Don’t you think we are going too fast? chapter 26

“Yeah, Taeshin.”

I tilted my head to one side and answered.

“Why are you out here?”

“…Uh… Because I drank.”

I simply expressed that I had fled to avoid making mistakes due to being drunk, closing my eyes briefly before opening them again.

“Drink this.”

“I’m not drunk.”

I looked curiously at the hangover relief drink Taeshin handed me. When I looked up at Taeshin, who insisted I drink it, he opened the bottle and tilted it to my mouth.

Flinching at the cold bottle neck against my lips, I opened my mouth and drank the liquid. After finishing it, Taeshin closed the cap and threw the bottle away.

Despite having had quite a bit to drink, Taeshin moved calmly, making me sigh.

From what I remembered, Taeshin could only handle two cans of beer. But now, he seemed completely sober, like he hadn’t even had two sips.

It was the first time we drank together after becoming adults, with our high school friends. We gathered at Yoongi’s place, each bringing the drinks and snacks we wanted.

We marveled at being able to drink, something we thought was for others, and chatted away until someone laughed at Taeshin.

“Hey, he’s already asleep.”

“Taeshin can’t hold his liquor.”

“Surprising, isn’t it?”

“Did he get drunk from just that?”

My shoulders felt heavy; Taeshin was leaning on me, asleep. He looked quite cute, snuggling up to me like a lazy cat in the spring.

I gladly supported his weight, shaking the beer can he had been drinking to see how much was left and laughed. There were only two empty cans.

Next time we drank, he drank more and didn’t fall asleep, but I remembered his limit as two cans of beer from that first time.

So I was puzzled. Earlier, I saw him drinking beer and soju. Yet now, he seemed perfectly fine. Like he had drunk but wasn’t drunk. Like he would remember but didn’t.

“Why are you… so unaffected?”

I looked up at Taeshin, who had thrown away the bottle and stood in front of me, and my mouth moved on its own. I was genuinely curious.

Why Taeshin seemed unaffected. I kept remembering and recalling, linking things to unrelated memories, and getting startled, while Taeshin acted as if nothing had happened, showing no signs of turmoil.

When Taeshin touched me, I remembered how he touched me that day. When our eyes met, I recalled how he looked at me that day.

When I heard his voice, I remembered how he called me that day.

Even when I saw him playing the game with Park Kangseop, the memory of our kiss was so vivid that my lips tingled uncomfortably.

If it had been other friends, I would have scolded them.

I find myself constantly thinking about you, and your pheromones are driving me crazy. It’s so hard to stay calm.

Why are you so unaffected, Taeshin? Why?

My eyes stung with frustration. When I glared at him fiercely, Taeshin simply looked down at me.

After a long moment, he spoke with his deep eyes shining.

“Because Moon Sunwoo wanted it.”

Because you wanted it. So, that’s why I’m doing it. I could almost hear the unspoken end of Taeshin’s sentence.

It was hard to endure his gaze. I looked down and nodded. It was a very short and clear answer. It was what I had wanted.

Even if Taeshin was inwardly as stormy and shaken as I was, he was doing it because it was what I wanted.

“…Sorry.”

The petty resentment and hatred I felt towards Taeshin softened. I felt ashamed too.

It wasn’t Taeshin who failed to keep his word; it was me.

With deep reflection and apology, a sudden wave of fatigue washed over me.

My body lost its strength, and as I felt like I would fall asleep, I saw Taeshin kneeling down to match my eye level.

“From now on, I too…”

I’ll forget everything.

My legs slipped off the bench, and my body leaned forward. Taeshin caught me as I was falling.

“You don’t need to, Sunwoo.”

Taeshin whispered as he held my drooping body tightly. Feeling more apologetic to Taeshin, who understood and cared for my fickle behavior, I buried my face in his shoulder.

So, Sunwoo, you said you could sense my pheromones? Someone asked in my dream.

Somewhere, there was a subtle and seductive scent that couldn’t be spoken of to anyone.

* * *

After the university orientation, the short time until the start of classes was leisurely.

I alternated between writing the 800 lines of reflection for stealing Moon Jinwoo’s wine, playing games when I got bored, and only getting up in the morning when Taeshin texted me after I had gone to bed late.

Every day was a repeat of watching videos or playing phone games and then switching back to the reflection and games.

Moon Jinwoo never forgot the 800 lines of reflection. Of course, he never reduced it either. Such a petty mind.

