By Zephyria 
“…I thought we were done talking about this?”
“Running away on your own doesn’t count as finishing the conversation.”
“Ah, come on.”
Hmph. Min-gyu let out a huff, his nose twitching with a prickly expression.
“Hey.”
“……?”
“We both hung around each other the same way, so are you the only one who was sincere? I was sincere too, you bastard.”
“What….”
“Ah, now that I’ve realized it, our Song-i is ten times prettier, cuter, and sexier.”
“What, what…?”
At first, Yi-ho didn’t quite process what he heard, and then he shuddered in disgust. What kind of bullshit was that?
“Song Yi-ho. I admit there was a time when I was swinging and missing, but don’t underestimate my feelings for you so easily.”
The moment those words were spoken, Yi-ho couldn’t help but hold his breath for a second.
“I was just an idiot who didn’t know what these emotions were.”
“…….”
Yi-ho was confused. In a single night, he lost his home… and now Cha Min-gyu was suddenly acting like someone who had been shot in the head….
As Yi-ho rubbed his face vigorously, unable to find the words, Min-gyu crossed his arms confidently.
“So, I have no intention of ending this conversation. You said you had a one-sided crush for at least ten years. Isn’t it too unfair to tell me to stop when I’ve been at it for less than a week?”
“So… what exactly are you planning to do.”
“I think my way of having a crush is very different from Song-i’s. I’m the type to cling to someone’s pant leg and beg them to date me. I only figured that out thanks to you.”
“…….”
“I’ll actively seduce you by feeding you delicious food, too.”
The presence of the spicy seasoning grew in his empty stomach like carbonation. It boiled up like foam, making his insides feel hot.
“Ah, and Song Yi-ho, becoming someone else’s lover is also forbidden.”
“What…?”
“I understand why you avoided dating. I know you better than anyone in the world, so it’s not that I don’t know how you reached that conclusion.”
“…….”
“But if you decide you want to date, it has to be me. You have to take responsibility for the looks you’ve given me.”
“…….”
He probably brought this up on purpose as the meal was winding down. The large plate of stir-fried baby octopus was empty, save for a few pieces of vegetable. Min-gyu stood up, picking up the empty dishes.
Even in the awkward atmosphere, Yi-ho, possessing a shred of conscience for being treated to a meal, spoke up quickly.
“…I’ll… handle the cleanup.”
At that, Min-gyu looked at him and curled the corners of his mouth.
“Interfering with Cha Min-gyu’s housekeeping is forbidden for people who aren’t lovers.”
∗ ∗ ∗
About twelve hours after that meal where he heard a declaration like a storm, Yi-ho couldn’t understand why he was in the exact same situation again.
The only small difference was that the food on the table was a yellow, luscious omelet. It looked as if five or six eggs had been used per person; a small hill had practically risen on the plate.
Unlike Yi-ho, who finished getting ready for work in five minutes, Min-gyu—who had to leave for the office—woke his temporary housemate up early. Then, he placed today’s breakfast in front of Yi-ho, who had stumbled out with bedhead, and sat across from him.
“…It’s, a bit much.”
While he was grateful for the meal, Yi-ho usually skipped breakfast more often than not… and since he had been tossed and turned all night only to be sat at the table while barely awake, he didn’t feel like he could swallow anything, no matter how soft the food was.
Of course, the moment he took a bite, he felt that the fluffy eggs and the mushrooms, cheese, and vegetables inside were delicious. But the portion was simply too large to begin with.
“Can I save some and eat the rest for lunch?”
Min-gyu, who was vigorously polishing off a similar amount of omelet, looked at Yi-ho’s remaining portion. He curled the center of his lips dissatisfiedly, like a picky restaurant owner who chooses his guests.
“Packaging fees are extra for people who aren’t lovers.”
“…How much?”
“One million won.”
It was an exorbitant price that made Yi-ho’s eyes widen.
“Give me… a discount.”
Min-gyu’s gaze fell on Yi-ho’s unfinished plate. He stood up and brought over an airtight container and a paring knife. He then sliced the remaining omelet and put the part that hadn’t been touched by the fork into the container.
“Since you’re a friend and not a lover, I’ll give you a discount. Just pay ten thousand won.”
“…Do you take bank transfers?”
“Yeah. No cash receipts, though.”
After hesitating for a moment in front of the transfer screen, Yi-ho added another zero and sent one hundred thousand won. He felt he should at least send some money to cover the food expenses he was draining while living there.
Only after confirming the transfer did Min-gyu place the airtight container in front of Yi-ho.
Yi-ho was provided lodging in this house, and Min-gyu handled most of the meals. Considering that, he wouldn’t have had any grounds to complain even if he were told to pay a full million won for rent and food combined. But instead, what Min-gyu had taken was solely the ‘non-lover fee.’
“Oh, the tip is generous. I’ll use this to make boiled pork this weekend.”
It seemed that even those hundred thousand won were destined to return to Yi-ho. The entire situation made the inside of his heart sting.
