“You were watching the movie first.”
Sangjun slightly shrugged his shoulders as cold air seeped in following the sound of the tent opening. Since he had sent someone to find Evan and Siwoo but even Yechan had become unresponsive, with nothing to do, he had just turned on the movie first.
“Chan hyung said he was tired and went to sleep first. Everyone’s not coming and what am I supposed to do alone? I was just watching. Want to watch from the beginning? I think it’s been about 20 minutes since it started.”
“It’s fine. Movie plots are all the same anyway. What about Yechan?”
Evan shook his wet hair with a towel and looked around the tent.
“He stuck his head in earlier, just said he found you guys and left? Want some beer?”
The inside of the tent, which had quite a bit of care put into it since it would be on broadcast, was cozy and full of cute little props. It was warmer than expected, so sleeping here didn’t seem too bad either.
“Beer, peanuts, and even dried squid prepared—this is no joke.”
With a satisfied smile, Evan picked up a beer can from among the many snacks piled on the table in the corner.
“Today’s theme is openly telling us to rest. Besides, we need to rest like this. Everyone’s on the verge of being completely drained.”
“I feel good that you’re satisfied, hyung.”
“You talk as if you’re not?”
At Sangjun’s words, a hollow laugh flowed from Evan’s mouth. Could he really feel good right now? While it made him laugh, there was also a bitter feeling, so he opened the beer can he had just picked up and gulped it down.
“If we just hold on for about 2 more weeks, the 2nd album activities will be over, so I think it’ll be really enjoyable after that.”
The officially invited music awards were the last schedule. After that, they would have to attend small year-end award ceremonies and such, but they wouldn’t have to live as frantically as now, like a squirrel running on a wheel.
Saying “What do you mean 2 weeks is short, we can only sleep an hour or two a day for those 2 weeks, what’s good about that,” grumbling, Sangjun also drank the beer he was holding.
“Ah~ I’m cold. What movie is it?”
“My hair feels like it’s going to freeze.”
“Why are you guys coming together again? Did you shower together?”
Siwoo and Yechan entered the tent together and spoke to those inside. Looking at Siwoo’s flushed cheeks wearing a pink hoodie with the hood pulled over, and Yechan with water dripping from his hair, Sangjun threw out a ridiculous joke.
“Are you crazy?”
Unlike Siwoo who just smiled coolly, at Yechan’s appearance jumping up and waving his hands in refusal, Sangjun laughed out loud, but Evan just raised one eyebrow and that was all.
“Siwoo, beer? Yechan, just hold on for two months. When next year comes, hyung will buy you lots of drinks.”
“Wow! I’m really happy. I’m tearfully grateful. Chan hyung said he’d buy me drinks at that moment when December 31st turns to the 1st.”
“Won’t we be attending a New Year’s Eve event then?”
“Siwoo hyung, you’re really a cruel person!! Earlier too, I was saying……”
Siwoo’s pupils, who had interrupted the conversation between Siwoo and Sangjun and looked around, shook finely. Two-person cots placed on both sides. Two-person sleeping bags placed on top of them. And one side was occupied by Sangjun, the other by Evan.
If he went to where Evan was, he’d be conscious of Sangjun and Yechan’s gazes, but if he went next to Sangjun, Evan clearly wouldn’t like it.
“Ugh, I feel even colder after washing up. Sangjun hyung, how much have you watched? Is it interesting?”
Yechan, who had been standing behind Siwoo, subtly pushed him and went forward, then hugged Sangjun from behind and buried his head with water droplets dripping because he hadn’t dried it properly on his shoulder.
“Hey! You crazy bastard. Shouldn’t you come after drying your hair properly?”
Suddenly trapped in Yechan’s embrace with his top getting wet from the damp hair, Sangjun flailed trying to shake him off, but he couldn’t beat Yechan, who had the strongest strength in the team.
Siwoo’s body, which had been standing at the tent entrance looking around, subtly headed toward Evan’s side.
“Why are your hands so cold even after taking medicine?”
It was Evan who grabbed and pulled the hand of Siwoo, who was still standing awkwardly while being conscious of others. The fairly loud movie sound and the voices of Sangjun and Yechan still bickering with “let go” and “no” covered the two’s whispers.
“I want beer too.”
The gaze of Siwoo, who sat next to Evan, touched the canned beer he was holding. He had finished brushing his teeth and come out, but the moment the taste of beer came to mind, Siwoo’s red tongue slightly came out, moistened his lower lip, and soon disappeared.
“No.”
“……So only you’re going to drink?”
“Then I won’t drink either.”
Since it was a cot, Siwoo’s body naturally leaned toward him because of Evan’s weight.
“Fine. Drink to your heart’s content. Please drink mine too.”
