# Chapter 8
“Using you? Me using you, hyung?”
“……”
“I’m curious why you think that way.”
Is he arguing with me now? Feeling annoyed, Yeomin replied, refusing to back down.
“You’re the one drawing clear lines at school.”
“Well, that’s because you’re always hanging around that sunbae Lee Taeyang. I even saw you going to the bathroom together.”
“What?”
‘When did he even see that? Should we take turns going to the bathroom to avoid each other? No, and why is that even being brought up now?’
Yeomin couldn’t follow the logic of this conversation.
This was confusing enough, but Jiho’s arm around his waist tightened, making the situation doubly bewildering.
“Let go and then talk.”
“What can I do when I get irritated every time I see you and can’t control my expression? Did that come across as rude? I’m not actually angry at you, hyung…”
“Give me a break.”
He would have preferred if Jiho had just said he didn’t think Yeomin was worth acknowledging, treating him like he was invisible.
But the words coming out of Jiho’s mouth were far more outrageous.
“If you don’t like it, then you could just stop hanging out with that sunbae…”
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Why would I stop hanging out with Taeyang because of you? And we’re not just ‘hanging out’—he’s my classmate…”
At that moment, Jiho’s breathing grew heavier. It suddenly felt like the temperature had dropped by about one degree.
But once Yeomin’s well-oiled mouth gained momentum, it wasn’t easy to stop.
He had to say what needed to be said!
“Anyway, I’ve been friends with him since we were freshmen, and I’ve known him longer than I’ve known you.”
“Yes, right. That’s exactly the problem.”
“You’re really not making any sense.”
“Why are you getting angry at me? Is that sunbae so important to you?”
“Important my ass. I’m getting heated because you’re talking nonsense.”
Just until a moment ago, he had felt like he was dying of exhaustion, but now all traces of sleepiness had vanished.
Ha. Suddenly he felt feverish.
Yeomin huffed and tried to raise his upper body. Well, he tried to, but… Jiho’s arm around his waist forced him back down.
“Ugh…!”
Until just now, Jiho had been hugging his waist from behind, but somehow, they had shifted positions with Yeomin lying down and Jiho on top of him.
“…Seol Jiho. Don’t cross the line.”
“You’re getting mad at me because of that sunbae, aren’t you? That’s too much.”
“No, that’s not it… You’re the one pissing me off!”
“Yet you kissed me.”
“What?”
Yeomin’s eyes widened.
…So he remembered?
“If you picked me up, you should treat me well. Why do you hate me?”
See? There he goes again. Pretending to be pitiful while making me feel like trash.
Yeomin’s insides boiled with anger.
“When did I ever pick you up?”
“You brought me here with your own hands. So you should cherish me.”
As expected, communication was impossible. At this rate, they’d be arguing until dawn broke.
Yeomin lost his will to fight.
“Jiho.”
“Yes, hyung.”
When he called softly, mentally counting to ten for patience, Jiho immediately answered with his tail wagging.
This guy probably has nine invisible tails… no, more like ninety.
Yeomin grabbed Jiho by the collar. Jiho’s face came close, right in front of his nose.
It was meant to intimidate him, but this lunatic Seol Jiho—was he being shy?—his ears turned red.
Yeomin felt sick to his stomach, but he spoke calmly, trying to make this empathy-deficient brat understand even a little.
“I don’t have any feelings for you. I neither like nor dislike you, I don’t feel betrayed, though you do annoy me sometimes… that’s all. I don’t have any special feelings for you.”
“How can you say something so cruel?”
Jiho grumbled. Though he claimed to be hurt, his expression didn’t change much.
Yeomin tightened his grip on Jiho’s collar, threatening him.
“But if you keep crossing the line, I don’t know what I might do. For now, I’m letting things slide because I owe you.”
“……”
“Keep messing around and I’ll kick you out.”
“I didn’t know hyung was such a forceful type. I’m falling for you.”
‘This bastard. He’s not listening to a word I say…’
Yeomin gave up trying to talk further. Abandoning this meaningless conversation, he planned to get off the mattress.
But before he could try, Jiho was one step ahead.
Jiho leaned in. Since the distance between them was already so close, even that small movement was enough for them to touch.
In that moment of lowered guard, Yeomin realized the soft thing touching his lips was Seol Jiho’s mouth…
“You crazy bastard!”
“When you were fidgeting with your lips right in front of me, it was hard to resist and before I knew it… I’m sorry.”
The fact that he apologized immediately after kissing him was proof that this guy was truly insane.
‘Should I really punch him?’
Yeomin raised his fist. Jiho closed his eyes as if humbly accepting his punishment.
“……”
But when it came down to it, Yeomin couldn’t bring himself to swing.
