In reality, Hae-hyun came home late at night at least once every few days. When his large frame clumsily sank into the bed, Jae-ha would often stir from light sleep. Even in that hazy, half-asleep state, one thing always hit him clearly—the scent. It clung to Hae-hyun, drifting in from outside, and it never failed to register.
Especially that cool, sweet-smelling cologne—it stood out like a sore thumb. It definitely wasn’t the fragrance Hae-hyun usually wore.
So then… yeah. Kind of obvious, wasn’t it?
“I don’t really have that many,” Hae-hyun said.
“Oh, really?” Jae-ha replied flatly.
It was the kind of tone that screamed, Not buying it for a second, and Hae-hyun didn’t miss it.
“You’re probably the only one with, like, four hundred friends.”
“What are you talking about? Tons of people have that many.”
“Do you even remember their names and faces?”
“Well, if I don’t, then are they really friends?”
“Give me your phone. Let’s see.”
Jae-ha handed it over without fuss, and Hae-hyun immediately opened the messaging app’s friend list—only to freeze, eyes going wide.
“…Why the hell do you have this many?”
“How many is it?”
Jae-ha tilted his head to look. 2,405.
“I just never cleaned it up. Half of them? No clue who they are.”
He’d met plenty of people just going through the motions of school life. But everywhere he went, people would call him out, and he’d end up exchanging contact info with at least a few of them. That’s how his contact list turned into a chaotic mashup of ages, professions, and connections.
There were too many. People changed numbers, unknown profiles popped up, and keeping track became impossible. Unless he changed his own number, there was no fixing it. So now he just let it be.
“Why do you have so many unread messages?”
Before long, Hae-hyun completely forgot his original goal and started snooping through Jae-ha’s messaging app like it was his own. The unread messages had surpassed the app’s maximum display limit. Group chats, personal messages, new pings, old threads—they completely flooded the screen, and that was just the start.
“I’ll check them later.”
Jae-ha, now mildly curious, checked his own message count too and shrugged. Messages piled up way too fast. Strangely enough, they always slowed down when he had a girlfriend, but the moment he was single again, they came rushing back like clockwork.
Right now, he’d been single for a while, so things were relatively calm. But Hae-hyun wasn’t letting it go.
“Hyung… are you running some kind of dating pool?”
“What?” Jae-ha gave him a look. “Why the hell would I do that?”
“Oppa, I really want to see this movie, but I have no one to go with. Will you come with me? It’s my treat.”
Without warning, Hae-hyun read aloud one of the unopened messages. The sentence was clearly cutesy, but coming from his flat, deadpan voice? It was creepy as hell. Jae-ha instinctively started defending himself.
“I’m gonna say no. She’s been sending messages like that lately.”
She was a junior he used to be pretty friendly with. But lately, she’d been trying to spend time one-on-one, and he’d been dodging her with every excuse he could come up with. He knew what she was angling for, and he didn’t want to feed those feelings. He figured she’d have taken the hint by now… but apparently not.
“Hm. Right.”
That was all Hae-hyun said, letting out a vague noise as he kept scrolling through the rest of the messages like it was his own phone.
“Wow, so many people offering to buy you drinks. And why do you have so many noonas?”
“They’re just party girls.”
Jae-ha had always gotten a certain kind of attention from wealthy older women. When they were bored at a bar or club, they’d hit him up to join their table. He got where Hae-hyun was coming from, but it was a total misunderstanding. Those women weren’t trying to hook up with him—they just wanted to fill out their group.
Honestly, from the way Hae-hyun reacted to any message Jae-ha got, you’d think everyone was trying to seduce him. Obviously not true. People messaged for all kinds of reasons—casual small talk, dating advice, blind date setups, bragging about trips or food, invites to games or workouts, or even late-night bar crawls. Some just wanted to go clubbing. Once, he’d even given career advice, and he hadn’t even landed a job himself.
“Party girls?” Hae-hyun echoed, staring at him like he’d just said something offensive.
“What now?”
“Don’t bring any girls over while I’m staying here.”
“Are you insane?”
Jae-ha practically choked. The place only had one bedroom—and the guy who said that literally climbed into his bed every night. Why the hell would he bring another girl over? What, did he look like someone with a death wish?
Jae-ha had some basic sense, thank you very much.
But instead of being reassured, Hae-hyun’s face only grew darker.
“Wait—are you seriously planning to sleep out?”
“……”
Jae-ha had no response to that.
Honestly, even if he overlooked everything else, Hae-hyun was the last person who had the right to talk. The guy came home at dawn like it was part of his routine.
But arguing over it just felt exhausting. Instead, Jae-ha gave up on the conversation entirely and turned his attention to the tablet where he’d just started a drama. Not one to back down, Hae-hyun clung to him like a terrier.
