WYK 52

After becoming a couple, their daily routines remained unchanged. But not everything was the same. The word between them had changed from ‘friends’ to ‘lovers.’ That fact alone made Jeong-yoon’s world turn half a revolution.

While Chae-heon drove to Jeong-yoon’s house as usual, he chatted about various things. The topics were trivial – just small talk about classes and assignments.

Though the stories weren’t particularly interesting, Chae-heon would nod or smile while driving. When stopped at traffic lights, he would glance at him and respond kindly with “I see.”

That made Jeong-yoon very happy. Because his gentle expression wasn’t just for a friend anymore. It felt like an expression he showed only to him, making his heart soar again.

Before they knew it, they arrived at Jeong-yoon’s house. Perhaps because the days were getting shorter, the sunset light was already streaming through the car windows. Jeong-yoon fiddled with his seatbelt, seemed lost in thought for a moment, then turned toward Chae-heon as if gathering courage.

“Kang Chae-heon. I have something to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“What’s your relationship with Yoo Da-jung? Were you two seeing each other? Or was she your girlfriend?”

Chae-heon’s expression immediately soured.

“Why would I see her?”

At his firm response, Jeong-yoon rolled her eyes left and right before gathering courage to ask:

“…Um, we’re dating now, right?”

“Why ask something so obvious. Making it hard for yourself.”

“Well, this is just me being anxious but… since you have me now, things like casual flings or questionable relationships… you should end all of that… okay?”

“…”

Instead of answering, Chae-heon just stared intently at Jeong-yoon. It meant the question wasn’t even worth answering.

Receiving that look head-on, Jeong-yoon avoided his gaze and fell into thought. If they weren’t seeing each other and she wasn’t his girlfriend, why was Chae-heon in Da-jung’s messaging app profile picture? And why did she come out of Kang Chae-heon’s house?

Jeong-yoon wanted to ask but that would inevitably reveal his stalking behavior, so he hesitated to ask directly. To put it bluntly, it was embarrassing.

Chae-heon soon provided the answer.

“Yoo Da-jung is my aunt’s daughter. A cousin.”

“Cousin? You two?”

Kang Chae-heon nodded.

“But why didn’t I know? Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“Da-jung said it was embarrassing and told me not to tell anyone.”

With a blank expression that seemed to say ‘She doesn’t like it, and neither do I,’ Chae-heon answered.

“…”

At this point, Jeong-yoon let out a hollow laugh. Yoo Da-jung being Kang Chae-heon’s cousin meant they couldn’t possibly be lovers, unless cousin relationships were suddenly allowed in this country.

Come to think of it, in high school he had mistakenly thought they were dating just from seeing them together, and this time he misunderstood their relationship from seeing a photo. How ridiculous are the blunders that occur in relationships without communication? She felt like going back in time to mercilessly slap her past self.

Jeong-yoon decided to clear up all his doubts since he was already embarrassed anyway.

“But why is your photo on Da-jung’s messaging app profile?”

“How do you know Da-jung’s profile picture?”

“Huh?”

“Did you save Da-jung’s number?”

“Uh…”

This was strange. His own question had somehow turned back on him. Chae-heon smiled quietly. Somehow it felt like a forced smile.

“Jeong-yoon. Don’t just save random phone numbers anymore.”

“Okay. I got it.”

“And delete unnecessary numbers too.”

“Okay.”

Jeong-yoon answered obediently.

“And about the photo, Da-jung’s ex-boyfriend was stalking her, so she needed a photo of someone better-look… ing than him, and I just gave her permission.”

“I see. But looks like even you’re embarrassed to say you’re good-looking.”

“…”

Chae-heon stared at Jeong-yoon again. Though his expression was quite complicated, Jeong-yoon was simply delighted.

Now all misunderstandings were cleared. All questions were neatly resolved. He had spent years circling around such a simple answer. How foolish.

Jeong-yoon giggled like someone light-headed, then let out a deflating sigh before looking up again. Chae-heon was still watching him. Jeong-yoon rolled hia eyes nervously before speaking as if having made a decision.

