AOA 153

Dating Baek Mugyeong went smoothly. Far from having a big fight, we never even had a verbal argument. Perhaps because it was a long-distance relationship, I felt a deep affection for him every time we saw each other, so I tried to grant him everything he wanted.

The same was true for Baek Mugyeong. He always prioritized my opinion, except for the fact that he was relentlessly pushy in bed.

Now that he was more honest than usual because of the cold medicine, this was the opportunity. I was curious about his true feelings. Baek Mugyeong, blinking his sleepy eyes, smiled.

“Minchae.”

“……?!”

“I just wanted to call your name. Minchae.”

The voice, which had been growing fainter and quieter, suddenly cut off. I froze, still holding Baek Mugyeong’s hand. Today was full of firsts. I had been called ‘Minchae-ssi’ many times, but this was the first time he had called me ‘Minchae.’

At the friendly and intimate call, my heart pounded like a drum beating. My cheeks burned even though I hadn’t caught a cold.

“Wow….”

I was so surprised and fascinated that I could only marvel. I never imagined a man who was usually so reserved would go this far. To think that a side effect of medication revealing one’s true feelings was real.

Unable to control my laughter, I looked down at the sleeping Baek Mugyeong. The man, whose face was usually so stern, looked soft only when asleep. My heart, pounding because he was so cute and lovely, could not easily calm down.

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I couldn’t just stare at Baek Mugyeong’s face forever. Just in case, I called a doctor I had met through my maternal grandmother. The doctor, who was of Korean descent, was not only able to converse in Korean but was also kind and explained things well.

When I explained Baek Mugyeong’s symptoms, he said there was no need to worry too much. He implied that as long as the individual was aware of their symptoms, it wasn’t a problem. He informed me that the ingredients in cold medicine could cause severe drowsiness. He also laughed, remarking that people tend to say anything when they are sleepy. He ended the call with the final advice to call 911 if the patient couldn’t wake up or could not hold a proper conversation.

It was long after sunset when Baek Mugyeong woke up. Suspicious of the man staring at the wall, I cautiously struck up a conversation.

“Mugyeong-ssi?”

“…Yes.”

He replied, though a beat late. However, Baek Mugyeong’s gaze did not turn in this direction.

“How are you feeling? Do you have a fever? Aren’t you hungry? The porridge you ordered earlier has arrived. You sweated a lot in your sleep, so would you like to take a shower first?”

“…I’m going to take a shower.”

I threw out various questions to gauge his reaction, but Baek Mugyeong was acting strangely. It was understandable that his answers were a little delayed. However, his avoidance of eye contact was a problem. It was a clear signal.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“No.”

“But you will not look at me?”

Instead of beating around the bush, I asked directly. The effect was outstanding. Baek Mugyeong flinched slightly and slowly turned his head toward me. The expression on his stiff face was subtle. His usual intense gaze, which seemed to shoot lasers, had vanished, replaced by a look of awkwardness.

As I stared at him, asking what was wrong, Baek Mugyeong subtly averted his gaze once again. I don’t know if this was an appropriate metaphor, but it felt like I was facing a puppy that had caused a huge mess.

Let’s wait quietly instead of interrogating. Baek Mugyeong’s shoulders rose slightly as he sighed. Then, he looked at me with a somewhat solemn expression before slightly lowering his eyes.

“I have never been this embarrassed in my entire life.”

“…What?”

“I realized what it means to want to hide in a mouse hole.”

The man’s voice, as he spoke quickly, trembled slightly. That wasn’t all. His ears, cheeks, and neck had turned red. Anyone could tell it wasn’t because of a cold. I didn’t know that shyness and embarrassment were contagious. For some reason, my cheeks flushed too.

It was the first time I had seen a man who looked like he wouldn’t bleed even if you pricked him with a needle look embarrassed. And that was cute and lovely. A sweetness spread through my mouth, like rolling a candy around, and I found myself smiling.

“I was just being honest. You said it was because of the medicine. Do you really not like Hoyeon’s face? That guy, or someone like Hoyeon, is pretty handsome. Is it because he’s handsome that you don’t like him?”

“Minchae-ssi.”

“You can call me Minchae.”

Baek Mugyeong’s cheeks, which had regained their original color, turned red again. Perhaps due to the cold medicine, the reaction was immediate and strong. He was so cute that I wanted to tease him more, but I clenched my brain and held back.

“It’s true. I’m much younger than you.”

Baek Mugyeong, his ears bright red, quickly changed the subject to avoid further embarrassment. Honestly, this was something I had been thinking about for a while. Baek Mugyeong had used strictly honorifics since we first met. I had let it slide when we were barely holding onto our marriage, but ever since we started dating, there were times when I wondered if things could really go on like this. After all, Baek Mugyeong was eight years older than me.

And honestly, I also felt a slight sense of distance. I emphasized the need to change how we address each other to build closer intimacy.

Baek Mugyeong made a slightly surprised face, as if he had heard something unexpected.

“Didn’t you want to call me Minchae?”

