Swoosh.
Just then, Han Kyungoh, who had been lingering in his room, came out carrying a bag. He had an expression that showed something was bothering him. Ah. Is he spending the weekend at the apartment and then going into the training camp? When Sangho stood up, putting down his phone to say goodbye, Kyungoh spoke in a displeased tone.
“I’m going into training camp starting today. It’s the tournament next week.”
“Ah, yeah. Have a safe trip.”
“It should be fine until next week, but…… if you suddenly get a fever or feel achingly sick, contact me.”
“……?”
“Make sure to contact me.”
“Got it.”
Kyungoh, wearing a sports bag, patted Sangho’s head with his large hand. This arrogant bastard, to his hyung. Still, Sangho didn’t avoid it and just let Kyungoh be. Instead, he clenched his fist as he’d learned and waved it in front of Kyungoh’s eyes with a grin.
“I’ll train hard too. Win everything and come back.”
Then Kyungoh, who had been patting his head, stopped. With his earlobes slightly reddened, Kyungoh pressed his lips tightly together and then pulled Sangho into a hug.
“Ugh.”
“Ha…… I don’t want to go.”
“Hey, it’s stuffy.”
When Sangho squirmed, Kyungoh hugged him tighter and rubbed his face against his nape. Sangho didn’t seem particularly surprised by this level of skinship anymore. After rubbing like that for a while, Kyungoh sneakily gave a quick peck on his cheek like a thief and quickly pulled away. At the lips that touched and separated in an instant, when Sangho raised his hand to his cheek with a dumbfounded expression, Kyungoh pulled his baseball cap down low and went straight out the front door.
‘I wonder if Wonha will come after eating dinner. Should I make something simple……’
After Kyungoh left, Sangho stood there for a moment, then turned toward the kitchen, rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand. Opening the refrigerator, there were ingredients like bean sprouts and pork belly. Sangho, who had been going through studio apartments until now, had never cooked that much because the kitchens were small. But with a bigger kitchen, it seemed like he could try various things. Searching the internet, Sangho decided to make a dish of spicy stir-fried bean sprouts topped with pork belly.
Making the sauce, washing the bean sprouts, cutting the pork belly into bite-sized pieces—Sangho bustled about in confusion. Still, he felt certain that Wonha would be proud when he came back and saw that he’d cooked. A humming tune came out naturally.
Click.
At the sound of the front door opening, Sangho’s eyes sparkled as he turned around.
“Wonha!”
“Uh, hyung……”
Unlike his own voice filled with delight, Wonha looked somewhat tired. Wonha, wearing a mask, smiled with his eyes crinkling as usual, but Sangho felt something was off.
“……You’re back? If you haven’t eaten dinner—”
“Ah…… I already ate. Sorry……”
“Ah.”
Then Wonha hugged Sangho tightly, let out a deep sigh, and headed straight to his room. This isn’t right. Feeling disappointed, Sangho quickly grabbed Wonha.
“Th-then at least some beer—”
“Ah. No, hyung. I’m just going to rest.”
Wonha, who had slightly adjusted his mask, smiled as if embarrassed. The warm hand lightly grasped the hand holding his clothes, then gently removed it.
For a moment, Sangho stood there and stiffened his expression. Sangho knew well what that kind of reaction meant. The kind of things ordinary indifferent people would pass by without much thought. But he knew better than anyone. That was an expression hiding an injury.
“Jang Wonha.”
At Sangho’s tone turning cold, Wonha stopped while opening his door.
“Hyung?”
“Take off your mask.”
When Sangho, with an angry expression, strode toward Wonha, Wonha stepped back in confusion.
“Wh-why?”
“I said take off your mask.”
The flustered hand grabbed Sangho’s arm, but Sangho quickly snatched Wonha’s mask with his other hand. Swoosh. As the mask came off, his messily split lips came into view. Seeing that, Sangho’s brow furrowed.
“Why…… Who did this to you?”
“H-hyung. It’s nothing. Things just didn’t go well—”
“I heard you went to your family home. Did this happen at home?”
“……”
When Wonha pressed his lips tightly shut, Sangho felt like his heart was dropping. Did his parents hit him? Or his grandfather? Why on earth?
‘His family home was turned upside down. He’s already an only child, and if he’s with an Alpha, there’s no hope for a second generation.’
Dohyun’s words came to mind. So the family really does hate him being close to Han Kyungoh?
