Just as the professor was also coming in, Habin just bit his lips tight, then soon picked up his phone and tapped the screen with irritated touches.
At Habin’s behavior, openly displaying his anger without hiding it, Hyeonwon, who was sitting next to him, swallowed dryly. He’d thought Habin was a gentle person since he hadn’t had severe mood swings until now, but it seemed he’d been mistaken.
“Since it’s the first day today and also a first-year class, I’ll explain how we’ll proceed with lectures going forward and then we’ll wrap up.”
Among those cheering at the news that they’d finish early, Habin pouted. It’s childish, but since it’s come to this, I should show off my boyfriend a bit.
While half-watching the professor enthusiastically talking with the syllabus made in PowerPoint displayed, Habin quickly checked his phone at the vibration ringing in his hand.
After reading the brief text that wasn’t even that long, Habin smoothed out his hardened expression. Then he diligently listened to the lecture he hadn’t been able to concentrate on at all, and also scribbled down important things appropriately on his tablet.
Hyeonwon, who had been constantly observing Habin’s mood since he was sitting next to him, was puzzled by the atmosphere that changed in an instant. What did he see that made him feel better? He couldn’t understand, but it was hard to ask during the lecture. Thanks to that, he had no choice but to hold onto his curiosity until the lecture ended.
“We’re planning to have exams for midterms and finals, and detailed information will be announced again two weeks before the exams. So, anyone have questions?”
Anyone have questions. The freshmen, who realized even before the first week had fully passed that this was a regular comment that always came at the end of lectures, eyes gleaming.
Perhaps hearing the wish of the majority who were praying inwardly that there would be no questioners, not a single person answered.
“Alright, it seems there aren’t any. If you happen to have questions, you can also send them by email. Then let’s conclude the orientation.”
“Thank you for your work!”
With the final greeting, the lecture hall became noisy, and Habin checked his phone first. Then he packed his things with an extremely satisfied smile.
“Habin, are you going straight home?”
“Probably? Why?”
“It’s nothing much—”
“Crazy, hey there’s a really handsome person outside the lecture hall.”
As an extremely excited voice echoed through the lecture hall, Hyeonwon trailed off. A handsome person? In the engineering college? Though still a freshman, as far as Hyeonwon knew with his fairly wide network regardless of seniors or juniors, the only person in this department with looks that would excite people was Lee Habin right in front of him.
“Maybe a model?”
“Probably not a model? I know him. I think he’s a business administration freshman.”
“Business? Business came all the way here? Why?”
“Did they come because they know someone?”
Unlike Hyeonwon who showed puzzlement as even model suspicions arose, Habin realized it was the person he’d been waiting for and quickly got up from his seat.
“Huh? Habin?”
“My boyfriend came to pick me up. Sorry, I’ll text you.”
Hyeonwon, who had been sitting blankly, couldn’t catch Habin who hurriedly escaped. It was because he’d gotten far away before Hyeonwon could even say anything.
“Crazy…”
Hyeonwon, who had been frozen for a moment, soon realized that the handsome person outside was Habin’s boyfriend and opened his mouth stupidly.
“They say handsome people either have a lover or are gay.”
So that saying was true.
“Excuse me, let me through.”
Habin, who didn’t know that Hyeonwon was shocked, squeezed through the people gathered near the entrance. Whether he couldn’t see the people watching him, or perhaps he just didn’t care—Dojin was on his phone looking the same as usual.
“Kwon Dojin!”
“You’re here?”
Perhaps because it was hard to get through the crowd, the end of his voice cracked. Still, Dojin, who easily recognized who was calling him, put his phone in his pocket.
As Dojin reacted, this time attention focused on Habin. Unlike in the lecture hall, since this was intentional, Habin smiled pretending not to know anything. Dojin reached out his arm to match Habin’s cunning behavior and took the bag he was holding.
Since he often carried bags for him normally, Habin handed over the bag familiarly. And when he stuck close to Dojin’s side, Dojin wrapped his arm around his shoulders.
“You’re going straight home, right?”
“You’re asking that too. Why? Is there something today?”
“Club booths are open today. As expected, you didn’t know.”
As much as Habin liked staying at home, he had little interest in clubs. To begin with, he also found forming relationships with new people somewhat tiresome.
Knowing Habin’s personality well, Dojin decided not to suggest looking around the booths. He didn’t plan to join any clubs anyway either.
“Booths?”
“I think I heard they’re club introduction booths. Rather than that, should we go home and watch the drama we didn’t finish yesterday?”
“You disappeared into the study while watching yesterday.”
