* * *

That had been Jeongseo’s biggest question when Yoontae claimed to have found his first love.

They’d always been together.

When could he have possibly found them?

Hearing this, Jeongseo realized Yoontae had deliberately hidden the fact that his first love was Jeongseo all along.

Flushing red with embarrassment, Jeongseo shouted, “You! If you knew everything, why did you lie to me? I didn’t know anything, and—!”

“You hid it first. Do you know how frustrated I was? You even said you’d help me find my first love.”

“Well, that’s…”

Jeongseo couldn’t argue; he had kept it a secret first.

Yet somehow, he still felt unfairly wronged.

Pouting, he looked up at Yoontae and mumbled,

“Because of that, I…”

“What about you?”

Yoontae echoed his words, his tone teasing.

That sly smirk on his face explained why Jeongseo felt like he was always losing.

Yoontae had known everything and let him agonize over it.

Thinking that, Jeongseo’s temper flared, and he glared up at Yoontae.

“Forget it! I’m going home. Move!”

“Now? No buses are running, and the driver’s off duty. How are you planning to get there?”

Despite his words, Yoontae moved aside, leaning nonchalantly against the door like he was daring Jeongseo to try.

His calm demeanor only made Jeongseo angrier.

Why did he like someone like this?

Clenching his lips, Jeongseo grabbed the doorknob and yelled, “I’ll walk! I’ll get there by morning!”

When he twisted the knob, a warm hand covered his.

“I like you, Jeongseo.”

Yoontae’s gentle voice sent Jeongseo’s heart racing so hard it felt like it would burst.

Looking up at him, he saw Yoontae’s golden eyes filled with sincerity, devoid of any deceit.

Yoontae really likes me.

The thought took over all his senses.

His heart pounded faster, making it hard to breathe.

How could Yoontae tease him so much and then suddenly act so serious?

Jeongseo couldn’t even stay angry.

“I’ve always wanted to see you—from then until now.”

The warmth of Yoontae’s hand spread through his body.

Jeongseo wanted to say he felt the same, but the words wouldn’t come.

He could only stare up at Yoontae.

Smiling softly, Yoontae let go of his hand.

“Your face is red.”

He playfully tapped Jeongseo’s nose, startling him.

Yoontae’s expression returned to its usual mischievousness, as if the confession had never happened.

“You’ve dropped the idea of leaving now, haven’t you? Go wash up and get ready for bed.”

Blushing furiously, Jeongseo let himself be shooed out of the room with a change of clothes.

Even as he showered, his mind was stuck on Yoontae’s confession.

When he returned, the lights were off except for the dim glow of the bedside lamp.

“Lie down.”

Yoontae patted the spot next to him, exuding a casual air.

It was so at odds with his earlier seriousness that Jeongseo wondered if it had all been a dream.

Walking over stiffly, Jeongseo found himself pulled into the bed by Yoontae’s arm around his waist.

Their faces were suddenly too close, and Jeongseo held his breath, his eyes wide.

Yoontae, unfazed, pulled back slightly.

“Why are you so tense, Jeongseo?”

His casual tone made Jeongseo question if he was overreacting.

Was it just him who felt this way?

Jeongseo suddenly remembered something Hayan had once said:

“If you feel different, it’s either not friendship anymore, or it could become something more.”

Stealing glances at Yoontae’s calm face, Jeongseo muttered under his breath, “Yoontae, you’re lying about liking me, aren’t you?”

Pyo Yoontae, leaning against the headboard of the bed, looked down at Jeongseo and tilted his head slightly.

“I’m not lying. Why would you think that?”

“What were you thinking just now when our faces got close?”

“…What… was I thinking?”

Pyo Yoontae abruptly avoided Jeongseo’s gaze and hesitated for a moment.

“…Do I really have to say it?”

“Yes, you do!”

Jeongseo’s voice was firm, determined to hear the answer.

Pyo Yoontae, looking reluctant, gently twirled a strand of Jeongseo’s bangs between his fingers.

“Can’t I tell you later, Jeongseo?”

He was barely holding himself together, fearing that saying it out loud might break his restraint.

But oblivious to this inner turmoil, Jeongseo suddenly sat up, moving even closer to Pyo Yoontae, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“No way. Tell me now!”

With his white hair and innocent face, Jeongseo resembled the child Pyo Yoontae had once known.

Being this close, Yoontae could feel his self-control slipping away.

When he first saw Jeongseo’s snow-white hair at the gate, he had nearly abandoned all rational thought and pulled him into an embrace.

That white hair had triggered a flood of memories of the younger Jeongseo, memories that had grown blurry over time.

Seeing him now, unchanged yet somehow different, made Yoontae feel foolish for not recognizing him immediately.

From the car ride until now, Yoontae’s heart hadn’t stopped pounding.

Sharing a bed seemed impossible—he’d planned to sleep on the sofa.

But Jeongseo’s oblivious closeness made it unbearable.

His unwavering gaze stirred something deeply suppressed.

Yoontae frowned slightly and, in one swift motion, wrapped an arm around Jeongseo’s waist.

“You asked me to say it, Jeongseo,” Yoontae murmured, pulling Jeongseo onto his lap.

One hand brushed gently against Jeongseo’s lips, the touch making him visibly stiffen.

“I wanted to hold you like this,” Yoontae whispered, squeezing Jeongseo’s waist before releasing it.

He noticed Jeongseo’s pale ears twitch.

“And when our faces got close… I wanted to ki—”

“St-stop! Don’t say it!”

As Yoontae’s fingers moved to trace Jeongseo’s lips, Jeongseo’s face turned bright red.

Panicking, he covered Yoontae’s face with his hands to stop him.

But the unspoken words still echoed in Jeongseo’s mind, making his head spin.

Embarrassed beyond measure, Jeongseo quickly scrambled off Yoontae’s lap and wrapped himself tightly in a blanket.

Yoontae sighed as he watched.

“I told you I’d say it later, didn’t I, Jeongseo?”

“I-I’m not ready for… b-breeding activities with you!”

Breeding activities.

The unexpected phrasing made Yoontae chuckle under his breath.

Jeongseo probably thought he was being tactful, but the word choice only made it sound more provocative.

Yoontae wasn’t sure if that was just his interpretation.

Watching Jeongseo’s flushed face peek out from the blanket, Yoontae lay down with a resigned smile.

“I get it, Jeongseo. If you don’t want something, I won’t do it. Anything.”

Yoontae’s calm, serious tone made Jeongseo hesitate.

After some thought, Jeongseo loosened the blanket wrapped around him.

“…But you’re not even asking what I think,” Jeongseo muttered.

Had Yoontae already figured it out, so there was no need to ask?

Jeongseo wondered what that meant for their relationship.

“Tell me when you’re ready, Jeongseo. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

“…What if I never tell you?”

“Then I’ll stick by your side forever.”

The childish remark made Jeongseo laugh despite himself.

Yoontae, watching him, patted the pillow beside him.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment since we were kids, so I can wait a little longer. I’m good at waiting, Jeongseo.”

When Jeongseo finally lay down, Yoontae naturally turned toward him.

His gaze was so full of affection that Jeongseo instinctively clutched the blanket tighter.

“How can you like me so much when you barely saw me as a kid?”

“I just do. I kept thinking about that time whenever things got hard.”

“…That time?”

Jeongseo’s childhood memories were faint, fragmented.

He couldn’t recall much unless he actively tried.

“I…”

As Jeongseo trailed off, Yoontae, half-closing his eyes, murmured, “It’s okay, even if you’ve forgotten.”

‘Because I remember everything.’

* * *