By Zephyria 
Wоо-уeon staуеd in Do-hyun’s аrms for a lоng timе. Тhе drу рheromоnеs аnd the faint sсent of fabriс softеner gеntly mеlted thе lumр fоrmed in his heаrt. Do-hуun softly strokеd his lower baсk, occаsionаllу hesitating as if to touсh his hair beforе stоррing.
Вy the timе theу rеturned to thе сlub room, more timе had раssed than hе ехреctеd. Wоo-уeon was surprised by hоw long he hаd been hеld, and then blushed uрon rеalizing that his оwn рheromоnes had bеen еrаsed bу Dо-hyun’s. Unfоrtunаtelу, his еаrs turned bright red, fоrсing him to hаbituаllу рress on his earlobes.
“Anyway, that’s how the festival will go. Don’t think about opening a pub; try planning something else.”
The Teaching Assistant provided various instructions regarding the festival in May. While the sale of alcohol on campus had been banned for a long time, he mentioned that censorship would be more rigorous this year. Ga-ram expressed the most disappointment at the news that they couldn’t open a pub.
“That’s right, Woo-yeon.”
“Yes?”
Woo-yeon, who had been sitting blankly on the sofa, snapped his head up. His cheeks were still tinged pink from the aftermath of the hug. The Teaching Assistant spoke casually while looking at him.
“I heard you did well on your exam.”
“Huh, Oppa…”
Ga-ram looked at Woo-yeon with an awkward expression. She likely remembered how depressed he had been after failing the English Phonology exam. Woo-yeon also recalled his promise to Do-hyun, but he nodded stiffly to avoid showing his disappointment.
“I worked hard.”
“Yeah, if you keep it up for the finals, you might even be able to aim for a scholarship.”
After saying that, the Teaching Assistant stood up to leave. Seeing the faint smile on his face, Woo-yeon managed to soothe his lingering disappointment. Although he had failed one subject, the fact that the TA spoke like that meant his grades were certainly not bad.
Click. As soon as the door closed, Ga-ram plopped down opposite Woo-yeon as if she had been waiting. A subtly heavy atmosphere lingered among the four people on the sofa. No one spoke, but it was already decided who had to open their mouth.
“…First.”
Woo-yeon began softly, glancing between the three of them. Unlike Do-hyun, who remained silent, Ga-ram and Seon-kyu looked incredibly nervous. Seeing them like that brought a small smile to his face.
“The presentation went well. The professor praised me, saying I did a good job.”
I can’t believe they can be this proactive about something that isn’t even their own business. Since entering university and meeting them, Woo-yeon had learned that there are many different kinds of kindness.
“Kang Jun-seong probably won’t get any points. The professor told us to reach an agreement among ourselves and come back together, but I’m not going back.”
“Is he saying anything?”
“He was angry… but that’s it. There’s nothing he can do anyway.”
“Ah… thank goodness.”
The two let out deep sighs of genuine relief. Watching them both brush their chests in relief, Woo-yeon lowered his gaze toward the table. He could feel Do-hyun observing him with those habitually calm eyes.
“It’s all thanks to your help. Thank you.”
In just two days, he had completed an assignment that earned high praise from the professor. It would have been impossible without Do-hyun, Ga-ram, and Seon-kyu. If Woo-yeon had been in their position, would he have helped so proactively? Thinking about how tedious it must have been, he couldn’t help but feel grateful.
“Oh, stop with the thanks.”
“Right, we just did what was natural.”
Ga-ram waved her hand dismissively with an openly happy face. Seon-kyu also rubbed the tip of his nose bashfully. Only Do-hyun nodded and spoke in a low voice.
“You worked hard.”
“…”
Woo-yeon kept his head lowered, chewing on the inside of his cheek. Just as he had felt when receiving the messages from his teammates, a hot surge welled up in his throat. He thought he had let the lump go while in Do-hyun’s arms, but his heart began to cluster together again, forming small, soft knots.
“Right, you worked hard. Group projects are truly the worst thing in the world.”
“They really are. I have a group project too…”
He couldn’t hear what they were saying. At some point, the emotions began to overflow, rising before Woo-yeon could stop them. From his solar plexus to his throat, from his throat to his nose, and finally from his nose to his eyes. Simultaneously, something dropped onto the back of his clenched hand.
“…”
“…”
Woo-yeon clenched his teeth as he felt the surroundings go silent. He squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, but there was no way to stop the heart that had already begun to flow. Drip, drip—tears fell silently, wetting his hands and thighs in turn.
“I’ll just… for a moment…”
Woo-yeon spoke slowly and awkwardly stood up. He intended to escape to a place where no one could see him while he still could. But before he could fully stand, a gentle voice called him back.
“Come here.”
With red-rimmed eyes, Woo-yeon looked toward Do-hyun. Just as he had in the hallway, Do-hyun held out one hand and gazed steadily at him. He waited calmly for Woo-yeon, then, deciding it wasn’t working, gave a light flick of his fingers.
“Hurry.”
