boyfriend for rent • kim yohan

008

The next few days, Jiwoo noticed the way Yohan was speaking less. His replies were more curt, but she simply pegged it as stress, especially with finals within exactly a month and a week away. She wasn't one who would study until her exams are a week or two away, but she didn't know about Yohan. The boy seemed pretty studious.

Even so, she's going to miss him. There was only a week left in their boyfriend contract, and the fact that he was studying for finals made her feel even guiltier because he wasn't even going to be there for the exams. Jiwoo heaved out a sigh. She always hated goodbyes.

"We're going to study at your house, by the way." Yuvin casually pointed out on their way home together.

"We?" The girl asked. "Oh no, I'm not studying-"

"Not you, idiot." He sighed. "We as in Yohan and I."

"Ooh." His best friend wiggled her eyebrows at the two guys. "Study date?"

Yuvin smacked the back of her head and she responded with a swift kick to the back of his knees, making the boy stumble forward with a scream.

"Join us." Yohan said from his place next to Jiwoo as the two watched Yuvin struggle to stand back up.

"Huh?"

"Well, I know exams are still far away for y-" he stopped himself from speaking more than necessary. "I like your presence."

"Er... sure." She agreed and decided not to voice the change in his behavior, no matter how disturbing she found it. Besides, her life practically revolved around the two boys in front of her. Without them, she had nothing better to do, and company was better than none.

———
Being the good host that she was, or at least tried to be, Jiwoo made the three of them tea. Putting them in a tray that god knows how long was kept in the cupboard, she brought it to the glass table in the living room, where the other two were sitting on the white couch.

Yuvin gulped down the hot tea, before making a face. He checked the teabags, gave a sigh, and threw them onto the table.

"This is expired!" He exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the host.

"Or is it?" Jiwoo replied calmly, giving it away that she was already aware of the fact.

"'Or is it?' Are you serious?" Yuvin mocked what the girl had said. He thrusted the teabag into her face. "I'm sure 2012 isn't exactly the present."

Beside the two bickering best friends, Yohan gingerly and soundlessly placed down the tea back onto the table, thanking all the gods up there he hadn't taken his sip yet.

"...I hate you." Yuvin hissed.

"I would say I love you too, but I would be lying" Jiwoo snorted at her lame comeback. "Let's start with Statistics, shall we?" She said, rummaging through her bag for her textbook.

"Jiwoo." She looked up at Yohan's voice, watching as his eyes filled with pity. "We don't have statistics class."

———
Dinner time came and Yuvin excused himself to go home. His mom would have his head if he wasn't home by 7pm. So, Jiwoo went to set the table while Yohan finished up his last dishes.

When he brought the plates to the dining table, she noticed how his fingers were freshly bandanged, and there were a few oil burns on his arms. Jiwoo immediately frowned. Yohan had always been meticulous and great at cooking, and he had never had cuts and burns before. So, something must've been bothering him for the boy to be injured while cooking.

"Are you okay?"

The boy looked up in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Jiwoo wanted to continue, but stopped herself. "Nothing." She mumbled, grabbing him a cup of cold water.

Despite what she said, she couldn't hold it back anymore when the usual chatter and random jokes exchanged across the dining table had completely disappeared. It felt weird to have this silence back as if Yohan was never here in the first place.

She watched as the boy took his last bite and before he could stand up to keep the dishes, the girl reached out to grab his wrist and pulled him back into his seat.

"Yohan, we have to talk."

———
A/N:
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