Cha Ihyun, who had been looking at the map on his phone, raised his head. Seeing the sign that said “College of Law,” it seemed he’d found the right place.
He’d stopped by Hankook University for lessons before, but since hyung always came to pick him up right when the lesson ended, this was his first time coming to the law school. And hyung didn’t know he was here right now.
It should be fine, right? He said he finished his urgent work today.
Since he’d stopped by the music college on an errand for Professor Kang, he thought he’d see hyung while he was here. These days, hyung left at the crack of dawn and came home past midnight, so it was hard to see his face. Just imagining hyung being happy to see him made the corners of his mouth lift already.
Cha Ihyun entered the building with a flushed face. But his excitement turned to bewilderment in an instant.
First of all, the building was too large. Unlike high school, none of the lecture rooms that densely filled that vast space had any signs on them. Moreover, the sensitive faces of university students facing exam period made Cha Ihyun shrink back.
He realized how naive his thought that he’d be able to see hyung if he came to the law school had been. Cha Ihyun was hesitating while looking around. A familiar name caught his ear from a conversation behind him.
“Really? Minhyun sunbae? What’s the occasion?”
“It was Professor Lee’s project! Even as a sunbae, he couldn’t skip out on it.”
“I suddenly like Professor Lee…”
The giggling sounds passed by Cha Ihyun. The three women, their faces flushed, mentioned the familiar name again. There must be countless people named Minhyun in the world, but somehow he was certain the “Minhyun” in that conversation was his hyung. When he cautiously followed the three, the conversation continued.
“But can I go too? I’m not even part of the study group.”
“Why not? That professor says anyone can come as long as they drink well.”
“Right. And he makes you drink so much. Wow, I’ve never seen Minhyun sunbae at a drinking gathering. I wonder if he can hold his liquor?”
“Seeing how he doesn’t even put it to his lips, doesn’t he seem weak? I should hurry and be his white knight.”
From what he’d gathered, it seemed there was a drinking gathering as an after-party for the work that ended today.
Hyung doesn’t like alcohol though… Cha Ihyun bit his lips. Hyung even hated the smell of alcohol soaking into his clothes. Worried, he hastened his steps and the three people disappeared into a seminar room.
Seeing a drinking gathering being held on campus, this Professor Lee person must have quite a bit of influence. That’s probably why hyung got dragged along too. Cha Ihyun resented the professor whose face he didn’t even know as he peeked his head inside.
He could find hyung right away. His handsome appearance shone at a glance, and everyone around him had their bodies turned toward him.
Hyung, surrounded by people, was truly magnificent. Even though people were bothering him from all sides, the way he didn’t lose his smile looked just like an angel.
As he stole glances at his face as if entranced, hyung looked off somehow. Even though hyung wasn’t the type to lead conversations, he wasn’t silent either. But now that hyung was only lifting the corners of his mouth while keeping his lips tightly closed. Looking again, he seemed to sense a strange fatigue beyond that picture-perfect smile.
Only then did Cha Ihyun come to his senses. This wasn’t the time for this. He looked around but didn’t see a professor. Now was the right time to pull hyung out.
Just as he swallowed and was about to go inside, amber eyes looked this way.
Cha Ihyun swallowed a hiccup. It was because the eyes that met his were unfamiliarly cold. About a second passed, and the cold eyes softened gently before Cha Minhyun smiled smoothly.
“It’s Ihyun.”
It was a small voice, but everyone’s gaze focused on Cha Ihyun.
Cha Minhyun rose to his feet. His face, relaxed and cheerful, was like looking at sunlight, so Cha Ihyun spaced out without realizing it. In that moment, Cha Minhyun swayed slightly.
“Hyung!”
When he rushed over and supported him, hyung went “mmm” and hugged him tightly. His grip was so strong it was hard to believe this was the person who had almost fallen just now.
“Ihyun, my dongsaeng.”
The scent of alcohol vibrated in the air. The moment Cha Ihyun barely escaped from hyung’s chest and raised his head, something soft landed on his cheek. He realized it was lips after lips settled on his other cheek too.
“Did you come to pick hyung up?”
“H-hyung…?”
“Pretty.”
The smacking sounds echoed through the quieted lecture room.
Hyung, to me, ki-, kissed me…
He felt like his soul would leave his body, but Cha Ihyun barely held onto his consciousness. There were too many people watching. People who seemed to be hyung’s classmates were whispering. Fortunately, all the gazes were friendly.
A man sitting across spoke to him.
“Are you his dongsaeng?”
Cha Ihyun nodded awkwardly. Since they’d be hyung’s classmates, he wanted to appear polite, but with his whole body bound tight, moving just his head was the best he could do.
“Really? Minhyun’s dongsaeng? The one he treasures like gold and jade?”
“Wow, but it makes sense.”
“Daebak. Hey guys, this is Cha Minhyun’s dongsaeng!”
