MY 27

Han Seolwoo let out a faint breath as his gaze slowly descended. Then it stopped at the center of Won Wooje’s pants. Won Wooje, suddenly distorting his face, jerked his scowling eyebrows up.

“What are you doing?”

At the question, Han Seolwoo’s eyes curved again as he gave a silly grin. Won Wooje let out a hollow laugh.

“Wow, I’m feeling seriously humiliated. Can I report this? You’ve become so bold.”

“What do you mean, what did I even do.”

“Fuck, honestly it is just that you are abnormally big, but I’m on the damn big side too. It is a size that wouldn’t be outdone anywhere. Didn’t you hear what those small-dick bastards like Choi Sangyoon were saying?”

“Who said anything?”

Han Seolwoo shrugged his shoulders as if it were nothing. Won Wooje, at a loss for words, wore an absurd expression. Even though he himself possessed a pride that far exceeded the average, it was because he could tell at a glance that he was no match for his opponent.

“… I don’t know where those kinds of things came from.”

With a face that looks so pretty, too.

He grumbled, keeping the second half of the thought to himself. The round, yellow moonlight grew deeper.

Arriving at Rose Mansion room 303, the two of them set down their belongings one by one. A faint scent of fabric softener lingered in the room. The fragrance that always came from him was fully permeated within this room as well.

“I’m boiling ramen.”

Won Wooje said as he dropped his bag on the floor with a thud.

“Okay. Should I do it?”

“Forget it, just sit down. Did you bring clothes?”

“No.”

“Open the drawer and just take out anything to wear.”

“Yeah, I’ll wash up and change later.”

“Right, right.”

Han Seolwoo sat cross-legged on the floor, staring blankly. While watching Won Wooje move busily, ding. He shifted his gaze to the phone that let out an electronic sound. Won Wooje’s phone, lying on the floor, was lit up. A message that appeared as a preview notification caught his eye.

Lee Yooncheol hyung: Is this how you act just because you got a girlfriend? lol

Han Seolwoo, staring quietly at the message, looked up at Won Wooje who was walking back and forth in the kitchen.

Is that girlfriend me. Or could he possibly be talking about someone else. His expression hardened at the confusion that suddenly arrived.

“Did you tell people you have a girlfriend?”

“Huh?”

“Lee Yooncheol is asking.”

When he picked up the phone and shook it, Won Wooje, who was turning on the gas stove, nodded.

“Ah. He kept harping on about that unnie we saw back then, so I did it because it was annoying.”

“… .”

“I was planning to say it eventually anyway.”

He had a face that suggested it was no big deal. Han Seolwoo, staring quietly at the phone, blinked. A red heart-shaped icon he was seeing for the first time on the screen caught his eye.

“What is this?”

Han Seolwoo asked. Without even looking this way, he asked back, what?

『 D—DAY+11♥ 』

“D-day eleven days?”

“Ah. That.”

“… .”

“It’s for counting the days we’ve been dating.”

“… Dating days?”

Han Seolwoo’s eyes widened at the words he hadn’t expected at all, not even in the slightest. Won Wooje, who had turned on the faucet, looked at Han Seolwoo while washing his hands.

“It’s to let me know about anniversaries. Understand?”

At the nonchalant tilt of the chin, Han Seolwoo’s heart gave a thumping stir.

“… Since when did things like this even exist?”

“What, did you come from the Joseon Dynasty?”

“No… it’s just that I haven’t done it before.”

“Oho, this body of mine happens to be quite the romantic.”

Won Wooje acted sly. He gave a snickering grin while glancing at Han Seolwoo, who was sitting there dazed.

Han Seolwoo, with his head dropped, quietly toyed with the phone screen. The small red heart appearing in a corner of the standby screen looked exceptionally vivid and pretty.

“… It doesn’t suit you.”

“Attacking me out of the blue?”

“No, it’s not an insult… . Just that it doesn’t suit you. You don’t usually take care of things like this.”

“Since when?”

“Just, all the kids you met so far were like that, and you didn’t even date properly… .”

Han Seolwoo muttered softly. At least regarding dating matters, his temperament tended to be indifferent. He wasn’t that sweet either. To put it nicely, he was a bad boy; to put it poorly, he was a total jerk.

“Is a devotion offered to just anyone really devotion?”

“… .”

“Fuck, that line was amazing, I killed it. Hey, set up the table next to you.”

Han Seolwoo looked up blankly at Won Wooje, who was admiring himself while holding the pot. The white steam rising up shimmered over his face.

… Then am I special. That’s what that means, right?

Thump, thump. His heart started to make a fuss again. It felt ticklish, as if someone were scratching the inside of his chest with feathers. The corners of his mouth kept turning up for no reason.

