* * *
“Jiho, over here!”
Breathless, Jiho entered the lecture hall and saw Taeyun waving at him from the middle.
When he left home, he thought he’d arrive before class started, but he got delayed by various thoughts.
He arrived a minute late, but fortunately, the professor wasn’t there yet.
Jiho quickly sat next to Taeyun, putting down his bag.
“Where’s the professor? Did they call roll?”
“Not yet.”
“Phew, that’s a relief.”
He thought he was going to lose points. Feeling relieved, Jiho caught his breath, but Taeyun suddenly put an arm around his shoulder.
Feeling the weight, Jiho hunched over and leaned closer to the desk. He frowned at Taeyun.
“What are you doing? This is gross.”
“Didn’t you move in with Yejun?”
Jiho was about to get angry, but Taeyun lowered his voice, whispering as if sharing a secret.
So, that’s what he wanted to ask. But living together? That phrase usually meant moving in as a family.
Even without such probing questions, Jiho already felt suffocated. He gave Taeyun a stern look.
“Do you want to die? What do you mean, living together? That’s such a creepy way to put it.”
“Aren’t you living at Yejun’s place?”
“That’s true, but it’s not living together.”
“Living together or cohabitating, isn’t it the same?”
“How is that the same? Living together is different from just staying in the same place!”
“Why are you reacting so sensitively? Suspiciously?”
As Jiho vehemently insisted it was different, Taeyun chuckled, clearly enjoying his new teasing opportunity.
This guy… Jiho looked at him coldly, thinking there was no point in arguing with him, and then shifted his gaze away.
“But how did you know? I didn’t tell anyone.”
Jiho asked, puzzled. He had mentioned moving out due to some circumstances, but hadn’t told anyone he was moving in with Yejun.
It wasn’t that he was hiding it for any particular reason; he just kept second-guessing his decision until the day he moved in, missing the timing to mention it.
It became a sort of secret by default, but he wondered how Taeyun found out.
When Jiho asked, Taeyun responded as if it were obvious.
“How? Yejun spread the word, so everyone knows.”
“…He did?”
Jiho had thought Yejun might have mentioned it, but spreading it around… It wasn’t a big deal, so why would he do that?
Though he couldn’t understand, knowing Yejun wasn’t like everyone else, it wasn’t entirely surprising. Treating it lightly, Jiho let it go, but Taeyun seemed curious.
“So, did he just give you a room? Are you paying rent like a roommate?”
“I’m not paying rent. He said he needed me to do some things for him.”
“Can you do me a favor?”
“What kind of favor?”
“He said he’s too busy to take care of his dog, and the dog has separation anxiety. He asked if you could walk it and play with it.”
“Oh… really? That’s serious. My relative’s dog had the same issue.”
When Jiho explained the situation, Taeyun lowered his voice seriously, indicating he understood given the circumstances.
Honestly, Jiho still wasn’t sure if just taking care of Coco meant he didn’t have to pay rent, but seeing Taeyun’s reaction, it seemed to make sense.
‘Is it really that serious…? Coco seemed fine to me, but I’ve never left her alone before, so I wouldn’t know.’
Anyway, since he moved in to help with that, it would be good to know how to fix it.
“How do you fix it?”
“Well, as far as I know, it can happen if the dog lacks social skills or if the owner spoils it too much. There’s a specific way to train them. Like pretending you don’t notice them and stuff.”
“So, is playing with Coco not a good idea?”
“I’m not an expert, so I’m not sure… But they didn’t bring you here just to fix that, right?”
“Then why?”
“Separation anxiety is really hard to fix, and Yejun lives in an apartment. They might have brought you here because the dog howls a lot when no one’s home, as a temporary solution. If it was just for treatment, they would’ve called a professional.”
“Hmmm…”
Is that so? He did hear somewhere that houses with dogs get a lot of complaints. Yejun said Coco howls when left alone, so maybe they brought me in to minimize the disturbance to the neighbors.
He understand, since being involved in noise complaints could lead to getting evicted, but for Coco’s sake, wouldn’t it be better to find a fundamental solution? Should he train her himself?
While Jiho was lost in thought, Taeyun, watching him, chuckled again. It was the same annoying laugh as before.
