"Hey, what are you doing? Let me down." As Chin-hwa struggled, the tears that had been gathered in his eyes, fell on Kang-woo's face, shocking Kang-woo. Chin-hwa cleaned it immediately and said, "Don't look at me like you're staring at a ghost. It's not what you think, okay?"
As if trying to force the fact that Chin-hwa was not crying into his head, Kang-woo smiled it off and said,
"I was just shocked. Of course, you're not crying." He said. "I mean, why would you?" He started walking towards the door. "Your eyes were dry, weren't they?"
"Y-yes, that's right." Chin-hwa immediately jumped on that boat. "And then when I tried to blink, they grew teary. So," he placed his hands on Kang-woo's shoulders to stabilize himself, saying softly, "I wasn't crying."
"Well, I'm going to walk down the stairs, so make sure to hold me carefully, okay?" He warned but Chin-hwa felt that much contact was already enough.
Wait, why was he carrying him in the first place?
Kang-woo took the first step down the stairs and Chin-hwa changed his mind, wrapping his legs around him, as well as his entire upper body around Kang-woo as he was scared that he would fall, which would result in body pain and that was one thing he didn't want to feel.
Kang-woo had little space to see where he was going but he found it amusing rather than burdensome.
He dropped Chin-hwa once they got to the dining table and Chin-hwa looked around. The house was so spacious. Was he living there all by himself?
"Like the place?" Kang-woo asked, noticing how he observed the interiors.
"Oh, no, it's just... It's so big." He said. "Don't you... Get lonely?"
Kang-woo paused for a moment but then smiled.
"I only moved in a week ago and have been really busy with my transfer papers so I haven't really sat down to notice my surroundings." He said. "But now that you mention it," he looked around. "It is very big for one person to live in. But don't worry, I'm not lonely."
Chin-hwa nodded. He couldn't see himself living in such a big house alone, he'd be lonely and sometimes terrified.
"So, how about it?" Kang-woo asked, bringing Chin-hwa's attention to him.
"What?"
"How about you come live with me?"
"What?!"
"That way, there'll be one more person living here and I won't be lonely."
"You just said you weren't lonely." Chin-hwa took steps back. "And why would I want to come live with you alone in this big house?"
"Oh, come on. We used to play house a lot when we were younger, didn't we?" Kang-woo laughed and Chin-hwa paused.
"Right, when we were younger. But we're not kids anymore." He said, making his point quite clear. "So it's impossible for us to live in one house together."
Kang-woo went silent, trying to analyze his words.
"Well, that's not right." He said. "We could be roommates. I don't see an issue with that. Many people have roommates, don't they? Or... Was that not what you were referring to?"
Chin-hwa felt like Kang-woo was sounding him out. But no matter, he would just pretend like he didn't mean anything like that.
"Let's just eat." He said and sat down at the dinner table. "I want to hurry and head back, I have some assignments I need to start as soon as possible."
"Of course. I'll bring out breakfast right away." Kang-woo said and beaded into the kitchen.
Once he saw that Kang-woo did not pursue the issue further, Chin-hwa let out a sigh of relief. At least he was able to brush the issue aside by changing the topic.
Still... He dropped his elbows on the table and dropped his chin on his arms... The thought of living in the same house as Kang-woo had crossed his mind a lot.
After all, he had already assumed they would be roommates once they started college and even gushed at the fact that they would be like couples living in the same house, eating together and watching movies together on Friday nights.
It would be a dream come true. But that was before everything happened.
"What are you thinking of?" Kang-woo asked and Chin-hwa rolled his eyes towards him, a hint of sadness displaying on his twisted lips and glinting eyes.
Kang-woo was shocked. He could see it clearly but... Why was Chin-hwa looking so sad?
"Ah, breakfast is here." Chin-hwa said, pretending everything was alright. "What do we have here? Pancaked?"
Kang-woo shook off the feeling right away and smiled.
"Ah, yes." He pushed the plate forward. "Since this would be my first time making you breakfast, I wanted to give you a lasting impression of it."
He designed the pancake with honey and left a little sweet butter topping in the middle.
"Well, it does leave an impression." He said and picked up the fork. 'Wait, when did Byul learn to cook?' he wondered and then took the first bite.
His face squeezed in right away and his eyes became teary.
"What's wrong?" Kang-woo asked, alarmed. "I made sure to follow the instructions accordingly." He said, but Chin-hwa shook his head.
"No, it's fine." He said but picked up the glass of milk next to him and drank nearly half of it. "It's just..." He forced out a smile. "A little salty."
"Are you sure?"
Chin-hwa nodded but he would kill for something other than this pancake. It was very salty. He must've used the salt, thinking it was sugar. He should've tasted it first.
"I'm taking it to the trash." Kang-woo said, gripping the edge of the plate. "This is my first attempt so I'm sure it's not good. I can't let you eat something that's terrible."
"Wait, your first attempt?" Chin-hwa asked, surprised.
"I don't exactly cook for myself, so I've never really entered the kitchen to cook." He said.
"Then, why did you do it this time?" Chin-hwa asked but Kang-woo turned away, hiding the flush on his cheek as he said,
"I... Wanted to make you breakfast by myself."
Chin-hwa felt touched and he was compelled to want to try the pancake one more time. It wasn't as salty but... Kang-woo wasted no time to throw it in the trash.
"Come, let's eat breakfast on our way to your dorm." He smiled. "Anything's better than this destruction."
Ah, Chin-hwa couldn't stop his heart from beating. The pancake did leave a lasting impression, even if it wasn't the best, but more than that, it made him feel special.
"Oh, and, I know it's a bit early," Kang-woo said as he headed for the door. "But Happy New Year."
"Dummy, there's still a month away for that. And..." He laughed. "I think it would've been wise to wish me Merry Christmas first before that."
"Well, I just feel that it was the right thing to say at the moment." Kang-woo said.
"Hm, in that case," Chin-hwa smiled back at him. "Happy New Year."
Kang-woo was glad Chin-hwa was smiling. That sadness that appeared on his face...he did not know what it was but he didn't like it.
It made his heart ache.
If he could make things better, if he could repair their relationship and be by his side again, he would do anything.