Before dating your childhood friend, test them first chapter 4

“Ugh…”

Jiho doubted he could eat the hangover soup Yejun was making. He felt too nauseous to imagine putting anything in his mouth.

But despite his thoughts, his stomach growled at the spicy ramen aroma wafting into the room.

How many Koreans could resist the smell of ramen? Pushing aside his concerns, Jiho decided he needed to eat and got up.

He mentally justified that eating something would help clear his head and consumed every drop of the spicy ramen broth.

Placing the bowl back on the table with a sigh of satisfaction, he felt more clear-headed. With his stomach full and the hangover abated, he felt ready to have a rational conversation.

Looking across the table, he saw Yejun watching him with a bemused smile.

“Did you finish eating?”

“Yeah. Now let’s have a serious talk.”

Jiho met Yejun’s gaze with determination, ready to settle things. Yejun let out a small sigh.

“What’s up?”

“What’s up? Last night, you and I… slept together. Do you really have no thoughts about it?”

“Thoughts? Sure.”

Yejun chuckled, resting his chin on his hand.

His smile was dazzlingly beautiful, but every time he smiled like that, Jiho felt uneasy, remembering that Yejun never said anything serious when he looked that way.

As Jiho waited tensely, Yejun spoke slowly.

“I thought it was good.”

Yejun’s words, accompanied by a foot sliding up Jiho’s leg, sent chills down Jiho’s spine.

“You… damn bastard.”

With that guy in front of him, polite words were impossible.

As Jiho stood up, looking ready to punch him, Yejun tried to calm him down, showing a rare look of panic.

“Jiho, why are you so angry?”

“Ugh… stop messing around. Let’s talk properly.”

“I was being serious. Honestly, last night was good, wasn’t it?”

“Good? What was good about it? It just hurt.”

Jiho frowned, unable to remember the pain clearly but sure that it hurt based on how his body felt now.

Grumbling at the memory, Yejun looked puzzled.

“That can’t be right. You went several times last night…”

“Argh! Stop it!”

Letting him continue was unbearable.

If he lost his temper any more, he might have hit Yejun with a spoon.

As Jiho tried to control his rising anger, Yejun observed him quietly before sighing, dropping the playful act, and looking serious.

“Jiho, what do you want me to do? Do you want to pretend it never happened?”

It seemed he was finally ready to have a proper conversation.

Jiho was relieved they could talk seriously but still felt troubled.

He wanted to forget, but could he? How could he forget something like that?

While pretending it never happened seemed impossible, Jiho decided to be honest about his feelings.

“Honestly… I still can’t believe we slept together.”

“It felt like a dream.”

“…”

It seemed like a ridiculous dream, but why did it sound so romantic when he said it?

Although Jiho felt that some words might have been chosen poorly, that wasn’t the important issue right now. Afraid that replying might steer the conversation off course again, Jiho decided not to respond and let it slide.

Since Jiho didn’t pick a fight, Yejun continued speaking seriously.

“But Jiho, I can’t just pretend it never happened.”

“Why, why…? Why can’t you?”

Jiho knew it was impossible to treat it like it never happened. But couldn’t they at least try to pretend, even just with words?

When Jiho, on the verge of tears, asked, Yejun hesitated for a moment. Watching him choose his words carefully with his pretty lips, Jiho felt increasingly anxious about what might come out of his mouth.

As Jiho waited impatiently, Yejun took a long pause and then answered in a small, embarrassed voice.

“Yesterday was my first time.”

“…What?”

“So you have to take responsibility.”

Jiho was stunned by the unexpected words, and Yejun looked at him with blushing ears.

Yejun looked at Jiho with a face so pure and delicate that he wouldn’t look out of place in a romance comic. He resembled a lily in bloom.

Seeing Yejun like that, Jiho clamped his mouth shut. It wasn’t just Yejun’s words that were shocking; Jiho had a weakness for that kind of face.

Jiho knew Yejun was a robust alpha, but perhaps because he had seen him being bullied as a child… Whenever Yejun made that expression, Jiho’s heart tightened.

Even though he knew that Yejun was now just as strong and could easily lift him, it still affected him.

Jiho nearly conceded, thinking, ‘Yeah, saying it never happened is ridiculous,’ but he snapped out of it just in time.

No matter how pitiful Yejun looked, taking responsibility was out of the question.

Wondering how to persuade him further, Jiho carefully asked about a point he was curious about.

“Your first time… was with me?”

Jiho knew that Yejun was popular wherever he went. Growing up together, he constantly heard rumors about someone liking Yejun. Those rumors were mostly true.

Jiho had definitely seen Yejun dating an omega before. Though he hadn’t seen it since they entered university, Jiho assumed Yejun was dating behind his back. His first time? For such a popular guy?

Even if he did insist on chastity before marriage, it was hard to believe. When Jiho asked with a raised eyebrow, Yejun nodded with a pitiful face.

“Yeah. If you hadn’t pounced on me yesterday, I would still be a virgin. But you did. Are you planning to run away?”

“No, damn it. My first time was…”

Last night was my first time too!

Feeling wronged by being treated like a one-night stand, Jiho wanted to shout that it was his first time too.

But saying it was his first time, especially being in the physical education department, was embarrassing.

Although it might not seem like something to be embarrassed about, the atmosphere in Jiho’s department was quite sexually open.

There were even groups, including the class president, Yoon Chulwon, who boasted about sleeping around with girls and omegas as if it were a badge of honor.

Jiho couldn’t understand having sex without love and thought talking about it was disrespectful to the other person, so he wasn’t close to those people.

However, hearing such stories so often made it embarrassing to admit his first time.

Unable to say the truth, Jiho hesitated and then wondered if he should be having these thoughts.

Shouldn’t I be the one demanding responsibility, not him?

I was the one who was pinned down, so why is he acting like the victim?

Thinking this, Jiho was at a loss for words. He only mouthed silently before recalling Yejun’s words.

“Responsibility? What responsibility…? No, but what do you mean I pounced on you? I pounced on you? That makes no sense.”

No matter how drunk he was, saying he pounced on Yejun was absurd.

It’s like saying you ate shit because you were drunk. Not that Yejun is shit… Anyway, he had never thought of Yejun sexually. To Jiho, Yejun was like family, so the idea of pouncing on him was ridiculous.

Thinking Yejun might be joking, Jiho asked, and Yejun froze. His expression turned serious, no longer the pitiful face he had earlier.

“Jiho, don’t you remember last night?”

His face was deadly serious, not as if he was joking.

Jiho had been serious until now, but the situation quickly reversed. Seeing Yejun so serious, Jiho’s skepticism faded away.

His memory was hazy. He couldn’t remember how he ended up in bed with Yejun.

Did I really pounce on him and take him down?

If I did… then why was I the one pinned down? Does that even make sense?

Though it was hard to believe, the premise of being drunk made it all plausible.

Thinking this, Jiho felt his face drain of color. His lips dried up from the tension. Swallowing hard, Jiho cautiously spoke.

“I do remember, but… it’s a bit hazy.”

“Sigh… Yesterday, you asked me to wash you and then started touching my body. You even kissed me first.”

“…I, I did? I did that?”

“Yeah. You kissed me first and even touched my thing down. And now you want to pretend it didn’t happen? That’s not right.”

“…”

Yejun’s words made Jiho’s head spin.