Chapter 118
As Seo-jung arrived at the vehicle prepared by the production team, he glanced at the driver’s seat. There were three men and only one steering wheel. Though he had never watched a dating show before, he knew that ideally, a pair of a woman and a man should sit in the front seats in such situations.
This made Seo-jung even more conflicted. His obsession with not wanting to let someone else take the wheel fought fiercely with the thought that he should hand over the driver’s seat to Woo-jun and help their date go well.
While Seo-jung was biting his lower lip in contemplation, Cha Yoon’s only thought was that he had to claim the seat next to Seo-jung. Having already lost the spot next to Seo-jung to Da-bin once in the past, his determination burned even stronger. He resolved that if necessary, he would take the wheel himself and have Seo-jung sit in the passenger seat beside him.
As they were each lost in their own thoughts, Woo-jun called out to Seo-jung, who was deliberating in front of the driver’s seat.
“Seo-jung, I’ll drive, so you can sit in the back and relax.”
Seo-jung looked worried as Woo-jun gestured towards the back seat.
“…Are you sure it’s okay?”
“I’ve been driving for 10 years. Don’t worry and get in.”
Even as Woo-jun patted his shoulder, Seo-jung hesitated to move to the back. In that moment of hesitation, Cha Yoon, who had been watching all along, stepped forward as if he couldn’t take it anymore.
“He said to go to the back. Don’t think about struggling unnecessarily and let’s sit in the back together.”
Cha Yoon naturally wrapped his hands around Seo-jung’s shoulders and rubbed them. It was exactly where Woo-jun’s hand had just touched.
Seo-jung, who had been standing there hesitantly, reluctantly got into the back seat. Cha Yoon, following him into the car, looked around the interior. Perhaps because it was an SUV, the inside was more spacious than a typical sedan. Cha Yoon was pleased with the considerable distance between the front and back seats. He thought this might allow for an intimate conversation with his hyung. Cha Yoon nodded and patted the seat.
In contrast, as soon as Seo-jung sat down, he leaned forward to check on the safety of everyone in the car.
“Don’t forget to fasten your seatbelts, everyone.”
“Ki Seo-jung, you sound like a teacher when you talk like that.”
“I was just thinking the same thing, we’re in sync again.”
Woo-jun and Da-bin, sitting next to each other, exchanged comments while diligently following Seo-jung’s instructions.
“Shall we put on some music?”
“Sure, I’ll do it. I have a song that’s perfect for this weather.”
Da-bin quickly connected her Bluetooth to the car and touched the screen, filling the car with the sweet sound of a piano. Seo-jung glanced at the speaker for a moment before tapping Woo-jun’s shoulder.
“Woo-jun, it rained at dawn so the ground is wet and might be slippery. We can go slowly, just drive safely.”
“Alright. I’ll do that, so Seo-jung, you try to relax too.”
After voicing his concern once more, Seo-jung let out a small sigh. Having confirmed that the two in front had fastened their belts, it was now Cha Yoon’s turn. But when Seo-jung turned his head, he couldn’t help but frown.
There was no way Cha Yoon hadn’t heard him, yet he hadn’t fastened his seatbelt, wasn’t even sitting straight, and was turned towards Seo-jung, staring at him.
Doesn’t he know it’s dangerous to sit like that? Why isn’t he thinking about his body when he’s already been injured in a car accident? Seo-jung, already more sensitive than usual due to someone else holding the steering wheel, felt his switch flip without realizing it.
“Cha Yoon, fasten your belt quickly.”
At Seo-jung’s abrupt words, Cha Yoon raised one eyebrow. The kind Ki Seo-jung who had been chatting with Park Woo-jun until just now was gone, replaced by a chilly Ki Seo-jung.
Seo-jung’s kindness and affection, which were easily granted to others, seemed impossibly difficult for Cha Yoon to obtain. While he understood Seo-jung’s efforts to push him away, he couldn’t help feeling upset at times.
Whether Cha Yoon hadn’t heard him or was pretending not to, Seo-jung sighed at his blank expression and stillness. As Seo-jung was about to say something more, he hesitated for a moment before reaching out. He concluded it would be better to move himself rather than engage in a pointless argument.
As Seo-jung’s body suddenly drew closer, Cha Yoon, who had been nursing his hurt feelings alone, froze in surprise. Despite Cha Yoon’s awkward posture with his arms raised, Seo-jung paid no attention and pulled the seatbelt from the opposite side. Soon, with a click, the long black strap diagonally wrapped around Cha Yoon’s body.
