IPSTDS Chapter 38

Chapter 38

At last, Seo Dowoong arrived at Yoon Noah’s house. Sitting on the living room sofa, his eyes narrowed slightly.

‘Would you look at that? He’s not even touching them.’

Across from him, Yoon Noah hadn’t so much as glanced at the macarons he had brought. He had simply placed them on the table exactly as they were given.

…Was he sulking that much?

These were a peace offering—something Dowoong had personally bought.

Something from him, whom Noah adored beyond reason.

And yet Noah hadn’t even looked at them. It was truly baffling.

“Seo Dowoong. You found out I wasn’t the one who caused Daon’s accident, right?”

Noah’s voice was crisp and even, but his cheeks looked puffier than usual.

He looked just like an angry little hamster. Some things really don’t change with age.

“Yeah. I heard it was Park Sangcheol.”

“So when are you going to apologize?”

“Now?”

“Are you really going to get on your knees, too?”

Seo Dowoong fell silent for a moment.

Apologizing… well, it hurt his pride, but he figured he could do it. He had misunderstood, after all.

But kneeling? That felt like too much. He had never gotten on his knees for anyone except his father.

And now he was supposed to do that for Yoon Noah?

That didn’t make any sense.

Know your place.

“No.”

“…What?”

“I won’t kneel, but I’ll apologize.”

“…”

“I’m sorry. I misunderstood.”

It was a clean, straightforward apology—at least in Dowoong’s mind, it was.

“And I really am sorry, but I can’t kneel. I’m not convinced what I did was that wrong.”

“But we agreed—you’d kneel if it turned out you were wrong.”

“I’ll give you something else instead. What do you want? Want me to smile like I used to? You liked my smile.”

“…”

Dowoong fully expected Noah to say, ‘Smile for me.’ That’s how much the guy had always liked it.

Even when they were just friends, and even more after he started falling in love, Noah had thirsted for his smile.

He treated it like an oasis in the desert—craving it with all his heart.

But the response that came back was just a sigh.

“Haa…”

For some reason, that sigh annoyed Seo Dowoong. It felt like his smile wasn’t welcome anymore.

So, before he could stop himself, sharp words slipped out.

“If you hate my smile that much, should I just give you that condolence money you wanted? Is that it?”

“You really are hopeless…”

“What?”

“Forget it. I got your apology. That’s enough. At least it wasn’t laced with sarcasm.”

What’s his problem? It’s not like he’s stopped liking me or something.

Yoon Noah had longed for his love for years. No matter how harsh he was, the guy never left his side.

He just wanted to be loved—and showed it with everything he had.

Someone like that couldn’t have just stopped loving him overnight.

He’s acting. Playing hard to get because chasing me didn’t work.

He’d used this push-pull strategy before—and it had worked to some degree.

Now Dowoong found himself wondering how long this new round of ‘push’ would last.

“…Actually, instead of kneeling, can I ask you something?”

There it is. No way you’d walk away without asking for something.

Seo Dowoong gave a small nod, indicating he could ask.

What would it be? His feelings? Something about Kim Daon?

Eventually, Yoon Noah’s lips parted.

“When’s Daon’s birthday?”

“…What?”

“Daon’s birthday is coming up, right?”

“…”

“I’ve caused him some trouble, and I owe him, so I want to do something for him.”

“You… want to celebrate Kim Daon’s birthday?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry. I’m not planning anything shady.”

“…”

“And since the misunderstanding between us is cleared up, you should get along with Daon. You two haven’t made up yet, right?”

“Ma…ke up?”

Shouldn’t you not want me to make up with Daon?

A slight furrow formed between Seo Dowoong’s brows—his trademark expression.

The situation felt off. He didn’t like how it seemed like Yoon Noah cared more about someone else than about him.

Even though he hadn’t eaten, he felt nauseous.

“You said you liked Daon. So don’t stay angry at him too long.”

“…”

“So, Seo Dowoong. Are you going to tell me when his birthday is?”

A smile bloomed on Yoon Noah’s face as he said Daon’s name again and again. It was the first time Dowoong had seen him smile since arriving.

Strangely, that smile seemed entirely genuine. There wasn’t a hint of malice, hostility, or jealousy.

It looked… pure.

That innocent smile made Dowoong suddenly recall the high school version of Yoon Noah—before he’d become so bold and brazen.

Even the gaze directed at him seemed clearer than before.

Can a person really change this much, this fast?

