The movie they restarted ended up being far more absorbing than expected. So the problem earlier really had just been their own distraction. Jae-ha thought this as he watched the credits roll upward. Soon, the screen shrank, and related movie recommendations popped up. Turning off the tablet, he glanced at Hae-hyun.
“Not bad, right?”
Over the course of the film, their postures had gradually loosened until, by the end, they were leaning into each other. Practically wrapped in his arms, just a small turn of the head brought their faces dangerously close. Close enough to feel each other’s breath. Jae-ha only realized it when his gaze collided with Hae-hyun’s.
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
Hae-hyun’s eyes stayed fixed on him. In the dim light, his brown irises looked almost pitch black, like a puppy’s eyes. Unconsciously entranced, Jae-ha couldn’t look away. The silence stretched long enough to feel unnatural, yet neither of them broke eye contact.
Then, as Jae-ha tilted his head just a little closer—
Bzzzzzt.
A phone on the nightstand buzzed. Jae-ha froze, pulling back first, and half a beat later, Hae-hyun did the same.
The call was for Hae-hyun. Out of the corner of his eye, Jae-ha caught a glimpse of the screen. It was 1.
“Ah… I’ll take this.”
Though his brows drew together in irritation, Hae-hyun obediently got up. Whatever faint warmth had lingered in his eyes had already vanished.
“Yeah.”
The curt reply trailed farther away as he stepped out of the room, phone pressed to his ear. Jae-ha watched his back retreating into the distance. The bed felt suddenly empty, a coolness seeping into the space he’d left.
And I’m the one who’s supposed to be popular? He tried to dismiss the thought, but just before Hae-hyun left the room entirely, a faint voice carried over. Jae-ha froze.
A high, bright tone. A delighted laugh.
A woman.
No way…
He couldn’t believe it. They’d nearly kissed just now, and he’d chosen to reject it—for a phone call from some woman? And then walked out? Was this guy serious?
At first, when Hae-hyun had gone out every night without fail, Jae-ha hadn’t minded. He was at that age where going out was natural… well, maybe it was a little excessive. But it wasn’t against the law, and who could stop him from doing what he wanted? If there’d been someone he was interested in, Jae-ha himself would’ve gone to a motel or hotel, even if he never brought anyone home. That much was understandable.
But now, it was different.
“Ha.”
More than disappointment, frustration surged through him. A strange sense of defeat—like he was the only one left wanting—prickled hot across his skin.
A hollow laugh slipped out. Sitting there, he listened to the muffled conversation from outside the room. The more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt.
When Hae-hyun finally came back—
“Sorry, Sunbae, but I think you’ll have to eat dinner alone. I’ll make you something really good next time.”
He was basically declaring he was off to see a woman. The sheer audacity left Jae-ha staring at him in disbelief.
Hae-hyun’s face showed a flicker of guilt, but nothing more. He looked like he was ready to bolt at any second.
“Why?”
The word slipped out, bypassing his brain entirely.
“…What?”
Hae-hyun’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting such a question. Naturally so. Even Jae-ha himself hadn’t planned to say it.
But once spoken, it didn’t feel wrong. He decided to tug lightly at the leash.
“Where are you going, leaving me behind?”
“I’m not leaving you, it’s not like that—”
“You’d leave me alone?”
His soft tone jabbed like a quiet reproach.
“You won’t stay?”
Hae-hyun froze, confusion flickering in his gaze as it darted across Jae-ha’s face. Jae-ha deliberately held his eyes.
“If it’s not urgent, why not just hang out with me?”
And that was his honest feeling, spoken aloud.
“S-Sunbae, did something happen? Why are you saying this?”
Because I don’t want you running off to some girl I don’t even know. Jae-ha swallowed back the answer and waved his hand. The suggestive tension from earlier vanished, leaving only a casual gesture.
“Sunbae?”
“I’m kidding. If you’ve got plans, go.”
“No, it’s not exactly plans.”
“Someone called you out, right? Go on. It’s cold at night—take a warm jacket.”
Still waving lazily, Jae-ha picked up his phone.
