“Woo Yeonjae.”

Tap.

The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella was cheerful. At the same time, the jet-black pupils rolled down slowly. It wasn’t so difficult to notice that subtle change. Because Moon Seoyoon always looked at Woo Yeonjae.

“I’ll stop now.”

Fortunately, a voice so indifferent that it made years of lovesickness seem pale flowed out.

“So… you should stop now too.”

In the context of the abrupt conversation, Woo Yeonjae wrinkled his cheek. There was a meaning hidden in his slightly raised eyebrows.

“What should I stop, Seoyoon?”

“You know.”

For a moment, Woo Yeonjae looked straight ahead, then slowly turned to the side. Water droplets, trapped in the cheap vinyl umbrella, fell along with his movement like sluggish tears.

As they shared the umbrella, they were in a very close proximity. Close enough to scrutinize each other’s expressions thoroughly.

“….”

The emotions etched on Woo Yeonjae’s face weren’t just bewilderment. It was pure defeat.

Moon Seoyoon lightly fidgeted with the wet sleeve with his fingertips. Perhaps he had anticipated it. Instead of denying that Woo Yeonjae wouldn’t know even if he blurted out such words, he seemed more embarrassed.

Woo Yeonjae knew Moon Seoyoon so well, just as Moon Seoyoon knew Woo Yeonjae well.

That’s why. He couldn’t hold onto these emotions anymore, suffocating as they were.

“I’ll stop liking you. Let’s end it here.”

And so, Moon Seoyoon declared the end of their relationship.

One-sided love.

Moon Seoyoon ran away.

He ran from the abandoned piano, the relentless time stolen from his mother, the unease that finally caught up with him, and his father’s infidelity.

At twenty, he understood when someone else stood by his father. His mother had passed away four years ago; he could understand. Even if he hadn’t realized they had been meeting for five years, he would have thought so all his life.

Facing the truth was purely coincidental. When the excited woman, usually so accepting, became tipsy after a few glasses of wine, a small mistake was as quietly devastating as winter sunlight.

“She wasn’t doing this much five years ago.”

There was no proof in the soft words that they had met for five years. But intuition couldn’t be that wrong. When the knife slicing through the steak stopped with a sharp sound, Moon Seoyoon noticed his father’s rigid gaze.

He wasn’t completely clueless to ruin the atmosphere. Perhaps he was even afraid. Afraid of hearing the confession that they had been meeting since his mother was alive. And afraid of whether his mother had known.

Moon Seoyoon chewed on the tasteless piece of meat, swallowing the overwhelming emotions.

Normally, he would have gone to find Woo Yeonjae. The only refuge left was his old childhood friend.

“Hey, did you hear?”

“What?”

“Woo Yeonjae got a girlfriend.”

“Oh…”

It wasn’t anything special. Woo Yeonjae always had a girlfriend. It was the same when Moon Seoyoon started his one-sided crush, and it remained the same now, after several years.

“What’s with that surprised expression?”

“…It’s faster to find a day when he doesn’t have a girlfriend and go then. Just saying.”

Despite efforts to maintain a composed expression, his cheek twitched involuntarily. He realized it too late, but Kim Hyunseung responded nonchalantly, as if accepting the stiffness with disappointment.

“But it’s the first time since we entered college, right? It’s already winter, not even spring. We’re adults now, so it’s different from dating in high school, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah, I guess so.”

Moon Seoyoon nodded calmly. Many things had changed since high school.

An unfamiliar picture swirled in his mind, making him feel queasy. As soon as he realized it was rude to strangers, self-loathing surged, and Moon Seoyoon absentmindedly scratched his nails. He felt like he could vomit at any moment.

“But isn’t it strange that for once, Woo Yeonjae didn’t tell you first? Whenever he gets a girlfriend, he usually rushes to tell you first.”

“Maybe he wants to see your face before saying anything.”

“Well, that could be it.”

If it weren’t for the news of a girlfriend, he would have rushed to Woo Yeonjae right away, like a child seeking comfort over something trivial.