“Why won’t you answer? Were you really gonna sleep out? When? With who?”
“Shouldn’t you be getting to class?”
“Was it one of those noonas who keep offering to buy you drinks? Don’t tell me it’s not just one.”
“Go. I’m busy.”
He thought that would shut him up. But no—Hae-hyun was surprisingly relentless. He hounded Jae-ha all the way until the last possible minute, and when it was clear he wasn’t getting anywhere, he finally pouted and stormed off with a muttered, “Player hyung,” like a brat throwing a tantrum.
It would’ve been fine if that were the end of it. But just before Hae-hyun got back, Jae-ha’s phone rang again. It was that same friend from earlier, the one trying to drag him out for a camping trip.
“Calm down. If you show up right now, your mom’s gonna have a stroke.”
— “That’s all an act. I swear I’ve never met anyone healthier than my mom. Just one night. Please? Just oooone night, Seo Jae-haaa~”
As he tried to talk some sense into his completely unserious friend, the front door creaked open—Hae-hyun was home. Which meant he got hit with the full blast of the cutesy, nasal whining coming through the speaker, loud and clear.
“You’re going camping?”
“No.”
The moment that obnoxious ‘Pleaseee~’ hit the air, Hae-hyun’s face darkened like a thundercloud. Jae-ha shook his head immediately. Look, he just wanted to camp with a friend, not get buried in the woods because of one.
— “No way, you have to come with me! What’s the point if you’re not there, huh? Just once, pleaaase?”
Unfortunately, it seemed like the voice from the call had bled through, because the friend pounced instantly. Hae-hyun responded by running a finger across his neck.
…Was that supposed to mean ‘hang up’?
“Anyway, let’s do it another time. I’ve got stuff going on today.”
Total lie. But judging from how clingy this guy was, if he didn’t give a clear excuse, the guy wouldn’t back off.
— “Huh? You said you were free earlier!”
“That was earlier.”
— “Ugh. Social butterfly much…”
Only after that strategic little lie did the whining start to die down. A few minutes later, Jae-ha finally managed to calm his friend down enough to stay home.
The same guy who claimed he couldn’t survive without AC was now desperate to escape the house—guess the weather had really cooled off. Staring at the 20+ minute call log in disbelief, Jae-ha sighed and set his phone down… only to notice something looming in the corner of his vision.
He turned toward the living room. There was Hae-hyun, stretched out on the sofa with his legs up, glued to his phone. Their eyes met immediately.
“…What?”
“What do you mean, ‘what’?”
The hell is this vibe? Something felt off, but he couldn’t quite place it.
“Nothing. Just checking.”
All he did was bicker with a friend, but now it was already getting dark out. The playback bar on the tablet had been frozen for ages, and he couldn’t even remember what episode he was on. Feeling a bit deflated, he headed toward the bathroom to wash up—when suddenly, Hae-hyun spoke up again.
“You going out?”
“What?”
“…Seriously?”
He only asked because he didn’t get the context, but Hae-hyun’s expression shifted like he’d just been handed irrefutable proof of betrayal. What the hell is wrong with him today? Confused, but not wanting to get dragged in further, Jae-ha just went into the bathroom.
When he came back out, Hae-hyun was acting like nothing had happened, casually tapping away at his phone.
“Move over.”
The drama was playing in the living room, so Jae-ha instinctively tried to sit back down on the couch. But Hae-hyun had stretched out across the whole thing. Jae-ha gave his calf a couple light taps.
With a sluggish groan, Hae-hyun shifted and made space. Even then, their shoulders were practically stacked on top of each other—barely enough room to sit.
Two grown men trying to share one tiny couch? Yeah, no. Between the size and the weight… if they kept this up, they might have to buy a new sofa soon. Jae-ha cast a nervous glance at the already-creaking seat. Come to think of it, maybe letting Hae-hyun crash in his bed hadn’t been such a bad idea. This thing looked like it could snap from one wrong kick in the middle of the night.
Screw it. I’ll just sit on the floor.
He was just about to get up when—
“Where are you going?”
The question came from Hae-hyun, still fully focused on his phone.
“It’s cramped.”
“It’s not.”
Jae-ha gave him a look, then eyed the remaining space. Even though Hae-hyun was sitting politely, tucked against the armrest, he was still hogging at least 70% of the sofa. From this angle, it was a miracle he’d even managed to sit down at all.
“It’s cramped,” Jae-ha repeated flatly.
“No, really. You can sit.”
Hae-hyun shook his head and gave the seat beside him a light pat. He was already curling himself up in that cramped little corner, contorting his body just to make room—and watching that, as the actual owner of the place, felt downright cruel. Jae-ha gave his shoulder a quick tap.
“It’s fine. Just sit however you want.”
