As Sanho tried to get up from his seat, Siwoo forcibly pushed him back down. While taking out two stainless steel cups from the large ultraviolet sterilizer and filling them with water, a smile lingered on Siwoo’s lips. However, when he turned around after filling the cups, the smile that had been on Siwoo’s face slowly began to fade.
“…….”
A few students were standing in front of the table where Siwoo and Sanho were seated. Seeing them holding their trays, it seemed they were about to return them, but judging by their demeanor, it didn’t look like they were just passing by. They were hovering around Sanho. One face came into view. Upon confirming the mocking smile on that face, Siwoo’s eyes quickly twisted in anger. Siwoo strode forward.
“……You’re bold. You think you’re capable?”
The voice was clearly intended to provoke. Laughter erupted from the surrounding students, but Sanho, sitting upright, showed no sign of movement.
“Wow, you’ve got guts. Usually, people look for a place to lie down before stretching their legs. You’re messing with JR, huh, Baek Sanho?”
“Right? Usually, even the son of a corner store owner wouldn’t dare to act so brazenly.”
A wave of mocking insults poured out. One boy exaggeratedly gasped and squeezed through his friends. He gave Sanho a hard shove on the shoulder, which felt incredibly petty. The intention was obvious. Without even trying to hide his intent, the boy tilted his tray over Sanho’s head. The scene was etched in Siwoo’s mind as if in slow motion.
“Ah…!”
As the tray tipped forward, leftover soup and scraps spilled out. Siwoo hurriedly pulled Sanho back and wrapped his arms around him. It was a narrow escape. Sanho’s body jerked back, and the spilled food landed squarely on Siwoo’s shoulder and forearm.
“Siwoo… Hyung?”
The boy who had deliberately tipped the tray looked shocked, his eyes wide as coins. Siwoo quickly checked Sanho’s face. He had no interest in the mess on his own shoulder. Sanho’s eyes were just as wide as the boy’s.
“Are you okay?”
“Hyung… your shoulder….”
“Did it get on you?”
From behind Siwoo, a muffled voice murmured, clearly trying to suppress its volume. It’s true. If you mess with Baek Sanho, Jin Siwoo won’t let it slide. The rumors are true. Siwoo slowly turned his body. The boy who had tipped the tray looked extremely startled by Siwoo’s sudden appearance, but there was also a faint glimmer of joy in his eyes. A cheap thrill was evident on the boy’s face. Siwoo’s eyebrows furrowed tightly.
“Hyung, you suddenly….”
The boy stammered, his voice filled with excitement. Siwoo, still not acknowledging the mess on his shoulder, lowered his gaze toward the boy.
“What are you doing?”
The boy, who had been mumbling excuses, seemed to snap back to reality at Siwoo’s cold voice. The corners of his mouth, which had been stretched wide, stiffened.
“…Y-yes?”
“What are you doing?”
“Ah… um, it was an accident….”
Looking down at the boy with a cold gaze, Siwoo bit his lip in frustration. He didn’t recognize the boy well. He had a vague impression, perhaps a fellow student? He had seen him hanging out with Donghyun a few times.
“An accident.”
It was rare for Siwoo to get angry at others. If he did, it was usually with someone very close to him. There was no reason to expend that kind of emotional energy on someone he wasn’t close to. But this time felt different. It was as if the boiling point of his anger had suddenly dropped, causing something to surge up inside him.
“Listen, I’m about to get a little angry.”
At Siwoo’s words, the boy blinked and opened his mouth in shock. For someone who had only seen Siwoo’s usual kind demeanor, this was certainly threatening. The boy’s eyes flickered nervously.
“Did you really do it by accident?”
“W-well….”
“No, you did it on purpose.”
“I’m sorry. It really wasn’t on purpose….”
“I don’t like lies.”
As Siwoo took a step closer, the boy gulped. His chest heaved, and his complexion turned pale. What’s going on? What’s happening? The eyes of the surrounding students, who had been watching with interest, were now fixed on them without mercy. There were even a few students craning their necks to get a better view. It was clear that this situation would ignite unpleasant rumors. But right now, he had no interest in that.
