoned his shirt all the way to the top, as if it didn’t bother him at all.

 

Eunho, who almost always wore a loose black short-sleeved t-shirt like it was his uniform, couldn’t understand Dohyun’s preference.

 

“But what brings you here so early?”

 

Dohyun, still chewing on his toast, finally looked at Eunho with a puzzled expression. Eunho busied himself tidying up the cereal bowl he had been eating from. Ever since Cha Dohyun had said he was going to study and started visiting their house less, Eunho had been the one visiting this house more often.

 

Having been attached at the hip since they were little, he felt bored being alone at home, and he also worried about Cha Dohyun eating dinner alone in an empty house.

 

To be honest, it was more comfortable because there were no adults around to nag him even if he was just lazing around doing nothing. Worrying about him eating alone?

 

Cha Dohyun, who ate dinner at school and attended mandatory self-study, sometimes even late-night self-study, would scoff if he heard that. Unaware of this, Eunho’s mother always seemed pleased when he said he was going to Cha Dohyun’s house.But that was all after school;

 

visiting Cha Dohyun’s house early in the morning like today was rare. Unless he was coming to steal a shirt when his uniform hadn’t fully dried or had an errand from his parents, there was no need for him to see Cha Dohyun’s face in the morning.

 

Because there was no reason to have to face a face he had been sick of seeing for 19 years from the very start of a new day.

 

Eunho figured Cha Dohyun probably wasn’t thrilled to see his face first thing in the morning either.

 

“Oh, Mom bought your red ginseng extract when she bought Dad’s. It’s in the vegetable drawer in the fridge. She said you should drink one pack every morning.”

 

“Please thank her for me.”

 

“Do it yourself, you bastard. She’ll like it more if you do it. I’ve decided she’s your mom, not mine.”

 

“Why again? What is it this time?”

 

Dohyun chuckled at Eunho’s grumbling.

 

“Well, aren’t I a senior in high school too? She completely left mine out and only bought Dad’s and yours, the red ginseng. It’s so petty, discriminating against people like that.”

 

“What’s the point of you, who doesn’t even study, getting all that health boost for?”

 

“Hey, you! Do you think I’m acting like this just because I didn’t get any red ginseng?”

 

Like mother, like son, Dohyun was saying the exact same thing as his mother. Yep, definitely not his mom. Eunho muttered, glaring at Dohyun irritably. Dohyun, looking amused, quickly finished the remaining half of his toast and wiped his hair with the towel he had draped over his shoulders. Seeing that he seemed mostly ready, Eunho poured the rest of his cereal into the sink.

 

It had gotten soggy and tasted bad because of Cha Dohyun’s weird antics from the morning. Standing in front of the sink, Eunho rolled up his sleeves and looked around. He had turned on the water to do the dishes, but there were no rubber gloves.

 

“Just leave it. I’ll do it after I get back.”

 

Dohyun, who had approached unnoticed, reached out from behind Eunho. Remembering Dohyun’s strange prank in bed earlier, Eunho stiffened almost imperceptibly. But the white hand that came close only turned off the faucet and then moved away again. The loud sound of running water stopped instantly.

 

“Ah, well, okay then…”

 

Feeling unnecessarily self-conscious for overreacting, Eunho quickly shook the water off his hands and slung his bag over his shoulder, which he had placed on a chair. Dohyun opened the refrigerator, took out two red ginseng pouches, and offered one to Eunho.

 

“Want one?”

 

“Nah, you go ahead, you bastard. Drink a lot and make sure you get into Seoul University.”

 

Dohyun just smiled, seemingly unfazed and in a good mood despite the strange morning. Meanwhile, Eunho went to the entryway and clumsily slipped on his sneakers. The bitter aroma of red ginseng reached him from the kitchen. Unexpectedly, the sweet aftertaste he’d experienced yesterday resurfaced, making his mouth water slightly.

 

It had been quite a while since they had started wearing their summer uniforms, but the mornings and evenings still had a cool crispness to them. A gentle breeze blew, ruffling Eunho’s hair.

 

Walking with his earphones in and his eyes fixed on his phone, Eunho pushed his bangs back and looked up. He saw Dohyun’s back about three steps ahead of him. Usually, instead of walking side-by-side, Eunho was more often trailing behind Dohyun. This kind of scene unfolded whenever they walked together, partly because Eunho tended to get distracted by various things, but mostly because of Cha Dohyun’s personality of just looking straight ahead and walking directly to his destination.

