Chapter 30

Nothing changed between Mugyeol and Yi-seon.

Mugyeol remained a good friend, and their bond was as close as ever. As before, they met during lunch to joke around and spent hours camped out in the library or study cafe to study together.

The only thing that changed was their physical distance.

Mugyeol, who used to stick to his side like glue, now strictly sat across the table, or remained separated whenever they hung out in a larger group. Furthermore, unlike the past when they casually drifted in and out of each other’s homes, they now only met and spent time outside.

At first it stung, but Yi-seon eventually adapted. Since they would soon be legal adults, they might both be conscious of their secondary genders. On top of that, he was seeing Jeong Soram. He likely felt the need to mind his boundaries.

It’s not like I had any intention of doing anything anyway, but still. Wow… Hurtful.

Turning over the advanced math problem he had solved earlier in his mind, Yi-seon stretched his arms over his head. His entire body felt stiff from sitting at a desk all day lately.

Stepping out onto the street after studying, the world was packed with exam-cheering gifts for the upcoming Suneung. Bakeries sold gift chocolates wishing for top scores, rice cake shops offered glutinous rice cakes and yeot, and grocery markets stocked assorted candy sets. The fact that the Suneung was the day after tomorrow hit him afresh.

“Hey. Eat yeot.”

“Um… Mugyeol, you eat it.”

Offended by Mugyeol suddenly telling him to “eat yeot”—the Korean slang for fuck off—Yi-seon flipped him the middle finger without hesitation. Mugyeol clicked his tongue in utter disbelief, neatly folded Yi-seon’s fingers into a closed fist, and held out a package of taffy.

“I’m telling you to eat this. Exam yeot.”

“…”

Yi-seon stared down at the box of yeot Mugyeol had thrust forward. Clueless that Mugyeol was offering to share good-luck taffy, he had flipped him off.

It seemed that ever since reuniting with Mugyeol, he had grown entirely too childish and his personality had deteriorated. They say you end up resembling the one you like… Of all the people in the world, he had to go and fall for Yeon Mugyeol…

The two sat side by side on a park bench, amicably chewing their taffy. Gazing up at the pitch-black night sky while sucking on the sweet candy, Mugyeol chewed on the softened yeot and said, “Don’t eat yeot from anyone else. It’ll bring bad luck. Only eat the one given to you by the number one student in school. Got it?”

Since Mugyeol frequently passed along snacks he received from admirers, Yi-seon asked casually, “Got it. But who bought this for you?”

Surprisingly, Mugyeol replied that he had bought it himself.

“Don’t you have stacks of yeot and rice cakes piled up at home from gifts? Why spend your own money on it?”

“Whatever. Just eat it and ace the Suneung.”

“You do well too, Yeon Mugyeol. Don’t get nervous, make dumb mistakes, and blow your minimum cutoff.”

Mugyeol had already secured early admission to university, so he only needed to meet the minimum required score on the Suneung. Given that Mugyeol consistently scored near-perfect marks on every mock exam, Yi-seon was not particularly worried about him. The one who needed to worry was Yi-seon himself. Having fumbled his interviews and failed early admission, he had no choice but to stake everything on regular admission.

“Which department are you applying to?”

“I’ll decide once the scores come out.”

“Apply to the same one as me.”

“That’s my goal. But if I bomb the Suneung, I won’t have a choice.”

“Don’t talk about bombing. You’ll jinx it. Spit right now, hurry. Go ptui, ptui. Do it. Open your mouth. Eat another one of these.”

Mugyeol forcibly shoved another piece of yeot into Yi-seon’s mouth, then proceeded to cram individually wrapped pieces into both of Yi-seon’s coat pockets.

Right around the time Yi-seon had finished sucking on the second piece of taffy, his phone rang. It was Ham Su-ah. With the exam just around the corner, she wanted to drop off some chapssaltteok.

— “You must be busy, so I’ll just hand you the rice cakes and head out.”

“No, I’m not busy. I’m on a park bench with Mugyeol.”

— “Really? Where? I actually bought some for Mugyeol too.”

“The bench near the pedestrian overpass crossing from Castle Apartments Building 103 into the park.”

— “Got it. I’ll be right there.”

When he hung up, Mugyeol peeked at his phone screen and scowled. He had clearly spotted the name ‘Ham Su-ah’.

“You two contact each other at night? Why? Since when were you keeping in touch?”

Terrified that Mugyeol’s temper button had been pressed again, Yi-seon tried to head him off before he could explode. “No. We usually don’t. Noona is just coming to drop off rice cakes. She said she bought yours too.”

Only then did Mugyeol’s scowl ease slightly. Yet still clearly displeased, when Ham Su-ah arrived a few minutes later, he did not even offer a greeting, merely watching her in stony silence. Stopping in front of them, Ham Su-ah handed each of them a shopping bag with a cheerful grin.

