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Before You Go To SNU (Chapter 4)
Read chapter 1
Read chapter 2
Read chapter 3
Relationships: Cho Sang-Woo/Seong Gi-Hun (main), Kang Sae-Byeok/Ji-Yeong (side)
Contents: Fluff, Light Angst, Established Relationship, High School AU, classmates, sangwoo is not a snake, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, one brief homophobic encounter but only for one chapter, sangwoo implies that he wants to have sex but they never actually do it, 17 year olds (pretend they're all the same age), Boys In Love, Slice of Life
Characters: Cho Sang-Woo, Seong Gi-Hun, Ali Abdul, Kang Sae-Byeok, Ji-Yeong, Hwang Jun-ho, Jang Deok-su, Han Min-yeo, Seong Gi-Hun's mother, Cho Sang-Woo's mother
Note: I cross-posted this from AO3 so if you're more comfortable reading there, you can go ahead and do that, this is also a multi-chapter fic. 3/5 chapters are uploaded
The cold wraps around Sang-Woo and Gi-Hun as they enter the air-conditioned store. Sang-Woo takes a shopping basket and heads to an aisle without looking back to see if Gi-Hun is following him.
This is probably the worst fight they've had since the start of their relationship. And to think, just a few days ago, things were going great since that kiss. He couldn’t take his eyes off Gi-Hun, and now he can't even look at him.
They've made out plenty since then. When he had Gi-Hun over to tutor him, at the school library, where they were almost caught by a teacher, even at the riverbank, where they were caught by Ji-Yeong. They've gotten better at it too, with Sang-Woo copying what he saw at the movies.
But then Thursday came along. Fucking Thursday.
Gi-Hun's footsteps get louder beside him, almost drowning out the muffled sounds of a drizzle starting. Gi-Hun catches up to Sang-Woo's pace. It takes everything in Sang-Woo to not look at him.
Gi-Hun’s guard is up. It’s like he’s built a wall between them that Sang-Woo can’t break or climb over, but he looks up and sees Gi-Hun peeking over, looking at him with an expression that tells him that if Sang-Woo brings his pride down, Gi-Hun will bring down the wall.
Sang-Woo halts next to the colored papers. “What colors do you want?”
“You choose,” Gi-Hun mutters.
Sang-Woo rolls his eyes and turns to face Gi-Hun. His brain stops working, however, when he makes eye contact with Gi-Hun's piercing eyes. Gosh, he thinks. What happened to the puppy dog eyes Gi-Hun's always had?
Sang-Woo takes a breath. “Look, I know you're mad, I am too, but if we're gonna have to work on this stupid project together, you're gonna have to cooperate, okay?” It came out more aggressive than he meant.
Gi-Hun looks shocked, but he just closes his eyes. “Blue, yellow and green,” he says through his teeth.
Sang-Woo huffs out a frustrated thank you, grabs the papers, and puts them in the basket.
YESTERDAY, THURSDAY
Gi-Hun is leaning against the bookshelf as Sang-Woo’s hands ruffle through his hair. Their lips are pressed together, noses brushing while taking in each other’s scent. Gi-Hun pulls away for a second to catch his breath but is immediately sucked back to Sang-Woo’s mouth, causing their teeth to clash for a moment. Gi-Hun emits a small yelp of pain, or maybe it was a moan, Sang-Woo can’t tell.
Sunlight shines through a window and puts a spotlight on them, adding to the heat of their kiss and brisk heartbeats. Their uniforms get warmer from the friction of their chests. Sang-Woo is a little scared that they’ll get caught, but probably not nearly enough as he should be.
The books behind Gi-Hun shake. “Wait,” Gi-Hun says, pulling away. “We’re being too loud, this is a library.”
They are positioned at the very back of the room, bookshelves covering them. Barely any people are in the room, just them, the librarian, and a few students studying.
Sang-Woo wipes a sweat running down Gi-Hun’s forehead. “Then kiss me slower.”
Gi-Hun’s cheeks flush as Sang-Woo’s thumbs caress them. Sang-Woo leans back in. Gi-Hun’s eyes close a moment before Sang-Woo shuts his. They meet again. Gi-Hun’s mouth opens as Sang-Woo’s tongue finds its way in. They move in a rhythm, Sang-Woo’s hand travels down to Gi-Hun’s waist as Gi-Hun holds Sang-Woo’s neck.
A thud near them.
They stop abruptly, quickly getting off each other, a thread of saliva snapping at their divergence. Sang-Woo grabs a book and pretends to read. Gi-Hun wipes his mouth with his arm.
The teacher emerges from the bookshelves, halts, and looks at them for a few seconds. Sang-Woo keeps his eyes on the book, which he’s too nervous to even see. He’s looking at it, but he’s not seeing it.
“You two,” the teacher says. Sang-Woo and Gi-Hun stiffen up as they turn to look at him. “It’s almost one o’clock. Shouldn’t you be going to your classrooms?”
“Uh, of course, sir,” Sang-Woo says. “We were just about to leave.”
The teacher nods. “Your book’s upside down by the way.” He pushes up his glasses and walks away.
They looked at each other and burst out into laughter as Sang-Woo closes his book shut. He looks down at the cover— Three Generations upside down.
くコ:彡 くコ:彡 くコ:彡
Gi-Hun and Sang-Woo sit next to each other in class. The teacher stands behind his desk, holding a stack of papers. “Alright, everybody listen!” he says as he taps the stack of papers on the desk, evening them out. “You’re gonna do your project in pairs. I’ll call out the names of your partners!”
The teacher looks at the papers. “Jiyeong and Jun-Ho. Ali and Sae-Byeok…” He continues, then, finally, “Gi-Hun and Sang-Woo.”
Sang-Woo smiles. He would probably do the entire project by himself if Gi-Hun asked, but Sang-Woo knew he wouldn’t. Sure, Gi-Hun can be irresponsible at times, but that doesn’t mean he’ll let anyone he loves suffer. It’s one of the things that gives Sang-Woo a fuzzy feeling every time he looks at Gi-Hun.
He looks at Gi-Hun, who is giving him the same loving smile he has on his face.
“Okay, you all got that?” the teacher says. “Now, for your project, you’re going to make a pop-up card made of colored paper cut in the shapes of different quadrilaterals. It’s up to you what object you’d like to create. Does everybody understand?”
The whole class says, “Yes,” in unison.
The bell rings.
“And remember, the school dance is on Saturday.” The teacher exits the room. It’s their last period, and the students start to stand up and put on their backpacks. Sang-Woo does too. He sees Gi-Hun stand up and Sang-Woo grabs his bag before him.
“I’ll do it for you,” he says smiling, wearing the backpack at the front. Gi-Hun smiles back at him for that. Sang-Woo feels his cheeks heat up and that fuzzy feeling grows in his chest again.
“So, about the school dance…” Gi-Hun says. Sang-Woo smiles, he's already asked Gi-Hun to go with him earlier this morning. Of course, Gi-Hun said yes.
“Pick you up at seven?”
Gi-Hun nods.
They walk slowly through the hallway side by side. Sang-Woo thinks Gi-Hun’s hands must be metal and his must be a magnet because the pull when they’re only inches apart is excruciatingly strong. But Gi-Hun takes Sang-Woo’s hand, and his palm doesn’t feel like metal. It’s soft and warm and feels like home, and he can imagine the rest of his life like this: Gi-Hun’s warmth sprawling through his body while they grow old and live together.
The heat of Gi-Hun’s touch travels through Sang-Woo’s entire body, and embarrassingly, that includes the place in his crotch. Sang-Woo feels his boxers getting tighter.
Shit. They’re still in school. Sang-Woo can’t be caught in public with a hard-on while holding hands with his boyfriend!
Sang-Woo’s palms grow sweaty from the fire in his thumping chest. He jerks his hand off of Gi-Hun’s. His boyfriend flits his head to him with shock and concern in his eyes.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Gi-Hun presses his hand onto Sang-Woo’s neck. “Your pulse is heavy… and you’re sweating so much again! Did your fever come back?”
Fuck. With Gi-Hun this close, Sang-Woo will overheat. And the worry in his voice too. Oh no, Sang-Woo can’t take it anymore.
He puts his hands on Gi-Hun’s cheek so suddenly that he’s practically slapping him. Sang-Woo pulls Gi-Hun in and catches his lips with Sang-Woo’s own, closing his eyes. All of this before he could even think.
Sang-Woo parts his lips, but instead of Gi-Hun doing the same and taking in Sang-Woo like how he did earlier in the library, Sang-Woo feels Gi-Hun’s hands pressing on his chest and pushing him away.
Sang-Woo opens his eyes and sees Gi-Hun looking at him with those same eyes, and they’re still filled with shock. But this time, they’re not filled with concern.
They’re filled with fear.
“W…what are you doing?” Gi-Hun whimpers. And it’s then that Sang-Woo realizes how many people are staring at them.
What did he do? Sang-Woo feels his insides sink and shame weighing down on him. It’s suffocating.
“It’s… I— Well—” he struggles to get a word out.
“Let’s talk somewhere else.” Gi-Hun blinks. His eyes are starting to water. “Just… follow me.” Gi-Hun starts walking off. Sang-Woo stares at Gi-Hun’s shrinking silhouette for a few seconds, not fully registering what’s going on.
He hears Deok-su’s voice from behind. “Well, well, well, are the two fairies having a lovers’ quarre—”
“Shut the fuck up, Deok-su.” Sang-Woo follows Gi-Hun, flipping off the teasing boy from behind.