 

Cha Dohyun never touched his phone or even listened to music while walking. His reason was that it interfered with his thinking. But it wasn’t like he carried around a vocabulary book or a novel to read; he simply walked with his hands in his pockets, looking straight ahead.

 

They didn’t have many things to talk about on their way to school, so it wasn’t awkward for them to walk doing their own things. In fact, walking in step side-by-side would probably feel stranger.

 

Chasing after Cha Dohyun while only looking at his phone, Eunho often wouldn’t realize where he was until he passed through the school gates. But since Cha Dohyun wouldn’t lead him to some strange place, he was used to it, so he didn’t give it much thought.

 

Suddenly, the scenery on his way to school, which he glanced up at, felt unfamiliar. Eunho turned off the video he was watching and put his phone away. The leaves, which hadn’t quite shed their spring hues and still had a touch of light green, had already turned into a lush, bright green.

 

The fresh, vibrant green leaves that had just fully sprouted, the translucent leaves just beginning to harden under the summer sun, swayed in the breeze. Eunho quickened his pace and slung an arm around Dohyun’s shoulder in front of him.

 

It was a bit uncomfortable as his shoulder had to rise to match the height difference, but in such a vibrant season, it was only polite to stage a scene from a youth drama. He hated to admit it, but he would probably suit the role of the mischievous troublemaker, and Cha Dohyun the kind male lead.

 

“Hey, Cha Dohyun. Are you dating someone these days?”

 

The leaves rustled again in another gust of wind. The dappled shadows of the leaves on the road swayed, and light shadows rippled over their uniforms. Dohyun looked at Eunho with a puzzled expression, as if asking what nonsense he was spouting. The bright early summer sunlight reflected off his face, clearly showing his disbelief.

 

“Come on, who is it? Is it someone I know?”

 

” That’s a pretty creative way to talk nonsense.”

 

Dohyun shook his head, laughing in disbelief at Eunho’s words.

 

“You little sneak. You hugged me so naturally. You’ve been acting all busy studying, but were you actually busy dating? Since when?”

 

“Dating? What dating? A senior in high school doesn’t have time for that.”

 

“Hey, Cha Dohyun. Love always blossoms in adversity. You meet someone at cram school, you flirt while preparing for job applications. Don’t you know those stories? Stop only studying and watch some dramas too.”

 

Dohyun chuckled, looking amused, and pulled Eunho’s arm off his shoulder. The warmth where their wrists had touched felt cool.

 

“Yeo Eunho, all that imagination of yours must be thanks to dramas. Hey, Eunho, you’ve found your calling.”

 

Dohyun smoothly changed the subject, even though it felt like he should have said something by now. Thanks to that, Eunho looked like some perverted movie director hitting on someone who clearly didn’t want it.

 

The closer they got to school, the more Eunho felt eyes on them. The contrast between Cha Dohyun, prim in his buttoned white uniform, and Eunho, casually dressed in just a black t-shirt with his shirt draped over his shoulders, was probably quite noticeable. Even though everyone at school knew he and Cha Dohyun were close, he couldn’t help but think they might appear, from a certain perspective, like a delinquent bullying a well-behaved student. Eunho pouted.

 

“Alright, forget it. I’m not interested anyway.”

 

Even though Eunho felt a little put out that Cha Dohyun was keeping secrets from him, he pretended to be nonchalant, not wanting to seem like he was sulking over something minor. He couldn’t imagine what kind of amazing person Dohyun was dating that he couldn’t even tell him, especially considering their close relationship.

 

Eunho walked ahead of Dohyun but slowed down when he spotted the student affairs teacher standing like a guard at the school gate.

 

“Ugh, it’s the head teacher. He hasn’t been around lately,” Eunho muttered under his breath, quickly shrugging on the summer uniform shirt he’d been carrying. The stiff collar scratched his neck.

 

He haphazardly buttoned a couple, but they were misaligned, making the ends look crooked. The shirt, which he’d crumpled up, had wrinkles all over, but he didn’t care much since he’d take it off again as soon as he was past the gate. He absolutely loathed the uniform shirt that felt tight in the shoulders and suffocating around his neck whenever he raised his arms.

 

The student affairs teacher was standing in front of the school gate like a gatekeeper, tapping shoulders with a long stick. Eunho, who was quietly moving his feet among the groups of kids going in, raised one eyebrow and awkwardly smiled as soon as his eyes met the student affairs teacher’s displeased expression.

“Hello.”