After the orientation, Taeshin and I got along very well.

We spent ordinary days, contacting each other when bored, chatting about trivial things, and sending texts when something came to mind, sharing a very mundane routine.

This was how it was supposed to be. Instead of worrying about what to reply when a message came or trying hard not to show awkwardness when we met, we could laugh off any provocative story. This was normal.

Taeshin’s words about pretending to forget everything because I wanted it made my heart firm. Realizing anew how easy it was to fail to keep my own words, I felt endlessly ashamed of my pathetic self, who insisted on remembering while Taeshin, who I pressured, pretended to forget.

Conversations with Taeshin no longer affected me at all. So today, while playing a game, I wanted to confirm if it would be the same in person, using the excuse of a boss that wouldn’t die for hours, I called Taeshin.

[help me plz]

[(photo)]

[this boss hasn’t died for 3 hours]

[Taeshin♥> It looks ugly.]

[Taeshin♥> Have you been looking at it for 3 hours?]

[Taeshin♥> Your standards must be lowering.]

[Yeah, after looking at it for so long, it’s starting to look cute]

[Before my standards drop any further, please kill it quickly]

[Taeshin♥> Wait a bit.]

[It’s urgent]

[Now is not the time to wait]

[Taeshin-ah]

[Taeshin-ah]

[?]

[??]

[???]

[Lee Taeshin]

[If you come, I’ll do anything]

Although Taeshin disliked games, he was good at puzzles, simulations, RPGs, and games of all genres, perhaps due to his good study skills.

So when I couldn’t clear a game, I often asked Taeshin to do it instead of looking up a guide.

“Oh? You came even though you didn’t reply?”

“Yeah. To throw out Moon Sunwoo’s game console.”

“Don’t threaten my game console and sit down quickly.”

As soon as I asked him to come, Taeshin arrived at the multi-room in no time.

When I asked him to kill the mid-boss, Taeshin, who came to kill my game console instead, urged him to sit next to me by patting the seat.

“I’ve been hitting this for 3 hours. Why isn’t it dying?”

I said while handing the game pad to Taeshin and looking at the very ugly mid-boss on the monitor.

Taeshin adjusted his grip on the game pad and checked the controls with a few clicks.

“It doesn’t seem like it should take 3 hours.”

“It’s a 3-hour boss. It has an unavoidable wipe-out move.”

Taeshin’s assessment after a few hits on the mid-boss sounded like he was saying I was bad at games, so I protested.

Taeshin casually agreed and continued attacking the boss.

I sat quietly next to him, watching the game screen on the TV. Watching the colorful movements of the game characters on the screen, I thought, ‘this is inevitable.’

From the moment Taeshin appeared at the multi-room door, his pheromones hit me hard. Taeshin’s clearly noticeable pheromones were something I couldn’t ignore even if I wanted to.

I couldn’t figure out why his pheromones felt so strong and distinct even though he wasn’t intentionally emitting them.

I pondered over it while watching Taeshin easily defeat the mid-boss that had taken me 3 hours.

“Not even 30 minutes.”

“They said it was a tough boss. Everyone struggled a lot to beat it.”

“This?”

“Yeah! And even though you did well, I rank in the top 3 in our class for gaming.”

“Everyone only studied.”

“Hey. Lee Taeshin, sit right next to me and watch. See my skills properly.”

“I think I’ve seen Moon Sunwoo’s skills the most.”

I snatched the game pad from Taeshin, who was annoyingly chattering next to me, and continued playing the game.

Pretending to be calm, I tried to get used to Taeshin’s pheromones while playing the game next to him. It was practice to not get swept away or distracted by his pheromones.

While playing the game next to Taeshin, I discovered something interesting. Whenever Taeshin looked at me while watching the game screen, his pheromones felt stronger.

It was as if the moments he looked at me were marked by a more intense release of pheromones, making it clear when Taeshin was watching me.

“Ugh.”

Distracted by that, my character fell off a cliff while progressing in the game. Taeshin’s pheromones seemed to intensify a bit. As expected, when I looked back, Taeshin was indeed watching me.

“Sunwoo.”

“Go ahead.”

I suddenly handed over the game controller. Taeshin, who had called me as if he had something to say, lowered his eyes to think for a moment before taking the controller from me.

As Taeshin started the game, the pheromones, which had felt so intense, began to fade a little.

It’s clear. Taeshin’s pheromones intensify when he looks at me.