As if collapsing, Woo-yeon landed in Do-hyun’s arms. As he rested his knees on the sofa and buried his face in Do-hyun’s shoulder, he heard a thin sigh. Do-hyun held Woo-yeon’s body firmly and slowly patted his lean back.
“Where are you going while crying?”
The low voice wrapped around his ear. Like a fuse being lit, sorrow surged over him in an instant. The tears he had suppressed burst out in the blink of an eye, and Woo-yeon unconsciously gripped Do-hyun’s clothes.
“Hic…”
He didn’t want to sob, but his shoulders shook. His vision blurred, and his breath hitched at the edge of his chin. While he poured out his tears, Ga-ram snapped awake and jumped up from her seat.
“Why, why are you crying, Woo-yeon!”
Ga-ram hovered nearby, flustered and not knowing what to do. She asked if that bastard had bullied him that much, telling him to calm down because she would scold him. Looking more frantic than anyone, she didn’t even dare to touch Woo-yeon.
Meanwhile, a restless Seon-kyu brought tissues and handed them to Do-hyun. Do-hyun gave a subtle glance toward the table and adjusted his hold on the small body. Woo-yeon, who had been wailing like a child, fidgeted and burrowed deeper into the embrace.
“What’s wrong, are you okay?”
Seon-kyu asked in a worried voice, but Woo-yeon couldn’t answer. This was because Woo-yeon himself didn’t know why he was crying. Was it because the struggle with Jun-seong had been painful, or because he had been stressed without realizing it? Or was it that the comfort of the three of them had softened his hardened heart?
One thing was certain: this time, the hot stone had subsided even further. Under the worried gazes of the three, Woo-yeon cried his heart out in Do-hyun’s arms, just as he had when he was sixteen.
* * *
Only after a very long time did Woo-yeon finally stop crying. When he lifted his head, his pale face was completely blotchy and red. Do-hyun wiped away the tears with his thumb, tidied his messy bangs, and asked a single question: if he was done crying.
The study session, which everyone had naturally forgotten, was vaguely postponed. Only Do-hyun remembered, but he said it would be good to take a day off since midterms were over. He packed his things to leave first and, as he had done once before, took Woo-yeon’s bag hostage.
‘I’ll take you home.’
“Your head must ache.”
“My head is fine, but my eyes hurt.”
Woo-yeon sat in the passenger seat of Do-hyun’s car and leaned his head against the window. Because he had cried so much unexpectedly, his eyes felt stiff and stinging. It was a relief that it was afternoon; if it had been night, a goldfish would have asked to be friends with him by tomorrow morning.
“It’s a relief only one of the two hurts.”
Do-hyun spoke playfully as he turned the car toward Woo-yeon’s apartment. Thanks to having come for a study session once, he found the way smoothly without having to ask. Lightly touching his warm eyes, Woo-yeon spoke tentatively.
“…I heard this from Ga-ram Noona last time.”
From the moment he got in the car, the words he heard from Ga-ram during the Membership Training came back to him. The story about how she had been scolded just for sitting in the passenger seat. Woo-yeon glanced at Do-hyun’s profile and asked as if it had just occurred to him.
“I heard you hate having anyone in the passenger seat.”
Do-hyun kept his gaze fixed forward, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. Conversely, he frowned a bit, creating an ambiguous expression where it was unclear if he was smiling or not. After a subtle, ambiguous pause, Do-hyun spoke slowly.
“I don’t just let anyone ride.”
Did those words mean that he was at least not ‘anyone’? Woo-yeon felt regret that he couldn’t look Do-hyun in the eye because he was driving. If he could examine his expression closely, he might have been able to confirm what those words meant. Of course, even if he did confirm it, the possibility of it being what he hoped for was slim.
“So…”
Do-hyun began softly and glanced at Woo-yeon. Woo-yeon, who had been observing Do-hyun until then, flushed deeply the moment their eyes met. He wondered how long this would last; his heart raced every time their eyes locked.
“Is there a movie you want to see?”
Do-hyun brought up a new topic in a casual tone. Woo-yeon blinked blankly. A movie? It was a sudden change of subject after talking about the passenger seat. Whether Do-hyun knew of his confusion or not, he simply narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Yun-woo Hyung told me.”
Woo-yeon’s eyes widened in disbelief. Because of the lingering tears, the area around his eyes was still flushed red. Stopping the car at a signal, Do-hyun rested his wrist on the steering wheel and turned his head sideways.
“He said you did well on your exam.”
It was a voice so sweet it felt like it could melt. Hearing those words directly, Woo-yeon was swept over by a ticklish feeling, as if he had eaten a spoonful of honey.
Just as Woo-yeon’s anticipation swelled, Do-hyun’s lips curled up pleasantly.
“I’ll show you a movie.”
It felt as if all the distress he had felt until now was being washed away. Failing English Phonology, struggling with the group project—it all melted away as if it had never happened. When Do-hyun asked kindly when would be a good time, Woo-yeon didn’t hesitate to answer.
Right now, even this very moment.
Tomorrow, the day after—any time was fine with him.