“…….”
Rion kept his lips tightly pressed together, stubbornly staring at the TV. Yu-won didn’t think of him as anything more—or less—than a housemate anyway, so there was no reason for Rion to expect anything from him either.
Yu-won went straight into his room and then immediately into the bathroom to shower. Although Rion’s eyes were fixed on the TV, his ears were tuned in to the sound of running water, waiting for Yu-won to come out.
Of course, it wasn’t like he planned to start a conversation once Yu-won came out. If anything, if Yu-won spoke to him first, Rion intended to ignore him completely.
He usually asks what I want for dinner when he gets home, so… he’ll probably ask when he comes out.
He’d pointedly ignore him and pretend not to hear. Thinking that, Rion fidgeted his foot, waiting for Yu-won to step into the living room.
The shower didn’t take very long, and Yu-won soon emerged from the bathroom. Even though they were both men and could afford to be less reserved, Yu-won always made sure to bring clothes in and come out fully dressed.
I started doing that too because it felt awkward being the only one walking around half-naked… but screw it, I should just start stripping again.
Grinding his teeth, Rion made that decision internally. Just as he was bracing himself, waiting for Yu-won to ask about dinner, Yu-won sat down right next to him.
What the hell? He never sits this close usually. What, is this his way of asking to make up…?
Rion flinched slightly but quickly straightened up without letting it show. Telling himself that reacting meant losing, he pretended to stay calm and face forward, though inside he was thoroughly confused.
You think I’m going to grin like an idiot just because of this? Not a chance. Absolutely not—
Just as he was steeling himself, Yu-won’s sudden action froze him completely. It was so unexpected that Rion even forgot he’d been angry.
Perhaps because he’d just washed up, Yu-won carried a different scent than usual as he lightly leaned his head against Rion’s shoulder.
It was impossible, but he almost looked like he was acting cute. Startled, Rion tensed his shoulder and went completely rigid. Yu-won’s hair was still slightly damp, soaking into his shoulder a bit, but Rion didn’t notice that at all.
“Gah— agh.”
So stiff he’d been, Rion tried to speak too suddenly and ended up biting his tongue. He clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Are you okay?”
“Ugh, uh….”
Yu-won immediately cupped Rion’s face, checking his condition. He must’ve bitten his tongue pretty hard—there was a sharp, throbbing pain.
“Let me see.”
He’d sworn he wouldn’t engage with him at all, but with Yu-won speaking so seriously, Rion found himself sticking his tongue out without thinking. The air brushing over the stinging surface made the pain flare more sharply.
“Ah.”
“You bit it badly. It looks like it’s bleeding a bit….”
“I’th fine. It’th not like it’th cut off or anyth—.”
Rion spoke while stubbornly ignoring the numb ache in his tongue. A little blood was nothing. It hurt enough to bring tears to his eyes, but it would be fine soon.
“I’ll get some ice. At least keep that in your mouth.”
Yu-won clearly didn’t agree. With a serious expression, he stood up and walked over to the refrigerator.
Wait a minute. I got so distracted by my tongue that I didn’t even manage to keep being serious like I planned.
Realizing too late that the mood had completely collapsed, Rion lightly smacked his own forehead. He’d been carefully maintaining a tense, angry atmosphere, and now both the silence and the mood had shattered for such a ridiculous reason.
As the pain in his tongue subsided a little, embarrassment rushed in instead. Bowing his head, Rion barely managed to keep his hands resting on his knees instead of clawing at his hair.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
“No, not really….”
“Here.”
Rion obediently held the ice Yu-won handed him in his mouth. Since opening his mouth while the ice melted would only make him look ridiculous, he quietly sat there and waited.
“Is it better now?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“That’s what happens when you talk too suddenly.”
“……That’s because you did something you never do.”
Rion spoke with a deeply aggrieved expression. Sure, biting his tongue was his own fault, but Yu-won was the one who’d caused it.
“Why’d you suddenly do something like that and scare me?”
“Like what?”
“What do you mean, like what? That thing, with the shoulder….”
It wasn’t even a big deal, but maybe because it was Yu-won, it made him feel strange. Realizing belatedly that it was even stranger for him to be reacting like this, Rion continued.
“Leaning on my shoulder. You don’t usually do that.”
“I just felt like it today. Did it bother you?”
“How could it not bother me?”
“You said before that touching someone’s shoulder wasn’t a big deal.”
Yu-won shrugged. Somehow, he even seemed to be in a better mood than usual.
