Don’t you think we are going too fast? chapter 23

I chose an available window seat and watched as other freshmen like me entered. Of course, they were all unfamiliar faces. Seeing only unknown faces, it finally felt like I had entered university.

“Hello, is this seat taken?”

“Oh, no. Please sit.”

The window seats were already filled, and only the aisle seats were left. I moved the bag I had placed on the seat next to me to the floor and nodded at the student who looked about my age.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

After awkwardly exchanging polite greetings, I took out my phone and sent a message to Taeshin.

[Did you get a good seat?]

[Taeshin♥> Yeah.]

[Are you sitting with Park Kangseop?]

[Taeshin♥> I’m sitting somewhere else.]

[Taeshin♥> It’s fine.]

I told him to take good care of Taeshin, but it seemed like he had already abandoned him and moved to a more comfortable seat.

This guy, even on the first day he met Taeshin, he left him alone in his room, only checking if he was alive before going off to play, and he’s still like this.

[Hey]

[Take good care of Taeshin ㅡㅡ]

[Park Kangseop> If you’re so worried, take care of him yourself, Moon Sunwoo]

[We’re on different buses]

[Take care of him (threateningly barking)]

[Park Kangseop> Unless you’re suggesting switching buses, don’t contact me. He’s freaking out]

“Alright, everyone’s on board? We’re doing one more headcount.”

As I was about to send a message to refute Park Kangseop, who was criticizing the quiet Taeshin, a student council member responsible for the Business C bus stood up in front of the bus aisle.

They announced that the headcount had been smoothly completed and the bus would soon depart.

With a slightly excited heart, I waited for the departure and made eye contact with the student sitting next to me.

“How old are you?”

“I’m twenty now. How about you?”

“I’m twenty too.”

“Then should we drop the formalities? How does that sound?”

The student next to me was also a freshman who had just graduated from high school, like me. We happily dropped the formalities and introduced ourselves.

“I’m Moon Sunwoo. What’s your name?”

“I’m Park Jonghoon. Wow, nice to meet you. I was being careful because I heard there are some seniors who pretend to be freshmen.”

“Oh, I heard that too. Like when you start talking informally, and then it turns out they’re a senior?”

“Yeah. My sister also experienced that and told me it’s really embarrassing and awkward, so she always told me to speak formally just in case.”

“You have a sister? I have an older brother.”

Once we shared our ages and names, the caution between us disappeared.

Park Jonghoon, sitting next to me, was friendly and easy to talk to, as if we had known each other for a long time. We started a conversation about his sister and my brother, which seemed endless.

During our chat, I felt a strong connection when Jonghoon mentioned that his sister was so academically driven that even though their parents didn’t put much pressure on her, she lived and breathed college entrance exams from middle school.

I could relate a lot, as Moon Jinu had similarly pressured me from middle school about not getting into college if I played around too much.

My eldest brother had once told me that it didn’t matter if I got into a good college, as long as I got into any college, which lessened the pressure somewhat.

However, entering high school was a continuous struggle. If it weren’t for Taeshin helping me study, I wouldn’t be here now.

“Isn’t Taeil High School the one with the Christmas tree-like uniform?”

A student sitting across the aisle who had been listening to our conversation leaned over and joined in.

“How did you know?”

“I went to Gyeonghan High.”

“Really?”

Jonghoon and I chatted about our school uniforms since he was from a nearby high school.

He asked to see our uniform, so I opened my photo album but couldn’t find a clear picture.

I searched online and found a picture of Taeshin.

“When was this taken?”

In the photo, Lee Taeshin was standing in front of a traffic light, looking at his phone, wearing a navy blue uniform with red and yellow striped ties.

Though it was a candid shot, Taeshin looked great, holding his phone in one hand and a takeaway coffee in the other.

Standing over 180 cm tall, with a slightly revealed forehead and a downward gaze at his phone, he looked like a model. I quickly copied the page link.

[This hasn’t been taken down yet]

[(Link)]

[Taeshin♥> I guess they missed it.]

[Taeshin♥> It looks good.]

Sometimes candid photos of Taeshin would appear in articles or online. The company managed these photos, but it seemed some had not been taken down yet.

When I informed him about the post with his face clearly visible, Taeshin responded nonchalantly.

Well, if he took it seriously every time, it would just exhaust and stress him out. His indifferent response made me joke.

[Nah]

[The real thing looks even better; photos can’t capture it all]

[Taeshin♥> Really?]

