Taesan Fanfic | You met me in the prologue of youth - 03. You and I met on the rooftop

김여주

What are you talking about .. ! Wanting to skip class .. !

At Tae-san's one word, Yeoju's face turned red as if it were about to burst. Wanting to keep skipping class, he said. Seeing Yeoju flustered and at a loss, Tae-san let out a quiet, breathy laugh.

Tae-san let go of the hand that had been gripping Yeoju's school uniform sleeve, dusted himself off, and plopped down on the stairs. When Yeoju tried to get up as if ready to run at any moment, Tae-san indifferently tapped the seat beside him.

한태산

Sit. There's still more than 5 minutes left before the bell.

김여주

But ..

한태산

You were tired from running here too. If I tell you to sit, just sit, yeah?

Though his words were cold, tossed out in a brusque way, Tae-san took off the school jacket he was wearing and spread it out on the cold cement stair floor. At his thoughtful gesture, Yeoju clamped her mouth shut again and hesitated, then carefully sat down with her hips on the jacket.

The jacket, still warm with Tae-san's body heat, was cozy, and its own deep scent drifted faintly over, tickling Yeoju's chest mercilessly.

김여주

You .. why do you keep trying to run away during class?

When Yeoju asked in a crawling voice, Tae-san answered indifferently, looking at the sky outside the window.

한태산

Because the classroom feels stifling.

김여주

What if the teacher calls on you ..

한태산

Doesn't matter. No one's paying attention to me anyway.

At that moment, Yeoju didn't miss the strange bitterness that brushed the end of Tae-san's indifferent voice. To others, Tae-san always seemed confident and cold, but sometimes, when he hid away on the rooftop stairs like this, he also looked like a lonely island completely cut off from the world.

Though Yeoju was timid and had never once reached out to help someone else's business first, this time she somehow found herself with courage. With trembling hands, Yeoju quietly held out the strawberry milk she'd received that morning toward Tae-san.

김여주

This one .. I haven't drunk it yet .. do you want it .. ?

Tae-san slowly turned his head and looked back and forth between Yeoju and the strawberry milk in her hand.

한태산

That's the one I gave you earlier.

김여주

I thought you hadn't eaten anything since morning being here ..

한태산

…

Tae-san's gaze deepened for a moment. It was just a small strawberry milk to others' eyes, but to Tae-san it seemed to come to him more powerfully than anything else. Looking down silently at Yeoju, Tae-san gently brought the strawberry milk, with the straw already poked in, to the corner of Yeoju's mouth.

한태산

You drink it all.

김여주

Huh .. ?

한태산

You have to drink even one sip before I will too.

김여주

Y-you're really weird .. !

When Yeoju, startled again, made her rabbit eyes wide and drew her face in, Tae-san let out a small pfft of laughter. With that straight-ahead expression as he smiled with one corner of his mouth lifted, Yeoju had to feel her heart drop again.

Then, ringgggg, the bell rang.

한태산

Let's go, kiddo. We should head down before you get scolded, right?

Tae-san shook off the dust and stood up, then picked up the jacket Yeoju had been sitting on and casually draped it over his shoulder. And after leading the way, he slowed his pace little by little to match Yeoju's steps behind him.