SWAP 32

What kind of reaction would a typical adult man have if he were suddenly told he was cute? Well, in Lee Seoul’s case, he was silent for about 15 seconds. Then he raised a hand and slowly rolled up his right sleeve. As the skin hidden under his clothes was revealed, he held it up as if for show and said.

“Do something about my goosebumps….”

Cute, my ass.

The statement was so cringey it gave him goosebumps, and Seoul genuinely shuddered.

If there had been a good reason for it, that would be one thing, but what he had done was practically clowning around, so he couldn’t understand what part of it prompted such a remark.

He himself often found Saheon cute, but that was strictly kept to his inner thoughts. Isn’t that how it is with the rose-colored glasses unique to those in love? Of course, Seo Saheon did act cute sometimes, even from an objective point of view. But still, he had never once said it out loud.

It was a classic case of a double standard, but since Seo Saheon couldn’t possibly know what was in his head, he was confident. So confident, in fact, that when he told him to get rid of his goosebumps, Seo Saheon strode over again to brush his wrist, and even when Saheon narrowed his eyes, Seoul didn’t back down and instead lifted his chin.

“You don’t have any.”

“Look closely.”

“It just feels soft.”

“Don’t touch it, look.”

“Okay. It’s fair.”

“……”

“But why does being called cute give you goosebumps?”

At this point, he lost the confidence to explain it to a brick wall.

Pulling the rolled-up sleeve back down, Seoul muttered in a tired voice.

“……I’m not talking to you.”

“I can persuade you.”

“What?”

“Listen.”

What in the world was he trying to persuade him of, and what was he supposed to listen to? Blinking at the incomprehensible flow of the conversation, Seoul hastily opened his mouth. For some reason, it felt like something he shouldn’t hear.

“No, I don’t want to hear it.”

“We have a cat.”

“We don’t have a cat.”

“He’s a genius at catching feather toys. Even when he’s napping, the moment he hears the jingle of a bell, he dashes out into the living room on his little paws. He jumps really high, too.”

“……?”

The story was veering off-topic at a ridiculous speed.

He was momentarily stunned, forgetting to even protest, as he couldn’t fathom the intention behind bringing up a cat they didn’t even own at this moment. Regardless, Saheon simply tugged at the cuff of Seoul’s sleeve, which was now covering the back of his hand, and continued nonchalantly.

“But actually, he’s not very interested in the feather toy. He doesn’t like running either.”

“……”

“He just does it because his owner is happy when he catches the feather and lifts his chin. He’d rather just take a nap.”

“……”

“See? Cute, isn’t it.”

Right. It is cute. To play so enthusiastically with a feather toy he has no interest in, just for his owner. He must be a genius cat, even without seeing him. He deserved 100 Churu treats.

But what does that have to do with me right now?

Seoul gave up trying to interpret it. No, he didn’t want to.

He couldn’t even manage a sigh anymore. He just tightly grasped Saheon’s hand, which kept pulling at his cuff. Despite treating his same-sex friend like a cat, Seo Saheon didn’t so much as change his expression, tilting his head as if to ask, Why?

His expression turning serious, Seoul opened his mouth.

“Saheon.”

“Yeah.”

“First of all, you’re tired right now….”

“Me? No, I’m not.”

“No, you’re tired. Normal people get tired after running 20km.”

That wasn’t wrong. In fact, his energetic state was even more frightening. At Seoul’s firm tone, Saheon flicked an eyebrow once and lowered his gaze. It was a gesture that said, I don’t know what you’re going to say, but go on.

“…So?”

“Your brain is broken because you’re tired. That’s why you keep talking about cats.”

“……”

“You haven’t even eaten and you had to drive. You’re in a state of diminished mental capacity right now.”

“……”

“And Seo Saheon. Are you a cat? How on earth would you know a cat’s mind. For all you know, he might like the feather toy and find jumping fun. That’s all just cat deception and infringement of the cat’s will, or something. Do you want to get sued by a cat?”

In the end, nonsense was the only answer to nonsense.

Having put up with enough from this morning until now, Seoul let go of the thread of broadcast-appropriate behavior he had been faintly holding onto.

This was all because of Seo Saheon, who, despite having that face, possessed the bickering skills of an elementary schooler. The more he let it slide, the more he’d joke around, so he couldn’t let it go on any longer. Since they had to be together for most of 24 hours a day for two weeks, being firm from the start was better for Seoul’s mental health.

After spewing out his words as if reciting a script, he felt completely drained.

He had repeated the word ‘cat’ so many times that his head felt like it was meowing.

“…Hah.”