“You.”
“…….”
“You spilled this on purpose.”
“…….”
“You were trying to spill it on Sanho’s head on purpose. You.”
The boy shook his head desperately, making gulping sounds. Siwoo’s cold face and his eyes, which seemed to glow with a hint of red, were all unfamiliar to him. Had he really done something so wrong? Was it such a big mistake to almost spill a tray on a dirty Omega? Was it really such a terrible thing that Jin Siwoo was pressing him like this?
“Why did you do it?”
“Hyung….”
“Did Sanho do something wrong to you?”
“No, Hyung, it’s just….”
“Sanho didn’t do anything.”
Siwoo’s hand slowly rose toward the boy. Although Siwoo’s large hand only rested on the boy’s shoulder, it felt incredibly threatening. As Siwoo’s hand settled on the boy’s shoulder, someone suddenly grabbed Siwoo’s wrist.
“Hey, hey, Jin Siwoo.”
Siwoo slowly turned his gaze to the person who had grabbed him. Pushing through the crowd of onlookers, it was Seunghyun, Siwoo’s classmate and friend. For a moment, Siwoo’s eyes, which had briefly turned red upon seeing his friend, began to regain their warm brown hue. Seunghyun let out a shallow sigh and released Siwoo’s hand.
“Hey, there are a lot of kids around….”
Seunghyun muttered, scolding Siwoo, and then turned sharply to look at the still gulping boy. With a thoroughly displeased expression, he opened his mouth roughly to the boy.
“You guys should leave quickly.”
“Ah, um… yes.”
“If you bother someone again, you should know it’s embarrassing. You’re not in high school anymore.”
The boy seemed relieved by Seunghyun’s words. He hurriedly left with his friends. It must have been humiliating to have to tuck his tail between his legs in front of so many students. Once they left, Seunghyun turned back to Siwoo.
“Are you okay?”
Seunghyun’s gaze lingered on Siwoo’s soiled shoulder. Siwoo, with a blank expression, finally glanced at his shoulder. When Siwoo remained silent, Seunghyun sighed again and spoke.
“Why are you trying to grab someone in a crowded place… I thought there was going to be an accident.”
You’re not usually this angry. Seunghyun muttered, adding a follow-up remark. Siwoo faced Seunghyun and replied calmly.
“Is it strange to be angry when I got food spilled on me?”
“No, that’s not it….”
See? You’re a bit sensitive. Seunghyun slowly cast his gaze over Siwoo’s shoulder. More precisely, it was directed at Sanho, who was anxiously gripping the other sleeve of Siwoo’s shirt. A strange light flickered in Seunghyun’s expression as he looked at Sanho, who was worriedly watching Siwoo, but it quickly faded.
“Jin Siwoo, you know you’ve been acting really strange lately.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re sensitive. You usually wouldn’t get angry over something like this….”
Seunghyun let out another deep sigh.
“Lately, there have been so many rumors….”
At the mention of rumors, Siwoo’s eyebrows furrowed sharply. Seunghyun looked at Siwoo’s face and shook his head slightly.
“No, never mind. What do rumors matter? I’m just worried about you.”
“…….”
“Hey, hey. It’s fine. Let’s just have a drink next time.”
Siwoo stiffly nodded. Seunghyun shrugged.
“And you should probably go to the hospital or the infirmary. That must have been hot, right?”
Seunghyun made a disgusted expression as he looked at Siwoo’s damp clothes. Shaking off his shoulders, Seunghyun turned to leave.
“I’m going to study. I’ll call you.”
Before leaving, Seunghyun threw a meaningful glance at Sanho, who was standing behind Siwoo, and then quickly left.
“…….”
Siwoo felt the anger that had boiled over dissipate like soap bubbles. On one hand, he felt annoyed, and on the other, he regretted losing control of his emotions. If Seunghyun hadn’t intervened, right now I would be…
“…Hyung.”
