TGMND 86

Yoon Ji-gu didn’t get a wink of sleep.

‘Do I look easy to mess with because I’ve been treating you nicely?’

It was so unfamiliar for Lee Yeo-woon to be angry at him that even lying in bed, the sharp voice kept floating around in his head.

Usually, no matter how irritated or dismissive he was, Yeo-woon’s gaze was always directed at him with a hint of a smile… But this time, Yeo-woon turned away first, leaving him speechless with his mind blank. Yoon Ji-gu panicked, feeling his heart drop to his feet.

‘Hey.’

Why are you calling me so coldly?

‘Why are you picking a fight with people over nothing?’

I’m the one who’s annoyed, why are you getting so angry at me?

‘Why are you suddenly so angry?’

How could you not know? The reason was simple.

Simple…

…Huh?

Yoon Ji-gu, who was about to argue as if it were obvious, realized there wasn’t really a clear reason he could think of. He tried to recall the reason by carefully organizing the timeline in his head.

1. Lee Yeo-woon secretly involved someone else in his secret hobby without telling him.

2. And a coworker at that. Is he crazy?

3. He even called that guy while watching his reaction. He must have deliberately let him hear.

4. Despite not looking like it, why does he live so promiscuously? As someone who has lived a normal life, he couldn’t understand it. Are all perverts like this?

Conclusion.

Lee Yeo-woon deliberately talked loudly on the phone with someone else to provoke jealousy. He tried to show off the submissive he had at home. Originally, Yoon Ji-gu hadn’t planned to get angry. But when those clean, clear eyes looked at him so nonchalantly in front of another person, something suddenly welled up inside him.

Was this how you usually make friends? Even if Yeo-woon had confessed nicely, Ji-gu wouldn’t have had the slightest intention of accepting, so his approach was all wrong. Maybe that’s why he felt more sorry for him. Ji-gu needed to have some affection for Yeo-woon to get jealous, but this just ended up hurting people. Not realizing something this simple, isn’t Yeo-woon just stupid?

Today, I dislike Lee Yeo-woon. I really, really dislike what he’s doing. He’s right that I’m angry at him.

Since it was Yeo-woon who was regretful, Ji-gu thought he would come over with a smile and gently soothe him if he did this. As he always did. When Yoon Ji-gu was feeling unsettled and eating an ice cream outside to clear his head, he happened to meet him again. Yeo-woon confronted him with a resolute face. Yoon Ji-gu was flustered by the situation not going as expected and confused by Yeo-woon’s changed attitude.

The next day, Yeo-woon took out his anger on a character that resembled Yoon Ji-gu by dressing it in strange clothes and making it half-bald. It was a ridiculous sight to behold, but Yoon Ji-gu couldn’t laugh. It was clearly revenge against him. He was strengthening an item with a furious hammering.

‘Crazy, does he want to beat me up?’

What are you trying to do? Do you think you’re the only one angry? I was angry first. …But I don’t know why it bothers me so much.

[Guild] Ji9star: Why do you keep dressing in weird clothes?

[Guild] neutaaaa: Don’t wanna say

After swallowing his pride and speaking first, Yoon Ji-gu got a half-hearted response. He wanted to go next door right away and demand why Yeo-woon was angry instead of him. The cold expression he saw yesterday kept bothering him oddly.

[Couple] neutaaaa: They were fine just a second ago and then suddenly got angry out of nowhere

[Couple] Ji9star: Maybe there was a reason?

Ji-gu gave him another chance to think it over, but Yeo-woon acted like he really didn’t know anything.

[Couple] neutaaaa: If they were annoyed with me, they could’ve just told me why, right? But when I asked, they didn’t say anything…

Of course, because if he told him the reason, it would be pointless. What Yeo-woon took it as an opening? His approach was wrong from the start. Just give up on him. If Yeo-woon liked him, why was he meeting other people?

In fact, at some point, Yoon Ji-gu had begun to feel that the reason for his anger didn’t make logical sense to begin with. Whether Lee Yeo-woon met other people or not, he had no feelings for him, so he should just not care.

It’s not like he didn’t know about Yeo-woon’s hobby to begin with. He wanted to remain close friends with Lee Yeo-woon, not become a master and slave. He liked things as they were now. He didn’t want to lose Yeo-woon by becoming something else. That’s why he had pushed him away countless times, told him to come to his senses, and indirectly told him to give up on him, but it clearly hadn’t worked at all.

[Couple] neutaaaa: When I logged in this morning, I suddenly felt turned off, hahaha

While his mind was in chaos, Lee Yeo-woon told him he felt turned off. How could Yeo-woon, of all people, say that? Had his feelings changed so quickly? His heart sank. If Yeo-woon had decided to stop liking him, it should have been welcome news, but losing affection was different. It meant they couldn’t even be friends anymore.

Eh… No, this can’t be. There’s no way.