But Moon Seoyoon was an adult now, unable to cling to his friend who had a partner and unable to pour out his own feelings. Above all, he didn’t want to infect his friend, who seemed to be enjoying himself, with his melancholy emotions.

Meeting him will only evoke a sense of guilt. Moon Seoyoon dug up all sorts of excuses and suppressed his desires tightly.

With nowhere else to turn, all that was left was to run away. Immediately after the meal with his father, Moon Seoyoon applied for enlistment. Perhaps the heavens were trying to create a breathing space for him, as luck would have it, a vacancy opened up, and he chose to enlist without hesitation.

His father seemed somewhat hurt by the fact that his only son applied for enlistment without discussion, but he couldn’t hide his relief that quickly passed.

The day he confided in his friends about his enlistment was also the day of the training camp graduation ceremony. Enduring over a month of submarine duty, he endured taunts questioning if it was a training camp. Amidst sarcastic comments and insults, he hesitated before finally dialing Woo Yeonjae’s number.

“Um… okay.”

His voice was long, kind, and affectionate. Moon Seoyoon was secretly taken aback, expecting him to openly express annoyance or sadness, provoking guilt. If it was the Woo Yeonjae he knew, he had to be one of the two.

“Who is this?”

A strange voice followed, adding to his confusion. Moon Seoyoon quickly caught onto Woo Yeonjae’s words.

“Are you with your girlfriend?”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry. I’ll hang up. Let’s meet when I get leave.”

Hearing the voice of his only childhood friend after enlistment was both the first and last. And so, he spent a year and six months in the military.

It was a tough but not entirely unpleasant time. While he couldn’t wash away his resentment towards his father, he felt it diluted to some extent. He thought he did well to run away.

The only thing that didn’t go as planned was his feelings towards Woo Yeonjae. Since he couldn’t see his face, he assumed his feelings would naturally cool down, but instead, they grew uncontrollably, without a clear end in sight. Despite feeling hurt by the attitude of a friend who didn’t come to visit even once, he found it ridiculous that he couldn’t bring himself to make a call, due to his pride.

Yet, letting go of the affection was difficult. Not being able to see his face seemed to only fuel his resentment. Moon Seoyoon even suppressed that resentment familiarly.

Still, these days were quite okay. After discharge, he hadn’t contacted him for almost half a year, and it seemed like his feelings had somewhat subsided. It was almost two years in total. If he continued like this, would he eventually retreat and disappear? All that would remain would be the stench.

“I’ll finish up.”

Moon Seoyoon stood behind Song Jua, who was grumbling while taking out items from the shelf, and took out the cup holder instead.

“Oh, can you?”

“Yeah, it’s not difficult.”

“Really, thank you. You’re still my part-time mate from half a year ago.”

With an exaggerated attitude, Song Jua wrinkled her nose and extended her fist. Moon Seoyoon lightly touched her hand with a smirk. It was already half a year since those excessively sociable actions, and Song Jua began to tidy up her apron.

“Oh, right. Are you going to continue working part-time, Oppa? You said you’re going back to school this time. You’re in your second year, right?”

“Yeah, going back to school. I’ll keep working part-time.”

“Wow, it sounds really unlucky, you know?”

Once again, Moon Seoyoon laughed lightly. After working with Song Jua for almost half a year, he knew her personality well. They were comfortable enough to exchange such jokes.

“Oh, right. A new officetel was built nearby, right? Are you moving there? No, wait, since you have a car, are you commuting?”

As Song Jua, who had hung her apron in the break room, quickly zipped up her long padding, she asked.

“No. I’m going to move into the dorm.”

“What? Dorm? Which dorm? Oh, experiencing the life of the common people?”

“What? No, it’s not like that.”

As Song Jua glanced at him, her eyes slightly narrowed.

“I was kidding. But why are you moving into the dorm? It would be much more comfortable to live alone or commute.”

It was awkward to say that it was suffocating at home. Moon Seoyoon hesitated to come up with a plausible answer. As he was contemplating, Inyoung was lingering in front of the café door. He was Song Jua’s boyfriend.

