MW 37

“If you don’t want to be dragged out, you’d better stop now.”

“Let go of me. Seo Yijae! Yijae!”

“Hey, K-Kang Jaeha, what’s wrong with you! Are you really crazy?”

Chaekyung, who had been frozen with a dumbfounded expression at this side of him he’d never seen before, seemed to snap out of it and hurriedly pulled at his arm.

What on earth was going on? Why was Kang Jaeha suddenly acting like this towards Seungmin hyung’s lover? Knowing he wasn’t strong enough to stop him on his own, Chaekyung had no choice but to resort to the method he least wanted to use.

“Ugh.”

He sprayed the sleeping spray he always carried due to strange guys hitting on him onto a handkerchief and held it under his nose. It worked well, as expected for something he’d paid a hefty price for. He had been worried because Jaeha was a dominant and didn’t get drunk easily no matter how much he drank, but his massive body collapsed to the floor, making such worries pointless.

“Phew. Hyung, I think I have to go for today.”

“Alright.”

“Let’s talk later.”

Chaekyung, who always seemed carefree, looked down at his friend with a serious face and picked up his phone.

“Hey, Lee Haeshin. Kang Jaeha collapsed. I don’t have the strength, so you come down here and carry him.”

Finishing what he had to say, Chaekyung hung up the phone and let out a short breath as he examined Jaeha’s deeply sleeping face.

⁺₊❆₊⋆

Returning home after work, Yijae couldn’t forget the look in Jaeha’s eyes, staring at him as if he had been betrayed. He quietly closed the door, leaned against a corner, and hugged his knees to his chest, crying silently.

“I’m sorry……”

He was the first precious person to appear in his life, and he had hurt him with his own hands. Seeing Jaeha’s face earlier had been even more heart-wrenching, perhaps because that face would remain as his last memory of him.

Yijae clutched at his chest, where even breathing was difficult, and let out a choked breath.

“I’m sorry……”

After crying all night, Yijae, who had fallen asleep leaning against the wall in an uncomfortable position, woke up before the morning sun had even risen.

Lifting his heavy body, he felt his unwell condition from yesterday and took out a handful of pills from his bag, shoving them into his mouth again.

“Ah……”

He habitually reached his hand onto the desk, stared at the empty water bottle, and let out a hollow breath.

He tried to stay in his room as much as possible when he was at home, but he was too thirsty. Rolling his tongue around his dry mouth, Yijae had no choice but to grab the doorknob and turn it.

Fortunately, it was still early, so everyone should be asleep. Believing he wouldn’t run into anyone if he hurried, his footsteps moved urgently.

As Yijae cautiously descended the stairs, the sharp voice of Madam Lee reached his ears.

“Haa……. So what. How long do I have to pretend not to see him carrying on like that?”

“Leave him be. It hasn’t even been a full semester yet.”

“That’s what I’m saying, how long are we going to do this? With Dohyeon back, are you going to keep Seo Yijae in the main house?”

“Honey!”

Seo Yijae. Yijae’s body tensed upon hearing his own name in the conversation between Chairman Gu and Madam Lee.

“What if he tries to seduce our Dohyeon again with that innocent face of his! What will you do then!”

“Then who told you to call him back to Korea so soon? It would have been better if he came back after everything was over!”

“Anyway, I can’t stand it anymore, so finalize the deal with Director Jang. There’s no need to send him off after he graduates from university, is there?”

Deal? Yijae knew he shouldn’t listen to this conversation any longer, but his feet wouldn’t move easily. With a creak of a chair being pushed back, the sound of footsteps grew closer. Yijae instantly hid behind a display cabinet and watched Chairman Gu’s retreating back as he exited the front door, letting out a breath.

“So you heard everything?”

When Yijae lifted his head, Madam Lee was standing before him. Staring at him with a displeased face, she crossed her arms, twisted her lips into a smile, and continued speaking.

