FLPR 2.3

Beep beep beep.

Doyul’s alarm blared. He groaned and poked his eyes open. ‘What a weird dream.’

He’d been squeezed between the wall and Woohyun, which explains why he felt smothered. Woohyun moved beside him, frowning at the sound of the alarm before gradually opening his eyes. Sunlight poured through the curtains and lit his face. He likes old pictures, stunningly lovely. Doyul looked fascinated.

Woohyun blinked a few times, then sat up and looked around, seemingly orienting himself.

“Hyung, did you sleep well? ”

“Mmm-hmm.” Woohyun yawned, still half-asleep. He wanted to sleep more, but breakfast wouldn’t wait. Doyul got out of bed.

“Let’s go wash up and have breakfast.”

“Okay.”

“Can you wash your face by yourself? ”

“Yeah! I can do it myself! ”Woohyun said. His tone was different from the middle-school Woohyun in his dream. The dream-Woohyun had sounded more like his usual self. Now that he thought about it, he’d never actually seen Woohyun as a child. He imagined he must have been adorable. Doyul made a mental note to ask to see Woohyun’s childhood pictures.

After breakfast, they went to study. Doyul picked up the tablet, a nervous flutter in his stomach, a lingering effect of his dream. He was half afraid that when he launched the learning program, it would be filled with trigonometry and calculus problems. He took a deep breath and opened the app.

A cheerful melody chimed, followed by a bright, energetic voice:

“Hi, friends! I’m Curious! ”

Doyul breathed a sigh of relief. It was a children’s educational program, not some intense academic curriculum. This was perfect. All he had to do was answer any questions Woohyun might have. He positioned the tablet on the desk and said,

“Let me know if anything confuses you.”

“Okay!”

Today’s lesson was on proverbs. Thankfully, no math. Woohyun, with his textbook already open, was focused on the screen. If not for the cheerful voiceover, he could have been mistaken for a scholar poring over a complex academic paper. Doyul smiled. He’d made the right decision taking this job.

The lesson lasted forty minutes, followed by a twenty-minute break, then another lesson. Woohyun didn’t ask a single question. ‘Does he understand everything?’ Doyul wondered, peeking at his textbook. Woohyun had taken neat, organized notes, demonstrating a perfect understanding of the material. Sooyeon’s confidence in Woohyun’s intelligence had been well-placed.

The lessons, which began at 9 a.m., finished around noon. They had thirty minutes before lunch to review what they’d learned. Doyul praised Woohyun for his focus.

“Wow, Hyung. You’re great at concentrating.”

Woohyun smiled shyly. Looking at him, Doyul imagined what Woohyun must have been like as a child: kind, well-behaved, and bright. He must have been universally adored. He probably had a string of admirers in kindergarten and elementary school.

“I bet you were popular, Hyung.”

“Really?”

“Of course! You’re handsome, smart, and you have a great personality. You were popular! ” Doyul remembered Woohyun in high school. He’d been student body president, incredibly popular, always surrounded by people. It still amazed him that they had become friends. They were of different ages and from different walks of life. It must have been Woohyun’s kindness that allowed their friendship to blossom.

“How popular was I? ”Woohyun asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

“Super popular! Like, truckloads of people liked you.”

“Truckloads?”

“Yeah, trucks are big, right? They can hold a lot of people. So, it’s a way of saying there were tons of people.”

Woohyun’s expression turned serious.

“How many people can fit in a truck? ”

“Uh…”

Doyul was flustered. He’d been using a figure of speech, and now Woohyun wanted a precise number. ‘How many people can fit in a truck?’ Could he Google it? He felt obligated to give Woohyun a proper answer. He took out his phone.

“Just a second.”

He quickly searched for the passenger capacity of a truck. Thankfully, Woohyun waited patiently. Doyul found what seemed like a reasonable answer and replied,

“About twenty.” Technically, a truck’s cab could hold up to three, but that wasn’t what Woohyun was asking.

“Wow, that’s a lot! ”

“Right? ”He thought it was probably more than twenty. Doyul knew Woohyun had received at least ten confessions, not to mention the countless unconfessed crushes. Like his own. Woohyun smiled.

“Were you in the truck, too, Doyul? ”

“Huh?”