“Oh, I should go. Thank you, Oppa! I’ll finish the closing tomorrow!”

“Take care.”

The timing was perfect. After shaking hands with Moon Seoyoon, who heard the tinkling sound of the bell and immediately started cleaning the machines.

Inside his wallet, there was a card from his father, one from his grandfather, and a debit card where his allowance accumulated monthly. Nevertheless, the reason for working at the café was clear. If he didn’t do anything, he would be consumed by sticky emotions.

Moving his body was good to drive away distractions. He had found a part-time job near the school right after discharge because he planned to continue working even after going back to school. He might have to reduce his hours after classes started, but he thought it would be okay since school would occupy his remaining time, helping to drive away distractions.

“It’s 9 o’clock.”

Moon Seoyoon stared at the clock on the wall. One of the reasons for working part-time was to reduce the time spent at home.

During his time in the military, his father got married. It meant that someone else was in the house. He didn’t resent anyone standing by his father’s side, but it was still uncomfortable.

He chose to stay in the dormitory instead of commuting despite having a car. Since living alone wasn’t an option, it was better for his peace of mind to go into the dormitory.

Moon Seoyoon put on his coat and checked his phone unnecessarily. There was no message from the person he was waiting for.

Is this how we drift apart? He could have messaged first, but it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Perhaps it was because of the guilt towards Woo Yeonjae. It was strange that merely harboring feelings for someone could evoke guilt in the other person.

“We’ll run into each other once classes start anyway.”

Even though they were in different grades, they would inevitably cross paths in the campus, which seemed vast yet small. Moreover, since they were in the same major, they would somehow bump into each other.

A sigh escaped his lips quietly. Despite trying not to think about it for the past two years, Woo Yeonjae still occupied his mind whenever there was a gap. It was as unconscious and relentless as breathing.

Let’s stop thinking about it.

Moon Seoyoon shook his head slightly and left the café. It was still chilly before spring arrived. Since he only wore a light coat while driving around, his shoulders naturally hunched.

I need to hurry. It was just as he was about to lock the door and turn around.

An arm reaching out from behind pulled him by the waist. Before his body could react to the unfamiliar touch, the scent that had been floating in the air was swept away by the winter wind. It was a very familiar scent, one that he couldn’t forget.

“Seoyoon.”

Moon Seoyoon, whose shoulders twitched within the man’s embrace, turned his head slowly, struggling to control his breathing.

“I waited for a year and a half, no, two years without saying a word…”

Woo Yeonjae was standing there, with a face like a puppy scolded by its owner.

“You won’t welcome me?”

The moment he met his gaze, Moon Seoyoon immediately realized. Woo Yeonjae was extremely upset.

–

T/N:

In the line you won’t welcome me?, Woo Yeonjae specifically says ‘꽃신 안 줘’ which means whenever men come from their required military service, they expect their lovers to give them or they give 꽃신 (Flowers Shoes) as gift which mean they didn’t break up over the last two years. This is only a saying, but they don’t literally give shoes.

It had been almost two years since he last saw his face. But they had spent much longer together. Instinct reminded him that to read Woo Yeonjae’s emotions, he had to look into his eyes, not at his expression. Despite the downcast eyebrows and the gruff voice that seemed impatient, his dark eyes were intensely lively.

Caught off guard by the unexpected reunion, Moon Seoyoon quickly turned away and pushed away the person who hugged him. There were many people passing by near the university. It would look odd for one man to be embracing another.

“Ah.”

Being pushed aside by the person who stood firm and sturdy, Moon Seoyoon, ironically, was pushed away by Woo Yeonjae. Yet he let out a low groan as if in pain. It was a whimper that sounded as contrived as a baby’s fake cry.

“Seoyoon. Are you avoiding me now?” Woo Yeonjae asked, tilting his lips slightly upwards. His tone was as affectionate as ever. Moon Seoyoon stood there dumbfounded, unable to say a word. Just a few minutes ago, he had hoped for a contact, but now that the person he had been waiting for appeared before him, he was overwhelmed with confusion.

