By Zephyria 
As soon аs thе next dаy arrivеd, Wоо-уеоn opеnеd his еyes, disсovered thе emрty bеd, and sаt up. Не hаd cleаrly fаllen asleеp while talking with Dо-hyun, but upon wаking, Do-hуun wаs nowhere to be fоund. No matter whеrе hе lооked, therе was nо trаce оf him.
‘Сould it be… did he alrеadу lеave?’
Аt thаt thоught, Wоо-yеоn sprаng from the bed like a relеased sрring. It had beеn so long sincе he hаd seen Dо-hуun. It made nо sense fоr him to lеаve whilе hе was slееping. Еvеn if hе had to gо, hе should hаvе wоkеn Woo-yeon up.
Still half-asleep, Woo-yeon hurried toward the bedroom door. Just as he was about to open it, dragging his indoor slippers along, the door connected to the study suddenly clicked open. The person who stepped out was Do-hyun.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
“…Why are you coming out from there?”
Woo-yeon let go of the doorknob and slowly approached Do-hyun. With a soft, beautiful smile, Do-hyun opened his arms and pulled Woo-yeon into an embrace. A cozy warmth rushed over him along with the scent of pheromones.
“I went to the bathroom and saw the room where we used to have tutoring, so I checked it out. Sorry for going in without permission.”
“I thought you had gone home.”
“Where would I go, leaving you behind?”
Long fingers gently ruffled through his hair. Even without looking in a mirror, Woo-yeon knew his hair must be a messy bird’s nest. Do-hyun stroked the crown and back of his head, then pressed a soft kiss onto the top of his head.
“Your black hair is pretty, too.”
An absent-minded laugh escaped Woo-yeon. It was because Do-hyun’s voice was overflowing with affection. As Woo-yeon nuzzled against him, Do-hyun kissed him a couple more times.
The two headed down to the first floor before the atmosphere could become too suggestive. In the kitchen, a meal prepared by the employee was waiting, and in one corner of the living room, a pile of mysterious boxes was stacked high. Do-hyun, who had been eating silently, suddenly asked a question.
“Was it like this every year?”
“Pardon?”
Every year? He didn’t know what he was talking about. Meals were prepared every morning, and the employee rarely crossed paths with Woo-yeon.
“Well, always…”
As Woo-yeon trailed off vaguely, Do-hyun’s expression turned serious. He frowned and sank into thought for a long while. Then, he spoke casually.
“Ga-ram said she moved.”
“Moved?”
“Yeah, looks like she moved from a studio to a two-room place.”
He had wondered why there had been no contact since the break started; it seemed she had been busy moving. As Woo-yeon nodded slowly, Do-hyun asked in a suggestive voice.
“Want to go visit?”
* * *
Aside from Do-hyun, Woo-yeon had never visited anyone else’s home. Furthermore, a space with the title of a ‘studio apartment’ was practically an unknown world to him. To Woo-yeon, the suggestion to ‘go visit Ga-ram’s place’ was more fluttering than a proposal to go to an amusement park.
As soon as they finished their meal, they took a taxi to Ga-ram’s. He could have had the employee arrange a car, but he didn’t particularly want to notify the household. Do-hyun called a taxi without a word and meticulously helped Woo-yeon put on his outerwear.
“The weather is a bit cool.”
After getting out of the taxi, they walked side by side under a single umbrella. Since Do-hyun had held the umbrella for him from the moment they left the house, he had forgotten to pack a spare. The umbrella was too narrow for two people, and their shoulders would poke out unless they pressed closely together, but that wasn’t a bad thing either.
“You’re not getting wet, right?”
“I’m fine… but isn’t your shoulder getting wet, Hyung?”
“I’m fine too.”
One step, then another. With every stride, water droplets splashed. The drizzling rain tapped rhythmically against the umbrella. Woo-yeon looked up at Do-hyun sideways and gripped his arm tightly.
