After a while, I stepped out of the noisy row of gamers and pulled out my phone.
11:42 PM.
I let out a long sigh. I hadn't even noticed how late it got I'd been too focused on beating those two noobs senseless.
I hit call.
It rang once.
Twice.
Then Seolhyo's voice came through, soft and drowsy but still sharp around the edges.
"…It's going to be midnight soon. Are you guys still not finished?"
I winced, leaning against the wall. "Yeah. I actually just wrapped up. I might head home now I don't wanna end up sleeping through class tomorrow. Haha."
She yawned, a long, muffled sound through the speaker.
"You sleepy?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yeah… I was about to fall asleep, then you called." Her voice had that warm, so her fuzzy tone sounds so cute.
"Hehe, sorry. Good timing then. Goodnight I'll message you after I get home."
"What for…? I'll already be asleep," she mumbled, sounding more pouty than annoyed.
"Hahaha, okay, okay. I'll end it now so you can have your beauty sleep. Goodnight. Love you."
There was a tiny pause the kind she always had right before she softened.
"…Hmm. Be careful on your way. Love you too…"She sounded like she was already drifting off.
"Sleep well," I whispered back, but she had probably stopped hearing me.
I stared at the phone for a moment after the call ended, smiling like an idiot before heading back inside.
-
At the same time, Irina was being dropped off by her boyfriend.
They stood in front of her apartment building, the streetlights casting a warm glow around them.
Before heading inside, Irina turned back to him with a bright, glowing smile. "Love you, honey!"
Kim Kwangwoon's expression softened immediately. "I love you too."
She bounced inside the building, and only when the door shut behind her did his smile fade into something quieter.
He didn't go home right away. Instead, he walked down another street, pulling a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it, took a slow drag, then exhaled into the cool night air.
He pulled out his phone.
"Yeah, where are you? Around the Missa area?"
A muffled voice answered on the other end.
"Got it. I'll be there soon."
Kwangwoon flicked the half-burnt cigarette away, then popped one gum mint into his mouth.
He headed toward Missa.
A few minutes later, he was standing under the small sign of a closed café, checking his watch.
The street was quiet.
Then
a light touch on his back.
He turned.
A finger poked his cheek.
"Hehe, you always fall for it."
Hai-an stood there, smiling sweetly, her eyes curving like crescents. "Dummy."
Kwangwoon froze for a second, his face warming despite the cold breeze.
"…Oh. You're here."
Kwangwoon and Hai-an settled onto the empty playground, each sitting on a squeaky spring rocker.
The night was quiet except for the soft creak of metal and the faint glow of Kwangwoon's cigarette.
Hai-an glanced sideways at him, her brows pinched slightly."…Oppa, why do you smoke?"
Kwangwoon kept the cigarette between his lips as he answered, voice casual. "Uh… I dunno. I kinda just got into it without realizing."
"How'd that even happen? Since when?"
"It hasn't been that long." He took the cigarette from his mouth, looking at the ember. "I really wasn't planning to smoke at all… but I tried it once, and now I can't quit. Haha. I can't even focus on anything lately."
"So it's the cigarette's fault, huh?"
"Yeah. Hahaha." He leaned back, laughing but with a tired edge. "It's a problem. I keep wanting to smoke… even though I was told not to."
Realizing what he said, Kwangwoon's smile dropped, and he suddenly avoided her eyes.
"…By that person?" Hai-an asked quietly.
"…Ah I mean everyone," he said quickly. "My parents, my teachers everyone says not to smoke. Cause it's bad. Hahaha…" The laugh was forced.
Hai-an just looked at him for a moment.
Then, without a word, she reached over, plucked the cigarette right from his fingers, and lifted it to her lips.
She took a drag.
"Cough! cough cough cough!" She bent forward, face scrunched and tearing up.
Kwangwoon surprised by this, put one hand in her shoulder. "Hey! Why would you even try that?!"
Kwangwoon looked at her worriedly. "You okay?"
Hai-an was still coughing, face flushed pink.
"A girl who never smoked suddenly doing that…" he muttered under his breath.
She glanced at his hand still resting on her shoulder warm, steady and gently placed her hand over his, smiling through her dizziness. "I'm not okay. I feel dizzy. Haha…"
Kwangwoon didn't pull his hand away.
He just looked off to the side, voice low. "Yeah… of course you feel dizzy…"
Hai-an's smile softened. "…I won't nag you like your parents or your teachers do. So from now on… don't ask."
He turned to look at her properly, confused ."Don't ask?"
"Just smoke if you want to, oppa," she said quietly. "I don't want to stop you from doing what you like."
For a few seconds, Kwangwoon couldn't look away from her. Something in the way she said it soft, resigned, almost vulnerable hit him harder.
Hai-an met his gaze for a moment, then slowly stood up from the spring rocker.
The metal creaked beneath her. She stepped closer, facing him directly.
Then, keeping her eyes on him, she leaned down and slipped a hand behind his neck.
-
Meanwhile, after we wrapped up at the PC bang, we all walked down the street together.
Park Dong slung an arm over Suwon's shoulder. "Thanks for the free game, loser."
He snickered. "But winning all the time makes it boring, y'know? I can't play for long like this~ Right, Suwon? You eternal loser?"
Suwon groaned. "No matter how I look at it, this is cheating.
"
I laughed at his misery. "No matter how you look at it, you two are just trash at the game. HAHAHA."
Park Dong glanced at Inseop. "Hey, you actually seem like you've got potential. Way more than this idiot."
Inseop raised his chin and laughed, pointing at Suwon. "HAHA, comparing me to Ji Suwon is seriously too much."
Suwon slapped his hand away. "Wow. Look at you guys turning on me."
Park Dong turned to the back, calling to Junhyun and Ono. "Hey, you two should join in next time. It's way more fun when everyone plays."
Junhyun rubbed the back of his neck. "I always have something I… uh… watch at the PC bang. But yeah, I'll try next time."
Ono didn't respond just kept that empty, far-away expression.
"Yeah, or we can all just play something else together."
Park Dong glance at Ono.
...Ono was it? what the hell is this guy thinking about?
Ono blinked slowly, eyes unfocused.
.…Does Zhu Bajie have eight nipples?
He was thinking about his dog
Suwon suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Seojin."
I looked at him, confused. "Huh? Why'd you stop?"
He pointed ahead. "Look over there… what are they doing?"
I stepped forward and squinted. "Where?"
Suwon jabbed his finger toward the playground. "…Right in front of the playground."
I narrowed my eyes, trying to make out the shapes under the dim streetlights.
There a girl was standing in front of the spring rockers, leaning down toward a guy who was sitting on one.
Their faces were close ridiculously close. From the angle, it practically looked like they were kissing.
Before I could even blink, the others panicked and scrambled behind the corner of a building, heads sticking out like a row of child seeing something fascinating for the first time.
I stared at them, baffled. "The hell are you guys doing?"
All of their faces were flushed pink.
Junhyun whispered, voice cracking, "Ki–ki–kissing? Are they kissing??"
Park Dong wiped his mouth dramatically. "What the hell LOL what the actual, wtf that's wild."
I sighed. "Why are you hiding?"
Inseop hissed, yanking my sleeve. "Just get over here! They might see us!"
I scratched my head, then crouched beside them. "Fine, fine…"
Everyone squinted into the Playground.
Suwon whispered, "The girl's wearing our school uniform, right?"
Inseop leaned forward. "Who is it? I can't see."
Junhyun shook his head. "It's dark i can't really see their faces."