WWBU - 5

Beeeeep.  

A few steps ahead, Yoon Guk had already arrived and pressed the doorbell.  

- ‘Who is it?’  

‘Yoon Guk.’  

- ‘Yoon Guk? Who’s that?’  

‘Ma’am, it’s me, Hyun-soo.’  

- ‘Oh, Hyun-soo! Just a moment. I’ll open the gate for you.’  

It seemed the housekeeper had grown familiar with the faces of Ashan’s sons but hadn’t quite memorized their names yet. Hyun-soo, who had mustered the last of her strength to catch up, identified herself, and the heavy iron gate slowly creaked open with a deep, metallic groan.  

‘Tell the lady of the house I brought you home.’  

‘Huh?’  

‘I’m the one who brought you back.’  

He hadn’t looked back even once during their 30-minute walk, but now he finally turned to face her. With an unreadable expression, Guk gazed down at Hyun-soo, who met his eyes hesitantly.  

‘O-okay. I’ll tell her you brought me back.’  

‘...’  

In truth, it wasn’t so much that he had ‘brought her back’ as she had chased after him on her own, but Hyun-soo decided to convey it this way. There was no particular reason—well, except that they had walked back together, even if he had kept his distance and never once glanced back.  

Creeeak. The gate opened wider in the meantime. After confirming it was fully open, Guk entered the mansion without so much as a goodbye, crossing the garden and disappearing into the annex.  

Left standing dumbfounded at the gate, Hyun-soo slowly followed up the steps, replaying Guk’s retreating figure in her mind. By the time she reached the garden, he had already vanished without a trace. It felt surreal, as though spending the entire day with him had been nothing more than a dream.  

‘Let’s go home,’ he had said.  

When Hyun-soo jokingly mimicked his deep voice, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter after just a few words. She clutched her stomach, laughing uncontrollably, before scratching the back of her neck as her giggles gradually subsided.  

Would they really walk home together again tomorrow? She didn’t dislike Yoon Guk, but she couldn’t tell whether this was fortunate or unfortunate. Missing out on Bulkkot Tteokbokki certainly felt like bad luck.  

Kaaaah!  

Suddenly, a flock of crows flew overhead in a chaotic swarm.  

‘...’  

A strange, creeping sense of unease began to rise within her. Why now? Why did a flock of crows have to pass by at this exact moment?  

Hyun-soo stared at them for a moment before bolting toward the front door, throwing it open, and rushing inside as if doing so could ward off all ominous premonitions.  

What she had half-dreaded came true: from that day onward, she walked home with Yoon Guk every single day. Over time, their awkwardness had somewhat lessened, but the real issue was the sweltering heat. The suffocating summer heatwave made it nearly impossible for Hyun-soo to keep her composure.  

The journey home, akin to a march of suffering, was no different today. Laden with a bag stuffed full of manga borrowed from Young-mi—a bag almost as big as her torso—Hyun-soo trudged along wearily.  

Several paces ahead of her, Guk walked lightly, dressed in a simple white short-sleeve shirt and summer uniform pants, one earbud in as he strode confidently forward.  

‘Ahh... ugh...’  

Meanwhile, Hyun-soo felt like her face was about to explode. After staring at the scorching asphalt for what felt like forever, she was starting to feel lightheaded, as if her back were bending under the weight of the heat.  

Am I going to collapse? And even if I do, Guk will probably just go home alone, won’t he? That jerk. A jumble of thoughts tumbled through her mind, threatening to spill out of her mouth, when suddenly—  

‘Waack!’  

A cold sensation brushed against the back of her neck, snapping Hyun-soo’s head up. Blinking away the dizziness, she realized Guk was standing right in front of her. Contrary to her assumption that he’d gone ahead, he was now offering her a chilled can of sports drink. The blue ion beverage can in his large hand was so cold that beads of condensation had formed on its surface.  

‘Why...?’  

‘If you collapse, it’ll be troublesome.’

‘Ah, thank you.’  

‘Aren’t you going to drink it?’  

‘Huh? Oh, right. I’ll drink it.’  

The cold sensation from the can seeped through her palm, spreading a refreshing chill throughout her body. But despite rolling the cool, round can in her hands, Hyun-soo hesitated to take a sip. Guk stared down at her intently, his gaze exerting an unspoken pressure.  

At this point, she felt so parched that she might gulp it down greedily. She didn’t want to drink in front of him like that, but since he had given it to her—and was now watching her so fixedly—she couldn’t exactly refuse either.  

‘Oh well,’ Hyun-soo muttered under her breath as she popped the tab and started drinking. Contrary to her initial plan to sip slowly, she ended up chugging the entire can in one go, not even pausing for breath.  

Feeling awkward, she crumpled the empty can in her hand, only to notice Guk’s lingering gaze. Without saying a word, he tilted his head slightly and quietly remarked:  

‘One isn’t enough.’  

Before she could respond, another cold can brushed against her cheek. Startled by the unexpected contact, Hyun-soo instinctively shrank her shoulders. After a brief moment of staring at him speechlessly, she reflexively accepted the drink. Oddly enough, even though the cold can touched her skin, her cheeks felt warmer than before.  

With his usual indifferent expression, Guk glanced down at her once more before turning around to continue walking. As the distance between them widened with each step, Hyun-soo finally snapped out of her daze and hurried after him.  

