Before dating your childhood friend, test them first chapter 7

When four sturdy men gathered, four servings of chicken ribs weren’t enough.

Jiho planned to fill his stomach and leave, but the others had different ideas.

They ordered extra rice and even soybean paste soup, claiming it was a rare find.

Naturally, the order and the price increased.

Earlier, it was easy to ask the one who ordered the soda to pay, but now it was different.

Jiho ended up paying more than he expected for lunch, but there was no other choice since they already ate. He didn’t want to seem stingy in front of his friends.

He decided to just pay today and save on meals or living expenses another time.

Without saying much, Jiho stood up and went to the counter with his friends.

As everyone fumbled for their cards, the staff at the counter spoke up.

“It’s already been paid for.”

“Paid for?”

Jiho reflexively questioned. Everyone else looked around in confusion as well.

It seemed like the staff made a mistake.

Just as Jiho was about to say they might have confused them with another group, Yejun, who had been standing quietly, spoke up.

“I paid.”

All eyes turned to Yejun at his words.

Even Jiho looked at him as Taeyun asked with wide eyes.

“What? You’re treating us?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s the occasion? Why today?”

“No particular reason, I just feel good.”

Yejun smiled lightly, making it seem like no big deal.

Yejun often paid for meals or drinks.

Growing up without any lack, he had no qualms about spending money on others.

Hearing about the free meal, Taeyun and another friend from Yejun’s department beamed and praised him.

“Thanks a lot. That was a great meal.”

“Thanks, Yejun. I’ll just have a quick smoke. You guys go on ahead.”

“Me too.”

They patted Yejun’s shoulder lightly and headed out for a smoke, saying it was the best after a meal.

They had become quite friendly after being somewhat strangers at the beginning of the meal.

Naturally, only non-smokers Yejun and Jiho were left. Jiho spoke up as they headed back to campus.

“Hey, that must have cost a lot…”

“There was a discount, so it wasn’t much.”

“Even so. They ordered a lot.”

Jiho mumbled, trying to gauge Yejun’s reaction.

He could have taken it in stride like the others. After all, he knew Yejun’s family was well-off. And it was just like him to be generous.

Still, Jiho couldn’t help but feel self-conscious, wondering if it was because he seemed short on money.

Even though Jiho hadn’t been openly complaining, Yejun knew he paid monthly rent, had fewer tutoring sessions lately, and was struggling to get a scholarship.

Since entering college, there were many times Jiho realized Yejun’s casual generosity. If Yejun really did it because of him, Jiho wanted to say it wasn’t necessary.

But… how to say it? Yejun could easily deny it, and Jiho might just be misunderstanding. So he hesitated to say anything.

Jiho furrowed his brows, choosing his words carefully, but Yejun, watching him, lifted the corners of his mouth and spoke.

“If it bothers you, make some time this weekend.”

“Weekend? Why?”

“Let’s watch a movie together.”

A movie? It was a rather sudden suggestion.

Come to think of it, Jiho hadn’t watched a movie in a while. He liked movies, but he hadn’t had the time due to exams.

It wasn’t a difficult request, and he didn’t mind paying for the movie. Jiho decided he could cover the ticket and asked Yejun.

“Is there something you want to watch?”

“The movie ‘Our Day’ is really popular. I want to see it.”

“Oh, that one. Yeah, I’ve heard about it.”

Jiho had heard about ‘Our Day’. It had been the most popular movie recently, consistently topping the box office.

It was said to depict the beauty of youth and the freshness of first love, reminiscent of school days.

Jiho wasn’t particularly moved by romance movies, but he didn’t hate them either. However, he worried about being the only non-couple in the theater.

Both he and Yejun looked more like alphas, so people probably wouldn’t mistake them for a couple…

But he couldn’t help feeling self-conscious. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see it, but Jiho felt awkward and joked to Yejun.

“Isn’t that the kind of movie you watch with a lover? Won’t it be awkward with all the couples?”

“I want to watch it with you.”

“Uh?”

“I have the most fun when I’m with you.”

“…”

At Yejun’s casual, yet cringe-worthy remark, Jiho momentarily lost the ability to respond.

Doesn’t he find saying things like that embarrassing?

Jiho could count on one hand the number of times he had been that honest about his feelings. He had never actually counted, but it would be very few.

Because of that, Yejun’s straightforwardness felt awkward. While Jiho did feel embarrassed easily, he wondered how many guys their age could express themselves like that.

Maybe it’s partly because Yejun is a bit of a weirdo, but more likely, it’s because he’s been loved a lot.

As Jiho pressed his lips together and simply looked at Yejun, the latter seemed to take this as a positive sign and pulled out his phone.

“You tutor high school students on Saturday afternoons, right?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“Then let’s meet up after your tutoring session this Saturday and watch a movie.”

“…Okay.”

After thinking for a moment, Jiho nodded.

He felt like he should do something in return for the meal Yejun had treated him to, and he didn’t have any other plans besides tutoring that Saturday.

