TGMND 102

Yeo-woon usually maintained his cool, so Ji-gu thought he’d take the nickname banter lightly and go along with it. But it turned out he had underestimated Yeo-woon’s reaction. Instead of playing along, Yeo-woon panicked and ran away, making Ji-gu even more determined to tease him.

[Couple] Ji9star: Why do you keep running away

[Couple] Ji9star: You know I’ll catch you in less than a minute

[Couple] Ji9star: Babe answer lololol

[Couple] neutaaaa: Ugh, gross; stop;;

This felt a bit unfair. He wasn’t even the one who brought up the whole pet name than ‘hyung’! Who would have thought Lee Yeo-woon would go back on his word.

[Couple] Ji9star: You said rather than calling you ‘hyung’
[Couple] Ji9star: Pet names would be better

[Couple] Ji9star: You said it’s better because it could be seen as joking around, babe lol

[Couple] neutaaaa: Who said it was better?

[Couple] Ji9star: You just said it, do you have amnesia?

[Couple] neutaaaa: lol

[Couple] neutaaaa: Who are you to be my couple?

[Couple] Ji9star: lololololololololol

[Couple] neutaaaa: Who are you to laugh?

[Couple] Ji9star: lolololololololololololololololol

Lee Yeo-woon was really like an impenetrable shield. But in truth, Ji-gu himself wasn’t as composed as he pretended to be. Every time he typed a nickname, his face flushed. His heart felt like it was about to burst!

In dramas, married couples or lovers always use pet names rather than real names. Cheesy words like ‘honey’, ‘darling’, ‘baby’. Ji-gu imagined that once Yeo-woon accepted his feelings, he too would naturally start calling him by a nickname. It was a rite of passage for couples, after all.

Yoon Ji-gu himself wasn’t used to calling Lee Yeo-woon, who didn’t even know he was yet, by cringe-worthy words like ‘babe’. It makes him shudder. Still, if they were going to date, he figured this was something he’d have to get used to. This is really unavoidable. So he was practicing in advance from now on.

‘But why hasn’t Yeo-woon confessed yet if he likes me?’

Should he drop more hints? Maybe if he gave Yeo-woon more signals, he’d gather the courage to confess sooner.

He had no intention of stepping forward first to say that he had come to like him too. However, if Yeo-woon came to him tearfully saying that he actually liked him, Ji-gu figured he could pretend to hesitate before accepting. Actually, he would definitely accept.

‘…Ah, I want to see hyung cry in front of me….’

It’d be heartbreaking and terribly cute. But Ji-gu hope he wouldn’t cry. But it would be really pretty if he did. Yoon Ji-gu got lost in his fantasies for a while, drifting into different thoughts. Just imagining that scene made his earlobes burn hot. The thought of Lee Yeo-woon crying because of him both embarrassed and thrilled him.

‘But why does he dislike pet names.’

It was strange how Yeo-woon would be startled every time he called him ‘babe’ or ‘honey’.

‘Then maybe hyung actually wants a different pet name?’

If so, it would be good to ask in advance. It would probably be more satisfying to call him what he wants.

[Couple] Ji9star: What would you like me to call you, hyung?

He was confident he could accept anything as long as it wasn’t something like ‘master’.

[Couple] neutaaaa: ;; Why would I decide that with you?

[Couple] neutaaaa: Are we dating or something?

[Couple] Ji9star: LOL, that’s probably what you’re hoping for, huh? So funny

[Couple] neutaaaa: Gross, what are you even sayingㅜㅜ

[Couple] neutaaaa: Hey

[Couple] neutaaaa: Would you like it if I called you Gubyeol-ah?

[Couple] Ji9star: Is that a pet name too?

[Couple] neutaaaa: What if it is?

[Couple] Ji9star: lol

[Couple] Ji9star: I love it lol

[Couple] neutaaaa: You need to go to the hospital;;;;;

Even a name like ‘Gubyeol-ah’, which sounded like calling a dog, didn’t sound so bad when labeled as a pet name. No, Actually, Yeo-woon calling him “Ji-gu-ya” in his gentle voice didn’t sound bad either. Now that he thought about it, maybe being called by his actual name was nice too …Oh, does this mean there’s no need for pet names? If Ji-gu felt this way, how much more would Yeo-woon’s heart race every time Ji-gu called him “hyung” after months of his secret crush?

