We Just know Each Other chapter 9

I swallowed hard.

Hearing my name from Hyunoh.

No one in our class calls me Kim Chanyi.

They call me pig, piglet, idiot, or worse, Park Jungsoo’s follower.

Most don’t talk to me at all.

Still, it’s better than last year.

At least I don’t get punched in the face and belly out of nowhere anymore.

I think that’s because of Hyunoh.

Hyunoh consistently calls me Kim Chanyi.

It keeps my name alive as a person.

That serves as an invisible shield around me.

No one dares to hit someone called by ‘that’ Hyunoh.

It’s not like Hyunoh started a campaign against bullying or hung out with me as a close friend.

In fact, he probably didn’t even intend to protect me.

Yet under the thin shield created by Hyunoh, I could breathe easier.

“Hyunoh, did you come to study?”

I asked hesitantly. Hyunoh pursed his lips.

“My mom sent me. How about you, Kim Chanyi?”

“My dad sent me.”

“Ah, I don’t want to study. Is that a comic book?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Can I see it too?”

I nodded vigorously.

Hyunoh stood up and walked over to me in long strides.

Then he plopped down beside me. I tensed up.

I clutched my knees nervously.

“You start from volume one.”

“What about you?”

“I’ve read it many times, so I can start from the middle.”

“You must like it, if you’ve read it multiple times.”

“Yeah.”

Hyunoh picked up volume one of ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ and opened it.

My heart raced. It was the first time I shared something I liked with someone else.

And it wasn’t just anyone, it was Hyunoh.

I glanced at his profile and picked up volume three.

Hyunoh said, “I’ve never read a comic book before.”

His cheek twitched slightly, showing interest.

“R-really?”

“My mom didn’t let me read these things.”

“Then what kind of books do you read?”

“Just novels or poetry.”

“Do you like reading?”

I asked courageously.

I wanted to know what Hyunoh liked. He turned to look at me.

Normally, I would have instinctively looked away, but I couldn’t this time.

I was frozen, staring at him like a captured animal.

Because he smiled. A soft, breeze-like smile.

Despite his sharp features, Hyunoh smiled often.

He showed joy when he should be joyful and wasn’t afraid to be sad when the situation called for it.

But I had never seen this kind of smile before.

A slightly shy look in his eyes, a somehow secretive smile. It tickled my stomach.

“I like reading. Sometimes I write too.”

He murmured.

“It’s a bit funny. I don’t study at all, though.”

“No, it’s not funny at all.”

Hyunoh scratched his cheek with his finger.

For a moment, I felt like I had glimpsed a bit of his inner world.

It was like holding a page of a story he didn’t usually share.

Was it my imagination?

Writing… Of course, Hyunoh was different from other boys his age.

I knew it from the moment I first saw his eyes. He seemed older, more mature, and cool.

“I want to see what you’ve written.”

“Oh, that’s not happening.”

He quickly refused and turned away.

My heart felt warm.

I broke into a cold sweat, fearing I had upset him.

“Sorry. I overstepped.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“No, I’m sorry.”

“It’s just that I’m embarrassed. It’s not something I’d show to anyone. Just… you know.”

“I see…”

“Anyway, no need to apologize. Let’s just read the comics.”

He picked up the comic book.

I wanted to tell him that anything he wrote would be amazing, but I kept quiet, thinking it might make him uncomfortable.

The breeze in the rooftop garden was cool.

It was the perfect weather to sit and read three volumes of comics.

Hyunoh read the comics silently, one after another.

I couldn’t focus on the comics.

Sitting next to Hyunoh, it felt different from being paired with him in class.

There were no other students, teachers, or Park Jungsoo around.

It wasn’t a random assignment; Hyunoh had chosen to sit beside me. My throat felt dry.

After about an hour or two, Hyunoh finally spoke.

“Do you have the next volume?”

That was his first question.

“I have more at home.”

“Bring them.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes, it’s fun.”

My heart raced.

“This was made into an anime in 1995…”

“Oh. That was a long time ago. I was a baby then. Is it famous?”

“Yes, very famous.”

“Why didn’t I know about it?”

Hyunoh tilted his head.

For a moment, he looked so cute that I chuckled softly.

He raised his eyebrows and stared at me. I quickly closed my mouth.

“Sorry.”

“For what?”

“For laughing.”

“Why are you always apologizing? Laughing isn’t something to be sorry for.”

Right. I mumbled, unable to respond easily.

Hyunoh sighed softly and suddenly turned his head toward me.

His dark eyes, as vast as the universe, were right in front of me.

I wanted to swim in them forever.

“You don’t need to be sorry for everything.”

“…Okay.”

I replied as if under a spell.

Hyunoh stood up and stretched.

His back moved gracefully like a sleek panther.

“Reading makes me sleepy. I’m going to the reading room to nap.”

“Okay, goodbye. Sleep well.”

Hyunoh naturally extended his palm towards me.

I instinctively reached out my hand to him.

Slap.

A cheerful sound echoed.

It was my first high-five in my life.

Hyunoh turned around and walked away.

I stared intently at his back until he completely disappeared.

When I could no longer hear his footsteps, I let out a gasp and bent over deeply.

“Ah….”

My whole body was burning.

My limbs trembled uncontrollably.

My skin was flushed red.

If my arms were tinged pink, my face must have been completely crimson.

I tried to calm myself by covering my face with the palm that had touched Hyunoh.

I collapsed helplessly.

My head spun as I tried to chase the elusive threads of emotions I couldn’t yet understand.