“Hyung, can I call you?” 1:23pm
The moment the “read” indicator disappeared, his phone vibrated. It was Seonwoo.
“Hyung!”
– Class over?
“Ah, it ended ages ago! I’m on my way home right now. What about you, hyung? Were you really busy today?”
Yoonjo, who had been dragging his feet slowly, was now moving almost at a run. He wanted to see Seonwoo’s face even just a little bit faster. Fortunately, the arts building was located fairly close to the main gate. Thinking there was no need to pointlessly wait for the shuttle, Yoonjo let out a laugh like someone with air in their lungs.
“Are you home by any chance? Then let’s go to the mart together today! I’ll make you a really delicious gamjatang.”
– I’m not home but… I’ll ask just in case. You’re not thinking you have to cook meals instead of paying rent while living at my place, are you?
Yoonjo clamped his mouth shut. The truth was, half was right and half was wrong. But to say it wasn’t true at all would be lying, since he had similar intentions. Standing in place and rolling his eyes around, Yoonjo didn’t take long to open his mouth.
“No? Not at all?”
– Right.
“I said no?”
– If you tell me the truth, I’ll give you something good. Um… it might even be what you want most.
Something good, what he wanted most. Seonwoo came to mind in an instant. He knew it was wrong to refer to a person like an object, but instinctively Ki Seonwoo flashed through his head.
Tell the truth… the truth… should he tell the truth? But what if he didn’t know what the “something good” was and spoke honestly? Yoonjo, who had been rubbing his forehead hard with his palm as if troubled, answered with a sigh. Even so, he felt like deceiving Seonwoo was something he couldn’t do.
“You didn’t eat properly even when you were in Namhang, hyung. Yesterday too, when I opened the fridge, there wasn’t a single bit of rice or side dishes inside, just full of mineral water. What are you, a fairy? Do you survive just on dew?”
It would be better if the dew meant soju. At least when drinking alcohol, he could put some snacks in his mouth, but this—what kind of hydroelectric power plant generates energy from water—Yoonjo couldn’t understand at all why he didn’t eat. He resolved that at least while they were living together, he would feed him diligently to make him healthy. And score some points while he was at it.
Hadn’t he already experienced it once? Originally, there was no defense against food, and Seonwoo was being tamed little by little by Yoonjo’s cooking. Just a little more and Seonwoo would become someone who couldn’t live without Ji Yoonjo.
“Instead of rent, I’m showering you with my love… Anyway.”
Quietly waiting for an answer, Yoonjo stopped walking when he heard no sound from beyond the speaker. He thought maybe he’d accidentally disconnected, but the reception was just fine.
“I told you the truth, so when are you going to give me something good?”
Still, no answer came back. It was suspiciously quiet to an extreme degree. In an instant, a deep furrow formed between Yoonjo’s eyebrows.
“Hyung. You’re laughing right now, aren’t you.”
– …Ah, umm… No. I’m not laughing.
As soon as he heard the sound like he’d been waiting for it, Yoonjo was certain. Ki Seonwoo had definitely pressed the mute button to hide his laughter.
“If you want to keep receiving my love, give me something good quickly. Then I’ll let it slide even if you laughed just now.”
When he grumbled, a low laugh came from Seonwoo’s side.
– Close your eyes and count to just five. Not quickly, but slowly.
Yoonjo, who immediately squeezed his eyelids tightly shut, began counting numbers slowly. One, two, three…
“Fouurrrr… Fiiiiiive…”
– Too fast
“Wasn’t I counting?”
The two voices overlapped. At the end of his line of sight was Seonwoo. As always, he was wearing a mask and even a black hat, but Yoonjo could recognize him at a glance. Clutching his phone tightly in his hand, Yoonjo ran toward Seonwoo.
“Hyung!”
“Wait, wait! Yoonjo-ya, walk over. Don’t run. Slowly.”
Seonwoo, who raised his hand to stop Yoonjo, spoke quite seriously. At that single gesture that should have been nothing special, Yoonjo stopped dead in his tracks like magic. Then he approached Seonwoo again with quick steps. Watching Yoonjo get closer, Seonwoo took the phone away from his ear.
“Class ended early.”
“The first week of the semester is orientation. Probably this whole week will end early. Were you very busy, hyung?”
“Just, well… so-so.”
Trailing off, Seonwoo opened the passenger door for him. Yoonjo slipped inside and settled into his seat. As he was pulling the seatbelt, he suddenly felt body heat. Seonwoo was gripping the belt as if holding Yoonjo’s hand. Seonwoo’s breath brushed against the corner of his mouth.
“…Hyung, just a moment.”
Chu-.
After pressing his lips to Seonwoo’s cheek like stamping a seal and pulling away, Yoonjo quickly averted his gaze to the side. The way his toes were wiggling showed he was terribly embarrassed. Even so, he was biting down to try to make his expression look nonchalant. His face, neck—everything was dyed bright red enough that it would catch fire if you held paper to it.
“I’ll take this as the something good.”
Click, the belt locked into place with a sound. Yoonjo rolled his eyes to glance at Seonwoo and their gazes met squarely. Thinking that since it had come to this, he should be brazen about it, Yoonjo lightly pushed out his lips.
“One more time?”
