A Secret Wish
Lee Suhyun was not the kind of person who could lie with a straight face. “No! Not at all?” He rolled his eyes upward for no reason, hoping it would help sell the act. He had always believed the eyes gave away the most honest information. Instead, the exaggerated gesture only fueled suspicion. Juyeon’s doubt gradually hardened into certainty. The secret she had kept so tightly hidden all this time. From the Spirit members. Even from sharp-eyed Seoeun. She had crawled all the way to that trashy corner just to post an announcement without getting caught!
“Ughhhhh!” Letting out an incomprehensible sound, Juyeon shoved Suhyun aside and bolted. She was heading toward the exit, not back inside the pension building.
“Juyeon! Where are you going?” Startled, Suhyun took off after her. The crunch of gravel underfoot echoed through the night. Since they were near the valley, the croaking of frogs rang clearly in their ears as well.
“Juyeon! I really didn’t see anything!” For someone with such short legs, she sure could hop along. Suhyun panted as he desperately tried to convince her. “You saw it! You saw everything!”
Even after drinking quite a bit, Juyeon kept her posture straight and continued marching forward. “No! What was it, then?”
Suhyun was the one whose stamina gave out first. “Ow!” He had started running on impulse, but his ankle was still injured from earlier. The pain that had been fading flared up again with the sudden exertion.
“Huh…?” Juyeon turned at his pained cry. There was Suhyun, clutching his ankle in agony. “…Are you okay?”
She walked back and crouched in front of him. “I… really didn’t see anything. Juyeon…” The first words out of his mouth, spoken through the pain, were a lie. Juyeon knew they were false, yet she nodded anyway.
“Got it. But… can you stand…?”
“I’ll try…” Suhyun pressed his hands to the ground and tried to push himself up, but it was no use. Every time he attempted to put weight on the foot, a sharp pain shot through it. Looking up at Juyeon apologetically, he seemed to realize he needed help.
“Would it be okay if I put my hand on your shoulder?”
“…Yeah.” She still thought he was in the wrong, but Juyeon offered her shoulder without hesitation. His left fingertips, blistered from playing guitar, rested on her shoulder. Leaning some of his weight on her, Suhyun looked down at Juyeon again.
“Shall we… go?”
“…Yeah.”
Conversation died. The atmosphere was too strange for small talk. They had not exactly fought, and it was unclear whether there was even anything to be angry about, yet an awkward silence hung between them. Suhyun stole glances at Juyeon’s face, faintly lit by the moonlight.
“Suhyun.” They had returned to the pension entrance. Juyeon stopped and looked up at him.
“Yeah?”
“A wish. I’m making one now.”
“A wish?”
“Since I granted your black rose wish… you owe me one, right…”
Suhyun nodded calmly, as if telling her to go ahead.
“…Forget it. Forget what you just saw.”
“Huh?”
“You already know everything you saw… so don’t tell anyone. And forget it yourself, too.”
This was the best Juyeon could do. It was also something she could only ask because she trusted Suhyun to some degree. Her round eyes filled with his. Suhyun, who understood exactly what her request meant, nodded.
“Okay.”
“…Thanks.”
When they opened the door and stepped inside, more casualties had already appeared. “Oh~ What’s this~? What were you two up to~?”
A pungent smell of alcohol hit Suhyun’s nose. It meant Seoeun did not have much time left. Even Choi Kang, who had looked perfectly fine earlier, was now leaning against a wall, fast asleep.
“Truth game over?”
“Yeah. It’s all over~” Seoeun, thoroughly soaked in alcohol, pulled Juyeon into a hug. “The truth is!”
“That I love Park Juyeon so much~” Juyeon, trapped in the arms of the taller Seoeun, pushed her away in disgust at the smell. Eventually Seoeun collapsed as well. Watching Juyeon huff and puff while carrying someone bigger than herself made for a rather cute scene.
The last survivors, Suhyun and Juyeon, began tidying up the remaining trash. “S-Suhyun, you don’t have to clean. Your ankle hurts.” Juyeon was still bothered that he had tripped again because of her.
