SMW 50

Looking over Choi Seol’s shoulder, I saw a truck carrying people in its cargo bed speeding toward us. My heart sank instantly. I hurriedly tapped Choi Seol’s shoulder.

“Hey. Put me down, quick.”

“I told you I don’t want to.”

“People are coming.”

“And?”

This bastard.

Desperate times call for desperate measures; I cast a glance toward the truck. They looked like locals from the village. Two grown men in this position—anyone would find it suspicious. I was already anxious enough about what the village head had said. I gnawed on my lower lip in agitation.

“I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

“…….”

Only then did Choi Seol react. I hurriedly followed up.

“I said I was wrong. I won’t play a prank like this again, so please put me down.”

Dammit, I was the one being played again.

This guy didn’t have the basic attitude of someone in a one-sided love. Aren’t you supposed to want to give in to the person you like? At the very least, he should have wavered if I bowed my head like this. Far from being shaken, Choi Seol’s face remained indifferent, without a trace of hesitation.

While I was fretting alone, the truck drew closer. More and more people began peeking over the side of the cargo bed, having spotted us. Eventually, I had to resort to my last measure.

“Seol-ah.”

“…….”

“Please. I’m begging you. Put me down.”

At the sound of my coaxing voice, Choi Seol finally reacted. I caught a glimpse of hope in his wavering pupils. It was a method I’d used occasionally when dating; seeing that it worked, he definitely likes me. Definitely. I felt like I had a chance if I just pushed a little more.

“Seol-ah. Put me down quick—”

“No.”

“……What?”

“I’m staying like this.”

The devil appeared on Choi Seol’s face as he narrowed his eyes, as if he had never been shaken at all. In an instant, my blood boiled to the top of my head for a different reason.

“You crazy piece of—”

“What are you young lads doin’?”

As if this were the final destination, the truck stopped exactly beside us. The gazes of those in the back turned toward us in unison. I wished I could just become dust swept away by a typhoon.

“Why ya holdin’ the lad like that?”

“My, he’s got some strength. Don’t your arms hurt?”

“He’s always been strong. Didn’t he lift and move my rubber tub for me last time?”

“Right. I heard he was that strong, and look at him liftin’ Yeo-reum so easily.”

I don’t know. Honestly, the one doing the lifting can at least show off their strength, but the one being lifted has nothing to do but feel embarrassed. Unable to handle the curious stares, I eventually buried my face deep into Choi Seol’s shoulder.

“Yeo-reum sprained his ankle, so I was supporting him.”

Choi Seol actually called that an excuse. How does this look like supporting someone? Who would believe—

“Is that so? I thought the lad looked unwell, his face is all beet-red.”

“Aigoo, just get in here. A grown man’s weight is no joke; you’ll ruin your back if you keep carryin’ him like that.”

They believe him. Moreover, the worried comments from the audience continued, as if the lie had worked quite well. In particular, everyone was very concerned about Choi Seol’s back. At this rate, I might actually be pushed onto the truck.

This is awkward. If that happens, it won’t even take a minute to get home, but I’m certain I’ll be bombarded with questions during that short time, and I don’t have the confidence to handle it. I won’t even be able to keep a straight face. Please refuse, refuse.

“No, thank you. It’s a short walk. I’ll just keep supporting him.”

Yes! Fortunately, it seemed our telepathy had worked.

“Will that be alright?”

“Lad, it’ll be hard.”

“It’s fine. He’s surprisingly light, so it’s manageable. More importantly, you must be tired from working, so you should go back and rest.”

Look at that polite behavior. Completely won over, the grandmothers and [visit our site]grandfathers praised Choi Seol, briefly asking who his parents [visit our site]were, before departing with the truck.

Anyway, since we had passed the crisis without any misunderstandings, everything would be okay once my feet touched the ground.

“Put me down now.”

“Stay still. At this distance, they can see everything in the rearview mirror.”

No, I was wrong. Everything will only be okay once I get rid of this bastard.

“I’ll handle it, so just put me down. If I run into people, I can just pretend I can’t walk properly.”

“That’s more bothersome. Just stay still.”

“You’re not saying you’re going to carry me all the way home, are you?”

“It can’t be helped. How can a younger brother ignore it when his older brother has an injured leg?”

“What? You just—”

“The wind is suspicious, so I’ll escort you home for today, Hyung.”

A full smile bloomed on Choi Seol’s lips, as if [stolen content]he were visit our sitethoroughly enjoying the situation. Rotten brat. I simply couldn’t win against him. If I play another [Read on Read BL Novels]prank on this guy, it won’t be Yeo-reum, it’ll be Autumn.

“So, hold on tight.”

“Wait, hold on, hey! You’re really gonna—”

“Han Yeo-reum?”

It was just as I was struggling desperately to escape Choi Seol, who was about to hoist me over his shoulder in earnest. A calm voice called my name.

