Ch.149149. Just Taking a Break.

“You didn’t actually want to go to the after-party, right?”

“You know I get uncomfortable around the older guys.”

The two who had escaped the dinner gathering for Juyeon’s sake decided to go to Suhyeok’s place first to drop off their things.

Suhyeok’s studio apartment wasn’t particularly large, so having two guitars there seemed to take up quite a bit of space.

“So what should we do now? Go back out?”

“It’s cold though~”

Hana sat gently on the bed.

She slipped off her socks and slid under Suhyeok’s blanket.

“Why are you getting in there?”

“Because it’s warm in here.”

Hana was tempting Suhyeok while pretending to be reasonable.

She clearly had no intention of going out again.

“I don’t have any food at home.”

“When did you ever have any?”

“I had some the day before yesterday…”

“That was frozen food.”

“Anyway.”

Suhyeok naturally sat down beside her.

“Come lie down here too. What’s wrong?”

“It’ll be too cramped if we both lie down.”

“How many times have we slept together in this cramped space?”

Hana opened her eyes lazily, as if telling him to hurry up and join her.

Suhyeok reluctantly bent over.

Hana grabbed his neck and pulled him in response to his hesitant gesture.

“Hey. We should have our own party too.”

“That sounds good, but are we doing it without eating first?”

“Ugh… can you stop talking about food for once? Are you hungry?”

“Parties are supposed to have good food.”

“Oh, seriously.”

Hana pulled the neck she was holding down further.

Suhyeok’s face was buried in a place that was quite soft and embarrassing.

“…Huh?”

Suhyeok made a dumbfounded sound while Hana looked down at him playfully.

“Here it is. Something delicious.”

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’? Who eats something so deliciously that isn’t delicious~”

“No, that’s…”

Hana pulled his neck further in, as if telling him not to answer.

“…If you keep doing that, I won’t hold back.”

Suhyeok replied primly, even as he felt Hana’s warmth.

“When did I ever tell you to hold back?”

Hana grinned as if his warning was cute.

“Aren’t you underestimating your boyfriend who’s about to go to the military?”

Suhyeok wasn’t going to let Hana have her way forever.

From awkward acquaintances to friends.

From friends to lovers—that was their progression.

For Suhyeok, who found it difficult to be around others, Hana was no longer a stranger.

“Stop talking and just do it.”

*Smooch*

Suhyeok’s lips touched Hana’s cheek.

“Are you a kid? Is that all you’re going to do?”

“We haven’t even washed up yet.”

“Oh, you proper gentleman.”

Though her words were sharp, Hana was planting kisses all over Suhyeok’s cheeks.

“Satisfied? Are you satisfied?”

“I like it.”

“Ahhh~ I hate you. Really.”

“…Let’s at least wash up first.”

They had just returned from being outside.

Hana, as if she’d been waiting for those words, started taking off her clothes.

“Hee. Want to shower together?”

“You go first. I’ll join you.”

“Come quickly, okay?”

“Alright.”

Suhyeok stroked Hana’s hair lovingly.

Hana entered the bathroom in her underwear.

There were already two toothbrushes in his bathroom.

When he heard the water running, Suhyeok sat on the bed and imagined the dinner gathering they had skipped.

Honestly… if he were being completely honest, Suhyeok had wanted to be there.

It was one of the few remaining gatherings for Spirit.

Suhyeok thought his affection for the band was no less than that of the other members.

Would it be fun…

It probably was fun, right?

The first-years were always so funny.

Seoeun going around with beer bottles, offering to mix drinks.

Gangi drinking everything given to him, saying refusing would make him less of a man.

And Juyeon sitting quietly beside them, reading the room.

Who would drink until the end without me…

Suhyeok had always been the one to drink until the very end.

Surely no one would stay behind alone to clean up everything…

“Babe.”

Water droplets fell to the floor from her wet hair.

Hana taunted her boyfriend, who was still sitting there fully clothed and spacing out.

“When are you coming in?”

“Ah, sorry. I’ll come in now.”

“Ugh… you were spacing out again, weren’t you?”

“Ahaha.”

“Just hurry up and come in.”

“Okay.”

Worrying wouldn’t help anyway; this was the best Suhyeok could do.

So he decided to focus on the present moment.

* * *

Having no practice was hardly something to celebrate.

It meant final exams were in full swing.

[Aaaaah! I totally failed again!]

[What should I do? I won’t have to retake the course, right?]

Suhyeok smiled at Hana’s messages.

[I don’t think it’ll be that bad.]

Though Suhyeok wasn’t particularly good at studying either, Hana was making a huge fuss as if she had really failed her exam.