 

As Eunho slightly moved his lips and nodded, the head teacher gestured with the stick he was holding.

 

“Yeo Eunho, you brat, come here. Is that how you wear a shirt, just draped on? Can’t you button it up properly?”

 

“What ‘ugh’? Button it up neatly, all the way to the top!”

 

He had a t-shirt on underneath, wasn’t buttoning it this much enough? Honestly, Korean teachers were so old-fashioned. They had no respect for students’ individuality, Eunho thought, sullenly sticking out his lip.

 

“Hello,”

 

Cha Dohyun’s voice came from the side as Eunho roughly unbuttoned his shirt from the top. When Eunho glanced up, Cha Dohyun was silently observing his struggle with the buttons. What’s so interesting about this? Eunho wondered, immediately regretting his early morning visit to Dohyun’s.

 

It was the same greeting Eunho had given, but somehow it sounded different coming from Dohyun, and the head teacher’s voice brightened.

 

“Oh, Dohyun, you’re here. A bit late today?”

 

“I overslept a little this morning.”

 

“That’s alright. It happens sometimes when you’re tired. You must be busy with student council work too. You know you have to take care of your health as much as your studies, right?”

 

“Yes, thank you.”

Eunho rolled his eyes inwardly as Dohyun pulled out the whole innocent act – lowered gaze, sweet smile.Was this what social life was like? It seemed so fake. No matter how he looked at it, Dohyun seemed to be forcing a smile with his eyes to hide his usual indifference, but the head teacher patted Dohyun’s shoulder with obvious pride.

 

“Go on, Yeo Eunho. And try getting here a bit earlier, will you, you little troublemaker.”

 

The head teacher tapped Eunho’s backside with his stick and then resumed his stern expression. He told Cha Dohyun it was okay to oversleep but told Eunho, who had come with him, to be on time. The hypocrisy was astounding. Eunho invisibly pouted.

 

As they walked towards the main building after passing through the school gate, Eunho glanced at Dohyun’s expression again. His usual impassive gaze met his. Eunho let out a bewildered laugh at the calm way Dohyun was looking at him, as if nothing happend.

 

“Wow, Cha Dohyun. You are such a fake.”

 

Only then did Dohyun seem to understand Eunho’s words, and he slowly curved his lips into a smile. As they bickered and walked towards the main building, more and more students started to greet them, though most of the greetings were directed at Cha Dohyun.

 

Heewoon High’s amazing student council president knew a lot of people. The 1st and 2nd graders, approaching with bright smiles from afar, would often flinch when they noticed Eunho walking crookedly beside him.

 

They looked surprised that the rumor about the student council president Cha Dohyun and the delinquent Yeo Eunho being close was actually true.

 

Most of the 3rd graders already knew since Eunho treated Dohyun’s classroom like his own room, but since they rarely went to and from school together like today, it probably sounded like just a rumor to the younger students.

 

Even Eunho himself thought they were an unlikely pair. the student council president and the troublemaker, the neat Cha Dohyun and the swaggering Yeo Eunho, white uniform shirt and black t-shirt, juice and milk. The differences were about that stark.

“It’s nice coming with Yeo Eunho,” Dohyun said, still walking with an expressionless face.

 

Thinking about it again, living a life of hiding his true nature and pretending to be kind probably wasn’t easy. Eunho thought that Cha Dohyun must have been going through a lot without him realizing it.

 

Completely forgetting that he had just called Dohyun a fake, Eunho patted Dohyun’s back comfortingly. He wondered how many people could respond with a straight face when so many kids were greeting him with bright, expectant eyes.

 

Suddenly, it occurred to Eunho that going to school together sometimes, depending on how Cha Dohyun acted, might not be a bad idea. Although, the kind of unpleasantness from this morning should definitely not happen again.

 

The memory of the morning resurfaced, and Eunho put more force into the hand patting Dohyun’s back.

 

“You son of a…”

 

With a thwack, Dohyun bent over. Eunho was a little surprised by the strong reaction, but he felt justified. Considering what had happened in the morning, Cha Dohyun deserved to be hit a few more times. However, despite thinking that, his pace quickened with each step.

 

“I’m going ahead!” Eunho shouted to Dohyun, who was left behind, and ran up towards the classroom. It definitely wasn’t because he was afraid Dohyun would seriously chase after him.

 

He thought he heard a hollow laugh and something about walking together from behind, but Eunho didn’t slow down. The early summer air, carrying a hint of warmth, smelled like grass.