He unconsciously made a sound in his throat. Large yet characteristically white and fine scholar’s hands gripped the table. He leaned his body forward and deliberately looked up from a low position, saying.
“I guarantee it. Whoever it is, they won’t like you more than I do.”
Moon Gyeonwoo’s eyes saying this were wavering. Eyes where passion was secretly beginning to rise seemed like those of someone who truly liked him. Unable to endure it any longer, Yeonrok fled from that spot, abandoning even the walnut cookies. Coming to his room like that, the face he saw in the mirror was completely flushed red.
* * *
No. The current situation is just right.
Holed up in the hobby room, Yeonrok enthusiastically sanded while ruminating on the conclusion he had reached after days of deliberation.
If it had been early on, not long after meeting the Name Partners, he would have accepted Moon Gyeonwoo’s confession right away. Or even if he had still been in a state of lacking contact and desperately hungry for affection, he would have.
However, the current Yeonrok had a good relationship not only with Yeom Cheonho but also with Choi Hwan evenly. Since collapsing from lack of contact had already become the distant past, there had never been a time as enjoyable as these days. So this conclusion must be the best.
The three of them are roommates. Just roommates who have somewhat physically intimate contact.
Rubbing the sandpaper to forget his worries, the surface of the sculpture became smooth. It was a rare craft activity he could do with one arm in a hairline fracture.
But, what if President Yeom Cheonho asked to date? Such a thought suddenly came to Yeonrok’s mind. The hand that had been sanding slowed down. If he dated President Yeom Cheonho, then that would be kind of nice… Yeonrok soon screamed out loud.
“No! I’m not dating anyone!”
The knocking sound came almost simultaneously. Seeing the door burst open right after knocking, he could tell who the intruder was without even looking. Choi Hwan muttered with a dumbfounded face.
“…Who are you dating?”
“What are you suddenly talking about? You must have heard wrong. And knock.”
Yeonrok played innocent and looked proudly at the small wooden carving that had been more or less finished with sanding. Choi Hwan grumbled while looking at Yeonrok suspiciously.
“I did knock.”
“That’s not a knock, that’s like an air raid warning.”
Choi Hwan, who listened to Yeonrok’s words in one ear and let them out the other, sauntered over. Surveying the workbench, he looked closely at the small wooden statue Yeonrok had made.
“A pig? You made it well.”
“It’s a sheep…”
“Ah.”
Yeonrok looked down sullenly at the sheep he had earnestly carved for several days. Perhaps because he had sanded too enthusiastically, all the wool texture had died. Choi Hwan’s eyes wavered as he quickly changed his words.
“The sheep is really cute.”
“Forget it. …Why did you come here?”
Picking up and putting down Yeonrok’s carving knife as if it were something interesting, Choi Hwan pouted.
“When did I ever, what, need a reason to come? …Of course, I’m not saying I don’t have one.”
Choi Hwan, who sat perched on Yeonrok’s workbench, rubbed his fingers together and brushed sawdust onto the floor. His long legs stretched out diagonally. Being a natural-born actor, even though he seemed to be casually sitting, it looked like a photo shoot.
“How’s your ankle?”
“Well, it got better.”
Perhaps because it wasn’t such a severe sprain, or because he had been getting enough contact these days, after resting thoroughly for a few days, both the swelling and pain had almost gone. Choi Hwan’s face brightened.
“Really? I don’t have a schedule today, so I’m free.”
Then he smiled nicely and coaxed Yeonrok. Now that he looked, his outfit was completely ready to go out.
“If your ankle is okay, hang out with me, hm?”
It’s bothersome… However, Yeonrok couldn’t refuse immediately and hesitated. It was because he felt a bit guilty about ruining the sports car Choi Hwan had gifted him last time. He had even gone cherry blossom viewing with Moon Gyeonwoo, when Choi Hwan had asked to go together like that.
“I’m not going to a club.”
“This time I can really show you a good time.”
Though disappointed, Choi Hwan didn’t particularly insist on a club. Instead, he made a proposal that Yeonrok would also like.
“Let’s go for a drive, eat something delicious, and go shopping for clothes!”
It was a safe and good proposal. Due to the cast on his arm, Choi Hwan took charge of driving. He had been inwardly worried whether he might drive recklessly, but surprisingly, his driving skills weren’t bad. He could visibly see him trying to be careful.