It was the real Woo Yeonjae. Woo Yeonjae whom he hadn’t seen in two years.

“You used to hug me so well…”

Moon Seoyoon’s lips were the only thing moving. He couldn’t recall when Woo Yeonjae referred to as ‘before.’ Perhaps it was when they wore school uniforms. No, was it when they were twenty? He was too bewildered; his mind couldn’t function properly.

All that remained were moments of yearning, moments when his pounding heart seemed to lean on me, or moments when he was anxiously trying to control his breath in the ears of a friend who hugged him.

“Is that a different perfume I smell?”

A different perfume smell?

If there was a different perfume scent mixed with Woo Yeonjae’s, there was only one person it could come from. As soon as he realized this fact, his mind cleared up as if cold water had been poured over it. The breeze brushing his cheek finally felt cool.

“…Woo Yeonjae.”

Moon Seoyoon managed to squeeze out his voice.

“It’s been a while.”

Hoping his voice sounded indifferent.

***

The red liquid in the glass shimmered under the light. Moon Seoyoon absentmindedly toyed with the stem of the wine glass, only staring at the liquid inside. In an open space, he might have felt a bit relieved, but being dragged into a private room made him feel suffocated.

“Moon Seoyoon. Are you avoiding me?” Moon Seoyoon finally lifted his gaze. Woo Yeonjae, with his chin resting on his hand, was staring directly at him. Yet his face seemed less angry than a moment ago.

“Just felt awkward seeing you after so long.”

“Awkward?”

“It’s been two years.”

“I don’t feel awkward. Is our Seoyoon being shy?”

Moon Seoyoon chuckled lightly and sipped his wine as if mumbling.

During the drive here in Woo Yeonjae’s car, they hadn’t exchanged a word. Moon Seoyoon had merely tried. Since he recognized the familiar scent of perfume, he had to consciously control his breathing to calm his racing heart. It was from that moment, when he realized that the feelings he thought had receded like rotting fruit were just illusions.

As he cautiously raised his eyes to steal a glance, he met the persistent gaze of the other. Seeing the slight upturn of the eyes, it seemed he was feeling better than when they met in front of the café.

Quietly containing his emotions was one of Woo Yeonjae’s long-standing habits. He would have sorted out his thoughts and calmed his anger while driving.

“It’s been a while here too.”

Moon Seoyoon randomly poked at the salad with his fork, changing the subject. This wine bar, where Woo Yeonjae sometimes sought solace when he wanted to quietly enjoy a drink away from the noise and unhygienic places, was frequented by Moon Seoyoon as well.

Though somewhat refined for their age of twenty, Moon Seoyoon’s taste tended to follow Woo Yeonjae’s, so it was quite natural.

“Yeah, indeed. Even though I turned down requests to go out with others, Moon Seoyoon was the only one who came with me.”

He’s still a bit peeved.

When Woo Yeonjae got annoyed, he would often call out his name instead of using the usual ‘you.’ It seemed like an unchanging habit reflecting an unchanging relationship, so Moon Seoyoon faintly smiled and drank the remaining wine. Despite the two-year gap, there was no change in their relationship, confirming the fact that the liquid touching the tip of his tongue tasted sweet.

Maybe this is better.

Perhaps. Despite not contacting each other for the past two years, Moon Seoyoon didn’t try to avoid Woo Yeonjae. It wasn’t about avoiding; it was just that he didn’t initiate contact, and he didn’t try to run away from a friendship. It would be more accurate to say that there was no intention to avoid since the relationship remained unchanged.

“You’re finally smiling now.”

“I thought you were mad at me because you called out my name. It’s funny to realize that nothing has changed from before.”

“What could have changed? It’s not like I went to the military like someone and came back.”

For some reason, Moon Seoyoon felt a pang in his heart and once again sipped his wine.

It was difficult to confess that he ran away to the military after being shocked by the fact of his father’s affair. It had been two years, and he didn’t want to bring up such a story in front of his crush, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. Moreover, if he were asked why he didn’t say anything back then, he would have to remain silent.

