Even after taking a deep breath to calm himself, the pounding in his chest wouldn’t subside. Instead, Kang Hyeon’s flushed face kept resurfacing in his mind, and that warmth spread all the way to his toes. It wasn’t until his whole body reacted to just one look from Hyeon that he finally realized he liked him.
“Ah… why am I such an idiot?”
As the truth dawned on him—the reason he’d been overwhelmed with uncontrollable anger and betrayal upon hearing the message that Kang Hyeon had a girlfriend—his chest went cold. His fingertips trembled faintly, a wave of anxiety and helpless urgency crashing over him. Without realizing it, he began tapping his hand. His eyes, lost in thought, stared into empty space before slowly turning. Recalling how Hyeon had been too flustered to make eye contact after seeing his body, a small ember of hope flickered inside him.
“Hyeon-ah.”
Eyes gleaming, he swung the bathroom door open—only to lock eyes with a nurse holding a hospital gown.
“Oh my!”
“I-I’m sorry!”
He stumbled back inside and slammed the door. Humiliation hit like a wave. Face blazing red, he dropped his forehead onto the tiled wall. As the heat drained from his head and body all at once, he let out a long sigh. Then came a knock.
“Come out.”
Kang Hyeon’s voice was flat, but steady. Do-yeong sighed again, muttering back.
“Ugh… how am I supposed to show my face now?”
“It’s fine.”
“I’m not fine. What if she thinks it was sexual harassment or something?”
“She’s a nurse. They look at patients’ bodies like raw chickens. Just come out.”
Even at Hyeon’s firm tone, Yoon Do-yeong hesitated at the door. Then Lee Ji-gyeong’s voice rang out.
“Something happen? That nurse walked out with a red face. Huh? You’re red too, hyung.”
“She saw me.”
“Saw what? Oh!”
Ji-gyeong burst into laughter, even clapping.
“Wow! That nurse must’ve had a lucky dream last night!”
“Give me a towel.”
“So that’s why you’re too embarrassed to come out? This is how rumors get started, based on facts: ‘Yoon Do-yeong parades naked around hospital to flaunt his size.’”
“Cut it out.”
As Ji-gyeong laughed, Kang Hyeon stepped in to stop him, then knocked gently on the door.
“Open up. You’ll catch a worse cold.”
Do-yeong cautiously cracked the door open and peeked out. Hyeon gently nudged his head with one hand and walked into the bathroom, carrying a towel, underwear, and a hospital gown.
“Turn around.”
He did as told, and Hyeon wiped his hair and back with the towel. He brushed lightly over Do-yeong’s buttocks, then moved down to his legs before handing him the towel. Do-yeong dried his chest and lower torso while stealing glances at Kang Hyeon. Looking down at the dark head crouched to pull the underwear up his legs, he noticed the still-reddened earlobes.
When he leaned down to get a better look at his face, their eyes met.
Startled, Hyeon’s eyes widened, whites fully showing. Do-yeong couldn’t take his eyes off him, his face and ears burning red as he whispered,
“You’re blushing.”
“…Think about it the other way. If you were naked and I was putting your underwear on, wouldn’t you be embarrassed? It’s awkward. You’re red too.”
Strangely, Hyeon had a lot to say for once. Do-yeong looked down at him quietly, letting a hint of his thoughts slip out.
“I don’t think… that’s all it is.”
“Shut up. Leg.”
Hyeon parted the pants leg and tapped his ankle, prompting Do-yeong to lift his leg. Once fully dressed, the two stepped out of the bathroom—both faces tomato-red.
Lee Ji-gyeong, watching TV, turned his gaze to Hyeon’s face. Do-yeong’s redness made sense—he was mortified after being seen naked by a nurse. But Hyeon’s face looked like it might explode, his head slightly turned away from Do-yeong.
Ji-gyeong’s expression shifted, eyes narrowing with suspicion as he asked,
“…Did something happen?”
“What would’ve happened?”
Hyeon replied instantly, then pressed the towel to Do-yeong’s hair, patting it dry.
Caught off guard by Ji-gyeong’s question, Do-yeong shifted his gaze toward the window reflecting the night skyline. In the reflection, Hyeon was carefully running his fingers through Do-yeong’s hair, drying it gently so it wouldn’t get damaged.
As he watched those delicate movements, his gaze drifted to Ji-gyeong. The younger man was staring holes into Hyeon’s face, full of suspicion. His expression gradually soured, and he clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
A strange wariness flickered in Do-yeong’s eyes. Their gazes locked—neither of them blinked or looked away.
Ji-gyeong’s brow twitched in irritation, his lips twitching before he finally spoke up—his voice loud in the quiet room.
“Hyeon hyung, let’s go. I think Do-yeong hyung needs some rest.”
“I’m fine though.”
