IPSTDS Chapter 31

Chapter 31

“By the way, were you about to go in here?”

Kim Daon withdrew the hand that had been patting Yoon Noah’s head and pointed at the building right in front of them.

It was a hair salon Daon frequented.

He had come out to get a haircut while on break, thinking his hair was getting a bit long. And as it happened, Noah seemed to have been heading to the same salon.

“Yeah. I’ve never been to a salon around here before, so I was looking around… This one looked decent, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

“They do a good job here. I’m a regular.”

“Oh, really? Then I’ll try it too.”

Now that he looked closer, the roots of Noah’s hair had started growing out black. According to Seo Dowoong, Noah had dyed his hair brown to match his.

“Are you planning to get it dyed too?”

“Yeah, I’m going to dye it and get a cut, might as well do both.”

Daon often visited the salon when his mind felt cluttered or when he had a lot to think about. For some reason, getting a haircut or changing his hairstyle always left him feeling refreshed.

Maybe it was the same for Noah.

He had given off the vibe that he no longer liked Seo Dowoong. Maybe he’d come to the salon to draw a final line and move on from him.

There’s even that saying—cutting your hair after a breakup.

“Don’t tell me this is about moving on from your unrequited love for Dowoong… is that what this haircut is about?”

Noah gave a gentle nod.

“Yeah, that’s part of it. It’s kind of funny though. We never even dated, but here I am getting a haircut to move on.”

“So what? Are you going to keep dyeing it brown?”

“Yeah. Your hair color’s pretty. I copied you, remember?”

As he said that, Noah quietly looked up at him.

Embarrassed but meeting his gaze directly, Noah looked fresh and sincere. Normally, he had a way of looking at Daon with disdain or contempt.

But the eyes facing him now were clear and calm. There was no trace of jealousy, anger, or any other negativity.

Daon couldn’t help but wonder how someone’s eyes could be so clean and transparent.

Noah’s long eyelashes blinked slowly, casting a shadow beneath his eyes.

Just like the day of the car accident, his pale face looked pure and innocent.

Today, Noah somehow looked younger than usual.

Above all, he looked… cute. So much so that it kept bringing a smile to Daon’s face.

What’s wrong with my eyes? I haven’t even had a drop of alcohol.

“Sunbae.”

“Hm?”

“Can I call you hyung?”

“Huh? H-Hyung? If you’re okay with it, then I don’t mind.”

He hadn’t even used that term with Seo Dowoong. And yet, Daon wanted to call Noah that.

For this guy, who suddenly looked so adorably boyish, the word “hyung” felt much more natural than the stiff, formal “sunbae.”

It was an impulsive suggestion, but he didn’t regret it.

“Hyung.”

The word rolled off his tongue the moment he got permission—it didn’t feel strange at all. It was as if he should’ve been calling him that all along.

On the other hand, Noah, unlike Daon, seemed flustered—his pale cheeks flushed red.

“Feels like it’s the first time someone’s called you hyung. Your face is really red.”

Tap. Daon lightly touched his cheek, which was incredibly soft. He ended up gently stroking Noah’s cheek, enchanted by the texture.

“You look like a perfectly ripe peach right now, hyung.”

Would it taste sweet if I took a bite?

Even as he joked, Noah’s face continued to grow redder and redder. Daon couldn’t take his eyes off him.

---

Nahyuk had been repeatedly surprised over the past few days by everything that had happened to him.

Not only had he exchanged messages with his favorite, Daon, for several days, but they even ran into each other in front of a hair salon.

To be honest, when they crossed paths there, he thought he was hallucinating from thinking about Daon too much.

Otherwise, how could they have met just like that on that street, on that night? If not fate, then what…

Even more surprisingly, Kim Daon seemed somehow gentler than before.

When he asked if he could call him “hyung” and lightly tapped his cheek, he looked absolutely charming.

Thus, suddenly gaining the title of “hyung,” Nahyuk walked into the hair salon in a daze.

The whole time they were getting their hair done, he could feel Daon glancing over at him from the seat beside him. The stare reflected in the mirror felt so intense it seemed like it could pierce his cheeks.

Nahyuk couldn’t meet his own gaze in the mirror.

His face had flushed red as if he were drunk, and his unfocused eyes wandering around embarrassed him.

‘Why is Daon staring at me like that?’

He couldn’t figure out what that gaze meant, and that only made it more confusing.

While he was caught up in his fluster, the haircut ended.

The black roots that had grown out were now neatly dyed, and the hair that had covered his ears was trimmed to reveal the nape of his neck, leaving it feeling fresh.

