Love for love's sake [ENG TRANS]

Chapter 34

[Cha Yeowoon's POV]

Cha Yeowoon grumbled as Tae Myeongha playfully ruffled his hair. Despite having his hair ruffled and his head pushed down, he only resisted verbally. He didn't mind it.

"You're keen, Cha Yeowoon."

"What...I'll treat them well when I have someone I like."

"I think so."

"I'll treat them really well."

"Yeah. Make sure you do."

Anyhow, it seemed Tae Myeongha wasn't taking this seriously. The nonchalant face was annoying. And the inviting lips. The plump lower lip that formed a pretty curve, and the tongue, whether out of habit or not, that would stick out to moisten his lips. Cha Yeowoon wondered what it would feel like to kiss Tae Myeongha. He was tempted to go ask Tak Junho.

"But what if the person you like doesn't like you back?" Cha Yeowoon's lips moved on their own. He thought to himself while hearing what he had just said. Yeah, what then?

"If possible, don't like people like that." Tae Myeongha's response was more serious than Cha Yeowoon expected.

His face had the color of sadness that he knew well. Did Tae Myeongha know? That he seemed very lonely sometimes. Regardless of the solid flesh or distinct features, at times like that, he seemed like someone who would soon disappear. Fragile and beautiful.

"But it's not always up to me."

"That's true."

Tae Myeongha smiled with a hint of irony. Cha Yeowoon quickly averted his gaze and returned to his workbook. As the heat rushed to his face, moisture formed in his eyes. The letters in the workbook kept blurring, prompting him to rub his eyes. He couldn't concentrate at all. Even as he tried to listen to the problems Tae Myeongha was explaining, his gaze kept drifting back to his lips.

"You ran well today, so let's take a day off from studying?"

In front of Cha Yeowoon, who had barely reached half of his goal, Tae Myeongha remarked that there were days like that. Cha Yeowoon couldn't concentrate even as Tae Myeongha went home. He had thought he would scold him, but he was surprisingly kind. His sunbae was really strange.

After exchanging goodbyes, he returned home feeling exhausted. When he sat down again and opened his workbook, the content seemed somewhat clearer than before. He stood up after scribbling the reaction formula next to the description of ammonia synthesis. Different thoughts had come to him with each line. For example, Tae Myeongha's ideal type.

"Cute, diligent, what else?"

Cute. Let's move on.

Diligent. It seemed like he had that to some extent. As a student athlete, it was difficult to be lazy.

Kind. Difficult. Still, it was an area that could be worked on with effort.

His smile. He found a hand mirror in his drawer. It was a plastic hand mirror with a broken corner that had belonged to his grandmother. Covering the broken part with his palm, he lifted the corners of his lips. The muscles around his mouth, straining as he forced a smile, trembled slightly. What was he doing? He put the mirror down again and stored it. He sighed deeply.

"Ah."

His fingertip stung, and when he looked, there was a small drop of blood on his index finger. Instinctively, he put his bleeding finger in his mouth and pressed the wound with his tongue. It stung. He closed his eyes tightly. It hurt.

***

[Tae Myeongha's POV]

"You got hit?"

"I got hit once. Just once."