‘Hey! Yoon Guk! Guk!’  

They hadn’t walked far when someone called out to stop Guk. Turning around, they saw a car parked by the roadside. Through the lowered backseat window, a familiar face peered out—Choi Chul-ho, a classmate whose features had grown somewhat recognizable over time. He was one of the students who had recently been trying extra hard to get close to Guk.  

‘Where are you headed? To a cram school?’  

‘Home.’  

‘Ah. I thought for sure you’d be attending one since you’re such a good student.’  

Guk offered no further response. An awkward silence settled between them.  

‘Want a ride? I can drop you off on my way.’  

‘No thanks.’  

‘Why not? It’s scorching hot. Let’s go together.’  

Despite Guk’s refusal, Chul-ho stepped out of the car, ready to escort him if necessary. With an inscrutable look, Guk casually pushed back his damp bangs and glanced behind him. Hyun-soo, who had been trailing behind, froze mid-step, unsure whether to approach or stay back while witnessing their exchange.  

‘I’m already with someone.’  

‘Eh? Who?’  

Without hesitation, Guk nodded toward Hyun-soo. Chul-ho leaned out of the car window to glance back, spotting Hyun-soo struggling under her turtle-shell-like bag, panting heavily. His eyebrows briefly furrowed in confusion before he gave her a curious look.  

‘Why are you hanging out with her?’  

Another wave of silence fell over them. The atmosphere grew increasingly uncomfortable for Chul-ho, who shifted awkwardly. Finally, after a slight delay, Guk spoke up.  

‘Is there a reason we shouldn’t hang out?’  

‘No, it’s not that... It’s just surprising to see you with someone so... invisible.’  

‘We live in the same direction.’  

‘Ah, that makes sense.’  

‘Anything else you’re curious about?’  

‘Huh? No, no.’  

No matter how much he hesitated, Chul-ho’s reluctance to approach further only confirmed his awareness of the situation. Eventually, Hyun-soo mustered the courage to walk closer and greeted him with a polite farewell. Chul-ho responded with a strained smile.  

‘Yeah, okay. Hey, Guk. I’ll head out first then. See you tomorrow.’  

Guk gave a slight nod, inserted his earphone, and turned to walk away. Simultaneously, the dark-tinted car window rolled up, and Chul-ho’s vehicle drove off. Left alone, Hyun-soo stood there dumbfounded, watching the two figures disappear into the distance. Realizing Guk was getting farther away, she quickly scrambled to catch up.  

- ‘Who is it?’

‘Yoon Guk.’  

Clunk. Creak.  

So now he doesn’t even wait for me at the gate anymore. Guk, who had already arrived at the mansion, glanced once at Hyun-soo as she jogged up behind him and then disappeared inside without so much as a word of greeting.  

Beeeeep.  

A short while later, the exhausted Hyun-soo finally pressed the doorbell after dragging herself to the entrance. Leaning her head against the wall to catch her breath, she heard a familiar voice through the intercom.  

- ‘Who is it?’  

‘Haa... Ma’am, it’s me, Hyun-soo.’  

- ‘Huh? Hyun-soo?’  

‘Yes...’  

- ‘Oh my, didn’t you come in with Yoon Guk earlier?’  

‘No, haha. Um, could you open the gate, please?’  

Clunk. Creak.  

Still leaning against the wall, Hyun-soo only managed to stagger upright when she noticed the gate had opened. Setting aside her lingering disappointment that Guk hadn’t waited or greeted her, all she wanted now was to change out of her sweat-soaked clothes as quickly as possible.  

‘Aha! This is it!’  

Once inside her room, Hyun-soo immediately turned on the air conditioner and fan. She tossed her sun-baked, overheated bag onto the floor and hastily peeled off her sticky clothes. Within minutes, she had changed into lighter attire, tied her hair up, and flopped onto her bed.  

‘Ah, I feel alive again.’  

Lying sprawled across the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, Hyun-soo felt like she was in paradise. The memory of their grueling march under the scorching sun just moments ago already seemed like a distant dream.  

‘Ah, if it weren’t for Yoon Guk, I could’ve taken a taxi and been home in no time.’  

Her lament was short-lived, however. As she rolled around in the cool sheets, something caught her eye—a can of ion drink sitting on her desk. The one Guk had given her.  

I should probably buy him one next time. And thank him too. Even though his presence has turned this heatwave into some kind of hellish march, I do owe him gratitude.  

Knock, knock.  

Suddenly, an unexpected knock startled her. The sharp, deliberate raps pulled at her relaxed nerves like a taut string.  

Knock, knock.  

When there was no response, the knocking came again. Judging by the time, it was likely the housekeeper, Mrs. Ashan, bringing up snacks.  

‘Yes, just a moment.’  

Hyun-soo briefly replied, scratching her itchy arm as she shuffled toward the door. Mid-yawn, she stretched her mouth wide open and swung the door wide.  

‘Come in...’  

As she adjusted her blurry vision from yawning, she realized something was off. Instead of a face, all she saw was the person’s shoulder and Adam’s apple.  

What is this?  

Confused, Hyun-soo tilted her head upward—and lo and behold, there stood a now-familiar face.  

It was none other than Yoon Guk.