EAR Ch 24

Did he really get caught? He was momentarily anxious, frozen stiff near the back door, unable to return to his seat, when Oh Seungpyo spoke.

‘He’s not even my friend.’

Oh Seungpyo’s curt reply to his friends’ question was firmer than he had ever seen him. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but he happened to return just as they were talking about this. Feeling awkward, he just stood there, sipping his chocolate milk through the straw, when his eyes met Oh Seungpyo’s.

Jaemin wasn’t particularly offended, just a little embarrassed. But Oh Seungpyo was fidgeting as if he had been caught gossiping. After rushing out of the classroom, he even sent Jaemin a message explaining why he had answered that way.

From Oh Seungpyo’s perspective, it was a natural response. It was Jaemin who had first said that he and Seungpyo weren’t friends.

Of course, that was before Oh Seungpyo had visited his house, before they had spent the night together in the same room…but even so, the fact that he had drawn the line first didn’t change. He knew that the one who could change the situation was not Oh Seungpyo, but Ryu Jaemin.

Jaemin thought Oh Seungpyo had handled it well. Attracting unnecessary attention from other students was the one thing they had to be most careful about. Thanks to him, the conversation had shifted from inquiring about their relationship to reprimanding Seungpyo for being too harsh. There couldn’t have been a better response.

What was it that he wanted to say yesterday? He didn’t know what it was that Seungpyo wanted to tell him, but he wished he would just say it quickly instead of dragging it out. Having something on his mind would distract him from studying.

Even without the bet, Jaemin didn’t want to lose his first-place ranking. Thinking back to the midterms, when Oh Seungpyo had almost caught up to him, he couldn’t let his guard down. If the English teacher hadn’t accepted his appeal, Jaemin would have slipped and suffered humiliation.

This time, with an even bigger bet on the line, Oh Seungpyo would be grinding his teeth, preparing for the exams. Oh Seungpyo often called him a pervert, a slut, but from Jaemin’s perspective, it was more like Seungpyo was describing himself. The guy, already a pervert, had been thinking of nothing but dragging Jaemin out to kiss him every chance he got since spending the night at his house. It was no wonder his friends had interrogated him about having a girlfriend.

Of course, if Jaemin had disliked it, he wouldn’t have gone out every time Oh Seungpyo called him, so he didn’t intend to blame only Seungpyo. It was just that the increased frequency of their kissing was taking up too much of his time and concentration, hindering his exam preparations, so it was a natural step to forbid kissing until the finals were over.

‘You’re this turned on…how do you even hold back?’

Recalling Seungpyo’s words, Jaemin frowned slightly.

During the midterms, the period of no kissing had been longer, but he hadn’t felt uncomfortable at all. He had even found it amusing to see Oh Seungpyo getting restless and frustrated.

So he should have pushed Oh Seungpyo away when he suddenly kissed him at the academy, but instead of pushing him away, he had opened his lips as if waiting for it, letting Oh Seungpyo have his way with him.

There was no particular reason. Perhaps because it had been a while, Oh Seungpyo’s warmth, the feeling of his tongue exploring his mouth, had felt too good… Honestly, he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

Jaemin, who had almost drifted into thoughts of the kiss, quickly snapped out of it and shook his head. There was no need to wait passively when something was bothering him. He opened his messenger app.

Hey, you said you had something to tell me. When are you going to tell me?

Perhaps because he was busy chatting with his friends, Seungpyo’s reply came after a few minutes.

It’ll take some time.

During lunch break.

It’ll take some time? What could they possibly have to talk about for so long? It seemed like he was just putting on a serious act to drag him out for a kiss.

Jaemin remembered the tumbler he had received from his housekeeper. She had packed it for him to share with Oh Seungpyo. Since it was fruit, it would be better to eat it sooner rather than later, wouldn’t it? There was still plenty of time before the morning assembly. Jaemin typed a message.

Can’t you just tell me now? I have something to give you.

This time, the reply came quickly.

Why do you keep giving me things?

You gave me a towel yesterday.

A 5,000 won towel from a convenience store didn’t seem like something worth mentioning as a gift…

Oh Seungpyo’s tone felt strangely ticklish. He had just grabbed the towel on a whim when he went to buy bottled water during class. He could picture Seungpyo dripping rainwater as he walked into the classroom.

Oh Seungpyo was exceptionally tall and had a striking face, so he stood out even when he was just standing still. He could imagine how many people would stare at him if he walked around soaked. Moreover, it was now the season for summer uniforms, and being completely drenched accentuated the contours of his body even when he was just on the playground. It would be even more visible in brighter light…

Many people knew that Seungpyo was in the same class, and that he was the second-highest ranking student, sitting right behind him. Somehow, he felt embarrassed for Seungpyo if many people saw him looking so disheveled. No matter how much of a slut he was, there was no need to walk around like that in front of everyone. Jaemin coughed and replied.

It’s nothing much, just a snack.

My housekeeper packed it for you to share with me.

He nipped any expectations of a grand gift in the bud. Seungpyo’s reply popped up on the screen quickly.

It’s not something I can talk about while eating.

Then let’s talk later and eat first.

