ETP Ch 69

Jihye and Seoleun, after sending off Yoohyun and Bokseung, looked at each other with bewildered expressions.

“Uh, they’re really not in a relationship, right?”

“I know. He said they’re not, so I guess they’re not?”

“Ah! What a real shame.”

“The friend you wanted to introduce Bokseung to?”

“Yes!”

Jihye puffed out her cheeks and showed her friend’s picture to Seoleun again.

“Doesn’t she look good to you too, Unni?”

“Yeah. She looks really good.”

“Everyone’s lining up to be introduced just once, so why does Bokseung say no?”

“Maybe he felt too pressured? How about we do this?”

“How??”

As Seoleun’s explanation continued, Jihye nodded her head vigorously.

In the end, they finished the assignment long after Bokseung had left.

🍑‧₊ ⋆˙

Meanwhile, Bokseung and Yoohyun, who had left the cafe, were naturally heading towards the parking lot. Bokseung, who seemed to be continuously thinking about something as he walked, called out to stop Yoohyun.

“Sunbae-nim, just a moment.”

“Yeah.”

“Um, about Kim Taeon. Do you happen to know how the investigation is going?”

Kim Taeon?

At the name that came from Bokseung’s mouth, Yoohyun’s steps faltered.

He had been off-guard because there had been no mention of it for a while, but this was an unexpected attack. Yoohyun asked again, pretending to be calm.

“Why do you ask.”

“It’s nothing special, just that I can go back to my own home once the matter is resolved.”

“You want to go back?”

At Yoohyun’s question, Sungyeon nodded his head as if it were obvious.

Of course, staying at his house was a very good thing. Yuja was cute, and Yoohyun, who seemed like he would be difficult, was surprisingly okay. It seemed their compatibility was better than he had worried.

It was probably because Yoohyun didn’t talk back to him, so they couldn’t fight, but anyway, living in his house wasn’t bad. However, because of that, the time they spent together increased, and it seemed they were being misunderstood here and there.

Having experienced it several times recently, Sungyeon now wanted to avoid such misunderstandings as much as possible.

“I have to go back. I can’t be indebted to you forever.”

In any case, it was also true that he was greatly indebted to him, albeit unintentionally. Still, the thought that he should reduce the time he spent with Yoohyun was stronger.

Of course, he could have been honest and told him about the various misunderstandings he was facing. But as soon as he brought it up, he could be kicked out that very day for the reason that it was unpleasant, so he pushed the biggest cause to the corner.

“There’s no particular news yet.”

“Ah, is that so.”

Yoohyun had no intention of telling Bokseung that Kim Taeon had already gone somewhere across the sea.

Because if he said the matter was resolved, it was obvious that Bokseung would leave the house that very day.

Yoohyun wanted to keep the kid by his side, even for a little longer. He wanted Bokseung to be where his gaze could reach. It was still not enough to satisfy his slowly growing greed.

But.

“Surprisingly, it seems Sunbae-nim’s connections aren’t that great.”

“What?”

Yoohyun scoffed at the words that were subtly provoking him without knowing anything.

“You said you knew a lot of people at the police station, but there’s still no news. Are you sure they’re investigating properly?”

“They probably are.”

“It’s not your business, so you’re not— no! It is your business, so what are you going to do if the investigation is so slow?!”

Yoohyun, who was calmly watching Bokseung get worked up, realized something strange.

“Wait, my business?”

“Didn’t you get hit by that bastard too, Sunbae-nim?”

“I did?”

“Yes, so you said you’d report it for me……”

……it seems that wasn’t the case.

Seeing Yoohyun’s face crumple fiercely, Sungyeon shut his mouth.

Then why did he act so proactively and say that that day? I thought it was because he got hit by that guy too.

“It seems that wasn’t it.”

“Yeah!”

“I must have misunderstood.”

“Yeah!!”

Yoohyun walked on, making his displeasure very obvious.

“Then you were really reporting it for me because you were worried about me?”

Bokseung, who had barely caught up to Yoohyun with short steps, said while hopping in place. Every time he jumped, the kid’s round face would get closer and then farther away.

Yoohyun firmly pressed down on Bokseung’s frantically moving head to hold it still. His gaze was fixed on him.

“That’s right.”

“No way.”

“What do you mean, no way.”

“You did that troublesome thing for me, Sunbae-nim?”

I must have looked really sick back then. For that Hwang Yoohyun to step up and offer to report it for me.

Anyway, Kim Taeon is a bad bastard.

Sungyeon came to that conclusion.

“Just what is my image to you?”

Yoohyun looked down at Bokseung with a dumbfounded expression.

It seemed that to Bokseung, Yoohyun was the worst, on par with human scum. Since Yoohyun was, in his own way, being deferential to Bokseung, a sense of injustice sprouted in his heart.

“Uh, no comment.”