It was himself who, out of fear of Nam Dohyun, had tried to forcibly attach Han Kyungoh to Wonha. Sangho’s face twisted with guilt. That stupid BL webtoon—nothing from it has been right so far. It seemed like he’d fallen into delusions alone and made things difficult for Wonha.
“Does your family dislike you being close with Han Kyungoh?”
“H-how did you know?”
“So it really is my, my fault for forcing you to meet Kyungoh—”
“Hyung!”
When he lowered his gaze and twisted his face, Wonha cried out urgently. Wonha quickly knelt in front of Sangho and met the eyes of Sangho, whose head was bowed, as he spoke.
“Don’t say that. Moving into Han Kyungoh’s apartment was my choice, and hyung, you did nothing wrong.”
As Sangho still took deep breaths with a tearful expression, Wonha explained urgently.
“Hyung. I’m going to stay at my family home for a bit. Han Kyungoh and I really aren’t anything to each other, but they’re strangely misunderstanding, that’s why. Normally they wouldn’t even care, but I don’t know why they got so angry either. But I also need my grandfather’s help. It’s really…… really important. Once I resolve just that. Hyung. Let’s live together.”
Wonha, who wiped away the tears rolling down his cheeks with his fingers, cupped both of Sangho’s cheeks with warm hands.
“I’ll resolve everything. Okay?”
“Wh-what……”
“Just. Everything. My grandfather is firmly convinced that Kyungoh and I are dating. No matter how much I explain it’s not true, he won’t believe me. So I’ll have to stay at the family home for the time being.”
“Yeah……”
“It won’t take long. Hyung…… You can stay here well, right? You know I…… like you a lot.”
“……I know.”
Swoosh. Wonha, who hugged Sangho like that, whispered in a slightly trembling voice.
“It won’t take long. Hyung. Just…… just wait a little.”
“Okay.”
Sangho, who buried his face in Wonha’s shoulder, nodded. Then he muttered in a slightly choked voice.
“Tell me honestly. Did you eat dinner or not?”
“Actually I didn’t.”
“……I tried making bean sprout bulgogi.”
“Oh. Really?”
“It might not taste good.”
“No way!”
Wonha, who had been restless, finally relaxed and showed a smile along with a sigh. He seemed quite impressed that Sangho, who usually ate meals roughly every day, had cooked. It was just as Sangho had expected. When the tension-released Wonha sat down heavily in that spot and laughed “haha,” Sangho gently stroked the wound on his lips. I should have seasoned it with soy sauce instead of making it spicy. What’s this on such a pretty face? Upset feelings welled up.
“Everything hyung makes is delicious.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve never cooked for you before.”
“……Anything. Even when you cling to me when kissing…… Mmph!”
Sangho, who turned bright red, covered Wonha’s mouth with his hand. Then he felt Wonha, making a mischievous expression, lick his palm with a moist tongue. When the horrified Sangho tried to pull his hand away, Wonha grabbed his wrist with a smack and licked between Sangho’s palm and fingers.
“Maybe it’s because you have good hand flavor. Ow!”
The bright red Sangho bonked Wonha’s head with his other hand. Quickly pulling out his caught hand, Sangho turned around and muttered.
“G-go wash up. Let’s eat and put ointment on your injury.”
“Haha. Okay.”
The seasoning Sangho had made had a strangely lacking taste. When Sangho kept saying uncertainly that it didn’t seem to taste good, Wonha eventually added a few more ingredients to the seasoning. Surprisingly, it tasted like something sold at a restaurant.
“Hyung. This is really delicious. Thank you.”
“……You’re the one who made it.”
“Me? I just touched up the seasoning a bit. Cooking is almost all about preparing the ingredients.”
“Still……”
“If something seems ambiguous, add MSG.”
“Huh.”
“Beef-flavored MSG is the best.”
At Sangho showing a dumbfounded smile, Wonha smiled back as if to say ‘what, it’s nothing special?’
After eating, brushing their teeth. Sangho, who applied ointment to Wonha’s split lips on the sofa, hesitated a bit before hugging Wonha tightly.
“I’ll be waiting for you. You have to come back soon.”
“Yeah……”
At Wonha hugging him back warmly, Sangho felt a bit of relief. Right. This is the Jang Wonha I know. Nothing bad will happen. He kept repeating that to himself.
***
By the window overlooking the splendid night view, Nam Dohyun hummed quietly with his arms crossed. It had been 4 years since he’d felt this good. It seemed worth enduring those few days in that cramped, old dormitory. Being a TA was a bit bothersome. But this was the only way to naturally meet Sangho.