Would he ruin his own fate by leaving a mark on the fair face of the Ian Group heir?
It was sad how his soul was constrained by capitalism.
“Shit…”
Yeomin lowered his fist with a curse. Then, as if to show Jiho who was now grinning, he vigorously wiped his lips with the back of his hand.
This was already the second time. That their lips had met.
“Seol Jiho. Be thankful you were born rich.”
“I already thank the heavens every day.”
He really doesn’t give in, right to the end!
“Just shut up.”
“Yes~”
“I said don’t answer either!”
“Understood. But where are you going, hyung?”
“You’ll die if you follow me.”
Yeomin got up, straightening his disheveled clothes. Jiho followed, looking just as rumpled.
“It’s dangerous to go out alone at night.”
“It’s less dangerous than being with you.”
“Don’t be like that, let’s go together.”
This was truly… a night that drained the life out of him.
Yeomin regretted it.
If he could go back to the day he found Seol Jiho on the street, he would boldly drop the guy and run away.
* * *
The only time Yeomin could be free from Jiho was when he was at school.
Of course, even that wasn’t complete freedom. Having been so tormented by Jiho at home, Yeomin felt like he heard phantom “Hyung!” calls whenever he was in quiet places.
“This won’t do. I need to kick him out soon…”
Yeomin muttered with an exhausted face.
Being a hundred times generous, let’s say the annoying behavior was tolerable. He could think of it as payment for the watch he received.
‘But surprise kisses like last night? Absolutely unforgivable.’
Yeomin felt like his lips were still burning from where they had touched yesterday.
‘If I could, I’d cut off my lips… not only my first kiss but my second too, to such a guy, and a male at that…’
“What are you muttering about to yourself?”
A familiar voice reached Yeomin’s ears as he stood there with a serious expression. It was Taeyang.
Come to think of it, he had come to the library to borrow books for his final project. He’d forgotten his purpose and was thinking about Seol Jiho of all people.
Yeomin tried to pull himself together.
“Joo Yeomin, you look weak. How about some meat today?”
“Are you paying?”
“Are you paying?” was Yeomin’s catchphrase. There were quite a few people in the department who criticized him for being stingy.
Yet there was a reason why Taeyang kept Yeomin around.
“Would I ever ask you to pay?”
“Taeyang hyung-nim. You’re all I have.”
He was the type who danced to money’s tune better than anyone. Though he could be cynical at times, he was quick to bend the knee to capital.
When you give something to Yeomin, you get a corresponding sense of satisfaction.
Taeyang put his arm around Yeomin’s shoulder, urging him to hurry.
Yeomin, as if he’d never been serious, chirped happily, “Can I eat two servings? What are we eating? Samgyeopsal? Hangjeongsal?”
And shortly after, they arrived at a restaurant in front of the school.
It was a charcoal grill specialist that served both beef and pork, with refined side dishes, where the staff grilled all the meat for you.
With its rather high prices, it was a place frequented more by faculty and professors than regular undergraduates.
Yeomin poked Taeyang in the side as they were guided to a room by an employee.
“This place is expensive. Aren’t you overdoing it? Let’s just go to a regular pub. We could eat five servings there for the same price.”
“I told you not to worry about the money.”
“You better not make me pay.”
“Please. I’d rather extract a flea’s liver.”
“Speaking of fleas, I’ll go to the bathroom first.”
Just before entering the room, Yeomin let Taeyang go in first and headed to the bathroom. The bathroom was very clean too. After washing his hands, Yeomin checked his phone.
‘I should let Seol Jiho know I’ll be coming home after dinner.’
Otherwise, he’d surely flood the chat with messages.
Yeomin sent a message to Jiho.
[I’m coming home after dinner tonight so eat by yourself]
[There’s frozen rice in the freezer, just microwave it for 3 minutes]
[There are eggs so you can make a fried egg]
[Don’t forget to put oil in the pan]
[Actually, don’t turn on the gas stove, you might start a fire]
[Just order delivery, you said you got money, right?]
While sending the messages, Yeomin suddenly felt something odd.
‘It’s not like I’m raising an elementary school kid. Why do I have to nag about every little thing?’
Was he worried the guy would burn down the house while cooking? Or was it Seol Jiho’s existence itself that made him anxious?
Yeomin tried to calm himself. Today was a day to fill his stomach with good food, so he wouldn’t think about Seol Jiho anymore.
Normally, Jiho would have checked his message within one second of sending it, but there was no reply.
But Yeomin didn’t find it strange and entered the room where Taeyang was waiting. And there, he came face to face with an unexpected person.
“You must be hungry, hyung. I’ve heated up the grill. Come, sit down.”
“…What are you doing here?”
Why on earth was Seol Jiho here?
