However, Lee Euishin made no movement. He just looked at the door Kwon Yunsu had run out of with an angry face. The fiercely raised corners of his eyes and deeply burning gaze, the tightly closed lips were extremely vicious, but that wasn’t murderous intent—it was stubbornness. Eyes filled with defiance, no, venom, that he wouldn’t regret anything even though he’d committed a fucking act.
Kwon Yunsu is screwed.
The affectionate feeling from before the guy burst in disappeared somewhere, and a sullen sense of reality suddenly intruded.
What will Yunsu do now?
Worrying about Kwon Yunsu who would be devoured by Lee Euishin really wasn’t a good feeling. Truly, it was fucking terrible.
He felt like he’d need to chug alcohol to ease this feeling.
***
“Let me stay over.”
[Huh?]
“Let me stay just one night. You said your house has many rooms.”
He’d tried not to become a loner, but in the end it seemed his feet would be tied to this stagnant club. Though he got along fairly well with his cohort and several alumni living independently in Seoul came to mind, after agonizing, the person he contacted was Ahn Shinwook.
‘That guy’s family is rich. Their house is fucking huge.’
The moment Song Taesu’s words came to mind, he had the intuition that this guy wouldn’t turn him away. Also that he wouldn’t rashly ask for reasons.
[…I finish at 5. Where do you want to wait?]
“…The lib…”
The moment he was about to answer the library, Kwon Yunsu realized. That he’d left all his precious work materials in the club room. What kind of mess is this…. He wanted to go somewhere and scream.
[Hey, where are you?]
“…Shinwook, please do me one more favor. In the dongbang…… my laptop and work materials are there. Please bring them.”
At this point, even Ahn Shinwook, who was indifferent to others’ affairs, couldn’t help but be curious. While he was choosing words for what excuse to give, an unexpectedly agreeable answer came back.
[Got it.]
“…Thanks.”
But what if someone takes it before you stop by…. The moment he thought that, Ahn Shinwook extended a hand of salvation once more.
[It’s, it’s break time now so I should go quickly and come back. Someone might throw it out.]
As expected, Younghwan hyung’s words were the truth. Ahn Shinwook looked indifferent but was fundamentally someone with a lot of tender feelings.
[You don’t have much credibility.]
“…Right. I’m a bit of a fucking idiot.”
[……]
Without the energy to say more, Kwon Yunsu hung up gloomily. And until Ahn Shinwook’s class ended, he stayed motionless for an hour and a half at the entrance of a building he’d never visited before. It felt like his head would burst and die. No, is this my heart? My liver? My kidneys?
“Hoo…”
His stomach suddenly seemed to hurt, so he bent over. When he buried his face in both hands, the lips touching his palms were hot. …They’d been hot the whole time.
“Why….”
The stomachache was an illusion. He just didn’t know what expression to make. Even licking his parched lips with his tongue felt oddly conscious, and swallowing saliva was difficult.
“…Why did you do that……”
He tried to get angry, or at least annoyed, but what came out in the end was gloomy resentment echoing within his palms. Crazy bastard. You could have just said it with words, why did you do such a thing? I already knew you didn’t like Shin Jaewoo, but you were someone who hated everyone in the world. Why did you act so mean? Why…
“Why are you like this, really….”
Euishin. Euishin. Euishin…… You crazy bastard.
Kwon Yunsu couldn’t lift his head for a long time. Though there were no passersby, it felt like everyone in the world, all kinds of things, were only staring at his lips.
“……”
The moment he saw Kwon Yunsu’s face approaching hesitantly, Ahn Shinwook literally experienced an eye earthquake.
The table placed in the center was smashed into the wall, all kinds of miscellaneous items were scattered, and seeing Kwon Yunsu’s cherished laptop barely escaping death while rolling around, he intuited that trouble had erupted. No, even before that, just hearing Kwon Yunsu’s completely dejected voice, he could tell. Leaving the club room with Kwon Yunsu’s laptop and translation materials, Ahn Shinwook’s heart pounded like someone who’d gotten stock market gossip. How thrilling. Why is this so fun when it’s just this? I heard queer dramas are popular these days—am I watching one live?
“…You…!”
However, the moment he saw Kwon Yunsu looking sulky like someone who’d stopped crying with swollen lips, Ahn Shinwook realized he was in the stage of denying his fandom. He couldn’t look directly at that face that made him imagine many things. Ah, my training is still insufficient, still…….