Gi-Hun leads Sang-Woo to a nearby vacant boys’ bathroom. It smells like garbage, one of the lights is broken, and the mirror is smudged with Lord knows what, but it’s the nearest place where they can get privacy. The two are about three feet apart. They stand quietly for a moment.
Gi-Hun turns around to face Sang-Woo. “W…” he starts, but doesn’t finish. He looks at the stalls, probably to make sure that no one is there to eavesdrop. “Why did you do that?” Gi-Hun’s voice wavers a little.
“I thought you wouldn't have a problem with it. We’ve kissed a bunch of times before and you were fine—”
“That’s because you asked first so I was prepared!” He fidgets with his hands. “And it wasn’t in front of that many people! And, and…” Gi-Hun bows his head, but Sang-Woo can tell he’s about to cry. “And you weren’t so forceful like that those other times. You just… suddenly grabbed me and smushed your lips on mine.” He pauses between each sentence. “It hurt. And it was scary.” He was shouting at first but now he’s whimpering each word. Sang-Woo could hear him whisper, “Plus, fevers are contagious.”
But, that isn’t fair! Sang-Woo thinks. He’s heard many times that it’s normal for teenage boys to have raging hormones. Every time he’s seen a guy being disruptive or doing something he isn’t wanted to do, Sang-Woo has heard people say, “Boys will be boys.” He’s only seen movies where even if the man kisses the girl without asking, the girl doesn’t mind. So, why is it his fault? Why is Gi-Hun blaming him? He didn’t do anything wrong.
Right?
He thinks of the way Gi-Hun looked at him with fear, and the shame and guilt press down deeper on him but somehow, his ego upholds his pride and pushes the remorse away.
“So, what? You’re embarrassed to be seen kissing me? Does it embarrass you to love me?” Sang-Woo says.
Gi-Hun looks at him with disbelief and a tinge of sadness. His brows furrow in anger. “Don’t try to turn this around on me, Cho. When did I fucking say that? All this time, you’ve respected my space and decisions, so why are you doing this now? Is it so hard to keep on asking me before you do it for fuck’s sake?”
Sang-Woo huffs. Cho. His last name. Gi-Hun hasn’t called him that since elementary.
Gi-Hun’s eyes are red and filled with tears. It makes Sang-Woo’s heart ache. Gi-Hun storms out of the room and Sang-Woo is left in this shitty, stinky bathroom. Sang-Woo looks at himself in the mirror. Was he really in the right?
Or did he just fuck this whole thing up?
TODAY, FRIDAY
The fresh smell of an air-conditioned store lingers. Sang-Woo’s hands grow cold around the plastic handle of the shopping basket. He wonders if Gi-Hun’s hand is cold as well. It must be. Sang-Woo wants to hold it and keep it in his warm pocket. And maybe it will still feel like home. Even after that fight, the magnetic force is still there.
Sang-Woo looks out the window and sees the cloudy skies, the drizzle slowly turning to rain. The stars are no longer visible unlike that night during the field trip when they first kissed.
And yet again, he’s thinking about kissing Gi-Hun. Gosh, how frequently has he been thinking that?
Sang-Woo’s mother found out about the project and had him call Gi-Hun to arrange a date and time to work on the project together. Sang-Woo thought it was gonna be a hard call but it was Gi-Hun’s mother who answered and she told Sang-Woo that she’ll have Gi-Hun come to their house this evening.
So now here they are.
The store is pretty quiet, except for the nearby beeping of the cash register and the quiet voice of the cashier handling the customers’ purchases. And somehow, the silence is making things worse for Sang-Woo. It lets his thoughts sit and rest and allows the guilt to slide back in, where it belongs. The pride has diminished over time, so there is nothing to push it back.
Ever since the argument happened, he’s had nothing else to think about other than the situation. He went over every word that was said and each feeling he experienced.
Only now has he thought about what Gi-Hun might have felt.
The guilt sprawls over him wider.
“I’m s…” Sang-Woo heard himself mutter before he knew it. Gi-Hun looks at him. The hostility and anger in his eyes seem to have lessened a little. “I’m s…” he tries again.
“What?” Gi-Hun mutters. The bricks of the wall are slowly cracking.
“I’m…searching for the card stock. Have you seen it?” For fuck’s sake! He can’t even apologize. How on earth is he gonna make this right?
Gi-Hun sighs. And just like that, the wall is back up. The chain is on his door again and the defenses are up once more.
Gi-Hun’s eyes slowly get wet. “Are you really that impenetrable to guilt?” he snaps. The beeping of the cash register stops and the light chatter ceases. The sounds of the impending rain outside grow louder. They should’ve brought an umbrella.
Sang-Woo can tell people are staring at them about to have an argument. Just like yesterday.
“Gi-Hun—”
“I can’t do this.” Gi-Hun walks out of the store. Sang-Woo drops his basket, spilling all the items they were about to purchase.
“Wait, no, Gi-Hun, it’s pouring, you’ll catch a cold!” He chases after him, opening the glass door and trading the cold air of the store for the frigid rain outside. He gets drenched instantly, and the raindrops hit them briskly. He catches up to Gi-Hun and grabs his hand. Gi-Hun halts, and Sang-Woo feels his wrist tighten.
“You know I’m faster than you,” Sang-Woo tries to joke, but Gi-Hun turns to face him and his expression says that Gi-Hun’s in no mood for jokes. Gi-Hun yanks his hand off Sang-Woo’s.
His eyes transform from angry to heartbroken, restoring his puppy dog eyes. Seeing him like this, drenched with a sorrowful look on his face, the guilt takes over Sang-Woo’s body. And he can no longer fight it. He can no longer try to evade the truth.
He fucked up. Really bad.
“You know,” Gi-Hun starts, “one of the biggest reasons why I fell so hard for you is because you were caring and gentle and responsible and you cared for my feelings .” Gi-Hun sobs. “I don’t why you’re like this now but I don’t know if I wanna stay with someone who doesn’t respect my boundaries.” His eyes are so red. The tears from his eyes blend with the rain.
“And you can’t even say sorry,” his voice crumbles. “If you still want to take me to the dance, fine. But, I think we need a break,” he finishes off. And with that, he walks away.
Sang-Woo wants to chase after him, to say he’s sorry and that he’s realized he’s wrong and that he swears it’ll never happen again. That he’ll never hurt him again. That he can’t stand to see him hurting so much because of him.
But he doesn’t. He just stands still in the pouring rain, not sure if it’s the gelid rain or time that froze him.
Realizing that Gi-Hun just left him. Under the same sky they fell in love on.
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Read chapter 1
Read chapter 2
Before You Go To SNU (Chapter 3)
Relationships: Cho Sang-Woo/Seong Gi-Hun (main), Kang Sae-Byeok/Ji-Yeong (side)
Contents: Fluff, Light Angst, Established Relationship, High School AU, classmates, sangwoo is not a snake, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, one brief homophobic encounter but only for one chapter, sangwoo implies that he wants to have sex but they never actually do it, 17 year olds (pretend they're all the same age), Boys In Love, Slice of Life
Characters: Cho Sang-Woo, Seong Gi-Hun, Ali Abdul, Kang Sae-Byeok, Ji-Yeong, Hwang Jun-ho, Jang Deok-su, Han Min-yeo, Seong Gi-Hun's mother, Cho Sang-Woo's mother
Note: I cross-posted this from AO3 so if you're more comfortable reading there, you can go ahead and do that, this is also a multi-chapter fic. 3/5 chapters are uploaded
The students exit the bus one by one. Each kid that comes out immediately looks around them in awe. Gi-Hun steps out with Sang-Woo by his side and Ali in front of him. Following them are Ji-Yeong and Sae-Byeok, Ji-Yeong looks around with her shades on. One hand saluted on her eyebrow and the other, entangled with Sae-Byeok’s fingers.
It is their field trip today. It’s a two-day, one-night trip with them camping and setting up a tent to sleep in.
“Alright everybody, gather up!” says a voice from the distance.
The voice is from Jun-ho, their class president. His tone is lenient but commanding. The type of leader that everyone likes because he’s kind and energetic, but can also keep everyone in line. Of course, his good looks help too. “Make sure you have everything you need and all your belongings with you.”
Gi-Hun rotates his head, taking in the beauty of the greeneries around him. The trees seem to engulf the world but there's a visible path that was clearly made for the students to go through. Then, a strong gust of wind bursts through the crowd. It’s cold; and strong enough for some people to step back and some girls to have to hold down their skirts. With his arm, Sang-Woo shelters both their eyes from any dust that may enter.
After the breeze has calmed down, Jun-ho starts to make his way to the couple.
“You guys okay?” he asks.
Sang-Woo nods. They’ve been friends with Jun-ho for a while now. And while they’re not as close to him as they are with Ali, Ji-Yeong, or Sae-Byeok, they’re tight enough to know what he’s like as a person.
“I’m assuming you two are pairing up?” Jun-ho asks, putting his arms to his hips.
“Yeah. And who are you grouping with?” Gi-Hun says.
“Ali. He came up to me saying he hasn’t been able to find a partner so I decided to pair up with him.” He turns to the crowd and puts his hands around his mouth. “Okay, everybody! Everyone’s got their partner with them? Let’s set off! Make sure you don’t stray too far from the group!”
And with that, the students head to the path.
From the outside, the trees seem to extend multiple kilometers. But once they entered the track, it only took them about 20 meters until they reached an open space. A beautiful park decorated with a small pond in the center, clearly man-made but blue and beautiful enough to earn some gasps. Several wooden benches surround it along with streetlights, a wooden cabin—empty and unused, an open field of vibrant grass and trees, an asphalt circular byway that’s light gray in color, and a bunch more picture-worthy spots. So, the students take out their cameras and scatter through the park.
