By Zephyria 
Without realizing it, my Adam’s apple bobbed. A large yet pale and refined hand, typical of a scholar, rested on the table. He leaned forward and spoke, looking up at me from a deliberately lower angle.
“I guarantee it. No one will ever like you more than I do.”
As he spoke, Moon Gyeon-woo’s eyes were wavering. His gaze, beginning to fill with a secret passion, looked like that of someone who truly loved me. Unable to bear it any longer, Yeon-rok fled the spot, leaving the walnut cakes behind. When he returned to his room and looked in the mirror, his face was flushed bright red.
No. The current situation is perfect.
Shut inside his hobby room, Yeon-rok chewed over the conclusion he had reached after days of agonizing while enthusiastically sanding.
If it had been the early days, shortly after meeting his name partners, he would have accepted Moon Gyeon-woo’s confession immediately. Or perhaps he would have done so if he were still starving for affection and struggling with a lack of contact.
However, the current Yeon-rok was on good terms with not only Yeom Cheon-ho but also Choi Hwan. Collapsing from a lack of contact had already become a distant memory, and there had never been a happier time than lately. Therefore, this conclusion was for the best.
The three of them are roommates. Just roommates who happen to have some physically intimate contact.
As he rubbed the sandpaper with a shuck-shuck sound to forget his turmoil, the surface of the sculpture became smooth. It was one of the few craft activities he could manage while one of his arms was cracked.
But, what if CEO Yeom Cheon-ho asked me to date? The thought suddenly popped into Yeon-rok’s head. The hand sanding slowed down. If I dated CEO Yeom Cheon-ho, I think that would actually be kind of nice… Yeon-rok suddenly shouted out loud.
“No! I’m not dating anyone!”
The sound of a knock came almost simultaneously. Seeing the door swing open immediately after the knock, he didn’t even need to look to know who the intruder was. Choi Hwan muttered with a blank expression.
“…Dating who?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? You must have misheard. And knock properly.”
Yeon-rok played innocent, looking proudly at the small wooden carving that was mostly finished with sanding. Looking at Yeon-rok suspiciously, Choi Hwan grumbled.
“I did knock.”
“That wasn’t a knock; it was more like a surprise attack alarm.”
Letting Yeon-rok’s words go in one ear and out the other, Choi Hwan strolled closer. Scanning the workbench, he looked closely at the small wooden statue Yeon-rok had made.
“Is it a pig? You made it well.”
“It’s a sheep…”
“Ah.”
Yeon-rok looked down gloomily at the sheep he had worked hard on for several days. Perhaps because he had sanded it too enthusiastically, the texture of the wool had completely disappeared. His eyes wavering, Choi Hwan quickly changed his words.
“The sheep is incredibly cute.”
“Whatever. …Why are you here?”
Choi Hwan pouted, picking up and putting down Yeon-rok’s carving knife as if it were something interesting.
“Since when do I only come here if I have a reason? …Of course, it’s not that I don’t have a reason.”
Perching his hips on Yeon-rok’s workbench, Choi Hwan rubbed his fingers together to shake the sawdust onto the floor. His long legs stretched out diagonally. Being a natural-born actor, even the way he sat carelessly looked like a photoshoot.
“How’s your ankle?”
“Well, it’s gotten better.”
Perhaps because it wasn’t a severe sprain, or because he had been getting enough contact lately, the swelling and pain had almost vanished after a few days of deep rest. Choi Hwan’s face brightened.
“Really? I’m free today since I have no schedule.”
Then, flashing a handsome smile, he tried to entice Yeon-rok. Now that he looked closer, his outfit suggested he was fully prepared to go out.
“If your ankle is okay, come hang out with me, okay?”
It’s a hassle… However, Yeon-rok couldn’t refuse immediately and hesitated. It was because he felt a slight sense of guilt over breaking the sports car Choi Hwan had gifted him last time. Moreover, hadn’t he already gone cherry blossom viewing with Moon Gyeon-woo when Choi Hwan had asked him to go together?
“I’m not going to a club.”
“I can really make it fun for you this time.”
Though disappointed, Choi Hwan didn’t insist on a club. Instead, he made a suggestion that Yeon-rok would likely enjoy.
“Let’s go for a drive, eat something delicious, and go buy some clothes!”
It was a safe and decent proposal. Because of the cast on his arm, Choi Hwan took over the driving. Yeon-rok had inwardly worried that he might drive recklessly, but surprisingly, his driving skills weren’t bad. It was evident that he was trying his best to be careful.
