A9 21

Suho frowned, unable to make sense of the words at all, but regardless, Minhyuk stood up from his seat with a blank expression.

“Do you really have to make it that obvious that you don’t like it?”

“That’s because you’re saying something weird.”

“It’s not like this is the first time the two of us have gone to a cafe together.”

“That still doesn’t mean I have to go with you. Our parents didn’t tell us to go or anything.”

Suho snapped back rapidly, looking up at Minhyuk, who had already walked right up to him. Unbothered by the sharp tone, Minhyuk replied calmly.

“There’s a dessert cafe that just opened in the Goun Hotel bakery line. They told me I should go check it out with you sometime.”

“I didn’t hear anything about that…”

“You have now, so it’s fine.”

“……”

“Let’s go. To the cafe.”

Minhyuk put on his coat, acting as if he was about to leave immediately. Unable to shake the feeling that Minhyuk was deliberately dodging something, Suho tilted his head while staring at him and let out a low “Hmm.”

That was when it happened.

“Which café are you going to?”

Someone with a voice he had not heard in a long time suddenly barged into the room. Shorter than him by about a cheek’s width, with round eyes. It was Lee Jaeyoung.

“…Why are you here?”

Although Suho stepped back with clear displeasure, Jaeyoung approached cautiously, wearing an innocent expression.

“My father works here. He said he left some important documents at home, so I brought them. And then I saw your name, Suho, on the reservation list.”

“So I rushed right over.” Jaeyoung went on at length, sounding genuinely happy to meet like this, before breaking into a bright smile.

“So are you guys going to a cafe? Where?”

“…I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Kang Minhyuk?”

Unlike Jaeyoung, whose eyes sparkled with excitement, Suho remained indifferent and jerked his chin toward Minhyuk.

“Don’t be like that, Suho-ya.”

“……”

“The cafe… Can I come too? It’s been such a long time since we’ve seen each other. Please?”

The shy voice was so cloyingly sweet that Suho grumbled inwardly, annoyed that he had almost nodded without thinking.

“Uh, no, you can’t. If you really want to go, go with Kang Minhyuk. The two of you can have a nice, cozy cup of coffee together.”

“Im Suho.”

Minhyuk looked like he was about to say something, but Suho turned his head away as if he did not want to hear it.

“Then I’m leaving first.”

After thanking the manager who had come up to them and saying he had enjoyed the meal, Suho left the restaurant without a backward glance. Just as he was heading toward the main road.

Tap tap tap—

He heard quick footsteps approaching him from behind. Even without turning around, he knew it was Minhyuk.

“Im Suho.”

When had he even arrived? Using his long legs, Minhyuk closed the distance between them in an instant, a gap that had grown fairly wide. Suho considered ignoring him and walking past, but out of basic courtesy, he turned his head to look at him. 

“I’ll give you a ride.”

Minhyuk said as he pulled his phone from his pocket. Judging by how he tapped the screen, he seemed to be calling a car to come over.

“What about Lee Jaeyoung?”

“I don’t know why you keep trying to link Jaeyoung and me together, but no matter what, you come first.”

“I never promised I’d go to the cafe.”

“……”

At Suho’s curt reply, Minhyuk’s fingers stopped moving. Minhyuk lifted his head and looked at Suho, frowning deeply as if something else displeased him yet again. At this rate, he was going to end up with permanent frown lines. Clicking his tongue, Suho stared at the already deeply furrowed space between Minhyuk’s brows.

“Just go together with him. Don’t you feel bad leaving him all by himself?”

You’re going to regret this later, pounding the ground in frustration. Suho jerked his chin toward the restaurant where Jaeyoung was probably still inside, signaling him to hurry back in. But whatever Minhyuk took from that gesture, his expression hardened even more than before, and he let out a deep sigh.

“That’s not how it is.”

“What isn’t?”

“It’s not the kind of relationship you’re thinking of.”

“Then what kind of relationship is it? Say it in a way I can actually understand.”

“……”

For some reason, Minhyuk only moved his lips and could not give a proper answer. Finding his reaction strange, Suho stared at him closely and raised one eyebrow.

“If you’ve got nothing more to say, I’m leaving.”

If that dessert cafe was really so important, they could set a schedule for another time. With those words, Suho removed himself from the situation. He had expected Minhyuk to grab him if it came to that, but contrary to his expectations, Minhyuk let him go without resistance. As expected, the cafe was just an excuse. What was he trying to say this time to stir him up again? Feeling oddly unsettled by the pointless thought, Suho let out a hollow laugh and turned his head away in a sulk. Leaving Minhyuk behind, he continued walking and opened the taxi app on his phone.

“I should buy a cake on the way home.”

If possible, strawberry fresh cream. In a buoyant mood, he hummed to himself.

Bzz—

With a short vibration, a text message preview popped up on the screen.

