episode_0026

Lunch time, the location is the cafeteria.

“Hey, the next time you play basketball, make sure to start with Joo Woo-joo and Kim Seung-woo on teams. If two people are on the same team, the game cannot proceed.”

“Admit it, let’s get rid of these bastards. These two are so damn good, it’s just Yanghak, Yanghak.”

Jaehyun and Seongmin’s exasperated voices came out from the table where the Class 2 basketball members were gathered.

Listening to what he said, it seems like he was quite upset that Kim Seung-woo and I were on the same team and had such an overwhelming score difference. Before we started, the kids were saying they would twist my ankles or kill me, but now that they’re like this, it’s funny and a little sad. do.

“When are you asked to team up together, and why are you like this when everything is over?”

“Because I didn’t know, because I didn’t know that Kim Seung-woo was a guy who played like this! I wonder if I would have done that if I knew!”

“I always knew that Jooju is good at basketball, but Seungwoo, do you play basketball too?”

These were the words of Jihoon, the most serious among us.

Kim Seung-woo seemed embarrassed by the words that seemed to be a question or not, so he scratched his cheek and opened his mouth.

“Ah, yes. I did it a lot in middle school.”

“Really? But why didn’t you ask us to do it together?”

If Kim Seung-woo had shown interest first, it would have been easier for me to talk to him.

I’m good at basketball, so I suddenly wondered why he didn’t ask me to play for a week first, so I looked at Seungwoo Kim and asked, and the answer I got was a little surprising.

“I felt a bit sorry for interfering with the group of people playing the game, and since you guys seemed so close, I didn’t even talk to you first, so… … .”

“Ah… . What was it like that?”

I also thought there was a special reason.

‘Is this person more shy than he looks?’

It looks like it doesn’t hide anything at all. I guess the way a person looks has nothing to do with their actual personality.

“Hey, do men care about things like that? If you tell them to do it, they just do it.”

“That’s right, Kwon Byeong-jae isn’t good at basketball anyway. It’s actually better if you leave the grade and become an ace.”

“… … Foot.”

The swearing that came out like a stream of water was so funny that I laughed without realizing it, and Kim Seung-woo, who was sitting next to me, also laughed along with me.

In this slightly warm(?) atmosphere, Jaehyun stopped eating and looked up and down my clothes.

“Hey, universe. Where did you sell your dress shirts?”

As Jaehyun pointed out, I was only wearing a black short-sleeved t-shirt.

Physical education class is over, but the reason I’m doing this is because I don’t want to change into my school uniform… … . Not.

“Oh, this? Aki asked me to borrow my dress shirt.”

This is because right after physical education class ended, Aki came to our class and borrowed my school uniform dress shirt.

“Why?”

“I spilled water on my gym clothes and it didn’t dry out so it felt uncomfortable to wear them. So I lent it to you, well.”

”Huh? If you spilled it on your gym uniform, that means your uniform shirt is fine. But why am I borrowing your clothes?”

“Well, they said they were both wet because they were wearing dress shirts underneath… .”

The reason the answer is a question is because I am not sure. I lent it to Aki because he said so, but I didn’t lend it to him after seeing with my own eyes whether Aki’s clothes were wet or not.

“Umm, really?”

It was an ambiguous answer, but Jaehyun seemed to have no intention of going into it any further. He nodded and took a sip of rice.

I was getting hungry too so I had a drink.

The lunch menu is rice, kimchi, unidentifiable green vegetables, pork cutlet, and udon.

It is a simple yet delicious side dish that almost everyone likes and dislikes. I picked up a piece of pork cutlet with chopsticks.

‘Pork cutlets… … .’

This is something Aki really likes.

“… … .”

What would Aki be doing right now?

Since it was lunch time, it seemed like he was eating with his classmates, but when I looked around to find a seat in the cafeteria earlier, I didn’t see Aki’s face.

That means he didn’t come before me.

‘It’s about time… .’