Gi-Hun and Sang-Woo amble their way into the railings of the pond and find a space to settle between other pairs of students. They rest their hands on the steel and Sang-Woo looks around while Gi-Hun stares. At the water. At their reflection. The reflection of them, beside each other, hands so close it would only take a few inches of movement for them to touch. To intertwine. To—
“Hyung,” Sang-Woo says, and Gi-Hun looks at him. “I wanna go look around in the field for a while. You wanna come?”
“Oh. Well, I actually kinda wanna see all the spots here for a bit. You can go ahead though!”
“Okay. I won’t be long, don’t worry!” he says as he runs off.
Gi-Hun smiles, and looks back at the water. He still sees the reflection. But this time, it’s only him. No hands, so close and itching to touch. No handsome boy beside him. No spike in his heartbeat. Just him, and his two, touchless hands.
So he gets his hands off the railing, shrugs, and walks. He lets his feet take the lead for a few steps but he halts and his eyes wander around, looking for someplace or someone to walk up to. And he sees Ji-Yeong and Sae-Byeok, the former posing in front of some cheesy sign and the other clearly being forced to take photos in ridiculous angles. He figures why not, it seems like Sae-Byeok’s feet could use some rest and he isn’t doing anything right now. So he approaches them.
“Hey, guys!” he moves his feet and waves his hand as they flit their heads at him. At first, it seems like Sae-Byeok is giving him the death stare but that is how she always looks at people. And it has grown on Gi-Hun. Now he finds it to be quite charming. Ji-Yeong holds that same drunken expression and stumbles back, losing balance at that one-foot position she was in.
“What’s up?” Ji-Yeong asks.
“You guys need any help there? I can take good photos!” He laughs awkwardly.
Ji-Yeong straightens up. “Oh yeah! I think Sae-Byeok could use a little—”
“No.” She cuts her off.
“But—”
“We don’t need any help. I can do this by myself.”
Gi-Hun stares at her, then Ji-Yeong, who has the same expression as him, then back at Sae-Byeok and sighs. From the very first day they met, Sae-Byeok was like this. Quite stubborn, never accepting help, ‘never needing help’. She always thinks she can do everything by herself, that she can handle anything alone. But then Ji-Yeong came and, in her words—she balances her, at least a little bit. Eases her mind, soul, and body.
Ji-Yeong opens her mouth to protest but is interrupted by a male voice from a distance.
“Hey Gi-Hun, can you take pictures of us then?”
He turns around and sees Jun-ho, camera in hand with Ali behind him. That same charming smile he always gives to everyone. Gi-Hun guesses that’s one of his qualities that draws people to him.
Gi-Hun turns his head back to Ji-Yeong and her girlfriend. Ji-Yeong smiles and says, “It’s okay. Go ahead!”
Gi-Hun smiles back and jogs to the two boys, accepting the camera in Jun-ho’s hand. He slows his walk in front of them. They’re standing in front of a statue of a man. Gi-Hun has absolutely no idea who he is. He looks like some important historical figure who was probably discussed in class but Gi-Hun was too distracted to listen.
He puts the camera to his eye, keeping one closed and the other open. “Okay, ready?” Both Ali and Jun-ho hold up bright smiles and peace signs, Jun-ho secretly sneaking his peace sign behind and above Ali’s head. Gi-Hun fiddles with the button. “Say cheese!”
“Cheese!” they both say.
Gi-Hun clicks, the camera flashes, he looks up from the camera. And he smiles—bittersweetly. This wonderful moment, shared by two people… he almost wishes it was him and Sang-Woo. He just kinda wanted to spend the day with him. Taking pictures together at some esoteric tourist spot only Sang-Woo will understand, sharing food that they bought at whatever vendor stall they find. And talking. Talking about that one time their mothers caught them cutting class and punished them by making them apologize to every single teacher in the school and starting an accountability war between Gi-Hun and Sang-Woo. He loves just relishing the presence and comfort of being in each other’s company. He longs for that warm feeling in his chest that makes him blush whenever he just stares at Sang-Woo’s face and its charm.
Why isn’t Sang-Woo back yet anyway? He said it wouldn’t take a while. Maybe it hasn’t been a while but it just feels like it has. He drops the camera down to his waist along with the smile. He looks in the direction of where the field is but all he can see is green grass. He leans back and forward but no sight of him. How far did he go?
“You okay?” he hears Jun-ho ask, the boy stepping closer to him.
“Oh, yeah. It’s just…” his gaze drifts back to the field.
It’s fine. He’s gonna come back soon and then they will do all the things Gi-Hun wants to do. He must have really enjoyed playing in that field huh?
“It’s just…?” Jun-ho asks, dragging out the words.
“You blinked in the picture,” Gi-Hun responds. “Come on! Let’s take another one.”
Yeah. This is fine. He’ll be back in a couple of minutes.
くコ:彡 くコ:彡 くコ:彡
He didn’t come back in a couple of minutes.
In fact, it’s been three hours and Gi-Hun is sitting on his ass, elbows on his folded knees, looking exhausted. And he is exhausted—because he’s looked at every crevice of this park and he couldn’t find Sang-Woo. And as one can imagine, he’s stressed as fuck. He has looked at every square foot of that field, getting bitten by bugs until his legs gave out. Looked under lifted floors as if Sang-Woo was the type of person to childishly play hide and seek. He’s enlisted his friends to help with the search as well but no luck. Gi-Hun pictures a life without Sang-Woo by his side.
A life without someone to balance his recklessness with their intellectual rationality and charming behavior. A life of putting up missing posters of a boy he once (and probably still) loved. A life without ever getting to hear his voice that, Gi-Hun swears, gets deeper and smoother every day. Or him never being able to see in-person that smile, that hair, that look Sang-Woo gives every hour when he catches a glance of Gi-Hun. That look as if he’s fallen in love again—for the first time.
“Hey, Gi-Hun?” He looks up and sees Jun-ho. “I think we should tell the teacher now. It’s been too long. I think he got lost.”
Gi-Hun shrugs his head and gets up. “You’re right. I…” He tries to walk but his legs are still sore so it looks like he has a limp. Jun-ho supports Gi-Hun, putting Gi-Hun’s arm on his shoulders. “I think he might’ve lost his way or something? We need to find him now.”
They saunter up to the teacher whose back is turned to them and Gi-Hun hesitates to tell him. He’s strict but responsible. “Hey, sir?” Jun-ho says.
The teacher turns around with that smug, you know you’re always gonna disappoint him no matter what you do frown. Gi-Hun wishes he could wipe it off of his face.
“What happened? Did you fall?” the teacher says, noting his weak legs.
Gi-Hun shakes his head and says, “No no no, this isn’t about me. It’s Sang-Woo. It’s just that he’s run off somewhere and it’s been really long and we can’t find him anywhere—”
“How long has he been gone?” The teacher interrupts him.
Gi-Hun stutters. “Th—three hours…”
“And you’re only telling me this now?”
“Well…”
“Where did he go?” The teacher brushes past the two and walks off as if he knew what direction to go.
Jun-ho guides Gi-Hun to follow the teacher and says, “The field sir. We’ve checked everywhere and he isn’t there. I think we should report it.”
To be honest, Gi-Hun isn’t really sure why he didn’t say anything earlier. Maybe it was because he trusted Sang-Woo too much to not get lost. Now that he thinks about it, Gi-Hun has always been more dependent on Sang-Woo than Sang-Woo has been to him. When Sang-Woo would stay up late just to help him with his schoolwork, when someone would try to bully them for being together, it’s always Sang-Woo who stands up for them. It’s not as if Gi-Hun wouldn’t try, but Sang-Woo has always been so capable Gi-Hun trusts him to take care of himself more than anyone else in the world.
A light ache grows in Gi-Hun’s chest. He can’t tell if it’s guilt or worry or both.
Should he have cared more?
No, he already knows what the answer is to that question. He’s Sang-Woo’s boyfriend, of course he should care. A lot.
“Alright,” the teacher says, grabbing his phone out of his pocket to call someone.
But before he can even type the numbers, they hear a voice calling out from a distance. One that Gi-Hun knows all too well. He's heard it so many times it's engraved in his brain.
They turn their heads to the voice and spot Sang-Woo, running towards them.
Gi-Hun's heart rate rises and a plethora of emotions rush over his body. The adrenaline restores power into his legs and he runs. He runs, ignoring everyone in the way and practically phases over them.
Sang-Woo slows down as he gets nearer but Gi-Hun doesn't. He can see Sang-Woo's face getting closer and closer and finally, they crash. Gi-Hun expects to knock Sang-Woo down but he only stumbles, feeling Gi-Hun's hand on his back before deciding to reciprocate the action.
“Where the hell have you been?!”
Sang-Woo flinches. “Sorry, I got lost.”
Gi-Hun's face rises from the embrace. “Yeah, we looked everywhere for you for hours! We were just about to report it.”
They finally let each other go and Sang-Woo straightens up. The teacher and Jun-ho catch up to them.
“What the hell happened to you?!” the teacher asks.
“Yeah, um, I think I might've strayed too far off and lost track of the direction. Sorry, sir!”
The teacher raises a brow. “I'm not the only one you should be apologizing to, you know. Your whole entire friend group looked for you everywhere.”
Hearing the noise, Ali, Ji-Yeong, and Sae-Byeok come into sight and slowly walk up to them.