Doyul froze, his mind going blank. Woohyun, misinterpreting his silence, frowned.

“You don’t like me? ”

“No, no! That’s not true! Of course I like you! ”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Doyul mentally kicked himself. Woohyun’s “like” wasn’t the same as his “like,” but his feelings had made him overreact. Woohyun didn’t remember Doyul’s romantic confession. Swallowing the bittersweet ache in his chest, Doyul said,

“I like you, Hyung.”

“I like you too, Doyul! ”Woohyun smile. Doyul smiled back, convinced his heart wouldn’t survive this.

Woohyun, seemingly happy about his past popularity, hummed cheerfully. He finished his notes, closed the program, and stood up. The tension from his dream, and perhaps the mental exertion of the lessons, had made him hungry. Doyul rubbed his stomach.

“Are you hungry? ”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go have lunch.”

“Okay!”

They left the study. On their way to the dining room, Doyul glanced out the window. Heat shimmered off the pavement. He’d initially planned on taking Woohyun outside for some light exercise, However, he chose not go with that idea.

Before arriving, he’d compiled a list of animated movies he thought Woohyun might enjoy. He’d never paid much attention to children’s movies, but the thought of watching them with Woohyun had motivated him. His online search had revealed a wealth of options, including several films that were supposedly tearjerkers, even for adults. Doyul was skeptical, but he was determined to see Woohyun cry. He’d never seen that side of him before. Woohyun was usually either faintly smiling or expressionless. He decided that after lunch, they’d watch a movie and then write about it.

When they arrived in the dining room, lunch was already served. Doyul sat down, his mouth watering. It was a relief not having to worry about meal planning. The generous salary more than justified the cost of food being included. Yujung was a fantastic cook. He was convinced that even rice and kimchi prepared by her would be a feast.

Yujung arrived every morning, cooked all the meals, and left in the evening. Unless something came up, the three of them dined together. Doyul picked up his chopsticks and spoon.

“Thank you for the food.”

“Enjoy,” Yujung said with a warm smile. Woohyun echoed the sentiment and started eating. Lunch was stir-fried spicy pork with lettuce wraps and a special ssamjang made with river snails. Doyul piled some pork and rice onto a lettuce leaf, topped it with a generous dollop of ssamjang, and popped the whole thing into his mouth. A blissful smile spread across his face. Seeing this, Woohyun picked up a lettuce leaf and started heaping a spoonful of rice onto it. Doyul quickly intervened.

“That’s way too much. You won’t be able to close your mouth.”

“But it’s already on…”

“Let’s take some off. Here, I’ll make one for you.”

Woohyun nodded. Doyul took the lettuce wrap, added pork and ssamjang, and carefully wrapped it into a manageable size.

“Open wide.”

Woohyun obediently opened his mouth. Doyul placed the wrap inside and smiled. Despite being a grown man, Woohyun, in his childlike state, reminded him of a baby bird being fed.

“Is it good? ”

Woohyun, his cheeks puffed out, could only nod. He looked so cute that Doyul wanted to poke his cheek, but he stopped. Yujung was there, and he didn’t want to appear disrespectful. Plus, he didn’t want to betray his feelings.

Yujung, observing them, and said,

“I’ve never seen Mr. Min so affectionate with anyone.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He was quite shy as a child.”

Doyul couldn’t imagine Woohyun being shy. He’d been the one to approach Doyul when they’d first met. He wished he could have seen that side of him.

“Doyul is my friend, and he likes me! ” Woohyun announced proudly. Doyul choked on his food, coughing and reaching for his water. He panicked, worried that Yujung might guess his true feelings for Woohyun.

“Ah, I see.” Yujung smiled. Once again, Doyul’s guilty conscience had made him overreact. No one suspected a thing. To Woohyun, it was a simple declaration of friendship. Doyul, faking composure, continued eating.

After lunch, Doyul prepared for their movie session. He’d chosen a popular animated film, a story about a boy who journeys to the land of the dead on the Day of the Dead. It was highly recommended, even for adults.

“Okay, Hyung, let’s watch a movie.”

“Okay.”

“We’ll write about it afterward.”

“Okay!”

Doyul started the film and leaned back, a small smile playing on his lips. He fully expected Woohyun to be in tears by the end.