The sleeve on the opposite side of his soiled shoulder was gently tugged. Siwoo turned around.
“Ah… Sanho.”
As Siwoo spoke in a somewhat softened voice, Sanho looked up at him with a relieved yet worried expression.
“Are you okay, Hyung?”
His neatly shaped eyebrows drooped down. It felt as if the anger that had just surged was a lie, and his heart began to relax. Siwoo exaggeratedly pouted.
“No, I’m not okay.”
“Where? Did you get hurt? Look.”
As Sanho grabbed the hem of Siwoo’s shirt, Siwoo let out a big sigh and continued.
“Yeah, I think I got hurt. It stings.”
“Ah, what should we do….”
Sanho quickly glanced around. Although the students who had gathered while Seunghyun was leaving had dispersed somewhat, there were still some eyes watching them with interest. Sanho bit his lip and looked back at Siwoo.
“Hyung, let’s change your clothes and go to the hospital.”
At Sanho’s urgent words, Siwoo chuckled. What he had spilled on himself wasn’t something like boiling stew. Sure, it was hot, but he wasn’t seriously hurt. More than that, the discomfort of having scraps spilled on him was greater. Thankfully, it didn’t matter. It was better for him to get dirty than for Sanho to do so.
“It’s fine.”
“No, still….”
“Really, it’s fine.”
Looking at Sanho’s small face, which was furrowed with worry, Siwoo smiled as if to reassure him.
“Well, I guess I should change my clothes.”
“…….”
“Do you want to attend class? I’ll change and come pick you up-.”
“Let’s go together.”
Sanho quickly grabbed Siwoo’s hand. Siwoo, taken aback by the sudden grip, looked at Sanho with raised eyebrows.
“Let’s just go together.”
“You still have class left….”
“You were the one who told me not to go to school. What’s the big deal about missing one class?”
Siwoo remained silent. It wasn’t an incorrect statement. Humming softly as he pondered, Siwoo eventually nodded.
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
They tidied up and quickly exited the student union. Outside, the bright sunlight was still shining down. It was in stark contrast to their complicated feelings.
***
The place they arrived at was not the JR Hotel but Siwoo’s officetel. While Siwoo took a shower and changed out of his dirty clothes, Sanho stood in the spacious living room, gazing out at the view. Like the hotel, Siwoo’s high-rise apartment boasted a stunning view. When darkness fell and the city lights turned on, it would offer a magnificent night view. Staring blankly at the gently flowing Han River, Sanho pressed his lips together, his face cold.
Indeed, it should have been just the two of them. He shouldn’t have placed his Hyung in a place filled with messy gazes.
He didn’t care about the fool who had tried to spill scraps on him. Why is Siwoo acting like this…?
Hyung has been really strange lately…
The important thing was that Siwoo had come up in the whispers of those around them. The stares that clung to him were unpleasant. The more concentrated the attention, the more uncomfortable it felt. Hyung is mine. Why are they looking at my things so carelessly and talking about them? And the boy who had grabbed Siwoo’s wrist.
Wasn’t he a senior in the same department? Seunghyun, was it?
Sanho also remembered that he had originally gotten along well with Siwoo. But… he couldn’t stand the thought of someone holding Siwoo’s hand. Sanho bit his lip hard. He felt a presence behind him. Slowly, Sanho turned around.
“Sanho.”
“Hyung.”
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to the hotel.”
Siwoo looked at Sanho, who was quietly gazing up at him. Sanho’s face, which said nothing, looked a bit strange. Siwoo, with a somewhat awkward expression, asked again.
“Uh, do you want to stay here?”
Sanho shook his head slightly. Could it be that this kid wanted to go back to his own home? No matter how spacious and comfortable it was, it wouldn’t be as cozy as his own home. Just as Siwoo was about to speak again, Sanho spoke first.
“Hyung, can’t we go somewhere else?”