Sang-Woo looks down, bites his lip, and inhales. “I’m sorry,” he bows his head down, “everyone.”
くコ:彡 くコ:彡 くコ:彡
“Everyone, gather up!” Jun-ho yells out to everyone.
The sun has set and now it’s time for them to have dinner together. Sang-Woo and Gi-Hun walk next to each other, holding hands and rocking their arms in unison. Their saunter stops short when two other pairs of shoes block their way. Sang-Woo sighs in annoyance and Gi-Hun rolls his eyes.
It was Deok-su and Mi-nyeo.
“You two again? Can’t you guys leave us alone for this one field trip?” Gi-Hun pleads. Why can’t they ever go a day without saying some shit about us?
Deok-su steps forward. “Why? Are you two fairies scared?” he says, in an effeminate manner, trying to mock them for being gay. Mi-nyeo laughs beside him and stands smug in her ridiculously tacky jeans.
Sang-Woo takes a rapid deep breath and Gi-Hun can feel Sang-Woo’s hand on him tighten. Sang-Woo clenches his jaw, then—within a second, Sang-Woo lets go of Gi-Hun’s hand, closing his other into a fist and punching Deok-su in the face.
Noise ensues, everybody’s eyes turn to them and Mi-nyeo takes a step back, covering her mouth in shock. Deok-su puts his hands on the cheek Sang-Woo punched him in and he scoffs. He closes that hand and tries to punch Sang-Woo back. He dodges. Deok-su turns his eyes to Gi-Hun and heads his fist Gi-Hun’s way. Gi-Hun freezes, he doesn’t have enough time to process what’s happening. Sang-Woo’s eyes widen and he grabs Gi-Hun’s arm to try and save him from the punch. He barely dodges, still getting hit on the cheekbone by the knuckle of Deok-su’s forefinger. Even that was enough force to throw Gi-Hun’s head back.
“Hey! What the hell is going on over there?!” The teacher is running towards the fight. Gi-Hun’s heart sinks. Fuck. How much trouble will they get in for this?
Then, he feels Sang-Woo tugging his arms. “Come on, let's go!” Sang-Woo says before grabbing Gi-Hun’s wrist and running. Shit. Sang-Woo is running too fast, I can’t keep up with him. Where the hell is he taking me anyway?
Their feet crunch the leaves beneath them. Gi-Hun can hear them crack with the thumping of them running on the ground. The wind blows through their hair and it’s almost a little too strong for their eyes. Gi-Hun catches himself squinting and almost tripping because he didn’t see the pebble in front of him.
“Wait, wait! Slow down!” Gi-Hun says when the crowd has faded from their vision. They both reduce their pace and halt. Gi-Hun drops his hands down to his knees and pants excessively. “Where the hell are we going?!”
“Just… just trust me, okay?” He bends down to face him, “Come on.” Sang-Woo reaches out his hand. Gi-Hun grunts and takes it.
But before Gi-Hun can even fully get up, Sang-Woo starts sprinting again, dragging Gi-Hun from behind him.
When Sang-Woo finally slows down, Gi-Hun’s vision is blurry from sweat and exhaustion. He closes his eyes just as they come to a stop. He puts his hands on his face to wipe sweat.
“Here we are.”
Gi-Hun opens his eyes and has them immediately widen in marvel. His eyes are extra sparkly tonight. Mostly because they are reflecting the star-ridden sky. It’s a wonder; all of it. The moon is out and bright tonight. It illuminates their surroundings. All the trees, the grass on the ground—and the singular bench standing in a spot beside a tall tree.
“W…” The words have trouble escaping from his mouth. “What is this place? How’d you find it?”
Sang-Woo smiles. “Earlier, when I was gone for a long time and got lost, I stumbled upon this place. It didn’t look like it would be cloudy tonight so I thought…” he blushes. “I thought maybe you wanted to spend some time with me here.”
Gi-Hun’s heart starts pounding. Partly because of how nice Sang-Woo looks flushed, but mainly because… even when he was lost, Sang-Woo thought of Gi-Hun.
“Do you wanna…” Gi-Hun gestures toward the bench, “do you wanna sit down?”
Sang-Woo nods, and they both—stiffly—sit down next to each other. Their distance just enough to feel safe.
Silence surrounds the two boyfriends. Crickets cricket and flies fly around them. Gi-Hun cautiously gives a side glance to Sang-Woo. Then back to the starry sky. Should I… should I make the first move?
Gi-Hun rubs his fingers together, contemplating whether to do it or not. I can at least try, right? As I always have. What’s the worst that could happen?
He releases his fingers and lets them inch towards Sang-Woo’s. His eyes slowly shift focus from the stars to their hands, moving closer by the moment. The distance is nigh, making Gi-Hun feel his pulse growing in pace rapidly. And when Gi-Hun’s pinkie finally grazed his lover’s, Sang-Woo’s hand lifted, causing Gi-Hun’s heart to sink. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! He hates it, doesn’t he? He’s avoiding my hand!
But, to the surprise of his overthinking nerves, Sang-Woo didn't do that to avoid him. Evident by Sang-Woo immediately putting down his hands afterward, entangling his fingers with Gi-Hun’s.
His already brisk heartbeat goes even faster.
He can almost see his cheeks blush. Kind of like a mirror to Sang-Woo whose cheeks are starting to redden too.
He catches himself staring at his lover when Sang-Woo looks back at him. And he flinches, then immediately wonders why he did. Maybe it was Sang-Woo’s warm smile at him that made Gi-Hun do so. Or maybe it was the sight of him, hair moving with the wind, skin soft and gleaming beneath the moon. But regardless of what it was, it’s making him fall deeper in love.
But nothing could prepare him for the next three words that fall out of Sang-Woo’s mouth. He has heard it from him before, of course, probably more times than he could count with both hands. But there’s something about tonight. Something about the cold air and the enchanting illumination of the moonlight just makes Sang-Woo’s voice seem warmer, more loving, more… infatuating.
And so, he takes in the words, takes a deep breath, smiles, and says, “I love you too.”
くコ:彡 くコ:彡 くコ:彡
They get back to the camp after about an hour and a half. Forty-five minutes spent savoring each other's presence and the rest is spent trying to get back. They missed dinner, but they could do without it. They thought they were gonna get scolded by the teacher but all they got was “We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
It only took twenty minutes to set up the tent thanks to Sang-Woo’s time and experience in boy scouts. Sang-Woo opens the tent. And they both freeze.
They have to sleep next to each other.
They’ve done it before. Multiple times, actually. During sleepovers. Both their moms agreed that it would be rude to let the other kid sleep on the floor so they slept next to each other.
Except, they haven’t had a sleepover since they got together. Gi-Hun isn’t sure why it’s so much more awkward now. They have gotten used to it. Maybe it was because these past few months their feelings for each other have amplified that now, even just the thought of sleeping next to each other and seeing each other's face so close when they wake up sounds terrifyingly wonderful.
They both wait for the other to move. Eventually, Sang-Woo is the first to break from their frozen state. He stiffly and awkwardly bends down and sits on the bed, then looks up at Gi-Hun.
Gi-Hun soon follows and they sit next to each other.
“I’ll, uh,” Sang-Woo says, getting up on his knees, “I’ll close up the tent.”
“Sure, yeah.” Gi-Hun lays down and rolls to the side, facing the nylon. He hears Sang-Woo zipping up the tent and feels him laying down beside him.
It’s quiet—except for the sound of the crickets and the air. Gi-Hun’s eyes stay open, not feeling a hint of sleepiness. The temperature is cold and he wonders if Sang-Woo is cold as well.
He turns his head over to Sang-Woo but is shocked to see Sang-Woo’s face, also turned to him. They both turned their heads back in unison and Gi-Hun can feel the red in his cheeks emerging.
Then, after an awkward five seconds of silence, Sang-Woo calls out to him. “Hyung?”
Gi-Hun nervously turns his head to meet Sang-Woo’s eyes. “H—hmm?”
“Are you hot?” he asks.
“No, actually, uh, I’m quite cold.”
“Oh. Uhh…” Sang-Woo looks around. “Do you wanna huddle for warmth?”
Gi-Hun flushes even more. “But, we have blankets. Can't we just use that?”
“Oh. Oh uh…” Sang-Woo stutters, embarrassed. “Yeah, uh, sorry about that.”
Gi-Hun leans over. “Why? Are you cold too?”
In truth, Sang-Woo's heart is beating so fast he's actually hot.
“J—just a little. I'll get the blankets.”
Sang-Woo opens their bag and pulls out the fabric. They only packed one since their mothers said it would be enough for both of them. Sang-Woo hands one of the ends to Gi-Hun and they both return to their position, laying down, not facing each other.
As Gi-Hun faces the blue nylon, his mind can’t help but wander to the boy lying next to him. Why would he even offer that? Does he want to cuddle? Nah, Sang-Woo isn’t the type. But does he?
He looks back at him. This time, Sang-Woo is facing away from him. Gi-Hun looks at him up and down.
And the next thing he knows, his right arm is reaching over to cover Sang-Woo’s waist. It’s like his brain didn’t even give a command, his arm just decided to move on its own.
His hand lands on Sang-Woo’s tummy. Gi-Hun feels it pressing down his shirt down to the skin.
Gi-Hun waits for a reaction. Nothing.
Not a single movement. Not a single sound. Is he asleep?
Then, he sees Sang-Woo’s arm move and his head turn. He flinches.
