There’s nothing more convenient in this world than the phrase “later.”
Yumyeong felt relieved just by the fact that Hakyoung wasn’t demanding his wish right away. Even though he knew he’d have to pay the price someday, while he was putting it off, he completely forgot about it. He ate meals together with him as usual, spent his days as normal…
Still, there was something that bothered him a little, so Yumyeong was avoiding calling Hakyoung to his room at night, at least.
‘Am I the only one conscious of it? I don’t like it being awkward. But I hate sleeping alone even more…’
Thanks to that, Yumyeong went in and out of other friends’ rooms every night—friends who had chosen to stay during the break. There were many times when they hung out together, but when the atmosphere was one of attending special lectures or doing assignments, he would quietly settle into an empty bed, look at his phone by himself, then fall asleep without even a blanket.
“Why doesn’t Shin Yumyeong go to his own room?”
“He probably hates sleeping alone.”
“Ah, Hanju went home.”
“He’s such a baby.”
As soon as the words ended, Yumyeong tossed and turned violently. His friends giggled, saying he had a ghost-like ability to hear them making fun of him even in his sleep.
Anyway, even though he became a bit of a laughingstock like this, his friends didn’t really care much that Yumyeong wandered from room to room to sleep. Since they were guys, there were no cases of them caringly preparing blankets or pillows for him, but on the flip side, they didn’t kick him out either, so it was actually more comfortable that way.
On the other hand, the problem was times like this.
“Hey, Yumyeong. We’re ordering chicken, you want some?”
The guy who’d been flipping through the delivery app asked. Yumyeong hesitated for a moment, then asked back.
“Split evenly?”
“Yeah. Just 5,000 won per person.”
“Mmm, I’m full though…”
When they suddenly ordered late-night snacks, he’d be in trouble because he didn’t have money to pay. However, it was hard to say so honestly, so every time that happened, he would quietly slip away.
Returning to his own room like that, Yumyeong stared intently at room 310 across from him.
“Hey, come over and sleep.”
Yumyeong flung open Hakyoung’s door and said.
Hakyoung, who had music playing and was leaning comfortably against his bed enjoying his own time, stared at Yumyeong without answering. No reaction whatsoever—neither good nor bad.
Around the time the back of his neck started to tingle under that gaze, Yumyeong spoke bluntly.
“So you want me to sleep alone? When Hanju’s not even here.”
“…”
It still seemed like he was silently refusing to answer, but at those words, Hakyoung let out a small laugh. The atmosphere didn’t seem bad somehow, so Yumyeong looked at Hakyoung with a face that said, ‘Will he come over?’
However, unexpected words flowed from Hakyoung’s mouth.
“You come here.”
“No way. Room 10 is…”
“Haunted by ghosts?”
Hakyoung said. Instead of agreeing, Yumyeong shot back.
“Aren’t you honestly creeped out too?”
“Not at all.”
“Don’t stick it out in a ghost-infested room only to come crying and knocking on my door later. Just come now.”
“That would be you. I’ve never once seen a ghost or anything like that in my entire life.”
He was being particularly stubborn today.
Yumyeong, who’d become sulky because things weren’t going his way, let out a “Tch,” shoved his hands in his pockets, and tried to leave again. That would have happened if only Hakyoung hadn’t immediately spoken up again to stop him.
“Why aren’t you going to another room today?”
“…”
“Every single day, you slept somewhere other than your room. To avoid me.”
The last words felt like a stab. Yumyeong stopped in his tracks and turned around.
He hadn’t avoided him, but it felt strange that Hakyoung had interpreted it that way.
No. In truth, maybe he had avoided him.
As Yumyeong couldn’t bring himself to speak, Hakyoung put down the book he was reading and looked this way. Calm words flowed from his mouth.
“Weren’t we close?”
“…”
“You probably don’t know, but yesterday, and the day before too, I stopped by your room. In case you were having sleep paralysis. But only the light was on and you weren’t there.”
At the words that followed, Yumyeong felt deeply guilty.
“You did? I didn’t know…”
“It’s fine. It’s all my fault.”
Saying that, Hakyoung smoothly lowered his head.
“It makes sense that you’d be disgusted.”
“Disgusted?! It’s not that bad.”
“You want to deny it, but I can feel it.”
Hakyoung muttering with dark eyes seemed hurt, which bothered him greatly.
He’d believed he was treating him without prejudice, but the sensitive guy had been assigning meaning to his every action. It made sense. This world wasn’t easy for sexual minorities to live in. Even if he had a victim mentality, he couldn’t be blamed.
Is there such a sensitive guy?!
Yumyeong clicked his tongue and quickly took off his slippers and entered the room.
“I really wasn’t like that, okay? I just thought you’d be uncomfortable. You said so yourself. That it would be troublesome if I kept touching you and stuff.”
“…Really?”
Hakyoung slowly raised his eyes that had been cast down. When his deep eyes, full of worry, looked directly this way, it felt like his heart was pricking. Interpreting this as guilt, Yumyeong sat down across from Hakyoung.
“Yeah. I was being considerate of you too. What do I have to do for you to believe me?”
“…”
“Ah, screw it, let’s do it now!”
Yumyeong blurted it out in a fit of anger.
The one who couldn’t immediately understand that statement and only blinked was none other than Hakyoung.
