I am not a Yandere chapter 39

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In the bright room, his flushed face was clear to see.

Yeongdeok gestured for him to come closer.

“Come here.”

“Why? Something wrong?”

When Jihoon moved closer, Yeongdeok grabbed his wrist and pulled him onto the bed.

Jihoon, caught off balance, ended up sitting on the bed as the mattress shifted beneath them.

“Hey, hey. What are you—?”

“Isn’t this how you check a fever?”

Yeongdeok gently brushed back Jihoon’s hair. His hand grazed through Jihoon’s locks.

“Your face is red. Do you have a fever too?”

He felt the warmth radiating from Jihoon’s skin, realizing that perhaps Jihoon’s method of checking temperature by touch had some merit after all.

“You’re pathetic. You really are.”

Yeongdeok emphasized each word with a slight smile, and Jihoon felt his whole body heat up, convinced it was from anger.

What else could it be?

“I’m not sick. You’re the one who caught a cold. Don’t take it out on me.”

“Is that so?”

“Since you’re feeling better, I’ll head out now. Take care, and if anything happens, come to my place or give me a call.”

Jihoon strode towards the door, but paused and turned back with a playful grin.

“You saved my number, right? I gave it to you when we signed the contract, Yeongdeok hyung.”

With that, Jihoon left, and the sound of the door locking filled the now silent room.

“That guy’s ridiculous.”

Shaking his head, Yeongdeok texted Jihoon for the first time.

[Don’t call me hyung. I’ve never had a pathetic younger brother like you.]

[Seo Jihoon: Haha, I’ve never had a pathetic older brother like you either.]

As Yeongdeok was about to reply, a notification from the café chat popped up.

[Rose: Yeongdeok Chicken, how about you? Are you free on Christmas Eve?]

Scrolling through the chat, he noticed that Seonwoo had read the messages too but hadn’t replied. Guess that means he’s not coming.

The thought of playing along with the group on Christmas Eve didn’t seem so bad. Yeongdeok decided to respond.

[I’ll attend.]

Almost immediately after he sent his message, Seonwoo replied.

[Seonwoo: Ah, I’ll attend too~]

Yeongdeok frowned at how quickly Seonwoo responded after him.

[What’s your problem?]

[Seonwoo: What do you mean? I just realized I’m free and decided to join too.]

[I don’t want to see your face.]

[Seonwoo: You think I want to see yours?]

[Rose: If you two are going to fight, take it outside the chat.]

[DaerimdongFist: Hahaha!]

With Rose’s firm intervention, Seonwoo quickly changed his tone.

[Seonwoo: We’re not fighting, hehe. It’s just part of getting closer.]

Yeongdeok considered adding something sarcastic, but Rose interrupted again.

[Rose: Okay, so I’ll take it you’re both attending. Remember, we’re exchanging gifts, so don’t forget to bring one!]

As the other members excitedly discussed gift ideas, Seonwoo fell silent.

Watching the chat messages scroll by, Yeongdeok felt his eyelids grow heavy once more.

Whether it was lingering fatigue or his still-recovering body, sleep came for him again.

As he drifted off, he thought to himself, “Falling asleep like this… doesn’t feel very much like the obsessive character I’m supposed to be.”

The next day, when Yeongdeok opened his eyes, the morning light had already filled the room.

Noticing his phone’s notification light blinking, he checked it, assuming it was a message from the café chatroom.

But it turned out to be a text message.

[Seo Jihoon: How are you feeling?]

Why does this guy keep asking how I’m doing?

Yeongdeok responded.

[Why do you keep asking me that?]

Not long after sending the reply, the doorbell rang.

Judging by the timing, it had to be Seo Jihoon. Yeongdeok opened the door.

“…Good morning.”

Jihoon awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and greeted him.

“This is unusual. You actually greet me first?”

Wasn’t Jihoon the type who always cursed before offering any kind of greeting?

Yeongdeok thought it strange that Jihoon was suddenly being polite.

But, of course, Jihoon quickly reverted to his usual self, unable to suppress his nature.

“Damn it, that’s only because you’re always such a pain.”

“So, what’s up today?”

“Does there have to be a reason? I’m coming in.”

Without waiting for permission, Jihoon stepped into Yeongdeok’s home.

Yeongdeok thought he still had a long way to go when it came to learning proper manners.

“Have you had breakfast?”

“No, not yet.”

“Then let’s eat together.”

Jihoon placed the plastic bag he was carrying on the table and started taking out the containers inside.

Yeongdeok watched him with a look of disapproval.

“I don’t recall agreeing to this. What’s going on?”

“Just shut up and eat with me. It’ll be easier for you if I prepare it.”

Yeongdeok couldn’t understand why Jihoon, who normally didn’t even want to see him, was suddenly acting this way.

Was it out of guilt? But what could he possibly feel guilty about?

If Jihoon was sick because Yeongdeok had lent him his coat, that was merely the consequence of Yeongdeok’s own choice.

There was no reason for Jihoon to feel guilty.

“If this is because you feel guilty, don’t bother.”

“It’s not guilt.”

“Then why? I’d appreciate an explanation I can actually accept.”

Jihoon, who had been opening one of the containers, froze for a moment.

He hesitated, then snapped back in frustration.

“Ugh, I don’t know. Just sit down.”

“You really are impossible.”

“And you think you’re any better? You never think about what you’ve done to me.”

Jihoon clicked his tongue and handed Yeongdeok some chopsticks.

With no choice, Yeongdeok sat at the table.

Jihoon had laid out various side dishes: kimchi, stir-fried anchovies, braised beef, and more.

“Is this the kind of stuff you normally eat?”

“Why? Too plain for your fancy taste?”

“No, it’s… educational.”

“Educational? You’re a real piece of work.”

Jihoon muttered under his breath as he picked up some side dishes with his chopsticks.

Yeongdeok followed suit, trying a bite of the stir-fried anchovies.

Unlike the bland chicken porridge Jihoon had made yesterday, this was actually quite tasty.

“Not bad.”

“I bought them from a nearby deli. Glad you like them.”

“Ah, that explains it. No wonder. There’s no way your cooking skills improved overnight.”

“Shut up. I made the porridge bland on purpose yesterday.”

Jihoon got frustrated again, but Yeongdeok noticed that he didn’t seem as aggressive as usual today.

After breakfast, Jihoon insisted on doing the dishes, leaving Yeongdeok to sit idly on the living room sofa.

Annoyed by the wasted time, Yeongdeok opened his phone, recalling a conversation in the ‘Beautiful Life’ chatroom.

They’d talked about exchanging gifts.

Buying something for yourself was far more efficient, so why bother with such nonsense?

Although he found the idea absurd, Yeongdeok still searched for gift ideas that women of that age might like.

A necklace popped up on the screen.

Deciding to look for something nice, he scrolled through the options, his thumb moving swiftly.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Having finished the dishes, Jihoon approached.

When Yeongdeok didn’t look up from his phone, Jihoon peeked over his shoulder at the screen.

“What’s this? A designer necklace? You planning to give that to Eungyeol for Christmas?”

Ignoring him, Yeongdeok continued scrolling.

“Hey.”

“…….”

“Hey, Cha Yeongdeok.”

“What?”

Annoyed by Jihoon’s persistence, Yeongdeok finally turned his head.

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