Fuck.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
He leans away, but Sang-Woo’s arms pull him back. In seconds, he is enveloped by Sang-Woo, his chin resting on Gi-Hun’s head. Gi-Hun is pressed to Sang-Woo’s chest. He can feel (and hear) Sang-Woo’s heart beating. It’s rapid. And growing in pace. And so is Gi-Hun’s.
It feels hot now. But Gi-Hun doesn’t mind.
“Hey, uh…” he says, breathily. “Sorry, I probably should’ve asked first.” His words and his breaths land on Sang-Woo’s body.
“Hyung?” Sang-Woo whispers.
“Yeah?”
“Look at me.”
Gi-Hun raises his head. And his eyes meet Sang-Woo’s. They’re unreadable.
Sang-Woo leans closer, not losing eye contact. “Can I kiss you?”
What. “What?!”
Sang-Woo repeats his question, in the same nerveless tone. And as if Gi-Hun’s heart wasn’t beating fast enough before, now it feels like it’s going to explode. Like, as in, he might genuinely go into cardiac arrest right now. This wasn’t a question he expected to hear in such a cool, collected manner from Sang-Woo.
And it’s not as if Gi-Hun doesn’t want to. But will he be good at it? How the hell will this go? His lips are chapped, will that bother Sang-Woo? Is he ready? He wants to, but is ready? Is he? Is he?
Gi-Hun takes a deep breath. “Yeah. Sure.”
Sang-Woo nods and starts leaning closer to Gi-Hun’s face, his eyes staring down at Gi-Hun’s lips.
Oh my God. He’s so close. He’s so fucking close.
Gi-Hun closes his eyes and he feels Sang-Woo’s lips meet his. And after one second, back away.
It was a peck. No tongue, no open mouth. Just both their lips; closed and hitting each other for a brief moment.
Gi-Hun opens his eyes. Is that it?
To his surprise, that was not it. Because Sang-Woo leans back in. This time, Gi-Hun softens up, and his lips are less jammed. He lets Sang-Woo’s top lip be sandwiched between both of his. He feels Sang-Woo’s mouth opening up and consuming his lips. So, Gi-Hun opens his mouth as well and lets himself be consumed.
Lets himself have his sloppy first kiss with this boy he loves.
Chapter 4:
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Before You Go To SNU (Chapter 2)
Read chapter 1:
Relationships: Cho Sang-Woo/Seong Gi-Hun (main), Kang Sae-Byeok/Ji-Yeong (side)
Contents: Fluff, Light Angst, Established Relationship, High School AU, classmates, sangwoo is not a snake, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, one brief homophobic encounter but only for one chapter, sangwoo implies that he wants to have sex but they never actually do it, 17 year olds (pretend they're all the same age), Boys In Love, Slice of Life
Characters: Cho Sang-Woo, Seong Gi-Hun, Ali Abdul, Kang Sae-Byeok, Ji-Yeong, Hwang Jun-ho, Jang Deok-su, Han Min-yeo, Seong Gi-Hun's mother, Cho Sang-Woo's mother
Note: I cross-posted this from AO3 so if you're more comfortable reading there, you can go ahead and do that, this is also a multi-chapter fic. 3/5 chapters are uploaded
Sang-Woo sips his cold soda can, looking at Gi-Hun under the patterned shade. Staring up at the sky while sitting on the grass, his back supported by a white oak tree.
He studies his features from the side. The very ones he fell in love with.
Those eyes, so big and shiny that it warms Sang-Woo’s heart every time he sees them; yet break it every time they tear up.
That nose, so firm and strong it contrasts those hopeful pupils.
And those lips. Those damn lips. How dare they look so soft? How dare they be so… alluring?
His eyes linger a little lower, taking a sip of soda at the adam’s apple and then arriving at his collar. Two buttons freed from entanglement, loosened up to reduce some heat. And his heart rate rises; he can feel his cheeks reddening. He doesn’t know if it’s the collarbone or the slightly sweaty skin but whatever it is, it’s urging him to gulp.
His gaze breaks when Gi-Hun shifts his stare from the sky to Sang-Woo. And he finds himself turning his head away, like a reflex.
In his peripheral, he can make out Gi-Hun’s mouth curving up. It doesn’t go up to his ears, but it gives him a sensation. A sensation that’s warm yet bolts pleasant shivers through his entire body.
“It was worth it, huh?” Gi-Hun says, almost smug but not enough to be annoying.
Sang-Woo nods, his mouth slowly curving up too.
It was worth it. No matter how much trouble they’ll get in for this, he wouldn’t regret it.
SIX HOURS EARLIER…
Sang-Woo feels fingers tapping the side of his knees, each tap a little more aggressive than the last. He looks down to find a hand, a folded piece of paper pressed between two fingers.
Sang-Woo’s eyes turn to Gi-Hun’s face, revealing a ‘hurry’ look.
He takes the note, and ever so discreetly, opens it under his desk.
‘You wanna ditch class during break?’ it reads.
Sang-Woo flits his head up at Gi-Hun, his mouth frowned and his eyebrows slightly tilted inwards with confusion and tenuous disappointment. This isn’t something Gi-Hun would ever say. As much as he struggles with school, he would never cut class or abandon his studies. He would always try.
He takes a pencil and pushes the lead on the note. And under the offer, he writes his response: Let’s talk during lunch.
Neither of them will have to wait long, there is only a short amount of time left before the clock strikes twelve.
He folds the paper once again, but maybe the unexpected question distracted him from being careful because before Gi-Hun can spot the paper, the teacher already has.
“What is that?” the teacher’s voice seems to terminate any dregs of noise that may have been present.
Sang-Woo freezes. Both boys’ hearts sink to their stomachs.
But Sang-Woo hides his hand back, closing it to cover the note.
“Nothing sir.”
“No, no, I saw the paper. Are you trying to pass notes in class? To whom? Give it to me, I wanna see what you wrote.” The teacher’s questions fire rapidly, giving Sang-Woo no time to breathe or explain.
“Well? C’mon! I said I wanna see the note.”
Sang-Woo gets up reluctantly, wringing the note in his palms.
He glances at his lover beside him. His expression is as stiff as his, but Sang-Woo is better at hiding the nervousness.
But before he could fully get up, a voice erupts from behind him.
“It’s mine, sir.” she continues. “I just asked Sang-Woo to pass it for me.”
The couple briskly turns their heads simultaneously.
The voice belongs to Ji-Yeong. A classmate of theirs since middle school.
They’ve been good friends for a while. Mainly because she and her girlfriend Sae-Byeok (who is in another class) are the only other people in school who are in a queer relationship. And so, they became close friends. From time to time, they rely on each other. But Ji-Yeong isn’t the type to just take the bullet like this; unless if it’s for Sae-Byeok or if there’s something in it for her.
“Well Ji-Yeong,” the teacher ambles towards Sang-Woo’s seat. “what could have been so important that you couldn’t wait until after class to say it?”
The man takes the note out of Sang-Woo’s hand, releasing him from his mid-squat position.
The folds get undone, the teacher’s eyes never leaving Ji-Yeong’s with every opening. Yet, even with the intimidating shine on his eyes, she never looks away. She keeps her chin high, standing her ground, fearless.
The paper gets completely unfolded and the teacher reads the writing. And his ego prevents him from noticing the different handwritings, making him read the offer and answer as one: You wanna ditch class during break? Let’s talk during lunch.
His eyes rise from the paper and back to Ji-Yeong as a smug smile forms across his face. He puts his hands on his back, the note on full display, allowing anyone behind him to read the contents. And so, a few whispers and murmurs erupt in the class.
“Well Ji-Yeong, for passing notes in class and trying to ask someone to cut class with you, you’ll be cleaning the schoolyard during lunch break.” he commands firmly.
Mild dismay shines through Ji-Yeong’s eyes but not anywhere else on her face. She knows he’s probably not allowed to do this, but she also knows that the school committee will not do anything even if she complains to them. So, she silently nods and accepts.
The bell rings.
The teacher walks back to the front of the class, crumbles the piece of paper and throws it in the bin. He claps his hands in a vertical motion as if the note had left some dirt in his hands that he needed to get rid of.
“Class dismissed.” he announces simply and walks out the door, followed by the rest of the students except for the three.
Ji-Yeong stays seated in her seat while the other two go up to her.
“I’ll help you clean.” Sang-Woo says.
“No! I started this whole thing so I’ll help!” Gi-Hun counters.
“You can both help.” Ji-Yeong stands up and heads for the door. The two follow her.
But before Ji-Yeong can step out the door, a body blocks her way.
She looks up, even though she doesn’t need to do so to know who it is. From the fragrance and the arms she already knows it is. Sae-Byeok.
She smiles and hugs the girl in front of her, burying her face in the white button-up top.
“Hey.” she murmurs on Sae-Byeok’s uniform.
Sae-Byeok’s arms wrap around her back. “I heard what happened from the girls in your classroom. I’ll clean with you.” She pulls Ji-Yeong away and turns her eyes to Gi-Hun and Sang-Woo.
“You two better help out as well.”
くコ:彡 くコ:彡 くコ:彡
Gi-Hun coughs at the dust flying at his face caused by the sudden gust of wind.
“You okay?” asks Sang-Woo, gently patting his back.
“Yeah.” Gi-Hun says, wiping his mouth.
There was really not much to clean. Just a few litters on the ground and even those were scarce.
But they had been sentenced to this. Or rather, Ji-Yeong had been sentenced to this and it would’ve been shameless for them to not lend a hand.
