Different Dreams in the Same Bed (2)
“Did Dogyeom say something useless again? That’s not true though? I’m loaded.”
Jeongbae laughed with a “hehe” and brushed it off playfully. He didn’t want to burden a twenty-three-year-old who had just been discharged from the military with money worries. Jeongbae took pride in the fact that he had lived his life taking responsibility for himself without ever asking anyone for help. He knew that Jaehyuk was a gold spoon who had nothing to envy, but he thought nothing would change.
And though he couldn’t say it directly, Jeongbae liked Jaehyuk a lot. Because he liked him. It was only natural that he wanted to take responsibility for Jaehyuk, who had left home looking only at him, and wanted to take care of him.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Jeongbae spoke with deliberate cheerfulness. Jaehyuk responded with an uncharacteristically thoughtful expression.
“I feel like there’s still more I don’t know about you. I only found out about the living expenses today because Lee Dogyeom told me.”
“Ah, well, same here. I only know your school name. I don’t even know what year you’re in?”
Jeongbae answered casually. But Jaehyuk had more he wanted to ask.
“And there’s something else I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Why do you barely sleep?”
He finally asked what had seemed strangest to him during the month or so of living with Jeongbae. Except for when he was completely knocked out from rough sex, he had hardly ever seen Jeongbae lying down asleep. He always fell asleep first, and when he woke up, Jeongbae was already awake.
“Uh… that’s…”
His smiling face suddenly hardened.
“I told you. I just don’t need much sleep.”
Jaehyuk wasn’t satisfied, but decided to let it go for now. What he really wanted to ask was something else.
“And, do you have to go to medical school? What’s your reason for aiming for med school?”
“……”
This time, Jeongbae was truly at a loss for words. This was what Jaehyuk found strangest. Jeongbae was someone with excellent common sense about reality. He was also the type to pursue efficiency. So he couldn’t understand why he was trying to take the most difficult and impossible path when it came to college admissions.
“That’s… I just want to succeed. I’m tired of being looked down on too. That’s my dream. To live large.”
“Then like I said before, there are plenty of other options like law school or nursing like me.”
Kang Jeongbae talking about dreams. It made as little sense as Lee Dogyeom going on a hunger strike. And Jaehyuk brought up the matter he’d been keeping hidden until the end.
“From what I’ve seen next to you, if you just changed your major, this year you could easily get into our school too…”
“That’s… it’s okay. I’ll handle this problem myself.”
I want to go to the same school. I want to experience college life together. The words Jaehyuk wanted to say were cut off cleanly once again. The atmosphere became awkward in an instant.
“Sorry, I must be tired. I could have said that more gently…”
Jeongbae hunched his shoulders and quickly apologized. Jaehyuk’s hand slowly covered Jeongbae’s hand. Then he silently began to focus on his book again. As if to say don’t worry about it.
‘This is going to make studying uncomfortable…’
That’s what he thought, but Jeongbae didn’t unclasp their intertwined hands either. It was time to study their own subjects while holding hands.
Without anticipating the storm that would come, Jeongbae felt a happiness that filled him completely from that warmth.
***
“Here, hyung. Try this on.”
“Okay.”
A large SPA clothing store in downtown.
Jeongbae entered the spacious fitting room holding the clothes Dogyeom had picked out. It was a brand famous for selling basic items at cheap prices, but even here Jeongbae felt intimidated. It had been ages since he’d bought clothes for himself.
“Maybe this is a pointless thing to do.”
He took off his worn and tattered t-shirt and put on the new clothes with the tags still attached. His reflection in the mirror just looked awkward. It felt like he was wearing kids’ clothes that didn’t suit his age.
When he grinned at the mirror, he saw his ugly, sparsely-spaced teeth. He hadn’t cared before meeting Jaehyuk, but lately his teeth had been bothering him quite a bit. It was fine if he looked ugly. But he didn’t want Jaehyuk, who went around with ugly him, to hear things like ‘Why is he with someone like that?’
“So, how is it? Is it weird?”
When he awkwardly pulled back the curtain and went out, Dogyeom’s eyes widened.
Jeongbae was wearing a white round-neck t-shirt layered with a sky-blue oversized shirt, and beige cotton pants.
“Wow… hyung…”
“Yeah, I guess it’s too hard for me to pull off after all…”
“You’re so, so cute.”
Dogyeom hugged Jeongbae tightly. Jeongbae laughed once and hugged Dogyeom back. After finishing at the rice soup restaurant today, he’d gathered his courage to ask to go clothes shopping together, and Dogyeom had gladly come along. He’d even taken a half-day off. He was so grateful to Dogyeom for coming with him.
“Wait a second.”
Dogyeom took out his phone and took photos, click click.
“Look at this. Doesn’t it look great?”
When he checked the photos Dogyeom showed him with exaggerated excitement, even Jeongbae thought he looked quite sophisticated like people these days.
“You’re right. Dogyeom, you’re good at taking photos too.”
“I’m going to change my profile pic to this. I’ll send it to you later too, hyung.”
He changed back into his original clothes in the fitting room and tried to pay, but Dogyeom stopped him.
“I’ll pay.”
“No, but still…”
While they were arguing, the clerk had already finished the payment with Dogyeom’s debit card.
