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Psst! We're moving!
“Hey! Kim Hyun-soo!”
“Agh, gross! Are you out of your mind?”
Young-ae, who had been sitting directly across from Hyun-soo, shrieked after getting splashed with water. Hyun-seo chimed in as well, handing her mother a tissue. But Hyun-soo didn’t have the mental bandwidth to care about any of that. Her attention was fixed on the figure standing behind Young-ae—Yoon Guk, his expression completely indifferent. She was speechless.
Why was Yoon Guk here at this time?
“Bring more tissues.”
Guk disappeared into the kitchen at Young-ae’s irritated command.
“What’s a student doing here?”
“He’s Mrs. Ah-san’s son. His mom’s sick and can’t come in, so he said he’d handle her work for the morning.”
“Is that so?”
Not long after, Guk reappeared, holding a stack of tissues which he handed to Young-ae.
“This girl eats like a starving beast. Don’t act like this outside. It makes us look bad.”
“…”
“Understood?”
“Yes.”
“Yes? Yes? Am I your friend? Answer me properly!”
Behind them, Guk stood motionless, like a mannequin or statue—completely devoid of emotion. His lack of reaction only made him more intriguing, leaving those who watched him wondering what lay beneath his calm exterior.
“So, you’re choosing not to answer.”
In the meantime, Young-ae’s irritation had reached its peak. She assumed Hyun-soo wasn’t listening because she hadn’t reacted to her earlier scolding.
“Take her food away. Tell her she’s eaten enough and should leave.”
“What?”
For the first time, Guk spoke. He seemed baffled by Young-ae’s order.
“Food. You don’t know what food is? Take it away and throw it out.”
Guk let out a small laugh, though luckily, Young-ae didn’t see it.
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and throw it out!”
She kept pushing him, insisting he take away the food Hyun-soo had been eating. Watching how Hyun-soo was treated in her own home left Guk unresponsive.
“Hey. Mrs. Ah-san’s son.”
“Yes.”
Finally losing patience, Young-ae turned toward him, her voice barely concealing her anger.
“Didn’t you hear me? Clean it up. Go take it away.”
“…”
“Why? Don’t want to do it?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to do it.”
“What did you just say?”
“You don’t interrupt a dog while it’s eating.”
“What? What’s he saying?”
“Mom! Stop! I’ll stop eating! I’m going to school!”
Unable to bear the scene any longer, Hyun-soo shot up from her seat so abruptly that her chair toppled over. Grabbing her bowl and chopsticks, she quickly moved toward the kitchen.
“See? I’m done eating. I’ll wash this and go to school.”
Guk watched her. For some reason, Hyun-soo couldn’t meet his gaze. She felt embarrassed, ashamed, and a little humiliated. Biting her lip, she hurried into the kitchen with her bowl.
After Hyun-soo left, Young-ae complained about losing her appetite and got up from the table. Hyun-sung and Hyun-seo also excused themselves, saying they needed to leave. In no time, Guk was left alone in the space.
“How embarrassing…”
A stone kicked around without care—that was Kim Hyun-soo. And to think, she had shown this side of herself to Yoon Guk. The embarrassment was unbearable.
“Why should I feel embarrassed? What did I do wrong?”
“Mom.”
“And you still want to call me ‘Mom’ after all that?”
“…”
The voice coming from right behind startled Hyun-soo. Pretending not to be surprised, she set the bowl down in the sink and turned around.
“Mo—move.”
“Did I stop you from moving?”
“No, but you’re blocking my way…!”
“Go back.”
Glaring at Guk—not angrily, but with frustration—Hyun-soo moved to his left. Guk mirrored her movement, shifting to the left as well. Sighing, Hyun-soo tried moving to the right. Predictably, Guk blocked her again by stepping to the right.
“Why are you being difficult too?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“Now I can finally see you properly.”
“What?”
“You were avoiding my gaze earlier.”
“It’s because…”
It was embarrassing. The unfinished sentence lingered on her tongue.
“You’ll be late. Hurry up and go.”
Placing the glass he’d been holding onto the counter, Guk stepped aside. Feeling oddly empty now that the space in front of her was vacant, Hyun-soo hesitated before taking a few awkward steps. Just as she was about to leave the kitchen, she turned back and asked:
“So, does that mean you’re not coming to school today?”
“Why?”
“No reason. If you’re not coming, I thought I’d let the teacher know for you.”
“I already informed the homeroom teacher.”
Hearing his calm response, Hyun-soo hesitated briefly before asking another question.
“You’re really not coming?”
“I didn’t realize this mattered so much to you.”
“Who said it did?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Then why keep asking?”
