# Chapter 74
Here’s how the whole incident of Yeomin running away from Jiho happened.
Yeomin and Jiho, who had been busy with the school festival preparations, ended up attending a dinner at the insistence of their senior, Hyungsik. During this, they happened to be seated at different tables, which Yeomin actually thought was fortunate.
This was because Jiho had always been jealous of Yeomin drinking with people other than himself. Seeing this as an opportunity, Yeomin happily drank at a table without Jiho.
But his happiness didn’t last long. He felt strange watching Jiho sitting separately, being nice to juniors and chatting with them as if he were a normal(?) person.
Then Yeomin overheard a conversation between juniors in the smoking area of the restaurant.
‘Yuyeong, you said you wanted to confess to Jiho sunbae, right? Should I set you up later?’
‘What if… sunbae doesn’t like me?’
‘Come on, why wouldn’t he like you? He was being super nice to you earlier. We’ll definitely create the right mood, okay?’
After hearing more comments about buying meals if they succeed and how well the two would match, Yeomin couldn’t stand it anymore and left the place.
Was it because his mental fortitude was too weak to endure such a situation? No. It was because he was scared of what crazy thing he might do if he stayed there any longer.
So, after fleeing from the dinner, Yeomin ignored Jiho’s calls, hid for a while, and then rushed over to Jiwoong’s house.
“That’s what happened.”
After spilling this embarrassing and childish story in front of a high school student, Yeomin felt a wave of reality hit him.
After hearing the whole story, Jiwoong’s first words were,
“You and Seol Jiho play more cutely than I expected, ssaem?”
Somehow, this mature-beyond-his-years response made Yeomin feel even more shameful. He wanted to hide in a mouse hole if one existed.
“You ran away to make Seol Jiho sweat a bit because you were upset, right?”
“It’s not like that…”
No, actually it was exactly like that. It felt like Jiwoong had seen right through his petty heart.
Yeomin gave up on his planned excuse and kept his mouth shut. After all, he had run away with such childish intentions—hoping that Jiho would be anxious, desperate, and angry because of him.
“…Maybe I should have at least answered his calls.”
Yeomin was now worried after having acted on impulse.
“It’s fine. Seol Jiho needs to suffer a bit.”
“…”
“And later, ssaem, why don’t you just dump him? That would be appreciated.”
Yeomin’s already anxious face darkened further.
‘I doubt Seol Jiho would ever dump me, but…’
There might come a situation where he’d be forced to break up with him.
Yeomin knew all too well that Jiho behaved like a puppy with separation anxiety. Knowing exactly how Jiho would go crazy if he suddenly disappeared, Yeomin felt terrible for acting so impulsively.
But the shock had been too great for him to suppress such an impulse.
‘Am I more serious about Seol Jiho than I thought?’
He must be serious. That’s why he was engaged in a same-sex relationship with none other than the heir of the Ian Group.
Without touching the street food, Yeomin suddenly stood up.
“Jiwoong, I’m sorry, but let’s do the supplementary lesson next time. I think I need to go.”
“If you’re going to Seol Jiho, there’s no need.”
“Huh?”
Jiwoong pointed his chin toward the intercom in the kitchen. Outside the front gate, Jiho’s face appeared on the CCTV, staring intently.
“Did you tell him I was here?”
“No way.”
“…”
“I guess he must have put a GPS tracker on you or something, ssaem.”
It wasn’t an entirely far-fetched idea…
Yeomin’s heart beat strangely. The fact that Jiho had come all the way here to find (or catch) him—if that was a relief… was he truly going mad?
“If you’re going to fight, I’ll make space for you. Just finish quickly before the tteokbokki gets cold.”
“I’m really embarrassed in front of you.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like you have any dignity left to lose anyway.”
With that cutting remark, Jiwoong went upstairs.
With a confused mind, Yeomin walked to the entrance. He was conflicted about what to say first when he saw Jiho’s face.
‘I should probably apologize, right? Or make an excuse? Say I felt too sick while drinking? Would Seol Jiho even believe that… why would I come all the way here if I felt sick?’
Amidst thousands of complicated thoughts, his hand was already opening the front door. Yeomin decided to apologize first.
Yeomin opened his mouth urgently.
“Sor… Sor…”
He really intended to give a proper apology. He was ready to honestly admit his fault.
“…”
But as soon as he saw Jiho’s eyes, Yeomin couldn’t speak anymore.
Not because Seol Jiho’s extremely angry face was scary, but because he looked pitiful.
“Seol Jiho…”
Even when Yeomin called his name with a trembling voice, Jiho just silently looked down at him.
It wasn’t even that cold yet, but Jiho’s eyes looked so empty and cold, as if they might shatter at any moment.
Yeomin slowly placed his hand on Jiho’s face. His cheek was cold.
“Jiho-ya.”
No response from the guy even when called. Jiho quietly pressed his lips against Yeomin’s palm. His calmly closed eyes looked as solemn and noble as a saint’s.
Jiho’s low voice resonated in Yeomin’s chest.
“Sometimes it seems like you want to make me unhappy, hyung. Is that what you want?”
He should answer no, that’s not true… but Yeomin couldn’t. Because it was true. He had wished for Jiho to be unhappy without him.
It made him feel like there was a reason for him to stay by this guy’s side.
“Yeah. That’s right. Sometimes I do want that. I’ve had even worse thoughts.”
Yeomin reflected on his feelings. The admission wasn’t difficult.
