Capítulo 73: A Call

While Hyuk was dealing with the issue of their lodgings, Yeo Ri was having break time at school.

Unlike the day before, Yeo Ri was able to focus more on the exam. That being said, her life had been too hectic so she did not get much studying done. However, Yeo Ri believed that she did her best.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed.

It was her first time ever receiving a text message on her new phone, so she was quite excited.

Yeo Ri took out her phone, checking the new message.

It was from Hyuk, and the message wrote, 'Jin Goo offered to let us stay at his hous for da time being. Oppa might b a little late today so wait a little, okay?'

'Okay,' she replied.

Yeo Ri glanced at her two friends who were animatedly chatting with each other. She had already told them earlier about her new phone and exchanged numbers, so they did not pay attention to her when she took it out.

Yeo Ri secretly smiled before excusing herself. She headed to a secluded spot behind the stairs. The place was quiet and no one would come to bother her.

Yeo Ri carefully typed Hyuk's number which had been ingrained in her memory on the phone's keypad. Although she had his number saved up, she still wanted to try doing it.

The phone rang twice before Hyuk picked up.

"What is it, Yeo Ri-ah?" His familiar voice spoke next to her ear.

Yeo Ri blushed, feeling that it was a bit stupid of her to have felt excited just from calling him. It wasn't like she had never done it before. Though it had been infrequent, Yeo Ri had called Hyuk several times in the past. But for some reason, she felt that this time, it was slightly more special.

Perhaps it was because she was calling from her phone, and not from anyone else's. It felt more personal.

"Yeo Ri?" Hyuk snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Mm, Oppa," she finally replied.

"Why did you call? Is there something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to hear Oppa's voice," Yeo Ri replied sweetly.

"..." This time, it was Hyuk who was lost in his thought. "What are you on about now, you little brat?" Hyuk cleared his throat, feeling bashful.

"Hehe," Yeo Ri giggled. She leaned against the wall, drawing circles on the surface with her forefinger with a slight smile on her face. Just talking to him made her feel happy.

"Oppa."

"Hm?"

"I miss you."

"You—!" Hyuk was at a loss for words. Since when had she been such a sweet-talker? "We just saw each other this morning," he exasperatedly reminded her. On the other side of the call, Hyuk had ran to an empty alleyway, allowing himself to talk comfortably with the girl. "So? Why did you call?"

"Ah, right. You said Jin Goo-oppa offered to let us stay at his house?"

"Mm. He said he was worried about you staying outside."

"Oh... that's nice of him. Oppa, you should treat him more nicely. Friends that go above and beyond like Jin Goo-oppa are very rare, you know?" She lectured.

"I know, I know," Hyuk sighed. He had heen thinking about how he should repay his friend. He seriously had no idea how he got such a great friend. Both In Guk and Jin Goo had continually had his back from the day they became friends. It felt like he had spent an entire lifetime's worth of luck just to meet these guys.

"What about Gun-oppa?"

"What about him? I sent the address to him. He can find it himself."

Yeo Ri frowned in dissatisfaction, "Oppa, can't you be nicer to Gun-oppa?"

"..." Hyuk opened his mouth to say another biting remark, but stopped himself. He didn't want to make Yeo Ri angry with him, so he shut his mouth. "Fine, I'll try," he grumbled.

"Good," Yeo Ri nodded in satisfaction. They were blood brothers, so she didn't understand why they never got along. She understood from the soap operas that she had watched in her free time that half-siblings usually never got along, but for some reason, the two doted on her—who was born from a different mother—more than they doted on each other.

"Then, I'll be waiting. I love you, Oppa," Yeo Ri concluded the call with a light tone. She returned to her friends with a skip in her steps.

On the other side, Hyuk stared at his phone with a flabbergasted expression. He couldn't believe his ears. Did she just say she loved him...? His heart raced from the unexpected statement. All this time, he had always been too afraid to ask her how she felt; he had been too insecure to hear the answer.

After standing dazedly for a long time, Hyuk finally woke up from his trance and went back to what he was doing before the call, a mixture of emotions brewing in his heart.