Misunderstanding
March had arrived.
Unlike his self-boarding days when it took only 5 minutes on foot to reach school, it now took about 30 minutes by bus from Seo Sihan’s house to campus.
I didn’t think about transportation costs? Well, back when I was living alone, I had no reason to take the bus. School was right there, and my café part-time job was also near campus. I only took it occasionally for warehouse work, otherwise I just walked everywhere.
While thinking about the location of his bus card—which he had no idea where it even was anymore—Seo Sihan, who had been eating breakfast with him, spoke up.
“You’re starting school tomorrow?”
“Ah, yes. Should I send you my schedule? I barely managed to get one Friday off. The rest is packed from first period on. I totally screwed up my freshman year, so even though I’m a senior now, I have to retake everything. Haha….”
As Jeong Minha weakly forced the corners of his mouth up in a smile, Seo Sihan pushed more side dishes toward him with concern.
“That’s going to be tough….”
“Mm…. Honestly, compared to hyung working every day, it seems like nothing….”
“No. Minha, you’re also training and exercising from morning till night. That seems even more impressive….”
Athletic Jeong Minha found office-working Seo Sihan impressive, while cerebral Seo Sihan found training-all-day Jeong Minha impressive.
As they marveled at each other, Jeong Minha suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, so I think we’ll have to eat breakfast separately from now on. Since it’s first period, I’ll need to eat early to catch the bus.”
But Seo Sihan, as if it were no problem at all, said he’d just drop him off on his way to work.
Was the company on the way to school? Wasn’t it out of the way? As he was trying to recall the locations, Sihan even said he’d come pick him up after class if he called. Well, his schedule was packed enough that it would roughly match up with quitting time, but….
Jeong Minha asked why he would go that far. Seo Sihan answered immediately.
“Because I want Minha to be comfortable….”
“But why….”
“Because I like you?”
“*Cough*.”
Jeong Minha choked on his water mid-sip and started coughing. It’s fan affection, right? Just fan affection? When he asked in confusion, Seo Sihan confirmed it as if it were obvious.
Actually, Jeong Minha couldn’t help but be conscious of it at this point.
The night before, after hearing those shocking words from that friend-or-enemy of his, Jeong Minha had been lost in deep thought until bedtime.
‘…Is it real?’
The situation itself was too plausible. But sponsorship—wasn’t that usually something that happened in the entertainment industry? What’s the point of sponsorship in the sports world where ability is everything? ……Wait, does the fact that I received money itself already make it that kind of thing?! This is crazy!
Hyung definitely wasn’t some cult member, and actually, since he says he’s a fan, it seems like he has favorable feelings…. Really? But I’m a guy? I guess it’s true what they say about really handsome people all being that way? But with hyung’s face, he’d already have a girlfri— no wait, if he’s a chaebol, he probably even has a fiancée!
After his mind went wild like that, he fell asleep immediately at 11 PM. Since he woke up at 6 AM every day to train, he naturally got sleepy early. For all his worrying, he slept well without any particular dreams.
And then he briefly forgot about this matter and was chatting with Seo Sihan as usual when he suddenly realized just now. No wonder his whole face felt hot.
‘So that hyung is right now….’
Jeong Minha glared at Seo Sihan. Seo Sihan just looked back and smiled.
Whoa, that face is no joke even in the morning. Ah, this isn’t right?! Jeong Minha turned his gaze back to his rice. While eating and glancing around nervously, he carefully asked.
“Hyung…. Are you seeing someone right now? Like, romantically?”
“Me…? Why?”
“J-just curious. Ahaha.”
As Jeong Minha laughed awkwardly, Seo Sihan thought for a moment before speaking.
“Not right now….”
Phew, that’s a relief! ……Huh? That’s not a relief?!
Jeong Minha felt relieved without realizing it, then grew puzzled. If he’s saying not right now, does that mean he had someone before? Well, he looks like he would.
More than anything, Jeong Minha himself had a girlfriend in middle school. They broke up quickly because of training though. So if Sihan said he’d never had anyone with that face, that would be even harder to believe.
After that, Jeong Minha kept recalling what his friend had said. Even while on the treadmill at the apartment’s indoor gym, he almost tripped from the strange suspicion that suddenly arose. His chest felt stuffy for no reason, so he increased the speed and ran harder, making people around him start to stare.