He couldn’t figure out why Yoon Noah had changed.

But he was certain it had something to do with him.

‘Is he asking about Daon’s birthday just to provoke me?’

Well, if that’s the goal, then fine—I can tell him something like a birthday.

“Kim Daon’s birthday is in a week.”

“Ah. Thanks. I hope you two make up before then.”

“…”

Dowoong didn’t like what Noah said, but he was already planning to reconcile with Daon.

At the very least, before Daon’s birthday, he wanted things patched up. He was worried Park Sangcheol might try something again.

But still… was Yoon Noah really planning to celebrate Daon’s birthday?

His own birthday came first—just two days from now.

And Noah hadn’t asked a single thing about it.

Every year, he’d been given luxury gifts, imported cars—presents so expensive even Noah couldn’t afford them easily.

“Noah, don’t you dare buy me another foreign car this year. The one you gave me last time is still just sitting in the garage.”

“…What? A f-foreign car?”

“Yeah. And forget the designer stuff, too. I don’t use any of it.”

Even so, you’ll still probably buy me something and hand it over like always. Dowoong scoffed.

Noah looked pale—perhaps shocked that his gifts had all gone unused.

See? There you go. Acting like you’re over me, but giving yourself away like that.

“…So that’s what the card bill was about…”

Still murmuring in disbelief, Noah eventually said:

“Seo Dowoong. It’s getting late. Could you leave now?”

Was the shock really that big?

Instead of getting up, Seo Dowoong stretched out his long legs and crossed them gracefully.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t seen Noah squirm like this in a while, but he suddenly wanted to keep looking at that flustered face.

“Why aren’t you leaving?”

“You sure? This’ll probably be the last time I act this nice to you.”

“…What more do you want?”

“I won’t go so far as to kiss you. But I could hold you. Like a lover would.”

“Huh?”

“Can you stop pretending you don’t get it? It’s fun, but kind of annoying.”

Seo Dowoong figured it was an offer Noah wouldn’t be able to resist. Whether embarrassed or irritated, he expected the guy to end up in his arms.

But what happened next took him by surprise.

“Urgh!”

Noah slapped a hand over his mouth like he was about to throw up and bolted for the bathroom.

Dowoong stared blankly at the tightly shut door.

He’d heard Noah had an incurable illness—maybe things really were bad enough to cause nausea.

As much as he didn’t like Lee Kangil, he acknowledged the man’s medical skills. Noah wouldn’t die with Kangil around.

So he wasn’t too concerned about the vomiting.

Still, looking at the untouched box of macarons on the table and thinking about his own presence in that room—it all felt oddly similar.

Even though this meeting was meant for an apology, he should have felt superior—this was Yoon Noah, after all.

Then why did his mouth taste so bitter?

Standing up from the couch, Seo Dowoong finally left the house.

But he, too, felt sick to his stomach.

---

The next day, under a clear midday sky, Nahyuk was sitting in a café somewhere downtown.

He’d come into the city to think and do a little shopping, and while he was at it, he had a sudden craving for coffee, so he stopped by a café.

Seated by the window, Nahyuk took a long sip of his iced Americano. His eyes remained fixed on his phone.

“Wow… So the massive monthly card bills were because of birthday gifts for Seo Dowoong… Even thinking about it now, it’s hard to believe.”

His eyes trembled slightly as they scanned through the credit card statements. Yoon Noah hadn’t even been making any money, yet he’d bought such extravagant gifts without hesitation.

That was some intense love.

And Seo Dowoong, who treated those gifts like garbage, was a real piece of trash himself.

Nahyuk shuddered at the memory of his conversation with Seo Dowoong the day before.

He had overstuffed himself at dinner, and between Dowoong’s shamelessness and the shock over how the money was spent, he ended up vomiting without even meaning to.

By the time he came back to the living room after throwing up, Seo Dowoong—who had been going on about his own birthday, which no one cared to celebrate—was already gone.

Maybe that was a relief.

‘Still, I need to get Daon something for his birthday… What should I buy?’

Today’s trip downtown had partly been to get Kim Daon a gift. He couldn’t just let his favorite person’s birthday go by unnoticed.

But Nahyuk didn’t have the faintest idea what to get, so he just kept staring at his phone in deep thought—until a large shadow suddenly fell across the screen.

Who is that? he wondered, raising his head.

And he was completely caught off guard.

“It really is you, hyung.”

It was Kim Daon.