# Chapter 12
With his reflexes slowed by intoxication, Yeomin slowly blinked his eyes. Then he smiled broadly.
“Oh, it’s Seol Jiho…”
Yeomin was actually the type to become extremely relaxed when drunk.
“What’s this? Why are you wandering around, did you get lost…?”
But unlike Yeomin who was grinning, Jiho wasn’t smiling at all. The puppy seems really angry today.
“I wasn’t wandering, I was searching. For you, hyung.”
“Ugh… my wrist hurts.”
“Why aren’t you checking your phone?”
“I feel nauseous…”
No matter what Jiho said, Yeomin only said what he wanted to say. As Yeomin made a pained expression, he heard Jiho sigh.
Usually Joo Yeomin was the one sighing deeply. Today their positions were reversed.
“Going around falling and everything.”
Jiho scolded him as he bent his knee. Then he started tying Yeomin’s loose Converse laces.
“…”
Yeomin felt strange. It had been a while since he’d been this drunk, and it had been a while—no, it was the first time—that someone had come out to get him when he was this drunk.
And it had been so long since he’d been nagged like this. So…
Let’s just say that the feeling of being cared for wasn’t bad.
“You’re nice…”
As if drawn to it, Yeomin placed his hand on Jiho’s head. Jiho, who had been tying his shoelaces, paused and lifted his head.
Jiho and Yeomin’s gazes tangled in midair. Jiho’s expression somehow seemed angry, hurt, and surprised all at once.
“Like a puppy.”
Yeomin chuckled and murmured.
“At my grandmother’s house, there was one called Sundoli. He was always so happy when I came. Wagging his tail…”
Why was he suddenly remembering Sundoli, whom he’d forgotten about, at a time like this? As he rambled, Jiho responded without showing any sign of confusion.
“Then you’re a bad owner, hyung. How could you leave a puppy alone?”
“…Were you bored?”
“Yes. Because you weren’t there.”
Facing Jiho, who was making a pitiful expression, Yeomin actually felt a bit sorry.
Normally Yeomin wouldn’t have fallen for it, but he was quite drunk now. Therefore, Yeomin was in an extremely emotional and soft state.
“Yeah. Sorry for leaving you alone…”
Yeomin apologized obediently. Jiho stared at Yeomin for a long time, as if fascinated by this response.
And then,
“Don’t do it again.”
He finished tying Yeomin’s shoelaces.
“Mmm…”
Yeomin, exhaling hot breath, directed his gaze to Jiho’s hands tying his shoelaces.
Come to think of it, he said he was injured.
“Right, your hand…”
“Let’s go inside quickly, hyung.”
Jiho grabbed Yeomin’s hand and pulled. Yeomin was dragged in by Jiho before he knew it.
Into “my happy home” where he bickered with Seol Jiho every day.
* * *
As soon as he got home, Yeomin washed his face with cold water. As he was leaving the bathroom, Yeomin almost stepped on Jiho who was sitting right in front of the door.
The alcohol wore off instantly.
“Why are you sitting here?”
“Hyung, am I really like a puppy?”
Did I… say something like that?
Looking again, he seemed more like a “dog” than a puppy. Excessively big, eats a lot, and his eyes are sometimes… no, often fierce.
“What are you talking about? Are you drunk?”
Yeomin, whose alcohol had already faded, ignored Jiho and lay down on the mattress.
But Jiho persistently clung to Yeomin’s leg.
“I told you not to stick to me! Tsk!”
“I was really bored. You ignored all my messages too.”
“I told you in advance I had a company dinner.”
“I even hurt my hand making dinner alone…”
If someone saw this, they’d think his finger had been cut off.
‘Oh right, I bought medicine.’
Yeomin belatedly looked for the chicken and convenience store bag.
As expected, Jiho hadn’t even put a bandage on. Even if it wasn’t a deep cut, the exposed flesh would still sting quite a bit.
I wonder if Ian Group would make a fuss if they knew. Still, I should take care of him properly while he’s staying here.
Yeomin commanded Jiho.
“Hand.”
Then Jiho, really like a dog, placed his hand on Yeomin’s palm with a “chop” sound.
“Hmm.”
Yeomin concentrated as he examined the wound.
Compared to the minor injury, the Ian Group young master was making a big fuss.
“It hurts…”
“It’s barely even cut.”
“It’s really stinging and painful, you know? I can’t even wash my face. I can’t get it wet, so you need to help me brush my teeth.”
“Are you talking nonsense because I said you were like a puppy?”
After this reprimand, Yeomin took out the ointment. He squeezed out a rice-grain sized amount and applied it to the tiny scar, and Jiho overreacted with an “Ouch!”
“You’re really something else…”
When Yeomin laughed in amazement, Jiho laughed along.
Yeomin suddenly had a thought. That today, this Jiho wasn’t actually annoying.
‘Am I the type who craves people when I’m drunk?’
“Blow on it.”
“I’ll put a bandage on it.”
Ignoring Jiho’s words, Yeomin searched for a bandage in the bag.
Something was strange. He clearly remembered picking up a Pororo bandage box at the convenience store while drunk…
“…Huh?”
What the hell. What Yeomin held in his hand was a con… con…
It would’ve been nice if it were corn chips, but unfortunately, it was a condom, marked with <0.2 SlimFit> in large letters.
‘Why is this here?’
Yeomin’s entire body stiffened. Jiho, confirming what Yeomin had pulled out, raised the corners of his mouth in a smirk.
“Is this a bandage?”
