“Why?”
“This, want to take a look at it?”
“Huh? Me?”
At the sight of Dojin coming over with thick papers, Habin tilted his head with a puzzled look. Would anything change just because he, who didn’t even know the basics of stocks, looked at it?
“What is it?”
“The synopsis for the movie we’re investing in this time.”
So it wasn’t stocks. Well, he thought, what would Dojin ask him about when he didn’t know anything?
“Is it okay for me to look at it?”
It clearly looked like something he shouldn’t, but Dojin, who was actually offering it, shrugged his shoulders with an unbothered look. At the signal that it was fine, Habin, who had been secretly curious, received the synopsis.
Dojin stood behind Habin, who was flipping through the papers with light touches, and rested his head on his shoulder. Habin, who tilted his head to the opposite side of the shoulder Dojin was leaning on to make room, began to concentrate on the synopsis unlike before.
“How is it?”
“I want to see this as a movie.”
When he asked at the right time, Habin’s eyes sparkled. Dojin laughed at the action of wiggling his bottom as if he wanted to watch it right away.
“Yeah, it won’t be a box office hit though.”
“…Is that why you told me to look at it?”
Thanks to Dojin saying such harsh words with a fresh attitude, Habin’s eyes sharpened. Dojin, who received the bundle of papers from such a Habin’s hands, pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. When he looked at Habin and opened his mouth slightly, Habin grumbled but put bread in his mouth.
“It was ambiguous. The director is famous, but the work doesn’t seem to be that good.”
“Who’s the director?”
“Hong Chanho.”
Habin rummaged through his mind at the somewhat familiar name. After a moment of silence, Habin was able to recall who that director was.
“Doesn’t that director’s work do well at foreign film festivals?”
“That’s right.”
Habin glanced at Dojin, who was flipping through the scenario with an uninterested look.
“You’re not going to invest?”
“Why? Should I?”
“Looking at the scenario, it seems like it’ll cost quite a bit of money for CG processing…”
At Habin’s behavior of subtly trailing off his words, Dojin propped up his chin. The action of desperately beating around the bush saying it would be good to invest was quite cute.
“Want to go to a GV?”
At the word GV (a stage where the director and audience exchange questions and answers), Habin’s shoulders flinched. He’d tried his best to hide his true feelings, but it seemed to be a meaningless action in front of Dojin.
“It’s still in the investment stage, so it’ll take a long time until screening—”
“It’s better than it falling through.”
Habin finished his words clearly while carefully reading the mood. In fact, just because Dojin didn’t invest didn’t mean Director Hong Chanho’s movie would fall through.
But if he didn’t invest, it would be hard to get GV tickets. Habin usually had no luck with things like lotteries. Really miserably so.
Dojin, who knew that fact better than Habin, smiled and put down the synopsis.
“I’ll invest. It doesn’t seem like I’ll lose money.”
“Yes.”
Smiling faintly, laughter leaked from Habin’s lips at Dojin’s decision. He’d tried to hold back in his own way, but it was meaningless.
Another reason not to break up with Dojin had increased.
* * *
Habin forcibly moved his legs that naturally became heavy. Dojin, who was walking side by side next to him, laughed while watching Habin make all sorts of faces.
“Is it fun? How can you laugh when I’m going to do a team project with that annoying senior?”
Habin, whose eyes were glaring, looked like he might grab Dojin’s collar at any moment. Dojin, who avoided Habin’s gaze, coughed briefly and swallowed his laughter.
“How did you end up on the same team?”
“I don’t know. This is all because of Kim Hyunwon. Because he’s the class rep.”
Hyunwon had also noticed subtly that the relationship between Habin and that senior wasn’t good, but that didn’t mean he could refuse the senior’s words. If it were Habin, he might be able to refuse outright, but Hyunwon wasn’t like that.
“Don’t want to go to class?”
“Yeah. I’m thinking of canceling class myself. Want to go play with me? Should we go see the ocean?”
“The ocean?”
“It’s been a long time since we went. Last year I kept refusing because I was a test-taker. This year we haven’t gone yet because it’s cold.”
“I’m fine with it, I’m fine but—”
Dojin, who gently wrapped his arm around Habin’s shoulders, swept back the hair that had fallen down.
“Will it be okay to skip class? You care a lot about that kind of thing.”
“That’s… right. As expected, I shouldn’t skip.”
Unlike when he was in high school, he couldn’t use the Kwon Dojin shield, so skipping class was burdensome. Habin made a groaning sound and leaned on Dojin.
“If only there were fewer team projects, but he said we’d have to submit assignments once every two weeks.”
Is this right? Is this really the best option?
Habin wanted to escape from reality, but he couldn’t do that either. Dojin carefully caressed the earlobe that had already heated up from stress.
“Habin.”
“Mm? Why?”
“Don’t worry too much.”
Within the whispered words was some kind of certainty. Habin, who easily recognized it, slightly tilted his head then opened his eyes wide thinking ‘no way.’
“There won’t be anything stressful.”