They have been sweeping the same spot for thirty minutes now. (They were only allowed to eat for the first fifteen minutes of the break)
“Hey…” Gi-Hun goes up to Ji-Yeong. “I’ve been meaning to ask… why did you do it? Why did you cover for us?”
Ji-Yeong pulls a chuckle. “I’m just paying you two back.” she takes a break from sweeping and sits on the ground. “Remember just a week ago? When some assholes tried to harass me and Sae-Byeok?”
Of course they remember. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences they have ever had in their life.
Sang-Woo and Gi-Hun were walking together after school when they stumbled across Ji-Yeong and Sae-Byeok.
Beating up a group of men.
There were probably about twelve boys that were there. Five were grimacing on the ground, holding different parts of their bodies. Their faces were swollen and were covered with bruises, cuts, and blood.
Ji-Yeong and Sae-Byeok had some damage too, but not nearly as much as those five men.
Ji-Yeong was kicking and Sae-Byeok was punching. But each movement is slightly slower and weaker than the last.
The two boys didn’t know what was happening exactly. But most likely, the group of men were the ones in the wrong—so they helped out.
Sang-Woo had a nice physique so he had an easier time than Gi-Hun (who he insisted should just sit back and not get involved in the chaos, but that was too much to ask from Gi-Hun. He couldn’t just step aside.), but even though Gi-Hun had vulnerable-looking eyes, he can fight.
He landed a few good punches. Some punches landed on him.
To which Sang-Woo responded by knocking down the attacker with one direct hit.
In the end, each man was on the ground, groaning in pain.
It turns out they were just minding their own business when the sausage-fest of a squad started harassing them for no reason. Calling them homophobic and sexist slurs, asking them ‘if you’ve never tried dick how do you know you don’t like them? C’mon, we’ll change your minds’
They never had to worry about those boys telling on them. Their pride is too high to let anyone know they were beaten up by queers.
“I didn’t like feeling indebted to anyone. So with this, we’re even. Right?” she holds out her hand, offering a shake.
Gi-Hun takes her hand with a smile as Sae-Byeok approaches the two of them.
“Why the hell were you trying to cut class anyway?” she asked.
Sang-Woo has had the same question floating around his brain the whole lunch break.
“Well,” Gi-Hun looks over at Sang-Woo. He taps his hand, still holding on to the broom.
It seemed like Ji-Yeong noticed the air because she offers “You guys wanna take a little break? No one in our class is around and the yard is spotless so I don’t think anyone will notice.”
Everyone nodded and followed Ji-Yeong to the benches. Each one was only long enough to fit three people so they took two, Sae-Byeok and Jiyeong took one, and the boys took the other.
After letting their muscles rest in silence for a bit, Sang-Woo turns his head to Gi-Hun. “So,” the whole group shifts their attention to him. “do you wanna answer the question?”
Gi-Hun exhales.
“After what happened yesterday, I still felt a little bad about what you said. That you focused on your studies and sacrificed some of your fun because of me. So I wanted to give you a bit of a break from school. To help you let loose a little bit.” Gi-Hun smiles, bittersweetly.
Sang-Woo’s sight shows a flicker of iridescence. Of course this would be the reason. It's not as if Gi-Hun would just skip school just because he wants to. But Sang-Woo can't just risk getting the two of them in trouble for this. What would they even do? Where would they even go?
“Ok, so we'll cut class, and then what?” he asks, not meaning to sound so aggressive.
“Well, I've been thinking about this since last night. And I thought we could just have a little walk-date for the rest of the day. Eat a little, maybe, hang out at the bank beside the river?”
The river.
It was their favorite playing spot when they were children. Even as they grew older they would always meet there and hang out. Although recently, those sessions have been less frequent. He kinda misses it.
“We'll help you get out.” Ji-Yeong says. “Me and Sae-Byeok has cut class a few times before we know the ins and outs of the school. The best ways to sneak out.”
Sang-Woo looks at Sae-Byeok who is just lightly nodding at Ji-Yeong's statement.
“But I haven't even agree-”
“Sang-Woo.” Gi-Hun interrupts, softly. "I won't force you if you don't want to but I think it could be really fun. Just this once, hm?"
And somehow Gi-Hun's persuading smile was enough to convince him.
“Alright.”
くコ:彡 くコ:彡 くコ:彡
The four crouches down a wall, careful not to get seen by a teacher.
“Maybe this was a bad idea after all.” Sang-Woo whispers.
“Shhh! You've gone this far you can't turn back now! Now be quiet! He might hear us.” Ji-Yeong responds, even quieter.
The teacher looks around, seemingly swearing he saw something. Then, his footsteps are audible again. Slowly losing volume until finally— a slam of a door.
The bell rang a minute ago. It won't be long until people realize they're gone. Thankfully though, the back gate, which for some reason always stays open, was only five more steps away.
Five steps that they took and they were out.
“You two have fun!”Ji-Yeong says.
“Wait, you guys aren't coming along?” Gi-Hun asks.
“No, you said you wanted to go on a date with him. We'll let you two go alone.”
Gi-Hun smiles and takes Sang-Woo's hand. "Thank you." he says to the girls.
They nodded and Gi-Hun started running away from the school, dragging Sang-Woo along with him.
They ran through pavements and uphill slopes. There weren’t that many people around so it was just the two of them and the battle between the heat of the sun and the cold of the wind, passing through them as they dashed—until they were too tired to move their feet anymore.
“This should be far enough.” Gi-Hun says, through his breaths.
They put their hands down to their knees and pant. Sang-Woo looks up to see where they are.
A red vending machine beside them, a street of houses and establishments, and at the front, a bench under a tree beside a road. Next to that bench is another road, sandwiched between tall grass, that leads to the river.
“You want anything?” he can hear Gi-Hun asking, his finger pointed to the red vending machine.
“Just a sprite. I’ll buy it. What do you want?” Sang-Woo responds, taking out his wallet as he walks to the vending machine.
“A coke. Thank you.”
Sang-Woo inserts the bills into the slot, and pushes the buttons, putting one of his hands on the product dispenser. He watches as the two cans of soda fall to his reach.
He walks back to Gi-Hun and hands him the cola, Gi-Hun muttering thanks as he takes it. Gi-Hun turns his eyes at the road in front of them.
“You wanna sit on that bench and rest for a little bit?”
Sang-Woo agrees and they walk towards the seat, taking a look if there are any vehicles before crossing over and sitting on the bench.
The area was quiet like it usually is, but today it seems quieter. There was a lack of vehicles crossing the road. Normally, there would be one that passes every ten to twenty seconds but it’s less frequent today. The air was chilly and it was blowing through them non-stop, drying their sweat from the earlier sprint.
Sang-Woo hears a crack beside him and turns his head. Gi-Hun opened his can. He brings it to his mouth, taking a pretty big sip. Sang-Woo watches his throat as he swallows the liquid. He catches himself doing this and snaps out of it.
“Aren’t you gonna drink yours?” Gi-Hun asks, taking another sip from his can.
“Later. I’m not that thirsty right now.”
“After all that running? Damn you have stamina.”
They both chuckle and feel the breeze blow through them. Each gust lowers their temperature more and more. Gi-Hun closes his eyes and savors the wind, while Sang-Woo savors the sight of Gi-Hun in the wind.
After a few more minutes of the peaceful silence and the occasional motorbikes that pass through them, Gi-Hun gets up. “Well, you ready to go?”
Sang-Woo nods, takes his sprite, and follows Gi-Hun through the grass-sandwiched road.
They stride through the concrete, occasionally putting their hands in the grass, moving with the wind.
The distance from the bench to the river is about a kilometer, including the forest that you have to go through, separated by a path.
After a cozy on the head, strenuous on the feet eleven-minute walk, they finally reached it. The river.
It was as beautiful as Sang-Woo remembers. The gradient of cyan and aquamarine in the water, with rippled stripes of white flowing to the right. The river was more peaceful and had a slower flow today. The sound of the water was white noise.
Gi-Hun steps forward, half a meter away from the river. “Well!” he says, putting his hands on his hips. “It never disappoints.”
It’s true. It never does disappoint. The air was colder here, but the sun was out most of the time. And the water can vary from cold to freezing, which they liked as kids but not anymore. Back when they were children and playing here, sometimes they would soak themselves in the river and later get immensely scolded by their mothers for risking a cold and risking one of them drowning. It never stopped them from doing it, however. What did stop them though was them growing up and their care for each other growing as well. Enough to not put the other in danger, even if they have learned to swim now and their immune system has improved.
Gi-Hun sits on the ground, the way he always does, butt first then both his hands, paired with the raising of his head and closing of his eyes.
Sang-Woo follows his actions, leaning on a tree. He turns his attention to the soda can. It’s still cold but not cold enough to be as refreshing as he would want it to be. He opens the can and takes a sip.
“It was worth it, huh?” Gi-Hun asks.
Sang-Woo nods. “Maybe you'll change your mind once your mom pulls out her stick and spanks you.”
Gi-Hun frowns, but the type of frown that equates to a chuckle. “Your mom will probably beat you up too.”
“Well, that's why we're a couple.”
They laugh, even if the joke wasn’t funny.
“What would you do if you had forty-five and a half billion won?” Gi-Hun asks, looking at Sang-Woo.
“What?”
He repeats his question.
“Why are you asking that? And why forty-five and a half billion won?” Sang-Woo says, with a confused smile.
“I don’t know, I just said whatever number came to my head. And I thought it’d be interesting to know.”
Sang-Woo looks up, feigning deep thought. Gi-Hun probably just wanted to make conversation and needed a topic to talk about.