If he said it was because of a girlfriend, it would seem strange. Since there was no point in showing excessive consciousness, keeping quiet was the best option.

Despite not feeling awkward, an awkwardness surged, making it difficult to keep his hands still. Moon Seoyoon simply toyed with the wine stem as he did a while ago. Perhaps because he felt pricked, his gaze naturally turned there.

But it was only for a moment. Meeting Woo Yeonjae’s persistent gaze, Moon Seoyoon reluctantly met his eyes.

Though the atmosphere was slightly different from when they were twenty, Woo Yeonjae remained the same. His black hair, untouched by dye, covered his handsome forehead, and his black eyes, like his hair, remained horizontally elongated in his features. Seeing his subtly raised eyes, Kim Hyunseung’s voice came to mind, saying, ‘Woo Yeonjae, that guy looks like an ancient gumiho, driving people crazy, doesn’t he?’ He certainly had a face that was closer to splendid beauty.

Whether it was satisfying to meet his gaze quietly or not, his lips, which slightly lifted even when expressionless, parted slowly.

“By the way, you’re still so pale even though you’ve been discharged.”

“It’s been a while since I was discharged. I tanned while in the military.”

Moon Seoyoon took his hand off the wine glass and toyed with his exposed wrist. Woo Yeonjae was also on the fair side for a guy, but his skin was noticeable enough to understand why he would bring up such a topic.

“I’ve been eagerly waiting for Seoyoon to contact me.”

“It’s not like I only didn’t contact you.”

As words failed him, a lame excuse popped out. It wasn’t a lie since he really didn’t only not contact Woo Yeonjae.

Even after discharge, he felt restless. It must have been because he needed to adapt. It was more about adapting to the changed living environment than adjusting to life after shedding his military status.

It had been about a year since his father held the wedding. Moon Seoyoon didn’t attend the wedding. It wasn’t intentional nonattendance. It was just difficult to match his leave. Anyway, his father getting married meant that a stranger had entered the house. So, Moon Seoyoon had to get used to the unfamiliar smiling face awkwardly.

Although his mother, who had been in charge of the household, hadn’t quit her job, there was nothing significantly different. However, he couldn’t help but worry. It was strange that he wasn’t concerned about his father’s affair. It took him a full three months just to adapt to the new member in the house.

“But why do other people know that you work part-time at the café?”

“Probably because I happened to bump into Kim Hyunseung. I meant to contact you too.”

“But you didn’t.”

“That’s… ”

“I was even quietly waiting, without causing an accident, for Moon Seoyoon to welcome me.”

–

T/N:

For the word, avoid, Woo Yeonjae uses the word, 내외해, which is used in the cases where a wife and a husband wishes not to see each other. It is only used in formal settings, to describe a married couple, for example.

Also, in the line without causing an accident, it loosely means that Woo Yeonjae didn’t wreak havoc since Seoyoon went to the military without telling him.

So he didn’t even come for a visit, why? Moon Seoyoon wanted to ask, but instead, he bit his lip and swallowed his words. He didn’t want to be petty about what had passed. It felt even more awkward because the other person was Woo Yeonjae.

He felt like there were so many things he wanted to ask when they met, but when it came down to it, there weren’t that many words he could actually articulate. He was afraid that if he got an answer, it might hurt him even more.

“Did anyone harass you in the military?” Woo Yeonjae asked suddenly, only sipping on wine without a word. The wrinkled forehead made him look irritated, as if the calculation had gone awry.

“What?” Moon Seoyoon was slightly taken aback by the unexpected question. He had never experienced harassment in the military, so why harassment? Suddenly, a memory from middle school flashed through his mind.

“There was no one who harbored ill feelings toward me like that from back then.”

Being a closed group, incidents would often happen, and given that he reacted sensitively, it wasn’t surprising. As his thoughts reached this point, he felt the need to deny any misunderstanding to avoid confusion.

“No, my military life was comfortable.”

Though his body was a bit tired, military life wasn’t bad. He met good people, and most importantly, he could rid himself of unnecessary thoughts, mostly about his parents and Woo Yeonjae.