It wasn’t a dramatic change, but the cleaner look suited him well, and he was pleased.

He glanced over at Kim Daon, whose haircut had just finished as well.

Daon looked visibly brighter.

Though their hairstyles were quite similar, it amazed Nahyuk how much a face could change the entire impression.

“You two must be close friends. Your hairstyles are so similar. You look good together,” the stylist who had worked on Daon’s hair said playfully.

Daon, unfazed, smiled slightly.

“We’re not really close friends. He’s just a local hyung. A hyung who’s good at driving?”

Wait a minute—was he seriously referencing the times Yoon Noah kidnapped him?

“Hyung, you’re gonna take me for a drive again sometime, right?”

Daon tilted his head with a bright smile. Rather than being annoying, it was utterly charming.

“…I’m not driving for a while.”

Daon chuckled at his reply. Nahyuk rubbed his burning face and left the salon first.

When Daon caught up, he spoke like he had some lingering attachment.

“Hyung, did you really not bring your car? I thought you’d drive me home.”

“Daon, I swear, if I could, I’d be your personal chauffeur, but I’m seriously not planning to drive for a while.”

Unlike the real Yoon Noah, Nahyuk barely had a license to begin with. He wasn’t about to risk his life behind the wheel.

“So how are you getting back to that insanely big house? Chauffeur? Taxi?”

“A taxi. I took one to get here.”

Technically, Noah’s chauffeur had been kind enough to drive him around.

But Nahyuk had never lived with a chauffeur. It still felt wrong to make private requests like that.

He only accepted rides when going to the hospital—never for personal errands.

“What about you, Daon? Walking home?”

“Hmm.”

“…Huh?”

“Can I come see your house?”

“My… house?”

Kim Daon wanted to come to his house? That was totally unexpected.

Daon must’ve sensed his confusion and offered an explanation for the sudden suggestion.

“It’s not like I have any ulterior motive. I’ve had a lot of free time, been stuck at home, and thought I could use a change of pace. If it makes you uncomfortable, feel free to say no.”

Come to think of it, Daon had said he’d been home ever since getting paid leave. No wonder he was feeling restless.

More importantly, could Nahyuk actually say no to Kim Daon?

Just looking at him had made Nahyuk feel that falling into this novel was worth it.

Who else gets to see their favorite character, once just words on a page, come to life?

He had once thought he’d be fine just watching from afar, even if they never met again… but somehow, they’d ended up talking, and even grown closer.

Visiting each other’s homes—wasn’t that something you only did with people you were genuinely close to?

As Nahyuk pondered with a fluttering heart, silence hung in the air. Daon seemed to take that silence as hesitation.

He stepped forward—one step, then two—until he was close enough for their knees to touch, and looked down at him.

A light breeze blew, ruffling Nahyuk’s slightly shorter bangs.

Daon gently fixed them, and in a quiet voice like the night, said:

“Still, I’d really like it if you invited me.”

“…”

“Maybe the reason you’ve changed is hidden in that house.”

The way he whispered that was incredibly enticing.

His favorite character’s seduction was too sweet to resist.

“…You can sleep over.”

It was surrender.

Now it felt like his entire body, not just his face, was burning up.

---

Kim Daon’s assessment after looking around my house was short and simple.

“Hyung, you were right. This house really is huge.”

Sitting comfortably on the sofa in the private living room attached to my room on the second floor, Kim Daon looked completely at ease. He didn’t seem like someone visiting another person’s house for the first time.

Seriously, what could Kim Daon be thinking?

To be honest, even while messaging back and forth with him these past few days, I occasionally had that thought.

‘He fought with Seo Dowoong because of me… doesn’t he resent me for that?’

Their relationship had been going well, and I’d ended up being the reason things got messed up.

But Kim Daon never showed any sign of that—he only ever worried about my health. It was enough to make me wonder if it was even possible for someone to be this kind.

So I sat down across from him and asked,

“Daon, do you… maybe have some hidden motive?”

“Hidden motive?”

“Ah, I didn’t mean that in a bad way! Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“I’m not.”

“Like… maybe you think I’m faking all this, and you’re trying to figure it out? That kind of motive…”

Kim Daon let out a long sigh before answering.

“Isn’t the one with the hidden motive actually you, hyung?”

“Me?”

“You’re not acting like this in front of Dowoong, but you keep acting cute around me.”

“M–Me?!”

“Why do you keep blushing? You’re making me curious, and that’s why I keep staring at you.”

The way Kim Daon looked at me then—his gaze burned.