Bzzzz─.
Go Hoon opened his tightly shut eyes and shifted his gaze. Bae Jung-yoon’s phone, which had been sitting on the table for some time, was still vibrating nonstop. But the owner of the phone was acting as if he couldn’t hear a thing, leisurely embracing Go Hoon in his arms.
Go Hoon glanced up at Bae Jung-yoon, who was calmly stroking the back of his neck with one hand while reading a book. When the first call had come in about thirty minutes ago, he had looked at the screen once and then clearly decided to ignore it, deliberately letting it vibrate without picking up.
Why? Was it someone he wanted to avoid? The phone kept buzzing loudly, but Bae Jung-yoon’s jet-black eyes remained serenely fixed on the words on the page. Just who could it be for him to ignore the calls so thoroughly?
Bzzzz─.
The caller was persistent. The vibrations would pause and then start up again, repeating several times. Normally, someone would give up after being ignored this long, but the phone just kept lighting up its black screen, growing warm in the process. Judging by the situation, there were easily dozens of missed calls by now.
At this point, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to report them as a stalker. Who the hell was it? Curious, Go Hoon started to get up to check the caller ID—just as the vibration abruptly stopped.
“Kkongddeok-i, where do you think you’re going?”
At the same moment, Bae Jung-yoon’s hand gently cupped Go Hoon’s chin. His head tilted back, and the eyes that had been glued to the book now calmly looked down at him.
Go Hoon didn’t shy away from the gaze. After a long moment of meeting his eyes, Bae Jung-yoon leaned in and softly kissed him on the bridge of his nose.
Ding dong─.
And then the doorbell rang. Go Hoon’s fluffy ears perked up. He turned his head in the direction of the sound, and Bae Jung-yoon’s gaze naturally followed toward the front door.
He checked the time—it was almost 10 p.m., late at night. Who could be visiting at this hour?
Ding dong─.
Whoever it was, they were impatient, pressing the doorbell again. Only then did Bae Jung-yoon slowly rise to his feet. Carefully setting Go Hoon down on the rug, he walked over to the intercom.
He checked the visitor’s face but didn’t move. Hands stuffed into the pockets of his sweatpants, he simply stared at the small screen.
From the way he was reacting, it was obvious this was an uninvited guest. If he’d been expecting someone, he would’ve prepared in advance.
Still, Bae Jung-yoon didn’t say a word. If it had been a stranger, he would’ve asked who it was through the intercom—but he didn’t. Which meant whoever was outside was someone he recognized.
The longer he stood there without reacting, the more Go Hoon’s curiosity grew. He tilted his head back, looking up at the tall figure.
From this angle, he couldn’t see Bae Jung-yoon’s face, so it was impossible to know what kind of expression he had. But he could sense it—Bae Jung-yoon wasn’t pleased to see the visitor.
Ding dong─.
The doorbell rang again, as if to urge the unmoving resident to hurry. Then came a loud thud thud—someone was now banging on the door.
“Hey, Bae Jung-yoon, I know you’re in there, you bastard! Open the damn door…!”
A slurred, drawn-out voice yelled from the other side. Even with just the sound, it was obvious—whoever was out there was drunk. Completely wasted, a nuisance of a drunk.
There was no way Bae Jung-yoon didn’t realize that. As if to prove it, a weary sigh slipped from his lips. And then, at last, he moved toward the front door.
Go Hoon, full of curiosity, followed closely behind. Who the hell shows up unannounced in the middle of the night and causes a scene like this? He was dying to see the face of this disruptive visitor.
“Ugh, just open the damn door alreaaady─.”
Even as they approached the front door, the man outside continued his ruckus. Reaching the door, Bae Jung-yoon unlocked the digital lock and turned the handle.
“Bae Jung-yoon─.”
The moment the door opened, a man staggered inside. He must’ve been leaning on the door because his body lurched forward as if he were about to fall.
Bae Jung-yoon stepped back a few paces to avoid him. The man stumbled for a moment but managed to brace himself on one leg and barely regained his balance.
Go Hoon’s gaze swept from the man’s head to toe.
Underneath a black leather jacket was a clean white T-shirt, and he wore straight dark-gray jeans below. Not exactly appropriate attire for the middle of winter. His hair had been styled to reveal a rounded forehead, likely set in place with gel.
From head to toe, he was clearly dressed up—he’d definitely come from a bar or club, no doubt after partying hard.
“Ugh…”
The man barely managed to prop himself against the wall, shaking his head before narrowing his eyes at Bae Jung-yoon.
As expected, the stench of alcohol was overpowering. His eyes, lined with faint double eyelids, were glassy and half-dazed from the alcohol.
To be honest, his first impression wasn’t great. But he had a strikingly handsome face, easily on par with Bae Jung-yoon.
His cheeks were flushed from the booze, his skin was smooth and blemish-free, and his lips looked almost artificially red, as if something had been applied. His eyebrows were neatly trimmed in an elegant arch. And his nose—sharp and straight.
