"Hm. You alright?" she looked at him from a distance.
Daewon stood there, his chest rising and falling as Hyeri's words lingered in the air.
"Daewon?" she said softly, searching his expression.
He exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little. He wasn't sure why, but something about her presence had that effect. Maybe it was because she wasn't pushing too much, just enough to let him know she noticed.
"Ah, nothing. Forget it." he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "It's nothing important, really."
Hyeri frowned but didn't push any further for now. "If you say so." She glanced at him for long. "You heading home now?"
"Yeah. I kinda have to or else mom will ask me thousands of questions."
"Mrs. Detective in action?"
"Well yeah, sort of." he chuckles, gently fixing his glasses position.
"I'll walk with you," she said casually, as if it wasn't a big deal. "I mean, I don't have anything else to do so why not just walk you home."
Daewon hesitated. He wasn't used to people offering to walk with him, at least not without some ulterior reason. But Hyeri just stood there, waiting, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"…Alright then, if you insist..." he said after a moment.
They started walking side by side, the cool evening air brushing past them, the delicate breeze cooling their heads off, it was the perfect day. The streets weren't as busy anymore, the sounds of cars and chatter were fading into the background.
Hyeri kept a steady pace with him, her hands in her pockets. "You looked like you were thinking about something back there."
Daewon sighed. "Just school stuff."
She then covered her mouth and smirked, "School stuff huh? I bet you were thinking about something dirty, perv!"
"NO, NO, NO!" he was flapping his hands. "Just school stuff, really!"
She gave him a look that said she didn't buy it, but she didn't press further again. "Well, if it's just school stuff, then I guess you won't mind if I talk about random things to break the silence?"
He glanced at her. "Go ahead."
Hyeri smirked. "Alright, let's see. Oh wait, did you know that pigeons can recognize themselves in mirrors? Isn't that crazy?!"
Daewon blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
"It's true! Not a lot of animals can do that. You see, some animals can't recognize themselves because they have some kind of level of self-awareness."
Daewon huffed a quiet laugh. "Where did all this come from and what does that have to do with anything?"
"I don't know. You just looked like you needed a distraction."
He didn't respond immediately. Instead, he found himself staring at the sidewalk, his mind a little lighter than before.
"Thanks," he muttered. "I think I feel better, the weight on my chest feels lighter somehow."
Hyeri smiled. "Anytime, now remember, if you ever feel like venting to someone. Here's my number so we can keep in touch outside lessons as well."
By the time they reached Daewon's neighborhood, the sky had darkened, the streetlights casting long shadows on the streets.
"This is me," he said, stopping in front of his house.
Hyeri nodded. "Alright. Get some rest, okay? You had a long day."
Daewon tilted his head. "You don't live near here, do you?"
"Nah, but I don't mind walking. It's the best exercise after all!"
He frowned. "You sure you'll be fine? I can walk you home."
Hyeri raised an eyebrow. "Are you worried about me?" smirks.
Daewon scoffed. "I just don't want to be responsible if you get lost or something you know."
She chuckled. "Sure you don't. Relax. I'll be fine. If someone will try to kidnap or rob me amma give them a piece of this." she then flexes her muscles. "Well that was cringe, anyways bye Daewon!"
With a small wave, she turned and started walking away. Daewon stood there for a moment before sighing and heading inside.
The house was quiet when he stepped in. He slipped off his shoes like always, feeling the familiar warmth of home settle around him.
Jinwoo's voice came from the living room. "You're back?"
Daewon walked in to find his younger brother on the couch, a game controller in his hands. He was leaning forward, eyes locked on the screen, but he still glanced at Daewon briefly.
"Yeah, I'm back" Daewon replied.
Jinwoo paused the game and turned to him properly. "How was school? Anything unusual happened?"
Daewon blinked. "Eh why are you acting like Mom?"
Jinwoo shrugged. "I dunno, I just thought I'd ask."
Daewon sat down on the couch, stretching his arms. "It was… fine, I guess. Just a normal school day. Nothing really crazy."
Jinwoo narrowed his eyes. "Well that's uncertain."
"Good," Daewon muttered. "Means you won't ask more questions."
Jinwoo snorted. "You're impossible to deal with bruh."
They sat in silence for a while, the background music from the game was dimly filling the room.
Then, Jinwoo said, "Are you still hurting? Your bruises, I mean."
Daewon glanced at him.
Jinwoo wasn't looking at him this time, his eyes were back on the game, but his fingers weren't moving.
"Well not as much as before," Daewon admitted.
Jinwoo nodded, as if he was considering something. "That's good."
Daewon watched his brother for a moment before leaning back. "You're weirdly concerned these days."
Jinwoo scoffed. "And you're weirdly okay with it."
Daewon didn't have a response to that.
For once, he didn't mind.