“Are you free tomorrow evening? Let’s meet if you are.”

This was Jeong-yoon’s first time suggesting they meet. It had always been Kang Chae-heon who proposed their meetings. But now he could confidently suggest it too.

“Of course I am.”

Chae-heon nodded. That put Jeong-yoon’s mind at ease.

“I found this nice pub recently. The atmosphere was good. Let’s go there.”

“Who did you go there with?”

“With my general education project group. Anyway, it’s my treat tomorrow.”

“…Okay.”

Chae-heon’s expression softened at the mention of the project group. Jeong-yoon smiled satisfactorily seeing Chae-heon nod, then nervously tapped his arm. Now it was time for what he’d been building up to say. Not the casual suggestion about the pub, but what he really wanted to say.

His palms were slightly sweaty. After steeling his resolve, Jeong-yoon blurted out:

“And, I’m staying at your place tomorrow.”

“…”

It was quite a declaration of war. Chae-heon studied Jeong-yoon’s expression as if trying to understand his intention. His expression full of doubt and questions was rare to see, making Jeong-yoon smile slightly. His words must have been too plain to sound like proper seduction.

He leaned his upper body toward Chae-heon and put his hands on his cheeks. Then he planted a quick kiss. It was a sudden action before Chae-heon could react.

Due to nervousness, the angle wasn’t quite right and he kissed the boundary between his lips and cheek, but a kiss was still a kiss. Jeong-yoon’s heart was racing from the courage he’d mustered. Even though kisses with him should be familiar by now, he didn’t know why it was still so exciting.

Ignoring his pounding heart, Jeong-yoon pressed his lips against Chae-heon’s still frozen ones again. This time the angle was perfect. Their soft, warm lips overlapped slowly. Though it was a light kiss, his heart was racing like he’d run a hundred meters. Unable to dare use his t0ngue, he just pressed firmly like stamping a seal before pulling away.

When he opened his tightly closed eyes, Chae-heon was staring at him with surprised eyes.

Jeong-yoon let out a tense breath. His face felt burning hot. His face must have been unsightly flushed, but he hoped the sunset light coming through the window would hide it.

Jeong-yoon smiled gently at the still frozen Chae-heon.

“Chae-heon. When I say I’m going to your place, this is what I mean.”

“…”

Staring blankly at Jeong-yoon, Chae-heon soon let out something between a laugh and something else. What Jeong-yoon just said was similar to what Chae-heon used to tell him not to do.

Chae-heon’s hand slowly slipped between Jeong-yoon’s nape and the seat headrest. His shoulders tensed as his large hand cradled the back of his neck. His fingertips ruffled through his hair, gradually digging in.

Strange. His hand on his neck made him more nervous than the kiss he’d courageously initiated. Jeong-yoon blinked with a tense face. Chae-heon approached slowly, stopping with barely enough space for their lips to brush.

Their gazes intertwined in the bright sunset light. Chae-heon’s lips curved slightly. Facing those beautiful lips and smiling eyes, Jeong-yoon’s heart dropped again. He half-closed his eyes expecting a kiss, but instead, Chae-heon pressed his forehead against his. Their breaths drew close and their noses nuzzled affectionately. It was a ticklish, heart-fluttering touch.

“Don’t bring spare clothes. You won’t be wearing them anyway.”

“…Okay.”

Jeong-yoon barely managed to answer.

It was strange. Really strange. He had been the one to seduce him first, but now it felt like he was the one being seduced by Chae-heon. His lowered gaze, the casual low whisper, the satisfied smile at the corner of his lips – everything was melting his heart.

Chae-heon lightly licked between his lips.

“I want you right now.”

“…We’re in the car.”

“So what?”

Unable to hold back, Chae-heon rubbed their lips slightly, then gently nibbled Jeong-yoon’s lower lip. Yet he didn’t deepen it into a t0ngue kiss. He just teased him tantalizingly with light touches.

Hot breaths mingled between their lips. Jeong-yoon wanted to wrap his arms around his neck and kiss him deeply right then. Just facing each other made his body heat up, letting out excited breaths.

