Chapter 18: A Childish Tantrum

“Hey. Wait a minute. What did you just say?”

I seized Yoon Heesung’s arm and pressed him.

“Say that again.”

“You heard everything, so why are you asking?”

Yoon Heesung’s voice was tinged with a sulky petulance.

Indeed, I had heard every word. I remembered it perfectly.

Yet, I yearned to hear it once more.

‘He wants to stay with me, but I have a mother and friends,’ I recalled his words.

While I certainly had a mother, Yoon Heesung was, in fact, my sole friend.

I couldn’t fathom what misconception led him to utter such a thing, but that wasn’t the crucial point at hand.

The wave of gloom that had been washing over me moments before had utterly vanished.

It was a profound relief to realize that Yoon Heesung hadn’t been intimidated by the class’s oppressive atmosphere.

Yet, the fact that such a remark was what he had mulled over, then finally expressed, stirred a peculiar sensation within me.

‘Did he even comprehend the words that had just left his lips?’

‘That was unmistakably jealousy.’

‘And simultaneously, a childish tantrum.’

‘Yes, a tantrum.’

“……”

Yoon Heesung was clearly throwing a tantrum because he yearned to monopolize me, yet couldn’t.

‘Was he an elementary school student?’

‘Even young children these days wouldn’t behave with such immaturity.’

“Hey, Yoon Heesung.”

“……”

“Yoon Heesung, wait up!”

All the perplexing thoughts that had cluttered my mind melted away like snow.

I scrambled to catch up with Yoon Heesung, who was deliberately quickening his pace, making it hard to follow.

His refusal to ride his bicycle, despite his speed, was a transparent act.

Unable to suppress it, a soft chuckle escaped me. It was oddly amusing, so much so that I couldn’t stop smiling.

Frankly, Yoon Heesung’s petulance didn’t obligate me to indulge him.

He was complaining like a child, wishing for me to be friends with only him—a tantrum even an elementary schooler wouldn’t stoop to.

I could simply choose not to humor it.

In essence, I couldn’t find a single valid excuse not to.

I simply wanted to grant Yoon Heesung’s wish.

“Oh, seriously.”

I ran one hand across my face in a dry wash, while the other gripped Yoon Heesung’s bag.

Uncharacteristically, he swayed backward, yielding to my pull.

Gazing up at his profile, I spoke with deliberate clarity.

“I’m not close with Park Byungjoo at all. In fact, I just took him upstairs and we had a huge argument. You’re the only friend I have.”

“You fought? Why?”

“That… I can’t tell you.”

“……”

Yoon Heesung blinked, his eyelashes fluttering delicately.

His forehead, visible beneath the wisps of his hair, was strikingly smooth.

My gaze traveled slowly, taking in his gentle eyes framed by thick brows, the elegant line of his nose, and the pleasing curve of his lips.

After a lengthy pause, I drew a steadying breath and finally spoke from the heart.

“It’s true. You’re my only friend at this school.”

At my earnest declaration, Yoon Heesung merely shifted his eyes to meet mine.

I held his gaze unflinchingly. He was the first person to ever seek such profound affection from me.

Perhaps giving affection was just as vital as receiving it.

As I focused my care on Yoon Heesung, I felt an inexplicable sense of fulfillment within myself. My heart swelled with contentment.

“And I think I see you more often than I see my own mother.”

“……”

“Once you’re back at school, you’re going to be attached to my hip all day, every day.”

The words felt embarrassingly foreign on my tongue.

It was so unlike me to speak this way, yet they had flowed effortlessly, all thanks to Yoon Heesung.

Masking my flush, I posed the question.

“Is that not enough for you?”

“……A little.”

Yoon Heesung’s reply made me burst into laughter once more.

Rather than being offended, he wore an expression that conveyed utter bewilderment at my amusement.

Then, slowly, he joined me in laughter.

“……”

Watching his laughter, my heart began to pound a frantic rhythm.

Despite my embarrassing confession, that faint smile felt like ample recompense for everything.

‘……Reward?’

The thought startled me.

Unsure how to react, I darted my eyes around, until they landed on the bicycle Yoon Heesung was pulling.

He hadn’t ridden it, merely held the handlebars and walked it, knowing I was trailing behind.

Driven by a sudden impulse, I spoke.

“Let me ride on the back. You offered earlier, didn’t you?”

Earlier that morning, Yoon Heesung had indeed made the offer, but I, a high school boy, had declined, deeming it too burdensome for him to carry me on the back.

Yet, now, I found myself yearning to indulge in a similar childish whim, just as Yoon Heesung had.

I was certain he would accept me, just as I had accepted him.

As expected, Yoon Heesung promptly settled onto the bicycle seat, then indicated the rear with a subtle nod of his chin.

His backpack, previously slung over his shoulders, was swiftly rotated to his front.

“Hop on.”

Forcing my lips into a neutral line, despite their insistent urge to curl upwards, I quickly mounted the back.

I extended my arms behind me, gripping the rear of the seat.

The bicycle began to glide forward, smoothly and slowly.

A soft, whirring “whirr, whirr” sound came from the spinning wheels, reminiscent of a bird’s chirping.

With each press of the pedal, I could discern the subtle shift of muscles beneath Yoon Heesung’s taut shirt.

His waist, notably slender in contrast to his broad shoulders, lent an agile grace to his otherwise large frame, preventing him from appearing cumbersome.