After eating ramen and even mixing in rice, the two of them washed up in turn. Won Wooje came out while drying his hair with a towel. Han Seolwoo, who had washed first, was lying peacefully on top of the blankets.

“Are you just going to sleep? Aren’t you studying?”

“Yeah, I got tired.”

“Look at you. This is damn unfamiliar?”

“… I’m just going to sleep for today.”

At the words spoken while fiddling with the phone, Won Wooje, who had sauntered over to open the refrigerator door, gulped down some bottled water. It seemed he was very thirsty, perhaps because the ramen was salty.

“Turn off the light when you come over.”

“Yeah.”

After drying his hair with a blow dryer, he straightened up the area and then click, turned off the light. Pitch-black darkness arrived in an instant. He slowly approached and lay down next to Han Seolwoo.

“Ah… I’m damn tired too. I don’t even do anything, but I’m sleepy all day long. Am I getting old? Should I start taking Ursa? Vitamins?”

Lying spread-eagled, he babbled non-nutritious words. Han Seolwoo, who had long since put down his phone and was lying straight, opened his mouth.

“Wooje.”

He then turned on his side toward Won Wooje, resting his head on his arm.

“… You know, I have a favor.”

A moment of silence followed the meaningful words. Han Seolwoo added once more.

“Will you do it for me?”

“What is it.”

Won Wooje let out a suspicious voice. In the vision that had grown accustomed to the darkness, the high bridge of his nose was visible.

“I asked if you would do it.”

“What is it. I have to know what it is to give an answer on whether I’ll do it or not.”

“… You can’t curse at me.”

“Ah, what is it.”

“Can I try holding your hand?”

At the out-of-the-blue words, the surroundings grew quiet. It felt as if the sound of a heartbeat could be heard from somewhere. However, Han Seolwoo whispered without minding.

“There’s no one watching.”

Won Wooje, lying facing the ceiling without a stir, did not answer. The short silence continued for quite a while. Even though his eyes were used to the darkness, he couldn’t see his expression.

In the silence, just as Han Seolwoo was lowering his eyes, thud. Won Wooje’s hand was placed between the two of them. It was a clear sign of permission.

He grew tense in an instant. Han Seolwoo instinctively bit his lips tight. Soon, he slowly reached out his arm and grasped his firm hand as if wrapping around it. A low breath escaped through his teeth. It felt as if his heart were beating right on his palm. Somehow, he felt a bit more courage.

“… Why are you dating me?”

“What?”

“You don’t like me. So why are you dating me.”

He asked without letting go of the hand he held. Even though he knew the reason, he kept being curious and wanting to confirm. Since he had revealed he had a lover and even installed an app, he felt as if an unexpected answer might come back.

Won Wooje, who had been maintaining a stony silence, opened his mouth.

“You said you like me. And I like that you like me.”

“… .”

“Then that’s enough.”

Then he placed his other arm over his eyes with a thud. The monotonous answer, neither excessive nor lacking, was the most Won Wooje-like thing. Han Seolwoo’s brow hardened at the words spoken as if it were no big deal. He felt irritably annoyed for no reason.

Can there really be such blind devotion between friends. He tried blaming him inwardly again, but he didn’t want to let go of the hand he held.

“Are you some kind of volunteer? Why are you sacrificing yourself because of me.”

At the grumbled words, strength entered the interlaced hands. Won Wooje, slowly turning his head, stared at Han Seolwoo in the darkness.

“Why does that kind of thing matter.”

“… .”

“Is there something I’m not doing for you? If you have a grievance, just say it, don’t talk in circles.”

The blunt words were full of fatigue. But Han Seolwoo had no intention of letting it go easily like usual. If you do nothing, nothing happens. He hadn’t followed him all the way here today without any thought.

He knows that Won Wooje is not treating him with sincerity. That was why he hoped he would truly like him.

Won’t it work if I try. If I make him conscious of me in a direction different from how it’s been until now.

He pulled the hand he held toward his side and reached out his other hand.

“When you date… .”

“… .”

“It’s not like this… .”

Then he softly wrapped his arm around Won Wooje’s stiffened waist. It felt as if he could see his flustered face, but he had no intention of stopping.

“You can do things like this too.”

He whispered quietly while pulling Won Wooje into an embrace. As he curled his body more and lowered his head, his forehead touched the warm chest where heat was being transmitted.

“Do you know?”

A vast silence followed. As he slowly raised his head, his hot breath touched the tip of Won Wooje’s chin. At that moment, Won Wooje, whose body gave a large flinch, placed his hand on Han Seolwoo’s shoulder. Then he pushed him away somewhat strongly.

“Stop it.”

The voice, which had sunk low, was sharp.

“Did you watch some strange porn somewhere and come here to act coquettish, do you want to die.”

“… .”

“This is not a motel.”