Plus, the midterms had just ended, so he was feeling relaxed.

As if planning to book the tickets immediately, Yejun went onto a movie site on his phone.

He chose the theater and time, then suddenly draped his arm around Jiho’s shoulder.

Their bodies pressed together naturally, and if Jiho turned his head, their faces would almost touch.

As the thought of being too close crossed his mind, memories of that night flooded back.

That night, he had felt Yejun’s breath.

Even though the situation was a bit different, Yejun had looked at him with those long lashes lowered, just like he was now while staring at his phone.

As the atmosphere and the physical closeness from that night came back to him, a sudden wave of sensual tension surged. Jiho tried to push Yejun away in a panic, but he didn’t budge, like a rock.

Maybe because he was trying to push him away, Yejun shifted his gaze from his phone to Jiho.

His light brown eyes were uncomfortably close.

Jiho lowered his head to avoid his gaze.

“What, what’s up with you?”

“You’re the one squirming. Where do you want to sit?”

Jiho had thought Yejun was being overly friendly to choose their seats.

He could have just shown the phone normally.

Why did he have to put his arm around me…?

Even as Jiho blamed Yejun, he knew he was overreacting.

Yejun was just acting like he always did. He liked close physical contact and was generally touchy-feely for a guy.

Since earlier, Yejun had been acting the same, but only Jiho seemed conscious of it, feeling embarrassed.

It was Jiho who had suggested they forget about that night and act normal again, but here he was, unable to forget and feeling awkward around him.

Damn it… Was it because I couldn’t move on, or was it normal to feel this way?

Yejun occasionally brought it up, so maybe he hadn’t completely forgotten either…

As Jiho swore under his breath and tousled his hair, Yejun looked at him strangely.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

When Jiho answered awkwardly, Yejun narrowed his eyes.

Dissatisfied, he tightened his arm around Jiho’s neck, demanding an answer.

“What’s up with you?”

“Get off…!”

It was a playful chokehold common among guys, but Jiho was already too conscious of Yejun’s arm on his shoulder.

Already too close, their faces turned red like apples.

Feeling like his head might explode, Jiho saw Yejun release his grip, looking startled by Jiho’s reaction.

“Your face is really red…”

“Damn it… Just choose the seats.”

Yejun seemed surprised, thinking he had choked him too hard, but Jiho knew the real reason for his blush.

Feeling even more embarrassed, Jiho quickly changed the subject, saying he’d choose the seats.

Since there were still a few days until Saturday, many seats were available.

With plenty of good seats, Jiho wondered why Yejun insisted on choosing together.

“I prefer seats in the back, center.”

“How about M row, seats 13 and 14?”

“Sure.”

When Jiho nodded, Yejun immediately booked the tickets.

Even while booking, Yejun didn’t remove his arm from Jiho’s shoulder.

He even started fiddling with Jiho’s ear. The touch was both ticklish and oddly pleasant.

Why is he touching my ear… Jiho couldn’t handle the strange sensation and tried to push his arm away.

“Hey, stop it.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop touching my ear.”

“Why? It’s soft and nice to touch.”

“Am I slime? I said stop.”

I’m not some toy slime. My ear isn’t for someone else’s satisfaction. Especially not for Ahn Yejun.

Jiho spoke firmly, trying to shake him off, but Yejun clung like glue.

Though Jiho was strong, working out daily and competing with alphas in their department, Yejun’s strength was overwhelming.

Despite his pretty face, his strength was baffling.

As Jiho struggled to push him away, Yejun gave him an amused look, then smirked and whispered slyly.

“Oh, is this your erogenous zone?”

“…You bastard.”

He couldn’t help but curse.

An erogenous zone? Talking dirty in public.

Though dismissing it as nonsense might help, he felt even more sensitive since Yejun’s touch had felt strange. With his thoughts exposed, Jiho couldn’t help but react.

When Jiho moved to hit him, Yejun quickly stepped back, smiling brightly and saying something unnecessary.

“I’m looking forward to our date.”

“…It’s not a date.”

Jiho’s mind is already boiling over, and now he have to listen to this peaceful talk about dates. Jiho knew he said crazy things sometimes, but seeing him spout nonsense with a bright smile makes him seem like he’s missing a screw.

As Jiho shot a sharp glance at Yejoon’s back, Yejoon turned around, sensing the stare. He smiled, his eyes curving into crescent moons.

Just as Jiho felt an ominous chill, Yejoon blew a sudden kiss.

“Pay attention in class. Think about me a lot.”

“Screw you.”

When Jiho raised his middle finger, telling him to eat shit, Yejoon laughed joyfully and walked away.

A glance at the clock showed that class was starting soon. They had spent quite a while feasting on dak-galbi, booking movie tickets, and chatting away, so time had flown by.

Jiho sighed deeply as he watched Yejoon head off to his International Business class.

“Ha…”

Why am I so conscious of him?

Jiho still felt the touch of where Yejoon had grazed his ear. Blushing, he rubbed his ear and then walked to his class.