ETP Ch 88

“Uhm, still, because I’m so sorry.”

“I-It’s okay. I forgive you. So please just back up a little!”

It looked like Bokseung was about to jump out the door.

If he got a little closer, there would probably be a sweet scent, but at this distance, the boy’s pheromones were tantalizingly almost-perceptible, and it was just frustrating. Putting his disappointment aside, Yoohyun backed away.

“Th-that, you didn’t do it on purpose, and… you were worried that I would be surprised by your overly strong reaction, right?”

“Hmm?”

Although it was more that Yoohyun didn’t want to leave Bokseung’s side than worrying about Bokseung being surprised, it was a case of ‘all’s well that ends well.’

Yoohyun quickly hid his surprised expression and turned up the corners of his mouth.

“Uhm. At the time, you, Bokseung, seemed to be having a hard time after going through several major things. I didn’t want to add to it.”

“Right? I thought so!”

“Then, you forgive me?”

“F-Forgive what? If you look at it closely, everything you did was for my sake.”

As he spoke, Sungyeon clutched his thumping heart.

Come to think of it, that’s right. Yoohyun did all that to deal with the guy who was bothering Bokseung, wasn’t he?

Wow, this is not bad, actually.

Conscience poked at Sungyeon from a corner of his heart, saying it hurt, but he tried to ignore it.

Having lived a life of only empathizing with, comforting, and solving other people’s pain until now, experiencing someone stepping up for him like this was truly ticklish and exciting.

And the fact that the subject was Hwang Yoohyun was an extra point of excitement.

Fearing an inappropriate smile would escape, Sungyeon bit his lip firmly. Then, he spoke to Yoohyun, who was still watching his reaction cautiously.

“Instead.”

“Instead?”

“Later, if I happen to do something wrong later on, will Sunbae-nim also forgive me like I forgave you?”

At the soft and sweet condition, Yoohyun nodded widely.

In the end, it meant he would forgive Yoohyun without getting angry about the situation, without sulking, and without demanding accountability. It was so Kim Bokseung-like.

“Anything.”

“You promised?”

“Yes. Shall we link pinky fingers?”

“Pinky fingers are childish!”

While grumbling that it was childish, Sungyeon raised his pinky finger. It was an opportunity for legal finger skinship, he couldn’t miss it. He grinned inwardly.

During the week when he couldn’t even see a single strand of Yoohyun’s hair, Sungyeon realized that his desire to suppress his feelings for Yoohyun would not simply yield to his will.

Then, the moment he heard Yoohyun’s voice after a week, he made a decision. He still had various complex issues remaining, but he decided not to ignore his desire for Yoohyun because of those issues.

Therefore, a list of things to do steadily piled up in a corner of Sungyeon’s mind.

In fact, the reason he brought up the topic of ‘forgiveness’ with Yoohyun was one of those things.

It seemed that to change his relationship with Yoohyun even slightly, there were accumulated problems that needed to be resolved first. During the process of solving them, he might hurt Yoohyun’s feelings, or it might even be enough to make him lose interest, but Sungyeon decided not to avoid the problems at hand and to solve them.

Since Kim Taeon’s matter was resolved, or rather, deleted by Yoohyun, he decided to put that aside for now.

What was particularly weighing on his mind now was the need to clear up the misunderstanding among those around them, especially Hyungseop, who believed that Bokseung and he were dating.

And whether or not he should reveal that he was truly Lee Sungyeon was also a problem.

This was the truly fundamental problem. It was also the thing Sungyeon had been trying hard to ignore.

“Aren’t you going to stay with me now?”

Yoohyun, whose finger was still linked with Bokseung’s, asked. His questioning face was so pitiful that it overlapped with Yuja, meowing for a snack.

Sungyeon swallowed a groan inwardly, looking at Yoohyun’s downcast face.

T-That is cheating, being so cute and pathetic!

“So…”

“My pheromones are still unstable, aren’t they? You said you’d keep watching over me.”

“That’s true.”

“Besides, there’s no guarantee that another psycho like that won’t appear in the neighborhood where you live. It’ll be safer for you to be with me.”

It was a flimsy reason full of mere suspicion no matter how he heard it, but Sungyeon nodded. Since he had been captivated by that face and ended up here in the first place, it was a natural outcome.

“I understand. I understand! So if you could just move your face away…!”

“I don’t want to.”

“Aish! Then let go of my hand at least!”

“I don’t want to do that either.”

Yoohyun chuckled, watching Bokseung look disgusted.

That laughter seemed genuinely joyful, and the pheromone tickling his nose told him that Yoohyun was happy, so Sungyeon just laughed as well.

🍑‧₊ ⋆˙

And so, Yoohyun returned to the officetel in front of the school after several weeks.

What was different from before was that Bokseung could now open the door to the officetel using his own card. It was a little disappointing for Yoohyun, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t take back the card he had given.