At that shamelessness, Seonwoo couldn’t help but laugh. Yoonjo, who didn’t know how to hide his heart and just laid it out in front of him, was particularly lovable today.
***
Yoonjo picked up the dishes coming onto the drying rack one by one and wiped them with a dry towel. Right next to him, Seonwoo was washing dishes squeaky clean. Looking at Seonwoo’s smooth, glossy face, Yoonjo smiled with pride without quite realizing it.
Yoonjo had gasped in shock at Seonwoo’s actions of only picking instant foods like seaweed soup, yukgaejang, and ox bone soup at the mart. Concluding that this was why he was so sickly, Yoonjo carefully selected and chose ingredients, came home, and made the same thing for him.
Seonwoo, who had tilted his head at first when eating, uncharacteristically cleaned his bowl completely. Without Seonwoo knowing, Yoonjo clenched his fist tightly in a victory pose and congratulated himself on today’s success.
Yoonjo began organizing the dried dishes one by one on the shelf. Water cups and rice bowls were easy, but plates were not.
“Hngh…!”
Reach, reach…
He stretched out his hand with all his might, but it didn’t quite reach, so he stood on his tiptoes and fluttered. At that moment, he felt something fluffy yet solid at his feet. It was Dongtae. Startled, Yoonjo twisted his body.
“Uh…!”
At that moment, Seonwoo smoothly caught the dish and held Yoonjo from behind. Immediately placing the dish on the shelf, he released his arms, then lightly petted Dongtae who was moving at his feet and responded.
“From now on, you can put them somewhere a bit lower instead of here.”
“But still, I should put them back where they originally were… so it’s convenient for you to use, hyung.”
“We’re living together now, so there’s no need to do that. Do it however is convenient for you.”
Living together. At those words, Yoonjo’s cheekbones curved up high as if ascending to heaven. Then they immediately dropped down. Seo Yeongyeom was the same. Living together. Was it like this when he lived with him too? Yoonjo’s lips jutted out without him quite realizing it.
“Why are you suddenly sulking?”
Seonwoo lightly pressed Yoonjo’s cheeks with both hands. Yoonjo looked at Seonwoo with flounder eyes, then answered reluctantly. Of course, hiding his true feelings.
“Just because. Why didn’t you answer my messages, hyung? I waited so much.”
At the sulking Yoonjo, Seonwoo laughed. He said he wasn’t a baby, but his actions were nothing but cute. Just looking at his lips jutting out pettily showed that.
Seonwoo popped a small piece of melon into Yoonjo’s mouth, then added.
“It’s the first day of the semester. I did that so you could focus on hanging out with your friends. And… you have to listen well in class too.”
Yoonjo, who had been chewing, moved his Adam’s apple largely. Seonwoo lightly wiped away the moisture remaining at the corner of Yoonjo’s mouth. He moved to the living room with the plate of melon. Behind him, Yoonjo was tagging along.
“You don’t seem to know, but I’m someone who enjoys receiving more than waiting for replies. Even if you contact me randomly whenever you’re bored, I’m ready to answer before the ringtone sounds three times.”
Seonwoo reached out toward Yoonjo, who sat down next to him as if he’d been waiting. Lightly tapping the corner of his eye, one of Yoonjo’s eyes scrunched up slightly.
“They say children who lie don’t get presents at Christmas.”
“I didn’t lie at all though?”
“Hmm…”
“What does that mean? Hmm? Hmmm?”
Seonwoo speared melon with a fork and shoved it into Yoonjo’s mouth one after another. When Yoonjo’s cheeks became puffy in no time, he dusted off his hands.
“When you lie, you talk more.”
Unable to answer because of the fruit filling his mouth, Yoonjo could only tremble his pupils. It was clear enough to see on his face—how did he know? It was an easy fact to know if you observed well, but Yoonjo seemed to be the only one who didn’t know.
Dongtae, who had been bumping Seonwoo’s calf with his nose from right below, climbed up to his thigh. As if he wanted to eat too, he kept exhaling hot breaths. When Seonwoo gave him a piece of melon, he immediately started eating. The chomping sounds rang out cheerfully.
“Mmph… grgh… ugh…!”
Yoonjo rapidly moved his mouth to hurriedly eat the melon, but it didn’t seem easy. Quietly watching his cheeks bulge out, Seonwoo gently covered his mouth with his hand.
“Hyung. Put your hand down. You’re laughing, aren’t you? You laughed again, didn’t you? Why do you keep laughing every time you look at me?”
Having somehow cleared his mouth completely, Yoonjo put his palm on Seonwoo’s thigh and pushed his face close. His eyebrows were already raised upward, and his fist was clenched tight, containing a fierceness that said if he didn’t tell the truth, he’d get to see hell.
“Hurry up!”
Yoonjo, who grabbed Seonwoo’s wrist, tried to lower his head for a moment at the heat of the palm he suddenly felt. In an instant, his chin was caught and that attempt was thwarted.
“Because you’re cute.”
“Hyung. I’m not cute. I’m cool and dependable.”
“No, you’re just cut—”
When his wrist was gripped tightly, Seonwoo looked at Yoonjo with a flustered face. Yoonjo smiled brightly and added.
“What did you say I was?”