[Couple] Ji9star: Hyung, do you get all flustered when I call you ‘babe’? lol

[Couple] Ji9star: You’re probably going crazy from excitement, right? ㅇㅅㅇ

Ji-gu knew that wasn’t the case for Yeo-woon right now. But in reality, Yeo-woon’s heart would probably race every time he looked at Yoon Ji-gu, not Earth Star. That thought made Ji-gu feel like his heart was going to leap out of his chest. The idea of Yeo-woon liking him so much made him feel giddy. Out of nowhere, Ji-gu suddenly wanted to see Yeo-woon in the middle of the night.

[Couple] neutaaaa: Why are you getting all excited by yourself?

[Couple] Ji9star: I’m not excited lol

Does hyung miss me now too? He probably does, right?

[Couple] neutaaaa: Sure^^….

[Couple] neutaaaa: Do whatever you want

[Couple] neutaaaa: Yuck, bleh

Yeo-woon sent an emoji of someone spitting on the ground while sitting with their legs spread wide. Behind him stood his buffed-up rabbit, its triangular eyes glaring and its short tail trembling in rage.

Ji-gu couldn’t help but imagine Yeo-woon’s face overlaid on the custom character he had designed to look like him. It felt so real, as if Yeo-woon were right there in front of him, smirking in disbelief.

What has Yeo-woon done to him? Ji-gu felt like he was under a spell, where even Yeo-woon’s weird antics seemed irresistibly cute. These days, whenever he had a moment, he couldn’t stop thinking about Yeo-woon. And imagining that Yeo-woon thought about him all day too made Ji-gu’s heart swell with emotion.

‘I wish hyung would hurry up and confess that he’s dying from liking me so much.’

Although he felt very impatient, there was no need to rush. It was better to pretend not to know for a while longer rather than ruining things by hurrying. There was plenty of time, and Yeo-woon was easily accessible if he wanted to see him. Yoon Ji-gu followed Yeo-woon around all day with a smile on his face.

I like Lee Yeo-woon.

I really, really like Lee Yeo-woon, who likes me so much!

***

It was already mid-winter. It meant that over two months had passed since Yoon Ji-gu’s blatant advances began.

What started with meeting only at the swimming pool, cafés, or in front of Yeo-woon’s apartment had now extended to Ji-gu’s living room. Every Friday, Ji-gu would invite Yeo-woon over to watch a movie, always using the same excuse: I don’t want to watch alone. It’ll be more fun to watch it together. It was a flimsy excuse, but each time, Yeo-woon would reluctantly agree and follow him.

The roads, lightly covered with snow from last night, were all slushy from melting snow. In some spots, the melted water had refrozen into slippery patches. Recent news frequently reported accidents from people slipping on the icy roads.

“Hyung.”

As Yeo-woon walked, staring at the ground, Yoon Ji-gu told him about the movie he had looked up for tonight.

“They say some people ran out of the theater in the middle when this was released, looked up all the spoilers, and then went back in.”

“What’s the title?”

“Exorcist Priest. Have you seen it?”

“Never heard of it.”

“That’s good.”

Is that really something to be relieved about? Ji-gu must really enjoy watching movies with him, Yeo-woon thought, feeling an inexplicable weight in his chest as he heard the relieved sigh escape Ji-gu.

“But apparently, it’s really scary. What are we going to do?”

Hearing the nervous tone in Ji-gu’s voice, Yeo-woon couldn’t help but laugh. He knew Ji-gu hated scary things, but Ji-gu always denied it when asked. That contradiction was adorable.

“Right? And you can’t just leave in the middle since it’s not a theater.”

“Are you trying to pick a fight?”

“It’s not like I’m wrong. You can’t handle scary movies.”

“Ha, so funny. Let me clarify—I don’t hate watching scary movies; I just don’t like watching disgusting stuff alone. I’m totally fine with horror movies.”

