LS 67

5:02 a.m.

Basement level one of a small white building near Hanguk University Entrance Station.

Standing in front of the OnePunch internet café, with its rather stylish signboard, Dohee let out his eighty-second sigh.

After endless coaxing and pleading with Moonhyuk, who wouldn’t even respond properly, Dohee had finally managed to get him to agree to talk–just once, properly–when his shift ended.

Only ragged breathing came through the phone, and Dohee thought he was going to lose his mind.

At first, he just kept begging to talk. Later, he threatened to show up in person.

It wasn’t random, Dohee was gauging Moonhyuk’s responses.

Moonhyuk barely answered his calls, but he didn’t flat-out reject him either. It seemed like he didn’t quite know what to do with the situation himself. That gave Dohee a sliver of hope.

Maybe, just maybe, Moonhyuk would show up.

Eventually, when Dohee begged one more time–just once, please–Moonhyuk finally gave a mosquito-quiet “…Yeah.”

That was enough for Dohee to breathe again.

At least this meant Moonhyuk wasn’t planning to cut him off completely.

When he came to his senses, he realized what a mess he looked like.

He’d spent nearly forty minutes in the shower, carefully blow-dried his recently bleached hair, and applied treatment.

He groomed his eyebrows, slapped on a face mask, and dug through his wardrobe.

For some reason, it all felt more serious than ever.

Maybe it was subconscious, but he knew Moonhyuk was pretty fond of his face.

Dohee was ready to use everything he had.

If scrubbing and polishing himself up could keep Kwon Moonhyuk’s eyes on him for even three more seconds, that was a good deal.

A soft cream silk shirt, a thick red sweater, black wool slacks, and a stylish coat.

He looked in the mirror. Not bad.

He added a thin gold necklace to match the simple gold ring piercings he’d recently put in.

Strapped on his favorite brown leather watch.

And now, here he was, standing in the narrow walkway in front of OnePunch internet café, frozen like an idiot for over five minutes.

Not a single customer had gone in or out.

He couldn’t bring himself to step inside in case it made Moonhyuk uncomfortable. But sitting in his car made him worry he might miss him.

So since 4:55 a.m., Dohee had just stood there, blindly waiting for Moonhyuk to come out.

He wasn’t proud of it, but Dohee had never been the most punctual person.

Being five or ten minutes late was nothing to him, and he didn’t care if others were late either.

He’d even once waited over 50 minutes at a café for a friend who said they were running late.

Everyone around him was used to that easygoing, unconcerned Dohee.

So… today was the first time Baek Dohee realized he could be the type of person who shows up early and waits around for someone.

While nervously fiddling with his phone just in case it didn’t ring, the café door suddenly opened before he could even prepare himself.

It was Moonhyuk.

Still wearing that black puffer coat that made him look like a penguin.

And the second their eyes met, Dohee found himself smiling gently, without even meaning to.

There was no hidden motive.

He was just really, really happy to see Moonhyuk wearing the scarf he’d gifted him.

“Hyung.”

At Dohee’s soft call, Moonhyuk flinched.

Why did someone that big flinch like that?

His sharp chin tucked into the scarf.

The blue tartan pattern looked unbelievably good on him.

Dohee had thought it would the second he bought it.

“Uh… were you waiting here?”

“Yeah. Not that long.”

“Ah…”

Moonhyuk’s voice was muffled under the scarf.

Dohee fought back the urge to sigh, then spoke again.

Every word mattered right now. He couldn’t let a careless sigh ruin it.

“It’s cold here. Let’s talk in my car. I parked in the lot.”

“…Huh? Oh, it’s okay…”

Dohee met Moonhyuk’s eyes.

Even under the dim corridor lights, those dark eyes glinted clearly.

He set his expression.

“You get cold easily, remember?”

He meant it.

That was why he’d gone through the trouble of bringing his car out here and parking it close.

No cafés were open at this hour, and he didn’t want Moonhyuk shivering in the cold hallway.

Better to deal with a bit of hassle than let Moonhyuk freeze.

At Dohee’s firm tone, Moonhyuk hesitated, then slowly nodded.

It was cold enough that their breath was visible just standing there.

And it was still early morning.

Moonhyuk followed, always one step behind.

