* * *
When Soohyuk suddenly stopped responding, Jingyeom turned toward him, then twisted around to check on Jinwoo.
“Oh? Jinwoo, you’re awake. Are you okay?”
“….”
“I have a hangover cure. Do you want it now?”
When Jinwoo reached out unsteadily, Jingyeom opened the bottle Cheongoh had given him earlier and handed it over.
Jinwoo drank it all and let his arm drop limply, prompting Jingyeom to stretch out and catch the empty bottle.
“We’re almost home. Let’s get some rest once we’re there.”
“Make him sleep in the living room. He reeks of alcohol.”
“How can I make him sleep in the living room? He drank; of course, he smells like alcohol.”
“Ha, what a saint.”
Suyeok’s muttered sarcasm was quiet but not quiet enough for Jingyeom to miss.
Jingyeom glanced at him with a sulky expression, but Soohyuk didn’t even look his way.
Jingyeom wanted to retort but held back because Jinwoo was there.
Normally, he’d let it slide, but Soohyuk always seemed to get snide when it involved Jinwoo or Wonbeom.
‘One down, one to go,’ Soohyuk thought as he glanced at Jinwoo through the rearview mirror, lips pressed tightly together.
Knowing exactly how both Jinwoo and Wonbeom felt about Jingyeom made it impossible for him to ignore the situation.
At least tonight, it seemed like things with Wonbeom had reached some sort of resolution.
The real obstacle, however, was Jinwoo.
Once he dealt with Jinwoo, there’d be no one left to challenge his relationship with Jingyeom.
As Soohyuk mulled over these thoughts, Jinwoo, who’d been listening to their conversation, closed his eyes again.
The motion of the car made his head spin and his stomach churn.
He wasn’t a heavy drinker to begin with and had hardly touched alcohol lately, so the overindulgence had hit him hard.
Though his body was begging for sleep, it eluded him.
He absentmindedly ran his hand over the cold leather seat beside him.
I really drank too much.
Despite thinking he should take care of Jingyeom, he couldn’t control himself.
Watching Jingyeom and Soohyuk together had made the alcohol go down all too easily.
It felt like being completely drunk would be better than remembering any of it.
Unaware of Jinwoo’s inner turmoil, Jingyeom turned back to Soohyuk.
“Drinking too much always makes hangovers worse, doesn’t it? I remember Secretary Yang had it really bad last time, too…”
As he spoke, Jingyeom started searching on his phone for foods that were good for hangovers.
“Bean sprout soup seems like a good option. Honey water, too…”
Satisfied with his findings, Jingyeom saved a recipe for bean sprout soup and glanced at Soohyuk when he didn’t get a reply.
He realized Soohyuk must still be sulking.
He reached back to check on Jinwoo, then leaned over and took Soohyuk’s hand.
“….”
“When you drink next time, I’ll make it for you, too.”
“I told you, I’ll make sure you don’t have to use knives.”
“Then I’ll use scissors. Bean sprout soup can be made with scissors.”
When Jingyeom spoke with a smile, Soohyuk let out a dry laugh.
He wasn’t joking; he was serious.
Yet, Jingyeom brushed it off too lightly.
A pair of scissors instead of a knife—both were sharp metal tools and equally dangerous.
As Soohyuk sulked, Jingyeom gently appeased him, and before they knew it, they arrived in front of the house.
The neighborhood was quiet, lit only by the glow of streetlights in the early dawn.
“Go up and unlock the door. How are you planning to carry him inside?”
There was no way Jingyeom could handle Jinwoo on his own.
Even just getting him out of the car seemed daunting.
Though Soohyuk made it very clear he didn’t want to, the thought of Jingyeom trying to carry Jinwoo on his back was even less appealing.
With no other option, he tried to lift Jinwoo himself.
But just then, Jinwoo groggily opened his eyes, pushed against Soohyuk’s back, and stumbled out of the car.
“If you were awake, you should’ve said something sooner. I almost carried you,” Soohyuk muttered.
“Jinwoo, can you walk?” Jingyeom asked cautiously.
“…Yeah.”
But Jinwoo could barely stand, staggering as though he wouldn’t make it past the front gate.
Soohyuk, relieved he wouldn’t have to support Jinwoo, clicked his tongue in frustration.
What annoyed him even more was the way Jingyeom had been focused on Jinwoo the entire time, not even sparing Soohyuk a glance despite him being the one who brought them here.
“Move,” Soohyuk said abruptly.
When Jingyeom tried to help Jinwoo, Soohyuk pushed him aside and slung Jinwoo’s arm over his shoulder.
“I’m annoyed, too, but if you fall, Baek Jingyeom might get hurt. Can’t have that.”