Consoling himself like this, Yoon Ji-gu waited for the weekdays to come. Why did the swimming pool have to be closed on Mondays? He spent the whole day at the cafe hoping to run into Yeo-woon, but he must have gone home while Ji-gu was distracted, as he couldn’t meet him on Monday.

On Tuesday afternoon, Yoon Ji-gu went to the pool an hour earlier than usual to wait for Yeo-woon. But he didn’t come. His fingers got wrinkled from waiting in the water so long.

On Wednesday, Yeo-woon finally showed up at the pool. Ji-gu, who had gone in first to warm up, looked at him. But even though their eyes met, Yeo-woon just glanced at him briefly before turning away.

‘What’s this?’

Yeo-woon was surrounded by a bunch of mean elementary school kids. He just smiled and started dealing with them. Yoon Ji-gu couldn’t understand why someone who usually approached him before anyone else and greeted him first would pretend not to know him. He didn’t even wait for Yoon Ji-gu and left the pool first. Ji-gu followed him out but Yeo-woon didn’t even glance back.

As he walked home, Ji-gu’s mind was filled with one question: “Why?” It was a question about Yeo-woon and also about himself, wondering why he cared so much. His stomach ached from not eating all day. Yeo-woon’s perfectly round head was giving him a headache. He really disliked him. It wasn’t his fault.

Ignore it. Just ignore it. …But really, he didn’t do anything wrong. As Ji-gu was trying to comfort himself like this, when the distance between them had narrowed considerably, he grabbed Yeo-woon’s arm. Yeo-woon turned to him without surprise and said:

“Do you have something to say?”

“…”

“If not, let go.”

It couldn’t go on like this. He wasn’t pretending to be angry to get attention. The vague fear that they might end up as strangers surged. Whether Yeo-woon misunderstood his feelings or not, Ji-gu needed to clear up his frustration first.

“Hyung…”

You were wrong first. He wanted to say that, but seeing his own reflection in those round eyes, his sense of injustice vanished. He didn’t want to be angry.

“…I was worried about you.”

“About me?”

Ji-gu hesitated slightly, wondering if he should say this as it may sound too presumptuous.

“Why didn’t you come to the pool yesterday? And why didn’t you come to the café? I waited for you.”

But his mouth moved on its own. Thoughts came out instinctively without passing through his brain.

“Don’t talk about other people to me. Don’t answer strange calls in front of me.”

“…….”

“You were talking to me at the time. So why did you talk about introducing someone or hanging out together? I don’t like that, I really really don’t like it. I’m not into that kind of thing.”

While trying to convey his meaning properly, he also tried his hardest not to sound like he was throwing a tantrum. He tried to appear as calm as possible, but he wondered how his words sounded to Yeo-woon. He was really curious about that.

“Ji-gu. You.”

Yeo-woon, who had been listening quietly, hesitated for a while before asking.

“…Do you perhaps like me?”

“No.”

“…”

“I don’t.”

Afraid of giving any hint of possibility, Yoon Ji-gu deliberately answered firmly, straining his voice. Yeo-woon, who had been looking up at him with wavering eyes at his words, smiled faintly. It was the first smile he’d seen in days. The worry that had knotted up inside him melted away like snow.

“I see. Alright.”

Did his words hurt him?

“Still, saying it was ‘fvcking annoying’ was a bit harsh.”

“…”

Right. He was hurt…. Ji-gu felt a bit sorry.

“Don’t swear.”

But it really was fucking annoying, what was he supposed to do? Still, Yoon Ji-gu nodded vaguely.

“You’re quite the jealous kid….”

Yeo-woon mumbled. That made no sense. Jealousy?

“…I’m not! It’s not like that.”

“Huh? I was talking to myself.”

“You always talking to yourself loud enough for others to hear.”

Yoon Ji-gu grumbled. Maybe because they hadn’t spoken or met for days, even saying this felt awkwardly embarrassing.

Gurgle.

“…!”

“…”

Having lost his appetite, Ji-gu had skipped meals. Perhaps that’s why his stomach made a gurgling sound. Yeo-woon couldn’t hold back and let out a small laugh. Ji-gu’s face flushed.

“Don’t laugh.”

“Are you very hungry?”

“I said don’t laugh.”

“I was going to order dinner, want to eat together at my place?”

“…What are you going to eat?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

As if he had never been angry, Yeo-woon hummed a tune and grabbed Yoon Ji-gu’s wrist, leading him along. Being helplessly dragged by him, Yoon Ji-gu felt secretly relieved. The maple trees in the park were starting to turn red. Perhaps because the weather had gotten quite chilly, the wrist held by Yeo-woon felt particularly warm.

Maybe he was too nervous about talking to Yeo-woon. Yoon Ji-gu raised his free hand to press against his chest, taking a deep breath. His heart had been pounding since earlier. Unusually so.