[Yeah, I want to keep seeing you in person lol]

[Taeshin♥> I feel excited that Moon Sunwoo wants to see my face.]

[Taeshin♥> I’ll take care of myself.]

I laughed at Taeshin’s comment about taking care of himself. While laughing, the bus arrived at the rest area.

“The heater was blasting too much, I almost got motion sickness.”

Jung Noeul, sitting across the aisle, clutched his chest and shivered. He was so talkative that I thought he was extremely sociable, but it seemed he talked more because of his motion sickness.

“We only have a 10-minute break, so let’s hurry. I need to buy some roasted potatoes and a hot dog.”

“I want sausage skewers.”

Jung Noeul waved his hands, urging me, Park Jonghoon, and Go Cheolmin, who was sitting next to him, to hurry up.

Dragging us along, we quickly headed to the food stalls. Each of us picked the snacks we wanted, and I ordered a few extras while thinking of Taeshin.

[Are you on the bus now?]

I texted Taeshin, worried about how he was doing, but there was no reply. I also asked Park Kangseop what he was up to, but he hadn’t checked the message either.

With no response from either of them, I watched the three of them holding their food.

“I’ll head back first. See you in a bit.”

“Sure.”

Come to think of it, it had been a while since I’d been to a rest area. The last time was probably in my first year of high school when my friends and I took a trip to a villa.

We stopped at a rest area to buy snacks because we wouldn’t have another chance.

I remembered Jung DaYoonyi buying fish cakes and giving one to Taeshin. It looked ordinary, so I took a bite and gave a bite to Taeshin, only to realize it was extremely spicy.

‘Taeshin, wait, don’t eat….’

‘Ugh, spit.’

Taeshin, who had already bitten and chewed the fish cake, immediately stopped and spat it out into a trash can.

‘ㅋㅋha, look at Lee Taeshin’s face. Damn, it’s hilarious.’

‘Did Moon Sunwoo give him a super spicy one?’

‘As expected, Moon Sunwoo is the best at pranking.’

‘Are you crying? Are you?’

Everyone laughed once they realized what had happened, except for Taeshin, who couldn’t find it funny.

I felt bad, but Taeshin’s face turning red from the spice was quite funny. He couldn’t handle spicy food at all.

Eventually, I bought him milk and a cooling drink. Seeing Taeshin’s tearful face made my conscience prick. With his energy drained from the spicy ordeal, Taeshin slept on my lap until we arrived at the villa.

Every time I saw Taeshin’s slightly haggard face, my conscience hurt.

I had no choice but to take good care of him whenever he woke up, feeling guilty for giving him the spicy fish cake.

Until we reached the villa, I did everything he asked, from patting his head to comforting him, doing my best to atone.

Thinking about it, I really want to give Lee Taeshin some spicy odeng. Lee Taeshin always avoided spicy foods very well.

The only thing he would eat with me was tteokbokki.

Whenever I suggested we have malatang, he would go with me but never touch a single piece, just watching from the sidelines.

Lee Taeshin, who couldn’t handle spicy food, was pretty cute. But I haven’t seen him since.

I bought an Americano and headed to the bus marked Management A in the parking lot.

After hesitating outside for a moment, I sneaked in and saw the bus almost empty, with only a few people left.

Among them was Lee Taeshin. I was about to call out to him happily but stopped when I saw him asleep with his earphones in.

I quietly approached and placed the coffee I bought in the cup holder by his seat.

Is he sleeping deeply?

As I watched Lee Taeshin, our eyes met. Even though I moved quietly, it seems he sensed my presence and woke up.

Startled, I flinched as Lee Taeshin’s pheromones reached me.

Ah… I don’t know why I’ve been so aware of Lee Taeshin’s pheromones lately.

Unlike the vague feeling I had this morning, this time I felt it clearly, making me tense.

The pheromones felt like a gentle breeze tickling my body. I resisted the urge to rub my arm and opened my mouth.

“Sorry, I was just trying to leave it quietly. Really, I’m sorry.”

“No, I needed it. Thanks. I’ll drink it well.”

I couldn’t hide my embarrassment as Lee Taeshin smiled and picked up the coffee I had put down.

In the brief moment he took a sip through the straw, I felt his pheromones even stronger.

Feeling a strange sensation down my spine, I shrugged my shoulders and slowly backed away.

“Well, I’ll go now! Sleep well!”