“Hello! You pitiful examinees!”

Having sprinted all the way here to feed the two souls good-luck cakes, the tip of her nose was flushed red by the biting night wind. Finding the sight endearing, Yi-seon chuckled, only for his vision to suddenly go pitch black. Mugyeol, who had slung an arm around his shoulder, covered Yi-seon’s eyes with his broad palm and pulled him close against his side.

Baffled by this sudden prank, Yi-seon tried to pry Mugyeol’s hand away, but he could not overcome his raw strength. Resigned, using Mugyeol’s palm like a blindfold, he exchanged greetings with Ham Su-ah.

Ham Su-ah’s sole purpose was truly just delivering the rice cakes; she turned to leave the instant she handed them over. She explained that she had paused a streaming drama mid-episode to run out and needed to hurry back before it ruined the suspense. Vanishing before he could even properly thank her, Yi-seon looked down at the rice cakes she had left him.

In that instant, a large hand reached in from the side and snatched the shopping bag right out of his grasp.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t eat hers.”

“Why?”

Anger flared in Yi-seon’s chest.

Does he think everything Su-ah Noona gives belongs to him, so I’m not even allowed to eat it? To you she might be your crush, but to me she’s just a close noona. Is receiving rice cakes from Noona that offensive to you? This skirt-chaser bastard really doesn’t care about friendship at all.

Beyond feeling hurt, he felt a bitter surge of resentment.

“You just eat my yeot,” Mugyeol barked, pointing at the yeot stuffed into Yi-seon’s pockets.

Yi-seon yanked every single piece of yeot from his pockets and hurled them straight at Mugyeol’s chest.

“Stuff your face with all of it yourself!”

Seriously, you’re too much.

Tears threatened to spill from his eyes. His emotions had been an agonizing mess lately as it was, and this felt like a lit match dropped into gasoline, setting his insides ablaze. Did he have any idea what it cost me to stay by his side every day, burning with misery and hoping my feelings will finally wither away?

Without knowing a single damn thing.

“Ryu Yi-seon!”

He could hear Mugyeol striding after him. The voice calling his name was heavily laced with panic and distress.

Yi-seon ignored him and sped up, only to come to an abrupt halt. Letting Mugyeol’s hand rest on his shoulder for a fleeting second, he turned right around and marched back toward the bench.

Though he had thrown the candy in a momentary fit of rage, walking through the freezing wind made him realize just how childishly emotional he had been.

Liking Mugyeol was his own one-sided burden. Mugyeol had no idea, and holding a grudge against him like this felt thoroughly pathetic. Besides, Mugyeol had bought the yeot wishing him success on the exam, and he did not want to throw that sincerity in the trash.

Right. Yeon Mugyeol is just a guy who’s completely insane about Su-ah Noona.

Yi-seon walked over to the deserted bench and began picking up the scattered pieces of yeot one by one. He felt like an old scrap collector, and crouching down to gather candy right after dramatically storming off was slightly humiliating, but it could not be helped. This was precisely why a person should not act on impulse.

“…”

“…”

Neither of them spoke a word.

One picked up the candy while the other watched.

Above his bent head, Yi-seon could feel the heavy weight of Mugyeol’s gaze as he stood right behind him. Ignoring it entirely, Yi-seon stood up and shoved the retrieved candy into both pockets. His coat pockets bulged immediately.

“I’ll enjoy the yeot. And I’ll do great on the exam. So please, stop throwing tantrums.” Thoroughly embarrassed, Yi-seon muttered toward Mugyeol and walked away into the night. He did not forget to add, “Good luck on your exam too.” Through it all, Mugyeol never once handed over Ham Su-ah’s rice cakes.

What a truly rotten bastard.

And two days later, Yi-seon did exceptionally well on the Suneung.

He and Mugyeol reconciled almost instantly: when Yi-seon showed up on the morning of the exam chewing the yeot Mugyeol had given him, Mugyeol smirked and pulled him into a one-armed embrace by the shoulders.

“Make sure you ace the test.”

The whispered voice was so low and husky that goosebumps broke out around Yi-seon’s ear.

It seemed he really had aced the Suneung thanks to Mugyeol’s yeot. The magical effect of the fussy taffy gifted by the school’s top student was formidable. Though his heart had been a turbulent mess because of Yeon Mugyeol, his tireless efforts had not betrayed him.

He applied to the exact same university and academic department as Yeon Mugyeol. Based on his estimated score, he could have applied to medical school, but deliberately chose not to. He wanted to enter a field completely unrelated to the family business. He did not want to look like an insolent younger brother daring to covet his older brother’s inheritance.

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