By Zephyria 
Kim Hyun-gyu seemed to want to say something. But with his mouth covered by Haon’s palm, he blinked his eyes as if asking to be let go.
Before removing his hand, Haon gave a warning.
“Promise you’ll keep your voice down and speak calmly.”
Kim Hyun-gyu nodded his head urgently.
He nodded so enthusiastically that Haon almost laughed, but he kept his expression stern until the end. If he laughed now, Kim Hyun-gyu would definitely get even more excited and start shouting.
Haon removed his hand.
“Phew. Hah.”
Kim Hyun-gyu took a deep breath, glanced at Haon’s expression, and then slumped his shoulders.
“Why do we have to whisper about such good news?”
In response to Kim Hyun-gyu’s reasonable complaint, Haon replied as if it were no big deal.
“Isn’t it a bit much to just go around shouting about it?”
At that, Kim Hyun-gyu looked incredulous instead.
“What’s ‘a bit much’ about it? Just reveal it proudly.”
“Do you go around the neighborhood shouting that you’re dating someone? Just keep it quiet.”
“Isn’t that being overly dramatic? If it were me, I’d be shouting everywhere that I’m dating Jeong-won sunbae. Isn’t it about being able to touch that face as much as I want?”
Kim Hyun-gyu particularly emphasized Cha Jeong-won’s face as he spoke.
“What does being able to touch it as much as I want have to do with telling everyone about it?”
Haon’s thoughts had always been singular.
Let’s not get so excited about dating Cha Jeong-won that we go around shouting about it.
He wouldn’t completely hide it, but he also didn’t want to make such a noisy fuss that the whole world would know.
‘This is the first and last selfish desire I’ll indulge.’
His desire to hug Cha Jeong-won anytime, anywhere was immense, but if asked whether Jeong-won was truly and completely his, the answer was no.
That’s how he sorted out his thoughts.
“Let’s go in.”
Haon spoke to Kim Hyun-gyu and turned around first. But this guy stuck right to him. Haon hunched his shoulders and moved away.
“What.”
“Let me whisper.”
“Why whisper. Just say it.”
Haon looked at Kim Hyun-gyu, who had come close, with eyes that clearly said he really didn’t like it.
But Kim Hyun-gyu didn’t give up. For someone trying to whisper something, his eyes were shining too brightly, making it feel burdensome.
“Do you know that sunbae is a virgin?”
Haon quickly looked around, confirmed no one was there, then sharply turned to look at Kim Hyun-gyu.
“Should I smash that mouth of yours?”
“It’s not my mouth you should smash. Should I have said it out loud?”
At the joke Kim Hyun-gyu delivered with a smug grin, Haon wanted to twist his lips right then and there.
“Don’t tell anyone. Especially not to Jeong-won sunbae.”
“Ah, so sunbae doesn’t know.”
The corners of Kim Hyun-gyu’s mouth stretched even wider, as if he had caught Haon’s weakness.
“But can’t I tell him?”
“No.”
Was it because being a virgin was embarrassing?
No, he could tell him anytime later.
‘I could reveal that I’m a virgin and that I weirdly seduced Cha Jeong-won…’
But since those suspicions were already past, there was no need to mention it.
“You act so uninterested in dating.”
“Honestly, I don’t know how I ended up like this either.”
The words slipped out. Kim Hyun-gyu’s pupils widened again. Haon found that expression amusing and was about to chuckle for a moment, but the laughter died when a scene flashed through his mind.
The day he first met Cha Jeong-won, he had recalled the sensation of being tangled up with him and his past life.
Since then, he kept getting entangled with Cha Jeong-won and eventually became his lover.
‘It’s amazing even when I think about it.’
“What. Why’d you suddenly go quiet.”
Kim Hyun-gyu couldn’t stand it and interrupted. Haon raised his hand and lightly pushed Kim Hyun-gyu’s forehead.
“Anyway, I’ll tell him when I feel it’s appropriate after observing a bit.”
“When is ‘appropriate’?”
“That’s something I’ll figure out as I observe…”
Haon stopped mid-sentence as he opened the door.
The gazes directed at him, and then…
“Wooow!”
At the loud cheers, Haon froze on the spot. He blinked once, then blinked again.
The inside of the classroom suddenly erupted like a festival. There was applause and whistling.
“Congratulations!”
“Hey, Yoon Haon!”
“You’re dating Jeong-won sunbae, right!”
“Yeah, I expected it.”
“I’m not surprised, but since you finally admitted it, I’m congratulating you.”
Comments flew from all directions. For a moment, Haon wondered.
Who, when, how did this story get out?
Haon slowly turned his head. He looked at Kim Hyun-gyu.
“Was it you?”
Kim Hyun-gyu made an expression of injustice. He even raised his hands, asserting his innocence.
“I’ve been with you the whole time.”