“It’s fine. I’m just wiping the table anyway.” Being a senior came with many responsibilities, but the only one Suhyun felt he could properly handle was this much.
“Then just do that.” Juyeon had been debating whether to wash the dishes. She even picked up a scrubber, but the fatigue washing over her was clearly signaling that she should go to bed.
“Juyeon, just leave the dishes for tomorrow morning.” Suhyun limped over to her side.
“…Yeah. You should go to sleep too.” The clock had already passed 3 a.m.
“Got it.” Suhyun headed into the room where the guys were staying. Juyeon watched his retreating figure until he disappeared, then entered the girls’ room. Her juniors were already asleep in all sorts of awkward positions. After some careful maneuvering, she managed to settle herself between Seoeun and Hana. For someone like her, who was used to being alone, it had been an unbearably long day. Just as she was thinking that being around so many people really was exhausting, the highlight of the night flashed through her mind once more. Suhyun’s face when he caught her writing the hiatus notice.
“Aah… ugh… ughhhhh…” She could not make loud noises with everyone asleep beside her, but Juyeon tormented her blanket in distress until she finally fell asleep.
Bee— bee— be-be-be-be— be-be-be— be-be-ra-ba-be— ra-be-be— It was a sound that should never ring for young men who had not yet completed their military service. The one cruelly playing the reveille remix was none other than Spirit’s president, Seoeun.
“Everyone! Time to wake up! It’s ten o’clock!” She had somehow acquired a megaphone and was using it to rouse the members.
“Ugh…” The zombies scratched their heads as they rose. Most of the juniors exchanged bleary-eyed greetings.
“Oof… Are you okay, hyung?” Taeho, sweeping his bangs back, sighed while holding his forehead, still suffering from a headache.
“Ah… Yeah. I think I’m fine.” What really concerned Suhyun was his ankle. It had been swollen and throbbing before bed, but it seemed to have gone down a little.
When he opened the door and stepped out sluggishly, ramen preparations were already in full swing outside. “Oh, you’re up. Lee Suhyun?”
Hana, chopsticks in hand, approached him. Whether she had washed her hair or simply woke up that way, her golden locks still swayed gently, stirring his curiosity.
“Yeah.”
“Sleep well?”
“I guess so.”
“Want some ramen?”
“If you’re offering.”
“Hmm… Ah. Then I’ll have to boil this and boil it again.” Six people had already said they would eat, and the pot size was limited. Any more would be impossible.
“No, it’s fine. I won’t eat then.” He had said he would if offered, but it was not a big deal if he did not. If it was too much trouble for Hana, Suhyun was perfectly fine skipping ramen.
“Ah! It’s okay! Just go sit down. I’ll boil it quickly.” Knowing Suhyun’s personality, he would definitely refuse if he thought it was a bother, so Hana pushed him toward the table and made him sit. Next to emerge from the girls’ room was Juyeon. Wearing baggy sweatpants and an oversized boxy T-shirt, she turned her head away the moment her eyes met Suhyun’s. It was as if she did not even want to make eye contact. Suhyun, who had been about to greet her, found himself awkwardly tapping the table with his index finger. Was she upset with him? Maybe she was still bothered by what happened last night.
“Kids! Careful, it’s hot!” Hana set the pot down in the center of the table.
“Wow! Thanks, noona!”
“Thank you, unni!”
“Ah~ Enjoy your meal~” It was Hana’s way of making up for having left early due to drinking and not helping with cleanup. The members gathered around, slurping ramen from paper cups. Suhyun found it strangely moving that this family-like scene had found its way to him as well.
“Ah. Is it real that we have to go to school tomorrow?”
“Real… total hell.”
“Second-years, you know you have to practice the ensemble parts, right?”
Trivial chatter floated around. While Suhyun was nodding along or laughing with the others, he felt a finger poke his side and turned his head. Juyeon had somehow moved next to him and was now staring at his face with a rather stiff expression.
“Yeah?”
“…Lend me your ear for a second.”
Juyeon asked him to lean closer. He shifted his face slightly to the right.
“D-Do you remember the wish?” Juyeon had barely slept, worried that Suhyun might have forgotten their promise while drunk.