“I think I like rainy days.”
Having someone other than Driver Yoon hold the umbrella. Sharing one umbrella with someone else. Even walking the streets on a rainy day like this.
Everything he was doing for the first time was okay, simply because he was with Do-hyun. Every time their shoulders brushed, his heart fluttered just as it had when he had a one-sided crush on him. With a pleasant smile, Do-hyun tilted the umbrella toward Woo-yeon.
Ga-ram’s place was a newly built villa not far from the university. He had to enter a passcode at the entrance, and as soon as Do-hyun called, Ga-ram came down. Wearing an oversized T-shirt and lime-colored shorts, her presence was vivid even from beyond the door.
“Oh, Woo-yeon dyed his hair?”
He thought she had come down quickly, but her shoes were mismatched. One foot had a flip-flop, and the other had a light-blue three-stripe slipper. It was a colorful, chaotic sight.
“I haven’t unpacked everything, so it’s a bit of a mess, just deal with it. Seon-kyu got here a bit ago.”
Ga-ram spoke in a lowered voice as she led the way up the stairs.
The narrow, low stairs were a bit tight for two people to climb together. Woo-yeon followed her, glancing around secretly.
“Kwon Seon-gyu! The kids are here!”
“Welcome.”
Seon-kyu greeted Do-hyun and Woo-yeon while sitting in the living room as if it were his own home. It had only been a week, so it wasn’t as if he could have changed much; he looked exactly as he did on the day the semester ended.
“Nice place. It’s clean.”
Do-hyun glanced around casually while closing the front door. Woo-yeon didn’t miss the chance and followed Do-hyun’s gaze. The kitchen appeared as soon as they took off their shoes, and after about three steps, the bedroom door was visible. He hadn’t known it could be this fascinating to see the entire interior of a house at a single glance.
“First time in a house this small, right?”
Ga-ram patted Woo-yeon’s shoulder with a bright smile. Woo-yeon, who had been looking up at the ceiling, suddenly turned to Ga-ram.
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
“Wow, look at him not even denying it.”
Fortunately, she didn’t look offended. If anything, she seemed amused. Giggling, Ga-ram kicked a pile of luggage aside.
“Just pushing these things to the side… but why did you two come empty-handed to a new house?”
“Wow, I didn’t take you two for that kind of people. I even bought toilet paper!”
Ignoring the pouring ridicule, Do-hyun sat down near Seon-kyu. Woo-yeon, after glancing around, sat cross-legged beside him. Perhaps because he wasn’t used to it, the posture felt quite uncomfortable.
“Order whatever you want to eat. My treat.”
“Hey, I’ve been waiting for those words. Seon-kyu, open the app.”
Because there was no furniture, their voices echoed and boomed.
The inside of the house was cluttered, and the sound of rain could be heard outside. Despite it not being a pleasant environment by any means, his mood was simply elated.
“Should we have Chinese food?”
“Man, the rich guy is paying, so we have to eat something expensive.”
“But you usually eat Jajangmyeon when you move.”
“They deliver single bowls here too, you want me to order one for you?”
“No, I want to eat something expensive.”
“Good grief.”
If he hadn’t come out, he surely would have spent today wasting time. He would have just stared blankly at the rain in an empty house. As always, he would have drifted in depression until the rainy season ended.
“What are we eating? Chicken, to keep it simple?”
“Woo-yeon can’t eat chicken.”
“Then pizza?”
“I had pizza yesterday.”
“I’m really not letting Kwon Seon-gyu off the hook.”
“Ah, why are you only picking on me?”
Woo-yeon swallowed a laugh as he listened to Ga-ram and Seon-kyu bicker. It seemed they never got tired; whenever the two were together, the chatter never stopped. And it was all completely useless conversation.
“How about sushi? Kim Do-hyun likes sushi.”
