Chapter 56

* * *After saying their goodbyes, Yurim quietly made her way over to Geunseok. The boy grabbed her hand gently.“Want to walk for a bit?”“Sure.”Yurim liked Geunseok’s hand. Grabbing the boy’s big hand tended to calm her down. After she started grabbing his hand, the time she spent on her phone drastically decreased. It felt like his hand was making sure she wouldn’t get nervous without her phone again.‘Warm.’It was a hot summer, but she didn’t feel hot at all. As a matter of fact, she wanted to get closer to Geunseok. The boy changed his grip to clasp her hand gently. That calmed Yurim down even more.Geunseok was like a tree. A tree to lean on.“It was a bit awkward a moment ago,” Geunseok said.Yurim had to agree.“For real. I didn’t think he’d really come out.”“Is it really that difficult to say sorry? He almost managed to split the club apart back then.”“Yeah, yeah. He was saying all sorts of strange stuff. Especially about practice. We were going to practice anyway in a few weeks, but he acted like he knew everything.”“He probably wanted to try sitting in a pedestal or something.”“Yeah. I thought well of him until then. Turns out he was a total fake.”Yurim looked up at Geunseok after speaking. The boy was looking down at her with a proud smile. What a beautiful smile. Yurim couldn’t be more proud of the fact that Geunseok was her boyfriend. “Let’s not hate on him too much though. He’s a friend.”Geunseok gently rubbed her cheek. What a thoughtful boyfriend. To think he’d still care so much for Maru after that…“Okay.”Yurim tightened her grip a little more around Geunseok’s hand. Right then, she felt her phone vibrate inside her pocket. It was Soyeon.“Give me a second,” Yurim picked up the call. “Yeah. Soyeon?”- Where are you? I thought we were going back home together.“Oh, really? I’m going back with Geunseok.”- Really? You should’ve told me.“Sorry. I forgot.”- ...You’ve been forgetting a lot.“Mm?”- It’s nothing. Have fun. But don’t show off too much in front of me, you hear? I don’t want to die of jealousy just yet.Soyeon hung up with a small laughter. Yurim felt even better after her best friend’s call.‘She must be a bit jealous.’Then again, anyone would be jealous of having Geunseok as a boyfriend. He was good at studying, good looking, and he was good at acting. The boy was just good at everything.“Want to go to a karaoke?” Yurim asked, shaking her hand.“I can’t sing though,” Geunseok smiled nervously in response.How cute. Yurim could easily tell that despite looking so reliable, Geunseok was actually a little child inside.‘I’ll take care of Geunseok.’Yurim relied on Geunseok. She could also tell that the boy was relying on her as well. Geunseok only managed to look so firm and upstanding because of her. What an amazing relationship. Geunseok meant the world to her, and she must mean the world to Geunseok as well.After the day she almost got kidnapped, Yurim started relying on different things for her survival. At first, it was her phone. After she entered high school, it was Soyeon. But things were different now. Geunseok needed her. She was no longer someone who needed to rely on something else to survive. She was a reliable tree that others could lean on.Yurim grasped Geunseok’s hand even harder out of pride.“I’ll teach you, don’t worry.”“You better. I really can’t sing.”“No worries.”Yurim grinned. She could feel Geunseok’s warm gaze on her face.“I’m so happy,” Geunseok said.“Of what?”“Of the fact that I met you.”“Psh, you just realized?”That day when Maru messed up the club, Yurim chased after Geunseok as if she was possessed by something. Then, she hugged him. She didn’t know where that courage came from. But she somehow knew that Geunseok would look at her if she did so.The result? They ended up becoming a great couple. In that sense, Yurim was a little thankful towards Maru. If he didn’t do what he did that day, they wouldn’t be couples now.‘I guess I’ll be a little nicer to him next time we meet.’Yurim started walking with Geunseok’s hand in hand. Under the dark blue sky, the two didn’t seem to have a single worry in the world.