Chapter 3. Collar
“Hae-joon and I aren’t anything.”
I knew better than to pry into someone’s love life, but my curiosity got the better of me—like stepping on a landmine. But I saw them kiss. How could two guys kiss if they weren’t anything? Unless he was hiding being gay… Oh. He didn’t know I knew.
Lee Heon had never told me he was gay. I only found out indirectly through Hae-joon. And now, here I was, acting like I knew everything and asking if his relationship was going well. Of course he’d be shocked. My face burned as I realized my mistake. I stammered, flustered, trying to fix it.
“Ah, I—I mean, I saw you and Hae-joon kissing. So I misunderstood… I thought you were dating. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed. Did I offend you? I’m really sorry.”
“Hyung.”
“…Yeah?”
“Why do you care if my relationship is going well?”
“…”
If I told him why I was curious—about the stalking months ago, suspecting Jin-wook, Jin-wook warning me about Hae-joon, and then seeing them together—it would sound ridiculous. Especially now that he was insisting they were nothing. I swallowed hard, sweating.
“Is it hard to say? Then can I ask something else?”
“Uh… sure.”
“What’s your relationship with Hae-joon?”
“What do you mean? We’re just sunbae and hoobae.”
“Not that. Are you dating?”
“…What?!”
The serious tone made me brace myself, but the question was so absurd my body jolted. My windbreaker slipped off my shoulder. Was he asking if I was dating Hae-joon? Why would I date a guy? Where did he even get that idea? I shuddered, rubbing my arms.
“No!”
“…That reaction says it all.”
“What? Why?”
“…I’m just relieved.”
Relieved? I watched as the tension in his shoulders eased, like he’d been holding his breath. He covered his eyes and sighed. What was he relieved about? That I wasn’t dating a guy? Wasn’t that obvious? Unless… was it different for him?
“Relieved about what? Why?”
“Sorry, this is awkward… Then tell me, hyung. Why were you so curious?”
There was something he knew that I didn’t. The mystery gnawed at me. I nodded.
“Fine.”
My answer came too fast. He lowered his hand and smirked. After a pause, he clasped his hands and spoke softly, apologetically.
“Actually… I suspected you, hyung.”
“Me? Why?”
“Because you were always with Hae-joon. They say birds of a feather flock together. At first, I was wary.”
“…?”
“When I saw you at his place, I thought, Of course. It seemed intentional. Why live right next door out of all the studios? It’s weird. But then he recommended the basketball club, and you seemed clueless, so I wasn’t sure. I thought, Maybe I should just confront you. It’d be better to be friends than strangers… I was anxious.”
“Anxious? About what?”
“That’s…”
“What?”
“Hae-joon is my stalker.”
“…”
“That’s why.”
“Wait—what? Hold on.”
“Yeah.”
“Hae-joon is your stalker?”
Stalker.
The word echoed. My mind blanked. Gestalt collapse. Everything clicked—Heon’s strange hostility, Jin-wook’s warnings, and the number in Hae-joon’s phone that I never gave him.
I stared at Heon, stunned. What was that kiss I saw?
“I suspected you because of it. I got to know you through the club and realized you’re a good person, but the question still stung.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. Seeing you kiss would make anyone assume. I’m the one who should apologize for suspecting you.”
“Then… why did you kiss?”
“What?”
“…The kiss.”
Heon hesitated. “He was being annoying. I asked if he’d leave me alone if I kissed him once. He said yes, so I did it out of spite.”
Spite. Right. That wasn’t the point. The real question was whether Heon was gay.
“So… you’re not gay?”
“…Hyung.”
“You’re not?”
“No, hyung. I’m not gay.”
“Wow… I’m really sorry. I’ve had this huge misunderstanding. How do I even apologize? I feel terrible.”
I’d spent a month thinking he was gay, and now I’d asked if he was dating his stalker. As a fellow victim, I felt awful. I wanted to disappear.
“It’s okay. You didn’t know.”
“Still…”
Heon’s expression softened. He smiled. “If you’re sorry, buy me dinner five times.”
I blinked. “Huh?”
“Too much? How about three?”
This guy… Why was he so nice? Like an angel.
I laughed, rubbing my flushed face. “Three? No way. Five. Starting today. What do you want?”
“Hyung, you look really sorry.”
“I am. I’m embarrassed. Five times is nothing. I’d do ten.”
“Before that… didn’t you promise to explain why you asked?”
“Oh. Right. It’s a long story. No more classes today?”
“I’m done.”
“Let’s talk over dinner. Come on.”
The door to my heart, closed when I thought he was gay, swung open. Why had I ever been wary of this kind, tall, handsome guy? He was sweet, always smiling.
I draped my arm over his shoulder, and we left the lecture hall, deciding on dinner.
I started telling him everything—from noticing the stalking to realizing Jin-wook had unblocked the stalker’s messages.
Heon listened, nodding in sympathy. Sharing secrets brings people closer, and maybe it was the shared trauma, but I felt instantly closer to him.
We ordered soju. I drank most of it—Heon couldn’t hold his liquor. The stalking wasn’t resolved, but months later, we found out Jin-wook had unblocked the messages.
When I came to, the meat was gone. I’d drunk six bottles alone. My vision swam. I’d had more than I thought.
“I said I’d buy you dinner… Did I just enjoy myself?” I scratched my neck, glancing at Heon. He poked the grill.
“So the stalker stopped contacting you?”
“Yeah. Seems like he gave up.”
“Must’ve been hard.”
“It’s in the past for me, but you’re still dealing with it. Isn’t it tough?”
“Yeah… It’s just annoying.”
“How does he stalk you? Similar to what I went through?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