Seo-jung tugged on his belt a few times to check, then moved back, seemingly relieved.
“Now look forward.”
Cha Yoon, who had been frozen, snapped back to reality at the sound of Seo-jung’s voice. He hesitated for a moment before carefully speaking up.
“Now that I’ve got the belt on, this should be fine, right…?”
“It’s not fine, so sit straight and look forward.”
But there was no way that would work. In the end, Cha Yoon sat facing forward as Seo-jung wanted. Only after confirming he was sitting properly did Seo-jung signal, “We can start now.”
Soon, the car began to move. Unlike Seo-jung, who was focusing all his attention on the windshield as if he were driving himself, Cha Yoon’s attention was naturally on Seo-jung.
With Seo-jung right beside him, he wanted to make even the slightest contact. His feelings of hurt and disappointment were just momentary. After all, isn’t this what love is supposed to be like? In the face of love, things like pride were unnecessary.
Cha Yoon nodded as if agreeing with his own thoughts and slowly moved his hand that was resting on the seat towards the side. His fidgeting fingers reached their goal: the tips of Seo-jung’s fingers.
Cha Yoon glanced at Seo-jung’s hand resting quietly next to his thigh. Would this be the time to use the phrase “jade-like hands”? Unlike his own hand with protruding knuckles that betrayed its masculinity, Seo-jung’s hand was straight without a single bump. It was a hand so flawless that staring at it all day wouldn’t be a waste of time.
Cha Yoon unconsciously swallowed. He wanted to grab it and put it in his mouth to suck— no, to intertwine their fingers. But the saying “too much of a good thing” existed for a reason. If he was too greedy, he might lose even what he was allowed.
Abandoning thoughts of putting fingers in his mouth or interlocking hands, Cha Yoon gently placed his pinky finger against Seo-jung’s. The moment their fingers touched, Cha Yoon’s lips twitched. Though the area of contact was barely 3cm, he felt as if Seo-jung’s warmth was being transmitted to him.
With his strong resilience, Cha Yoon’s mood quickly improved, and he started talking to Seo-jung.
“Hyung, isn’t the weather nice today? The sky is so clear and the wind is cool, probably because it rained at dawn.”
“……”
“On a day like this, it would be nice just to walk hand in hand with someone you like.”
“……”
“Hyung, about where we’re going to eat. I saw the address, it’s near Jamsil. After lunch, should we walk around the lake?”
“……”
“You like walking, don’t you, hyung? If the people in front don’t want to, we could go just the two of us…”
Even though the person he was talking to showed no reaction, Cha Yoon continued to chatter on with an excited expression, seemingly tireless. It was when he finally voiced what he most wanted and hoped for that he heard Seo-jung sigh and speak.
“Cha Yoon.”
“Yes, hyung.”
Cha Yoon nodded vigorously, as if to say he was ready to hear anything.
“Could you please be quiet until we arrive?”
“…What?”
“Woo-jun is driving right now. Don’t you think it would be distracting if you keep talking non-stop?”
Cha Yoon blinked blankly, mulling over Seo-jung’s words. So it wasn’t about not wanting to walk together, or not liking walking.
“You’re telling me to shut up? Because I might be distracting that guy over there?”
There was no reply, but Seo-jung’s eyes were saying yes. With the music playing in the car and the occasional sounds of Woo-jun and Da-bin’s conversation, Seo-jung’s anxiety was already at its peak. From his perspective, Seo-jung’s request was understandable, but it was far from enough to make Cha Yoon, who was unaware of this, understand.
To him, driving was just something any adult could do once they got their license. So why was Seo-jung being so sensitive and considerate about it?
He had known about Seo-jung’s considerate nature that always thought of others for a long time. But this was too much to simply accept as that. He had asked Woo-jun several times if he was sure about driving before getting in the car, and even after getting in, he kept checking on Woo-jun’s safety.
That was it. Seo-jung was now excessively worried about Park Woo-jun, who was holding the steering wheel. But why? As he frowned, unable to understand, at that moment, the writer’s voice from last night in the darkness replayed in Cha Yoon’s ears.
‘Is that so? I’m not sure. From what I can tell, it seems Seo-jung has his eye on someone else.’
Seo-jung, someone else, eye on… These words flew around haphazardly in his mind before gradually settling down. In the car where music fitting the clear weather outside was playing, only Cha Yoon glared at the driver’s seat with an out-of-place expression.
It’s that bastard, the despicable guy who stole our hyung’s heart.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