“Then want to watch alone?”

“…Ah, why? You have nothing else to do anyway. I don’t want to watch alone.”

“Because you’re scared?”

Ji-gu’s eyes widened as he clenched his lips, trembling with frustration. These small reactions felt subtly cute and enjoyable. The reason for his bravado despite being scared was obvious. He wanted to look cool to Yeo-woon.

“Fine, whatever. I’ll just close my eyes when the scary parts come on.”

“And I’ll tell you when they’re over?”

“Well, if you want to tell me, go ahead.”

Yeo-woon had grown used to this dismissive tone. He glanced at Ji-gu, who was already scrolling through spoiler-filled reviews, chanting about how scary the movie was going to be. But no matter how terrifying the movie, it wouldn’t matter for Ji-gu.

Because Ji-gu wouldn’t even be watching the movie.

‘As soon as the movie starts, he’ll keep sneaking glances at my face instead of the screen….’

Sitting in the very spot where Ji-gu had secretly kissed him, watching bloody scenes on the screen, Yeo-woon would feel an obvious stare at some point. At first, he would turn his head to look back at Ji-gu. Back then, Ji-gu would quickly avert his eyes, but these days, he wouldn’t look away and would meet Yeo-woon’s gaze directly. This would make Yeo-woon feel awkward and turn his head back to the front.

Acting like he had something to say but then clamming up when asked what it was – did Ji-gu have no intention of confessing to him at all? They weren’t students anymore, hanging out all day, nor could they meet every day. They only got a few hours together once a week. It was frustrating that Ji-gu wasted those precious moments without saying anything.

Ji-gu had naturally infiltrated Yeo-woon’s daily life by now. It had become an unwritten rule to keep Fridays free of appointments. All of this had started to get Ji-gu to confess.

“Ji-gu.”

“Yes?”

“Have you had dinner?”

“Not yet. How about you?”

“Me neither. Should we order in today? Let’s eat something you like.”

“What are you saying. How would you know what I like…?”

“Should we get pizza?”

“Can we get it with crust on the end?”

Every Friday. They would leave the swimming pool together and have dinner, or eat at Ji-gu’s house. Then they would sit together for a couple of hours watching a movie. Other weekdays weren’t much different. On the way home, if they saw an unfamiliar street vendor, they might stop to buy food, or if they spotted an arcade or street claw machine, they would often linger to kill time.

There was a time when Yeo-woon thought this was just like a date course, but he dismissed the thought, denying it because his purpose was clear. The reason he was doing all this troublesome stuff was for one purpose only: to reject Ji-gu’s confession.

But as days went by, he felt the purpose becoming blurred while the time spent with Ji-gu was increasing. Was this okay? Wasn’t he just giving Ji-gu more room for misunderstanding by providing more opportunities?

However, spending time with Yoon Ji-gu was enjoyable. Even though they weren’t doing anything special—just watching movies, walking down the streets together, or throwing basketballs at an arcade—these trivial moments felt immensely fun. It was the kind of stuff even kids might scoff at for being childish. Yet, despite the simplicity, those moments were undeniably enjoyable, and that was the real problem.

“Hyung. Do you have something to say to me?”

“No?”

“Then why do you keep looking at me?”

“…Me?”

Against the backdrop of the gently setting red sunset, Yoon Ji-gu’s cheeks flushed. His deep eyes shimmered faintly as if holding back tears. He hadn’t confessed yet, and now Ji-gu was trying to use his looks on him.

“Are you sure you don’t have something to say?”

Yeo-woon couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ji-gu. Though Yoon Ji-gu kept pushing for an answer, getting in his face as if demanding a response, Yeo-woon just awkwardly shook his head and took a step back every time.

He wished… nothing would change.

Yeo-woon was eager for Ji-gu to confess, yet at the same time, he secretly hoped Ji-gu would delay saying it as long as possible. The reason he intended to reject Ji-gu’s confession in the first place was simple: he wanted to remain good friends with him.

If only time could stop right now.

So their relationship wouldn’t break, staying exactly as it was.