Chapter 10. You Beside Me

“Jeong-yoon, what time was this movie again?”

“One fifty.”

Jeong-yoon answered Mi-hee’s question while looking at the digital board clock. Park Tae-won, who was next to them, looked at the movie tickets and said,

“Right. So we have 20 minutes left.”

Right now, Jeong-yoon was sitting at a table in front of the movie theater, drinking coffee with Mi-hee and Park Tae-won, who was just about to start dating Mi-hee. This was why he had told Chae-heon “let’s meet in the evening” yesterday. He had no choice since he already had plans with these two during the day.

Park Tae-won. He was the man who had once asked Jeong-yoon for Mi-hee’s phone number in front of the library. Mi-hee said they had become close friends, but well… From what he could tell, they seemed like they would become a couple soon. Even if Mi-hee didn’t notice, Tae-won’s eyes were full of personal interest.

He had recently learned something firsthand: you can never remain just friends when there’s interest in the other person. He and Min-soo were still friends because they had no romantic interest in each other, but his relationship with Chae-heon had developed into this – that was proof.

Tae-won had arranged their meeting. Something about thanking him for helping him become friends with Mi-hee. Friends – what nonsense. Anyway, since he had played matchmaker for them, he figured he deserved at least one free movie, so he agreed when Park Tae-won suggested meeting together.

“I’m leaving right after the movie.”

Jeong-yoon said, jingling the ice in his glass. Mi-hee pouted.

“Why? Let’s have dinner together too.”

“I have plans for dinner.”

He had to meet Chae-heon for dinner. He needed to take him to that nice pub, treat him to expensive drinks, and go to his place together. Just thinking about meeting Chae-heon made him smile again. Mi-hee reproachfully scolded the grinning Jeong-yoon.

“Why did you make another appointment when you already had plans with us? That’s rude.”

“What’s rude is me sticking around with you two until dinner. I shouldn’t be so tactless and get in the way.”

“Getting in the way what…”

At Jeong-yoon’s amused words, ParkTae-won nodded. It was obvious from his attitude. These two would be dating soon. Who knows, it might even happen tonight.

While he was watching Mi-hee with a touched expression, feeling like a parent sending off their daughter to marriage, Tae-won left saying he needed to use the bathroom. Jeong-yoon’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

“It’s nice getting to watch a free movie thanks to our Mi-hee. But is this okay?”

“If someone offers to treat, you just accept it. Stop pretending to refuse.”

“Really? He’s not even your boyfriend yet, but he’s treating me because he’s thankful for introducing you. Is that really okay?”

“…I don’t know.”

Mi-hee fidgeted with her coffee cup handle with an embarrassed face. Her expression was so cute that Jeong-yoon smiled quietly, then glanced behind her. Park Tae-won was still nowhere to be seen.

“Are you going to date him?”

“…I don’t know.”

“What do you think of him? Does he seem like a good person? Is he not complicated with women? Does he spend money well?”

Though Jeong-yoon didn’t have romantic feelings for Mi-hee, he liked her a lot as a friend. So out of worry and concern, he found himself asking various questions. Park Tae-won seemed quite decent from what he could tell, but you never know.

“Yeah. He’s nice. He doesn’t have many women around and treats me well… but…”

“But?”

Mi-hee checked behind her to confirm Tae-won wasn’t coming, then leaned forward and whispered.

“But he contacts me too often. It’s annoying.”

“You used to like people who contacted you frequently. You even broke up with your ex over lack of contact.”

“But Tae-won is a bit much. He’s not even my boyfriend yet so it’s burdensome… but then when I see his face again, I can’t stay mad.”

Jeong-yoon nodded instead of answering. Right. Our Mi-hee has always been weak for good looks. Though Park Tae-won isn’t quite as handsome as Chae-heon, he’s still good-looking. Actually, Jeong-yoon deeply empathized with Mi-hee’s feelings. He too couldn’t help but smile just seeing Chae-heon’s face.

Just as he was grinning to himself while imagining Chae-heon, Mi-hee tapped the table with his fingernail.

“Jeong-yoon. Your phone’s been ringing for a while now?”

