.  * * *

  Those who were coming to the library during the summer break belonged to either of the two: one, who had an upcoming exam; two, who were taking this air-conditioned place as a shelter from the hot and steamy weather.

  And lately, another type of people was increasing in this space. It was because the most famous celebrities in this town began to be found in the library. Kwon Eun Hyung bent his steps through the crowds with a sigh. His other hand was tightly holding Yoo Chun Young’s arm. Aside from being insensitive to heat, Yoo Chun Young, who always slept a lot, was walking half-dozed off today as well. Thus, to prevent him from bumping into other people, Eun Hyung had to make some challenging efforts.

  Having got to manage Yoo Chun Young in this way, Kwon Eun Hyung observed people walking pass by them carefully and soon revealed a sign of fatigue around his eyes. At the same time, he didn’t miss looking at Yoo Chun Young, who was in his hand, with eyes of envy. ‘How can he always be so chilled out like this?’ Eun Hyung wanted to wake him, at least, now and show the scenery in front of them.

  …. Everyone is looking only at us.

  Only a week has passed as they began to go to the library; however, the place seemed to be overpopulated with people twice as much as the space on the first day. ‘Is it just me who’s thinking this way?’ Kwon Eun Hyung then shook his head, ‘No, I’m not getting it wrong at all.’


  ‘Well, what can I do…’ With a sigh, Kwon Eun Hyung walked closer to a long desk placed in the sunny corner of the library. He then pulled out a chair and sat Yoo Chun Young on it. Chun Young’s lackluster blue eyes seemed to glance at this side but were closed again. ‘Yeah, sleep pal,’ Kwon Eun Hyung thought to himself. As if he heard Eun Hyung’s mind, Yoo Chun Young’s head dropped onto the desk. His blue-black hair scattered on the brown tabletop. Resting his chin on his palm, Kwon Eun Hyung dropped his gaze at him then stretched out his hand to take care of Chun Young’s hair.

  While he did that for a few minutes, someone from across pulled out the chair right next to Yoo Chun Young’s and took a seat. When their eyes met, the boy’s light eyes curved with a golden smile. Inside the light-flooding library with a large floor to the ceiling glass window on one side, the boy’s golden brown hair particularly stood out. Kwon Eun Hyung raised his hand, arranging Yoo Chun Young’s hair, and smiled embarrassedly.

  “What’s up? But why are you so quiet?”


  Usually, the boy would say, ‘Hi!’ brightly and loudly as soon as he arrived in front of them. Woo Jooin put a swiveling grin on his face after Kwon Eun Hyung’s words then made a gesture by moving his chin with a shrug. ‘Yeah, I see,’ Eun Hyung thought. Staring at Yoo Chun Young deeply in sleep, Woo Jooin murmured in awe.

  “How can he sleep so well? What time is it? Let’s see, it’s now ten in the morning…”


  He then asked, turning around in this direction.

  “Chun Young sleeps a lot but not as this much, isn’t he? I think ten in the morning is enough for him to be fully awake.”


  “Hmm, well that’s because….”


  Before detaching his lips to answer back, Kwon Eun Hyung side-eyed people around them with a smile. Eun Jiho and Donnie didn’t seem to be here yet. He then opened his lips again with a grin.

  “He’s shooting schedule is getting hectic these days, so…”


  “What?”


  A look of perplexity suddenly appeared on Woo Jooin’s face. ‘I knew it,’ thought Woo Jooin. Kwon Eun Hyung smiled in embarrassment again. Woo Jooin flung another question.

  “Then, why did he say he’ll study together? He’s a very tactful type with tests, so sitting down and spending time won’t affect his grades though…”


  ‘Agreed,’ swallowing his urge to respond like that, Kwon Eun Hyung just put a big smile. It would be a little sorry for Eun Hyung to say that word from the friendship he had with Chun Young over a decade. Shrugging his shoulders, Eun Hyung just answered like this.

  “Hmm, what would it be?”


  “Huh?”


  However, the ambiguous answer was inadequate to turn Woo Jooin’s attention to somewhere else. As he was so quick-witted, Woo Jooin soon stared at Yoo Chun Young, deeply in sleep, with his twinkling eyes and began to murmur, ‘Why?’ When Kwon Eun Hyung finally saw the unique, narrow grin appearing on Woo Jooin’s face, he quickly turned his head while mumbling to himself, ‘I did my best, Chun Young.’