The commonality between being unemployed and having a freelance-like job was the ability to play while everyone else was working. Thanks to that, they were able to drive around the outskirts of Seoul in the middle of a weekday. The meal at the restaurant recommended by a close acquaintance was also delicious. While he couldn’t seem to communicate with Yeom Cheon-ho, he got along quite well with Choi Hwan, perhaps because they were the same age.
“Hey. You know.”
While barely touching the dessert that came out, Choi Hwan spoke up.
“Honestly, I’m the closest to you out of the three, right?”
With the ice cream spoon in his mouth, Yeon-rok thought for a moment. Is that so? Am I closest to Choi Hwan? When thinking about Yeom Cheon-ho, affection and closeness were completely separate things. In fact, Yeom Cheon-ho, who had the highest level of affection, was the person he could least call “close.” If it was the person he could be most candid with, it was definitely Choi Hwan.
“I guess so.”
“Right? I’m the closest to you, right?”
At Yeon-rok’s words, Choi Hwan looked extremely proud and puffed out his chest. Since they could come out and play like this, it felt like they could be called friends.
Though today’s itinerary feels like a date course for some reason…
A date with Choi Hwan? It felt so out of place that Yeon-rok chuckled, then his eyes widened. It was because a trickle of blood had started flowing from Choi Hwan’s nose. Just as Yeon-rok had done, Choi Hwan wasn’t surprised and habitually blocked it with a napkin. Then, he mumbled.
“I’ve been lacking contact lately.”
“No, you should have asked someone else to—”
Yeon-rok started to scold him but stopped. He realized that Choi Hwan was afraid of—no, disgusted by—Yeom Cheon-ho, and that his relationship with Moon Gyeon-woo had suddenly soured recently. Come to think of it, when was the last time he had contact with Choi Hwan? Since they were in a room where privacy was guaranteed, he clicked his tongue and unhesitatingly grabbed Choi Hwan’s hand. Warmth instantly flooded the hand that had been chilly due to poor circulation.
“Thanks.”
Choi Hwan spoke in a rare, shy voice. Seeing his cheeks and ears turn reddish, not just with vitality but with rising heat, Yeon-rok felt awkwardly embarrassed and said,
“Well, we’re friends, so I can do this much for you. Just tell me whenever you need it.”
But for some reason, Choi Hwan seemed slightly disappointed. Quickly noticing that mood, Yeon-rok hesitated. He felt a bit embarrassed, thinking he had gotten ahead of himself when Choi Hwan might not even think of him as a friend. However, Choi Hwan’s following words were far from a denial.
“I really like being like this with you. So keep hanging out with me in the future.”
He smiled mischievously, slightly wrinkling the bridge of his nose. The sincere smile appearing on that gorgeous face was practically violent. He truly lived up to being the most handsome of the three. After being momentarily distracted by the face, Yeon-rok cleared his throat. Because he couldn’t move both arms freely, the ice cream he was eating melted away helplessly, but for some reason, he didn’t feel it was a waste.
“Ah, right. What you said last time was correct.”
Because the atmosphere was becoming too ticklish, Yeon-rok quickly changed the subject. Choi Hwan, looking vibrant and bright like a flower soaked in water, tilted his head.
“What I said, what?”
“That… Moon Gyeon-woo… you said he was making a move.”
In terms of age, Moon Gyeon-woo was a Hyung, but the word ‘Hyung’ didn’t come out easily. Then again, calling him by his position like Yeom Cheon-ho—the title ‘Researcher’—felt too unfamiliar. What would be the appropriate way to call him? While he was pondering this for a moment, Choi Hwan raised his voice.
“What? Really? He made a move?!”
“You scared me. People outside will hear you.”
“That’s not what’s important! Why, what did that guy do?”
Since he didn’t have any friends or acquaintances to share such stories with, and few people knew about his strange circumstances, Yeon-rok felt this was a good opportunity and confessed honestly.
“He asked me to date him.”
“Ha! I! I knew it! He’s so insidious and despicable.”
Choi Hwan was unusually excited while badmouthing Moon Gyeon-woo, then he suddenly went quiet. Then, he asked with an unusual amount of tension.
“So, what did you say?”
“What else would I say? I rejected him, of course.”
“Good job. Keep rejecting him. Never date him. Even if you did, you’d definitely break up soon. Do you know how many exes that guy has?”
Choi Hwan continued to slander Moon Gyeon-woo. Starting to crave the ice cream again, Yeon-rok decided this was enough and pulled his hand away. Choi Hwan fidgeted with his now-empty fingers. Unaware of this, Yeon-rok said while eating the half-melted ice cream,
“Right. I plan to just stay single in the future.”