Pawn Shop Young-i

“…So, if there’s something else you want, just say it. I’ll do whatever you tell me to.”

“Do you even know what I’d have to ask you to do for me to say something like this?”

After causing a big problem, Jooyoung returned to Maeyang after a long time, under the pretext of recuperating.

He carries a secret that must be kept hidden at all costs.

Meanwhile, Dohyun is determined to uncover the secret that Jooyoung is hiding and uses it as leverage to threaten him.

[PREVIEW]

“…I don’t know what misunderstanding you’re having.”

Jooyoung gripped the armrest of the chair tightly and shot back.

“It has nothing to do with me. If you want an explanation, go ask him—”

“He treats you like a woman.” 

The words that followed cut him off completely.

“Yes, you.”

Dohyun leaned slightly forward, staring directly at Jooyoung. His gaze was intense, as if he were ready to catch even the smallest lie. For a moment, Jooyoung felt like he couldn’t breathe, as if he were being strangled.

Hangyeol treated him like a woman?

“…”

Jooyoung felt confused. He had always thought Hangyeol was just a friendly person, but he had never once felt like Hangyeol was treating him like a woman.

“He never… did anything like that.”

Jooyoung shook his head firmly to deny it. However, Dohyun’s stance remained unwavering.

“That’s just what you think.”

The tension in the air grew taut, making it hard to breathe. Saliva pooled bitterly under Jooyoung’s tongue. He struggled to stay calm. There was no way Dohyun actually knew anything—he was just being paranoid. No need to get flustered and act like a fool.

“If you’re so curious about why Hangyeol did such things, then ask him yourself. It has nothing to do with me. And that whole ‘treating me like a woman’ thing? That’s your misunderstanding.”

Maybe Dohyun was just upset about how friendly Hangyeol was with him. That was the only explanation Jooyoung could think of. 

“Misunderstanding, huh?”

“…”

“You’re the reason he’s acting like that.”

Dohyun stood up from where he’d been sitting.

“You like it, don’t you?”

“…”

“Being looked after like that. Like a woman.”

Jooyoung went pale, too shocked to reply—as if Dohyun had hit the nail on the head.

“Must be nice, having someone to carry your stuff.”

He happened to see Hangyeol and Jooyoung walking outside through the window yesterday. Hangyeol, who usually didn’t carry anything but his phone, was holding some luggage in his hands. As he overheard their conversation in front of the lodging house, he realized that the luggage was Jooyoung’s.

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t be that hard for you to get Jung Hangyeol to do something like that for you, would it?”

Jooyoung had been like that even when he was young. He always thought it was natural to make others do the hard and inconvenient tasks. Dohyun knew this better than anyone, as they were the closest.

“Ha…”

After listening to it all, Jooyoung suddenly exhaled a sigh, almost like a scoff.

“‘Likes being looked after like a woman,’ huh…”

“…”

“Dohyun-ah, get your facts straight.” 

Jooyoung’s upturned eyes were as fierce as a cat’s.

“You were the one who treated me that way.” 

Jooyoung began piecing the puzzle back together—reordering cause and effect. For the first time, a crack appeared on Dohyun’s previously indifferent face.

“The hell are you talking about—” 

“You liked me, right?”

Dohyun froze just as he was about to retort. His face, which had been rigid, finally shattered like glass just before breaking.

It was the moment when everything flipped.

Setting/Genre: Modern

Relationship Tropes: Childhood friends, first love, reunion

Seme (Top) Archetypes: Handsome, dominant, coercive, indifferent, sly, prickly, obsessive, younger man, devoted, one-sided lover, wounded, highly sexual, polite/speaks formally

Uke (Bottom) Archetypes: Beautiful, sassy, soft on the inside, neat, indifferent, older, wounded, regretful

Themes: Salvation, jealousy, misunderstanding/misconception

Tone/Extras: Angst with fluff, everyday slice of life, coming-of-age, calm and tender, heartrending

Characters:

Hwang Dohyun (Top/Seme):

As a child, he was Bae Jooyoung’s shadow—his clingy follower, his loyal sidekick. Even knowing how selfish and indifferent Jooyoung really was, he couldn’t help but crave the rare scraps of kindness thrown his way. That one-sided affection eventually soured with resentment, and Dohyun, unable to bear the hurt, was the one who let go first.

Now, years later, he wants to ignore Jooyoung—but every time he sees him, the emotions he thought were buried spiral out of control.

Bae Jooyoung (Bottom/Uke):

After moving from Maeyang to Seoul, he completely forgot about Dohyun, the boy who was always by his side. Even the wounds he left behind felt like nothing worth remembering.

But now, the once-skinny limbs and buzz cut were nowhere to be found; Dohyun had become a man with refined social skills and an intimidating presence. Jooyoung finds his cold eyes and dismissive attitude uncomfortably hard to ignore.

He hates how Dohyun uses his secret as a weapon for lowly threats, but he can’t help but notice the scars hidden beneath his long sleeves.

Read this if: You want to watch childhood friends reunite and navigate a shift in their relationship.

📆 Release Schedule:

• New chapters will be released daily or every two days. At least one chapter update, or more when I have more time. I aim to complete the translation soon.
• Locked chapters will be unlocked every Mon, Wed, and Fri.