  Woo Jooin was now looking very excited that he put his elbow on the desk to rest his chin on the palm and had a beaming face, looking at Yoo Chun Young. As if he was singing, a cheerful voice escaped from Woo Jooin’s mouth.

  “Hmm, so that was how it went. I wondered when he would realize that…”


  “Ahem.”


  “Honestly, except Yeo Ryung, weren’t all of us aware of that? The video was the finishing blow. You know, the one that we took when we were in our second year of middle school.”


  Listening to the words coming out from Jooin’s mouth, Kwon Eun Hyung’s face turned stiff from moment to moment. ‘He completely nailed it,’ having that thought, Kwon Eun Hyung smiled when their eyes met again.

  “Want something to drink, Jooin?” he asked.

  “Hmm, you just want to move on with a can of beverage?”


  “Haha, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”


  ‘Yoo Chun Young, look how troubled I am for you…’ That was when Kwon Eun Hyung murmured while putting a brighter grin on his lips. Woo Jooin slightly removed the smile on his face. He took his hand down from the desk and continued with a dry voice.

  “No worries, what will I suppose to do with talking about this?”


  There weren’t any lights left inside Woo Jooin’s eyes. His voice and the look on his face all changed in a flash as if someone else was speaking; however, Kwon Eun Hyung didn’t get surprised.

  Among them, the person who understood quite well about Woo Jooin’s different side was, none other than, Kwon Eun Hyung himself. He even felt confident about it.

  Of course, Eun Jiho spent way more time than Eun Hyung when it came to knowing about Woo Jooin. Still, Eun Jiho wouldn’t understand at all as he had never experienced the notion of deficiency in his life.

  Kwon Eun Hyung’s eyes also dried out. Dropping his glance at Yoo Chun Young, still asleep, Woo Jooin kept on his words.

  “It’s best to let the parties work this out.”


  “Yeah, that’s true…”


  “I just hope it doesn’t end up as a tragedy.”


  Woo Jooin’s face turned dark as he said that. Kwon Eun Hyung quickly lifted his head. When their eyes met, Woo Jooin smiled at him as vulnerably as never before. He then opened up his two palms.

  “I hate those things… like two best friends falling in love with the same girl and their friendship going wrong… Watching those are such a disaster even in the movies or soap operas; therefore, how awful will it be when it happens in real life?”


  “…”


  “When those things try to take place, I’ll punch Eun Jiho as hard as I can, so you do the same to Chun Young too. I don’t have the heart to punch Chun Young myself…”


  “… The way you talk has changed.”


  Eun Hyung barely dropped the remark in hesitance. Woo Jooin raised his head right away. His gold eyes were quite wide open.

  “Really?” asked Jooin, tilting his head.

  “Uh-huh.”


  “I see.”


  And from something else that might have made Woo Jooin strike dumb, he sat still lost in thoughts. The clock was ticking through the three boys sunk in silence. The bright sunlight stained Yoo Chun Young’s cheek with pure white. How long had it been? Woo Jooin detached his lips at a slow pace. His eyes were still looking at nowhere lost in thought.

  “I had no idea that the way I talk had changed.”


  “Back then, you sometimes spoke like an ethics textbook and flummoxed others.”


  “Really? Did I?”


  Woo Jooin now showed a look of interest that Kwon Eun Hyung felt quite relieved. ‘Maybe it isn’t that serious than I thought,’ Eun Hyung nodded.

  “Yeah, you suddenly switched your tone, bringing up some moral theories in the ethics textbook. It sounded like you were making an excuse of saying, ‘I’m actually not that bad,’ which felt very perplexed for someone to hear such things.”


  “Oh, I did.”


  “But now you aren’t.”


  ‘It hasn’t been so long from when just the two of us spoke to each other,’ having that thought, Kwon Eun Hyung flung a question.

  “Did something happen?”


  Woo Jooin then showed a faint smile on his face. He touched his hands as if he was feeling shy. After a while, he opened his lips.

  “Mama.”


  “Mama?”


  Asking instinctively, Kwon Eun Hyung blenched. Of course, Jooin wouldn’t be talking about his real mother. Whenever the topic of Woo Jooin’s family was brought up, Eun Jiho changed the subject; therefore, Kwon Eun Hyung guessed the overall situation to some degree. The reason why Jooin didn’t label the term ‘mama’ to the proper person and overused it everywhere was that the object had been gone. Woo Jooin continued with a fragile grin.

  “I didn’t know it was that much different.”