With my arms wrapped around Choi Seol’s neck to support my leaning torso, I looked back to see a man standing not far away. A black car was visible behind him. Unlike with the truck, I hadn’t felt anyone approaching, but at a glance, the car looked as expensive as the foreign car Choi Seol had crashed into a utility pole. My attention was stolen for a moment, but the instant I looked properly at the man in the long trench coat—clearly the owner of the car—I froze.

“Sunbae?”

“It is Yeo-reum. But…”

His relief at confirming it was me was short-lived as he looked back and forth between Choi Seol and me. Only then did I worry about how we looked.

“T-this is nothing… Hey. Stop it, put me down.”

I lowered my body and sent Choi Seol frantic signals with my eyes. I grew anxious at Choi Seol’s sinking expression, as if he didn’t like my attitude, but fortunately, my two feet soon touched the ground. I immediately stepped away from Choi Seol and turned toward Sunbae.

“Sunbae, what brings you here? When did you get back from the US?”

“Yeo-reum, ask one thing at a time. You’re going to run out of breath.”

“Ah.”

I had been too eager. Sunbae gave a gentle smile, telling me to calm down. He was always such a composed person.

“I’m sorry. I was just so surprised because this is so sudden.”

“It’s only natural to be surprised since I showed up unannounced. I’m the one who’s sorry. I know it’s rude to do this without contacting you, but I didn’t want to waste a rare opportunity.”

Opportunity? As I looked puzzled by his words, a white envelope was held out in front of me.

“The department office said your application for reinstatement was ready, so I picked it up for you. You received the notification text, right?”

“Ah, yes. I received it a few days ago.”

Suddenly, I felt an intense gaze on the back of my head. Conscious of Choi Seol, who was still standing behind me, I awkwardly took the document envelope.

“Thank you. You could have just sent it by registered mail.”

“Of course the school intended to unauthorized copydo that. That’s why [stolen content]I just said [stolen content]it. I didn’t want to waste a rare opportunity.”

The following smile unfailingly shut my mouth. Looking at him now, Sunbae really hasn’t changed a bit. It was just as I cast a brief glance at the envelope I had silently received.

“Who is it?”

Turning my head to the side, Choi Seol was standing there. With a face so indifferent that it was impossible to imagine he was the person who had been smiling like a flower just moments ago. Just as I unconsciously checked his mood and shifted my eyes, I saw Sunbae’s surprised expression.

“By any chance, are you Mr. Baek Seol-ha?”

Baek Seol-ha? I looked around to see if someone else was nearby, but we were the only three standing on the rural road at dusk. Sure enough, Sunbae stepped toward Choi Seol, showing a look of pleasure.

“You are Mr. Baek Seol-ha, right? I greeted you along with my father a month ago, do you rememb—”

“I don’t remember.”

The voice that flatly denied it was chilly. Sunbae looked visibly flustered by the bluntness, which was embarrassing even for a third party to witness. Feeling that I should correct him, I quickly spoke up.

“Sunbae. I think you’re mistaken. This is Choi Seol, and he’s the same age as me. And…”

And what should I call him? Friend? Classmate? For some reason, I didn’t want to use either.

“He’s Han Yeo-reum’s housemate.”

“Cough!”

He suddenly choked as if water he hadn’t even been drinking had gotten stuck in his throat.

“Housemate? Yeo-reum, you…”

“Sunbae, wait a second. That is, I mean, how it happened was…”

“Is that not it?”

Choi Seol interrupted again. Naturally, I couldn’t refute him. It wasn’t that it wasn’t true; it was true. Since we live together, he is a housemate, but in my Confucian gay circuitry, that was a very triggering expression. Then again, if I denied it here, it would only look more suspicious.

“It is. He’s my housemate. We’re friends, but due to some circumstances, we’re living together.”

Choi Seol’s obvious gaze pierced me at the word ‘friends,’ but it couldn’t be helped. If I didn’t explain it this way, Sunbae would truly come to a strange misunderstanding. Though he still looked surprised regardless.

“I see. That’s strange. I never heard anything about that.”

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Did I hear wrong? While I was wondering about what Sunbae had just muttered, he gave another calm smile as if it were nothing. This time, he even offered a handshake.

“Anyway, I didn’t know you were friends with Yeo-reum; I was mistaken. My apologies. Let me introduce myself again. I am Nam…, Yeo-reum’s college senior…”

“No need for introductions. It’s not like we’ll be seeing each other again anyway.”

“…Pardon?”

“And I don’t like touching other people.”

Choi Seol’s firm refusal was read in the glance he sent toward the outstretched hand. It seemed he was quite displeased that Sunbae had mistaken him for someone else. Even so, this left me in a position where I had to clean up the mess. As I checked Sunbae’s reaction to see what to do, his response was surprisingly refreshed.

“I see. I should have asked first, but out of professional habit, my hand went out first. But…”

Sunbae, staring at Choi Seol while stroking his chin with one hand, asked curiously.

“Your voice and everything, you really look a lot like someone. By any chance, do you have a relative who…”

“Han Yeo-reum. Aren’t we going home?”

Wow, he really hates him.