When Jaeyoon arrived at the place Lee Minho had told him about, he could see the familiar silver hair that caught his eye even from a distance. Jaeyoon’s footsteps naturally became careful as he saw Jung Jinhoo napping while sitting with his back against a tree. As he approached him, making as little noise as possible, the cat lying on Jinhoo’s lap raised its head, looked at Jaeyoon, and greeted him. Meow~ Yes, hello. After gently stroking the cat’s head, Jaeyoon quietly knelt down in front of Jinhoo.
Jinhoo’s breathing was steady and rhythmic. After resting his chin on his hand and gazing at him for a moment, Jaeyoon noticed the sketchbook placed beside Jinhoo. On the snow-white paper was a drawing of an orange-furred cat playing in a grassy field. As he gazed at the picture, Jaeyoon turned his head to look at the cat lying on Jinhoo’s lap, swaying its tail. Pfft- laughter unconsciously escaped from his lips.
The warm spring breeze gently blew, ruffling Jinhoo’s bangs. Staring blankly at the sight, Jaeyoon raised his hand and carefully held the snow-white silver hair. The soft hair slipped smoothly between his fingers.
‘His eyelashes are so long…’
Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen sunbae’s sleeping face. He’s seen my sleeping face many times though… Recalling his own behavior, Jaeyoon gave a bitter smile. Being around Jinhoo made him feel so comfortable that he tended to let his guard down without realizing it.
Jinhoo’s image was reflected in Jaeyoon’s blue eyes. Fair skin, large puppy-like eyes, a straight nose, and pale pink lips. Everything that made up Jinhoo looked beautiful to him.
‘What if someone takes him away?’
Jaeyoon’s eyes narrowed. He had never once imagined Jinhoo with someone other than himself. Just the thought of it made his blood rush to his head and his mood sink. Faced with a feeling he had never experienced in his life, Jaeyoon smiled self-deprecatingly.
‘Was I always this childish and selfish…?’
Jaeyoon raised his hand and cupped Jinhoo’s cheek. Warm heat transferred through his hand. Looking at him blankly, Jaeyoon soon bent his waist. Their foreheads touched, tangling their bangs. I want to tell him. I want to convey my feelings to this person…
“Jaeyoon?”
Jaeyoon’s shoulders flinched at the voice calling his name. As Jaeyoon slowly raised his head, his eyes met Jinhoo’s. Seeing Jinhoo looking at him blankly, Jaeyoon blinked slowly. An awkward silence hung between them. What is this situation? So, I just now… While trying to recall the situation slowly with his uncooperative mind, Jaeyoon opened his eyes wide. Startled, he jumped to his feet and covered his lips with the back of his hand.
‘What was I trying to do just now?!’
Jaeyoon’s pupils shook rapidly. As he tried to flee in confusion, a large hand firmly grabbed his wrist, making him close his eyes tightly and bite his lip. Turning around slowly like a malfunctioning machine, he involuntarily took a step back when he met Jinhoo’s direct gaze. Jinhoo looked at Jaeyoon quietly, then forcefully pulled his wrist as he kept trying to escape. Huh?! Before he could resist, Jaeyoon was pulled into Jinhoo’s arms.
“Sunbae?”
“Why are you running away?”
“T-That’s…”
Jaeyoon’s blue eyes trembled. He couldn’t think of what to say. After gazing at Jaeyoon, who could only move his lips without words, Jinhoo rested his forehead on Jaeyoon’s shoulder. Sunbae? As Jaeyoon called out in confusion, Jinhoo murmured in a low voice.
“Continue.”
“What…?”
Jinhoo raised his head to meet Jaeyoon’s eyes and placed his hand over Jaeyoon’s. Then he pressed his lips against the back of Jaeyoon’s hand and whispered softly.
“The kiss, don’t stop, continue.”
“Ah, no, that’s…?!”
What does my expression look like right now? Is it funny and strange? Jaeyoon felt heat rising to his face. Jinhoo, who was staring at him, gently squeezed their overlapping hands and called Jaeyoon’s name in a soft voice.
“Jaeyoon.”
“…!!”
Unable to do anything, Jaeyoon’s rigid gaze fell on the reddened tips of Jinhoo’s ears. Only then did he properly see Jinhoo’s face. Jinhoo’s cheeks were as red as apples, no less than his own, and the hand holding Jaeyoon’s was gradually tightening as if anxious.
‘I’m not the only one who’s worried and anxious…’
Is it okay to be selfish? Is it okay to selfishly hold onto this person without knowing what will happen in the future, knowing that I am an unstable person in this world? Jaeyoon squeezed Jinhoo’s hand firmly. The golden eyes opened wide. After gazing at them quietly, Jaeyoon lowered his head. Then he briefly kissed the bridge of Jinhoo’s nose. Jinhoo blinked blankly at the sensation of soft lips touching slightly and then pulling away.
“…?!”
Jaeyoon smiled slightly at the sight of Jinhoo’s face instantly turning red. Then, leaning his forehead against Jinhoo’s shoulder, he murmured in a small voice.
“We’re outside… so, I-I’ll kiss you… next time.”
