* * *
Even after accompanying Yeongdeok to the bus stop, Wonjin stayed, waiting with him until the bus arrived.
It was only when the bus finally pulled up that Yeongdeok said goodbye.
“Get home safe,” Wonjin said.
“You too, hyung,” replied Yeongdeok, waving with a bright smile that lingered until the end.
Yet, forcing that smile felt unnatural; his lips seemed reluctant to hold it.
Once on the bus, Yeongdeok found an empty seat near the door, where he slumped down, leaning his head back against the window.
Droplets of rain cascaded down the glass, twisting and shimmering as they flowed, and as he watched, he felt himself drifting off in thought.
Wonjin’s words from earlier circled around in his mind, refusing to leave.
The bus continued along its route, eventually stopping in front of Daehan University.
As the door swung open, passengers began boarding.
“Seriously, where did this rain come from?”
“They didn’t even mention rain in the forecast.”
Hearing a familiar voice, Yeongdeok turned to see Jihoon and Eungyeol boarding together, laughing as they made their way down the aisle.
“Damn, all my books are probably soaked now,” Jihoon grumbled.
“Just dry them with a hairdryer. They’ll be fine,” replied Eungyeol.
As they passed by Yeongdeok, Jihoon suddenly stopped, then retraced his steps, eyeing Yeongdeok in disbelief.
“Cha Yeongdeok? What are you doing here?”
“Whoa, Yeongdeok! Hi!” Eungyeol chimed in, flashing a warm smile.
Watching the two, looking unusually close, Yeongdeok’s expression became unreadable.
“Where are you coming from? You look different today,” Jihoon asked, his gaze curious.
“Yeah, this brighter style suits you, Yeongdeok!” added Eungyeol.
Listening to their banter, Yeongdeok let a rare smile play at his lips.
Seeing that unfamiliar smile made Jihoon’s hair stand on end.
“What a coincidence, meeting you here.”
“What’s with the weird tone? Did you eat something funny?” Jihoon muttered, tilting his head.
As Jihoon looked confused, Yeongdeok’s gaze shifted to Eungyeol, whose eyes darted around, wondering if something was behind him.
“Is there…something you want to say to me?”
Eungyeol finally asked.
“Your number. Would you mind giving it to me?”
“My number?”
Eungyeol looked surprised but then remembered.
“Oh, right! I did say I’d repay you for that thing. Sure!”
When Yeongdeok handed him his phone, Eungyeol tapped in his number and saved it.
“Can you give me a call, so I have your number too?”
Nodding, Yeongdeok dialed Eungyeol’s phone, and a satisfied smile lit up Eungyeol’s face.
“Great. I’ll reach out soon.”
Jihoon, who had been watching the whole exchange quietly, finally cut in, not quite able to hold back.
“So, where exactly were you coming from?”
“I went to an exhibition.”
“With who? And what’s with that tone?”
“With Wonjin-hyung.”
Ordinarily, Yeongdeok would have brushed off such questions, but this time, he answered Jihoon’s questions one by one without a hint of sarcasm.
While Jihoon found Yeongdeok’s demeanor strange, Yeongdeok abruptly stood up, even though they still had a way to go.
“Sit here,” he said, gesturing to Eungyeol.
Eungyeol blinked, unsure.
“What? You want me to sit?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t need to give up your seat for me…”
Eungyeol wasn’t someone who needed special treatment, but despite his protest, Yeongdeok insisted.
“Sit.”
“…Alright.”
Sensing the subtle authority in his tone, Eungyeol quietly took the seat, and then, without a word, Yeongdeok handed him his umbrella.
“Take this; it’s raining outside,” he said.
“Oh…okay.” Eungyeol shot an uncertain glance at Jihoon, who looked at Yeongdeok with an unreadable expression, as if trying to make sense of him.
Before long, the bus arrived at their stop, and by the time they stepped off, the rain had thankfully let up.
Jihoon looked up, checking the drizzle, and then turned to Yeongdeok.
“What’s with the sudden kindness toward Eungyeol?”
Yeongdeok’s mind was still filled with thoughts of his time with Wonjin.
His focus was now on showing more consideration to Eungyeol, leaving the comfort of his usual ways behind.
“Why? Is that a problem?”
“And what’s with the formal tone? It’s weird, you know?”
“If I keep talking like this, I’ll get used to it eventually,” Yeongdeok replied.
Jihoon couldn’t understand why Yeongdeok, of all people, would suddenly try to change his speech.