His overall appearance gave off a flashy vibe, but even Go Hoon, as another man, had to admit—he was pretty damn good-looking.
Still, good-looking or not, what the hell was he doing showing up like this in such a disgraceful state? What a goddamn nuisance. Go Hoon watched the scene unfold with a blank, detached expression.
“Hey, Bae Jung-yoooon─.”
The two stood in silence for a while, just staring at each other. It was the uninvited guest who finally broke the silence, his voice dragging sluggishly, heavy with the effects of alcohol, as if he were about to spill over.
Yet Bae Jung-yoon didn’t respond. He simply looked at the man, expressionless, like this sort of thing had happened more than once.
“Hey, aren’t you gonna answer me? Bae Jung-yoon.”
Maybe the silence got to him, because the man tried to approach. But he stumbled, his steps tangling, and he flailed before catching himself on the wall.
Seriously, the worst. This is why people say alcohol’s the enemy. If you’re drunk, go home, crash, and sleep it off—why the hell are you barging into someone else’s place acting like this? It’s not like Bae Jung-yoon’s your ex-girlfriend or anything.
Go Hoon watched the man’s antics with clear distaste, but suddenly, a memory of his own past mistakes came to mind. Not that he was in any position to judge—he himself had blacked out on the street from drinking and ended up in this whole mess.
Dude, keep it up like that, and you might just wake up one day as a cat like me. Watch yourself. It was a heartfelt warning, but sadly, it fell on deaf ears.
Unlike Go Hoon, who clicked his tongue inwardly, Bae Jung-yoon remained completely composed. He just kept staring silently at the man.
“H-hey, Bae Jung-yoooon─ I’m calling youuu─.”
“What is it, Choi Joo-won.”
Finally, in response to the whining tone, Bae Jung-yoon replied in a flat, indifferent voice. And with that, a piece of the puzzle fell into place. The drunk man’s name was Choi Joo-won.
“Ooh, guess you’re too high and mighty now… Took you how many times to finally answer me?”
Despite the half-hearted response, Choi Joo-won beamed and waved his arms lazily, clearly pleased.
“Long time no see, you bastard.”
So all that relentless calling and yelling was just to say that? Who the hell is this guy? Just as Go Hoon started to wonder, Choi Joo-won spoke again.
“Why’ve you been ignoring me lately? I’m getting all sad here.”
His tone was sulky, but the look he gave Bae Jung-yoon was anything but innocent. That sly, flirtatious smile naturally made Go Hoon recoil. He couldn’t understand why another guy would act so suggestively like that.
“I called you a bunch of times today, too, and you ignored every single one… didn’t you?”
At last, the identity of the obsessive caller became clear. The one who’d been overheating Bae Jung-yoon’s phone was none other than this guy right here. But it didn’t make sense. What kind of friend acts this obsessive?
“You’re really gonna treat me like this, Bae Jung-yoon?”
And now that he noticed, even Choi Joo-won’s tone had a strangely cutesy edge. Were the two of them that close? But no—Bae Jung-yoon’s expression was cold and unbothered. One was annoyingly clingy; the other completely detached.
Sensing something was off, Go Hoon narrowed his eyes, studying the two. What the hell is going on between these two?
“How much did you drink?”
After a long silence, Bae Jung-yoon finally spoke. He clearly had no intention of entertaining the other man’s attempts at conversation and instead shifted the topic to something else entirely.
“You reek of alcohol.”
He added the comment lazily, and Choi Joo-won brought his coat up to his nose.
“Hmm, I drank a bit, but do I really smell that much?”
“Yeah. You reek.”
“Ahh, really? I don’t smell anything at all though.”
He mumbled to himself and then chuckled as if it were the funniest thing.
“I even skipped smoking just to see you. That’s gotta count for something, right?”
Still getting no reply, Choi Joo-won stepped out of his shoes and approached.
“Hey, Bae Jung-yoon.”
He leaned in, closing the distance between them. It was uncomfortably close, yet Bae Jung-yoon didn’t flinch. He calmly looked down at Choi Joo-won, who stood a head shorter.
“Did you really not miss me?”
“Who knows.”
“‘Who knows’—? Seriously? How can you just say that?!”
The tension was noticeably thicker now. Go Hoon’s brow twitched at the increasingly uncomfortable scene.
And then Choi Joo-won reached out and wrapped both arms around Bae Jung-yoon’s neck. It was unmistakably a hug—one loaded with clingy, needy desire. Not the kind shared between friends.
Go Hoon’s mind began rapidly piecing things together. The conversation, the physical closeness—it was all proof that their relationship went way beyond casual friendship.
I mean, come on. Two regular guys don’t act this close. That’s just… gross.
“Let go of me if you want to talk.”
Bae Jung-yoon grabbed Joo-won’s arms, trying to pull them off. But Joo-won held on, resisting with all his weight.
“Don’t wanna─.”
And then—an absolutely shocking moment unfolded.
Choi Joo-won tilted his head and brought his lips toward Bae Jung-yoon’s.