Siwoo raised and gathered both legs and wrapped his arms around them. In that state, he curled his body into a ball, rested his chin on his knees, and stared at the screen. It was an action movie he had really liked when it first came out. After watching it continuously, there were more than one or two such movies that had become boring now.
Everything was like that. At first it was fresh, but because all environments except himself repeated exactly the same, movies, fashion—it was a continuous repetition.
Still, seeing it after a long time seemed quite okay.
Whether Yechan and Sangjun’s bickering had ended too, the tent was filled only with the sound from the movie and the sounds of Sangjun and Evan drinking beer and Yechan eating snacks.
“Want to eat something?”
At Evan’s words, Siwoo shook his head finely. The tent was quite warm, and since he was curled up in a ball, there was no cold place except his back. Only his exposed back felt a bit chilly.
The place where he and Sangjun were supposed to sleep today was the bedroom on the second floor of the lodging. Since there were two single beds, it seemed they could sleep comfortably. Since he had only planned to watch a movie here for a moment and return, after washing up he was wearing only comfortable training pants and a thick fabric hoodie.
His eyes were watching the movie, his ears were focused on the movie sound, but all his other senses were focused on Evan right next to him. As expected, when he was with other members, it was difficult to smell his pheromones.
Whether the posture was uncomfortable, when Evan beside him moved, Siwoo’s curled-up body tilted and slipped right into Evan’s embrace. He, who had been next to him just moments ago, pulled his body back a bit, then stretched out his long legs and extended his arms back to take a posture supporting his upper body.
Thanks to that, his body blocked the cold coming from behind a bit.
In the awkwardness, Siwoo unwrapped his arms around his legs and sat cross-legged to straighten his body that had leaned toward him for no reason. This time, Siwoo’s thigh overlapped on top of Evan’s thigh.
“Does it bother you?”
At the pleasant voice that rang along with the breath felt at his ear, Siwoo’s body jumped sharply. It wasn’t only because of Evan’s lips that had just touched his earlobe.
To suddenly wrap around his waist and pull him to reduce the distance. He quickly pushed Evan’s upper body with both arms, but since he didn’t budge, Siwoo hastily looked to the side.
Sangjun and Yechan were deeply immersed in the movie with serious expressions. On the screen, a serious car chase scene was noisily unfolding.
“So why don’t we just date publicly?”
At that voice tickling his ear, Siwoo’s shoulders naturally shrank. When pushing Evan’s body with both hands didn’t make him budge, Siwoo’s hands now aimed for Evan’s hands. He focused on removing his long, straight fingers one by one.
Evan bit his molars tightly, feeling like he would burst out laughing seeing Siwoo squirming in his arms.
He hadn’t expected Siwoo to bring up such a story outside just now. Had he been vaguely feeling the changes in his body? The outdoor late night somewhere between late autumn and early winter wasn’t a space worth staying in for long.
And right now was close to break time during filming. It was the worst situation to share deep emotions along with deep conversation. If Siwoo hadn’t panted breathlessly, struggled, and turned his head away, he wouldn’t have been able to easily end that thrilling, sweet kiss that made his blood surge.
‘If by any chance I manifest and…… if you come to dislike me, tell me then.’
That was what Siwoo, who had been catching his breath, said. Did that mean he still hadn’t given him certainty? The moment Evan smelled the familiar pheromones, he looked around.
Recognizing who the black silhouette at a distance that was far if you called it far and close if you called it close was a piece of cake. What was very faintly carried on the blowing wind was Yechan’s pheromones.
‘That will absolutely never happen. You might not like me, but. I can’t do that.’
‘You hate omegas.’
It seemed he had barely soothed him, but tears were brimming again in the corners of Siwoo’s eyes as he looked up at him with clear pupils. After saying that, his lower lip was tightly rolled and bitten, wondering what was so sad.
Right now, Siwoo wasn’t afraid of late manifestation or what was happening to him, but was afraid of his relationship with himself.
His pheromones were telling Evan all the shortcuts.
‘Who said that? That I hate omegas?’
Evan had never once said he hated omegas or put such words in his mouth. He didn’t say anything in response to questions related to phenotypes. Since there were many cases of deliberately throwing difficult questions to create issues, he always brushed it off with a smile.
‘You move away whenever an omega is nearby. Everyone hushes it up but they know that. So if I manifest late and you come to dislike me……’
The moment he said that, the tears that had been brimming finally rolled down Siwoo’s cheeks.
He really felt like he was going crazy. How can a living creature be this lovely? Now it was certain. Even if he went back again and again and went back crazily, he could absolutely never let go.
He just wanted to be treated as a crazy person and leave the filming site with Siwoo like this. He wanted to explain with his whole body how precious he was to him, how painful he was right now because of that.
‘Even if I die, that will absolutely never happen. I told you. That you’re my pair.’
At that moment, all Evan could do was hug Siwoo tightly.