“Do… what?”
“You said you wanted to touch me. Do it now.”
Saying that, Yumyeong hooked his fingers on the t-shirt he was wearing and stretched the neck wide. His collarbone became visible in the space that was exposed. Looking like he was searching for the right position, Yumyeong suddenly prostrated himself in front of Hakyoung, offering his neck. It was a pose like he was receiving some kind of Indian bob punishment. Hakyoung’s mouth fell open on its own, having lost his wits at the appearance that had neither atmosphere nor tension.
After prostrating himself like that for a while. When there was no reaction, Yumyeong glanced up.
“What are you doing?”
“What are *you* doing?”
“Isn’t this better? Won’t the mood be killed if you see my face?”
Since he liked someone else and wasn’t his type anyway, if he saw his face it would just be awkward. Between friends, too. That’s what he meant by it, but for some reason Hakyoung had no response.
“…”
Yumyeong prostrated himself forward again.
His jet-black hair spilled over his face and his vision darkened again. Yumyeong just blinked while prostrated.
He could guess from the shadow passing over his head that Hakyoung had reached out. While sneaking glances, Yumyeong silently held his breath.
A few fingers touched the nape of his neck first.
‘Urk.’
Yumyeong only flinched inwardly. Even though the area of contact was very small, he became excessively tense.
Following that, a large hand with long, prominent knuckles easily wrapped around his entire neck. He hadn’t felt it when just looking, but Hakyoung’s hand was very large.
“Haha, you’d be good at basketball. Since your hands are big… Hik.”
He was just stroking, but his back muscles tightened on their own. The thumb happened to be pressed against his carotid artery, so from some point on, he even became conscious of breathing. Once he lost his natural breathing rhythm, it became even more so.
‘This is strange, I’m not ticklish.’
With his face turned bright red, Yumyeong didn’t know what to do about the ticklishness rushing in from his spine.
At the same time, Hakyoung also didn’t know what to do.
Yumyeong’s neck was definitely long and pretty. However, because he was prostrated with his neck stuck out like he was about to be beheaded, the atmosphere he’d hoped for wasn’t coming out at all. He couldn’t find even a trace of that thrilling flutter or tension.
Hakyoung secretly sighed. Then, as if he’d made up his mind, he bit his lower lip slightly before releasing it and lowered his head.
*Smooch.*
“Aaaah!”
At that moment, Yumyeong screamed and bolted upright. Hakyoung, who got hit in the lips by his flailing arm, went “Urk” while covering his face and was pushed back.
“Are you crazy!”
Yumyeong, desperately clutching the nape of his neck where Hakyoung had kissed, shouted with a face that was suspiciously bright red.
Hakyoung, holding onto his lips, cried out indignantly.
“Why!”
“Why are you suddenly kissing me!”
“Whether I touch with my lips or touch with my hands!”
“Are you insane?! Just stroke it or something!”
“If I’m going to stroke it like that, I’d rather pick out radishes at the mart.”
Yumyeong, who’d offered his neck with tremendous resolve only to be compared to a radish in the end, was flabbergasted.
In the midst of it all, Hakyoung lost his energy seeing Yumyeong show a rejection reaction. He knew he liked women and detested men, but seeing that appearance directly felt like his insides were rotting.
Obstacle after obstacle, the road ahead was too far. How on earth was he supposed to win over a guy like this?
Hakyoung felt dejected as he removed the hand that had been covering his lips.
But Yumyeong’s face was strange.
“Hey, your lip is bleeding…”
Yumyeong said with a pale face. Hakyoung silently dabbed his lips with the back of his hand. His split lip really did have blood on it. It was a trace from being hit by Yumyeong’s flailing arm earlier.
“…”
“…”
Silence flowed between the two.
‘Rather than fulfilling my unrequited love, won’t I get beaten to death before that?’
Thinking that, his mood became indescribably gloomy. That was because Yumyeong’s fists were too strong.
While watching the disheartened Hakyoung, Yumyeong approached closer.
“Hey, I’m sorry.”
Hakyoung raised his head with moistened eyes. At that moment, Yumyeong’s pupils shook.
“Are you crying?”
“…”
Hakyoung only turned his head without answering. It was neither affirmation nor denial, but however he interpreted this reaction, Yumyeong became restless.
“Why are you crying over something like this… Are you really crying? Hey, Hakyoung.”
It was a strangely very familiar reaction. Hakyoung’s pupils, feeling déjà vu, secretly took on a different light.
Since childhood, Yumyeong had been weak to his crying face. Strangely, that still seemed to be effective. That was because, even though he’d grown into a clear male, his facial features were the same, so perhaps it was natural.
To test whether his guess was correct, Hakyoung lowered his head even deeper, then sniffled his nose unnecessarily. Going one step further, he even dabbed at his eyes with his hand.
The next moment, something unexpected happened.
Yumyeong, who’d approached on his knees, suddenly pulled Hakyoung into an embrace. Hakyoung’s eyes widened, having been tightly held in Yumyeong’s arms before he knew it.
“Ah, please… When people cry, I really don’t know what to do.”
Yumyeong muttered along with a sigh.
“What should I do for you? I want to do something. Do as you please.”
“…!”
Like that, Hakyoung succeeded in his honey trap unintentionally.