Yi-ho finished work at 6 PM and headed to the sink with the dishes and water cup he had used. The sparkling clean shine of the kitchen felt like Min-gyu was nagging him to scrub everything properly. Thanks to that, he finished the dishes meticulously and wiped away every stray droplet of water.
After finishing the dishes, he went to the house across the hall to check its condition.
“Damn it….”
The wallpaper, damp from the leak, had developed black mold after being exposed to high temperature and humidity. Yi-ho had reached the point where he thought it might actually be better if a ghost appeared in the house. The news that the rainy season would continue until next week was scarier than any ghost story.
He roughly changed the basin and towels catching the leak and returned to Min-gyu’s house. Coming from an extremely dirty place to a place with the opposite atmosphere made everywhere feel like a five-star hotel. And he felt like a nuisance of a guest…. Unable to withstand the guilt, he ran the vacuum and scrubbed the study he had used with wet wipes until the long summer sun set. Not wanting to leave a mark on the well-organized home, he went to a nearby burger joint for dinner before returning.
The homeowner didn’t return until Yi-ho had sat on the living room sofa and confirmed that the sky had turned completely dark. As predicted the day before, the company dinner had run late.
Until now, he had thought he was halfway cohabitating with Min-gyu. However, there was a significant difference between having the front door between them and not having it. When he was in the house across the hall, he didn’t mind Min-gyu’s absence for a day or two. Yi-ho also had times when he left the house to go to drinking parties that didn’t include Min-gyu or to visit Mok-dong. But in the same space, the emptiness of a person who should have arrived not being there was more substantial than he thought.
While he sat in the living room, a rerun of a variety show flowed by meaninglessly. A rookie idol was being teased by the MC and panelists and danced as a penalty. Even though he was being teased, he moved passionately. The MC, who had created the situation, sat indifferently as if he had simply followed the script.
As time passed after getting a job, the parts of him that succumbed to inertia gradually increased. The familiar commute, errors that no longer flustered him, and team members whose individual traits he had already figured out. And gradually, he hoped that such stability would not be shaken. He hoped that things that made his heart race, things he poured his heart and soul into, and things that felt suffocating would stop coming his way. It was the same with his one-sided crush.
The reason he had caused such a fuss internally—even thinking about kidnapping him to the Netherlands—was because he had convinced himself it was a hopeless relationship. He thought he could live like that for the rest of his life, and that he had come too far as a friend to change the definition of the person called Cha Min-gyu now.
“Sigh….”
The problem was that a part of his mind had begun to view Min-gyu’s attitude and everything that had unfolded recently as hope. His heart was racing again to the point of pain.
The Cha Min-gyu who brought up dating—though not with the same feelings—and the current Cha Min-gyu seemed somehow different. That was the starting point of the confusion.
The hardened inertia of a thirty-three-year-old was shaking violently. He felt like he was in a car speeding so fast it made him motion sick. And the driver, detestably, wrapped his hand around Yi-ho’s hand, which was trembling as he gripped the seatbelt. That was the current Cha Min-gyu. He looked after Yi-ho, but he never slowed down.
What exactly do your words mean.
While he didn’t want to face him, he also wanted to see him. With that thought, he sat on the sofa and stared at the front door for a long time.
After midnight, Yi-ho dragged the mattress he had rolled up in the living room and spread it in the study. He lay down and turned on his phone. There were no particular messages from Min-gyu.
Himself, still terrified of the change in their relationship.
And Cha Min-gyu, charging toward him like a storm.
Yi-ho pondered what message he could send to his friend. In the end, he barely managed to complete two lines.
[Call me if it’s hard to come home]
[I’ll come pick you up]
Min-gyu checked it unexpectedly quickly. And a reply came immediately.
Cha Min-gyu
[It’s okay. Just sleep.]
It was a neat message that didn’t seem to have a hint of drunkenness. He must have definitely paced himself today. Yi-ho turned his phone face down and pressed his head deep into the pillow.
Tomorrow was the weekend, the day the days of the week circled back to. It was the day Min-gyu wouldn’t go to work and would be in the house with him.
“…….”
He could no longer gauge what would happen. Thus, it was difficult to fall asleep properly, and he tossed and turned on the blanket several times.
Anyway, why is he so late….
He wondered if he was being held up by someone like Department Head Gye, or if he had gotten too drunk like that one time. His useless imagination only flared up at times like this. Even though he knew that Cha Min-gyu was a team leader, and with his build and personality, nothing bad would happen.
Yi-ho closed his eyes but kept his phone right in front of his forehead. So that no matter how dull Song Yi-ho was, he would know the moment he heard a vibration or a ringtone. But even without doing that, sleep wouldn’t come.
Just as he had kept his eyes closed long enough that he was about to hypnotize his body into thinking it had fallen asleep, the sound of the door lock echoed. Yi-ho’s hours of effort went straight down the drain. He was wide awake.
The front door opened, shoes stepped onto the tile, and the sound of clothes brushing followed. The presence of someone outside was substantial, but the footsteps were almost silent.
The steps that scanned the living room turned and approached Yi-ho. Before he opened the study door, Yi-ho turned his body to face away from the entrance. The approaching steps finally opened the door.
