F16

Yeonho, who had mustered the courage to be honest only to be misunderstood again, grabbed Siwoo’s arm.

If things went wrong between them now, he felt he wouldn’t be able to maintain any connection with Siwoo in the future.

“No, I’m not someone who enjoys stuff like that. I don’t want to do it with just anyone.”

There were some benefits to experiencing alcohol for the first time after becoming an adult. It made it easier to say things that would normally be swallowed back down. Yeonho kept speaking, not letting Siwoo look away now that their eyes had met.

“I really hated how the upperclassmen singled me out yesterday. They kept telling me to go around kissing the girls in our department. It was awful… I felt bad for those girls. What did they do wrong?”

“…”

“I kept drinking just to avoid doing that. I followed those PE guys today because I thought something like that wouldn’t happen if it was only guys.”

Siwoo understood Yeonho’s explanation immediately. After he’d entered college, he too had been targeted for his appearance no matter where he went, his department, clubs, social circles.

People had constantly tried to break through Siwoo’s carefully maintained barriers. Like hyenas, they pounced again and again, trying to make the cold and untouchable Kim Siwoo let his guard down. But with strong alcohol tolerance and mental discipline, he had survived two years of college without ever once slipping.

So he could accept why Yeonho had followed the PE students to their room. But there was still something left unresolved.

“Didn’t you say a minute ago that you could do that kind of thing with me?”

Siwoo held up one of the Jenga blocks he had been cleaning up. On it was written:

[Kiss for 3 minutes ♥]

Yeonho nodded. Yes, he could do that too. He wanted to be clear so that Siwoo wouldn’t misunderstand.

“Yes. If you wanted to, I think I’d be fine with it. I couldn’t do it with other people, but if it’s you, even if it’s just because of the alcohol, I wouldn’t mind. I don’t feel any revulsion toward you.”

His eyes widened as he spoke, pushing forward so he wouldn’t be overwhelmed by Siwoo’s intensity. Siwoo inhaled sharply, then asked again.

“So, just me?”

“Yes. Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“But we only met this morning.”

“That’s why it’s possible. How could I do something like that with someone I’ve known a long time?”

Yeonho picked up another block with the phrase [Lick your partner’s fingers ♥] and waved it as he spoke.

Faced with this cheeky version of Yeonho, Siwoo couldn’t help but laugh. Plenty of people had shown interest in him before, but no one had ever come at him this directly.

Most would test the waters cautiously, then retreat, intimidated by him. There had been enough people crying in front of him saying, “You’re too hard to reach, I just can’t do this,” to fill a truck.

That’s why he could tell, Yeonho’s words and actions came from confidence. Someone like Joo Yeonho had probably never been rejected in his life. He was like a spear aimed straight at the shield called Kim Siwoo, trying to punch through without hesitation.

While Siwoo struggled to adjust to the sensory overload and kept flipping his emotional switch on and off, Yeonho poured his energy into clarifying even the things Siwoo hadn’t asked about.

“And I’m definitely not the kind of low-class guy who goes around recording weird videos. Please believe me. I can even show you all the videos on my phone.”

But when Siwoo didn’t respond, Yeonho’s loud voice began to lose steam. Fidgeting with both hands, he grumbled in a small voice,

“…I couldn’t look away the second I saw you. That’s why I made a mistake. It’s never happened before. You’re the one who’s too good-looking. Why am I the one getting scolded?”

Having shrunk with guilt, Yeonho now overflowed with frustration and blurted everything out.

Seeing Yeonho on the verge of tears again, Siwoo felt all the tension drain from his body. Yeonho was slowly loosening every screw that had been tightly fastened. One of them finally clattered to the ground.

“…Fine. I understand how you feel. So just sleep for now. It looks like the alcohol’s hitting you again. If you wake up and still feel the same way, tell me again then. Things said under the influence are usually half nonsense anyway.”

“It’s not nonsense! You’re the one who’s too good-looking. You’re the perpetrator and I’m the victim.”

“Oh, so now this is all my fault?”

“Yes!”

Siwoo, now dealing with a Yeonho who had flipped from sulking to full-blown tantrum, stood him up and guided him to the bedroom, spread out the bedding, and tucked him in.

Yeonho, instantly soothed by Siwoo’s kindness, kicked his feet under the blanket and then quickly hid under it with a bright red face. But unable to resist the urge to see Siwoo’s face again, he peeked his eyes out from beneath the covers.

To Siwoo, that sight was exactly like the capsule toy he’d received earlier. He had never looked at another person and thought such a thing before, but somehow… Yeonho felt just like that little puppy toy. While laying out bedding beside him, Siwoo playfully tapped Yeonho’s cheek with the back of his hand.

“Stop peeking at my face and go to sleep, you criminal.”

“Go ahead and sue me. I was raised with love, you know. When I get back to Seoul, I’ll countersue. Let’s continue our good relationship in court.”