“Yuja! Look who’s here? Yoohyun Oppa is with me today too?”

As soon as he opened the door, Sungyeon called out to Yuja, who was on the cat tower. Yuja, who was listlessly looking at the entrance, confirmed Yoohyun’s face and then leaped down from the cat tower.

Seeing Yuja come to the entrance in one bound to greet Yoohyun, both Bokseung and Yoohyun’s faces brightened.

“Yuja, have you been well?”

Yoohyun hugged Yuja, whom he hadn’t seen in weeks, and whispered softly.

“Nyaa!”

Yuja cried loudly, as if complaining why he hadn’t shown his face sooner. Yoohyun was secretly relieved, thinking that the cat still recognized its owner.

“Then, Sunbae-nim, I’ll go into my room.”

“Uhm.”

Bokseung bowed to Yoohyun and went into his room. Yoohyun watched Bokseung’s back until he closed the door, then moved to his own room.

“…!!!”

A moment later, Yoohyun, who had entered the room, forgot to even breathe at the completely unexpected situation.

What greeted Yoohyun, who had opened the door without thinking, was Bokseung’s pheromone. And it was a fairly dense concentration of pheromone. It was a concentration that could never accumulate if Bokseung, a recessive, only stayed there briefly.

Yoohyun could tell that Bokseung had visited his room quite often during his absence.

Perhaps he had come to clean or needed something, but Yoohyun’s already paralyzed brain refused to think logically.

Yoohyun bit his lip firmly from the fullness that surged from his fingertips and toes. If he didn’t, he felt like he would laugh madly. If he did, Bokseung would surely hear the laughter, realize the situation, and feel embarrassed, so he had to endure it a little for the boy.

But still.

Kim Bokseung, he’s driving me crazy with cuteness.

It was a more explicit expression than saying he missed him while Yoohyun was away.

“You really are my match, I tell you.”

Yoohyun released his own pheromones and mixed them with Bokseung’s sweet pheromones. It was the most enchanting scent in the world.

🍑‧₊ ⋆˙

Sungyeon had thought that the problems he needed to solve first were only those related to himself. The problems he needed to resolve to somehow establish a clear relationship with Yoohyun while living with him again.

However, another problem suddenly popped up from an unexpected place.

“Ah!”

“Oh my! What should we do? Bokseung, are you okay?”

Sungyeon stared at the takeout coffee cup he had dropped with his mouth open. Hyunah, who was next to him, also looked at the coffee cup on the floor with a surprised face.

Fortunately, the lid was tightly closed so it hadn’t spilled much, but both of them were momentarily frozen in their surprised state.

“I, I have tissues! Let’s wipe it quickly!”

Hyunah was the first to regain her composure. She took out tissues from her bag and handed them to Bokseung.

Bokseung reached out his hand to receive the tissues, then carefully held them using only the tips of his thumb and index finger. Hyunah, who cautiously handed over the tissues, asked quietly.

“Bokseung, were you very surprised? Your face is pale? Did I appear too suddenly? I’m sorry.”

“Huh? I wasn’t surprised? What are you sorry about! I dropped it while I was spacing out for a moment!”

“Really? Are you okay? Nothing’s wrong, is it?”

“Uh-uh, no. I’m fine.”

Sungyeon raised the corners of his mouth, looking at Hyunah’s worried face, but he wasn’t sure if his expression was formed correctly.

Yes, this problem right here.

This phenomenon of automatically flinching when someone else’s hand touches him.

He had hoped it would get a little better now that time had passed and the Kim Taeon incident was resolved, but as if mocking his premature expectations, the defensive physical reaction remained the same.

This wasn’t just Sungyeon’s problem. It could also make others who would meet Bokseung in the future uncomfortable.

There would be many people to meet not only at school but in various places, and if he reacted like this every time there was a slight contact, his sanity wouldn’t last.

Sungyeon worried about how to deal with this as he walked to the lecture room with Hyunah.

And he reached a conclusion.

“What did you say?”

“I’m thinking of going for counseling on days when I don’t have a part-time job starting next week.”

“Counseling?”

He decided to receive psychological counseling first before going to the hospital. The counseling center was naturally ‘Saebit Psychological Counseling Center.’

Yoohyun frowned at Bokseung’s sudden notification.

He couldn’t grasp what kind of counseling Bokseung would be receiving.

The types of counseling available in modern society were endless. Yoohyun himself was regularly receiving financial counseling and various other consultations necessary for management.

But he didn’t think Bokseung would be getting that kind of counseling.

“Yes, it seems the psychological pressure from the Kim Taeon incident and various other situations was severe for me.”

Bokseung’s expression was as clear as usual for someone who claimed to have severe psychological pressure, but the moment Yoohyun heard those words, he felt his heart drop.

Since he had committed the offense, he would be speechless even if he had ten mouths.