After a moment of deliberation, I subtly reached out and grasped Yoon Heesung’s shoulder.

It felt far more secure than the seat’s flimsy handle.

“……”

“Hey! Watch out!”

“Sorry.”

The bicycle suddenly swerved, lurching precariously.

The road was littered with loose stones, and it seemed a wheel had caught on one.

‘Or perhaps he was startled by my abrupt grasp on his shoulder?’

‘But isn’t it customary to hold onto the person in front when riding pillion?’

“It’s uncomfortable to hold the back… did I startle you?”

“No.”

Yoon Heesung’s reply was swift, yet after a brief pause, he elaborated.

“Though, I think it might be better if you held my waist instead.”

“Ah, I suppose so.”

It was true; holding his waist might offer more stability than his shoulder.

I lowered both hands, taking a firm grip on the side of his shirt.

The bicycle resumed its steady, stable course.

A refreshing breeze swept through, gently whisking away the lingering sweat from my walk.

The scenery, shifting rapidly, was breathtakingly beautiful, far more so than when I traversed it on foot.

A nascent affection began to bloom for this neighborhood, a place I had previously regarded with utter indifference.

The vibrant blue of the rippling sea, the distant sway of tree branches, the clouds adrift in the sky, even the simple grains of sand tumbling along the path—everything brought me joy.

Even the way Yoon Heesung’s hair danced in the wind was utterly captivating.

My arms twitched with the suppressed urge to reach out and touch it with my fingertips.

We reached the base of a steep incline in no time.

Anticipating the struggle of the uphill climb, I prepared to dismount, but Yoon Heesung merely increased his pedaling speed.

Without any apparent effort, he ascended the path, carrying my weight effortlessly behind him.

Despite his apparent ease, a faint sheen of sweat clung to Yoon Heesung’s back by the time we reached the villa.

I found my gaze lingering on the damp mark.

****

*Screech*.

With that sound, the spinning wheels finally ceased.

Yet, Yoon Heesung remained stubbornly seated on the saddle, utterly still.

In turn, I also stayed put, perched quietly upon the seat.

“……”

“……”

Yoon Heesung was silent, and I had no words either.

We remained there for a long moment, perched on the stationary bicycle.

In the distance, an unknown bird trilled, and waves crashed against the shore.

The air around the villa was refreshingly cool, likely due to the abundance of trees.

Feeling the breeze caress my neck, I found myself murmuring aloud.

“This is my first time riding on the back of a bicycle, and it’s actually quite fun.”

“Fun?” Yoon Heesung inquired, his tone devoid of inflection.

I replied without much thought.

“Yeah, it’s really fun.”

It was a peculiar sensation, moving swiftly forward without needing to walk or even stir my legs.

Leaning my full weight against Yoon Heesung felt both awkward and surprisingly pleasant.

It was precisely then that it happened.

Yoon Heesung abruptly veered the bicycle’s handlebars.

“Huh?”

With a sharp *whirl*, the bicycle spun, and my body lurched precariously.

I frantically clutched at Yoon Heesung’s clothing.

“Huh? What are you doing?!”

The path, an incline on our ascent, now plunged into a surprisingly steep descent.

Yet, Yoon Heesung continued to pedal furiously, just as he had on the climb.

The bicycle chain whirred maniacally, chasing the spinning wheels.

The soft “whirr” sound shifted into a harsher, rattling “vrrr-rrr”.

“What are you doing? Where are we going?”

Just then, as we plunged down an even steeper section, my body threatened to lift off the seat.

Horrified, I shouted Yoon Heesung’s name even louder.

“Hey…! Yoon Heesung!”

In my panic, I instinctively pounded his back, but Yoon Heesung remained unfazed.

“Vrrr-rrr, vrrr!” The sound of the spinning wheels was twice as rough as before.

My body pitched forward, and I instinctively buried my face against Yoon Heesung’s back.

The fierce wind stung my eyes.

Finally, I wrapped both arms tightly around Yoon Heesung’s waist, pressing close.

I protested loudly against the back of his head.

“It’s too, too fast…! Hey!”

I felt a slight jolt from Yoon Heesung against my skin.

Yet, he did not cease pedaling until the bottom of the slope.

The moment the bicycle rolled onto flat ground, the roar of crashing waves against our ears made it feel as though we had plummeted into the ocean itself.

My heart still hammered from the midday chase.

However, after a brief pause to catch his breath, Yoon Heesung resumed pedaling with the same intense speed.

I tightened my grip around his waist and shouted again.

“Hey! Are you crazy?! We’re going to fall!”

“Just hold on tight.”

Yoon Heesung finally spoke, his answer completely off-topic.

His languid voice resonated clearly in my ears. It was a familiar evasion, if one could call it that.

I explained to him, as if teaching an uncomprehending younger sibling.

“No, what good is me holding on? You’re going too fast…!”

“Isn’t it more fun because it’s fast?”

“……”

His question, however, left me speechless.

I remembered the casual comment I had just made.

‘What can I even say to someone like him?’

If I hadn’t said it was fun in the first place, he wouldn’t have gone down the slope again.

Yoon Heesung had only descended once more to entertain me, based on my words.

The reprimand I had been about to deliver—*What’s so fun about being reckless?*—died on my tongue.

Yoon Heesung’s intentions were as transparent and clear as if I could hold them in my hand.