IPSTDS Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Nahyuk slowly shook his head. He had never even been to a movie theater with a lover, so there was no way he had ever kissed anyone there.

“Hm. Got it.”

Lee Kangil gave a vague reply and started the car.

---

In truth, it had also been a long time since Nahyuk had last gone to the movies.

Every now and then, he used to go alone, but later, work got so busy that even that became too much.

Maybe that’s why the sweet smell of popcorn, unique to movie theaters, lifted his mood a little.

Or maybe it was because Lee Kangil, sticking to his side like a duckling chasing its mother, was kind of cute—that might’ve been what made him feel better.

Kangil seemed unfamiliar with the theater and acted awkwardly in the space, lingering near Nahyuk as if he found some comfort in staying close to what was at least familiar.

Without thinking, Nahyuk let out a small chuckle and shoved the popcorn into Kangil’s arms.

“Don’t make it so obvious it’s your first time in forever.”

“I don’t like crowded places.”

Now that he mentioned it, the theater really was packed—probably because of a currently popular film.

“Then should we watch something no one else is watching?”

“I don’t care. It’s up to you, Yoon Noah.”

Since Nahyuk didn’t have any movie he particularly wanted to see either, he chose one with a very low reservation rate.

When they entered the theater, it was practically empty.

Though the space was large, there weren’t even ten people scattered among the seats. Near the back, where Nahyuk and Kangil sat, there was no one at all.

There wasn’t even time for small talk before the lights dimmed. Soon, ads began playing on the screen.

The movie that followed turned out to be incredibly dull.

It was a science fiction film about a boy named Debber, the youngest astronaut in history, who crash-lands on a planet and experiences a series of strange events.

Even the ending was incredibly unsatisfying.

Whether the boy lived or died, or if he ever made it back to Earth, the movie ended with an open conclusion.

‘Debber’s journey continues.’

With those final words, the ending credits began to roll.

Nahyuk, unable to shake the emptiness, sat frozen in place. Maybe they should’ve just watched the hit movie after all… he felt a bit of regret.

Just as he was about to ask what Kangil thought, he felt something heavy on his shoulder. When he turned his head, he saw Kangil sound asleep—who knew when he’d nodded off.

Whether from boredom or sheer exhaustion from his nonstop work, Kangil showed no sign of waking.

Not wanting to disturb him, Nahyuk stayed still. He figured it’d be fine to remain like that until the credits finished rolling.

In doing so, he unintentionally began to observe him.

Long, dark lashes like awnings over his closed eyes, flawless pale skin, arms wrapped tightly around the popcorn like it was a lover, long legs awkwardly folded into the tight space.

Through the few buttons undone on his shirt, his slender collarbones and the faint outline of a toned chest were visible.

The slight contact between their bodies radiated heat.

No, maybe it was his own body that had gotten hot.

The soft strands of Kangil’s hair tickled the nape of his neck. It made even Nahyuk’s heart feel ticklish.

And he smelled nice, too. Nahyuk didn’t know much about cologne, so he had no idea what brand it was—but whatever it was, it smelled amazing.

That pleasant scent only amplified the fluttering in his chest. Thump thump. The sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears.

Overcome by that strange sense of excitement, Nahyuk spoke without realizing what he was doing.

“You… asked if I’ve ever kissed someone in a theater, but all you’ve done is sleep.”

His voice was laced with an odd hint of disappointment.

It’s not like Kangil would hear him anyway since he was asleep…

“…!”

But at that moment, their eyes met—those deep eyes that looked like they could see right through someone.

“You were hoping for it, huh?”

Kangil had apparently heard him. Nahyuk swallowed dryly, suddenly feeling parched.

Kangil slowly lifted his head from Nahyuk’s shoulder and gazed at him. Their faces were so close.

“I thought you’d hate it…”

“Huh?”

“Shall I find out?”

Murmuring vague words, Kangil tilted his head to the right.

Before Nahyuk could ask what he was doing, warm lips touched his.

It didn’t turn into a deep kiss with tongues tangled together.

Even if Kangil was a bit unhinged, he hadn’t forgotten this was a public movie theater.

The gentle kiss barely touched, then parted—but Kangil’s gaze lingered on Nahyuk’s lips. That heated stare was too much for Nahyuk to bear, and he kept turning his eyes away.

“Your face is red.”

“…”

“Guess you really don’t hate my kisses anymore.”

His fingertips tapped lightly against Nahyuk’s cheek.

“Answer me.”

Everything about Kangil was so overwhelming that Nahyuk couldn’t even think about lying. It was hard enough just enduring the intensity.

“…I don’t hate it.”

