Just A Friend

#38

“You have a fever.”

At those words, Nam Seonwoo rubbed the back of his neck. He definitely felt hot. It was pathetic that his mere nineteen-year-old body was so weak after just a few all-nighters. Studying truly was the root of all evil and harm. As he was lost in such thoughts, Kang Jihan suddenly raised his hand.

“Teacher.”

Why is he calling the teacher? As Nam Seonwoo stared blankly at him, Kang Jihan met his gaze.

“I’ll take Seonwoo to the infirmary.”

“No, wait…”

“Alright. Go ahead, and next, Park Gyuhyeon, come up.”

“Urgh…”

Park Gyuhyeon came forward, clutching his head. Like him, everyone else was preoccupied with their own report cards. The students, now used to Kang Jihan and Nam Seonwoo moving around as a pair, didn’t seem to find this scene strange at all. Nam Seonwoo was a bit dazed as he was dragged outside.

The school nurse was famous for slacking off. It was rare to see her at her post, so students usually took care of minor treatments themselves. This time too, the infirmary was empty.

Kang Jihan rummaged through the shelves without hesitation. Meanwhile, Nam Seonwoo went to the back of the infirmary. Since he wasn’t feeling well, he thought he’d lie down for one period while he was here.

All the beds had their curtains drawn. The mattress was as hard as a rock, but compared to the classroom chairs, it felt like a hotel bed. As he sat on one of the beds, Kang Jihan approached. He was holding white cotton in one hand.

“My nosebleed has stopped.”

“Let me see.”

Kang Jihan sat down next to him and leaned in. Nam Seonwoo felt embarrassed by the gaze fixed on his upper lip. When he turned his head and pulled out the tissue, there was still a bit of blood. As he wiped it with the back of his hand, Kang Jihan frowned and turned Nam Seonwoo’s face back.

“Hold still.”

His touch was careful as he inserted the cotton. Unlike the rough edge of the tissue, the soft cotton made Nam Seonwoo feel like he might sneeze. As he held his ticklish breath and endured Kang Jihan’s touch, Kang Jihan muttered:

“Your feet were small, and this is small too.”

When he said “this,” his fingertip touched the cotton-filled nostril. The words registered a half-beat late, and Nam Seonwoo’s mind filled with question marks. He even wondered if his hearing was affected by his fever-soaked brain.

“What did you just say…?”

Another half-beat later, his face turned bright red. But Kang Jihan’s face was innocent, as if nothing had happened. Seeing his pure expression, far from teasing, Nam Seonwoo now felt self-loathing.

…I’m the only trash here.

Nam Seonwoo shook his head and lay down on the bed. As he relaxed like this, he could feel the heat enveloping his body much more clearly. Kang Jihan remained seated on the bed, staring at him. Looking back up at him, Nam Seonwoo asked:

“How did you know I had a fever?”

“You’ve been like this since morning.”

“Yeah, but how did you know?”

Instead of answering, Kang Jihan reached out his hand. Nam Seonwoo thought he was going to hold his hand again, but he just took out the tissue from Nam Seonwoo’s hand. It seemed he was exercising some restraint, given that they were at school.

The cheers from the playground echoed faintly, as if from another world. Nam Seonwoo quite liked this quiet and static atmosphere, unusual for a school. As he blinked his increasingly heavy eyelids, he belatedly noticed Kang Jihan holding something in his hand.

It was his report card, rolled up tightly. Realizing this, Nam Seonwoo chuckled. He reached out his hand and said:

“Let me see.”

He wondered how eager Kang Jihan must have been to show it, to bring it all the way here. Kang Jihan hesitated a bit before obediently handing over the report card. His eyes were full of expectation.

“…Wow.”

He didn’t actually think Kang Jihan would really achieve it.

The sum of Korean, English, and Math grades was exactly 6. Of course, his science grades were like lottery numbers, as the homeroom teacher had said, but that wasn’t part of the bet condition. So, for now, it was a success.

Nam Seonwoo burst out laughing and put down the report card. Kang Jihan had a face that was clearly seeking praise. Although Nam Seonwoo felt a mischievous urge to withhold the desired praise, he couldn’t ignore that transparently hopeful face.

“Well done.”

Kang Jihan’s face brightened at the brief compliment. His smile, vibrant like a plant soaking up water, showed a kaleidoscope of emotions. Pride, excitement, shyness. Seeing these simple yet intense emotions on Kang Jihan felt very unfamiliar, but at the same time, it made Nam Seonwoo smile too.

“So, what is it? Your wish.”

Was it because of his fever-slowed brain, or just because he was in a good mood right now? For some reason, he felt like he could grant any wish Kang Jihan might make. Even if he asked to be invited to his home, well, he could just add a condition to keep him within a few meters’ radius.

