“You’re awake?”
A high-pitched ring buzzed in his ears, followed by a quiet voice beside the bed. The hand that had been feeling around his neck was gone. In its place, fingers gently brushed his hair back.
He froze. What was that just now? Had it been a dream? His thoughts lagged in the haze of sleep. Even so, that soft touch stroking his hair didn’t stop.
“Why are you sleeping out here? You should sleep in bed.”
The hand pulled away with that concerned voice. It would’ve been nice if the person had also taken a step back—but instead, Bae Jung-yoon moved closer.
As the other man sat down on the narrow sofa, Go Hoon looked away and forced his sluggish brain into gear. With one hand covering his eyes, he stayed still for a moment, then slowly opened them.
“You weren’t home.”
The moment he said it, he tried to sit up. But Bae Jung-yoon moved first.
He reached out and braced his hand beside Hoon’s head. The leather sofa sagged under his weight, and his face drew in close, quietly watching. Hoon froze mid-motion, stuck in an awkward position.
“You were waiting for me?”
Jung-yoon tilted his head slightly. Having that face so close made it hard to breathe.
Thump-thump. His heart pounded again, harder now. Please— Could it not be so obvious? This rogue organ was out of control, completely ignoring its owner’s wishes. The fire building inside dried out his mouth, but Hoon forced himself to look calm.
“You’re the one who didn’t come home. Of course I waited.”
How could he sleep easy when the person he was living with didn’t show up? That’s what he meant.
Truthfully, he had been worried when Jung-yoon came home late—but there was no reason to say that out loud. Who would benefit from him being honest about how he felt?
“I need to get up, so could you mo—”
He didn’t get to finish asking him to move. Long fingers brushed his cheek, and something passed the tip of his nose. A scent—familiar—clung to Bae Jung-yoon.
Something like burning wood, deep and calming at the same time. This smell… He was about to drift into thought, but reality yanked him back. Jung-yoon’s fingers were now touching his lips.
Pitch-black eyes stared straight at him. There was something sticky and heavy in that gaze, though Hoon couldn’t quite place what it was.
Bae Jung-yoon’s eyes were always hard to read, like there was a thin film hiding whatever lay beneath.
And that’s why, every time Jung-yoon acted like this, Hoon couldn’t help but wonder. Does he have feelings for me? But in the end, he always convinced himself it was just wishful thinking.
Getting ahead of himself would only lead to heartbreak. A slow, cruel kind of torture. Even if Bae Jung-yoon did want something physical from him, that desire probably wasn’t coming from anything like affection.
“It makes me feel good. Knowing you waited for me.”
Jung-yoon’s voice was thick, smooth. A faint smile played on his lips, though it didn’t feel like a real smile. His face moved in even closer.
When there were only a few centimeters left between them, Go Hoon spoke quietly.
“You smell like perfume.”
Bae Jung-yoon stopped.
“…Ah.”
His eyes widened slightly. Then he pressed his nose into his own sleeve.
“I didn’t think I was wearing anything, but you always notice. Like a cat.”
He murmured with a hint of laughter, eyes fixed on Hoon. Those pitch-black eyes spoke volumes.
Of course. Like a cat.
Go Hoon furrowed his brow and pushed him away with one arm as he sat up. Jung-yoon didn’t resist and backed off easily. Hoon dropped his feet to the floor and roughly combed through the flattened hair at the back of his head.
“You went to a funeral?”
So that “family event” excuse was a lie? He glanced over. Jung-yoon smiled softly.
“No. It was my grandmother’s memorial. We held a rite for her.”
Ah, his maternal grandmother. It came back to him—she had passed from cancer. Go Hoon lowered his hand and looked at him directly. Their eyes met, and Jung-yoon’s lips curved again.
“What? Were you going to comfort me?”
“You don’t look the least bit sad. What’s there to comfort?”
There wasn’t a single trace of sorrow on his face. Just like always—detached, like an outsider. What comfort could possibly matter to someone like that?
Still… was it really just a dream? That sensation of fingers on his neck had felt so real. But why would Jung-yoon do something like that in the first place? Hoon couldn’t think of a reason.
So he decided: it had to be a meaningless, fleeting dream. One of those random ones you have right before waking up.
And of all the things to dream about… His thoughts were already a mess, and now this? He brushed it off as nothing, turned his head, and checked the clock. It was already past midnight.
“Go wash up and get to bed. It’s late.”
He yawned and stood up. Now that he’d seen Bae Jung-yoon had come home, there was no reason to stay up any longer.
“Hoon.”
The sound of his name stopped him. When he turned around, Bae Jung-yoon was still sitting in the same spot, eyes locked on him.
“What’d you do at home while I was gone?”
The question made his stomach twist for a second. The guilt of having snuck out without saying anything prickled at his conscience. Still, Hoon kept a straight face and answered casually.