What’s with him? Just as Jiho was feeling an uneasy premonition, Taeyun tightened his grip around Jiho’s neck and suggested smoothly.
“Hey, can I come over for a housewarming party today? I’ll bring some alcohol.”
“What? I live at Ahn Yejun’s place, why a housewarming? And today’s Monday.”
“We never let the day of the week stop us from drinking. I asked Yejun earlier, and he said it’s fine tonight.”
Taeyun, joking around, proudly showed Jiho his phone. The screen displayed a conversation with Yejun.
Hey
Hey hey hey
Yejun: What
Can I come over for a housewarming
Bring some drinks
Yejun: What about Jiho
I’ll ask him later
Are you okay with it?
Yejun:ㅇ
Yejun’s replies were short and seemed disinterested, but the profile picture confirmed it was indeed Yejun.
Judging by the half-hearted responses, it seemed like Yejun wasn’t too thrilled about it…
Jiho had hoped Yejun would say no, so he wouldn’t have to bring him over, but now he had no excuse. And since he’s bringing the alcohol, he didn’t have a reason to refuse.
“…Do whatever you want.”
“Hell yeah.”
As Jiho resignedly gave his permission, Taeyun cheered loudly, seemingly having been waiting for it.
The raucous noise right next to his ear made Jiho’s eardrums ache. He irritably pushed Taeyun’s arm off his shoulder, just as the professor entered the lecture hall.
With their conversation forcibly cut short, Jiho was left alone with his thoughts.
He had wondered if Yejun had brought him in out of pity or for some other reason, citing the dog’s separation anxiety.
It seemed that to Yejun, the issue was indeed significant.
Of course, it was unfortunate that Coco had separation anxiety… Jiho had been a bit suspicious of Yejun’s intentions this morning, but now that he realized it wasn’t purely out of convenience, he felt somewhat relieved.
Yeah, it must’ve been his imagination. He was just overthinking it. Friends wouldn’t do that to each other.
Feeling more at ease, Jiho focused on the lecture.
* * *
“Hey guys, I’m here!”
Later that evening, after finishing the day’s schedule, Taeyun noisily entered the house.
He had said he’d bring drinks, and true to his word, he carried heavy plastic bags in both hands. The rustling of plastic and the clinking of bottles created a lively sound.
“You’re here.”
“Take this.”
As Jiho opened the inner door to greet him, Taeyun handed over the plastic bags the moment he stepped inside.
The bags felt heavy in Jiho’s hands. A quick peek inside revealed they were filled with various alcoholic beverages—soju, beer, and more.
Drinking all this would put me in the grave faster than anything else… Jiho, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of alcohol, scolded Taeyun.
“Hey, why did you buy so much? You barely drank anything with Yoon Cheolwon.”
“Is this the same as back then? And it’s better to have too much than not enough. Oh, but it smells good in here.”
Taeyun dismissed Jiho’s complaint casually and shifted the topic smoothly.
After taking off his shoes, Taeyun headed straight for the kitchen, where Yejun was busy preparing dinner. As soon as Taeyun saw the spread on the table, his eyes widened in surprise.
“What’s this? What’s the occasion? When did you prepare all this?”
On the table were reheated kimchi stew from breakfast, rolled omelets, sausage and vegetable stir-fry, and even rabokki.
Taeyun and Jiho had planned to order chicken or pizza for snacks, but Yejun insisted on preparing dinner himself when he heard about it.
They had agreed, thinking it wouldn’t matter as long as there was something to eat, but they hadn’t expected such a feast.
This was more like a lavish meal than just snacks. When Taeyun asked about it, Yejun, busy with the dishes, replied casually.
“You know I like cooking.”
“You didn’t make anything like this last time I visited.”
“That time, I didn’t have time. Don’t you remember barging in suddenly?”
“Did I? Oh… Can I move in when Jiho leaves?”
“Wash your hands.”
“Okay, okay.”
When Yejun dismissed his nonsensical request without a second thought, Taeyun obediently nodded and headed to the bathroom.
Despite Yejun’s nonchalant response, Taeyun’s reaction seemed very familiar.
* * *
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