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• Beautiful Life Chat Room

After the slight lull following March’s start of school and university semesters, the Beautiful Life chat room became noticeably lively again, sparked by the SNS incident involving PetitRolang.

The girls, who had been chatting about things like university MTs and midterm exams, began reminiscing.

Once the conversation started flowing, it seemed unstoppable, and before long, they brought up the idea of a meet-up after a long break.

[Gwakdupal]: Midterms are over, so shall we finally meet up? It’s been so long since I’ve seen everyone.

[Gwakdupal]: I miss you all.

[Natsuyama Soseki]: Oh, that sounds fun!

[Rose]: Should we, then? Are you all free on Children’s Day?

Except for Choa, who he had seen at Seonwoo’s concert, Yeongdeok hadn’t met the others in a while either.

[Seonwoo]: If Yeongdeok Chicken attends, then I’ll attend too.

As usual, once Yeongdeok confirmed his attendance at the meet-up, Seonwoo tagged along like a bonus event.

[You cling to me over every little thing. Are you a baby duck or something?]

He made a sarcastic jab at how Seonwoo followed him everywhere, but Seonwoo didn’t seem fazed in the slightest, replying with a playful message.

[Seonwoo]: Does that mean you think I’m cute?

[Seonwoo]: I’m honored.

[He has no grasp of the context whatsoever.]

[Gwakdupal]: Oh… Are you two having a lovers’ spat?

Gwakdupal’s remark led Yeongdeok and Choa to respond at the same time.

[Rose]: Gwakdupal, how could you say such a horrible thing…

[Do you want to be sued for defamation?]

[Gwakdupal]: Haha, sorry!

[Rose]: Anyway, anyone planning to join the meet-up, please message me.

The Beautiful Life chat room was once again abuzz with excitement about the meet-up.

When you’re young, they say even watching leaves roll by is amusing, and the conversation seemed endless as they chatted about all kinds of things.

ꔚ

On May 5th, Children’s Day, Yeongdeok’s phone wouldn’t stop vibrating, buzzing continuously from messages.

[Gwakdupal: It’s Children’s Day! Aren’t you and Seonwoo going to get us presents, Yeongdeok Chicken?]

Yeongdeok wondered if he had misunderstood the definition of “children” and quickly looked it up online.

[Child (noun): A term used to refer to young children in a polite or formal manner. Generally refers to kids aged 4 or 5 up to elementary school students.]

[You don’t fall under the category of ‘children.’]

[Therefore, I have no reason to give you a present.]

[Gwakdupal: But in spirit, I’m still a child! 😭]

[Seonwoo: If we’re talking about that, then Yeongdeok Chicken is also a child.]

[Seonwoo: In terms of mental age.]

Yeongdeok glared at his phone screen after seeing Seonwoo’s comment.

[Rose: There he goes again, picking a fight with Yeongdeok Chicken…

[Gwakdupal: Haha, I bet we’ll hit our 60s before you two actually get along.]

[Seonwoo: What are you talking about? We’re already close. Right, Cha Yeongdeok?

[What nonsense…]

Yeongdeok almost typed a retort about Seonwoo’s nonsense, but he stopped himself, not wanting to encourage yet another sly response.

Instead, he resigned himself to leaving the chat.

ꔚ

The meet-up location was the same café where Yeongdeok had first met the Beautiful Life members.

They always seemed to favor this café, likely because it was easy to talk there.

After greeting everyone casually, Yeongdeok stood at the counter, browsing the menu, when Seonwoo slyly draped his arm over Yeongdeok’s shoulder.

“What do you think you’re doing? You’re in the way.”

“It’s mean to say a person is ‘in the way.’”

Seonwoo’s hand, dangling below Yeongdeok’s shoulder, brushed against his arm.

Taking the opportunity, Seonwoo started lightly feeling Yeongdeok’s arm, eventually kneading it as though handling clay.

“Wow, Cha Yeongdeok, your arm is really solid.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t touch me so casually.”

“If you’re upset, you can touch me too.”

Seonwoo stepped away and spread his arms wide, shrugging his shoulders with a grin, signaling that Yeongdeok could touch him anywhere he liked.