“What else? Studied.”
Then added, “Why?”
Jung-yoon stared at him for a moment, then replied in an offhand tone.
“Just figured you might’ve been bored.”
Hoon raised an eyebrow. Bored? Did he think he was the kind of helpless cat who couldn’t do anything on his own? Muttering under his breath, he turned and walked toward the bedroom.
In his cat form, Hoon hopped up onto the bed and curled himself into a ball. He heard the sound of running water from the bathroom—Jung-yoon must’ve gone in for a shower.
Listening to the water, he nestled deeper into the soft mattress. The bedding was soaked with Jung-yoon’s scent. Maybe it was because he was used to it—something about it was comforting. His mind settled, and drowsiness crept in. His bright blue eyes slowly disappeared beneath his closing lids.
***
The messages from Woo Gun-hyung started pouring in the very next day after Hoon had given him his number. He asked about everything—Did you wake up? Have you eaten? What are you doing today?—nonstop questions about his day.
It had been surprising to learn that Gun-hyung’s promise to keep in touch wasn’t just a polite gesture. Still, Hoon figured he’d lose interest soon enough.
He intentionally took his time replying—partly on purpose, partly out of necessity. It was exam season, and he needed to focus.
But Gun-hyung was more persistent than expected. Two weeks had passed, and the messages kept coming without fail.
Hoon began to wonder if there was something the guy wanted from him. Otherwise, there was no real reason to be this insistent.
Sure, on the surface, Gun-hyung seemed normal. But what if he was secretly involved in a pyramid scheme? Or maybe he was a religious zealot trying to pass along the message of someone “above”?
Woo Gun-hyung
[When are we meeting again?]
11:38 AM
After reading the message, Hoon’s vague suspicions tilted even more toward certainty. Yeah… the guy definitely wanted something.
Hoon
[Tomorrow at 12.]
2:23 PM
[How about lunch?]
He’d considered telling him to meet in a few years just to be ridiculous—but curiosity got the better of him. He genuinely wanted to know what Gun-hyung was after.
Besides, he had a small hope. By setting the time so abruptly, he figured Gun-hyung would naturally say no, and then he could use that as an excuse to let the whole thing fade away.
Woo Gun-hyung
[Okay]
2:23 PM
But Gun-hyung accepted immediately, without hesitation.
“This guy… doesn’t he have work or something?”
Staring at the prompt reply, Hoon muttered under his breath.
Wasn’t he the CEO of a unicorn startup? Shouldn’t he at least pretend to check his schedule before saying yes? Running over whenever someone calls—wasn’t that a little undignified?
Maybe he doesn’t have that much going on after all. Despite how the media hyped him up, maybe business wasn’t going so great.
Then again, all this speculation was pointless. At the end of the day, Hoon was just a college student. Gun-hyung was a young entrepreneur with a bright future. Who was Hoon to worry about someone like that?
He shook his head and shoved his phone into his pocket, picking up his pace. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on this. He still had one more exam to get through.
***
As he stepped out of the lecture hall, relief washed over him and his body finally relaxed. The last exam was done. All that was left now was waiting for the semester to officially end.
This break, he planned to follow through on something he’d been meaning to do—signing up for a language course. With free time finally on his hands, he wanted to spend it doing something meaningful. No more wasting time—he needed to start preparing for his future.
It wasn’t like he had some grand dream or lofty ambition. He just wanted a stable, ordinary life.
He’d been born with nothing. So he had to work twice as hard as anyone else just to live like everyone else. He didn’t want to be a burden to anyone, so he needed to save money—diligently.
Still, now that exams were over, he figured he could afford a couple days of rest. Rubbing the back of his stiff neck, he strolled across campus. Walking at a relaxed pace, he spotted someone familiar in the distance.
When their eyes met, Kim Yeo-jin’s face instantly lit up. Her bright, eager gaze caught him off guard, but he didn’t show it.
In the end, he had to admit that Bae Jung-yoon had been right—Yeo-jin definitely had feelings for him. She hadn’t confessed or made it obvious, but it was still plain enough to see.
Once he realized how she felt, all the things he hadn’t noticed before became clear. The way she kept sneaking glances at him, how her cheeks would flush when their eyes met.
Maybe because he’d been trying to suppress his own feelings for so long, he became extra sensitive to other people’s. But that didn’t mean he could act like he knew what was going on.
He just hoped her feelings weren’t serious. That it was just a fleeting crush. Because if she ever started expecting something from him, there was no way he could give her what she wanted.
Worse yet, every time he ran into her like this, Bae Jung-yoon had a way of showing up out of nowhere. He’d already been interrogated more than once about his relationship with her. He really wanted to avoid this kind of situation—but of course, today, they ended up face-to-face.
There was no avoiding it. Pretending not to see her would’ve been too obvious.
So, Hoon greeted her.
“Hey.”
