Before dating your childhood friend, test them first chapter 11

Things moved swiftly.

Yejun must have been desperate to find someone to take care of Coco; he cleared out his closet in just one day.

The landlady had asked Jiho to vacate his place by the end of the month, so he still had nearly a month left.

While moving early wasn’t a problem, there was a lot to organize. Jiho told Yejun he would move in once everything was sorted, but Yejun, seemingly in a hurry, helped him pack.

The closet space turned out to be much larger than Jiho had expected. He could bring almost everything he owned.

During the remaining month, Jiho sorted out his belongings from the rented place.

Items that couldn’t be taken to Yejun’s house were sent to his parents’ house, and he sold some newly bought appliances on second-hand websites.

Yejun helped move the rest with his car.

Soon enough, everything was packed, and the moving day arrived.

Jiho looked around the room where his furniture was now placed.

“Wow… You used this spacious room as a closet?”

Jiho had thought it was big when it was empty, but now, with all his stuff moved in, it felt even more spacious.

Although the rented place had been slightly bigger in terms of area, without the refrigerator, microwave, washing machine, and various other items, this room felt much more organized and spacious.

While Jiho was marveling at the room, Yejun followed him in and lightly rested his chin on Jiho’s shoulder.

“Wasn’t it a good decision to move?”

“…”

Jiho turned his gaze towards his right shoulder, feeling the weight. Yejun looked up at him with wide eyes, like a dog seeking praise.

It felt like leaning on a lover, making Jiho tense up for a moment.

The sweet scent drifting to his nose, the eyes looking straight at him from such a close distance, the long eyelashes, the unusually plump lips today—all of it was enough to remind him of the past.

Again. Again…

Sometimes, Yejun felt almost like a friend, but at moments like these, he suddenly felt like something else. These times left Jiho feeling confused.

He silently pressed his lips together, knowing that if he showed he was conscious of Yejun, the latter would not miss the chance to tease him.

After secretly taking a deep breath, Jiho pushed Yejun’s forehead away with his palm, pretending to be unaffected.

“Everything is perfect except for you being here.”

“That’s too harsh, really.”

Yejun didn’t seem to take it to heart, laughing it off as if it were a joke.

Yejun quickly stepped back and left the room, saying, “I made coffee. Come out and have some.”

“…Okay.”

With the room all set up and a sudden craving for coffee, Jiho followed Yejun out.

There were two cups of coffee on the dining table, steam still rising from them.

As Jiho pulled out the chair opposite Yejun and sat down, Yejun, looking at his phone, chuckled as if he had seen something amusing.

“Your mom sent me a message.”

“My mom? What did she say?”

“She asked me to take good care of you.”

“Geez… I’m not a kid.”

“You worry a lot because you haven’t manifested yet. You’ve mentioned it too, asking them to keep an eye on you.”

At Jiho’s grumbling, Yejun responded as if it were obvious.

In fact, Jiho felt awkward that his parents were now concerned about him.

It was understandable since his parents had a neglectful approach to raising him when he was younger.

Jiho was big for his age, athletic, had a decent personality, and did fairly well academically.

His parents planned to let him continue growing on his own, but one thing bothered them. Jiho’s manifestation was delayed compared to others.

Most people manifest as Alpha, Omega, or Beta during puberty, but Jiho hadn’t.

It wasn’t until Jiho became an adult that his parents realized the severity and took him to the hospital, but the doctor’s opinion was just to wait.

They were told there was no particular health issue, so they should stay calm.

However, his parents were so worried that they even took him to a shaman and a traditional medicine shop.

The shaman said that not manifesting early could shorten his lifespan, and the traditional medicine shop warned that delayed treatment could impair his sexual function.

This amplified his parents’ worries many times over.

Seeing their escalating anxiety, Jiho found an excuse to rent an apartment far from home.

When he was abruptly evicted from his apartment, he didn’t ask his parents for help for the same reason—they would undoubtedly want him to move back home.

Jiho didn’t fail to understand his parents’ concern. However, their attitude towards him had completely changed from when he was younger, making their worry feel excessive.

“It’s too much…”

“It’s understandable, given what they’ve heard. If something suddenly happens, they can’t be there for you.”

“Do you think I’ll really die young, as the shaman said?”

“It’s not just that. They might be worried about you suddenly getting a manifestation fever while alone.”

When Jiho grumbled about believing such things, Yejun responded that it was inevitable.

Manifestation fever is a fever that occurs when traits manifest. For Betas, it’s just a fever, but for Alphas or Omegas, it can trigger a rut or a heat cycle.

Jiho was sure he would manifest as an Alpha or Beta, and he had prepared for the possibility of manifesting as an Alpha.

“Even if I manifest as an Alpha, all my friends around me are Alphas too, so there’s no problem. They can quickly suppress it and give me suppressants. I also carry rut suppressants.”

Jiho proudly took out a suppressant from his pocket.

If he felt a fever coming on, he would take the suppressant. If he couldn’t control himself, his friends would help.

If the manifestation fever hit at school, most of his Physical Education classmates were Alphas or Betas who could suppress him. If it happened at home, Yejun could help now.

Despite a recent unpleasant incident with Yejun, Jiho didn’t think Yejun would do anything to him as an Alpha.

With all these preparations, what was there to worry about? Jiho thought aloud, and Yejun shook his head.

“Even with all the preparations, you never know.”

“What do you mean by ‘you never know’?”

“Your mother seems worried you might manifest as an Omega.”

“Come on, do you think I could manifest as an Omega?”

“Hmm…”

When Jiho asked if that was even possible, Yejun hummed lowly.

Why was he hesitating? Jiho had expected an immediate “no,” so he was a bit taken aback.

Understanding the cautiousness of not being entirely sure, what was more surprising was Yejun’s gaze, different from usual.

His expression was neutral, but his eyes were intensely vivid, like blue flames—cool yet hot.

The same look Yejun had that night, when he was on top of Jiho, like a predator eyeing its prey.

The memory of that night overlapped, sending a chill down Jiho’s spine.

His palms were sweaty around the cup he was holding.

“Well, I’m not sure.”

Yejun responded with a sly smile, as if nothing had happened.

Jiho’s lips stiffened, unable to say anything. It was like facing a beast that stopped just short of pouncing.

Did I make the right choice moving in here…?

When Jiho decided to live with Yejun, he had wondered if he was entering a fox’s den, given Yejun’s sly nature, reminiscing the past to make him uncomfortable.

But Jiho realized he might have been mistaken. It wasn’t just about annoying jokes—this felt more like a tiger’s den.

Feeling his mouth go dry, Jiho drank his hot coffee. For some reason, Yejun’s gaze felt hotter than the coffee sliding down his throat.