“Hmm…” Sang-Woo opens his eyes. “I’d buy a nice house for my mom and a fancy penthouse for the both of us. I’d buy a car and then… spoil you with the rest.”
Gi-Hun turns red, turning away to hide the uncontrollable curving of his lips. “But I want to spoil you.”
Sang-Woo scoffs, playfully. “As if you’d ever be rich enough to do that.”
“Hey! That’s mean!” Gi-Hun says, half words, half-laugh.
He gets up, and picks a few pebbles off the ground. “Let’s skip stones.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, right now!” He drops the pebbles in front of Sang-Woo. “Whoever skips the farthest, gets to order the other to do something.”
Sang-Woo’s heart warms up. He’s reminded of the honeycomb game he made them play to confess his love.
“I’ll go first, then.” Gi-Hun picks up a stone and walks towards the river. With one swift motion, he throws the pebble onto the water.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
Six times, the pebble bounced and skipped, before sinking to the water, just shy of the halfway mark of the river.
Gi-Hun smiles at Sang-Woo, smug. “Well, your turn now.”
Sang-Woo gets up, claps his hands, and rubs any dirt off his pants. With his right hand, he takes a pebble from the ones in front of him. He puts his left hand on his right shoulder, massaging it a little. Then-- he swings his arm around and lets go.
The pebble doesn’t skip. Instead, it flings to just a few feet away from the other side of the river.
Gi-Hun grins. “I won!”
“No, you didn’t.” Sang-Woo counters, almost immediately. A devilish smile growing on his face.
“What?”
“You didn’t win. I did.”
Gi-Hun furrows his brows.
“You said whoever gets it the farthest wins, right? Not the one who gets the most skips?”
“No I didn’t.”
“Yes you did.”
Gi-Hun frowns. “Even if I did, which I didn’t, you would be cheating. So, I’d still win.”
“How is that cheating? You never said I couldn’t do that!” Sang-Woo smiles. “Now… what to tell you to do?”
Gi-Hun’s mouth was about to open in rebuttal when–
“Gi-Hun? Sang-Woo?”
They turn to face the voice. Followed by their hearts sinking.
It was their mothers.
Chapter 3:
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Before You Go To SNU (Chapter 1)
Relationships: Cho Sang-Woo/Seong Gi-Hun (main), Kang Sae-Byeok/Ji-Yeong (side)
Contents: Fluff, Light Angst, Established Relationship, High School AU, classmates, sangwoo is not a snake, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, one brief homophobic encounter but only for one chapter, sangwoo implies that he wants to have sex but they never actually do it, 17 year olds (pretend they're all the same age), Boys In Love, Slice of Life
Characters: Cho Sang-Woo, Seong Gi-Hun, Ali Abdul, Kang Sae-Byeok, Ji-Yeong, Hwang Jun-ho, Jang Deok-su, Han Min-yeo, Seong Gi-Hun's mother, Cho Sang-Woo's mother
Note: I cross-posted this from AO3 so if you're more comfortable reading there, you can go ahead and do that, this is also a multi-chapter fic. 3/5 chapters are uploaded
The leaves of the trees extending to the third-floor windows of the school have started to change color. The breeze has gotten colder as it passes through Sang-Woo and Gi-Hun entering the front gates.
“Sang-Woo, fall is starting soon!” Gi-Hun exclaims, staring up joyfully at the faded hint of yellow on the leaves.
“Yeah. It is, isn’t it? Hyung.”
Sang-woo replies in a bit of an exhausted tone, causing Gi-Hun to turn his head at him.
Sang-Woo’s forehead had beads of sweat despite the colder temperature. His eyes were droopy if a bit tired. Sang-Woo’s actions are never normally this lethargic no matter how early it is in the morning.
“Hey, Sang-Woo? Are you okay? You don’t look too well.”
The other boy just pulled a slight smile and a nod. “Mhm.”
He’s not convinced. There’s definitely something wrong. Could he be sick? It seems like it.
Gi-Hun simultaneously put both his hands up, placing one on his forehead and the other on Sang-Woo’s. He felt an immense difference in heat. Sang-Woo had a fever.
He swiftly puts his hand back down and with a concerned tone blurts out “You’re burning up! Why did you come to school today?! Let’s go, I’ll take you back home!”
Gi-Hun grabbed his hand and tried to walk the other way to exit the school, but Sang-Woo didn’t move from his spot, making Gi-Hun stop in his tracks two steps in as he looked back at Sang-Woo.
“No, hyung. You’ll be late for your classes. I can handle myself. Don’t worry.” the ill boy expressed smiling. But Gi-hun’s worry just grew even deeper. He would typically speak in a louder tone but it seems that he doesn’t even have the energy to do so right now.
“But-”
“Really, it’s alright.” Sang-Woo insists.
Gi-Hun let go, hesitantly. “But, you have to tell me when you start feeling sick, alright?!”
“I will.”
くコ:彡 くコ:彡 くコ:彡
Gi-Hun repeatedly taps his pen on his notebook in concern. He’s sweating profusely but not as much as the boy sitting next to him.
Beside Gi-Hun sits Sang-Woo, trying to concentrate on the board while his head slightly rocks back and forth and his eyes slowly blinks.
He fans himself with his notebook to try and cool himself down. His layered uniform isn't helping with the heat.
The teacher continues on with the lecture as Gi-Hun starts heating up himself. His heart is beating too fast from the concern and restlessness. He can't take seeing Sang-Woo in this much discomfort. What if it's something serious? What if it's some sort of disease that needs to be treated early or else it could be fatal? What if Sang-Woo is so sick that he can't concentrate on the class so he fails school and he becomes a failure in life and Gi-Hun is at fault for not persuading him enough to go home?
There's no way he could let that happen to his lover. He can't make him go home now but the nurse's office is still there. He could convince him to go there. The earlier, the better!
"Psst, Sang-Woo!" Gi-Hun whispers. "I think you should really go to the nurse's offi-"
"No!" Sang-Woo interrupts, loud enough for the whole room to hear.
The whole class quiets down as the teacher looks at the two. "What the hell is going on over there?! Stop chatting and focus on the lesson!"
The pair looked down at their desk as a few giggles from their classmates echoed in the classroom.
Gi-Hun's grip on his pen gets tighter while his simmering anxiety starts to boil.
How is he supposed to concentrate when his boyfriend is suffering right next to him? His head spins and he wonders if Sang-Woo's head is also whirling making him feel nauseated.
くコ:彡 くコ:彡 くコ:彡
"You're not sure if you wanna go on the field trip?" Sang-Woo asks, biting his rolled omelet.
The pair chat sitting in front of each other at a table that has empty seats except theirs.
“Yeah. I think I’ll just stay at home and rest.” the boy replies, trying to hint at Sang-Woo to go rest himself.
But of course, it doesn’t work. Sang-Woo has always been like this. Always persistent in school and studying. He even prioritizes it over himself. It's second on his priority list just right behind Gi-Hun.
Gi-Hun has never been really sure why but it has never crossed his mind to question it either. For him, it's just the way Sang-Woo is and he never thought of it as something unusual.
Even before they started dating, Sang-Woo had been trying his best on tests and recitations. He would give his best effort on projects and sometimes help Gi-Hun with his too. He would even tutor him sometimes for exams, though it has always been ineffective with the highest score Gi-Hun has gotten being a 79.
One time, they went for a stroll together while eating street foods for a little date. But halfway through, Sang-Woo took out his bag and started doing his homework.
Gi-Hun, a little annoyed, grabbed his notebook and raised it up. As if Sang-Woo wasn’t taller and more agile than him and could easily take it back.
Sang-Woo reached for the pad but Gi-Hun leaned back causing the taller boy to push Gi-Hun and make both of them trip and fall.
The notebook slipped right out of Gi-Hun’s hand and went straight into the nearby uncovered septic tank.
All of Sang-Woo’s notes that he needed for studying and his activities were all ruined. Not to mention all the trouble they had to go through to try and get the notebook out of the tank.
Sang-Woo gave him the silent treatment for 2 weeks after that while Gi-Hun just kept apologizing and giving him small gifts to try and make up for it.
“But don’t you think going on the field trip would be more fun than just laying in bed all day?” Sang-Woo asks. “Besides, I would be all alone there if you don’t come.”
“No, you wouldn’t! You can have Ali be your partner instead of m--”
Sang-Woo was about to take another bite when he stopped and grimaced.
Gi-Hun immediately gets up and goes to the other side of the table to check on Sang-Woo. “Are you okay?!” he asks, loud enough for them to be the center of attention in the whole cafeteria. “This won’t work! We really need to get you to the infirmary right now!”
“I told you, I don’t want to--” Before he could finish his sentence, his vision gets blurry as he loses all strength and falls to the ground, dropping his chopsticks and half-eaten gyeran mari with him.
Gi-Hun’s eyes widened in horror seeing his lover on the ground, unconscious. The whole student body in the cafeteria also stares at Sang-Woo with surprised murmuring.
He immediately kneels down and turns Sang-Woo’s body, gently slapping his face to try and wake him up. “Sang-Woo! Sang-Woo!” Gi-Hun cries out.
But no luck. He’s completely passed out.
Without hesitating, Gi-Hun picks up the sick boy bridal style and begins running to the door.
The whole crowd watches as he sprints, panic visible on his face.
He would normally never have been able to carry Sang-Woo and run this easily. But his physical strength is no match for his concern and love for Sang-Woo.
The boy ran like he had never ran before, being a bit more careful on the stairs trying not to drop Sang-Woo.
