“Then three-timing?”
Perhaps because one goal had already been thwarted, Yeongwon flexibly went along with Jiwoo’s words.
Was he laughing because of the atmosphere, or was he genuinely amused? Looking at his unguarded expression, it was a face genuinely amused.
Until just moments ago, Jiseo hadn’t thought he was particularly good at lightening the mood, but Yeongwon’s laughter made Jiseo’s solo evaluation more generous.
Even if I were to have some kind of relationship with him, light teasing among colleagues wouldn’t be a problem at all…
What kind of style would Yeongwon be when dating, anyway? Since he had no experience, even Yeongwon himself wouldn’t know, but based on what Jiseo had observed so far, he would be faithful to his partner. Given that he’d said first that he’d done all the playing around he wanted to do, the probability was high.
So Jiseo himself was just letting this situation slide. The unnecessary contact in the simple process of choosing partners.
“Wow. How did they match up so quickly?”
While Jiseo was lost in his own thoughts, a voice rang out with an exclamation.
Jiseo’s eyes immediately found Yeongwon’s hand accurately.
After confirming Yeongwon holding out scissors, he immediately looked for the partner. Jiseo’s gaze landed on Jiwoo’s hand first.
“Yeongwon and Jiwoo threw different things?”
“Did you deliberately throw something different from hyung?”
“It’s not that—I just threw what suddenly came to mind.”
Jiwoo had his palm spread wide. So naturally, the two didn’t become each other’s partners.
Jiseo’s gaze chased after his partner faster than Yeongwon’s. The hand that had been lowered gradually rose up and landed directly on someone’s firm jawline. The curved eye-smile seemed to whisper that he’d gotten a good opportunity.
“Then Hajin hyung and Yeongwon will move in one car, and Jiwoo and Yunseok will move as one team. That wraps it up nicely?”
“I should naturally be the one driving, but Yeongwon, you still don’t have a license, right?”
“No.”
“Don’t worry and come with hyung. Hyung got his license early and practiced driving hard.”
Standing next to one’s assigned partner was the natural order. Jiseo, who had been standing as if already tied together with Minjae from the start, quietly took in Yeongwon with his eyes.
Naturally I thought he’d be disappointed and look at me longingly… But he could see Yeongwon actively engaging his partner in conversation.
“Next time I’ll definitely get my license and let you ride in the passenger seat.”
“You promised next time, just now?”
“I’m thinking of getting my license this year too.”
The time spent gathering together every night had a bigger impact than expected. The way he joked around seemed friendly yet quite mannered.
It was the same as they all moved together to the parking lot. Jiseo was also trying to focus on conversation with his partner as much as possible, but somehow what bothered him was what designation the person moving with Yeongwon had.
Was it an omega or an alpha? The important thing was that he couldn’t remember well. He could figure it out if he concentrated, but Yeongwon and Hajin had already moved away. And Hajin had already received Yeongwon’s small courtesy.
I guess it looked mature when he tried it.
Whatever action Yeongwon took was interpreted only based on known facts. Jiseo focused on Yeongwon’s expression.
Hajin’s face bloomed brightly as he climbed into the driver’s seat that Yeongwon had personally opened for him. Judging by what he was saying, he seemed to be pouring out compliments. So that’s why Yeongwon’s expression brightened so much. It couldn’t be helped.
“Driving…”
“I’ll do it.”
“Ooh, so straightforward!”
Jiseo, who had hoped to grab the steering wheel without hesitation, got in the driver’s seat first.
When putting Yeongwon in the car, he occasionally opened the door, but his body had never reacted first for anyone else. There was no need to open it anyway. It wasn’t like they were carrying heavy items.
In truth, all his attention was on Yeongwon, so even simple manners couldn’t be displayed.
“I wonder what everyone’s talking about on the way. Ah, I’m so excited. I really like healing things like this.”
“…”
“Have you ever personally been to a place like a jjimjilbang? I’ve been before, but this is my first time here. I heard there’s so much to do.”
To the chattering conversation beside him, Jiseo only answered occasionally and nodded.