Come to the library.

What did he mean, later? Just say it now…Jaemin grumbled inwardly but grabbed the tumbler and got up. As he stepped into the hallway, the noise from the classrooms poured out, a cacophony of sounds.

The morning time before the assembly always seemed the noisiest. Was it because everyone was at their most energetic after waking up from a long sleep and before being bogged down by classes? The teachers scolded them to be quiet every day, but Jaemin didn’t dislike the unique vibrancy that could only be felt at school. He liked mornings, as long as he didn’t lose sleep.

He opened the library door. Sunlight streamed in through the window. He deliberately sat in a sunlit spot and waited for a few minutes. Oh Seungpyo followed him in almost immediately.

“You’re here?”

“Yeah.”

Oh Seungpyo, after his short reply, looked around, rubbing the back of his neck as if it was his first time in the library. The library was where they had their first argument, about switching phones, and it was one of their regular secret meeting places.

They had talked countless times in this place, but Oh Seungpyo seemed unusually awkward to be alone with him today.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

Jaemin felt awkward for a moment, but when Oh Seungpyo spotted the tumbler in his hand, he returned to his usual self.

“Your housekeeper packed this for me too? Tell her I said thank you.”

“You’re the only one I’ve brought home recently.”

Jaemin opened the lid of the tumbler. There was a small wooden fork inside. Seungpyo’s eyes widened as he checked the contents.

“Wow, aren’t these grapes expensive? I saw them at the supermarket, they were like 20,000 won per bunch.”

“Really? I don’t know the price.”

“Well, you wouldn’t go to the supermarket. Your housekeeper does all the grocery shopping, right?”

It was true. Instead of answering, Jaemin popped a grape into his mouth. The sweet and sour taste filled his mouth.

“This is my first time trying these.”

Seungpyo muttered excitedly and put a grape in his mouth. His eyes widened after he chewed it.

“Dude, these are so good.”

“Eat a lot.”

Jaemin often skipped the fruit his housekeeper prepared for him every morning because he couldn’t be bothered, but Seungpyo’s reaction made him reflect a little. Seungpyo’s admiration wasn’t an exaggeration, as he popped a third grape into his mouth and said,

“I don’t really eat fruit at home.”

“Why? Because it’s expensive?”

“Not really, but I don’t eat it much when it’s just me and my brother. Grapes are a pain to wash.”

“I’ll bring more. She prepares fruit every morning anyway. I’m always in a hurry in the mornings, and I don’t have much of an appetite right after waking up, so I often skip it.”

“I’m happy to hear that. I’ve never lost my appetite in the morning.”

Considering how he had eaten two bowls of rice when he came over to his house, that seemed likely. Jaemin chuckled and put a grape in his mouth. As Seungpyo said, perhaps because he was now fully awake and his appetite had returned, the grapes tasted much better than when he ate them at home.

After finally opening his mouth, basking in the sunlight, and eating the sweet and sour grapes, he felt fully awake. Feeling better in many ways, Jaemin brought up the main topic.

“So what is it you wanted to say? Stop stalling and tell me now.”

“Even if it’s not something I can say right now…”

“Just say it. I’m curious.”

“Can’t you wait? I said it’ll take time.”

“Then why did you give me a heads-up? Why make me anxious for no reason?”

As Jaemin frowned, Seungpyo replied with a serious expression.

“You might get really upset when I tell you this.”

“Why? What is it?”

“It’s not something I can say right away.”

Seriously. Jaemin, feeling his patience wearing thin, threw the wooden fork into the empty tumbler.

It seemed he really did have something to say. He had thought Seungpyo was just making excuses to kiss him.

Jaemin pondered silently, then spoke. He had a good idea.

“Alright. Then I’ll kiss you today if you tell me now.”

Seungpyo’s eyes widened like when he had first seen the green grapes.

He had kissed him so ravenously yesterday, so it was obvious he would jump at the chance if Jaemin offered to let him do it today. Jaemin enjoyed the kissing too, but he had made it clear that it was off-limits until the finals. He had originally intended to let it slide just once yesterday, but he figured twice wouldn’t hurt.

But contrary to his expectations, Seungpyo didn’t look happy. He looked at Jaemin with a flustered expression and blushed slightly, which was unusual for him.

“Do you know how cute you are when you’re like this?”

“What?”

Then he said something ridiculous. Now it was Jaemin’s turn to be flustered. Was he hearing things? Unable to believe what he had just heard, he asked back,

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

Seungpyo hesitated, then sighed and rubbed his face. Now, not only his face, but even his ears were red.

“Saying that is the same as telling me.”

“Telling you what? What did you just say?”

Jaemin’s voice trembled slightly. He must have misheard. It was his own mind that was the problem, mishearing perfectly normal words like this. If Oh Seungpyo would just say it one more time, he would be able to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking, “That’s what I thought.”

But Oh Seungpyo didn’t help with Jaemin’s misunderstanding.

“I said you’re cute.”

“……”

“I think I…”

“Wait a second.”

“…like you.”

I told you to wait…

Completely forgetting that he had just been pestering Seungpyo to tell him quickly, Jaemin stared blankly at his face.