“──Ah, Uju~chan was discovered!”

… … The moment I thought that, coincidentally, I heard a very familiar tone of voice.

There is only one person in this world who calls me with a cute high-pitched voice and the unusual title ‘Wooju~chan’.

I was glad to see it on the inside, but I pretended not to and looked back.

Sure enough, Aki’s appearance is visible.

“Uju~chan, Uju~chan!”

My childhood friend, Fujiwara Aki, is wearing a very generous-looking men’s shirt and gently waving his hand in this direction.

Even though she looks a little dull due to her loose-fitting clothes, her natural cuteness doesn’t fade at all.

No, on the contrary, it looks dull, which emphasizes its cuteness even more.

‘Our Aki looks cute no matter what she wears… … .’

Just when I was thinking something stupid like that, Aki’s lips twitched slightly.

‘After I finish lunch, I’ll go take a quick look!’

“Wow, the fit of my boyfriend’s shirt is crazy… .”

“Isn’t she Jooju’s girlfriend?”

The moment Aki was about to respond to what he had just said, someone said something that could not be ignored.

Then, the eyes of my friends sitting at the same table focused on me.

“Life, fuck… … .”

“Ah, I’m suddenly in a shitty mood.”

“Kaaaak, tuwa!”

“… … .”

I pretended not to hear everyone’s malicious words and chewed on a piece of pork cutlet.

“Hey, the universe.”

“… … uh? Why.”

“What are you doing this Saturday? If you don’t have an appointment, let’s go somewhere with us.”

“Let’s go together… ? What, where?”

“Off the coast of Incheon, pick up your deep-sea fishing boat and send it to the middle of the Pacific Ocean.”

“… … .”

“Just kidding, let’s go escape the room. A new theme has appeared in a place we always go to.”

I don’t think the tone was a joke at all… … . Hmm, maybe it’s my mood, right?

I shook my head.

“Sorry. I have an appointment on Saturday.”

“Huh? Why, the deep-sea fishing boat drip was a joke?”

“I know that. But I really have an appointment, I made it a week ago so I can’t cancel it.”

“I was planning to meet someone, so I made an appointment a week ago… … . Ah, no way… ?”

A look that asks if what I am thinking right now is correct.

‘By any chance, is this kid…? To the unspoken pressure that seemed to say ‘?’, I quietly nodded.

That meant that it was true, and Jaehyun, who had recommended me to escape the room, acted as if the pork cutlet was my face. Pick up your chopsticks and take a sip! stabbed

“Ugh, yes. Go, go, leave your friends behind and live with your girlfriend face to face for the rest of your life.”

“Hey, Jooju, leave this bastard alone and let’s go on our own.”

“Don’t even think about coming out of town for a date, because the moment I see your face, I’ll tackle you in the back and spin your ankle.”

“What did you decide to do with your girlfriend?”

Kim Seung-woo’s normal question mixed with pure criticism.

I looked towards Seungwoo Kim and answered.

“Just, well… . After lunch, we decided to watch a movie, and in the evening, we decided to go to the baseball stadium and watch baseball.”

“Baseball? Does your girlfriend like baseball?”

“Yes, I like baseball and going to the baseball stadium. I like anything related to baseball.”

“Really? Sounds fun. Go and have a good time.”

“Ugh, thank you… .”

It was a daily routine for me to hear all kinds of curses whenever I mentioned my girlfriend, or rather Aki, but I don’t know how long this has been normal support.

I was slightly moved and mentally adjusted my evaluation of Kim Seung-woo upward.

From ‘a kid who looks scary but might be a good kid.’ to ‘a kid who looks scary but is actually a good kid.’

“But, do you still do things like kiss time when you go to the baseball stadium?”

“There are many people who go on a date to the baseball stadium just to try that. Of course I will.”

“Hey, universe. What will you do if you get caught kissing?”

“Huh? What should I do?”

Are you going to do “? Are you going to do it?”