When I asked Baek Mugyeong what he wanted, he said he wanted to call me by my name. I gave him a look that told him to go ahead.

Baek Mugyeong, who had been staring at me, chuckled with a flushed face.

“Minchae. May I call you that?”

“Of course you can. And stop using polite speech too. Calling me Minchae while speaking formally sounds strange.”

“The way you address me should change as well. There must be balance.”

“Really? Hmm, then, Mugyeong-ah? That sounds rude. Mugyeong-hyung? Hyung? Gyeong-hyung? How about Hyung? Mugyeong-hyungnim? Is that a bit much?”

I said what came to mind immediately, in order. When playing soccer with people of various age groups, the titles were naturally sorted out. If someone was even one year older, they were called “Sunbae,” “Hyung,” or “Hyungnim.”

However, Baek Mugyeong wasn’t my senior, and “hyungnim” gave off a dangerous vibe. “Hyung” was the most normal. But even that felt awkward.

However, Baek Mugyeong’s reaction was strange. He blushed again, turned his head slightly to the side, and cleared his throat.

“All of them are fine.”

“You said you liked it, so why are you acting like this, Mugyeong-hyung? Do you realize your ears are completely red? Our Mugyeong-hyungnim is such a shy person.”

Baek Mugyeong, who had said everything was fine, finally looked at me, but his cheeks and ears were still red. It was refreshing to see a man with such great self-control like this. I was so happy that my cheeks, which had risen high, would not go down.

“Ahem. It’s because of you.”

Baek Mugyeong cleared his throat, smiled, and took my hand. His hand was hot and soft, and his gaze was deep. Having experienced this as temptation several times before, a warning signal rang in my head.

“Oh. It won’t work even if you tempt me like that.”

“Why not?”

“Because you have a cold.”

“I’m all better now. I don’t even have a fever.”

“Your face is still red. Let’s eat first. No, wait. You said you wanted to take a shower first, right? Hurry up and take a shower. I’ll heat up the porridge in the meantime.”

I let go of the man’s hand and quickly took a step back. My heart fluttered slightly when I saw his flushed cheeks and smile. Usually, at times like this, I would fall for Baek Mugyeong’s seduction and head straight to bed. The urge to do so now was gnawing at my mind. However, rushing toward a man who was sick with a cold was a matter of conscience.

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. Please go take a shower, Mugyeong-hyung.”

When called “hyung,” Baek Mugyeong became embarrassed again. His face turned red.

“I will call you Minchae-ssi for now.”

“Hahaha. Alright, Mugyeong-ssi. Go wash up and come out.”

I smiled brightly at the shy man and quickly left the bedroom. My footsteps were light, as if walking on clouds.

Dating was good.

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Side Story 02

Dating was difficult.

Baek Mugyeong sat in a corner of the office, looking down at his wristwatch, and thought to himself. It was a watch he had gotten as a couple with Jeong Minchae. As soon as he received the watch from Jeong Minchae last Christmas, he had decided that they should get matching couple watches.

It was two weeks ago that he received the watch he had carefully selected. And it was last weekend that he put the watch on Jeong Minchae’s wrist.

Jeong Minchae was very happy. He smiled brightly with his pretty face.

The problem was that Jeong Minchae’s attitude changed after he looked up the price of the wristwatch. He was surprised by how expensive it was, then double-checked to make sure the price was correct. When Mugyeong offered to buy him another one if he feared losing it, he said he wouldn’t even be able to wear it, but he received a glare in return.

Jeong Minchae stared at the wristwatch for a long time with a complicated expression and even went so far as to say he wouldn’t let it be and told Mugyeong to take it back. He finally accepted it only after he explained that it was a matching couple watch.

Instead, he declared that he would never accept such an expensive gift again. He threatened to return everything unconditionally from now on, whether it was a couple’s watch or anything else.

Baek Mugyeong explained that it wasn’t that expensive, but it didn’t work. Jeong Minchae argued that the wristwatch was expensive since it was in the nine-figure range. They had a minor argument over that.

Jeong Minchae pouted, asking how he could carry around something that was several times more expensive than a car. Baek Mugyeong gently comforted him, saying he just wanted to give his boyfriend something pretty and nice, and that he wanted a couple item. He also promised to discuss expensive gifts with him in the future.

“I really have gone blind.”

Baek Mugyeong whispered and gave a bitter smile. There is a saying that when you fall in love, you’ll give up your liver and gallbladder, and that was exactly how he looked right now. It was strange yet funny that he was flustered by a young lover over just a single gift.

He wanted to give Jeong Minchae only the most precious and best things. With money overflowing, anything was possible. A wristwatch with a nine-figure price tag was nothing.

However, Jeong Minchae flatly said that it shouldn’t be done. He said that even if they are lovers, there are boundaries for a healthy relationship. He specifically emphasized that doing something again after being told not to is the worst thing.

Loving someone was something one could do alone, but dating was something two people did together. Since their life experiences and personalities were different, clashes were inevitable. It was important to invest time and effort to adjust to each other step by step. In that process, differences of opinion might arise, and arguments could occur.