* * *
Juwan’s bewildered gaze darted between the coffee and Sejun’s smug face.
The latter only smiled more brightly.
“Go bald to the point even minoxidil can’t save you.”
“Hey, what’s with the sudden—”
“What? Why? Shave it all off. No, don’t shave—just let it fall out.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know exactly why I’m messing with you.”
“…….”
Of course, he knew. He could still vividly recall the day Sejun had grabbed him by the collar when they met again.
When he had run out of that hotel room, Juwan had blocked Sejun’s number, trying to completely separate their lives.
But it was Juwan himself who later unblocked and messaged him, essentially inviting him back in.
He knew it was cowardly….
Back at the academy, Juwan brushed his teeth before manning the front desk.
‘Hmm.’
He had thought Sejun was done tormenting him with petty beverage choices, but today’s coffee seemed overly strong.
He hadn’t thought himself sensitive to caffeine before, but now he was feeling it—how many extra shots had Sejun poured in?
His hands tingled slightly before he felt the urgent need to use the restroom.
Looking toward the lobby, Sejun was already taking his place at the desk, flashing a reassuring smile.
That reassurance turned out to be a mistake.
As soon as Juwan stepped into the bathroom and unzipped, someone else walked in.
Rather than standing a few urinals away, the newcomer chose the one right next to him.
Even as he focused all his energy on ignoring them, it was impossible to overlook the fact that the intruder was blatantly staring at his crotch.
“Big, huh? Annoyingly so.”
“…Ha.”
Whatever was about to come out of him froze mid-exit.
Having confidently nodded back at the desk earlier, Sejun had now done nothing but ogle Juwan’s goods before strolling right back out of the bathroom.
‘What the hell…?’
Juwan stood there for a long while, unable to even tuck himself back in, simply staring at the wall.
It was only much later that he could finish and leave.
So far, he could chalk it up to paying off his karmic debt.
Sejun, who used to act so gentlemanly while pretending to be reserved, now seemed like nothing more than a petty alpha driven by pride.
There was no way such a childish alpha would let off the person who had dared cross him.
Then again, if flirting with hospital clients was his usual hobby, couldn’t he just leave Juwan alone?
Well, maybe the fact that they had been so casual with each other was the only reason Sejun hadn’t outright punched him when they met again.
Yeah… Sejun might be an odd guy, but for now, it was Juwan’s fault.
Whatever excuse he tried to make, it wouldn’t be accepted.
He couldn’t afford to let himself be swayed by Sejun’s actions or show any emotions.
No, he shouldn’t even feel anything in the first place—no matter what those emotions might be.
Gripping his foggy head, muddled by the caffeine overdose, Juwan popped a few more pills into his mouth.
✽ ✽ ✽
“Teacher Jun, Teacher Jun, look at this.”
Despite all their usual bickering, the kids would always run to “Teacher Jun” whenever they had conflicts or something to boast about.
Jin Sejun glanced at Kwon Juwan, who was watching him with a peculiar expression, and tilted his chin in response.
“See? I’ve totally become a popular guy now. Wow, look at this—Teacher Jun’s popularity is threatening John Saem’s standing.”
“People are drawn to someone they don’t have to be strict with. You just need to earn their favor, no need to take responsibility.”
“Oh? Someone’s jealous, someone’s jealous.”
Kwon Juwan’s expression briefly twisted, but he quickly hid it by pretending to check the calendar on the lobby desk.
It was obvious.
When Kwon Juwan grabbed some cleaning tools and headed to an empty practice room, Jin Sejun trailed closely behind him.
“Hey, cutie cheerleader in pink.”
“Yes.”
Kwon Juwan replied nonchalantly, spraying disinfectant on the exercise mat and wiping it down with a dry cloth.
It was as if he’d resolved to respond dully to anything Sejun said, probably because of their earlier childish argument.
“So, does John Saem wear cheer uniforms too?”
“….”
“Sparkly ribbons, a cropped top—it’d be cute, right? Bling-bling cheerleading?”
“You should try wearing it yourself, Sejun.”
“If I wore that, people would lose their minds. Can’t risk it.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Why not? Don’t you want to see me in a cheer outfit?”
Jin Sejun, mocking Juwan, deliberately lowered his voice to a baritone, imitating him poorly.
His comment was a parody of a conversation they’d had just before heading to a hotel: when Sejun had asked Juwan how he handled… himself, Juwan had cheekily asked if Sejun wasn’t curious about sex.
Remembering that, Juwan’s ears turned red.
Sejun didn’t stop there. He squatted closer to where Juwan was cleaning the mat.
“If you’re getting on the mat, take off your shoes fir—”
“Oh, look at this chest hair… I can’t wear a cropped top. You’re wilder than I thought. Don’t tell me you’ve got chest hair too?”
Sejun had casually lifted the hem of Juwan’s shirt without warning, observing his toned abs.
He deliberately avoided focusing on the deeply carved muscles, instead teasing him further.
Apparently, even someone as composed as Kwon Juwan couldn’t let it slide.
When Juwan yanked the mat out from under him, Sejun, who had been squatting, fell flat on his back.
But instead of being flustered, Sejun lay there with exaggerated flair, even pretending to wave imaginary pom-poms.
“By the way, if you’re going sleeveless, you’ll need to trim your armpit hair. I bet it’s all clean, right?”
“Clean from what?”
Ignoring Sejun’s nonsense didn’t work because he rolled over to lie on the mat Juwan was cleaning.
Juwan couldn’t not answer.
“Laser? Waxing?”
“Mind your own business.”
“Why? Didn’t you get your nails done so you wouldn’t scratch your boyfriend’s back? You love that kind of thing, don’t you?”
“Oh, come on!”
‘Wow, now he’s acting like a normal person for once.’
Sejun chuckled and stepped back a bit.
The old Kwon Juwan would have turned pale and seriously considered waxing.
Though he always looked annoyed and uncomfortable, Sejun knew better—it was written all over his face.
But it was the first time Juwan had outright scowled and raised his voice.
He used to be such a nervous wreck, fidgeting whenever Sejun got friendly with other coaches.
This fiery reaction made him seem so much more human.
For a man his age, Juwan had an almost pathological need to be “the good guy.”
He seemed like someone who craved control in his life and found conflict unbearably uncomfortable.
Maybe, thanks to Sejun’s chaotic influence, he was loosening up a little?
Yeah, no way.
Still, the fact that Juwan had gone so far as to nearly cross a line back then meant he was just as proactive as Sejun in his own way.
‘I still don’t get him,’ Sejun thought, glaring at Juwan before lying down on the mat again.
“Why don’t you just get on the mat?”
“You remember when Iseoh told me to learn cheerleading?”
“Yeah. So get on the mat already.”
“Fine. Anyway, just thinking about me doing cheerleading was hilarious, but now I’m actually curious how it works.”
“At least you’re not calling it gross anymore—that’s progress.”
“Gross? What do you take me for? I’m asking seriously!”
“Haven’t you seen enough already? How did you give advice during that consultation the other day if you know so little?”
“I just repeated what the director said, and everything’s written on the lobby posters.”
“Ugh…”
“So, are the cheerleaders at basketball and baseball games people like you?”
“Well… technically, it’s all cheerleading, but the styles are different.”
“Different styles?”
Juwan looked as though he was wondering why he had to explain this to someone like Sejun but answered patiently.
“We don’t teach action cheerleading here. Some places do, but they’re more performance teams than academies.”
“Action cheerleading?”
* * *