“I’m just curious, okay? Anyway, if you’re coming, just say so. If not, say that. Why complicate things…”
“If you’re looking at me like that and asking if I’m coming, how could I possibly say no?”
What? Silence fell. What did he mean? Why had he said something like that?
The important thing was that her heart started racing even though she didn’t fully understand his words.
“So… does that mean you’re coming to school because of me?”
She blurted it out. A fragment of a thought that had flickered through her mind escaped her lips. At her words, Guk turned completely to face her.
“Maybe.”
Thump, thump, thump.
Wow. So this is what it feels like when your heart pounds this loudly. Hyun-soo’s mouth opened and closed, unable to form coherent words. She felt like she needed to say something meaningful to advance their relationship—or at least clarify something.
“Just kidding.”
“What?”
“I have to go to school to meet the attendance requirement.”
“…”
“See you later.”
With a light chuckle, he patted her shoulder twice and walked past her.
“What…”
What did he mean? Was he joking with her? Feeling strangely disoriented and annoyed, Hyun-soo stood frozen.
Turning around belatedly, she saw Guk tidying up the dining table as usual. She couldn’t deny the wave of disappointment washing over her. Though she didn’t know exactly what she had hoped for, one thing was certain: she hadn’t wanted the answer he gave.
Hyun-soo shuffled past the dining table. Even then, Guk was busy stacking dishes. She stole a glance at him, but he didn’t spare her a single look—as if she didn’t exist. Again, she felt a strange sense of deflation.
“I’m leaving first.”
Finally, she called out one last goodbye. Only then did he pause his dish-stacking and turn to look at her. Without blinking, he stared at her blankly.
“Okay.”
That was it. No further words followed. With no excuse to linger, Hyun-soo had no choice but to leave the dining room.
As she put on her shoes and opened the front door, Hyun-soo felt an odd sensation. Leaving the house while Guk stayed behind felt strangely surreal.
“…”
Standing there staring at the closed door, she felt like a mother abandoning her child by the riverside. If Guk knew how she felt, would he find it amusing? Or would he sneer?
At that moment, the door clicked open.
“Move. You’ve been blocking the way since morning.”
To her surprise, it wasn’t Guk—it was Kim Hyun-seo. Pushing past Hyun-soo, she hopped down the stairs like a rabbit and disappeared.
“What am I expecting, anyway?”
She meant it. What had she been hoping for? That Guk would appear when she opened the door?
Shaking her head, Hyun-soo turned and descended the stairs. Even opening the gate felt unusually heavy today.
Once outside, the street was deserted. Occasionally, a car passed by, but other than that, there was little sign of life. Every day, it felt like she and Guk had the streets to themselves. But today, the emptiness felt especially stark.
“Ugh, stop it. Just stop.”
Hyun-soo suddenly stopped walking and shook her head. She realized she couldn’t stop thinking about Guk, and it frustrated her. Her pride stung, but at this point, it felt like the abandoned child wasn’t Guk—it was her.
Taking a deep breath, Hyun-soo suddenly broke into a sprint. Soon, her breaths grew ragged, and her heart pounded fiercely against her chest. Thump, thump, thump. Overwhelmed by the intensity, she stopped, leaned on her knees, and gasped for air. The heat rushing through her body seemed to echo in her ears.
“That’s enough… enough…”
If she exhausted herself like this, distracted her mind, and confused her racing heart, maybe she could blur the edges of her feelings and move past them easily.
Catching her breath, Hyun-soo resumed walking toward school. She could’ve taken a taxi, but for some reason, she felt like walking—even without Guk.
Without a partner, the commute felt unusually long and arduous today.
---
“So, fuck it. Who knows? Maybe she’ll end up pregnant.”
“Damn, that’s harsh.”
“Why? They pass by the obstetrics clinic every day on their way home. How do you know something won’t happen one day?”
“Man, you’re such a piece of work.”
“Right? Getting pregnant at our age would be a total nightmare. Might as well hold a funeral.”
During the quiet lunch hour, a group of students lingered in the classroom, chatting among themselves. The group consisted of Choi Cheol-ho and three boys who hung out with him, along with one girl.
“Damn, it’s so hot.”
“Can’t we just turn on the AC?”
“They told us to ventilate during lunch. Otherwise, they won’t turn it on in the afternoon.”
“Seriously? We’re the ones paying for it, and they’re acting like they’re doing us a favor.”
Choi Cheol-ho and the others fanned themselves with their uniforms, visibly irritated. Someone tried fanning with paper, but it didn’t help, so they gave up.
Suddenly, a gust of hot wind blew in through the open window meant for ventilation. Curses flew from the students’ mouths. Cheers from a game on the field echoed briefly before fading away.
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