The commonality between being unemployed and having a freelance-like job was being able to play when everyone else was working. Thanks to that, they could drive around the Seoul suburbs even on a weekday afternoon. The meal at the restaurant recommended by a close acquaintance was also delicious. While he and Yeom Cheonho had such difficulty conversing, perhaps because they were the same age, he conversed quite well with Choi Hwan.
“Hey. You know.”
Eating the dessert that came out for afters in a half-hearted way, Choi Hwan opened his mouth.
“Honestly, I’m the closest to you among the three, right?”
With the ice cream spoon in his mouth, Yeonrok pondered briefly. Was that so? Was he closest with Choi Hwan? Thinking about Yeom Cheonho, favorability and closeness were completely separate things. Actually, Yeom Cheonho, who had the highest favorability, wasn’t someone he could say he was closest to. If it was the person he could treat most comfortably, it was definitely Choi Hwan.
“I guess so?”
“Right? I’m closest to you, right?”
At Yeonrok’s words, Choi Hwan became very proud and boasted. To the extent that they went out to play together like this, they could probably be called friends.
‘Today’s schedule somehow feels like a date course though…’
Choi Hwan dating him? It didn’t suit them at all, so Yeonrok chuckled and then his eyes widened. It was because a nosebleed was flowing down from Choi Hwan’s nose. Just as it had been with him, Choi Hwan wasn’t surprised and familiarly plugged it with a napkin. Then he muttered.
“I’ve been lacking contact lately.”
“No, ask someone else to…”
Yeonrok was about to scold him but stopped. It was because he realized that Choi Hwan was scared of, no, detested Yeom Cheonho, and lately his relationship with Moon Gyeonwoo had suddenly become bad. Come to think of it, when was the last time he had contact with Choi Hwan? Since it was a room where privacy was guaranteed, he clicked his tongue and grabbed Choi Hwan’s hand without reserve. Warmth instantly circulated through the hand that had been cool from poor blood circulation.
“Thanks.”
Choi Hwan said in a rarely shy voice. Seeing the cheeks and ears that were flushed from vitality that went beyond circulating to rising heat, Yeonrok also felt awkward for no reason and said.
“Well, since we’re friends, I can do this much anytime. Tell me whenever you need it.”
But somehow Choi Hwan seemed a bit disappointed. Yeonrok, who quickly noticed that sign, hesitated. He felt a bit embarrassed, as if he had gotten excited alone when Choi Hwan didn’t even think of him as a friend. However, Choi Hwan’s following words were far from denial.
“Being with you like this feels really good. So keep hanging out with me from now on too.”
He scrunched his nose bridge slightly and smiled mischievously. The sincere smile that appeared on his gorgeous face was practically violent. Indeed, he was worthy of being the most handsome among the three. His mind was briefly stolen by the face before Yeonrok cleared his throat. Unable to move both arms freely, the ice cream he’d been eating was helplessly melting, but somehow it didn’t feel wasteful.
“Oh, right. What you said last time was right?”
The atmosphere was too ticklish, so Yeonrok quickly changed the subject. Choi Hwan, who had become lively and radiant like a flower that had drunk its fill of water, tilted his head.
“What I said, what?”
“That, Moon Gyeonwoo… You said that person was making moves.”
By age, Moon Gyeonwoo was a hyung, but the word hyung didn’t come out easily. But to address him by position like with Yeom Cheonho, the title of researcher was too unfamiliar. What would be appropriate to call him? He was briefly pondering that when Choi Hwan raised his voice.
“What? Really? He made moves?!”
“You scared me. They’ll hear you outside.”
“That’s not what’s important! Why, what did that bastard do?”
He didn’t have friends or acquaintances to discuss such stories with anyway, and there were few people who knew his strange circumstances, so thinking it worked out well, Yeonrok honestly confessed.
“He told me to date him.”
“Ha, really! I! I knew it! He’s so insidious and despicable.”
Choi Hwan got strangely excited and badmouthed Moon Gyeonwoo, then suddenly became completely quiet. Then he asked with a strangely tense expression.
“So what did you say?”
“What would I say? I rejected him, of course.”
“Good job. Keep rejecting him from now on too. Never date him. Even if you date, you’ll definitely break up quickly anyway. That bastard had so many ex-lovers.”
Choi Hwan continued to badmouth Moon Gyeonwoo. Yeonrok, who was gradually getting hungry for ice cream, thought this was enough and pulled his hand out. Choi Hwan wiggled his fingers that had become empty. Not knowing that, while eating the half-melted ice cream, Yeonrok said.
“Right. I’m just going to keep living as a single person from now on.”