“You seem to talk less. Or is it still awkward? We’ve known each other for years, why do you keep acting like strangers?”

“The awkwardness was resolved a long time ago. I just remembered the old days because it’s been a while since we drank together.”

Woo Yeonjae once again narrowed his eyes as if gauging sincerity, resting his chin on his hand. Despite the awkwardness fading away, tension surged with his piercing gaze. The dim lighting of the wine bar and the excessively quiet atmosphere made his nerves twitch.

Avoiding eye contact was too obvious, and it was difficult to tear his gaze away directly. Moon Seoyoon once again held the wine glass in his hand. His eyelids naturally drooped. Now, he could only cling to the thin glass stem more slender than his own fingers. The characteristic chill quickly invaded his body temperature.

“You’re really the same.”

Unable to hold back any longer, as he brought the glass to his lips, Woo Yeonjae spoke a beat later.

“What’s the matter?”

“Your face is the same, but your taste is still the same too. Remember the wine we had when we last met? That one. You drank it so well, so I deliberately requested that.”

“Really?” Moon Seoyoon lowered his glass and checked the label on the wine bottle. It was hard to remember since it had been a long time ago. Back then, it seemed like Woo Yeonjae hardly drank. As he checked the glass across from him according to the suddenly recalled memory, to his surprise, the red liquid hadn’t decreased at all.

“You didn’t dislike this for being too sweet?”

“Not really.”

Whether he disliked it or not, Moon Seoyoon quickly gave up trying to interpret the meaning. Despite its sweetness, the high alcohol content of the wine made his head feel slightly fuzzy. Just as he thought it might be better to stop drinking, Woo Yeonjae lifted the wine bottle and poured the red liquid into the glass.

“What are you doing? Who drinks wine like this?”

Moon Seoyoon chuckled and tapped the wine glass with his fingertip. As he continued to drink, meaningless laughter kept escaping him. It seemed like the tension was relieved in an instant. As if asking when he had ever been tense, his stiff shoulders gradually relaxed in the usual conversation.

Was Woo Yeonjae feeling happy to meet him? Suddenly, he had that question.

“Drink up. Gotta make up for those two years you missed.”

“Do I have to say thank you?”

“Yeah.”

Seeing his shameless expression, it was obvious he was joking. Moon Seoyoon just decided to go along with it and lifted the glass. The thin glass was surprisingly heavy, filled with more than half of the alcohol that should have been under the bowl.

“I heard the professor got married while you were in the military.”

(Professor being Moon Seoyoon’s father.)

“…You heard?”

With a vague answer, Moon Seoyoon lowered the glass. He had somewhat anticipated that news of his father’s marriage would have reached his ears. After all, becoming friends with Woo Yeonjae was intertwined with their parents, so it was natural if it was a natural topic.

He had felt relieved when he couldn’t attend the wedding, partly because of Woo Yeonjae. He had feared that if they met there, he wouldn’t be able to control his expression. Fortunately, seeing how casually Woo Yeonjae talked about it, it seemed he hadn’t attended the wedding either.

“Did the woman move into your house?”

“She got married, so yeah.”

“The professor is quite peculiar, isn’t he? Sending his son off to the military and attending his own wedding.”

Even with a teasing tone, Moon Seoyoon only lifted the corners of his mouth without saying a word. The only person who could speak such words in front of him was Woo Yeonjae.

“During that time, our Seoyoon must have suffered a lot.”

“I said I was fine. I met a lot of good people.”

“Good people?”

With an unusually casual tone, his pitch-black pupils rolled around. The sound of tapping the base of the wine glass abruptly stopped.

“Who are they?”

“You wouldn’t know even if I told you, would you?”

“Well, even if you told me, I wouldn’t know….”

His words trailed off.

Moon Seoyoon glanced at Woo Yeonjae, who was fiddling with the wine glass, and stole a glance. It felt somewhat chilly to see his face, half-lowered eyelids, and the wine glass untouched, as if he hadn’t looked this way before.

‘Come to think of it….’