Dohee wished he’d walk beside him, but for now, just seeing his face was enough.

He did his best to suppress every anxious impulse.

He opened the car door and started the engine.

Once Moonhyuk got in the passenger seat, Dohee turned on the heater.

He really hoped Moonhyuk would take off that damn penguin coat, but no luck.

Warm air quickly filled the car, the seat warmers humming beneath them, but Moonhyuk stayed wrapped up in that scarf.

His jaw, his perfectly shaped jawline, was still buried.

Shit. That’s not what I gave him the scarf for.

Dohee let out a quiet sigh.

Apparently it was loud enough.

He saw Moonhyuk flinch again.

Now he felt like a bastard.

And honestly… maybe he was one.

Dohee reached into the cup holder and pulled out a small yellow can of hot chocolate, then handed it to him.

“It’s still warm.”

Moonhyuk hesitated, then took it.

It was the drink he liked.

The kind convenience stores sell warm in winter.

Dohee had picked it up on the way, thinking of Moonhyuk.

Like I said, he was prepared to use everything.

“…Thanks.”

Dohee turned his head.

As if the poor can had done something wrong, Moonhyuk was staring it down.

He still hadn’t looked Dohee’s way once.

His fingers were pale from gripping the can.

Why’s he so tense? I should be the nervous one, shouldn’t I…?

With that thought, Dohee finally spoke.

“So, hyung. I mean–first, thank you. For replying.”

“You… lied… remember…?”

Moonhyuk’s voice was barely more than a whisper.

Dohee’s eyebrows twitched involuntarily.

“About what? The hacking thing?”

“Yeah…”

“If I hadn’t done that, you wouldn’t have answered me at all.”

“…”

Not denying it. Great.

Dohee fought the urge to pound his chest and continued calmly.

“I already said it a bunch of times in my messages.”

“…”

“I swear, I never planned to lie to you from the start. At first, I didn’t think we’d get this close. I figured I didn’t have to tell you. And after that…”

He trailed off.

He suddenly felt like some pathetic excuse-maker.

He’d had a mountain of things he wanted to say, had planned to say when they met.

But now, face to face, the words wouldn’t come out.

Everything just felt pitiful and shameful.

“Forget it.”

“…Huh?”

“Never mind. It all sounds like excuses. I messed up.”

Moonhyuk finally turned to look at him.

Their eyes met.

Moonhyuk blinked slowly. He looked kind of dazed.

“Whatever I was feeling, whatever was going on with me, it doesn’t change the fact that I didn’t tell you. That I kept asking why you liked GoSupp when I knew. That I told the guild to keep quiet about it. It’s all on me.”

“…”

“I was scared. Playing with you was fun, hyung. I kept thinking… if you found out I was GoingSupporter, would you start acting different? Would you put distance between us? Would things change? And, I mean… I’m only human.”

“…”

“I was scared, okay? That it’d ruin what we had.”

Moonhyuk still hadn’t moved. Still staring at him. Dohee had no idea what he was thinking.

He wanted so badly to see inside those deep black eyes.

“I’m sorry. I really am.

But if there’s one thing, just one, I hope you’ll believe…”

“…?”

“I never meant to mock you or make a fool out of you.”

A heavy silence fell over the car.

Dohee felt like he couldn’t breathe.

He turned his gaze to the window.

Moonhyuk’s unreadable stare made it feel like a noose around his neck.

His heart was pounding out of control, even though Moonhyuk hadn’t done anything.

And then, when Dohee turned his head back to look at Moonhyuk again, he froze.

“…Hyung?”

There were tears welling up in Moonhyuk’s eyes.

No joke, Baek Dohee, in all his twenty-six years of life, had never been so flustered.

It looked like even the heater air brushing his lashes might make a tear fall.

His jaw was still buried in the scarf, so Dohee couldn’t see his whole expression, but those glassy eyes alone were enough to throw him off.

Dohee instinctively leaned in. He reached out and brushed Moonhyuk’s eyelashes. A single tear slipped down over Dohee’s fingers.

It was warm. So warm it felt like every inch of him, from fingertips to toes, was on fire.

Dohee opened his mouth, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Why… are you crying, hyung?”

Honestly, a crying handsome man like this…Isn’t this kind of cheating?