Do-yeong replied quickly, but Hyeon sided with Ji-gyeong, as if ignoring his feelings.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“Already?”
The protest slipped out, but Hyeon ruffled his damp hair and answered.
“I promised to have drinks with Ji-gyeong.”
“…But I’m bored.”
“Then lie down and sleep.”
After drying his hair so that no water dripped and handing him the remote, he added,
“We’re heading out. Get some rest.”
As Hyeon turned to leave, Do-yeong quickly grabbed his arm.
“Aren’t you forgetting your coat?”
“We’ll take a taxi.”
“It’s cold. Just wear it and give it back later.”
“I’ll just take Ji-gyeong’s. Don’t come out.”
He waved without turning around. Ji-gyeong smiled and gave a polite bow.
“Do-yeong hyung, hope you recover well. See you next time.”
“…Thanks for coming. I was really happy to see you.”
At Do-yeong’s bittersweet farewell, the door closed. He immediately stepped down from the bed, dragging the IV pole, and opened the door—only to freeze.
Kang Hyeon stood there with his arms crossed. He let out a shallow sigh and scolded him gently, as if he expected this.
“Told you not to come out.”
Do-yeong gave a sheepish smile. Hyeon pointed at the bed.
“Go lie down.”
“…I just wanted to see you off.”
“That nurse from earlier is still on this floor. Don’t cause trouble. Go back.”
Kang Hyeon grabbed the IV pole and took Do-yeong by the arm, almost like taking it away. He guided him back to the bed, pulled the blanket up to his chest, then turned to leave.
Ji-gyeong had been silently observing him. Once they were alone in the elevator, he pouted.
“Do-yeong hyung’s kind of weird.”
“How so?”
“He invites me to visit even though we’re not close, then acts like I’m bothering him when I try to make conversation. He’s been like that since before—like anything I say pisses him off.”
He added in a low voice, like making a final judgment: cold attitude, no manners.
Kang Hyeon’s tone turned serious.
“What exactly did he do?”
“When I said you do all the hard work at the café, Do-yeong-hyung gave me this look. Like I was badmouthing Ga-yeong noona or something.”
As Ji-gyeong recalled the event in detail, Hyeon tousled his hair.
“Don’t go whining to everyone about every little thing. That’s why you come off immature.”
“What? I wasn’t whining! I was telling the truth. You do do everything.”
“Drop it. Do-yeong doesn’t like people talking behind others’ backs.”
“That’s not gossip! It’s just the truth. I could say the same thing to Ga-yeong noona.”
“Okay. Thanks for looking out for me.”
Hyeon patted him on the back with a smile, effectively cutting off the conversation. He stepped out of the elevator, now at the ground floor, and headed toward the taxi stand.
The midwinter air felt like it cut straight to the bone.
“Where’s your coat?”
“I saw the article this morning and ran out without thinking.”
As Hyeon briefly explained the morning’s chaos, Ji-gyeong clicked his tongue.
“Why’d you panic so much? I’m sure his family’s taking care of everything. Do-yeong hyung always overreacts. Ga-yeong noona wasn’t like that at all.”
“He caught a cold. Probably why he’s having a harder time.”
“Really? He didn’t cough once…”
“He probably took medicine.”
Hyeon cut him off and walked ahead.
Breathing in the cold air that stung his skin, the heat that had risen in his chest from the earlier embarrassment slowly cooled. The thought of leaving Do-yeong alone in that hospital room left an odd discomfort sitting in his chest. His heels lifted slightly off the ground, then came back down—a habitual motion.
Ji-gyeong opened his jacket and pulled Kang Hyeon into a side hug, pressing his face to his shoulder.
“Warm, right?”
“Yeah. Taxi’s here.”
As they approached the arriving cab, Ji-gyeong grumbled.
“You really know how to leave someone hanging.”
“Not much to be embarrassed about. Get in, it’s cold.”
Sliding into the front seat, Hyeon gave the address.
In the back, Ji-gyeong muttered under his breath.
“We could’ve sat together and talked…”
“Talk. I can still hear you.”
Buckling his seatbelt, Hyeon folded his arms and let out a small yawn. Whether from the all-nighter or the warmth of the taxi, drowsiness hit him fast.
“Hyung, I’m thinking about canceling my agency contract.”
Even with his eyes half-closed, Hyeon perked up at the familiar thought. His ears naturally tuned in.
“Why?”
“They’ve never done anything for me, so why would they now? I’ve been dragging myself to auditions, but I can’t even land a measly web drama cameo.”
“You got that CF and a catalog shoot.”
“What am I, a model? I’m an actor. And that catalog was for some bargain-bin workwear. During that shoot, I seriously thought I was gonna lose it—they made me look like a total uncle. And they keep dragging me to drinking parties. You’ve been to those, right?”
At the mention of drinking parties, Kang Hyeon’s eyes sharpened.