“Sometimes, I wish you were completely mine. I think about wanting to have you all to myself.”
“…Hyung.”
“I hate it when you’re nice to others, when you smile at them. I keep resenting the people around you.”
“…”
“I think something’s wrong with my head. Because of you…”
He knew how crazy these words must sound. It was the first time he had harbored such negative emotions toward someone.
Yeomin was prepared to accept it if Jiho lost interest in him. But the face of Jiho that greeted him after such worries…
He was smiling brightly. More radiantly than ever before. As if he had the whole world.
“Hyuuung…”
Jiho embraced Yeomin so tightly it was suffocating. His voice trembled with happiness.
“You really love me, hyung.”
…That’s how he interprets it?
Normally, shouldn’t he think this is burdensome and strange?
‘Well… does it matter?’
Yeomin remained in Jiho’s embrace, feeling dazed. Jiho planted kisses on Yeomin’s cheeks, one after another. They were urgent kisses that couldn’t contain his affection.
Looking like he might take things further right in the entryway if left unchecked, Yeomin pushed him away with all his strength.
“Jiwoong is inside. Stop it.”
“…Tch.”
“Wait. I’ll go tell him I’m leaving. Do you want to come in and say hello?”
“I’ll wait here, so go say hello. Thirty seconds should be enough, right? Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight…”
Thirty seconds? That’s too generous for Seol Jiho.
Yeomin smiled faintly as he watched Jiho counting down like they were playing hide and seek.
He wondered what kind of useless jealousy he had felt toward someone like this.
* * *
When Yeomin said he’d go home, Jiwoong waved him off as if he’d expected it all along.
He also said this to the embarrassed Yeomin as he was leaving:
‘At first I thought you had gotten involved with the wrong person and felt sorry for you, ssaem. But these days, I think you two are very similar.’
‘Hey, aren’t you being too harsh?’
Yeomin bristled, but ultimately admitted it. Considering what he’d done… he deserved those words.
‘Yeah, I’m a lovesick fool.’
Acknowledging that fact, Yeomin’s expression was gravely serious as he left the house.
Jiho was waiting with the car already started. As Yeomin sat in the passenger seat with an embarrassed heart, Jiho set the navigation.
“We’re going to our place.”
Jiho had completed his move last week. Here, “our place” referred to Seol Jiho’s new officetel.
Jiho had been talking about having a housewarming party since before, but Yeomin had been too busy and kept postponing it.
Whenever Yeomin briefly stopped by, Jiho always asked him to stay over, but Yeomin stubbornly returned to his own place.
He was afraid that if he became too comfortable there, they might end up actually living together.
“I’d rather go to my place…”
“I’ve been looking for you all day, so I might catch a cold tomorrow. You need to take care of me, hyung.”
Jiho deliberately coughed in front of Yeomin. Anyone watching would think he had some terminal illness.
‘This guy… should have been an actor instead of going to school.’
Reluctantly giving in to his method acting, Yeomin agreed.
“Fine. Let’s go to your place.”
“That’s how it should be.”
Only then satisfied, Jiho even hummed a tune. For someone who should have been furious from searching for him, he seemed excessively excited.
Yeomin found that strange.
“Aren’t you angry?”
“About what?”
“I disappeared without a word and didn’t answer your calls. You spent a long time looking for me, aren’t you angry? It’s practically the same as if I were training a dog.”
By all accounts this was a situation where he should be angry, so why was he smiling? Yeomin couldn’t understand.
But Jiho’s answer was simple and clear.
“Because you were jealous, right?”
“…What?”
“If it’s because you like me so much, why would I be angry? I’m actually about to go crazy with happiness.”
This point really showed that this guy wasn’t normal.
“If that’s the reason, I could go through this dog training a hundred more times. I’d even go around the Earth twice.”
“…”
“Give me events like this occasionally, hyung. The endorphins are amazing. We fight sweetly like this, then have makeup sex. Hm?”
To call this an “event”… he really thinks differently from ordinary people.
‘No way. I’ll never do this again. I won’t run away in such a cowardly and petty manner again. I can’t stand this self-disgust.’
Regardless of Jiho’s reaction, Yeomin apologized once more.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m telling you I actually like it! I’m not angry. Really.”
“No, I’m sorry for treating you like you were the only crazy one all this time. Maybe I’m as crazy as you are.”
“Hmm. I appreciate the sentiment, but that’s definitely not the case.”
Even though Yeomin admitted it himself, Jiho denied it. Yeomin felt somewhat offended, but Jiho was very confident.
“No matter how much you get jealous, obsess over me, or try to control me, hyung, you’ll never catch up to even one millionth of what I feel. You’re not crazy at all. You’re loving me in a perfectly normal way.”
“Well, you saying that puts me at ease…”
After the sudden drama of leaving the dinner and sweating it out, a delayed fatigue hit Yeomin. The alcohol was also catching up. Yeomin leaned limply against the car window.
I want to go home, wash in warm water, and lie down. Tonight… I want to sleep holding Seol Jiho tight. That seems to be the only way to fill this empty and anxious feeling.
“Close your eyes. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
With such gentle care, Yeomin closed his eyes with ease. But far from falling asleep, he had irrelevant thoughts.
The destination of this relationship that he and Seol Jiho were flowing through. What would be their final coordinates?
‘Are we heading in the right direction now? Is this kind of relationship… even a proper relationship?’
Well, at this point, even if it wasn’t, there was no way to stop.