“Why would you even want to change it?”
“Because it’s not the way most people speak.”
Even after this explanation, Jihoon’s confusion only grew.
Cha Yeongdeok had always been someone who walked his own path, unbothered by what others thought. It wasn’t like him to conform.
“Why worry about it? Just be yourself.”
Yet, after meeting PetitRolang, Yeongdeok had been questioning what it even meant to “be himself.”
Everything he had become felt shaped by others, like he was living someone else’s life.
The comment felt as confining as living like Cha Dowon, his father. Instead of replying, he simply smiled and headed home.
Before he knew it, he’d arrived.
ꔚ
Later that night, with darkness cloaking the world outside, Yeongdeok decided to rest and focus on recharging.
But despite laying his head on the pillow, hours passed without a wink of sleep.
As always, insomnia came unbidden.
Wondering if his bed was the problem, he had ordered a new one, exactly like Jihoon’s, from a link Jihoon had sent him.
But the new bed hadn’t made any difference.
Why had he been able to sleep so peacefully at Jihoon’s place?
Curious, he began to analyze.
Maybe he had been tired from spending the day with Baek Seonwoo in crowded places?
But that couldn’t be it; he was exhausted now, too, after wandering around the exhibition with Wonjin.
If it wasn’t the bed or physical fatigue, then maybe…
Determined to figure it out, he sprang up and headed for the door.
Slipping on his shoes, he went next door and knocked.
Despite the late hour, Jihoon opened up without hesitation.
“What’s going on at this hour?”
“Jihoon,” Yeongdeok said, his tone soft as he called Jihoon by his first name, dropping any formality.
Jihoon’s heart raced at hearing his name said so intimately, and he felt a twinge of nervous excitement despite himself.
“…What is it?”
Jihoon couldn’t even begin to guess what Yeongdeok wanted to say by calling him over like this.
All he could do was wait nervously, anticipating something unusual.
Finally, Yeongdeok gave him a sudden, cheerful smile.
“Can I stay over at your place?”
“Stay over at my place? Stay over at my place?”
The words echoed in Jihoon’s mind like a repeating refrain.
Stunned, Jihoon found himself wondering if he’d heard right.
He felt like he was floating on hot water, his vision blurry.
After a long, blank pause, he managed to collect himself enough to respond.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“It’s exactly what I said.”
“Explain yourself. What’s gotten into you today?”
Grabbing Yeongdeok’s shoulders, Jihoon demanded an explanation.
Yeongdeok simply, and rather shamelessly, told him his reason for wanting to stay over.
“Your place feels like I can sleep well there.”
“What?”
“You heard me. So if you don’t mind…”
“You’ve got to be kidding me—I don’t understand a word you’re saying!”
Though Jihoon responded with a sharp tone, driven by his racing heart, he didn’t actually try to stop Yeongdeok as he casually made his way into the house.
Yeongdeok went straight to Jihoon’s bedroom and laid himself down on the bed, making himself at home so naturally that Jihoon was taken aback.
“What are you doing?”
“Borrowing your bed.”
Jihoon let out a disbelieving laugh at Yeongdeok’s behavior, which stood in stark contrast to his usual fixation on politeness.
So, who’s the rude one now?
Jihoon suppressed the urge to say it out loud and sighed instead.
How on earth was he supposed to deal with this?
“You’re seriously going to sleep here?”
“Goodnight.”
“From the very first day we met, until now, I’ve never been able to understand what’s going on in your head.”
No matter what Jihoon said, Yeongdeok just turned over, pulling the covers up to his shoulders, and in no time, the sound of his calm breathing filled the room.
Jihoon thought to himself, ‘Who else in the world would ever go through something like this?’
Yet despite his exasperation, he allowed himself a small smile.
“Fine, then. Have a nice sleep in someone else’s bed.”
“…”
“You really are confusing sometimes.”
Jihoon brushed Yeongdeok’s hair lightly before shutting the bedroom door and quietly heading out to the living room.
It looked like he’d be sleeping on the couch tonight, without so much as a blanket.
How did he end up in such a pathetic situation?
* * *
Poor Jihoon
Jihoon is hot
aw, yeongdeok can sleep comfortably only in jihoon’s presence♥️
Yay jihoon!
jihoon this is good for uuuuuu
Thanks!
i will always appreciate it whenever the novel brings up Yeongdeok’s identity crisis as a novel character