Teach a Boy to Fish

Six Fish

"Have a good lunch, everyone," the teacher said after fourth period.

As Yuel put his textbook away into his desk, he thought about the hiding places he found the day before. There was the top of the stairwell that led to the closed-off rooftop, the teachers' parking lot, and behind the gym building. He just had to get out of the classroom before Edin could talk to him—

"Hey, Yuel."

Shit. Yuel froze the second he got up. "...Yeah?"

"Do you want to have lunch with me?"

"No," Yuel said without a moment's hesitation.

"Okay."

"Huh?"

Edin reached into his backpack and took out the bread and soda he bought at the school store just before fourth period. Yuel assumed he was saving it for later, but now he found out that it was actually for him.

"Here. Don't starve yourself during lunch," Edin said before standing up to go join his friends who were off to the cafeteria.

"What's on the menu today, Ham?" Euiheon asked.

Hamin sniffed the air out in the third-floor hallway. "My nose is telling me curry."

Euiheon sniffed the air too, only to tilt his head in confusion from not picking up any kind of food scent at all, let alone that of curry.

"Come on, has my nose ever been wrong?"

"Surprisingly enough, no. Are you sure you're not a dog?"

"Why? Do you want to make me your bitch, baby?"

"You're the last dog I'd ever want to adopt."

"Then, doesn't that make me the first dog you'd want to adopt on Opposite Day?"

"Let's just have lunch as the two of us, Edin."

"Sure, Euiheon."

"Ah, wait for me!"

The three boys' voices could no longer be heard as they reached the stairwell to go down to the first floor. Yuel soon became the only person in the classroom. He stared at the bread and can of soda Edin had left him. He did eventually eat the things the boy gave him the day before when his hunger got the better of him after fifth period. But Edin refused to let Yuel pay him back for it. He would likely refuse again, but the growling in Yuel's stomach was making it hard not to have something right now.

Yuel thought about heading down to the store and buying his own food. But the moment he tried to get back up to leave, he recalled the confrontation with those two nameless boys. What if he ran into them again? Or what if someone else who knew him from middle school approached him to ask about the rumor? He could barely say anything the first time, and he still didn't know what he was supposed to respond with in that situation.

It wasn't like he could switch schools at this point, now that the semester had begun. His dad definitely wouldn't go through the trouble of enrolling him somewhere else, either. In other words, he was stuck in this school for the rest of the year. It also seemed that he would be stuck in this classroom for the rest of the lunch hour.

He took the bread out of its packaging and took his first bite. This time, it was filled with both red bean paste and cream. It was his favorite type of bread, though he doubted Edin knew that when he got it for him. He checked his phone as he ate. There were a few messages from Kyungwon that had come during his morning classes.

[Kyungwon Hyung: I know you're at school and won't see this, but Sori is insisting I send it to you.]

Attached was a crayon picture Sori drew of her and Yuel getting married. It was so wholesome that the boy couldn't help smiling at it.

[Kyungwon Hyung: Sorry, but I think your bride's already been decided.]

Yuel's smile didn't last long. He was reminded of all the times he imagined himself getting married to Kyungwon. He knew it would be impossible for a number of different reasons, but there was nothing stopping him from simply imagining it. And so he did, night after night back in middle school.

It was funny how a thought that once filled Yuel's heart with sweet joy now only reminded him of how bitterly empty it was. He never took himself as the type to get lonely, yet he suddenly found himself craving human interaction. Unfortunately, he didn't have a single friend in this school. And the one strange boy who acted somewhat friendly to him was probably over him now to hang out with his actual friends.

"Figures..." Yuel sighed and finished the rest of his bread.

He sent back a short "Haha" with no punctuation or emoticon and shoved his phone inside his desk. Kyungwon was probably home and would see his reply right away. Knowing him, he was bound to respond with another lighthearted remark, utterly clueless as to how much it hurt Yuel to talk to him.

School was the last place Yuel wanted to be dealing with emotional trouble. Regardless of what Kyungwon would say back to him, he decided not to check his phone again until he got home.

He went off to spend the rest of lunch napping to clear his mind. He didn't even realize when Edin returned to the classroom alone as soon as he was done eating. Euiheon and Hamin were taking their time coming back up by stopping at the school store for some ice cream first.

Yuel was sleeping with his head on his desk facing the window, which was also in the direction of Edin's desk. Edin sat down and placed his head on his desk as well, gazing at the pretty boy all he wanted without getting caught.

Patience, Edin reminded himself, thinking back to the day's moral.

He noticed that Yuel ate all of the bread he got him. That made two days in a row. And this time, the boy ate it right away instead of waiting until after fifth period. Edin considered that progress.

Smiling, Edin closed his eyes to take a quick nap, too. Sleep didn't come to him, however, as he couldn't stop contemplating his next way of getting Ye Yuel to open up to him bit by bit.