NOVPUBCreak— The door opened, and Son Suhyeon’s body jerked backward in surprise, tumbling away from the bed. At the same time, Ha Giyeon bolted upright.
“The muffins were late coming out of the oven, so I... Oh my!”
Kang Jini, holding a tray with muffins and pudding, froze in place, eyes going round at the unexpected sight before her. Giyeon, hair tousled, sat up in bed with a flustered expression, while Suhyeon had fallen to the floor like some tragic protagonist out of a melodrama.
Not knowing what was going on, Kang Jini didn’t step into the room and just stood there. Giyeon, panicking that she might get the wrong idea, quickly spoke.
“We—We were just messing around...!”
“......”
Suhyeon sprang to his feet at once. The redness creeping up his ears made it very clear how flustered and embarrassed he was.
But Kang Jini, too moved to notice Suhyeon’s reaction, was overwhelmed by the fact that Ha Giyeon had apparently been playing with a friend. Ever since entering high school, Giyeon had worn nothing but blank or hollow expressions—yet now, his face was flushed and he was saying they’d been joking around.
Ha Giyeon, playing around with a friend...!
It was one thing for a friend to come visit him while he was sick, but to actually play together, too? That alone seemed to have brought new life to Giyeon’s face, which had looked so pale and lifeless from lying in bed all day.
“Th-Thank you for the snacks...!”
Giyeon shot up from the bed to take the tray, but Suhyeon stopped him from getting up and took it himself.
“Thank you very much.”
“You two seem very close.”
“Yes. We’re very close.”
The instant response made Giyeon’s eyes widen a bit—then he gave a bashful smile, as if pleased.
Kang Jini stared at that smile in surprise. Since coming to this house, had Ha Giyeon ever smiled like that before? Every image she had of him was of a sorrowful face, barely pulling up the corners of his mouth in a forced grin.
And yet, the one who made him smile like that—was Son Suhyeon. Not a classmate, not even someone from his year, but an upperclassman. She had worried that he might be like Kwon Jongseok or Choi Mujin—one of Ha Dohoon’s friends, who tormented Giyeon—but seeing that smile wiped those worries away.
If it meant Giyeon could smile like this, she’d welcome Son Suhyeon’s visits every day.
“If you need anything, just call me.”
Not wanting to interrupt, Kang Jini quickly left the room, and awkward silence fell once again between Giyeon and Suhyeon. They both stared at the door for a moment, then hastily turned their heads when their gazes met.
Suhyeon held out a pudding from the tray toward Giyeon. n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
“How’s your throat? Think you can eat?”
“It’s gotten much better. I’m fine.”
How could he refuse something Suhyeon was giving him—especially when his face looked so hesitant and unsure as he offered it so gently? He couldn’t possibly reject it. He’d barely eaten lunch—just enough porridge to take his medicine. Maybe that’s why the sight of pudding actually stirred his appetite.
With one hand holding the pudding cup, Giyeon reached out with his bandaged hand to take the spoon. But Suhyeon tightened his grip. When Giyeon realized the spoon wasn’t being released, he looked confused and started trembling slightly, still holding on.
“S-Sunbae...?”
“...I’ll feed you.”
“...What?!”
“Your hand’s hurt.”
Looking at the bandaged back of Giyeon’s hand, Suhyeon wore an expression like he was the one in pain. Giyeon flinched hard at the absurd suggestion and waved his hands vehemently in refusal.
“N-No, I’m fine! It’s not like I broke any bones or anything—”
“......”
“S-Sunbae...?”
Giyeon tugged again at the spoon, but it didn’t budge. Suhyeon was holding it with his left hand, and even though Giyeon’s right hand was his dominant one, he couldn’t wrest it free. His pride stung, but he couldn’t back down. To avoid the shame of being spoon-fed, Giyeon even used his other hand to try and pull harder.
But the result was a crushing defeat. It was like Suhyeon had glued the spoon to his palm—he didn’t move at all.
Is this even possible?
He knew Suhyeon was far stronger than him. His physique, the way he lifted heavy things at the café, the way he’d climbed that uphill path like a flying squirrel—it all proved it. But still, how could he not manage to take a single spoon from him...? He was a grown man, too, damn it.
His pride was no longer just trampled—it was pulverized into dust.
“Ah.”
Before he knew it, Suhyeon had scooped up a spoonful of pudding and was holding it up to Giyeon’s lips. Giyeon looked at him in horror, as if the most ridiculous thing in the world had just happened.
“N-No, I really can just—mmph!”
“Is it good?”
It had just gone into his mouth.
Suhyeon timed it perfectly, slipping the spoon in between Giyeon’s parted lips. The smooth pudding spread in his mouth, and Giyeon began chewing reflexively. It really was delicious—of course, since the housekeeper made it. But it was just too embarrassing. He wasn’t a kid—why was he being spoon-fed like one?