Jinhoo felt his heart tickle as Jaeyoon, seemingly embarrassed, kept snuggling into his arms while speaking. He smiled, his lips forming a curve, then wrapped his arm around Jaeyoon’s waist and embraced him.
“Okay, I’ll wait.”
As their bodies pressed together, a gentle floral scent emanated from Jinhoo’s body. It somehow calmed his heart, and Jaeyoon tightly grabbed Jinhoo’s collar. Then, gathering his courage, he voiced his feelings.
“I like you.”
Jinhoo’s body stiffened. Seeing his golden eyes widen, Jaeyoon grabbed Jinhoo’s collar and whispered to him once more.
“I like you too, sunbae.”
Jinhoo hugged Jaeyoon’s waist tightly. I like you, I really like you. At Jinhoo’s trembling voice, Jaeyoon smiled softly. With his forehead resting on Jinhoo’s shoulder, he wrapped his arms around his back. And he hugged him firmly.
‘I’m happy…’
Cherry blossom petals fluttered gently on the warm spring breeze. The cat, who had been watching the two with its cute blinking eyes, soon opened its mouth and made a loud sound. Nyaaa! The two turned their gaze toward it. Seemingly satisfied with their attention, the cat meowed and tapped the sandwich bag next to it with its fluffy paw.
“Ah…!”
Only then did Jaeyoon remember his purpose in finding Jinhoo. He got up from Jinhoo’s body with an awkward smile.
“Sandwich?”
“Yes, I worked hard to make it, but I’m not sure if it’ll suit your taste.”
“Huh? F-For me??”
When handed the sandwich, Jinhoo received it with wide, round eyes.
“And here, please sign this too~”
“Ah, it’s that time of year already?”
Receiving the student handbook, Jinhoo finally understood what was happening and nodded. After quickly signing the paper, he returned the student handbook to Jaeyoon with a gentle smile.
“Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”
“I made it a bit spicy, how is it?”
Taking the sandwich out of the nicely wrapped bag, Jinhoo took a big bite of the delicious-looking bacon and egg sandwich. With his cheeks puffed up like rice cakes, Jinhoo chewed the sandwich and then said with a pleased smile.
“It’s delicious!”
“Really, it’s good…?”
“Yes, really.”
Seeing Jinhoo smiling like sunshine, Jaeyoon exhaled a sigh of relief. He was somewhat confident in his cooking and had often cooked for his friends while living alone, but he had never been this nervous. Just changing from a friend to someone he liked made him so worried and, at the same time, his heart race.
Stroking the head of the cat playing with grass beside him, Jaeyoon rolled his eyes to check that there was no one around, then lightly rested his head on Jinhoo’s shoulder. Jinhoo’s body, eating the sandwich, flinched. After turning his head slightly to check on Jaeyoon, Jinhoo gently lowered his right shoulder to make it more comfortable for Jaeyoon to lean on. Jaeyoon liked such small gestures of consideration. A smile naturally spread across his face, but just at that moment, a loud sound came from somewhere. Like thunder…
“Hmm…?”
“…”
What’s that sound? As Jinhoo looked around with a puzzled expression, once again, an even louder sound than before was heard. This sound was louder than the first, so Jinhoo could immediately tell where it was coming from. Glancing at Jaeyoon, he saw him with his head bowed, clutching his stomach. The visible tip of his ear was bright red.
Jinhoo bit his lip, trying not to laugh. But he couldn’t stop his shoulders from shaking. Jaeyoon, barely resisting the urge to bang his forehead against the tree behind him, murmured in a small voice.
“…I haven’t eaten yet…”
“You didn’t eat a sandwich during the cooking practice??”
Jinhoo’s eyes rounded. He had naturally assumed that Jaeyoon had eaten beforehand while making sandwiches. That’s what most people did during cooking classes. But Jaeyoon couldn’t do that because of Sim Jaeha, who had a natural talent for destroying cooking. Other groups had all made sandwiches for themselves (with more care than those for the third-years), but Jaeyoon’s group couldn’t make extra portions for themselves because Jaeha had practically obliterated almost all the ingredients. Jaeyoon scratched his cheek awkwardly and said.
“We were short on ingredients…”
‘I was just grateful we could make a sandwich for sunbae in that situation…’
Jaeyoon laughed helplessly, recalling the disastrous cooking practice.
“I’m sorry, you must be hungry.”
“No. I’m not really hungry…”
Grrrrrrrumble~
His stomach shouted at him not to lie, and Jaeyoon bit his lip hard. Yes, I’m hungry… Seeing this, Jinhoo clenched his molars to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out. Jaeyoon, fidgeting with his hands in embarrassment, looked so adorable.
“Let’s go get something to eat.”
“Okay…”
As he stood next to Jinhoo, a large hand gently enveloped Jaeyoon’s. When he looked up at him, Jinhoo smiled warmly and said, “Just for a little while.”
‘Ah, really… my heart feels like it’s going to explode…’
Jaeyoon held his hand back and pressed his palm against his heating cheeks.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
These two are gonna give me diabetes 🥹.