* * *
Though they deliberately took the long way, they still arrived at Yeongdeok’s front door in no time.
As Yeongdeok entered the door code, Jihoon looked at the apartment next door, which had once been his.
If only he hadn’t moved out, he could have stayed close by.
Regret filled him.
“Did someone move in there?”
“Yes.”
“Woman? Man?”
“A man.”
“What kind of person is he?”
Curious about the guy living next door to Yeongdeok in his place, Jihoon asked.
Just then, the door opened, and Yeongdeok turned to Jihoon.
“What kind of person do you think he is?”
“What?”
Grabbing Jihoon by the nape, Yeongdeok yanked him closer.
Their faces were suddenly inches apart.
“The guy next door—he’s standing right in front of you.”
At the unexpected revelation, Jihoon’s eyes darted between Yeongdeok and the neighboring apartment.
Only then did he grasp the situation and exclaim in surprise.
“You signed the lease for the place next door?”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t want to hand over your space to someone else.”
Sweet and fuzzy emotions swirled inside Jihoon.
The ticklish sensation made his shoulders tremble slightly.
Damn it.
‘Why is Cha Yeongdeok so cute?’
Looking around to ensure no one was nearby, Jihoon asked softly.
“No one’s here now. Can I hug you?”
“You’re really asking such a dumb question?”
“I don’t want to mess this up.”
Instead of replying, Yeongdeok pulled Jihoon into an embrace.
Jihoon wrapped his arms around him in return.
“I kept messing things up when we were apart…”
“That’s just like you.”
“I never imagined being loved this much. Honestly, do you like me more than I like you, Hyung?”
Maybe he did, Yeongdeok thought.
Otherwise, why would his heart ache this much?
After holding Yeongdeok for a long while, Jihoon reluctantly let go, realizing he’d been clinging for too long.
“Thanks for today. I’ll get going now.”
“You can stay over if you’d like.”
Jihoon froze in place, his body stiff as a rock.
He understood there was no deeper meaning to the offer—it likely just meant to sleep—but his hair stood on end, and goosebumps rose on his arms as he slowly backed away.
“N-No, it’s fine…”
“I can let you borrow the apartment next door, your old place.”
“Oh… oh…”
Realizing that Yeongdeok wasn’t suggesting they sleep together in the same apartment, Jihoon let out a weak sigh, feeling a sticky sense of embarrassment rise from deep within.
“You lent me your place before, didn’t you? Think of it as returning the favor.”
“No thanks. I’ll just go.”
Waving his hand dismissively, Jihoon hurried down the stairs, his face as red as a tomato.
He moved so quickly that Yeongdeok worried about his knees.
“I told him to be careful on stairs, but as always, that guy’s full of energy.”
From below, Jihoon waved toward the railing where Yeongdeok stood.
‘I’ll head in,’ Jihoon gestured with his hands and feet before disappearing into the distance.
Only when he was completely out of sight did Yeongdeok finally step inside.
His heart was pounding.
ꔚ
Later that night, the two picked up their conversation through KakaoTalk.
[Jihoon: Hyung]
[Jihoon: I just got out of the shower.]
[Jihoon: What were you doing?]
Yeongdeok, who had been watching a TV show about famous fried chicken spots, tore his eyes away from the golden, crispy chicken and replied.
[Thinking about reopening my shop.]
[Jihoon: Don’t overwork yourself. Rest more if you need to.]
[I need to open the shop so I can see your face more often after you moved out.]
[Jihoon: Now I can’t tell you to rest more…]
[Jihoon: I just saw you, but I already want to see you again, Hyung.]
[Look at your profile picture. Isn’t my face already there?]
No sooner had Yeongdeok sent the reply than a video call popped up unexpectedly.
Caught off guard, he answered it.
“What is it?”
“What is it? Hyung, is that really how you greet your boyfriend?”
Then how was he supposed to respond?
After a brief moment of thought, Yeongdeok figured his reply might’ve been too short.
He tried again, dragging it out a bit.
“What’s going on?”
“Obviously, I wanted to see you, so I called.”
Checking the time, Yeongdeok laughed.
They had only been apart for three hours, yet here Jihoon was, already calling him.
