* * *
“You went to the same school?”
Pyo Yoontae never mentioned that.
Jeongseo tilted his head slightly, simply finding it curious, but Park Doyoung frowned in irritation as if he had just been insulted.
“I went to Ihan Elementary and Ihan Middle with him. We were even in the same class in our first year of high school…”
Park Doyoung, who had been talking enthusiastically, suddenly let out a deep sigh.
Then, shaking his head lightly, he fiddled with his phone.
“Would you even get it if I explained everything? Anyway, his number changed all of a sudden, and we lost contact. But since I ran into you, it worked out. Give me his number. It’s been a while, and I want to catch up.”
He acted as if he had been closer to Pyo Yoontae than Jeongseo was.
Jeongseo didn’t know much about Yoontae’s life before he transferred schools.
Their conversations were always about the present or the future, never the past.
Maybe Doyoung had been close to him once.
But right now, Jeongseo was the one closest to Pyo Yoontae.
Before he knew it, his face had gone blank as he stared straight at Doyoung.
“No. Why should I just give you Yoontae’s number? If you were close, ask him yourself.”
At Jeongseo’s firm tone, Doyoung flinched.
The sharp look in his eyes warned that pushing any further would end badly.
After quickly glancing around, Doyoung gave a sheepish smile.
“Ah, hey. No need to be so serious. I just thought it’d be nice to catch up. Well, if Yoontae visits our school again, let’s all grab a meal together.”
Though he obediently put his phone away, Doyoung kept trying to subtly push his way in whenever he got the chance.
He only backed off after Jeongseo said he would ask Yoontae about it.
The entire day, Jeongseo felt irritated.
Doyoung, who he wasn’t even that close to, kept hovering around him.
Worse, whenever Jeongseo checked his phone, he could feel Doyoung sneaking glances.
Telling him to stop only made him pout and apologize, Seo Jeongseo couldn’t even scold him properly.
The repeated cycle of seeming sincerely sorry and then doing it again made him realize—this was the first time he had ever been so oddly annoyed by someone.
As soon as his class ended, he shot up from his seat and bolted out of the lecture hall, making sure no one could follow.
By the time Doyoung tried to call out to him, Jeongseo was already gone.
The moment he left campus, he called Pyo Yoontae.
— Hey, Jeongseo.
“Are you home?”
— No, I had a meeting with my professor. I’m heading back now. You?
“I’m almost home, too!”
— Oh, I’m—
“Jeongseo!”
Hearing his name called from behind, Jeongseo stopped and turned around.
Pyo Yoontae was running toward him.
With his long legs, it didn’t take long for him to catch up.
The moment he reached Jeongseo, he naturally took his hand.
“Perfect timing. Did your class end early today?”
Jeongseo glanced at the large hand entwined with his fingers before shaking his head.
“Not really. I just wanted to get home fast.”
“Are you tired? Should we cancel our plans later?”
“Plans?”
Had they made plans for today? Jeongseo frowned, trying to recall.
Oh. Right.
They were supposed to have dinner with Hayan tonight.
He had even skipped his club meeting for it.
But thanks to Doyoung getting on his nerves all day, he had completely forgotten.
“Oh, no! It’s fine. I’m not tired. I just wanted to leave campus early today.”
“You wanted to leave early?”
Yoontae frowned.
Jeongseo usually loved being on campus.
Was someone bothering him?
Like Kim Woosik back in high school?
Yoontae’s expression grew serious as he studied Jeongseo.
Now that he thought about it, he did seem unusually drained.
“What happened, Jeongseo?”
“It’s nothing major…”
Letting out a long sigh, Jeongseo looked up and met Yoontae’s eyes.
“Should we be hiding the fact that we’re dating?”
That had nothing to do with bullying.
Yoontae took a moment to process the unexpected question.
Then, he recalled visiting Jeongseo’s university last week.
Someone must have recognized him.
He wasn’t a celebrity or an influencer, but there were still people who paid attention to him.
