PSY Ch 77
by Lulu“Haah, that’s weird. Why isn’t it here? I swear I refilled it the day before yesterday…”
Sunwoo scratched his head as he rummaged through every shelf in the laundry room. But no matter how hard he looked, the detergent he had just refilled was nowhere to be found. It was a bulk container, so there was no way it had run out that quickly… It must’ve been taken again by someone.
“I swear, some people just can’t help showing how broke they are. Ugh.”
Shaking his head, Sunwoo closed the laundry room door. His footsteps down the hallway were filled with irritation. Grumbling to himself, he opened the office door—only to be startled to find Dohyun there.
“Oh? Boss, you’re here.”
Dohyun, who had been leaning over the desk looking at the computer, quickly changed the screen as soon as Sunwoo entered.
“Do you need something?”
Sunwoo tilted his head. It was odd to see Dohyun here, since he usually manned the adult arcade counter at this hour. Still, he didn’t think too hard about it. Instead, taking the opportunity, he tattled about what had just happened.
“Boss. The detergent’s gone again!”
“…”
“Don’t you think we should catch the culprit this time?”
If word got out the detergent gone again, the elderly man in Room 8—who always loved to complain—would show up any second, thrilled to have something to nag about. The only way to avoid a hassle was to go out and replace it right away. Muttering to himself, Sunwoo opened a drawer and took out a card and a reusable shopping bag.
“Could you check the CCTV just once? The one in that hallway shows the laundry room, right? I’m seriously pissed off this time.”
“What for?”
Dohyun’s indifferent attitude made Sunwoo even more frustrated.
“If it was a one-time thing, I’d let it go. Maybe they’re just trying to get by. But this? This is habitual!”
“…”
“And, well, actually…”
Sunwoo straightened his back, then glanced meaningfully around the empty office before lowering his voice.
“There’s someone I suspect.”
Dohyun’s eyebrows twitched.
“…Someone you suspect?”
“You know, that guy who got evicted recently after two warnings. The one who was kinda filthy and…”
Sunwoo pinched his clothes between his thumb and forefinger, shaking them out as if handling something unpleasant.
“The guy who kept getting complaints from next door because of the smell.”
“…”
“Don’t you think it’s revenge or something? What would he even do with detergent? He barely did laundry. I bet he sold it off.”
Sunwoo went on and on, bad-mouthing the guy, saying even passing by him smelled like sweat. He’d probably been suspecting the same person every time something went missing. Uninterested, Dohyun shut down the computer entirely and walked past Sunwoo without a word.
“Just go buy some. Don’t make it a big deal.”
“Arrghhh, boss…”
Sunwoo whined behind him, but Dohyun didn’t listen and stepped out of the office. As he closed the door, he glanced down the hallway to the right, where Jooyoung’s room was. The corridor was silent and empty.
The reason he came to the lodging house at this hour was to check the CCTV. He was worried Jooyoung might’ve wandered the hallway again for no reason the night before. Or maybe, like last time… he might’ve taken something.
But Jooyoung hadn’t shown up on the footage. After leaving his room that one time, he hadn’t stepped out again.
Though Dohyun felt some relief, he couldn’t shake the unease completely. He couldn’t just keep checking CCTV forever. It would be better if he stepped in before anything happened. And to do that…
“Why are you mad?”
Dohyun’s fingertips trembled slightly.
“…Fuck.”
He muttered a low curse and turned around. Just thinking that Jooyoung was still in that room made him feel like he didn’t belong here anymore.
After walking out of that room yesterday, Dohyun had been completely out of sorts from a rage he couldn’t explain. Every time he remembered how close Hangyeol and Jooyoung had looked, it felt like his head was burning from swallowing a ball of fire.
“Haah…”
He rubbed the inner corner of his eyes with his middle finger. As he pushed open the main door of the lodging house with a sigh, his phone buzzed in his back pocket. When he took it out and looked, an unexpected name flashed on the screen.
[Bae Jooyoung]
He couldn’t believe it. Since they reunited, he’d sent a few texts, but they were always one-sided—just Dohyun reaching out. Not once had Jooyoung ever called him first.
Staring blankly at the screen, Dohyun carefully answered the call.
“He…llo?”
— Dohyun-ah.
It was indeed Jooyoung’s voice. He wasn’t sure if it was the first time in decades Jooyoung had called him first, but it felt incredibly surreal—like he’d just stepped onto a soft cushion.
— Um, where are you?