“Ah…”

Jeong-yoon finally picked up his phone. There were about four messages from Chae-heon. And about two missed calls. He couldn’t answer the calls earlier because he was in the elevator, and he unintentionally ignored the messages while talking with the two. It wasn’t polite to look at your phone during conversation.

He was about to reply as soon as he finished talking with Mi-hee, but Chae-heon kept sending messages and calling without getting tired.

“Who is it?”

“Kang Chae-heon.”

“Oh, I thought it was your lover.”

“…”

His heart sank at those words. But Mi-hee, not noticing Jeong-yoon’s panic, just laughed.

“Why does Chae-heon contact his friend like a lover would? Just like Tae-won. Tae-won does the same thing. If I don’t answer, he keeps calling and sending messages. At first, I thought he was crazy.”

“Chae-heon’s just being nice. He cares about me a lot… He’s naturally kind.”

“Chae-heon, nice? Kind? Hmm… Is he?”

Mi-hee wore a puzzled expression and fell into thought. She muttered in a small voice.

“He’s kind but… there’s something… about him…”

Jeong-yoon spoke again, as if driving home a point.

“Chae-heon is kind. He’s a really good person.”

Jeong-yoon found himself desperately defending him. He even wanted to say ‘He’s different from Park Tae-won who’s obsessing over you,’ but barely held back as it seemed too partisan. He kept unconsciously defending him whenever others spoke negatively about Chae-heon. Even though he wasn’t his baby or anything.

Anyway, thinking he should call Chae-heon now, he picked up his phone, but Tae-won had somehow returned and was standing beside them. Then Mi-hee left, saying she’d buy popcorn. What is this, not even a baton touch but taking turns leaving. Because of this, Jeong-yoon missed his chance to call Chae-heon again.

Resting his chin on his hand, Jeong-yoon spoke to Tae-won in a listless tone.

“Um, may I make a presumptuous suggestion?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“How about reducing how often you contact Mi-hee?”

“What?”

Jeong-yoon looked around quickly before continuing.

“Earlier, Mi-hee said everything was good except for that one thing. I’m giving this advice because I like you, Tae-won-ssi, but I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m not offended. But… reducing contact is… I’m already holding back a lot.”

Jeong-yoon smiled.

“Do you have a lot of free time?”

“I make time even when there isn’t any.”

Jeong-yoon burst out laughing at Tae-won’s casual response.

“Why are you like this when you look so cool?”

Tae-won laughed out loud too.

“What’s wrong with being curious about someone you like? I’m dying to know what they eat, what they do, who they meet. Isn’t everyone like that when they like someone? Aren’t you the same?”

“Well… actually, I am.”

As Jeong-yoon listened to Tae-won’s somewhat stalker-like statement, his phone started ringing again. It was Kang Chae-heon.

“Excuse me. Let me just take this call. I’m sorry.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Now he really had to answer. By this point, he was starting to worry if something might actually be wrong.

“Hello?”

“Jeong-yoon.”

As soon as he answered naturally, Chae-heon called his name. Then he just fell silent. Jeong-yoon looked at his phone wondering if the call had dropped, then put it back to his ear.

“Kang Chae-heon?”

“Are you outside?”

“Yeah, I’m outside.”

After that answer, Chae-heon fell silent again. After a short while, he asked through the phone.

“Who’s with you?”

“Park Tae-won.”

“Park Tae-won? That guy from the library?”

“Yeah. You remember.”

“Why are you two together? Where are you now?”

“It’s not just us two, Mi-hee is here too. She went to buy popcorn.”

“…”

Jeong-yoon glanced at Park Tae-won sitting blankly in front of him and continued in a cheerful voice.

“Chae-heon. I need to go watch the movie now. You haven’t forgotten about meeting me for dinner, right? I’ll contact you later.”

With that, he hung up without hesitation. He wanted to talk longer, but it was time to head into the theater once Mi-hee returned. Shortly after, Mi-hee appeared in the distance, walking while talking on the phone. Jeong-yoon got up, took the popcorn container from Mi-hee, and went into the theater.