“A hand and a head are… different.”
“If that’s the case, you could’ve just brushed me off.”
“Th—.”
Come to think of it, he was right. Rion pressed his lips shut, unable to come up with a rebuttal.
Leaning one’s head on a shoulder wasn’t, by Rion’s standards, an overwhelming level of skinship. Sometimes, when he was tired and didn’t want to deal with someone clinging to him, he’d simply push them away.
But this time, he’d been so flustered that the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“Jeez, anyway, you just surprised me because you did something you never do.”
“If you didn’t like it, I won’t do it again.”
“No, it’s not that I didn’t like it, it’s just….”
Maybe because he’d been so startled, he could even feel heat rising to his face. Rion fanned himself with his hand.
“It was just sudden.”
“So did you like it, or did you hate it?”
There was a hint of teasing in Yu-won’s voice. Rion usually felt secretly pleased whenever Yu-won spoke in a tone like this instead of his usual detached one, but right now it just annoyed him.
“I hated it. I hated it to death. Happy?”
Yu-won let out a small laugh at the sulky tone.
Even though he was the hyung and the sunbae, Yu-won looked like he was playing with him somehow. Feeling irritated, Rion stood up.
“Whatever. I’m going to my room.”
“Is there anything you want for dinner?”
“No. I won’t die from skipping one meal.”
After being teased like this, he had no desire to sit down and eat together peacefully. Rion started walking toward his room.
“No. One day becomes two, two days become three. We agreed not to avoid things just because we don’t like them.”
Yu-won’s firm voice stopped him in his tracks. Completely defeated, Rion complained bitterly.
“What is it with you? You never give in, not even once. If you’re going to be like that, at least don’t make me this annoyed.”
“You’re stubborn too, hyung—only on the things I can’t give in on.”
“See? That’s exactly it. That’s what I’m talking about. You’re being childish. Seriously.”
At Rion’s offhand remark, Yu-won stopped dead in his tracks. Like someone had hit a pause button, he froze instantly. Rion, caught off guard by the sudden stillness, darted his eyes around nervously.
“W–what? Why are you acting like that all of a sudden?”
“Was it childish?”
“Uh… well… it wasn’t that childish, just… a little?”
He’d wanted to tease Yu-won, but the reaction was so strong that Rion ended up more flustered instead. He hesitated, then stepped closer.
“What is it? Did I say something wrong?”
Usually, when Yu-won mocked him like always, Rion would get fired up and they’d end up arguing—but seeing a reaction he’d never seen before, he couldn’t even get angry.
“No. It’s nothing.”
It was the dejected look he’d wanted to see so badly—but encountering it in such an unexpected way made Rion feel like he’d done something wrong.
Forgetting all the resolve he’d had at the start, Rion spoke.
“I—I was just flustered because you suddenly did something cute.”
He’d meant it as a compliment, trying to lighten the mood, but Yu-won’s expression stiffened even more. Was “childish” really such a harsh insult? Rion found himself genuinely pondering it.
“Do you really hate being called childish that much? For someone like that, usually you don’t really—.”
“Don’t really what?”
Rion clamped his mouth shut. He wasn’t particularly quick on the uptake, but even with his limited life experience, he could tell this wasn’t the time to continue that thought.
“No, that’s not what’s important!”
Changing the subject was the best move here. Rion hurried back to the point.
“You act like touching me would kill you, and then suddenly you’re the one doing it first—of course I was surprised. Earlier at the Center… hm.”
Would saying this make me seem petty? Rion stopped mid-sentence and cleared his throat.
“Anyway, I was just surprised. People should be consistent.”
“Consistent….”
“No, wait. I’m not saying you should act like before. I actually like it better when you act like you did just now, but….”
The more he talked, the stranger the conversation seemed to become. Rion let out a quiet sigh.
“It’s just too much all at once.”
“……It wasn’t because I dislike you, hyung. It’s just that I also….”
“You also what?”
“My feelings were weird.”
Just as Rion felt completely confused, maybe Yu-won was feeling that same confusion. Softening a little, Rion spoke.
“Alright, alright. I get it, so let’s just eat dinner. I’m fine with anything.”
“Okay.”
Yu-won nodded slightly and headed into the kitchen. His slow steps looked oddly dejected.
“Seriously, such a kid.”
Muttering words Yu-won would absolutely hate to hear if he caught them, Rion followed him into the kitchen to help prepare dinner.