“…….”
In the silence, Min-gyu leaned down. A palm pressed gently onto the body covered by the blanket, and then he let out a long breath. As if he were relieved.
“…You didn’t drink much.”
The smell of alcohol felt at the tip of his nose came only from the clothes; it was barely detectable in Min-gyu’s breath. Startled by the voice of the person he thought was asleep, Min-gyu let out a small laugh and spoke.
“Someone told me to drink in moderation and sleep, so I restrained myself.”
Yi-ho’s sigh leaked out quietly.
“I thought you said you wouldn’t listen to interference if we aren’t lovers.”
“…Well. I give friend discounts sometimes. I wanted to listen.”
“…….”
“Song-i Song-i, after going to the drinking party today, I realized why I drank all the alcohol by myself in front of the Department Head back then.”
“You drank it instead of me.”
“That was a small part of it, but there was something bigger than that.”
“……?”
“I guess I wanted to look cool and bluff in front of you. Pretending to be mature, pretending to be good at social life, pretending to save you from a difficult situation….”
“…….”
“Since that’s not the case, today I could just secretly fill my glass with water, pretend to be drunk, and leave.”
Min-gyu plopped down, sitting his hips right on the mattress. Yi-ho’s shoulders, which had been facing the door, slowly turned sideways, and finally, he turned his head toward him.
A hand approached Yi-ho’s face as he lay there. Min-gyu’s fingertips slowly descended along the line of his forehead.
“Did you hate it when I touched you like this even when I thought of you as just a friend?”
“…I never hated it.”
“Not once?”
“Yeah.”
Exhaling the breath he had been holding, Yi-ho also sat up.
The distance between him and Min-gyu was close enough that they could hear each other’s breathing. Not only Yi-ho, but a certain taut tension could be felt from Min-gyu as well.
“Song Yi-ho, do you still think telling me you like me was a mistake?”
His face was not clearly visible, hidden by the darkness. Yi-ho’s fingertips trembled slightly, and he soon clenched his fists tight.
He was tired of it now, too. Feeling anxious over the existence of Cha Min-gyu. The mixing of an undefined, vague relationship.
That became the first and last step Yi-ho took.
For the first time in his life, Yi-ho felt he wanted to throw out a result without testing it first, not knowing what would happen.
“Min-gyu.”
“It’s been a long time since you called me that.”
Yi-ho’s hand gripped Min-gyu’s arm tightly, and his smile stopped. In the darkness, one shadow approached the other. Passing the place where hot breath could be felt, their lips met.
It tasted slightly of alcohol.
And it was much hotter than he had thought. The trembling felt on the lips likely came from himself.
Min-gyu accepted Yi-ho’s action without moving from the spot. When they pulled their lips apart, he could tell the other’s eyes were wide open.
“This is the kind of relationship I want to have with you. …Is the relationship I want the same as the one you’re thinking of?”
“…….”
Heh. A short laugh, mostly consisting of the sound of wind, burst out.
“Ah, right. Between friends, a kiss is supposed to feel unpleasant.”
“…….”
“…I’ve been nothing but a complete moron for 15 years.”
Immediately after, as if a huge mountain were collapsing over him, Min-gyu suddenly covered him.
“Mmph…!”
Their lips were covered just like before, but this time it was completely different. Min-gyu pushed Yi-ho’s mouth open and mixed their breaths deeply. Yi-ho’s upper body, in contact with Min-gyu’s, tried to surge up in surprise, but failed because of the hands firmly gripping both his arms.
His body collapsed onto the mattress. Min-gyu slid his tongue into Yi-ho’s open mouth. It was a scene similar to a dream Yi-ho had once had. Unlike the dream created only by Yi-ho’s meager imagination, Min-gyu’s kiss was much more wet and thrilling.
A hot tongue swept relentlessly through the inside of his teeth and the root of his tongue. His limbs, which had been cool from the air conditioner, began to burn with a tingling sensation. Tilting his head to enter deeper into Yi-ho’s mouth, Min-gyu slid one knee over the side of his lean waist. Naturally, Yi-ho became trapped between his legs. Like a predator consuming prey that had been completely cornered, the tongue entered deeper into the mouth.
“Ngh.”
Min-gyu held Yi-ho’s shoulders, which were trying to shrink away, and continued to dig in relentlessly. Yi-ho’s tongue mixed with his, swept away like a whirlpool without even knowing what this was.
He ran out of breath. His mind, not knowing what to do, forgot how to breathe, so Min-gyu opened the gap between their lips once in a while to let him breathe. Even in those moments, the fact that he was licking or biting Yi-ho’s lips meant he had no intention of ending it easily.
The breath that followed the roughened respiration trembled. Min-gyu’s silhouette also heaved up and down. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the contours of the face began to appear. Min-gyu’s lips, which he thought would be smiling even in this situation, only exhaled hurried breaths mixed with excitement. And the direction of his gaze was clearly fixed on Yi-ho himself.
“Ha, hyaa, ah….”
He had kissed Cha Min-gyu.
Only after barely catching his breath did the realization and shock arrive belatedly.