[How did yours go?]

[I’m on my way to take it now.]

[What? Really?]

A brief pause.

[Good luck♥]

Hana rarely added a heart when cheering Suhyeok on.

Goosebumps on his skin.

His romantic feelings surging.

People passing by on the street might have thought Suhyeok’s expression looked foolish.

That’s how much Suhyeok loved Hana’s expressions of affection.

[Yeah. I’ll do my best.]

[My place after?]

[…We agreed to restrain ourselves during exam period.]

Studying with a beloved partner sounds like an ideal plan.

But Hana and Suhyeok were still at that stage where they were too infatuated with each other to make it work.

Even a simple conversation would stretch to 30 minutes, and if they took a break for some skinship, they’d end up in bed immediately.

They needed minimal separation for each other’s sake.

But Hana seemed quite dissatisfied with this system.

[Tsk…]

[It’s not much longer.]

[But after exams, we’ll have even less time together.]

[Well, we can’t help practice.]

A performance coming right after the semester ends.

The performance date was the 22nd, so they had about a week for intensive practice.

[Ah, I can’t wait for winter break.]

[Yeah, let’s get through this quickly.]

[Anyway, good luck on your exam~~~]

[Thanks!]

Suhyeok put his phone back in his pocket and headed up the stairs to the lecture hall.

Before the exam started, the classroom had its characteristic restlessness.

Some students anxiously asking questions at the last minute.

Others straining their eyes to read just a bit more.

Some lying face down on their desks, either having mastered the material or given up entirely.

With few seats remaining, Suhyeok sat in a spot that looked decent and took out his tablet from his bag.

Hearing rustling from the seat next to him, he turned to see.

“Ah.”

“Oh?”

Her dark brown bob hair swayed with her exclamation.

“Ah. Hello.”

“…Hi. Hello.”

It wasn’t a seat Juyeon had intended to take.

She had arrived just in time and didn’t have the mental space to avoid Suhyeok.

The two became awkward.

Suhyeok deliberately avoided looking at her and stared only at his tablet.

“Um, Suhyeok.”

“Yeah?”

“I forgot my pencil case, so…”

“Hmm?”

Forgetting writing utensils for a final exam was shocking.

It was surprising that Juyeon, who never missed being at the top of her class, would make such a mistake.

“Can I borrow a pen?”

“Here.”

Suhyeok handed her a spare ballpoint pen.

“Thanks.”

Juyeon bowed her head as if embarrassed.

Suhyeok waved his hand to indicate it was fine.

“Did you stay up late studying?”

“Not studying…”

Juyeon briefly met Suhyeok’s eyes.

The reason Juyeon couldn’t sleep.

The work she had recently started because she couldn’t sleep.

She couldn’t reveal it yet.

By the way, how long had it been since they’d talked this closely?

Juyeon still felt her heart ache and race when she saw Suhyeok.

Their conversation didn’t continue.

“Alright, please put everything away except for writing utensils.”

The exam began as teaching assistants distributed the test papers.

Suhyeok solved the problems at his usual pace.

Know it. Don’t know it. Know it. Know it.

Suhyeok was the master of B grades.

He rarely got Cs, but he didn’t get As either.

It wouldn’t make sense for someone who spent all his time on guitar and dating to easily get As.

Interestingly, Juyeon was in a similar situation.

The studying she had diligently done because she had no friends and nothing else to do.

This semester was different.

She had already messed up her midterms, and she couldn’t focus on studying for finals either.

She had started various new things, but they all stemmed from Suhyeok.

When the exam ended, students stood up all at once.

Since Suhyeok was sitting further in, he waited for Juyeon to pack up before heading out.

“How was the exam?”

Suhyeok casually asked Juyeon, thinking this much conversation would be okay.

Juyeon, who hadn’t expected him to speak to her, opened her eyes wide.

“Just…”

“Wasn’t it difficult? I couldn’t solve a few problems either.”

Conversation.

A completely ordinary conversation that anyone in the same department could have.

Juyeon felt a heaviness in her chest at the fact that even such simple exchanges had become difficult.

“But at least it’s over now.”

Juyeon tried to find a bit of positivity.

One by one, the courses were coming to an end.

It meant there truly weren’t many days left for Juyeon and Suhyeok to be together.

“Yeah.”

Suhyeok nodded in agreement.

“Taking classes together is ending too.”

“Is that so? I guess by the time I come back, you’ll be in your final year.”

“I’ll probably… take a break from school.”

Juyeon pushed her chair back and stood up.

“To rest a bit. Me too.”