Kang Jihan fiddled with his nape and glanced at the doorway, where not a soul could be heard. He seemed to hesitate a bit.

“Hurry up and say it. I’m counting to five.”

“Not now, later-“

Ignoring him, Nam Seonwoo started counting, and Kang Jihan hurriedly spoke:

“Here.”

He pointed at his cheek with his finger but couldn’t continue. Watching him, Nam Seonwoo swallowed another laugh that was rising. And here he thought it would be something outrageous.

“Is that all?”

It was kind of cute.

Even when Nam Seonwoo gestured for him to come closer, Kang Jihan just stood still, only casting glances. He didn’t seem to have expected such ready agreement.

“Come here, I said.”

Despite the urging, Kang Jihan, still gauging the situation, leaned his upper body slightly. Frustrated by the slowly decreasing distance, Nam Seonwoo grabbed Kang Jihan’s collar and pulled. Kang Jihan flinched and braced himself with an arm next to the pillow, but using that immovable body as support, Nam Seonwoo was able to lift his heavy head.

Nam Seonwoo pressed his lips firmly on the spot Kang Jihan’s finger had pointed to. Then, smiling against that cheek, he whispered:

“This is the right spot, isn’t it?”

As soon as Nam Seonwoo released his grip on Kang Jihan’s collar, his head fell back onto the pillow. Just that brief moment of lifting his head made his vision spin. Thinking he must have caught a nasty cold, Nam Seonwoo brushed his bangs back.

“I’m going to sleep for a bit then. Explain it well to the homeroom teacher.”

There was no answer. But he could almost picture the scene beyond his closed eyes. When he managed to lift his fever-heavy eyelids, he saw Kang Jihan frozen in the same position as before.

He couldn’t read his expression. But one thing that was still transparently clear was… his ears.

The moment he saw the reddened ear lobes, it felt like the embarrassment was contagious, just as Kang Jihan’s smile had been earlier.

…He asked for it, so why is he looking at me like that?

Kang Jihan slowly lowered his upper body, which had been half-lying down. Even after getting what he wanted, his eyes were rather overflowing with longing. As the distance gradually closed, it felt like the layers of heat between them were intensifying.

“I granted your wish.”

“Yeah.”

“What do you mean, ‘yeah’? It’s over… oof.”

Their foreheads touched. Despite not being sick, Kang Jihan’s temperature was similar. But more than the heat, it was the gaze pouring down from such close proximity that took Nam Seonwoo’s breath away. He barely managed to move his hand.

“It’ll spread.”

But Kang Jihan’s shoulders didn’t budge an inch. The body heat transmitted through his palm was hotter than their touching foreheads, making Nam Seonwoo’s fingers curl slightly.

“Can a cold spread like this?”

“…I guess it could.”

Their lips brushed with each whisper. From a distance where their eyelashes might tangle, Kang Jihan asked with his eyes. If it was okay to let it spread.

“…”

Nam Seonwoo closed his eyes. The shadow beyond the black curtain seemed to deepen, and soon something soft landed on his lips.

The lips that gently approached were as light as a feather, yet hot as if they might burn at any moment. As Nam Seonwoo froze, forgetting even to breathe, the lips rubbed slowly. But he still couldn’t breathe. Like someone kissing for the first time, Nam Seonwoo clutched Kang Jihan’s shirt tightly, his lips trembling.

‘First…’

Suddenly, the memory of their first drunken kiss floated like an afterimage. But this moment was much hotter than when they were flushed with alcohol. It felt like some part of his body might explode at any moment. So the image from that day faded like a fleeting wisp of steam.

Nam Seonwoo gently opened his eyes. In his hazy vision, only Kang Jihan was clear. The Kang Jihan before his eyes was not an afterimage. Looking at the vivid image that showed no signs of dissipating, his lips trembled slightly. But with the heat digging even deeper, the trembling ceased as if it had never happened.

Their lips parted, and their gazes intertwined quietly. Their vision was filled only with each other’s eyes.

“You…”

Kang Jihan lowered one hand to cup Nam Seonwoo’s cheek. Watching the fluttering eyelashes with each stroke of his thumb across the cheek, Kang Jihan murmured:

“You’re really red right now.”

But Kang Jihan himself was just as red as he said those words. The shyness that had enveloped his ears had now spread to his face and neck. Nam Seonwoo silently took in this sight of Kang Jihan.

“And you’re really hot.”

The hand that had been cupping his cheek slid down his neck and under his shirt. As Nam Seonwoo exhaled a heated breath, Kang Jihan pressed his lips against his again.

Unlike earlier when everything was slow, this kiss was a bit more urgent. But it felt different from when he had used force before. With a sensation that somehow made his solar plexus contract, Nam Seonwoo’s knees trembled. At the same time, the large hand that had been supporting him next to the pillow tightly crumpled the bedding.