Watching Seoul, who now looked more exhausted than he had a moment ago when he was arguing so spiritedly, the corners of Saheon’s mouth curved into a gentle arc. His gaze, which seemed to say, What is this creature, was exactly like someone observing the world’s most trivial and cute being. As if, since he couldn’t put him in his mouth and roll him around with his tongue, he had no choice but to keep teasing him.

Since he couldn’t reveal such inner thoughts, Saheon pretended to surrender and lowered his voice.

“No. I don’t want to get sued. That’s scary.”

“Then please stop talking nonsense like you’re sleep-talking and bring the suitcases up.”

“Yes.”

This was the part where he had to start listening well again.

Nodding without a single protest, Saheon disappeared out the door in an instant.

Only after confirming the sound of him going down the stairs did Seoul press a hand to his forehead. There was a lot to say, but that wasn’t what he needed to do right now. Saheon would be back soon, given his long strides, so it was time to achieve his original purpose.

“……”

Turning his head, Seoul began to slowly survey the room. The interior, decorated in low-saturation pastel tones, finally came into view. The roof had also been painted a light green, so it seemed the color scheme had been coordinated throughout. On the two beds placed side by side near the window, sunlight was pouring in as if in a painting.

He swept the tip of his finger across the wrinkle-free, taut blue blanket, then raised his gaze. One wall, where the curtains were drawn back, was entirely a picture window.

Outside the window, a wide, open view unfolded.

Since the house itself was located at a high elevation, he could look down on the surroundings even though it was only the second floor.

“It’s pretty, but….”

The fact that it was too bright bothered him, as he was sensitive to light when sleeping. The curtains were also chiffon, not blackout material, so they didn’t seem like they would be much help in blocking the sunlight.

I wonder if the other places are the same.

Suddenly worried, Seoul headed to the end of the hallway. He had only given it a cursory glance, but it seemed there were two rooms with beds: this one, and the one at the very end.

When he peeked his head through the crack of the open door, there was a guest who had arrived first in the room.

“Ah. Are you done looking around? It sounded like you were talking, so I was looking in here first.”

It was Yun Hyeok. He had expected it as soon as he heard the presence, so he wasn’t very surprised. However, he had thought the two of them would be together, but seeing no sign of Ye Juyeol, Seoul opened the door the rest of the way and asked.

“Where is Mr. Juyeol?”

“He’s wiping the floor.”

So he found it.

It was right in front of the entrance, and since it didn’t leave a mark, he didn’t think it needed to be wiped. But Yun Hyeok shook his head back and forth.

“He needs to do something like mopping to come to his senses. I’m sorry about earlier. You were very surprised, weren’t you?”

“…Was I that surprised? It’s okay, you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Still. I’ll apologize on his behalf. But I’m not just saying this… he’s really, a huge fan of yours, sunbae-nim. To the point where he owns all the Blu-rays… ah.”

It seemed his friend’s behavior of being so forward upon their first meeting was weighing on his mind. Yun Hyeok, who had even offered an apology on his behalf, was cautiously observing him. It didn’t show much because of his stoic impression, but Seoul could see it. When he suddenly stopped talking, Seoul tilted his head as if to say, Hm?, and Yun Hyeok asked carefully.

“…But, is it okay if I call you sunbae-nim? What form of address are you comfortable with?”

Although they were in the same industry, their fields were different, so it was understandable to feel awkward about what to call him.

In truth, any form of address was fine, but Seoul didn’t miss the opportunity to naturally find out his age.

“I’m fine with anything. By any chance, Mr. Yun Hyeok, how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-three. Ye Juyeol is the same age. You can speak comfortably with us.”

…Twenty-three?

At the younger-than-expected age, Seoul’s expression rapidly softened.

Come to think of it, he had heard they debuted when they were minors. Racking his brain for Manager Oh’s ‘my baby’ talks, a self-proclaimed and widely acknowledged ‘Anak,’ the timeline roughly matched up. He thought he’d said they were in their 5th year… does that mean they debuted at 18?

After calculating that far, Seoul fell into thought for a moment. Unless he had known someone for a long time, he was the type to not drop formalities easily. But seeing Yun Hyeok standing obediently in front of him as if he were a child waiting for the answer key, he found himself hesitating. It felt like if he refused, he would be disappointed, or something.

“It would be more uncomfortable for you if I said it was okay, right?”

“A little. …But it’s okay if you do what’s comfortable for you.”

When he asked cautiously just in case, Yun Hyeok answered honestly and then deliberately added the latter part in a frank manner. Having roughly grasped his personality, Seoul let out a small laugh. This, he thought, was what was cute, and his voice became friendlier.

“No, I’ll just speak comfortably. You can call me hyung, too, Hyeok.”

“Uh… is that okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be.”

This would be better than the title of sunbae-nim.

Then, remembering something, Seoul paused and asked.

“…People still call someone six years older hyung, right? Is it different these days?”