“Dongsaeng! Sit, sit. What’s our dongsaeng’s name?”
Everyone welcomed Cha Ihyun warmly. They even made space for him, but Cha Ihyun couldn’t sit there. It was because Cha Minhyun had sat his dongsaeng on his lap and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Oh my” sounds poured out from the surroundings, so Cha Ihyun rolled his lips inward and bit them.
He was so, so happy… but so, so embarrassed. Hyung, leaning his face against his back with his eyes closed, looked so peaceful that he couldn’t rashly shake him awake.
Cha Ihyun belatedly answered the question.
“It’s Ihyun. Cha Ihyun.”
“Wow, even his name is totally a dongsaeng’s name.”
“So he really does have a dongsaeng. I thought it was a lie. Hey, Ihyun-ah. Do you know what your hyung’s nickname is?”
“What is it…?”
“Dongsaeng-crazy, dongsaeng-crazy. He always slipped away like a loach saying he couldn’t because he had to pick up his dongsaeng, he couldn’t go because it was his dongsaeng’s competition day. That’s why there were many opinions that even having a dongsaeng was a lie.”
“Right. Otherwise we thought his dongsaeng was like a kindergartener or something.”
He became even more embarrassed somehow. Not knowing what to say in response, when he brushed it off with laughter, a pretty-looking noona squealed. Looking at her outfit, she was one of the three people who had walked ahead earlier.
“Daebak. Just now he really looked exactly like Minhyun sunbae.”
“Ihyun, what do you want to drink? Is there anything you want to eat?”
“No, I’m fine…”
“You came at a good time. Even when we said we’d introduce him to nice people, Cha Minhyun over there kept using his dongsaeng as an excuse. Ihyun, tell your hyung. Tell him to date someone.”
Cha Ihyun closed his mouth. It was because he was the one who had said he’d prefer if hyung didn’t even meet friends, let alone date. But rather than being embarrassed, he was happy. So hyung is really listening to my unreasonable demands, he thought.
“Don’t just smile. It’s really serious, you know? Your hyung will end up unable to marry if he keeps this up. At this rate, he’ll say he’ll marry his dongsaeng too.”
“Should I?”
He turned his head at hyung’s voice. Hyung had opened his eyes at some point. The eyes looking up at him curved gently.
“Will you marry hyung?”
The air that had stopped for a moment soon became noisy with playful jeers and cheers. Hey, Cha Minhyun’s drunk! Only Cha Ihyun couldn’t laugh at the giggling sounds. Cha Minhyun, who had clasped his hands over Cha Ihyun’s stomach, asked “hm?” again. Cha Ihyun’s face turned as red as someone who had drunk a lot of alcohol.
“H-how can you say that? Between siblings.”
“Why?”
Pressing his lips to his reddened earlobe, Cha Minhyun whispered.
“We’re not even real siblings anyway.”
“H-hyuuung…”
His face felt like it would burst. No, his heart felt like it would burst first. The sound of it pounding on his chest was so loud that the hand wrapped around his stomach tried to climb up along his solar plexus. When Cha Ihyun quickly pulled that hand down, someone held out a glass. It was the man sitting next to him.
“Here, since dongsaeng’s here too, have a drink.”
“I’m still a student…”
“We’re students too? Hurry and take it. They say these days kids drink from middle school.”
It was Cha Minhyun who blocked the persistent offer.
“No. He’s still a baby.”
Baby. At that word, Cha Ihyun’s face reddened even more.
“Minhyun sunbae, aren’t you overprotecting your dongsaeng too much? The baby will suffocate.”
“Seriously. Hey, Minhyun. My dongsaeng grew up exactly like that, you know? But as soon as he became an adult, he left home. He ran away saying it was suffocating.”
The hand stroking his stomach stopped. It was brief, but Cha Ihyun could notice his hyung’s reaction. Moreover, hyung was quite drunk right now. Cold sweat broke out.
“What are you going to do later if your dongsaeng runs away saying he hates you? So allow him one drink. Here.”
Cha Minhyun reached for the soju glass offered again. Hyung wouldn’t break it, but feeling anxious somehow, Cha Ihyun made the first move.
“W-we should get going now. We’re supposed to have dinner with family. I’m sorry…!”
There were a few who tried to hold them back, but at the mention of a family gathering, the atmosphere was such that they made way. Cha Ihyun quickly escaped the lecture room while supporting his hyung.
Fortunately, hyung was quiet until they exited the building. There was a taxi that had just dropped off a passenger, so when he waved his hand, the taxi driver nodded as if to say get in.
“Hyung, watch your head.”
Cha Ihyun barely managed to seat the long body in the back seat. Cha Minhyun, who cooperated obediently, leaned his head on the small shoulder. Even though the posture must be uncomfortable because of the low height of the shoulder, a smile was drawn on his face.
“I’m glad Ihyun came to pick me up.”