Tsk, Yoohyun clicked his tongue. It seemed his guess was at least 80% correct. Strangely, in situations like this, he never said empty words.

“Sunbae-nim? Still, I like you, Sunbae-nim.”

Like? Hmm, what’s with the sudden empty words? Or could it be, is he being sincere?

Yoohyun’s eyes narrowed as he mulled over Bokseung’s words.

Bokseung, who noticed the change in Yoohyun’s expression from the side, urgently tapped his arm and said,

“Ah! Don’t misunderstand! I just mean I like you as a Sunbae-nim. There’s no other meaning at all!”

“Haa, forget it.”

Is it so wrong for there to be some other meaning? Yoohyun clicked his tongue even louder than before.

🍑‧₊ ⋆˙

Sungyeon looked inside the refrigerator, wondering what to make for dinner. Since they had gone grocery shopping at the mart yesterday, it was filled with all sorts of ingredients.

“Sunbae-nim? What should we have for dinner today?”

“Anything.”

“I really hate people who say ‘anything’.”

Yuja, who had been following the kid around at his feet, also chimed in with a small “nyaa.”

Sungyeon rummaged through the refrigerator a few more times, then picked up Yuja and walked towards the sofa.

On the sofa, Yoohyun was looking at his phone with a serious face. It wasn’t an unfamiliar sight, as Yoohyun usually looked at his phone screen when he was resting. The only problem was that the phone he was holding was Bokseung’s.

“Isn’t that mine?”

Sungyeon snatched the phone Yoohyun was looking at and put it in his pocket.

“Are you hiding something?”

Yoohyun asked, narrowing his brow.

Who’s in a position to be angry right now? The one who farts is the one who gets angry!

At his shameless attitude, Sungyeon, not to be outdone, also narrowed his brow and said,

“You’re the one who was looking at my phone without permission, Sunbae-nim, so why are you looking at me with that expression?”

“I didn’t look at it on purpose.”

It was a ridiculous answer.

“Of course you didn’t look at it on purpose! If you looked at it on purpose, that would be a crime! You don’t do this to other people too, do you? You’ll get in big trouble if you do!”

Bokseung’s nagging, with both hands on his hips, tickled his ears. However, Yoohyun showcased his specialty, that is, ignoring other people, and only said what he wanted to say.

“So are you going out?”

“Excuse me?”

“That.”

Yoohyun gestured towards Bokseung’s pocket with his chin. He tilted his head at the sudden jump in conversation topic.

“Did I get a message from someone asking to meet?”

“Yeah.”

At Yoohyun’s answer, Sungyeon quickly took the phone out of his pocket. As he said, there were a few messages that had just arrived on the screen.

[Lee Jihye: Bokseung!]

[Lee Jihye: Are you free next Wednesday evening? If you have time, let’s go eat together! There’s something I want to eat, but my schedule doesn’t match with my boyfriend’s ㅠㅠ Can you go eat with me?]

[Lee Jihye: (emoticon)]

It was a message from Lee Jihye, who was in the same group project.

Hmm, but she’s already asking about eating next Wednesday? And with me, who’s not even a classmate in the same major? Going so far as to specify the day and time?

Sungyeon felt a sense of bewilderment at the unexpected message.

She seemed sociable, but I guess she’s not just sociable, she’s extremely sociable.

Sungyeon, who had never eaten with anyone other than Yoohyun or the Beagle Trio, found this kind of message itself unfamiliar. He was worried about what to reply.

Of course, having a meal with a friend from the same project wasn’t a very difficult thing. But for some reason, it felt like there was something more to it, which was unsettling.

After tilting his head a few times, Sungyeon found the most likely reason.

Ah, could it be because of the misunderstanding about my relationship with Hwang Yoohyun Sunbae-nim? Because she feels sorry for misunderstanding like that?

“Umm.”

Bokseung’s small, white fingers wandered over the phone screen.

Yoohyun’s inner thoughts were also wandering as he watched.

If he told him not to go, he would surely get an earful again, asking what business it was of his, and if he told him to go, he would obviously be worrying at home alone until Bokseung came back.

Finally, as if he had made up his mind on what to do, the wandering fingers found their direction and tapped the screen.

After that, the vibration rang repeatedly several times. Every time he heard the buzzing sound, Yoohyun’s fingers also twitched.

After a few minutes of this, as if the conversation was more or less over, Bokseung turned off the screen and headed back to the kitchen.

“So?”

“Excuse me?”

“Are you meeting her?”

“Uh, yes. I don’t have my part-time job that day, so?”

It was a nonchalant tone. Yoohyun, for some reason, felt disappointed by that and turned away with a whoosh without replying.

“Ah! Sunbae-nim! I’m asking what you want to eat?!”

“Anything.”

Just like before, the answer Sungyeon hated the most in the world came back.