“They say blood can’t be denied, how could you be like this. Ha. It’s ridiculous.”

“I-it wasn’t my intention to listen……. I’m sorry.”

Yijae’s body trembled slightly under her piercing gaze, which seemed to press down on him.

“And what’s with those clothes? So openly doing dirty things……. Ha, whatever. Now, our Dohyeon. You know he’s back in Korea, right?”

He hadn’t run into him since the first day. But from what he just heard, it seemed Dohyeon had returned to Korea for good. Slowly nodding, Yijae curled his fingers into a fist to hide his trembling hands.

“Watch your behavior from now on. I think you were at fault back then, too.”

“……Yes.”

“Then go upstairs. And don’t come out until Dohyeon and I have left. Do you understand?”

“Yes……”

Replying in a small voice, Yijae felt as though his legs might give out at any moment, but he held on and went up the stairs.

‘I really shouldn’t have come out of my room.’

He regretted it later, but what was done was done. Quietly entering his room and hiding under the covers, he closed his eyes and replayed the conversation between Chairman Gu and Madam Lee in his mind.

‘A deal with Director Jang…….’

That was definitely what had come from Madam Lee’s lips.

⁺₊❆₊⋆

When Jaeha opened his eyes, he realized he wasn’t in his own house. When he came out, Chaekyung, who was sitting on the sofa eating strawberries from a large bowl, shook his head and parted his lips.

“You’re up? You changed your passcode, didn’t you? My back was about to break last night, thanks to you.”

Of course, it was Lee Haeshin who had carried Kang Jaeha, but Chaekyung said it brazenly without a change in his expression.

“Where’s Lee Haeshin?”

Remembering his actions from the previous night, Jaeha ran a hand through his hair in annoyance and looked for Haeshin.

“He said he had a first-period class. He’s more diligent than he looks.”

Chaekyung, who was nonchalantly watching television as if he were the owner of the house even though the actual owner wasn’t there, lifted his head with an “ah” expression.

“Hey, your drinking habits have gotten weird. Apologize to Seungmin hyung later. You really did that to someone else’s lover.”

“…….”

“I would’ve been pissed, but hyung is really a gentleman… why the face?”

Chaekyung, who was about to put a large strawberry in his mouth, frowned one of his eyebrows upon seeing his darkened expression. The fact that his complexion had been poor for the past few days, that he was hard to get in touch with. Even the way he acted yesterday, when he usually didn’t have any bad drinking habits, was strangely unlike him.

“Something’s going on with you.”

“There’s nothing. I’m leaving.”

“Hey, what do you mean, nothing? Is it because of that hoobae or whatever from before?”

Jumping up from his seat, he grabbed Jaeha’s hand and opened his mouth as if telling him to finally talk. The rumor had already spread all over the school, so he knew about it too.

“I’m going.”

But Jaeha still kept his lips tightly sealed and shook his head. Watching his retreating back as he left for his afternoon class, Chaekyung placed the strawberry bowl he was holding on the table and took a deep breath.

“Looks like this hyung-nim has to step in. Who on earth is the person who made Kang Jaeha like this?”

With eyes gleaming with determination for the first time in a while, he opened his phone and searched through his contacts, which were separated by lists.

Then, having found the perfect person, Chaekyung pressed the call button without hesitation.

⁺₊❆₊⋆

From the day after the general meeting for new students, the way people looked at him changed. When he lifted his head, he would meet their eyes, so Yijae ended up being self-conscious again and bit the inside of his lip.

‘Did I make a mistake while drinking that day…….’

Only the events at Jaeha’s house remained in his memory, so he couldn’t recall what he had said or done at the drinking party.

Feeling even more discouraged for no reason, Yijae kept his head hung low and walked towards his next lecture.

“Gasp, it’s Kang Jaeha sunbae.”

From somewhere, those words struck Yijae’s ears. His head snapped up, and his gaze met Jaeha’s in mid-air.