Before dating your childhood friend, test them first chapter 5

‘Did I really… force myself on him’

‘Although I couldn’t remember how I ended up with Yejun, denying that it happened wouldn’t change anything.’

‘If it were true, I needed to take responsibility. But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out how to do that.’

Jiho, unable to find a solution, cautiously asked him for advice.

“Um… Yejun, I don’t remember what happened last night, but I’m really sorry if I did that. I feel like I need to take responsibility. But how should I do that?”

“By marrying me.”

Yejun responded as if it were the most obvious answer.

‘What? Marriage? M-Marriage?’

‘If he had asked for money, I would have somehow managed to get it, but marriage was out of the question. It was ridiculous.’

“Hey, that’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Because… We’re not allowed to marry, right? You’re an Alpha, and although I haven’t manifested yet, there’s a high chance I’ll manifest as an Alpha too.”

Jiho hadn’t manifested his secondary gender yet, but there was a high probability that he would be either an Alpha or a Beta.

This was because he wasn’t as delicate or slender as Omegas, and he was athletic enough to get into the physical education department. Although he wasn’t as well-built as most Alphas, he had the build of a Beta, which was significant.

If he had manifested as a Beta or an Omega, it would be a different story. Society generally didn’t accept marriages between same genders like Alpha-Alpha or Omega-Omega, even though some people did date within the same gender. In front of the law, marriage wasn’t allowed yet.

Pointing out the realistic impossibility, Yejun visibly pouted.

It wasn’t just that his proposal was rejected; he seemed frustrated because he had unwillingly ended up in bed with Jiho, only to be told that nothing could be done about it.

However, seeing that Yejun wasn’t completely unyielding, Jiho continued.

“If I were an Omega and you were an Alpha, or the other way around, I would take responsibility… But since we can’t marry, let’s find another way.”

“Is that the reason? Because you’re not an Omega?”

“…That’s the biggest reason.”

After thinking it over, Jiho nodded at Yejun’s question.

There were multiple reasons, including not wanting to marry someone he didn’t love and preferring to remain friends with Yejun. But the biggest reason was indeed their genders.

Even though Jiho suggested forgetting about last night, he still felt a tremendous sense of responsibility.

So, if he had been an Alpha and Yejun an Omega, he would have agreed to the proposal. But marriage was realistically an impossible request.

When Jiho spoke seriously, Yejun pondered for a moment before nodding.

“Alright then, let’s forget it happened.”

“…Really? Are you sure?”

Jiho had expected Yejun to keep insisting on responsibility, but he changed his mind rather quickly, suggesting to pretend it never happened.

Jiho, surprised, reconfirmed, and Yejun shrugged as if he had no choice.

“I can’t think of any other way to take responsibility. Besides, marriage seems too rushed.”

“…Rushed?”

What did he mean by rushed? What was rushed?

As Jiho asked what he meant, Yejun smoothly changed the subject.

“Jiho, are you not in pain? Should I apply some ointment on your back?”

“Never mind!”

When had he suggested pretending it never happened, and now he was bringing it up again?

Jiho felt uneasy but slightly relieved, thinking Yejun wasn’t entirely unreasonable. He had expected Yejun to demand some other form of responsibility, but he hadn’t, which was a huge relief.

With that, Jiho started to hope that they could go back to the way things were, pretending last night never happened.

At least, until then.

* * *

“Jiho, Jiho.”

After class ended, Taeyun approached Jiho, dragging himself like a zombie while Jiho was packing his books and stationery into his bag.

This wasn’t an apocalypse setting, so why was he walking like that?

As Jiho smiled and slung his canvas bag over his shoulder, Taeyun, clutching his hungry stomach, weakly said,

“Let’s go eat. I’m starving.”

“Sure, what should we eat?”

“A new dakgalbi place just opened nearby. Let’s check it out.”

“Dakgalbi?”

“They’re running a promotion, and some friends said it’s good. If you don’t want to, we can go somewhere else.”

“No, let’s go.”

‘Dakgalbi? It seemed expensive for lunch, but the promotion intrigued me.’

Jiho had been saving money for next month’s rent, so he had only been eating cheap meals like snacks, simple rice bowls, and hamburgers recently.

He had been craving something new, and the promotion seemed like a chance for a discount. When else would he get to eat dakgalbi?

With that thought, Jiho left school with Taeyun and headed to the new dakgalbi place he mentioned. The place was packed with students, probably due to the lunchtime and the promotion.