“…”

Kangil frowned slightly, almost like he’d wanted Nahyuk to dislike it. His face said the reaction was completely unexpected.

“Let’s go.”

He stood up first and reached out his hand. Nahyuk took it.

The moment their fingers touched, his heart thudded once more.

---

After that, Lee Kangil drove Nahyuk home and left.

Nahyuk couldn’t make sense of Kangil’s behavior that day.

He had been teasing in the morning, unusually mild-mannered at the theater, and then strangely silent on the way back home. It felt like he’d changed personalities dozens of times in a single day.

‘Did something shift in his mindset?’

Still, no matter how much he wondered, Kangil didn’t seem like the type to answer honestly. He was the kind of person who was curious about others’ thoughts but rarely revealed his own.

Feeling worn out from the brief outing, Nahyuk became one with the bed. His stamina, already weakened compared to his original body, made itself known in moments like this.

How long had he been lying there? A text came in from Kangil.

– Yoon Noah, you haven’t forgotten our deal, right? Whatever happened between us, that doesn’t change what you need to do with your favorite.

Below that message was the date and time Nahyuk was to meet his favorite, along with the address of a café.

It seemed Kangil expected him to carry out the task there. Was he planning to hide nearby and spy on whether Nahyuk kissed Kim Daon?

Not long after, another message came from Kim Daon.

– Sunbae, are you really busy?

Only then did Nahyuk start composing his reply to Kim Daon.

– Daon-ah, I’m really sorry for replying so late… Could we maybe meet here?

Nahyuk forwarded the café address Kangil had given him to Daon.

He wasn’t sure if he’d really be able to kiss him, but for now, meeting there seemed like the right move.

The day they agreed to meet was Saturday morning, two days from now.

---

On Saturday morning, Nahyuk snapped his eyes open without the help of an alarm. His eyes, staring up at the white ceiling, looked sunken and tired.

He hadn’t slept a wink the night before. The thought of meeting Kim Daon had kept him up all night.

While the idea of meeting his favorite character stirred excitement, the task Kangil had assigned him weighed heavily on his mind, stirring anxiety.

Unable to reach a clear answer to his worries, he was met with the sun of a new day. A dry sigh escaped through his clenched teeth.

“Guess I’ll just go and see how it goes.”

He figured he’d be honest with Kim Daon and watch his reaction. Nothing else came to mind.

It was 8:00 a.m. now. Their meeting was scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

Nahyuk decided to catch some sleep while he could. He set an alarm and closed his eyes, and soon, a wave of delayed drowsiness swept over him.

Drifting into a light nap, he was suddenly stirred by a soft vibration.

“What time is it…”

It was 1:00 p.m. His alarm had been set for 2:00 p.m.

So it must have been something else that caused his phone to buzz.

Still half-asleep, Nahyuk blinked at the screen—and what he saw jolted him fully awake.

「‘Even in Ruins, Flowers Bloom’ Episode 74 is now live!」

He shot up in bed and tapped on the notification.

Soon, the contents of Episode 74 began to fill his screen.

Just reading the opening made his sleep vanish. Nahyuk read it with surprising seriousness.

“……”

Episode 74 began from the perspective of a character briefly introduced in the previous chapter—Park Sangcheol.

Park Sangcheol was a journalist for Myeongjeong, the top newspaper in the country, and he was working on an exposé about Seo Dowoong’s past.

For reasons unknown, he harbored intense anger toward Seo Dowoong.

Apparently, he was also furious at Kim Daon, and even hinted at plans for revenge.

Park Sangcheol went as far as hiring a criminal gang that would do anything for money to harm Kim Daon.

「…Park Sangcheol, who had orchestrated the accident involving Kim Daon, started to chuckle.

He couldn’t touch Seo Dowoong carelessly, being an executive at a major conglomerate. But Kim Daon was a nobody. Hurting someone like him wouldn’t come with consequences.

Park Sangcheol had already discovered Kim Daon’s plans and prepared for the ambush.

‘They’ll just think it was a hit-and-run.’

With no CCTV or witnesses, there would be no way for Kim Daon to track the attacker down.

The thought of Kim Daon, unable to catch the culprit and stewing in frustration, made Sangcheol laugh even harder.

Then, a message arrived on his phone—from the gang hired to hurt Kim Daon.

– 4 p.m. Café Waveon.

In other words, they planned to run Kim Daon over as he headed to Café Waveon around 4 p.m. Park Sangcheol gave a small nod.」

“W-Wait. Café Waveon?”

The name was familiar.

Nahyuk quickly pulled up Kangil’s message. Sure enough, it said: “4 p.m., Café Waveon.”

No way… Was that incident supposed to happen today?