“Where are you going?”
“Huh?”
Jae-ha blinked, confused. Go where? At this point, the earlier phone call wasn’t even in his brain anymore.
Then came the passive-aggressive little jab, disguised as casual concern.
“It’s cold out.”
“What are you talking about? The weather’s been great.”
The reply came out automatically. It felt like summer was just yesterday, but the temperature had dropped fast. Sure, the nights were cooler, but compared to those muggy days where a few steps would leave you drenched in sweat, this was way more comfortable. But despite the logical response, Hae-hyun’s brow pinched slightly.
“So what are you doing?”
“…Doing what?”
“It’s already dark.”
Hold on—why did it feel like he was supposed to be going somewhere? Was this some high-level guilt-tripping?
Still, Jae-ha replied without skipping a beat.
“There’s plenty to do, even when it’s dark.”
Hae-hyun scowled.
“Like what? You said you weren’t going camping. So is it drinks now? With those noonas? Gonna party all night? You’re not seriously planning to sleep out again, right? Take care of yourself, would you? You’re not getting any younger.”
The hell?
Jae-ha reeled from the sudden barrage and crossed his arms. His stare turned frosty. Hae-hyun winced slightly but clung to his defiant little pout.
“What? I’m just saying.”
Saying nonsense, more like. Jae-ha stayed silent, just staring. Then, without warning, he leaned forward.
Startled, Hae-hyun flinched back.
“W-what are you doing?”
Jae-ha didn’t answer. He leaned in even closer. They were barely a forearm’s length apart now. His eyes locked on to Hae-hyun’s face, sharp and unmoving. Nothing shut someone up faster than a well-placed stare-down.
Hae-hyun’s lashes fluttered rapidly. His eyes flicked over Jae-ha’s face, then darted away like they’d been burned—only to sneak back a second later. That back-and-forth went on a few more times until finally, his gaze lingered. He stared like he was hypnotized. His ears were visibly flushed.
Jae-ha finally opened his mouth, slow and deliberate.
“I’m watching a drama.”
“Huh?”
His voice came out hollow, almost dazed.
“In my bed.”
“…Your bed?”
“Wanna join? There’s no space here. We’ll be more comfortable in there.”
Jae-ha tilted his chin toward the bedroom. Hae-hyun blinked several times, then slowly nodded. His thick throat moved with a hard swallow.
“Ju Hae-hyun, have you seen this one? Is it okay to start from the middle?”
He held up the paused episode. Hae-hyun followed the motion with his eyes and nodded, looking for all the world like a well-behaved kid following instructions.
The bed wasn’t much bigger than the sofa. They had to squeeze in, shoulders pressed together, just to sit comfortably. Still, it was a step up. Jae-ha let himself lean into Hae-hyun, their shoulders brushing, overlapping slightly. Hae-hyun didn’t resist. He stayed close, compliant. Though his body was rigid, his shoulder stiff as stone beneath the contact.
“What, you think I’m gonna bite?”
“Huh? No—I mean, what?”
It was just a joke, but Hae-hyun’s eyes went wide like he’d been accused of something terrible. Why the hell does he always look at me like I’m some predator? Jae-ha chuckled under his breath and tapped the guy’s thigh with the back of his hand. The solid muscle jolted in surprise.
“Relax. Want me to scoot over?”
“N-no, I’m good!”
The answer came too fast—rushed and awkward. Still… if he said it was fine, Jae-ha let it go and hit play. Truth was, he didn’t have much room left to scoot anyway; he was already pressed almost flat against the wall.
The drama was about a man who’d claw his way to the top no matter what. It had a 19+ rating thanks to its moral depravity and steamy twists, which Jae-ha suddenly remembered—but whatever. They were both adults.
And it’s not like Hae-hyun looked like the type to flinch at gore or a little blood.
But that wasn’t the issue.
[You’re a disgusting human being.]
[Maybe. But you love me anyway.]
[…]
Just as the woman glared at him like she wanted him dead, the man leaned in—calm and collected—and the two of them locked lips in a heated, desperate kiss.
Jae-ha instinctively glanced at Hae-hyun.
Sitting this close, practically sharing body heat, while breathy moans echoed from the screen… even he was starting to feel awkward.
“What?” Hae-hyun asked.
“Nothing.”
Surprisingly, Hae-hyun’s face was completely blank. No discomfort, no awkwardness—nothing. Actually… maybe it wasn’t that surprising. He did seem like someone who got around.
Maybe Jae-ha had just been thinking of him as too much of a kid this whole time.
Then again, if he really was the shy type, he wouldn’t have passed out naked in a stranger’s bed on the first day they met.
Back then, Jae-ha had seriously thought he was insane.
And now they were living together.
Thinking back on it all, he couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.