Standing at the entrance with Taeyun, he scanned for an empty table, frowning.

“It looks like there are no seats.”

“Ah… we should have come earlier.”

Taeyun sighed heavily, clearly disappointed.

Unable to let go of his hopes, Taeyun scanned the surroundings, then his eyes widened.

“Hey, isn’t that Ahn Yejun over there?”

“…What?”

Turning my head, Jiho saw Yejun and one of his friends sitting inside.

‘Why was he here?’

Though we attended the same university, it wasn’t surprising to run into each other at lunchtime.

Still, Jiho felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

While Jiho stood frozen in shock, Taeyun, oblivious, grinned.

“Let’s join them.”

“J-Join them? There’s no need to go that far…”

“Hey, Yejun, Yejun!”

I tried to stop him, thinking we didn’t need to eat dakgalbi that badly, but Taeyun ignored me and approached Yejun’s table. There was no time to stop him.

While I stood there, Yejun, waiting for his food, noticed Taeyun and frowned.

“Why are you here?”

“Here to eat? Can we join?”

“Join what? Eat on your own…”

Yejun was about to refuse out of annoyance but stopped when he noticed Jiho standing behind.

He then smiled gently.

“Jiho, you’re here too?”

“Yeah, I came with Jiho, but there aren’t any seats. Can we join? The table is big enough, we just need to pull out an extra chair.”

“Sure, the more the merrier. Jiho, sit here.”

Yejun, suddenly acting as if he had never been bothered, lightly spoke and pulled a chair beside him. He specifically wanted Jiho to sit next to him.

Jiho felt a bit awkward at his gesture. Yejun was generally kind, and this was typical behavior from him.

The only difference now was Jiho’s feelings.

Maybe it was because they spent the night together. They had agreed to let it slide as if nothing happened, and Yejun treated him as usual.

But Jiho couldn’t act the same. Every time he saw Yejun, he remembered that night.

Since then, Jiho had subtly been avoiding Yejun, embarrassed. He didn’t expect to run into him like this.

While Jiho stood still, Taeyun, who was already seated, tilted his head curiously.

“Jiho, aren’t you going to sit?”

“…I’ll sit.”

Honestly, he didn’t want to eat together because it felt awkward. But he was the one who suggested pretending nothing happened.

It must be awkward for Yejun to act normal too, but he’s making an effort… I should try as well. Refusing would just make things weird.

As Jiho reluctantly sat beside him, Yejun’s lips curled slightly. He looked at Jiho briefly before opening the menu on the table.

“Let’s order two more servings of dakgalbi. Do you want a soda, Jiho?”

“I’m fine.”

Jiho shook his head. Though he liked soda, ordering dakgalbi was already a bit of a splurge for him.

He wasn’t extremely poor, but he managed with a small allowance from his family and weekend tutoring jobs.

The family allowance went towards rent, and his living expenses came from his tutoring income.

Thanks to his status as a student at a four-year university in Seoul, he earned a decent fee for tutoring, but since last month, he had gone from teaching two students to one, so he needed to save money.

Considering this, he declined the soda. Yejun looked surprised. After hearing that Taeyun also didn’t want a drink, Yejun raised his hand to call the owner.

“Owner, one soda and two more servings of dakgalbi, please.”

“Hey, we said we didn’t want drinks!”

Both Taeyun and Jiho had said they wouldn’t drink it. Why order a soda suddenly?

Jiho, thinking Yejun might have misunderstood, tapped his shoulder in surprise.

Yejun replied with a baffled expression.

“I’m going to drink it.”

“Oh… really?”

Jiho thought he had ordered it for himself and felt embarrassed.

He couldn’t stop Yejun from drinking it. But usually, Yejun preferred cola over soda.

Even if it’s something you don’t usually like, sometimes you crave it.

Jiho awkwardly lowered his hand from Yejun’s shoulder.

Soon, the owner brought the additional dakgalbi and a bottle of soda.

While Taeyun and Jiho put the dakgalbi on the grill to cook, Jiho noticed a cup of soda in front of him.

Yejun said he was going to drink it, but the soda had been poured for everyone.

“Weren’t you the only one drinking it?”

“How could I drink it all by myself? It’s too much, so I shared.”

“….”

It’s just one bottle of soda.

An adult man could easily drink it and still order more. But to say he couldn’t finish a small bottle alone and shared it seemed odd.

Did he order it because of me? For a moment, Jiho wondered but couldn’t question Yejun further when he denied it.