Since he appeared to be focused on driving, his companion understood the attitude while also accepting that he wasn’t being very enthusiastic because they were already acquainted.
He looked so uninterested that it showed outwardly.
The atmosphere of only one person chattering continued, and Jiseo started responding more when they were about to arrive, but that was also very brief.
It was because he spotted Yeongwon, who had arrived first and was waiting, looking straight ahead with his lips slightly pursed.
As Jiseo stood there for a moment looking at Yeongwon, somewhat impatient steps immediately followed to his side.
“You looked like you were having fun earlier?”
Jiseo, seeing Yeongwon trying to make eye contact with him, whispered in a sincere voice. Unlike Jiseo’s fairly relaxed face, Yeongwon shot back with his eyes narrowed.
“You seemed to have fun coming too though?”
“…”
“Well, it was fun. Hajin hyung did all the driving and everything, so I couldn’t let him get bored, so I made an effort.”
“Really? Good job.”
“Hyung, well, you have absolutely zero interest in me, so you don’t have any more curiosity about that.”
“About what?”
He had roughly expected that his words would go in one ear and out the other, but he hadn’t thought a slight displeasure would seep through.
However, since the sulking was easy to notice, he fixed a gentle gaze on Yeongwon.
It seemed he didn’t need to encourage him to speak. Seeing how he obediently opened his mouth first.
“Hyung should talk to me first.”
“Hyung should?”
Of course, bewilderment followed. It was because the topic had twisted in a different direction from the current subject.
Following the flow, he wondered if Yeongwon was talking about approaching him first just now.
“When I woke up earlier…”
“You only asked if I slept well when I woke up earlier. You should have asked more specifically and what I wanted to eat for breakfast…”
“…”
“No. I should have done it. Right. I can’t just do what I’ve always done.”
Not knowing what realization he’d had on his own, the sulky face quickly disappeared and Yeongwon made an “oops” expression.
To Jiseo’s eyes, everything was the same, so he didn’t understand what Yeongwon had realized or what he was particularly dissatisfied about. The fact that he was putting out what could be called whining, and the morning had been no different from usual.
Ah, was it because he didn’t ask what he wanted to eat? Maybe he should have asked what dreams he had.
As for breakfast, he didn’t particularly ask because he wasn’t the one making it.
It was the same at home. Although he sometimes asked what he wanted to eat, he tended to just make it and serve it on his own. For Jiseo, who knew what Yeongwon ate well, it was natural.
“Isn’t it better to be taken care of by other people instead of hyung?”
“I was the one taking care of them though. Wasn’t I?”
At the bewildered voice, Jiseo made a “huh?” sound and tried to gauge Yeongwon’s meaning.
“Hyung?”
“The other hyungs and noonas.”
It seemed Jiseo had misjudged this part.
He stepped up to help with every meal, clearing the table was obvious enough that it went without saying, and he thoughtfully pulled distant food closer. Yeongwon could confidently claim this.
Of course, he received a lot of help too, but it meant he didn’t just receive care. Besides, he shouldn’t do that. He needed to gain the favor of others right now.
“Did it seem a bit like that to hyung? I thought I was doing it… Did it feel like I didn’t lift a finger rudely?”
“…”
“When we get to the jjimjilbang later, I should quickly bring snacks first.”
“What hyung means is, it’s natural for you to be taken care of.”
It seemed Yeongwon had also misunderstood his words, so Jiseo quickly clarified.
It was exactly as he said. From Jiseo’s perspective, it was natural for Yeongwon to be taken care of. So he could reasonably feel that a greeting asking if he slept well was insufficient.
Moreover, Jiseo also took it as natural that Yeongwon would naturally express that dissatisfaction.
Looking at his expression, Yeongwon seemed to have also recognized there was some misunderstanding.
“Would I do that?”
“Hyung said you’re allowed to do that.”
“If I really do that, I’ll be hated.”
“By whom?”
“By the hyungs and noonas.”
“Why would that happen? Like you’d make some mistake.”
“So you’re saying it’s okay from hyung’s perspective to keep doing it this way?”
At the end of the not-so-short conversation, what Yeongwon gained seemed to be the conclusion that he was doing well.