When they last spoke, he had an urge to ask if he was still dating his girlfriend from back then. But Moon Seoyoon chose to keep his mouth shut. The fact that he talked about other perfumes he recognized hinted that regardless of whether it was the same person or not, there was someone else. Not recognizing the scent of a new perfume was purely because his mind was preoccupied with Woo Yeonjae.

To suppress the fluttering emotions, Moon Seoyoon drank once again. Asking wouldn’t have been anything but a useless question.

***

“I should have been the first one to…Seoyoon.”

Moon Seoyoon suddenly woke up from his sleep. He vaguely thought he heard Woo Yeonjae’s voice, but he wasn’t sure. It was unclear whether it was a dream or reality, as it had been a long time since he drank and fell asleep.

He squinted his eyes against the bright light, furrowing his brows heavily, then finally raised his eyelids, and unfamiliar lighting entered his sight.

“What’s going on….”

His head throbbed. Hearing faint water sounds, it seemed someone was showering.

Feeling disoriented, he blinked slowly, and soon realized that the bed he was lying on was in Woo Yeonjae’s space. Seeing some new items around, it was clear it wasn’t his own home.

“Ugh….”

A sigh escaped involuntarily. The sweetness of the alcohol indicated that he must have gotten drunk from drinking wine. Since he had left without a word, he was sure to get an earful from his father.

Groaning, Moon Seoyoon buried his face in the pillow and reached towards the drawer to find his phone. After fumbling around a few times, instead of the phone he expected to find, a sharp object dug into his fingernails.

“Ah.”

Startled by the sharp pain, he lifted his head and saw what the object was. It was a lone earring, left behind under his fingernail. It was obviously a pearl earring that women would wear.

Moon Seoyoon involuntarily held his breath. His heart sank with a thud as if it had been stabbed into a sharp knife.

At the same time, the sound of water stopped. Thinking that the owner would soon come out, Moon Seoyoon hastily got up from the bed. The bloodstained earring fell silently to the floor.

“Up already?”

Just as Moon Seoyoon was about to pick it up to put it back, Woo Yeonjae entered the bedroom. He wore only training pants on his lower body, revealing his upper body. He already had a noticeable physique, thanks to his naturally large frame and regular exercise. With each step, his muscles, including his abs, twitched along with his footsteps. Moon Seoyoon quickly averted his gaze and cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment.

“Just now. Did I get really drunk last night?”

“Don’t remember? It wasn’t even close to vomiting or anything.”

“Really?”

His eyes widened in surprise at the description of his antics. As their eyes met in that state, Woo Yeonjae smiled mischievously, squinting his eyes.

“Yeah. Just now seeing your face.”

At the uninspiring joke, Moon Seoyoon’s expression tightened. His nose wrinkled at the mention of his antics. Woo Yeonjae threw the towel he had been drying his hair with into the laundry basket and approached. Feeling uneasy to be facing his bare body right after getting up, Moon Seoyoon became anxious, fearing an irreversible mistake.

Moon Seoyoon discreetly lowered his head towards the drawer. The spot where the earring had been was now empty.

“Where did my phone go?”

“It rang at midnight, seemed like it was the professor. Moon Seoyoon, you’re not Cinderella or anything….”

Upon hearing what he expected, a sigh escaped involuntarily. Moon Seoyoon splashed his face with water. He already felt disoriented.

“I told you I’d met you and put you to bed in my own bed.”

“Oh… Thanks. If it were your dad, I’d be dead. Luckily, it’s just yours.”

A faint sense of relief washed over him. Moon Seoyoon’s father, who considered Woo Yeonjae the best friend in the world, would overlook any wrongdoing with just a word from him. Of course, any wrongdoing was just about family commitments or getting home late.

“Good friend.”

He wondered what kind of reaction his father would have if he knew that his only child had feelings for his childhood friend in a different sense, not just as a friend.

Just the thought of the dreadful future made Moon Seoyoon instinctively press his index finger firmly against his nail. Unlike usual, he felt a dull ache.

“Are you hurt?”

Before he could even inspect it closely, Woo Yeonjae approached and grabbed his arm.