“Hey, are you going to skip out? No way. I’m going with you.”
“I’m busy!”
Even the 200,000 won for the keys was killing him. And since it was an unnecessary expense due to his own mistake, it was enough to drive him crazy and make him jump around.
“Ah shit, come on. Let’s go, friend. Huh? You have to enjoy the romance of college life. If not now, then when!”
Yeonju, who kept whining without knowing what he was going through, was frustrating. Woojae bit his lip and made a troubled face. His lip, where blood seeped out, stung.
“When do I have to pay that by?”
For rich people without money worries, it was an amount they could easily pay, but for Woojae it was burdensome. He did have some money set aside, but that was for Nari’s college tuition and wedding fund. As her older brother, he couldn’t spend such a large sum just to go on one trip.
“Hmm, there’s a lot to prepare too, so the original deadline is the end of this month, but I’ll give you a break. Just pay by the day of.”
Such a generous tone. What thoughtful consideration. It would be most appreciated if she just excluded him.
Honestly, Woojae was also a little tempted. College life that everyone else does—why shouldn’t he do it too? It was a faint rebellious feeling. He thought of the few who would frown when he showed up, but that made him want to go even more. He had the petty intention of throwing sewage water on a feast that would be enjoyable without him.
But even if he wanted to eat and die trying, he didn’t have the huge sum of 1.5 million won. What should I do? Jang Yeonju, who had no way of knowing Woojae’s inner thoughts, kept shaking him.
“Let’s have fun. Huh? After exams are over, we should all get together and build camaraderie. Sojeong’s going and I’m going, how great is that, huh?”
“……Is Gye Sajun going?”
He wanted to take back the name that naturally left his mouth, but the words had already been spoken. Woojae couldn’t even think of how to gloss over the name that had popped out of his mouth and kept it shut.
“He’ll go. I guess.”
The answer to the question he’d asked despite the cost was simple and meaningless. Jang Yeonju’s lips curling up strangely loudly announced Woojae’s defeat.
***
“Just wash it by hand?”
“Wash it by hand.”
“Just, like this…… I just wash it? Have you ever washed this yourself?”
“Why would I?”
“Fuck, then just shut up and watch me wash it. If you say stuff like ‘that’s not how you wash it,’ I’ll kill you. Seriously.”
What kind of conversation is this? The bizarre conversation coming from inside the room was even more shocking because the speakers were Gye Sajun and Go Woojae. When did these two become like this? What the hell are they washing? Minwook’s eyes shook aimlessly in confusion. Even after digging in his ears several times, no earwax came out.
Should I go in or not? The two were having a peaceful conversation, which made it even harder to interrupt. If they’d been fighting and brawling like usual, he could have thought “they’re fighting again” and gone in to stop them.
“It’s really okay to just wash it like this?”
“You’ve never washed it before? I don’t think so.”
“……This is my first time with one this big. Even after you get married, just wash yours yourself.”
“Why would my spouse wash it? That’s what employees are for.”
“You’re loaded with money.”
What? What’s big? Marriage? No, why would an employee wash it? Was Gye Sajun that kind of guy? Minwook’s face turned pale. The conversation coming through the crack of the door that hadn’t fully closed was too indecent.
“Come closer.”
“Ah, wait…… That hurts.”
It hurts? Minwook made a face as if he’d been punched in the solar plexus and stepped back. No matter how hard he tried to think about it innocently, it was useless. The mosaic video automatically playing in his head was beyond what he could handle. And the two men who’d caused this tremendous misunderstanding,
“Fuck, why are you rolling up the sleeves so roughly!”
“I told you to stop cursing.”
“Look at the moral teacher here. So I just wash it with my hands like this?”
Were in the middle of a deep conversation about laundry. In Woojae’s hands were Gye Sajun’s training clothes, and Sajun was personally rolling up Woojae’s pant legs, worried his clothes might get wet. The truth of the scene Minwook had massively misunderstood was this ordinary.
“Probably.”
“Ah, you fucking know nothing. It’s your clothes, so why are you saying ‘probably’?”
Sajun’s vague answer made him look a bit dumb, which was slightly funny. Sajun muttered quietly as if Woojae’s scolding was unfair.
“I’d have to have washed it myself to know.”
“Wow, how impressive. Must be nice being a young master.”
“You haven’t washed it either.”
“I’m saying this is my first time with something this big and expensive.”
In fact, it was hard to imagine the scene of him, the third son of Gyesu Group, doing hand laundry. But shouldn’t he have at least washed his underwear? Has he never even had a wet dream? Well, he probably had a constant stream of partners from the age his dick could get hard. Slut for a thousand years. Thinking that made him feel shitty. Woojae threw the training clothes in his hand into the washbasin.