“Looking at photos isn’t enough. You don’t take pictures of yourself often, do you?”
“Do I seem like someone who would?”
“If you did, I’d treasure them. Too bad.”
Jihoon grinned brightly, saying they should take more pictures together from now on.
‘Pictures, huh…’
Yeongdeok didn’t care much about taking photos of himself, but he wouldn’t mind seeing Jihoon’s.
“Don’t you have any pictures of yourself? Hand them over. I’ll take a look at your ridiculous face.”
“You and your way with words… Just wait a second.”
Jihoon abruptly ended the video call and began flooding the chatroom with his photos.
[Seo Jihoon: (Photo)]
[Seo Jihoon: This is my most recent one. I was dozing off at the library after a philosophy lecture. That idiot Kim Dalsu took it.]
[You look ridiculous.]
Leaning against the wall, snoring without a care, Jihoon’s appearance was utterly pathetic.
Yet, Yeongdeok saved the photo to his gallery.
[Seo Jihoon: (Photo)+15]
[Seo Jihoon: This one’s from when I’d just turned twenty. My friends and I went on a trip.]
The photos, seemingly taken in quick succession, showed Jihoon laughing cheerfully by the sea, only to be dragged into the water by what appeared to be his friends.
The final shot featured Jihoon splashing water back at them, visibly enraged.
His open mouth almost seemed to be cursing in the image.
[You look ridiculous in this one too.]
[Seo Jihoon: Seriously?]
Jihoon continued sharing various photos he had taken over the years, and Yeongdeok kept their KakaoTalk chat going until midnight.
[Seo Jihoon: (Photo)]
[Seo Jihoon: And this one… it’s a bit embarrassing, but it’s from my high school days.]
In his school uniform, Jihoon’s face looked more youthful than it did now.
His sharp, rebellious eyes were the same then as they were now.
[You look like someone who wouldn’t listen to a single word.]
[Seo Jihoon: Believe it or not, I was a model student.]
[Unbelievable. Are you sure you know what “model student” means?]
[Seo Jihoon: Are you picking a fight?]
With his delinquent-like appearance, Jihoon calling himself a model student felt utterly unconvincing to Yeongdeok.
[Seo Jihoon: Even the teachers adored me. I was class president for all three years.]
[Seo Jihoon: Not that I wanted to. The others refused, so they pushed it on me.]
[Seo Jihoon: Now that I think about it, I’m getting pissed off again.]
Hearing Jihoon’s stories about his school days, although trivial, piqued Yeongdeok’s curiosity since he had never experienced such things.
Sneaking out to eat lunch elsewhere when the cafeteria food was bad, dodging the strict student supervisor to skip evening study sessions and go to a PC bang, winning first place in a relay race at the school sports festival—these were all new to him.
As Yeongdeok read through the rapidly updating chat, Jihoon seemed to notice he’d been monopolizing the conversation.
[Seo Jihoon: Sorry, have I been talking too much about myself?]
[Not at all. Thanks to you, I’ve learned more about you, although it’s all rather pathetic.]
[Seo Jihoon: You keep calling me pathetic. I guess that won’t change even if we’re dating? Lol.]
[Seo Jihoon: Don’t you have anything to share about yourself?]
Before he had returned to his current life, Yeongdeok’s days were monotonous repetitions.
There was nothing remarkable or memorable to share.
[Nothing.]
[Seo Jihoon: I see.]
[That’s why I hope you’ll create something for me going forward.]
[Seo Jihoon: Damn…]
[Seo Jihoon: No, I didn’t mean to curse. I’m just moved… Forget I said that.]
[Seo Jihoon: Wait, I cursed again.]
[Seo Jihoon: Oh no…]
Jihoon, after a string of expletives, ended up deleting all his messages and called Yeongdeok instead.
Without hesitation, Yeongdeok answered.
“Sorry… I’ve been trying to curse less around you, but it’s a hard habit to break.”
“It seems to stick not just to your mouth but to your fingers as well.”
“Anyway, uh…”
Jihoon hesitated, something unusual for him.
Sensing what Jihoon was struggling to say, Yeongdeok decided to speak first.
“I like you.”
“I love—”
* * *
😚
Thanks!
Oww so sweet