Still feeling frustrated, he focused intensely on his favorite upper body workout equipment. As he performed an incredible amount of exercise with perfect form, people around him gathered more closely. Every time Jeong Minha moved to a new spot, some tried to copy him but gave up in surprise at the weight.
Are you a PT instructor here? One man mustered the courage to speak to him, but Jeong Minha was lost in other thoughts and didn’t hear. As the man kept muttering something beside him, Jeong Minha finally noticed someone was next to him.
“Yes?”
“Ah, never mind. It’s fine.”
“?”
After that brief exchange, several other people who had been about to speak also gave up. Jeong Minha normally had an expressionless face with his eyes half-open as if everything was bothersome, plus a roughly done sick cut that could look sharp, and now he was wearing a black short-sleeve shirt showing his arm muscles while working out—an even more unapproachable impression.
Regardless, that wasn’t what was important to Jeong Minha right now.
Still, it was somewhat okay while exercising for several hours. But as soon as he entered the shower room, thoughts came flooding back.
‘If hyung really brought me here for that purpose…. What happens if I say I don’t want to? Contract termination? Then I’d have to return all that money…. Mm, with Sihan hyung’s personality, it doesn’t seem like he’d demand the money back…. To begin with, to compete in the Olympics I need money…. Ah, hot! What? Why is the water temperature suddenly like this?! …Right, this. Ah, so in the end….’
Jeong Minha’s head, filled with colliding thoughts, was either tired or turned around—he couldn’t tell which—but he reached one conclusion.
‘Well, still, if it’s between guys, wouldn’t it be okay?’
It was truly the beginning of a massive misunderstanding.
* * *
Seo Sihan had definitely fallen for Jeong Minha with fan affection during the Olympics back then, but it wasn’t quite romantic feelings.
Even now, honestly, it was less of an exciting cohabitation and more like raising a hamster or squirrel (Seo Sihan felt this way every time he watched Jeong Minha eat).
He was a practitioner of what’s commonly said on the internet: ‘If I had money, I’d want to bring my bias home and take care of them.’
But one day, Jeong Minha, who had never approached him more than necessary, suddenly started doing strange things.
“Hyung, want to sleep together?”
“……?”
There are plenty of rooms, so why? Before Seo Sihan could even ask why, Jeong Minha offered a plausible excuse.
“You already have insomnia, hyung, and you’ve been having nightmares lately too. I’ll stay by your side and if I see you struggling, I’ll wake you up.”
“……!”
He was about to say that wasn’t necessary, but Seo Sihan, already entranced by that wonderful offer, said he understood.
But actually, Jeong Minha had done it to test Seo Sihan. If he noticed anything suspicious at night, he planned to escape immediately.
* * *
“*Snooore*….”
“……”
At midnight, Jeong Minha was sprawled out sleeping. In Seo Sihan’s bed….
Although Jeong Minha usually went to sleep at 11 PM after starting training, this time he was nervous and anxious, tossing and turning until 11:50 before passing out.
Seo Sihan lowered his phone’s brightness. To begin with, this wasn’t Seo Sihan’s sleeping time. He usually barely fell asleep around 2 AM. Even with Jeong Minha sprawled out, the bed was wide enough that it didn’t matter, but he lowered the phone’s light and turned off the sound in case he might wake up.
After quietly checking work emails for a while, he fell asleep not long after.
……He fell asleep?
The 8 AM alarm rang. Looking at the bed, Jeong Minha had apparently already gone to work out, showered, and come back, changed into fresh clothes, poking his arm with his finger saying, “Wake up, hyung. I’m hungry.”
“It’s only 8 o’clock, so just accept your fate and— oh? You’re awake.”
“…Minha, did you keep sleeping next to me the whole time?”
“Yes. I woke up at 6, went out, and came back.”
“I didn’t wake up then?”
“Uh… mm, probably not? From what I saw, you were sleeping well. So I left quietly. What time did you fall asleep, hyung?”
“I’m not sure either…. I think I fell asleep not long after you did.”
Seo Sihan had thought that no matter how much it was Jeong Minha, having someone sleep next to him would be uncomfortable enough that he’d stay up all night. But on the contrary, it was deep sleep without even dreaming—he couldn’t believe it.
In the end, from that day on, Seo Sihan would occasionally ask Jeong Minha.
“Minha… want to sleep together?”
