pulling on cosmic strings ꩜ pi hanwool, study group

3. an earful from minhwan

Minju looked at her phone curiously. Hanwool, seated beside her, asked, "Who is it?"

Minju wordlessly responded by directing the phone screen to him. The caller ID flashed on her screen, 'Ma Minhwan.'

She angled the phone back to herself, and swiped right to accept the call. Minju put the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

"I can't believe you guys left me!" a whiny voice screamed in the receiver.

Minju instinctively put some distance between the phone and her ear, her face scrunching from the sharp pain in her eardrums.

"I've been texting and calling you guys since forever, and you only answer now?" The voice didn't bother taking a breath before continuing, "First, I get abandoned. Next, I'm the one carrying both your bags? Take pity on your dear friend, will you?"

"Right, our bags," Hanwool said as he faced Minju, as if Minhwan's complaints through the phone were loud enough for him to hear.

"Sorry, my phone died on the way," Minju responded.

"Fine. And what's your excuse?" Minhwan's screeching voice boomed through the speaker, speaking to Hanwool.

Taking his phone out of his pocket to check, Hanwool replied, "It was on silent."

"Ugh. You guys better make it up to me. Hmm," Minhwan pondered in thought, "Come to the lounge with sweet treats."

Slurping noises sounded from beside Minju, Hanwool's head deep in his cup noodles.

"Noodles?! You're are eating noodles without me?" Minhwan gasped in disbelief. "Oh you guys are so done. The sweet treats better be able to fill my cravings for the whole week, or your backpacks are being tossed out the window!"

Just like that, the phone clicked, signaling Minhwan had ended the call. Minju turned to look at the boy beside her, "Really?"

The boy simply looked at her with a flat look, "They were getting soggy."

He then took initiative to peel back the remaining of the lid off Minju's cup noodles, using chopsticks to mix the noodles around. "Start eating now, or it won't taste good," Hanwool handed her the chopsticks.

‧｡ ₊ ⭑˚ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹

Hanwool appeared at the door with two big bags of candies and snacks, each threatening to burst at its seams. Minju followed behind him.

Minhwan, lying leisurely on the couch, drawled, "Finally. Thought you guys were going to take forever."

In an instant, he shot up, eyes gleaming at the plastic bags. "Give it," he snatched the bags away from Hanwool, then jumped back onto the couch, already unwrapping one of the gummies and shoving it in his mouth.

Minhwan shoved gummy after gummy into his mouth before asking with his mouth full, "So where'd you guys go?"

"Just on a drive," Minju says as she sits beside him, one knee elevated on the couch to make her face him. She laid her arm and head on the back cushion, "How was the rest of school?"

Hanwool approached the occupied couch and sat on the table in front of it, facing the both of them. His hands were splayed behind him on the table, holding his weight as he leaned backwards.