Dohyun hesitated, unsure how to respond, but Jooyoung quickly got to the point.
— Could you come here?
His heart sank. An unexpected call, a sudden request—and on top of that, a voice that trembled for some unknown reason.
According to the CCTV, Jooyoung hadn’t stepped out of the room at all. But had Dohyun missed something? That thought suddenly terrified him.
“Where are you right now?”
― …
“Bae Jooyoung!”
― …I’m in my room.
Dohyun’s head snapped to the right. Without a moment’s hesitation, he began walking in that direction. His earlier resolve to only care minimally was meaningless now—his steps were urgent. Just in case, he didn’t hang up the call. It only took a few strides before he stood in front of Jooyoung’s door.
Knock knock. He tapped on the door.
“It’s me.”
There was a faint rustling from inside, and soon the door opened. Though it was morning, the curtains were drawn, and the room was as dark as night. From within, Jooyoung stared at him with a face that looked vaguely anxious.
Dohyun ended the call and stepped inside. As the door closed, the world darkened around them. It would’ve felt like midnight if not for the thin sunlight seeping in through the curtains.
“…”
He was about to ask if something had happened, but then Jooyoung suddenly threw out an odd question.
“Nothing happened?”
It was so out of nowhere that Dohyun furrowed his brows slightly. Jooyoung repeated himself, “I ask you, has anything happened outside?”
“…”
Even on the phone, he’d thought Jooyoung’s voice sounded a little off—but now, in person, Jooyoung looked far worse than Dohyun had imagined. He couldn’t stop biting his lips, and the whites of his eyes—normally so clear—were streaked with visible red veins, as if he hadn’t slept.
“Hwang Dohyun!”
Jooyoung suddenly raised his voice. His anxiety-worn face almost looked like it was about to cry.
“What are you talking about?”
Jooyoung clamped his lips shut and simply breathed in shallow, ragged gasps for a while. Then, in a voice so quiet it could barely be heard unless one leaned in, he spoke.
“…The pharmacy.”
Only after those words came out did Dohyun finally understand what Jooyoung had meant with his earlier question. And with that, he also realized why Jooyoung had been unable to hide how anxious he was.
Relieved, Dohyun knelt in front of the bed.
“There’s nothing going on.”
“Did you go check?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Don’t lie!”
Jooyoung snapped, sharp and accusing. Dohyun let out a quiet chuckle.
“How would you even know if I’m lying?”
He playfully tapped the top of Jooyoung’s foot. The pale-white foot twitched slightly in the dark.
“Huh? How would you know, when you didn’t even leave the room?”
“…”
“I told you to go to the hospital, didn’t I?”
“I’m not sick,” Jooyoung said flatly, but there was clear relief in his expression. His rapid breathing slowly began to steady.
Dohyun brought the back of his hand to Jooyoung’s cheek. Thankfully, he wasn’t lying—there was no fever. The soft, delicate skin was cool to the touch. He should’ve pulled his hand away after confirming that, but Dohyun didn’t. He unconsciously lingered longer there. It was only after he felt Jooyoung’s gaze that he awkwardly cleared his throat and quickly withdrew his hand.
Silence naturally settled between them again.
“…Is that all you wanted to ask?”
For some reason, it was hard to meet Jooyoung’s eyes, so Dohyun ended up staring at the innocent air instead
“I was just… anxious.”
“…”
“That’s why I called.”
Jooyoung rested his chin on his knees, speaking in a quiet tone. His lowered lashes fluttered like fragile feathers.
“…”
He needed to comfort him. To tell him firmly not to worry about things that hadn’t happened. After some thought, Dohyun slowly opened his mouth.
“If you’re that anxious…”
He was going to say, then just come stay at my place. Jooyoung had even said he’d consider it, so it wasn’t something he couldn’t say. But still… why was he so nervous about it?
“If I’m that anxious, then what?”
“…”
“You stopped in the middle of your sentence.”
Every time he blinked, the heat in his body slowly rose. An unpleasant numbness struck the nape of his neck. This feeling of anger and growing restlessness… No, was this really anger?
Just then, a cold touch reached his chin. Slender fingers carefully caressed the area below his jaw, near his ear.
“Stop. You’ll get hurt.”
Jooyoung spoke softly as he gently pushed Dohyun’s hand away. Then he returned to his position with his chin resting on his knees, staring at Dohyun. Fine strands of hair fluttered as he tilted his head slightly.
At that moment, Dohyun’s face flushed a deep red.