Min Siheon dealt with Go Heemin with a more indifferent expression than I’d expected. Because of that, it didn’t seem obvious that he’d fallen at first sight.
And Go Heemin, who was usually bright to the point of being breezy, seemed oddly hesitant today. Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, he wouldn’t quite meet Min Siheon’s eyes.
So their beginning hadn’t been romantic, but rather somewhat awkward. Compared to the story Cha Seung-ah had explained to me, there seemed to be far less emotional exchange.
That was why I patted Go Heemin on the back, as if telling him to at least treat Min Siheon the way he treated Kang Taeyoon—or at the very least Yoo In-ho.
It wasn’t even that hard of a hit, but perhaps he felt wronged for being smacked. Go Heemin muttered a complaint. Of course, he’d leaned toward me so Min Siheon wouldn’t hear, speaking in a low voice.
“What’s wrong with you? Hey, Cha Jungwoo, I’m dying of awkwardness. Can’t I just leave?”
“If I introduced you, you’ve got to hear his introduction too. Just wait a bit.”
Watching the scene drift off ambiguously, I decided to wash my hands of it. I hadn’t intended to insert myself anyway. My plan was to tidy up this situation and leave after we ate.
Since Min Siheon had only heard Go Heemin’s introduction one-sidedly, it seemed right to introduce him as well.
I pulled Go Heemin upright by the waist where he’d been half-bowed. He moved stiffly under my hand, like a wooden puppet creaking into place.
Seeing that movement devoid of any friendliness, I realized their first meeting was already ruined. Then again, what did that have to do with me?
“This is Siheon—Min Siheon. We take some of the same classes, and somehow we’ve gotten pretty close. You two had seen each other before, right? That makes it easier.”
“Mm. Well, sort of? …I’ve heard a few things here and there.”
“What? Heemin, you must’ve known Siheon longer than I have.”
With a reluctant curl of his lips, Go Heemin slipped his hand behind his back. Holding the menu behind him, he flicked his fingers as if sending some silent signal.
But without actual conversation, there was no way to know what that meant. I was already busy enough making sure Min Siheon didn’t feel awkward sitting there alone.
Meanwhile, it seemed Min Siheon had decided to be more proactive. His expression still looked unfamiliar, but he even started to rise from his seat and extend his hand.
“H-huh?!”
Unfortunately, the surroundings didn’t seem inclined to help him. The moment he stood up, the water glass in front of him tipped over.
The smooth glass fell onto its side, drenching the tabletop. There was enough water that even his knit sweater looked soaked through.
Staring blankly at the situation before him, Min Siheon slowly lowered himself back into his chair.
Because he’d been leaning forward against the table, the falling water had darkened the front of his sweater. After glancing down at his clothes, he blinked slowly and moved sluggishly.
“My clothes are all wet. What do I do?”
“…Yeah.”
He’d seemed a little shy at first, but he’d quickly shown intimacy before. This was the same guy who had swiftly grabbed me earlier when I tried to leave for food—yet now he was acting clumsy. It was strange.
After facing Go Heemin, his movements seemed dulled. I tried to analyze it in my own way. Even if it didn’t look like it, it felt like the original story had begun.
Just as I pulled some tissues from the holder inside the table to help him—
…What?
Min Siheon’s fingers lightly nudged the fallen water glass. Crash. The round glass rolled off the table with gravity and fell to the floor.
At the sharp shattering sound, Go Heemin, who had been beside us, finally jerked his head up.
Near the sofa where Min Siheon sat, shards of glass were scattered. The way they glittered in the sunlight sent an inexplicable chill down my spine.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, but the glass….”
“It’s fine. That happens.”
We were wearing shoes, but it was still a situation where someone could easily cut their foot.
Min Siheon looked up at Go Heemin, who was standing there in surprise. Pointing at the broken glass on the floor, he wore an extremely apologetic expression.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll pay for the cup. Could you bring a broom?”
“…Oh, yeah. I’ll get one right away. Hey, Cha Jungwoo, don’t pick that up with your hands!”
“Do I look like a kid? I know.”
Go Heemin hurried off toward the kitchen. I stared at the scene, dumbfounded.
Unless my eyes had deceived me, that hadn’t been an accident. Min Siheon had deliberately pushed the glass to break it.
The water spilling when the glass tipped over could’ve been an accident. But the way he nudged it just now—rolling it off the table—had been clearly visible to me as I approached with tissues.
Did he break it to get Go Heemin’s attention? That was the most plausible deduction I could come up with.
It hadn’t been obvious that he’d fallen for him, but maybe the original story was unfolding steadily after all.
Trying to hide my surprise at how bold he could be, I turned my head—and found Min Siheon reaching a hand toward me.
I wondered if I’d interfered by stepping closer. Even if I hadn’t offered tissues, Go Heemin would’ve helped him.
Min Siheon turned his head toward the kitchen. Judging by the glossy, glass-like shine in his eyes, he seemed rather satisfied with the situation.
Looking at the faint dimple in his cheek, I pulled out a large wad of tissues and shoved them into his hand. Love or no love, he needed to wipe that dark-soaked sweater first.
“You’ll catch a cold. At least wipe the front of the table. Your clothes are still getting wet.”