In that moment, Siwoo was hit with an overwhelming, chilling wave of sensation. The emotional gates he had sealed shut were suddenly flung open, and for the first time, a thought surged through his mind:

Yeonho is beautiful.

And not just that. He smelled nice. His hair and skin were soft. His tone and voice were sweet.

Everything about him… was lovely.

Siwoo’s parents had always told him that raising a son was the hardest, and they repeated endlessly that he must not be swayed by others’ temptations.

They warned him countless times not to lust after just anyone and bring shame upon them.

The truth was, Yeonho had been so pretty from the very first moment that Siwoo couldn’t take his eyes off him. He simply hadn’t allowed himself to think that way, but his eyes and brain had already recognized Yeonho’s beauty.

That must have been why he noticed Yeonho was filming him with the camera. Why he didn’t walk away, instead subtly shifted positions to hold Yeonho’s gaze. Why he approached and spoke to him in the first place. It was probably because, one way or another, he wanted to create a connection.

Until the age of twenty-one, Siwoo had never been honest with himself. He hadn’t truly understood his own desires. He constantly deceived himself and lied.

Was it because of the alcohol?

Just as Yeonho might later take back everything he’d said after sobering up, Siwoo thought maybe his current feelings would change too. He needed to reassess with a clear head.

But for now, in this moment, there was only one thought.

“…He’s cute.”

Even more than that capsule toy.

***

At dawn the next day, Yeonho woke groggily and dragged himself out of the empty room. On his way out, he checked the room number.

415.

“Why am I in here?”

Had he drunkenly wandered in after lingering in front of the door? If that’s what happened, then he had guts, and he’d done well. Whatever he’d done, he was wearing someone else’s clothes, and his socks had vanished.

Yeonho’s memory cut off at the moment his clothes started coming off in Room 612. He staggered downstairs and went back to his assigned room, where he fell asleep again.

When he woke for the second time, he wanted to make up for vanishing from the group the day before, so he started boiling hangover ramyeon. As he stirred the pot at the stove, a female classmate came over and asked,

“Yeonho. You’re Joo Yeonho, right?”

“Yeah. I’m Joo Yeonho.”

“Then why does your shirt say Kim Yeonho?”

“What do you mean, my shirt?”

“It says ‘Kim Yeonho’ on the back.”

“…What?”

He handed her the chopsticks and rushed to the bathroom, turning his back to the mirror. There it was, in bold Gothic lettering: KIM YEONHO.

At that moment, all the memories that had stopped in Room 612 came flooding back in order.

When he’d been trembling, afraid his clothes would be stripped off completely, the engineering department’s Adonis had appeared in a halo of light and rescued him. That man had subdued the vulgar, drunken mess with grace and ease.

From that moment on, everything returned, one detail at a time.

He remembered handing over a 2,500-won capsule toy as a “birthday gift,” remembered wagging his tail with delight over dirty Jenga prompts, remembered shouting “You’re the culprit!” like a detective right before falling asleep.

He wanted to crack his own head open with a bottle.

“I’m insane.”

Yes. Joo Yeonho was insane. The craziest part was that he didn’t regret any of it. There was nothing he wanted to take back. That confirmed it, his instincts had been right. Siwoo had sensed danger, come to rescue him from Room 612, and even given him a safe place to sleep. Just like his perfect face, his heart was also good.

Without even touching the ramyeon he’d cooked, Yeonho headed to the dining hall with his classmates for breakfast. As he walked up the stairs, students from the engineering department were coming down, having already finished eating. Yeonho scanned the crowd and finally spotted Siwoo.

Siwoo gave him a small nod and turned away. That simple gesture sent Yeonho into a panic. He had a strong feeling, if he let Siwoo walk away like this, their relationship would end up as nothing.

They weren’t even in the same department. If he didn’t act now, there might never be another chance to meet. Once they returned to Seoul, once he returned the clothes and they each got on separate buses, this event, and whatever they were, would be over.

He couldn’t let that happen. If he was already branded a crazy person, he might as well go all in.

So Joo Yeonho’s insane move of choice was to deliberately trip and tumble down the stairs.

“Uh, uhhh…?”

“Joo Yeonho-ssi!”

Just as he hoped, Siwoo rushed over, eyes wide. As several hands reached toward him, Yeonho grabbed Siwoo’s and naturally leaned into his chest. Siwoo whispered in a worried voice by his ear,

“Are you okay? Why did you fall like you were acting?”

“Acting? That’s an awful accusation. I just got dizzy all of a sudden…”

“That must’ve hurt. But why fall on purpose? It’s like you wanted me to catch you.”

“Be quiet and just hold me.”

Yeonho threw his arms around Siwoo’s neck, and Siwoo effortlessly lifted him. It seemed obvious that his act had been exposed, but that didn’t matter. Had he ever wanted something this desperately before?

Even Yeonho didn’t know. Joo Yeonho, who had received a thousand confessions of love at first sight, never imagined he’d go this far just to get someone’s attention.