Habin, who had shown small interest in the event he was experiencing for the first time, got distracted by the talk of drama. He hadn’t forgotten how Dojin picked up his phone and sneakily disappeared into the study while watching together yesterday, so he sharpened his gaze.
“I had work yesterday. I won’t do that today.”
He had gone to the study to find Dojin, who didn’t return even after watching two episodes of the drama, and had seen him working. It wasn’t often, but he occasionally disappeared to do some unknown work, so it was probably true. In any case, Habin could only nod since he couldn’t say anything to someone who said they’d been working.
Like that, the two chatted intimately as if they didn’t feel the surrounding gazes and left the place. When they arrived at the parking lot in the basement of the building and the surroundings became quiet, Habin immediately expressed his irritation.
“Did something happen?”
“Remember that weird senior from the general meeting? The one who got kicked out of the bar, the one whose name I don’t know.”
“Ah, that person. I remember. Do you still not know their name?”
“Yeah. I don’t know. Don’t want to know either.”
He didn’t make even the minimum effort to find out. He thought it was better to invest time in games he didn’t even like that much rather than pay attention to such a person.
“What about that person?”
“They asked me if I was doing compensated dating. When they clearly know you’re my boyfriend.”
Habin stomped his feet, saying he’d never heard such bullshit in his life. Dojin gently patted his shoulder at the irritated gesture. Unlike the gentle gesture, Dojin’s expression hardened stiffly.
He knows they put that word in their mouth to deliberately provoke. But there was no one who would feel good knowing their boyfriend heard they were doing compensated dating. Still, Habin’s feelings came first, so he hid his own feelings and soothed him first.
“So that’s why you called me?”
“I thought it was better to show off rather than let weird rumors spread. It was also more convenient to let people know to refuse things like group blind dates.”
Was it because he was a freshman? More proposals for group blind dates and meetings came than he thought. Even though he refused every time, they kept coming without getting tired, so it was getting annoying. To begin with, he’d never hidden that he was in a relationship, but he was tired of everyone assuming he didn’t have a boyfriend.
After being indignant for a while, Habin belatedly observed Dojin’s mood, wondering if he’d acted too unilaterally, blinded by anger.
“Did you not like it?”
“If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have gone to the front of the lecture hall.”
Contrary to that worry, Dojin was actually satisfied. He always preferred revealing his relationship with Habin.
“We have exactly one overlapping class. But why does it overlap? Is it a retake?”
“Just now, that class?”
“Yeah, I’m thinking of dropping it. When’s the course correction period? Should I look for another class even now?”
“Didn’t they say that class was required?”
“Ah, right.”
Ugh, when Habin grabbed his hair realizing the reality he’d been trying to forget, Dojin quickly grabbed his arm and pulled it down.
“Of all things, there’s also a team project.”
Having heard through hearsay that team projects were no different from hell, Habin was already full of worry.
“Will the professor form the teams?”
“No. They told us to form them ourselves.”
“Then you can avoid them.”
“Right, if I do that.”
Habin hated the very fact that he had to face them once a week.
“Don’t worry too much. You probably won’t have to face them as much as you think.”
“Mm.”
Since Dojin opened the passenger door for him, Habin stopped being angry and got in the car. He fastened his seatbelt while letting out deep sighs. Dojin asked what had been bothering him as he belatedly got in the car.
“But Habin, group blind dates?”
“Huh? What about them?”
“You said proposals for group blind dates come in.”
“Ah, that. My classmates just talk about it often. But it’s bothersome, and I don’t really like drinking with people I’m seeing for the first time either.”
Most of all, it was ridiculous for someone with a boyfriend to go. Dojin, who had put his phone down in the cup holder, lightly gripped the steering wheel.
“Do you still get a lot of proposals?”
“Won’t they stop coming now? When they clearly know you’re my boyfriend?”
The reason proposals kept coming until now was because Habin hadn’t refused with the words that he had a boyfriend. But now that the fact that Dojin was his boyfriend had spread among his classmates, such proposals wouldn’t come in.
The fact that many people were interested in him meant that rumors also spread quickly.
“You know you absolutely refuse next time too, right?”
“Of course. I would even without you saying it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Really.”
Habin, who chuckled at Dojin’s request, hit his forearm. It seemed he was displeased that Habin had received several proposals.
Still, since it was Habin’s fault for not drawing a clear line from the beginning saying he had a boyfriend, Habin answered wholeheartedly.
“Okay, then that’s fine.”
Dojin, who glanced at Habin, soon nodded. It seemed it had been a useless worry after all.
Keep feeding me dog food