“…”
“If you can’t put any strength in your legs, just let me carry you. It’s harder to climb the stairs like this.”
The stairs leading to the rooftop room were numerous, and in the early morning quiet, Jinwoo stumbling around could wake the entire neighborhood.
Left with no choice, Soohyuk hoisted Jinwoo onto his back.
Unlike earlier, Jinwoo went limp and let himself be carried without protest.
Jingyeom carefully closed the car door, then followed behind, supporting Jinwoo’s back with his hands to make sure he didn’t slip off.
It wasn’t particularly helpful, but it seemed to put Jingyeom’s mind at ease.
Once they finally reached the top, Jingyeom hurried to unlock the door.
Even after entering, Soohyuk didn’t put Jinwoo down right away.
“Spread out the blankets. I’m not letting him sleep in your bed.”
“Got it!”
Knowing it was better to comply than argue, Jingyeom quickly set up a spot on the floor.
As soon as it was ready, Soohyuk all but dumped Jinwoo onto the blankets.
The impact was so loud it probably shook the ceiling of the room below.
Jingyeom’s eyes widened in alarm as he checked on Jinwoo, then scowled up at Soohyuk, who was nonchalantly rubbing his shoulder.
“What are you staring at?” Soohyuk said with a chin tilt.
Jingyeom pouted, covered Jinwoo with the blanket, and followed Soohyuk out of the room.
“Thanks for bringing him here. Jinwoo must’ve been heavy, huh?”
Although he’d been annoyed just moments ago by the way Soohyuk had dumped Jinwoo, Jingyeom’s demeanor softened.
He even reached out to massage Soohyuk’s shoulder, feeling guilty for complaining earlier.
“Are you really going to sleep in the same room? Can’t you move him to the living room instead?”
“No way. The living room’s still cold. The heated pad is only in there.”
Soohyuk opened his mouth to suggest turning on the boiler but stopped midway.
Instead, he pulled Jingyeom close by the waist and hugged him tightly.
“I’ve been dying to hold you all night.”
“You worked hard today. You must be tired—go home and get some rest.”
“Already trying to send me away?”
“It’s not ‘already.’ It’s early morning. Aren’t you tired?”
“Just being with you makes it better. Let me stay like this a little longer.”
Jingyeom hadn’t expected Soohyuk to leave quickly, but even so, Soohyuk held him for a long while.
Jingyeom kept glancing nervously at the closed door, worried that Jinwoo might wake up.
Knowing they shouldn’t be doing this here, yet unable to resist the desire to stay close, Jingyeom kept thinking, ‘Just a little longer.’
Time slipped by.
When Jingyeom began nodding off, Soohyuk finally let go and stood up.
“Wash up and go to bed. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Take care on your way home!”
Soohyuk didn’t want to leave.
If it were up to him, he’d take Jingyeom home with him right now.
He hated parting like this.
Suppressing his frustration, he kissed Jingyeom briefly, then left.
After Soohyuk was gone, Jingyeom barely managed to stay awake as he washed up.
When he came back, he noticed how uncomfortable Jinwoo’s clothes looked and reached out to remove them.
“Ah! Oh, you scared me! When did you wake up?”
Jinwoo’s eyes were half-open, startling Jingyeom, who had assumed he was asleep.
Jingyeom clutched his chest in shock, then crouched down and tried again.
“Jinwoo, let’s take off your jacket. Lift your arms for me.”
Even as Jingyeom struggled, Jinwoo merely blinked slowly, offering no cooperation.
“You’ll be uncomfortable if you sleep like this… Ugh!”
With great effort, Jingyeom managed to slip one arm out of the jacket.
But the fabric was caught beneath Jinwoo, forcing Jingyeom to roll him slightly and tug with all his might.
Finally, the jacket came off.
“Whew, that woke me up.”
Still breathing heavily, Jingyeom was about to lie down when Jinwoo suddenly muttered something.
“…Gyeom-ah.”
“Yeah? Do you need something?”
“…My Gyeom. My Gyeom.”
“Do you want some water?”
Jinwoo’s words were so faint that Jingyeom barely caught them.
Assuming Jinwoo was thirsty, he moved to fetch some water, but Jinwoo grabbed his wrist, preventing him from getting up.
Slowly, Jinwoo raised himself, his head hanging low as he continued to mumble.
“What is it?”
“…”
“I can’t hear you.”
“Gyeom-ah… When are you going to tell me?”
“Huh? Tell you what… Oh.”
Jingyeom’s response faltered, a small sigh escaping his lips.
There was no point in asking what Jinwoo meant.
Jinwoo already knew.
‘Since when?’
* * *
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