“You weren’t fiddling with your phone while talking to me, were you?”
“No. I didn’t do anything. I’m innocent.”
Kim Hyun-gyu waved both hands in the air. The sight was so earnest that Haon instead felt his energy drain.
Right. Kim Hyun-gyu may lack patience, but at the very least, he knows to keep his mouth shut if someone tells him not to say anything.
Then who could have said it?
Besides Kim Hyun-gyu, there wasn’t even anyone who would suspect, let alone be certain, about his relationship with Cha Jeong-won.
The most suspicious person in there would be…
‘Sunbae?’
Did Cha Jeong-won say it himself?
He, who had been sitting by the window, was sitting strangely quietly even in the middle of the noisy classroom. However, perhaps sensing Haon’s gaze, he turned his head.
And the moment his eyes met Haon’s, he flashed a smile so sweet it seemed it would melt right away.
Bright sunlight poured over his smile. The sight was so vivid that Haon held his breath.
The light coming through the window first settled on the corners of Cha Jeong-won’s eyes, then slowly descended, brightening the corners of his mouth. It looked as if someone had deliberately turned on a spotlight.
The noise from the bustling classroom also seemed to fade away.
He couldn’t tear his eyes away. Staring like that, he snapped back to reality thanks to Kim Hyun-gyu tapping his arm.
Haon composed his expression as if nothing had happened and walked into the classroom. And when he sat down in the seat next to him, the buzzing grew even louder.
Cha Jeong-won leaned his body just a little toward Haon.
“My mouth was so itchy, I couldn’t hold back.”
At the words admitting that he had told the others, Haon laughed. While laughing, Haon abruptly leaned his head against Cha Jeong-won’s shoulder.
It was deliberate.
It was indeed an action meant to be seen by others.
“Wooow!”
The cheers grew louder. This time, the applause was definitely louder too.
Haon slightly furrowed his brows as if the noise was bothersome, but he didn’t try to stop it. He had no intention of stopping it.
Rather, it felt oddly reassuring, which was even more absurd. The people’s excitement felt like a windbreaker wrapping around the two of them.
Then the classroom door opened again.
The professor, about to enter, paused for a moment. His eyes scanned the classroom once. He had an expression trying to figure out why the atmosphere was like this.
Someone went ahead and explained.
“Professor! Jeong-won sunbae and Haon are dating!”
The professor looked dazed for a moment, then immediately raised the corners of his mouth as if bursting into laughter.
“Did I bring the two of you together?”
“Professor, why does it go in that direction?”
“Well, because I tied the two of you together as one.”
He was talking about the graduation project.
It was true that he had suggested it would be good if Cha Jeong-won and Haon worked together. The professor also shrugged his shoulders once as if he found it funny that he had said that.
Haon laughed awkwardly. Instead of lifting his head from Cha Jeong-won’s shoulder, he subtly shifted his hips and pressed his arm against him.
“That also had some influence.”
“Right, now that you’re a couple, try making a proper graduation project too.”
“I’ll work hard.”
Haon answered with full determination.
＊ ＊ ＊
They had come outside the school for a group meeting.
Now, many people knew he was dating Cha Jeong-won. Since they would even do their graduation project together, the number of people expecting results would probably increase.
Conversely, jealousy might also increase.
Since dating shouldn’t mean poor results, Haon’s mind raced quickly.
He himself could devote a lot of time to the graduation project, but Cha Jeong-won had to prepare for an exhibition too, so he must be very busy, right?
“Sunbae. You must be busy because of the retrospective, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll try to devote myself more to the graduation project.”
As soon as the words ended, Cha Jeong-won’s eyebrows rose just a little.
“You?”
“Yes.”
Haon answered firmly and then moved even closer to Cha Jeong-won. Consciously tapping his forearm, Cha Jeong-won’s hand naturally moved down toward Haon’s wrist. Fingers intertwined, not tightly but firmly.
“Anyway, the graduation project isn’t something that ends in a month or two. Since we have to work on it throughout our senior year, I plan to devote myself to it within reasonable limits.”
Haon continued to list the things he had thought of while walking. The more he spoke, the clearer his plan became.
“It’s also a work that everyone will see. So I’ll try to handle as much as I can. So sunbae, focus on other things first.”
Cha Jeong-won laughed softly. At the sound, Haon furrowed his brows again. Even the sound of laughter seemed to tickle him.
“Our Haon is reliable.”
“Of course.”
Somehow, it felt like he was being praised, which made him proud. Then, he stopped at the sudden sensation of something brushing through his hair.
Cha Jeong-won finished stroking Haon’s hair.
“But I don’t want to leave it all to you. We’ll do it together.”
“No… Sunbae, it’s not like you have multiple bodies. If you work too hard on the graduation project too… Why do you insist on taking on so much?”
“The more you say that, the more I want to do it.”
You can stop a squid, but this guy…