Yeongdeok, however, had absolutely no desire to touch him.

As if to express that sentiment, he folded his arms tightly and looked up at the menu.

Seonwoo promptly rested his arm on Yeongdeok’s shoulder again.

Yeongdeok was seriously irritated, wondering if Seonwoo thought of him as some kind of armrest.

“I’d prefer it if you kept your distance.”

“Nope. Didn’t you say I should live how I want? And I want to be close to you.”

Seonwoo always used Yeongdeok’s past words as a shield whenever things didn’t go his way.

Yeongdeok regretted saying that to him.

“I take that back.”

“No take-backs. I’ve engraved your words in my mind, my heart, and all over my body.”

Seonwoo leaned his face against the back of Yeongdeok’s neck, letting his breath graze the skin, leaving Yeongdeok feeling both the warmth of Seonwoo’s skin and his subtle scent.

Seonwoo was always craving more of Yeongdeok, as if he wanted to possess him entirely.

In contrast, Yeongdeok, who found Seonwoo unbearably annoying, tried to push him away, holding his head and pulling his neck back like a giraffe.

While the two of them bickered, Gwakdupal and Buljumok watched with curious eyes.

The drinks were ready, and Yeongdeok was the first to sit at the table.

Seonwoo, of course, sat right beside him, clinging once again.

The constant pestering made Yeongdeok feel like a large leech was draining the energy out of him.

“…You’re such a nuisance. How long are you going to keep coming to your brother’s meet-ups? Do you still not trust me? I have no interest in your brother.”

“Huh? That’s not why I’m here.”

“Then why did you come?”

Looking around to ensure Choa was far away, Seonwoo leaned close to Yeongdeok’s ear and whispered.

“I came because I wanted to see you, Cha Yeongdeok.”

Normally, Yeongdeok was an impenetrable fortress, but like in the tale where the gentle sun convinced a traveler to take off his coat instead of the harsh wind, the warm breath against his ear made him shudder slightly.

As Seonwoo lightly brushed his fingers over Yeongdeok’s short hair near his ear, Gwakdupal and DaerimdongFist, returning to the table, happened to witness the scene.

“Wow…”

“What are you doing right now?”

In response to the curious questions from two people, Seonwoo smiled and answered.

“Who knows?”

Yeongdeok had already distanced himself from Baek Seonwoo.

In the past, Seonwoo had tormented him by picking fights over every little thing, but now it seemed he had found a new way to bother him.

What annoyed Yeongdeok the most was how effective this new method was on him.

“I feel like I shouldn’t have suggested a meetup. Do you two just want to hang out together?”

As Gwakdupal chuckled, Seonwoo eagerly jumped in.

“Can we? I mean, it’s not like Yeongdeok here would ever meet me otherwise.”

“What changed your mind, Seonwoo? What’s been going on with you lately?”

DaerimdongFist blinked curiously at Seonwoo.

The Seonwoo she remembered wasn’t honest, always expressing his feelings like a 5-year-old boy picking on a girl he liked.

His current behavior was so different that it was like she was looking at a completely different person wearing Seonwoo’s face.

“Curious, are you?”

Just as Seonwoo teasingly responded, Choa and Soseki approached the table with their drinks.

“What were you talking about?”

The moment Choa appeared, the group fell into an awkward silence as if it had been preplanned.

The only ones who had noticed Seonwoo’s interest in Yeongdeok were Gwakdupal and DaerimdongFist.

Natsuyama Soseki was oblivious, and Choa, being related to Yeongdeok, never even considered such a possibility.

“Nothing much.”

“Yeah, really nothing at all.”

Both Seonwoo and Gwakdupal waved their hands dismissively, sharing a strange smile, which made Choa’s expression shift to one of unease.

“Gwakdupal… You’re sure you didn’t say anything weird, right?”

Choa’s face turned pale, clearly worried that Gwakdupal might have said something inappropriate to Seonwoo.

To reassure her, Gwakdupal quickly repeated that nothing strange was said.

Only then did Choa breathe a sigh of relief and sit down next to Soseki.

Once everyone was seated, the group quickly dove into lively conversation, like a pot boiling over with stories that had been simmering for a while.

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