Dojin, who finished his words in an unwavering voice, smiled with his eyes curving. It was the smile Habin loved so much, but Habin, who knew his personality well, became anxious and couldn’t smile back.
“You didn’t do anything harsh, right?”
“No way, in this day and age, that would be a big problem.”
“Mm. That’s true.”
But I feel like you could.
Though he swallowed the rest of his words, Dojin had already noticed what he wanted to say. Dojin, who made a hurt face with his eyes drooping down ostentatiously, bent down to meet Habin’s eyes.
“You don’t trust me?”
“No. Why wouldn’t I trust you? You’re the one I love.”
Habin, who naturally wrapped his arms around Dojin’s waist and buried his face in his chest, rubbed his cheek. He, who moved his hands familiarly to soothe Dojin, seemed unbothered.
For Habin, who had already been trained by Dojin for many years, this kind of thing wasn’t even on the embarrassing side. In fact, even before being trained by him, this much was nothing.
When Habin separated around the time Dojin was satisfied, he decided to neatly fold away his worries. It was because he knew that since Dojin said there would be nothing stressful, it would really be so.
“I’ll come pick you up around when class ends.”
“Will you come to the lecture hall?”
“Should I do that?”
“Mm… no. I’ll just come down.”
If Dojin came again, it was obvious he’d receive a barrage of questions this time too. Since that was bothersome, when Habin shook his head, Dojin also agreed without saying much. It was because he’d been feeling more gazes the closer they got to Habin’s lecture hall.
Since it had been happening since before, he’d gotten somewhat used to it, but he knew Habin still found it uncomfortable.
“Then I’m go—”
Habin, who was about to enter the lecture hall, stopped talking when Dojin’s phone in his pocket rang. Dojin’s expression crumpled after taking out his phone and checking who it was, and conversely, Habin showed a pleased look.
Dojin, who couldn’t bring himself to press reject because Habin was right in front of him, reluctantly answered the phone.
[Lee Habin, why aren’t you answering your phone?]
“Why are you calling me to ask that?”
[Because you’d be together. Whatever, let me talk to him.]
At Baek Han’s words, who had no business with the phone’s owner, Dojin raised his eyebrows. At the signal that he didn’t like it at all, Habin, who laughed while holding his breath, stretched out his arm and took the phone from Dojin’s hand. Since they were close, he’d heard their entire conversation.
“Long time no see.”
[Why don’t you answer your phone and make me call Kwon Dojin.]
“It’s on silent because class is starting soon.”
Habin took Dojin and stepped away from the lecture hall door. Dojin, who sensed the call would be somewhat long, forcibly swallowed a sigh.
[Do you have plans tonight?]
“Tonight? I don’t think I have anything special.”
Habin sent a look to Dojin. Since he arranged his schedule to match Habin as much as possible, there was no way he’d have plans, so he slowly shook his head.
“Dojin says he doesn’t have anything special either. Why? Should we meet after a long time?”
[Yeah. Let’s watch a movie. The one that just came out, what was it. Messy Romance?]
“…Huh?”
Habin showed a puzzled reaction to the movie title that came from Baek Han’s mouth. Since it was the movie with the number one reservation rate recently, he knew which movie he was talking about, but it wasn’t at all a movie that Baek Han would suggest watching first.
Why would Baek Han, who liked genres like action, noir, thriller, and disaster rather than romance, suggest watching Messy Romance of all things?
“The person you’re talking to?”
“Ah!”
At the words Dojin tossed out, Habin, who grasped the whole story, burst out laughing.
[Why are you laughing.]
“No, mm. It’s nothing. I was just wondering what time we’d meet.”
At Baek Han’s attitude of deliberately answering more prickly because he was embarrassed, Habin changed the subject. Unlike Dojin, Habin had the consideration to let things his friend wanted him to ignore pass.
[Around 7?]
“What about dinner?”
[If we’re going to eat after meeting, I know a good seafood stew restaurant so we’ll go there.]
“Seafood stew?”
At the behavior of opening and closing his mouth to ask ‘how about it?’, Dojin readily nodded. It was because he’d read the look of wanting to eat it on Habin’s face.
“Okay. Sounds good. Then 7 is a bit late, so 6:30?”
[Whatever. I’ll send you the restaurant location, so come there by then.]
“Yeah, yeah.”
Habin smiled at the phone that hung up with a click once the business was done. Though it had become difficult to see his face since they went to different schools, Baek Han was still the same Baek Han he knew. Of course, excluding the romance aspect.
“He’s talking to someone and now he’s suggesting watching a romance movie. He must be serious.”
“He must be. Wasn’t this his first time talking to someone?”
He chattered with an extremely excited look while returning the phone to Dojin. A smile didn’t leave the lips of Dojin, who treated Habin with a consistently affectionate attitude throughout.
“I’m thinking of asking when we meet today. Will he answer?”
“Well, you’ll know if you ask.”
“Hey, Lee Habin! Class is starting soon!”
Cute