In a state of mental breakdown, he fell into an even bigger mental breakdown and headed home with Kwon Yunsu, who couldn’t even find the way properly. Thanks to his parents being on an overseas business trip, the house was completely empty. After giving him the guest room, showing him the bathroom location, and ordering food, Kwon Yunsu thanked him endlessly—thank you, thank you, thank you—then wobbled like a zombie to wash, eat, and sleep. He seriously agonized between ‘Why is your face like that?’ and ‘What’s with your lips?’ but stopped because Kwon Yunsu, who kept sighing into thin air, looked so pitiful.
And that night, for the first time, he received contact from Lee Euishin.
「Did you take Kwon Yunsu?」
…Am I appearing as a supporting role in this drama? Can I refuse to appear? While seriously agonizing and looking at his phone, another text arrived.
「Let him sleep well.」
“…Seriously.”
He was definitely someone who’d never once been polite in his life.
“What. Are you a cat burglar?”
Though his face asked why he was leaving already, Ahn Shinwook didn’t ask anything in the end. Instead, taking out vegetable juice from the refrigerator, he said:
“My parents are coming next week. …If you’re going to come sleep here today too, contact me.”
“…I might really do that.”
“Go ahead.”
He really was a warm-hearted guy. Vowing to definitely repay this kindness, he left Ahn Shinwook’s house. 6 AM, excessively early for a day without morning classes. Of course, he wasn’t going straight to school. He planned to stop by home to change clothes and properly prepare to run away—laptop battery, underwear, bag, books to prepare for finals, emergency funds…….
He’d thought about it while tossing and turning all night but couldn’t come up with an answer. The conclusion he barely reached was that he should avoid the guy as much as possible. It was so shockingly embarrassing that he couldn’t bear to look at his face. Isn’t “bizarre and outrageous” quite a bland expression compared to what that bastard does? Even while being carried along on the quiet subway, Kwon Yunsu suddenly felt anxious. Though he was someone who slept a lot in the morning, if by any chance they came face to face…
“…Whew.”
His gaze stopped at the subway glass window piercing through the dark tunnel. A face gloomy as if he’d lived through everything was staring at him. He took a light deep breath and hardened his eyes to seem expressionless and calm. Then he put strength between his brows to furrow them and made an annoyed, sarcastic expression as if he’d seen all sorts of things. While studying an expression just before anger exploded, pulling out the resentment faintly rolling around in his stomach, his eyes met with a man standing next to him.
“……”
He lowered his head, hoping he’d look like an aspiring actor. No, he hoped he wouldn’t have occasion to use any of those expressions.
However, Kwon Yunsu’s wish didn’t come true.
[Did you feed Kwon Yunsu breakfast?]
To the second intruder who woke his sweet morning sleep with persistent vibration,
“He left without eating breakfast.”
Ahn Shinwook answered like that.
And the quick-witted Lee Euishin knew Kwon Yunsu was on his way back home. He must have woken up at dawn hoping the damn landlord would be asleep.
Lee Euishin slowly got up. And prepared to greet the impudent country bumpkin. His eyes, which hadn’t slept a wink all night, throbbed.
***
“Did you stay out?”
Though he’d planned to stubbornly keep his mouth shut even if by any chance they ran into each other, this was being so dumbfounded he couldn’t speak.
Kwon Yunsu, who’d quietly opened the front door, froze solid upon seeing the guy standing firm right in front of the door. Pants wrapping slender, long legs and a white t-shirt, a neck that gave a straight feeling and broad shoulders, an expressionless face frozen like ice. The infuriatingly handsome landlord—that is, Lee Euishin.
“……”
He tried to meet those fiercely raised eyes, but his gaze was suddenly caught by well-shaped lips. Kwon Yunsu turned his head as if burned by something hot. Agh. Agh. Agh! Crazy bastard. Son of a bitch. So why did you do something you’ve never done before, when you already look threatening enough!
What if he can never forget that strange sensation—unlike himself who’d lost sleep all night with all kinds of worries, Lee Euishin looked peaceful. How did he get entangled with such a shameless bastard? Kwon Yunsu gritted his teeth.
And the moment he stepped inside to avoid the guy, his shoulder was grabbed.
“…!”
It wasn’t even that strong a grip, but he was startled for no reason and swatted the hand away. When he glared in confusion, Lee Euishin opened his mouth.
“Eat.”
