Chapter 574 (1/2)

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After listening to their conversation, I heaved a sigh of relief. Kids in the other class seemed to be watching some scary videos with the class computer without warning their classmates.

‘Thank god!’ I returned to my seat totteringly, then fell into thought, looking outside the window.

How long should I be living this way? Perhaps only I could answer this question too.

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Two or three days later, Yoo Chun Young started to text me through the messaging app, instead of calling me on the phone. I was busy studying in my dark room where I only turned my desk lamp on. When I flipped my phone to check the screen, my eyes widened at the message.

[Yoo Chun Young: I’m not going]

Grabbing my phone with both hands, I quickly texted back to him.

[Ham Donnie: Really??]

[Ham Donnie: Why?]

[Yoo Chun Young: I’m filming for my scene on the last day.]

[Yoo Chun Young: I could fly back to the studio on the day before the shoot, but it’s bugging too many people]

[Ham Donnie: Ah, that’s right… it’s a teamwork]

Rubbing my chin, I was immersed in my thoughts. ‘Then does it mean that we wouldn’t be seeing each other until the end of the school trip?’ I switched my gaze to the calendar that had red circles on the dates, 15th, 16th, and 17th.

‘I wouldn’t be able to see him for a week,’ I deeply sighed.

Then, would I feel less uncomfortable to see his face afterward? Would I be able to answer his call as if nothing had happened? I couldn’t guarantee those things, but for now, I felt relieved to take some time apart from him.

However, I also felt sad at the same time that Yoo Chun Young couldn’t attend our school trip, one of the most special events in high school. We did have a retreat last time, but the school trip was on another level, especially when it was taking place in Jeju-do.

Touching my lips again, I slowly typed a message.

[Ham Donnie: But this is a once in a lifetime school trip]

[Ham Donnie: I’m sorry you can’t come]

Yoo Chun Young read my messages immediately but didn’t reply to me for a while.

‘What’s going on?’ I knew that he was slow in typing on the phone, but how long was the message that he was trying to send me? I tilted my head in wonder, then realized something––it was now a perfect time for him to call me on the phone.

Yoo Chun Young did text me a long message earlier, in which he might have had a hard time moving his fingers and typing the response, so this time he would definitely ask me to talk over the phone.

Lowering my head, I quickly left a message.

[Ham Donnie: Oh, I should get back to studying]

[Ham Donnie: Let’s talk later]

Holding my phone, I made a long face.

What was I doing when I just said to him that this was our once-in-a-lifetime school trip? How could I cut off the conversation this way? But to me, it was better than talking over the phone with a trembling voice.

That was when I sighed and flipped my phone to hide the phone screen from my sight. My cell vibrated again.

Even that short vibration made me frozen to the spot. I felt scared to look at my phone screen. As I barely picked it up, I felt the smooth surface slipping on my wet palm. Biting my lips, I tightened my grip and checked the message.

[Yoo Chun Young: Okay]

[Yoo Chun Young: Keep it up]

“Oh geez, thank goodness!”

I was concerned if he would have texted me something like ‘Why are you avoiding my call?’ or ‘Do you feel uncomfortable talking over the phone?’ but no, that was all.

I leaned back in my chair like a wet seaweed and was spaced out, then suddenly crouched down, feeling guilty again.

“What should I do…”

Every time I avoided his call, I felt too bad about myself that now it was even hard to breathe.