[Lee Jaeyoung: It was only for a moment, but I was really happy to see your face >_<!!]

[Lee Jaeyoung: Get home safely, Suho-ya 😊]

[Lee Jaeyoung: If you ever need my help later on, just let me know anytime!!]

“…Help?”

Suho tilted his head at the unexpected sender and the contents of the messages. But only for a moment. The notification that a taxi had been assigned quickly pushed Jaeyoung’s messages to the back of his mind.

Regrettably, without knowing what kind of help he meant.

* * *

Early February had arrived before he knew it. Having just become an adult, Suho stared at the monitor with a more tense expression than usual. Beneath a window where bold black Gothic text stood out against a blue rectangle, a two-line table displayed nothing but the words, ‘It is not the inquiry period yet.’ One minute left. The announcement, the first gate that would shape his life and serve as a measure of success, was just around the corner. After staring intently at the page he had refreshed several times already and taking a long, deep breath, Suho’s hand trembled as he moved the mouse toward the neat, rectangular inquiry button.    

The countdown began. 5, 4, 3, 2, …1.

Click—

He finally pressed the inquiry button. Afraid he might accidentally see the result as the window popped up, Suho squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away.

“Ugh… I can’t look.”

His voice shook so badly it nearly cracked. Suho was experiencing the greatest tension of his life. Even though he had gone through the college entrance exam twice, this was his first time ever seeing an acceptance announcement. His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. Everyone feels like this, right? It’s not just me going crazy like this… right?

Suho unconsciously bit down on his fingernails. But he could not keep looking away forever. After steadying himself several times, he finally resolved himself and slowly turned his head back. At the moment, he cautiously lifted one eyelid to check the screen.

[Hanguk University Regular Admission Results for the Class of 20XX]

– Examinee Number: 20XX341552

– Date of Birth: 20XX.09.13

– Name: Im Suho

– Department: College of Business Administration, Department of Business Administration

– Result: Accepted

※ We sincerely congratulate you on your final acceptance.

※ Please be sure to carefully review the “Final Acceptance Notes” below.

The word “Accepted”, highlighted in blue, came into view. In that instant, Suho’s eyes widened uncontrollably, and his body jolted.

“…Huh?”

Thinking he might have seen it wrong, he squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. Even so, the word “Accepted” did not disappear.

“…Huh?! No way, this is insane! Wow…!”

Unable to believe the news, Suho sprang to his feet and let out a loud shout. Still unable to trust the word accepted, he leaned his face close to the screen, but of course, the text on the screen did not change.

Accepted, accepted, accepted…! I got accepted to Hankuk University’s Business Administration department on my first try!

Well done, Im Suho! You did it, Im Suho!

Suho threw both hands into the air and shouted, “Yes!” At the loud cry, the people in the house began gathering in his room one by one.

“What is it? Im Suho got accepted?”

“Really? You actually got accepted?”

Suhyeon flung the door open, and he and the housekeeper hurried into the room to check the screen. Just as expected, the word “accepted” was clearly visible to them as well. The two immediately wrapped Suho in their arms and danced around happily. Suhyeon congratulated him while completely messing up Suho’s hair, and the housekeeper handed him her phone, telling him to hurry and contact his parents. Suho nodded with a wide smile at their congratulations. Then, taking the phone the housekeeper handed him, he immediately began typing a message to send to his parents. After a moment, his fingers started to slow. It was because tears welled up from the delayed sense of relief.  

Fighting back tears, Suho kept the corners of his mouth lifted high as they trembled, and stubbornly finished typing the message before sending it.

Suhyeon felt both sorry for and proud of Suho at the same time. He had been watching carefully from the outside, worried Suho might be crushed with disappointment if he failed. Who would have thought he would bring such great news? Thinking about how the kid who once had no interest in studying whatsoever had, at some point, become desperate about entrance exams… Suhyeon looked at Suho with a satisfied smile. As expected, the Im family blood did not go anywhere. Im Suho was someone who could really do it when it mattered.

“Im-Ssu, what do you want to eat? Just say the word, Hyung will buy you anything. Or should we go out to eat together for the first time in a while?”

Suhyeon once again ruffled Suho’s hair into a mess. At the affectionate touch, Suho flailed his body while letting out a series of chuckles.

“It’s fine, let’s just get some chicken.”

Feeling inexplicably shy, Suho turned his head and spoke brightly to the housekeeper.

“You should eat with us, too, Ajumoni. Okay? Don’t just leave saying you’re on a diet like last time.”

Since she was already celebrating with them anyway, he told her to stay and have dinner too. At his words, the housekeeper nodded with a warm smile.

That was when it happened.

The phone in his hand vibrated briefly, lighting up the screen. Thinking it might be his parents, Suho quickly checked it. In that instant, his movement came to a sudden stop.