Chapter 38: Why the Hell
Ever since entering high school, Ha Dohoon rarely came home.
Sure, part of it was because there was nothing to do at home besides gaming—but the biggest reason was Ha Giyeon. Since Giyeon, who was now in middle school, had started spending more time alone at home, he clung even more than before, which led Dohoon to start staying out more often.
Even when Giyeon showed signs of being hurt by it, Dohoon ignored him.
Anyway, once Giyeon entered the same high school as him, he'd start clinging again just like before.
But who would have imagined? That Ha Giyeon would be the one who came home even less than him. That he, Ha Dohoon, would end up the one waiting for him. At first, pride wounded, he wandered around aimlessly too.
But nothing was fun. No matter what he did, he kept thinking of Giyeon, and it was driving him insane. He wondered if Giyeon had come home while he was out, worried that maybe he was sleeping somewhere else entirely. As much as he wanted to ride home with him, Giyeon was always gone from the classroom by the time he arrived. And he didn’t want to go so far as to swallow his pride to make him get in the car—especially since the kid insisted on not taking rides.
It would’ve been embarrassing if someone saw.
So instead, he did something he rarely did: sent a text. Whenever he asked what he was doing, the answer was always a half-assed “studying,” which annoyed him, but at least he answered—and that gave him some relief.
Until yesterday.
“Haah... Fuck.”
Ha Dohoon stared at his phone, which still hadn’t received a reply, then tossed it aside and slumped back on the couch. It /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ was almost 9 PM, and Giyeon still wasn’t home.
Back when Dohoon had just started high school, there were times he came home even later than this. And every time, Giyeon would be curled up on the living room sofa, waiting.