“Actually… should I go too? Some friends asked me out, and I was thinking about it.”
A blatant lie. But his messenger was always overflowing with invitations; finding one to join wouldn’t be hard. At once, displeasure darkened Hae-hyun’s expression.
“It’s getting dark.”
“I’m not a kid. So what? It’s boring being alone.”
When Jae-ha stood, Hae-hyun flinched. The image of him rushing out the door was gone. Now he stood fidgeting, watching anxiously as Jae-ha rummaged through the closet. Casually, Jae-ha counted in his head. One, two, three—
“I don’t need to go.”
“Hm?”
“I wasn’t going to, anyway. I’ll just stay here.”
“But didn’t you say you were going?”
“Who cares. They keep nagging me even when I say no—it’s honestly annoying.”
Grumbling, Hae-hyun plopped back onto the bed. Jae-ha smirked inwardly. Lying little puppy.
“Yeah?”
“So hang out with me. You said you wanted to, right? Why go out in this cold? I’ll keep you company.”
Hae-hyun sidled back up beside him. Jae-ha, feigning reluctance, lay back down too.
They spent the next while browsing through the OTT app. This one’s like that, that one’s like this… They made a list of more than ten titles to watch before Hae-hyun finally stood up to make dinner. Jae-ha trailed after him, leaning against the counter as he cooked. The kitchen was too small for two grown men, but Hae-hyun didn’t complain once.
And that night, he really didn’t go out.
Even more surprising was that he kept it up. Starting from that night, after canceling his plans, he stopped going out altogether.
Instead, he spent all that time clinging to Jae-ha. When Jae-ha lay down, he climbed into bed with him. In the morning, he was still there, just like before. No signs of sneaking out.
Sometimes, 1 still called, but every time, Hae-hyun flipped his phone over and ignored it. His refusal was so firm that even Jae-ha, startled, asked if he was sure it was okay. Each time, Hae-hyun nodded without hesitation.
“It was annoying me anyway. This works out better.”
…Isn’t that a little cold? Jae-ha thought, but quickly forgot when Hae-hyun pouted and insisted they go out together instead.
In truth, these days they were doing everything except physical intimacy. They hadn’t said they were dating, but they might as well have been.
Outside of class, they were inseparable. They automatically reserved seats together, and they always messaged each other first. Even though they lived in the same place, their phones buzzed constantly. Their fresh affection overflowed.
Jae-ha’s SNS account was flooded with photos of Hae-hyun, so by now, nearly everyone around them knew they were close. Some acquaintances even joked in the comments that they must be running a couple’s account. Few knew that it wasn’t a joke.
At first, Hae-hyun posted a little too, but at some point, he stopped uploading entirely. He still took photos, but nothing went up. Judging by that, he didn’t seem the type to keep up with SNS anyway.
Meanwhile, Jae-ha’s friends complained about how rarely they saw him now that his schedule revolved around Hae-hyun. He brushed them off. After all, hanging out with Ju Hae-hyun was the most fun. A rationalization only he could accept.
Caught up in that rhythm, they both forgot.
Forgot how they’d even ended up living together in the first place.
***
That day was no different from the rest. As usual, Jae-ha carefully slipped out of bed so as not to wake Hae-hyun, still curled against him, sleeping peacefully. Click. Even the sound of the door closing was soft.
It was late morning by the clock, but for college students, still early. The nearly empty campus held only those like Jae-ha with morning classes, its wide space giving off a lonely air.
Checking the time, he saw he still had a little before lecture. Maybe grab a drink? Relishing the rare leisure, he was just considering when—
A sudden chill crept up his arm. His heavy-lidded eyes blinked slowly.
“…?”
He glanced around, but nothing seemed unusual. What the hell? His brows drew together.
He thought of brushing it off, but the uneasy feeling clung stubbornly. Like something bad was about to happen, dread spread cold from his fingertips.
After a moment’s hesitation, Jae-ha turned away from the café and started walking.
About forty minutes later—
The back door of the lecture hall opened quietly. The professor mid-lecture and a few students turned their heads toward the latecomer who had just slipped inside.