“You could just take it to the dorm laundry service.”
Sajun frowned as if frustrated and answered. Woojae washing his clothes by hand was cute, but he wondered if this effort was really necessary.
Of course, Woojae couldn’t say it was because he had no money, so he pretended otherwise.
“This is all about the give and take of affection, you bastard.”
“Do we even have that kind of thing between us?”
“Even when I do something for you, you act like this.”
“I’m just wondering what it would be like if we did.”
This is really absurd. At Sajun’s attitude, whose thoughts he couldn’t read, Woojae shook his head. No matter how he tried to understand, he couldn’t. If he’d known it would be like this, he would have just paid money and thrown it in the washing machine.
Woojae briefly recalled the situation from moments ago. The very next day after sleeping in his room, as soon as Woojae’s daily schedule ended, he wanted to dispose of the troublesome burden. But time and circumstances didn’t allow it. Finally, on Saturday, the weekend, he had time. He came back from his convenience store part-time job and was about to head straight to the laundry room when he happened to run into Gye Sajun. Honestly, he’d had a lot of concerns even about going to the laundry room. Whether it was okay to just wash it. Eventually, Woojae grabbed the passing Sajun.
– Hey, do you…… remember that I said I’d wash it for you?
At those words, Sajun had stiffened his lips for a moment. Does he not remember? Woojae’s throat felt parched for no reason. Honestly, he’d offered to wash the clothes and then kept his mouth shut about it until now, which was embarrassing, so the words came out slowly. Eventually, glancing at Sajun’s face as he didn’t continue the conversation to the end, he began with “Ah, why, you know.”
– You lent me clothes that day.
– ……Ah.
– I said I’d wash them for you.
– Yeah.
– But is it okay to just wash this?
He asked with pure curiosity. It was a very important issue because he didn’t want to come all the way to college only to be involved in something like property damage.
When he asked how it was originally washed, he answered that he didn’t know because he didn’t do it himself. Woojae was also in a bind. In a situation where he had to save every penny, he didn’t have money to take it to the laundry service. But he was afraid it would get ruined if he put it in the coin-operated washing machine. When he finally said he’d hand wash it, Sajun stepped forward saying he’d watch directly. If he washed it with the owner watching, wouldn’t the responsibility fall on him too for condoning it if something went wrong? With slightly cowardly feelings, Woojae let Sajun into his room.
And so it was now. Having Sajun in his room’s bathroom while doing his laundry.
“First, wet it a little in water……”
“You’re good at this.”
Is he teasing me? He was spraying the showerhead at the washbasin containing the clothes, and when he got praise saying he was doing well, it felt like he was being teased instead, which didn’t feel good.
“Just scrub it with soap?”
Using laundry soap would be right, but somehow he thought that smell might be unpleasant to Gye Sajun. The large-capacity detergent he’d agreed to share with Minwook hadn’t arrived yet either. After a quick decision, he held up a light green cucumber soap. Sajun nodded from outside the bathroom to answer.
“Do that.”
“Then get lost now. Don’t watch.”
The more he looked at that smooth face, the more he thought there was no reason to have let him into his room. Woojae issued an order to leave, but Sajun leaned against the bathroom door and shook his head. The eyes meeting through the mirror were serious.
“I want to watch.”
Does he think he’s here for a field trip or something? Woojae felt embarrassed and irritated for no reason and raised his voice. His throat was parched. Why is he staring like that?
“Is this a circus? Why watch? Pay money to watch.”
“Okay. How much should I give you?”
“Hey! Can’t you tell the difference between a joke and serious talk? I’ll kill you, really.”
Sajun naturally tried to take out his wallet. He was completely unmanageable. Woojae glared at Sajun through the mirror. He even raised his soapy fist.
“You’re difficult, really.”
Sajun even pressed his palm to his forehead. Who does he think he is to say that?
“You’re more difficult to me. Crazy bastard.”
Woojae hesitated for a moment, then scrubbed the black training clothes with soap. When he rubbed roughly, putting his dissatisfaction with Sajun into it, white foam quickly formed on the black training clothes. Being with this guy gave him a headache. What the hell is this bastard thinking as he lives? He didn’t need to understand anyway, but he couldn’t help being angry.
“Hey, but is it really okay to wash it like this? Won’t it get ruined?”
The back of Woojae’s head as he asked in a slightly deflated voice was very cute. Sajun captured that back of his head in his eyes without missing a detail. The shoulders narrower than his own, the back that looked firm even though thin, the tenacious posture—it was all interesting. If anything, he wanted to pull him by the waist and bury his nose in the nape of his neck. Go Woojae’s unique body scent that had been softly wafting since earlier also contributed to that impulse.
“What does it matter if it gets ruined?”