If that wasn’t it, then someone must have asked Jeongseo out.
Yoontae glanced at him.
If that were the case, Jeongseo would’ve definitely turned them down.
Guessing the general situation, Yoontae smirked playfully and leaned in slightly.
“Why? Did someone ask if we’re dating?”
“No, I just heard that rich people are super private about their relationships. Like, they never talk about them at all. I don’t want to say something and cause problems for you…”
Jeongseo’s voice trailed off, his expression clouded with concern.
It was both endearing and heartbreaking at the same time.
Yoontae tightened his grip on their joined hands for a second before lifting them up.
“I’m not a celebrity. Who cares who I date?”
“Really?”
Jeongseo had seen online posts discussing even minor details about athletes and chaebol families.
Doyoung’s words had made him anxious, but Yoontae’s calm response melted away the tension inside him.
“If I had to hide it…”
Yoontae flipped Jeongseo’s hand over and pressed his lips against the back of it.
“Would I be doing this out in the open?”
Then, with the tip of his tongue, he lightly licked up the skin before letting his fingers graze Jeongseo’s waist.
A shiver ran down Jeongseo’s spine, and his entire face flushed as he quickly checked their surroundings.
Luckily, no one was around.
“H-Hey! Not outside!”
“It’s not like I kissed you.”
K-Kiss…
While Jeongseo burned with embarrassment, Yoontae remained perfectly composed.
“Anyway, if someone asks if you’re dating, just say you’re with me. Hell, you can grab a stranger off the street and shout it if you want.”
“Okay!”
At last, his biggest worry of the day disappeared.
Jeongseo smiled, his lips curling up slightly as he walked alongside Yoontae with large strides.
Just as they reached the entrance of their building, a question lingered in his mind.
He didn’t want to ask it.
But he was curious.
“Hey, Yoontae. Do you know someone named Park Doyoung?”
Inside the elevator, Yoontae furrowed his brows and muttered the name.
“Park Doyoung…”
His expression shifted as he repeated it a few times.
Then, after a moment of hesitation, he replied.
“I think I’ve heard the name before… but I don’t really know him. Why?”
“He’s a friend from my department. He said he knew you. That you went to the same elementary and high school.”
“You mean…”
“Ihan Elementary, Ihan Middle?”
Yoontae blinked.
“Huh. Yeah, that’s right.”
So they really did go to the same school.
Jeongseo had secretly suspected that Park Doyoung might be lying.
But judging by how Pyo Yoontae didn’t seem to remember him, they probably hadn’t been that close.
That was why Jeongseo decided not to mention that Doyoung had asked for his number or suggested they grab a meal together sometime.
He didn’t particularly feel like saying it anyway.
As the elevator doors opened, Pyo Yoontae seemed deep in thought before he started fiddling with his phone.
He wasn’t sure who Park Doyoung was, but something about the name felt oddly familiar.
He logged into his old high school’s website and browsed through the photo gallery from his school year, but none of the faces stood out.
“Yoontae, what are you doing?”
Pyo Yoontae, who had stopped walking after stepping out of the elevator, was about to turn off his phone as if it was nothing.
But just then, at the very bottom of the page, a clearly familiar face caught his eye.
He frowned and tapped on the image, his expression turning serious.
Noticing his reaction, Jeongseo peeked at the phone screen and immediately exclaimed when he saw the photo.
“Oh! That’s Park Doyoung!”
And at that moment, Pyo Yoontae finally remembered.
Park Doyoung—he had been a track team member who won quite a few medals back in high school.
And he was also the guy who used to annoyingly follow him around.
“…Jeongseo, is that all he said? That we just knew each other?”
Hearing Yoontae’s lowered voice, Jeongseo hesitated before finally confessing.
“Well… He kept asking for your number and said he wanted to have lunch with you next time… But I told him I didn’t want to give it to him…”
“Just give it to him.”
“…Huh?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected response, Jeongseo blinked in confusion.
Yoontae, however, remained firm.
“Just give him my number.”
* * *