Once he finally reaches the infirmary, he puts down Sang-Woo while still supporting him with one arm and opens the door.
“Help! This boy fainted and--” he stops. There was no one there.
He notices a paper on the door. It was a note that said: THE NURSE IS ON LUNCH BREAK. SHE WILL BE BACK AT 1:00 PM
...Shit.
Gi-Hun sighs in annoyance but quickly picks up Sang-Woo with both hands again and heads inside.
The room had a pleasant and warm atmosphere and was as big as a classroom. The pastel pink walls with white stripes on the top and bottom held a large window peeking out on the outside campus. The floor was a melon color glossy enough to make it look slippery. There were three beds with pulled-back curtains in between.
Gi-Hun heads to the bed closest to the window and lays Sang-Woo down.
“Damn it.” he mumbles, looking down at Sang-Woo’s body lying motionless, pale and still showered with sweat.
“Hyung?” he hears.
He immediately kneels down. “Sang-Woo?!”
No response.
“Hyung.” he hears again.
That wasn’t Sang-Woo’s voice!
He looks up and sees—Ali.
Ali is a foreign exchange student. He’s been close friends with the couple since he got here. But especially Sang-Woo. Sometimes he gets bullied for being Pakistani but Gi-Hun and Sang-Woo always come to the rescue.
“What happened to Sang-Woo, hyung?!” Ali gets closer, worried. “I heard about what happened in the cafeteria. Is he okay?!”
“I don’t know! He’s had a fever since this morning!” Gi-Hun takes a small towel out of his pocket. “Hey, Ali, can you soak this towel in the bathroom? I’m gonna put it on Sang-Woo’s forehead.”
“Yes, hyung!” Ali takes the towel from Gi-Hun and he runs off to do his task.
Gi-Hun centers his gaze back at Sang-Woo, bearing a fretful expression.
He decides to look out the window for a bit, realizing there’s not much he could do. The number of students outside the campus decreases as the clock strikes closer to one P.M. The vendor outside the gates makes him remember the moment they officially became lovers. It was just a month after the new school year started and class had just ended. They were walking out the gates together like they usually would when Sang-Woo looked at the food cart and the old lady they were buying dalgona candies from ever since they were still a kid playing squid games in the neighborhood playground. “You want one?” Sang-Woo offers.
“Hm? Oh, no, I’m not really craving sweet things right now.”
Sang-Woo gulps. “Let’s have a competition.”
“Honeycombs? Why?”
“If you win, you can give me any order and I will follow it. If I win, I get to ask you a question.”
“Well, why don’t you just ask me the question now? I don’t think you need to go through all this trouble to ask me—” Gi-Hun stops when he sees how anxious and restless Sang-Woo is. He can’t stop sweating, he’s fidgeting, it’s like you can almost hear his heartbeat too. Is he trying to pull a prank? No. Sang-Woo isn’t the type of person to do that. “Alright.” It’s a strange request and he doesn’t know what he’s up to but it’s probably better to just let him before he has a heart attack.
The two approached the lady and bought two. Sang-Woo chose a heart shape and Gi-Hun got an umbrella. He doesn’t really want to make Sang-Woo do anything. He’d rather just hear the question.
A few minutes pass when Gi-Hun hears a crack beside him. He turns his head to see Sang-Woo with a distraught expression holding a can of the heart-shaped dalgona candy, cracked right in the middle.
“Shit.” He hears Sang-Woo mutter which catches him a bit off-guard as Sang-Woo rarely curses.
The heartbroken boy looks up to Gi-Hun with visible disappointment on his face. He looks like he’s about to cry. “Well, hyung, you win. What do you want me to do?” He forces a smile.
Gi-Hun eases his arched back. “Well, my order is…” he cocks his head. “...for you to tell me what your question is.”
Sang-Woo’s eyes widened. His lips purse as he contemplates.
“Well? What is it?”
The boy hesitates. “Can I be your boyfriend?”
“Gi-Hun.” He snaps back to reality.
Gi-Hun turns around to see—Ali, holding a wet towel in his hand, and beside him, the nurse.
“Hyung.” Ali walks towards Gi-Hun. “I ran into her while heading back here so I thought to bring her along.”
The nurse approaches the trio. “You two should head back to your classes now. Look at what time it is.” She points at the clock. 12:56 P.M. “You’re gonna be late for your afternoon classes. I’ll take care of him, don’t worry.”
Gi-Hun gave the unconscious body a pensive look before exiting the room, Ali’s comforting arms around his shoulder.
くコ:彡 くコ:彡 くコ:彡
Gi-Hun taps his feet at small but rapid heights. His eyes fixated on the wall clock above the teacher’s head. The teacher’s words go in one ear and out the other. There are only two minutes left before school ends at four. Why hasn’t he gone back yet? Has he still not woken up? It’s been 3 hours already though! Did something bad happen? Maybe he was going back to the classroom but then he fainted again and is laying in some hallway passed out.
His train of thoughts are interrupted by the loud bell that can be heard throughout the whole school. “Alright, class. Class dismissed.” the teacher announced.
Gi-Hun takes his backpack and bolts out the door, completely ignoring his classmates yelling at him that he’s one of the cleaners today.
He sprints through the hallway dodging other students in the way like he was playing some video game in real life, almost slipping in the very staircase that he tried so hard not to trip in earlier.
Meanwhile, Sang-Woo opens his eyes to the white concrete ceiling of the infirmary. He gets up slightly disoriented, holding his head. The pain and discomfort from before have weakened. He looks out the window to an orange-tinted campus, with an increasing number of students rushing out. What time was it? He looks at the clock on the wall. 3:58 P.M.
“Awake now?” a voice asks from beside him. He turns his head to see the nurse with a cup of water.
“Who…”—he looks around the room— “How did I get here ma’am?”
“Your friend brought you here. The one with the puppy dog eyes.”
“Gi-Hun.”
“Yes! Him! That was the name your other friend mentioned.”
“My other friend?”
“The foreign exchange student. I think his name is Ali.”
“I see.” Sang-Woo looks down, trying to hide his smile.
“He’s a good friend, you know.” The nurse pulls back the curtains. “I heard he carried you here bridal style and ran as fast as he could. I think he was even willing to miss his afternoon classes to take care of you if he needed to.” She offers him the cup of water.
Sang-Woo accepts, contemplating if he should tell her. “Oh… he’s actually my boyfriend.”
She pauses.
“Even better!” she exclaims. “Don’t let him go, okay? He’s gonna make a fine life partner.”
“Yeah, I think so too.” he agrees, hints of pink appearing on his cheekbones.
“Well, school’s almost over. Drink that and go home once you’re ready.”
Sang-Woo nods and chugs the cup while the nurse walks back to her desk.
He sits in thought for a short moment before getting up to leave.
He was gonna open the door when it opened for him. On the other side was Gi-Hun, his worried expression quickly getting replaced with relief once he sees Sang-Woo.
“Hyung.” was the only word Sang-Woo could get out before Gi-Hun hugs him, so hard almost knocking him to the ground.
“Oh, thank God.” he could hear Gi-Hun say through his exhausted breaths. “Are you okay?”
Sang-Woo puts his arms on Gi-Hun’s back. “Hyung, I’m alright.” he pulls away from the hug and steps out of the room. He turns around to close the door to see the nurse, staring at them with a sweet smile on her face. This warms Sang-Woo’s heart a bit as the door slides shut completely.
He walks over to the window, Gi-Hun following behind him. “Thank you. Hyung,” he says with a soft tone and a warm smile.
Gi-Hun smiles, though his eyebrows are curved down. “Sang-Woo, can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
Gi-Hun steps closer. “Why… do you work so hard with school? I mean, if you’re willing to sacrifice your health for it, surely you must have a good reason.”
Sang-Woo looks at the tangerine sky above him. “Do you remember that time in middle school when we were talking about what we wanted our future spouses to be like?” Gi-Hun doesn’t respond. This seems like a rhetorical question. “I told you I just wanted someone who had bright eyes and a bright smile who cared much for their loved ones. I even said I wanted someone who didn’t drink regular milk! I didn’t know how dense you were to not figure that one out.” he laughs.
Gi-Hun chuckles with him. Looking back at it, Sang-Woo did leave a few hints about his feelings for him, but somehow, Gi-Hun missed them all.
Sang-Woo continues “And then you told me what type of person you wanted to marry. You said you wanted someone who got into a prestigious university and has a job that makes good money. You said you wanted someone smart and hardworking.” Sang-Woo puts his head down as Gi-Hun raises his, realizing the situation. “So… I decided to become that person. I needed good grades if I wanted to go to a reputable university so I had to study hard. So I can become the type of person you want to live your life with.”
A pang of guilt strikes Gi-Hun. Who knew that a statement he made passively as a 13-year-old would affect someone’s life this much? Who knew that Sang-Woo’s feelings were strong enough for him to go to such measure? Because of that one conversation, Sang-Woo probably forced himself to work harder. Just to please Gi-Hun.
He moves closer to the reminiscing boy. “Sang-Woo… I’m so sorr-”
“No, don’t apologize! I didn’t tell you that to guilt-trip you or anything! I actually am pretty grateful for it. Without that, I wouldn’t be as hardworking as I am now. My mom is also much happier with me getting high grades. And… I love that you’re the motivation for all of this.” he fidgets with his fingers before he feels Gi-Hun’s hand on top of his.
Their ears blush with the cold breeze bringing in a vibrant orange leaf on top of their interlocked limbs. Fall has started.
Chapter 2:
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