“W-why is this in here? Did the clerk make a mistake?”
Yeomin threw away the condom with the face of someone who’d seen something he shouldn’t have. He tried to get rid of it far away, but it landed on the pillow.
At that moment, Jiho abruptly climbed onto Yeomin’s lap. As a result, Yeomin, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, ended up lying on the mattress.
“Hey…!”
Jiho, who was already large, seemed twice as big when he was on top of him. It was quite threatening.
Yeomin gulped.
“What are you doing?”
“Maybe hyung bought it because you needed it too?”
“…Stop joking around and get off.”
“Who knows, you might need it someday if you have it around.”
His smiling face, which looked like a puppy just a moment ago, now resembled a wolf. A very hungry wolf at that. Either way, it seemed he was definitely from the “canine family.”
Yeomin suddenly snapped to his senses.
‘Is he really into that? Did I let someone like that into my house?’
Yeomin asked.
“Are you gay?”
It was a direct question thrown deliberately, but Jiho didn’t even show signs of being flustered. Instead, he answered calmly.
“Who knows. I haven’t particularly thought about it.”
“…”
“I do have the willingness to become gay.”
Is that something you can become just by having the will? I guess so.
Yeomin gradually calmed down. And then he counterattacked Jiho.
“Uwah! Hyung!”
Yeomin tightened Jiho’s hood strings as hard as he could. He pulled so tightly that it was almost strangling him.
While Jiho was flustered with his vision obscured, Yeomin quickly got off the mattress.
“I don’t keep gays in my house. Got it?”
“Tch…”
“Don’t look at me rebelliously.”
If you keep crossing the line, I’ll really kick you out. I’ve already had two accidental kiss-like incidents with this guy, but
‘No more. Absolutely not.’
Yeomin made a firm resolution.
* * *
“Ugh… I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
After making such a fuss last night, Yeomin woke up the next day in painful hangover.
Holding his burning stomach as he got up, he found a folding table in front of him. For some reason, hangover soup was set on the table.
“You’re awake?”
And there was Jiho, looking proper, placing a spoon in front of Yeomin.
‘What concept is this now? Hardworking bachelor or something?’
Yeomin rubbed his eyes.
“…Did you make this?”
“I was going to, but I ordered it instead.”
Right. That’s what I thought. Good job, good job. It’s better than watching him make a mess in the kitchen and then complaining about another cut on his hand.
Seeing the steaming hot hangover soup, Yeomin’s mouth watered. He gulped down the broth hastily.
As he ate frantically, he felt Jiho’s burdensome gaze. What is this, is he telling me to eat or to choke…
“You eat too.”
Jiho wasn’t even holding a spoon, just resting his chin on his hand and watching Yeomin.
“Hyung. How long are you going to work at the PC bang? Surely you’re not going to continue, right?”
“Where else would I find such a cushy part-time job? I have to keep going until I get fired.”
“Can’t you quit that job?”
“…Why should I?”
Yeomin asked in disbelief, but did Jiho really not understand why he was asking? He answered quite innocently.
“I get bored when you go to work.”
“Will you pay me my wages then?”
“Is that okay?”
Yeomin glared at Jiho, who asked excitedly.
Would it be okay? Talking nonsense first thing in the morning.
“If you’re bored, study. It’s exam period.”
“What’s the point of studying?”
“You’ll do well on your exams.”
“What’s the point of doing well on exams?”
If you do well on exams, you’ll get a good job. That would have been the right answer, but he couldn’t say it.
Talking about “employment” to the son of Ian Group doesn’t make sense.
Yeomin responded lifelessly.
“If you’re so bored to death, why don’t you meet up with your classmates?”
“There’s no one I want to meet.”
“Then just sleep.”
“You always leave me alone—”
‘It’s because of you that I go out more, dude.’
Today too, Yeomin thought he should stay out as late as possible.
Maybe he should ask Manager Cha to extend his work hours. Or perhaps get another part-time job.
Anyway, he needed to distance himself more from Seol Jiho.
“You said you had a company dinner and didn’t contact me, ignored me even when I said I was sick…”
“Don’t you remember I bought medicine for you yesterday?”
“I remember you buying condoms.”
‘This smartass.’
Seeing Yeomin’s face turn bright red, Jiho teased him further.
“I kept the condom just in case. We might need to use it sometime.”
“Just in case you’re wondering, if you bring someone here and do anything, you’re dead.”
Of course, there’s no way he’d bring someone to this crappy place, and in that case, a motel… no, someone like Seol Jiho would go to a hotel.
But this crazy kid is living here like a parasite even though he has money, right? He might have some perverted taste for doing it in a place like this.
The mere thought was truly unpleasant.
“Who would I bring?”
“Just…”
Those girls who follow you around every day saying they like you. Those girls who would line up from the front gate to the back gate of the school just to have a meal with you.
Yeomin was about to speak but stopped. Jiho beat him to it.
“Then don’t you bring anyone either.”
“Hey! Whether I bring someone or not, this is my house!”
Of course, he had absolutely no intention of bringing anyone over. Especially while Seol Jiho was here. Ab-so-lutely not.
“Not those PC bang people either, and no one from our department. Lee Taeyang hyung is obviously not allowed either.”
“While you’re here, of course I won’t.”
“So if I’m not here, you’ll bring someone over? What would you do with them?”
Well, what would he do? What could he do in this room? Yeomin got worked up.
“I’ll bring them over and have sex-sex-sex! Happy now?”
And once again, Yeomin had become as childish as Jiho.