Ga-ram said this while pointing at Do-hyun. Learning for the first time that ‘Kim Do-hyun likes sushi,’ Woo-yeon instinctively turned his gaze. Do-hyun wasn’t paying attention to the conversation; he was just staring intently at Woo-yeon.
“…You liked sushi?”
The question came out almost reflexively. Because Do-hyun’s eyes were full of a feeling that he was cute, Woo-yeon’s lips moved, unable to overcome the embarrassment. Seeing this, Do-hyun’s eyes crinkled into a soft smile.
“Yeah, I like sushi.”
Woo-yeon felt his face flushing hot. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen that smile once or twice, but he didn’t know why it felt so different every single time. While Woo-yeon pressed his earlobes, Ga-ram began picking a menu from the highest-rated sushi restaurant.
And so, the menu they chose was sushi, pizza, and Tteokbokki. Despite the bold claim of ordering something expensive, it wasn’t much different from what they usually ate. Ga-ram lamented their choices, saying that only people who have actually eaten good food know how to order.
“Come to think of it, grades will be out soon.”
“Ugh, you’re right. This is bad, I messed up my finals.”
Luckily, the food all arrived around the same time. Since there was no proper table, Ga-ram just laid out some cardboard boxes and opened the packaging on top of them. It was the first time since the night they drank during the Membership Training that he had eaten something placed on the floor.
“Our study goal was 4.0, right?”
“My ass. We couldn’t do a thing for the study at the end. Who the hell is 4.0?”
“Woo-yeon, do you think your grades will be good?”
At Seon-kyu’s question, Woo-yeon shook his head, saying he didn’t know. He felt he had done reasonably well, but since it was his first time receiving final credits, it was hard to be certain. Still, with Do-hyun’s help, he would likely be in the upper tier.
“Did you two date a lot? I intentionally didn’t contact you so you guys could hang out.”
“I couldn’t even meet him because I went to my parents’ house.”
“Ah, what? If I’d known that, I would’ve contacted you without worrying about the mood.”
Woo-yeon gave a vague answer to Ga-ram, who seemed to think he must have been bored. When asked what he did, he mentioned the movies, exercise, and swimming, just as he had to Do-hyun. Ga-ram showed interest in the movies, and Seon-kyu’s eyes widened at the mention of a pool.
“You can come visit when you have time.”
“Where? Your house?”
“Yes. You can watch movies, and you can use the pool…”
“Awesome. Ji Su-hyang’s house… no, it’s my first time going to such a huge house.”
Since Soo-hyang was mostly not home, she wouldn’t mind whoever came. The employee would actually be happier if guests came. Last time, when he mentioned a friend was coming, hadn’t they prepared a magnificent dinner?
‘I should make sure we don’t drink champagne this time,’ Woo-yeon thought to himself.
Even after eating, they rolled around the house for a long time. They kept eating the leftovers until nightfall, and in between, Ga-ram ordered coffee and cake.
They had done nothing but eat, lie down, and chatter, yet it was already close to midnight.
“Ahem.”
And so, with ten minutes left until 12 o’clock. Just as he was thinking it was time to head back, Ga-ram cleared his throat awkwardly. He nudged Do-hyun with his foot and jerked his chin toward the entrance.
“Hey, go out with Woo-yeon and buy some ice cream.”
It was almost a command, but Do-hyun stood up obediently. As he reached out his hand, Woo-yeon also awkwardly rose to his feet.
“Shouldn’t we be leaving now?”
“Stay and play more. It’s a house where she lives alone anyway.”
“Right, right. Hyung, I want a cone.”
Woo-yeon tilted his head while holding Do-hyun’s hand. It was hard to explain, but the atmosphere felt strange. Even if no one else did, Seon-kyu’s expression was awkwardly frozen.
“Let’s go, Yeon-ah.”
Well, it must be his imagination. Trying to shake off the uneasy feeling, Woo-yeon slipped his feet into his shoes. At that moment, Woo-yeon failed to see Do-hyun secretly exchanging glances with the others.