By Zephyria 
They shared some more trivial stories for a while before leaving the studio as darkness began to settle inside. After exiting the hallway and passing between several buildings, a boisterous group approached from the other side. They seemed to be returning together after finishing dinner.
As Eun-ha passed by them without much thought, the harsh sounds suddenly piercing his ears made him stop abruptly. It was too clear to ignore, and it was malicious slander. As if they wanted him to hear it on purpose. Since they were strangers, it couldn’t be aimed at him.
He turned back, slightly displeased. As if hearing the sound of him stopping, one of the group had already turned around, and their eyes met immediately. When Eun-ha stared straight back without avoiding his gaze, the other person’s face twisted into an unpleasant shape. At least, Eun-ha found it very hideous. Even in that brief moment, he could clearly sense the distorted inner thoughts of the other person.
As he stared back, even more uncomfortable, Yeon-jun carefully supported his arm, as if telling him not to worry. That meant those fierce malicious words were truly directed at him.
“It’s okay. Let’s just go.”
“Why are they doing that?”
“…Well. There’s a bad rumor going around at school.”
“What rumor?”
“That you’re a slut.”
Eun-ha, startled, raised his head. When he asked with his eyes what that meant, Yeon-jun lightly shrugged.
“It seems like that’s what I’ve become without even knowing it.”
“…So it’s a misunderstanding?”
“Yes. It’s all a misunderstanding, but… after receiving similar misunderstandings several times, I wonder if there’s something wrong with me.”
“……”
It was a calm contemplation. What could he say? As he expressed his position with an awkward silence, Yeon-jun responded with a playful smile. Then, he put his hands behind his back and tilted his head. In that instant, a faint, soft Body scent wafted over.
“Is my impression that bad?”
“I don’t know.”
“……”
“You, it’s not that you’re bad, but…”
Eun-ha frowned seriously. He scrutinized the face in front of him intently. As his gaze swept over every detail, Yeon-jun clenched and unclenched his hands tightly behind his back. Eun-ha narrowed his eyes.
“So, you’re…”
Eyes that created a strange feeling, and long, clear eyelashes. The mole on the left side of his eye. White skin and bright red lips. Several piercings piercing his right ear.
How should he explain it? In fact, what came to mind was clear, but his tongue twisted when he tried to say it as it was.
So, in fact, he looked very much like a wh… That word got stuck in his throat. Like someone who, if you went to a club, would sit in the middle of a sofa with countless people under his command. A face that naturally evoked such imaginations. That anyone who recognized your existence would have had an unhealthy imagination at least once…
What am I thinking again? Eun-ha, scolding himself as if slapping his cheek, subtly averted his gaze from the eyes that seemed to be waiting for an answer.
“Sorry.”
“…Wow. What is that answer, really?”
“Honestly, you look like you’d get misunderstood a lot.”
“I hear that sometimes…”
“But anyway, it’s the people who misunderstand you who are wrong.”
“……”
“They’re bad.”
“Well… I think it can happen. It’s not their fault.”
“……”
“Are they bad?”
He quickly realized that he wasn’t talking about the group from before. He was dumbfounded by his nonchalant view. What a good-natured guy.
Eun-ha, distorting his lips, glanced at Yeon-jun and then turned back again. His gaze, which had cooled down in an instant, lingered for a while in the empty space where the group had disappeared. He didn’t like the sight of grown adults childishly revealing their emotions through their attitude. What kind of ranking were they doing from back in the day?
“Anyway, don’t worry too much about it. They’re really bad. Why are they saying such things when people are passing by?”
“I don’t really care.”
“Then that’s good… It’s also good to just take it as a compliment. After all, that kind of thing comes from being handsome.”
“Am I handsome?”
“…Then do you think you’re not?”
“I don’t really care about that either.”
Yeon-jun smiled absentmindedly. Then, he suddenly matched his clear and distinct eyes to Eun-ha’s. Eun-ha, who met his gaze dryly, got the impression that there was a feeling resembling excitement overflowing in those eyes.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“I think sometimes being misunderstood isn’t so bad.”
“……”
“No, I think it’s actually good.”
“……”
At his excited tone, Eun-ha took a step forward without saying anything. He was afraid that if he revealed anything, he would take it and use it as a point to get excited about on his own.
Yeah. I know you like me enough… He thought hollowly and remained consistent with his expressionless face and silence until the end.
Contrary to expectations, his time with Yeon-jun wasn’t very uncomfortable. The age difference and the difference in emotional positions. It was a gap that Eun-ha could hardly accept, so he thought the meeting would be awkward and a bit uncomfortable, but it was surprisingly quite comfortable.
Yeon-jun, whom he had vaguely grasped after spending some time with him, had a somewhat common-sense personality. He was generally gentle and obedient, and surprisingly, there was no frustrating or hesitant aspect to his speech. Rather, there was a sense of ease in his minor attitudes. It wasn’t an arrogant feeling, but more like… a feeling of being unhurried and calm. The type to think about it once more before spitting it out. And in certain areas, he was also a bit indifferent.
But sometimes he showed a clumsy side, such as suddenly sending a blank look for no reason, or blushing his earlobe alone at something he said without any meaning, or fidgeting with his neck and awkwardly turning his gaze away. So it was a bit fun while being together. He didn’t know if he should call that emotion that was revealed transparently without hiding anything new, or if he should call it a long time.
He also had a bit of playfulness, but he didn’t cross the line. If he was a little careless, he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to subtly show that he liked him, but he would never be rude. From that aspect of trying to keep his distance, which came out unconsciously, he could read what kind of person he was. After all, if you see one thing, you can know ten.
A person who grew up well without any wrinkles.
Probably, a very kind and good kid. So Eun-ha was constantly in an awkward mood.
“Do you come here often?”
“Yeah. The Butter French Fries here are delicious.”
Yeon-jun asked as he watched the CEO, who had come to take their order, briefly greet Eun-ha and return. When he explained that he had become acquainted with him by stopping by from time to time when he thought of it, he looked around for a moment. It was a Pub-style store with a good atmosphere, but it was also a place that sold meals separately at lunchtime.
The ordered menu came out, and some more leisurely conversation continued. They had a simple meal with the alcohol they ordered to match the atmosphere of the store. In the middle, there was a commotion when a customer at another table was showing Drunken behavior, and after that, the topic of the various extraordinary troublemakers Eun-ha had met at the cafe continued. Then, he suddenly talked about Yeon-jun’s school for a moment.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“Why are you being so nice to me today?”
Yeon-jun asked that when they had roughly finished their meal and were sipping on the remaining snacks and alcohol.
A tone that was weakly mixed with something that was neither a complaint nor a reproach. Eun-ha answered calmly.
“You told me to be nice to you.”
“……Huh?”
“You said that I have to be nice to you as much as I did wrong, as much as I’m sorry, didn’t you?”
Eun-ha was the only one who did wrong. Yeon-jun said that it was another wrong for him to unilaterally cut him off again. He thought it was an incisive remark that couldn’t find any contradictions. That’s right. He thought he was trying to act a bit dogmatic.
But Eun-ha didn’t know what other choice he could make besides rejecting Yeon-jun. After all, it was a feeling that he couldn’t accept.