In the end, unable to take the spoon, Giyeon had no choice but to eat the entire pudding like that. When Suhyeon glanced at the muffin next, Giyeon hurriedly grabbed it himself.
“By the # Nоvеlight # way, sunbae... why did you come here today?”
It was only now that Giyeon asked why he’d come. He was happy Suhyeon had come, of course—but he was also worried. What if he ran into Ha Dohoon? After what had happened earlier, it wouldn’t be strange if Dohoon used Suhyeon as a punching bag again.
“They said the field trip form’s due tomorrow. Your homeroom teacher asked me to bring it.”
Suhyeon pulled a paper from his bag and handed it over.
“Oh, I’m sorry... You came all this way just for that...”
“Even if it wasn’t this, I was going to come see you.”
“...!”
He said it like it was nothing.
Giyeon pressed his palm against his chest and bowed his head. For some reason, his chest tickled. The fact that Suhyeon had come to see him, even knowing Ha Dohoon might be home—it meant everything.
“Where’s your class going for the field trip?”
“I think we’re going to an amusement park... What about you, sunbae?”
“Supposed to go see some play.”
As expected, they weren’t going to the same place. Each class had its own destination, so it made sense that Suhyeon, a third-year, was headed somewhere else. But for some reason, Giyeon felt disappointed. If they had been going to the same area, maybe they could’ve met up.
As he stared idly at the form, Suhyeon asked him,
“Do you like amusement parks?”
“Mm... I’m not sure.”
It wasn’t that he’d never been to one before. But Giyeon had no memories of amusement parks that could be called good or meaningful. He once asked to go with Dohoon but was scolded coldly and ended up locking himself in his room. In middle school, he had no friends to go with, so he’d sit alone on benches.
Watching others laugh, take pictures, eat delicious food, and chat—that was all he could do. He didn’t have the courage to ride anything alone. And honestly, he was scared of them, too.
Even so, Suhyeon didn’t press for details. Sensing that it was something difficult to talk about, he changed the subject quickly.
“What event are you doing for the sports festival?”
“I’m doing volleyball.”
“You sure that’s okay with your leg? Maybe you should just sit it out and cheer that day.”
“It’ll be mostly healed by then. And I’m not playing a high-movement position, so it’s fine.”
“If you say so... but still...”
The more he thought about it, the more furious he felt—about Nam Taekyung, the one who’d injured Giyeon’s leg. He should be letting him rest, not forcing him to play another event. Suhyeon regretted not being in the same year as Giyeon. If he were, he’d crush them on the court, just to prove a point.
“What about you, sunbae? What event are you doing?”
“Just basketball.”
In truth, Suhyeon had planned to sign up for any event that still had space. But when he checked at school today, he’d somehow ended up on the basketball roster. He had no idea when or how that happened, but he didn’t really mind. It was better than the more popular soccer match. Someone even said he’d volunteered himself... When the hell did that happen?
Lately, with all his attention on Giyeon, Suhyeon couldn’t even remember how he was getting through school.
Suhyeon sunbae is playing basketball...?
Giyeon found it unexpected that he was doing basketball instead of soccer. He imagined Suhyeon playing—tall, athletic, probably good at it. He could picture him doing slam dunks... Wearing a basketball uniform, drenched in sweat...
Giyeon’s face flushed red. This is dangerous... somehow, it feels dangerous...!
“You okay? Is your fever coming back?”
“...Huh? No—no, I’m fine!”
Suhyeon placed a hand on his forehead, and Giyeon squeezed his eyes shut. Suhyeon’s palm was warmer than Giyeon’s skin, so it was clear the fever was gone. He figured Suhyeon would remove his hand quickly—but instead, Suhyeon gently brushed back Giyeon’s hair. Then he caressed the uneven scar running across one side of his forehead.
Feeling the touch on his scar, Giyeon cautiously opened his eyes and looked at him.
“When did you get this?”
“Ah, I got hurt when I was little. The scar’s just... still there, haha.”
He let out an awkward laugh and turned his head, trying to hide it under his hair.
“......”
Normally, Suhyeon would’ve avoided asking about something that made Giyeon uncomfortable. But this scar... he wanted to know how it happened. In a house like this, they must’ve at least treated the wound—right?
“What happened that left a scar like this?”
“......”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I only asked because I was worried.”
The pain wasn’t physical anymore, but that wasn’t the kind Suhyeon was talking about. He meant the deeper pain—the one that came from what the scar represented.
Giyeon rubbed the scar with his fingers, hesitating.
If I tell him the truth... will Suhyeon sunbae believe me?
He didn’t want to hide anything from Suhyeon anymore. More than that—he wanted to open up. So maybe... he could muster just a little bit of courage.
“When I was in elementary school, I went into my brother’s room once, and...”