“Well, I’ve never thought about it, so I’m not sure… .”

I answered calmly, but it was actually a lie.

From the moment I planned the date at the baseball stadium, I’ve simulated countless times, asking myself, ‘What should I do if I get caught kissing Aki?’

Out of a total of 100 attempts, 98 were successful and only 2 failed.

For reference, the failed imagination was when I tried to touch a hard spot while kissing and thought, ‘But isn’t this a bit…? I was thinking, ‘?’

“Why are you asking such a thing? Do it no matter what. You can do it in a class where everyone else is, but why can’t you do it at a baseball stadium?”

“That’s right. Joo Woo Joo, given his personality, he seems to do it no matter what. Aren’t they even deep kissing?”

“Oh, what do you say? How do you kiss in public? .”

“Huh? Look at you smiling, you bastard. Is this just what you say?”

“Hey, if you get a kiss time, please tell me. Look at the video being uploaded on YouTube.”

“Are baseball stadium kiss times also uploaded on YouTube these days?”

“Uh, if you search for shorts, they all come up. How many years and months have you been doing Kiss Time Legend?”

“When I see Joo Woo-joo kissing his girlfriend or walking around in shorts, I feel like I really want to kill him. Is it just me?”

“No, I won’t do it even if I get caught… … .”

Of course it’s a lie.

Baseball field kiss time.

Please, it’s okay just once.

I hope it catches you… … !

* * *

About 5 minutes before the end of lunch hour.

The 5th period class would start soon, but I was on the bridge after receiving Aki’s call.

The skybridge is a connecting passage connecting the main building of the school and the new building, and the view out the window is quite nice.

The only downside is that it is a place where people pass by occasionally, but because of the time zone, there was no one there except us.

In other words, it is the perfect place to have a private conversation with Aki.

Since I had been talking about kiss time with my friends a little while ago, I was so excited that I spoke first.

“Aki, did you enjoy your lunch?”

“Ugh, Atashi (me) ate well. What about Uju~chan?”

Aki answered cutely, still wearing my dress shirt.

The width is generous, so there is no such thing as an oversized fit, but I don’t know why it only looks cute to my eyes. Is this the bean pod or something?

Well, no. It’s not a bean pod, I just feel that way because Aki is cute. Although there was no basis for this, I was so confident in my heart that I accepted the comment with a smile.

“Yes, I ate well too.”

“Hmph, I see. Thank goodness.”

‘… … Oh, it’s cute.’

I just heard something insignificant, but why does my heart flutter so much?

“You know, Uju~chan.”

“Yes, why?”

“Atashi, I have one question… .”

Hesitantly.

Aki wriggles his body and hesitates cutely.

When I looked at him, he seemed to have something he wanted to ask, so I made eye contact with him, telling him to feel free to ask anything.

Then, Aki stuck out something.

A black, sleek circular pillar.

It’s an ordinary tumbler.

“What is this?”

“Dunggulle tea. I was going to give it to you earlier in the morning, but the timing wasn’t right, so I brought it now.”

“Oh, really? Thank you, I’ll drink it well.”

You can come empty-handed, but why bother taking care of things like this? After all, we should know that Aki cares about us, right?

I was always in a good mood, but I was even more excited when I held the tumbler containing the snail tea that Aki had prepared herself. I opened the lid with a heartfelt smile.

“It smells good, can I drink it right away?”

“Okay, drink it. Listen while drinking, Uju~chan.”

I took a sip of Dunggule tea.

Similar to scorched rice, it has a savory yet indescribable sweetness.

What should I say? Should I say that it tastes like honey water mixed with a lot of water, so the sweetness is greatly diluted? … .

“Uni~chan, I didn’t listen for Atashi. by chance. I just heard it by chance… … ?”

It had a subtly addictive taste, so I took another sip.

“What is the photo of Woowoo-chan that was posted on Instagram, and what is the story about the cosmetics model?”

“… … … … Cough.”

I just spit it out.