“Okay.”
After hearing me, Min Siheon moved slowly, patting at his sweater to absorb the moisture. Watching the sodden tissues after just a few motions, I wondered how long it would take him to dry it at that pace.
In the end, I stepped in before Go Heemin returned. I yanked out more tissues and pressed them firmly against his sweater.
Sorry that it wasn’t Go Heemin, but it was too frustrating to just watch. As I grumbled and wiped his clothes, laughter sounded right above my head.
“What’s so funny? You’re hopeless. For someone who looks like that, you’re awfully slow.”
“Am I? Still, I’m glad you’re here with me.”
By the time the area was somewhat cleaned up, Go Heemin returned with a broom and dustpan. He stood there blankly, watching us.
About two steps away, arms crossed, head tilted slightly—his brow was furrowed.
When I jerked my chin as if to ask what he was doing, he gave a crooked smile and asked if he could clean up now.
“Can I clean it up now?”
“Why are you saying it like that? Sorry about that. I’ll pay for the cup.”
“It’s fine~ I asked Sunwoo hyung, and he said it’s okay. Min Siheon, you’re not hurt either, right?”
“Yeah.”
Even while chatting casually, Go Heemin carefully swept up the shards of glass. Finally, he glanced at Min Siheon and naturally wrapped up the conversation.
With a composed face, he looked toward Min Siheon. Pleased with the attention, Min Siheon seemed satisfied.
“I’ll bring the food out as soon as it’s ready. Call me if you need anything.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“…And Cha Jungwoo, I’ll contact you later. Pick up.”
“What? Sure, whatever.”
The moment I tried to check on Min Siheon, I heard Go Heemin click his tongue. I wondered if he’d taken a liking to Min Siheon too and tried to recall the few original scenes I remembered.
If I remembered correctly, Go Heemin had said he’d only seen Min Siheon as a fellow classmate at first…. Was my memory wrong? I started to feel confused.
But only for a moment. Assuming things would proceed according to the original story, I decided to just observe the two of them. To be honest, I was a little tired. How had I ended up inside a BL novel like this?
In the meantime, Go Heemin turned away and moved to another table.
I turned my head to resume conversation, only to notice that Min Siheon’s gaze was fixed on Go Heemin’s back.
With calmer eyes than usual, he intently traced the path of the one who had disappeared.
Even though I’d already encountered Min Siheon three times, it was the first time I’d seen that expression.
In an instant, his impression changed—cold energy radiating from him. Is this that obsessive-top thing they talk about?
Min Siheon was technically the sub-top, but I’d heard that his traits were quite similar to Kang Taeyoon, the main top. I recalled Cha Seung-ah adding that Min Siheon could be quite frightening as well.
She’d said he was extreme when it came to drawing lines between himself and others—perhaps even colder than Kang Taeyoon, who had at least been by Go Heemin’s side.
Compared to Kang Taeyoon, who had at least one person he’d opened his heart to, it seemed Min Siheon hadn’t had anyone like that until he was twenty-three.
When I first heard that, I’d thought maybe there was more hidden in the latter half of the novel.
Because to me, Min Siheon had been unbearably soft.
His behavior, his attitude—it didn’t quite match the original story.
And yet, less than five minutes after meeting Go Heemin, he’d revealed a different side.
So this was the difference between a friend and a lover. A shiver ran down my spine.
Even if it was a love story between men, watching the novel’s plot unfold right before my eyes felt vivid. It was a moment when the reality of being inside the novel struck me sharply.
Resting my chin on my hand, I stared at him. Sensing my gaze, Min Siheon turned his head.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Now facing me again, Min Siheon wore the same expression I was used to. Bathed in the yellow afternoon sunlight slanting in from the side, his face carried that familiar warmth.
Watching the shadow fall along the far side of his high nose bridge, I waved my hand lightly when his eyes curved gently, signaling it was nothing.
That was how Go Heemin and Min Siheon’s first meeting unfolded before my eyes. I couldn’t deny that I’d become entangled in something complicated.
***
After finishing the meal, we exchanged light farewells with Go Heemin. The moment the bill was paid, Min Siheon moved to stand by the window a short distance away, looking outside.
As I turned back, distracted by Min Siheon behind me, Go Heemin poked my waist.
“Hey, how did you end up getting close to him?”
“I told you earlier. I met him because of that brat In-ho. But we’ve got a lot of overlapping classes too. He’s kind of gentle, so we got close.”
“…Gentle?”
“Yeah. You’ve heard rumors, right? That’s all prejudice. They say you never know a person until you actually meet them, and that fits Min Siheon perfectly. He’s shy at first, but once you get close, he’s considerate. Don’t judge him just by what you hear.”
I wasn’t in the habit of badmouthing someone right in front of them. I’d meant to brush it off casually, but it ended up sounding like I was defending him. That hadn’t been my intention, so I scratched my head awkwardly.
“Wow. I knew you didn’t care much about people around you, but this is a bit….”
“Jungwoo.”
Maybe because my conversation with Go Heemin had grown longer, Min Siheon—who had been looking out the window—started walking toward us. Seeing him approach, I gave Go Heemin a look that suggested we should wrap things up.