“You haven’t been getting paid for that long. You need to save up fast so you can at least get a security deposit for a place.”
“Ah, don’t worry. I’m saving well. And I can just mooch off you, hyung.”
Jeongbae found Dogyeom, who had already grown much taller than him, endearing. When he patted his head, Dogyeom this time grabbed Jeongbae’s hand and pulled.
“Let’s buy shoes too. Your sneakers are too worn out, hyung.”
“No, but still…”
Jeongbae ended up carrying armfuls of shopping bags. As they were walking, Dogyeom glanced through a accessories shop and bought him a hat too. It was a refreshing blue color with small pretty embroidery. He’d always only worn hard hats, so wearing a ball cap like this for the first time felt awkward, but Jeongbae liked it very much.
“Fashionable people know how to use accessories well.”
Dogyeom pretending to know was cute.
“I’m going to do driver service now. Dogyeom, can you just take the shopping bags home for me?”
“What, you’re working again today? Let’s go home and hang out with me.”
Dogyeom clung to him like a koala again, but Jeongbae smiled and gently peeled him off.
“Since I’m in the city anyway, might as well. I’d be bored at home with nothing to do. I’ll just do a few runs and come back soon.”
Dogyeom turned away sullenly.
Jeongbae sat on a bench on one side of downtown to catch a driver service call. Strangely, his heart was pounding. Jeongbae was thinking of doing something he’d never done in his life. That’s why he’d gone clothes shopping today.
“It’s a pointless thing to do, but…”
He kept feeling bad about flatly refusing Jaehyuk’s request to go to the festival together. It was an age full of things he’d want to do. Going to the festival was too much, but he was thinking of secretly going to pick him up in front of school. Just then, his phone dinged with a text.
[Yoon Jaehyuk: Running late today?]
[Yeah, eating with Dogyeom. I already ate.]
He lied even though he hadn’t eaten. Actually, he was so excited about making Jaehyuk happy that his appetite had disappeared.
“I wonder if he’ll like it.”
The last first date. The image of Jaehyuk smiling brightly and running to him when he saw him from afar came to mind. His tall height and sculptured handsome face. His gaze looking only at him affectionately. The corners of Jeongbae’s mouth turned up on their own.
***
Isol was in a foul mood today too. Since Yoon Jaehyuk, there hadn’t been a single alpha who caught his eye. The engineering guy in front of him now chattering away trying to win favor was the same. The major talk that followed every sentence was boring as hell.
“So what do you think, Isol?”
A sweet question.
‘What do I think about what. It’s fucking awful.’
Isol yawned inwardly while smiling outwardly.
Just then, he saw a man moving awkwardly. The way he was looking around hesitantly felt suspicious to anyone watching.
“Wait a sec.”
He stopped the engineering student for a moment and looked the man over carefully. He looked somewhat familiar.
‘Where did I see him…’
Height around mid-170s, hair at a fresh length slightly covering his forehead, casual outfit. Small head with long limbs. A small nose and a slightly mischievous face that looked young…
“Ah!”
Remembering, Isol quickly ran toward where the man was. The pink-haired rice soup restaurant part-timer. It was that person.
“Hey! Excuse me!”
When Isol called out, the man jumped in surprise.
“Ah! I’m not a suspicious person! I’m looking for someone… Uh… I’ll leave right away.”
“No, that’s not it… Don’t you recognize me?”
He seemed to think for a moment, rolling his eyes. Then…
“Ah, you were with Jaehyuk before…”
“Right. We’re law school classmates. Kang Isol.”
“Ah… yes. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
The man whose face had turned pale awkwardly offered a handshake.
‘Heard a lot my ass. After stealing someone else’s man…’
Isol forced a smile and slowly extended his hand. They say you meet your enemy on a narrow bridge.
“What brings you here today? To meet Jaehyuk?”
“Yes… but he’s not answering his phone.”
Come to think of it, he’d heard that today there was an important presentation seminar in the class Jaehyuk was taking. There was still some time before it would end.
“He’s probably presenting right now. Do you have a moment?”
Isol’s eyes gradually sharpened.
Isol was extremely curious. What exactly was so special about this man that an alpha like Yoon Jaehyuk followed him around as if wearing a leash?
‘…Even from an enemy, I should learn what I can. They say even bad examples teach lessons.’
Isol’s sly fox skills hadn’t fallen from the sky. They were the result of gathering up all the cute, charming, intelligent, and elegant traits of omegas like himself that he’d encountered and making them his own. And now, the man before his eyes. He felt he could extract at least something from this man too.
“What… for…”
“Just, let’s get close. Aren’t you curious about Jaehyuk’s school life?”
Jeongbae was on guard instinctively. But Isol dug in with his characteristic bright and soft charm.
“Just have a cup of coffee with me. I’ll take you to Jaehyuk’s classroom later.”
Before he’d even finished speaking, Isol naturally grabbed Jeongbae’s hand and led him. And sure enough, Jeongbae couldn’t refuse. The corners of Isol’s mouth lifted slightly. It was a piece of cake.
When they entered the cafe on campus, eyes turned toward them. It was a familiar gaze. Isol, famous as the law school’s greatest beauty, had people following him wherever he went. And… as much as he hated to admit it…
‘Well, he does look kind of fresh.’
