“…Huh?”
Se-min mumbled again, dazed and caught off guard. It was a panicked response—his clumsy solution thrown out when Cha-hyeon had come at him with that dangerously good-looking face, asking how to raise Favorability.
Cha-hyeon couldn’t hold back his laughter, but Se-min thought his point made perfect sense, even if it didn’t sound very cool.
Cha-hyeon had the memories of them being in a relationship. Se-min didn’t. So shouldn’t Cha-hyeon be the one making an effort to help Se-min adjust to this whole ‘couple’ thing? Wasn’t it only fair that he try too—for Se-min’s sake? If anyone should be working hard to impress someone, shouldn’t it be him?
Saying, “I want to raise Favorability”, was the same as asking, “How do I make you fall for me?”
“Yeah… Se-min’s right.”
Out of nowhere, he could almost hear Cha-hyeon’s voice, soft and drawn out, the way he got when he was being cheeky. Se-min’s gaze returned to the message, picturing that gentle smile, the way his eyes curved when he laughed.
Wait a minute… Had that message been an attempt to seduce him?
But once he started forming the thought into words, it hit him just how ridiculous and out-of-touch that idea was.
He was the one who’d blushed imagining Cha-hyeon in the shower. He was the one who’d misunderstood the request, spiraled into fantasies, and thrown a blanket over himself, hoping everything would calm down.
In short, the one making a mess of everything was Se-min.
A wave of shame hit him—so strong he felt like trash not even fit for recycling. He went cold. Who knew how long he sat there sulking like that. Then suddenly, with a huff, he tossed the blanket off his lap and started typing.
“Haah…”
Sorry. I was looking for something, so I replied late.
I didn’t leave you on read on purpose…
Yeah, I’ll bring it to you.
Where should I drop it off?
Despite the warmth still lingering in his cheeks, Se-min typed with robotic precision, crashing hard from the embarrassment. Almost immediately, the read notification disappeared.
Cha-hyeon-hyung:
Could you bring it to the bathroom by the living room?
Thanks ^.^
A waving dog emoji followed.
Se-min stared at it, hollow-eyed, before slowly climbing out of bed. Thankfully, the situation down below had finally calmed enough to avoid being noticeable.
Okay, yeah. It’s nothing. Just a simple request. Get it over with and stop being embarrassed. Nobody knows I was having those nasty thoughts anyway.
Trying to calm himself down, Se-min opened the door.
The apartment was eerily quiet, like he was the only one left in the world. He moved through the hallway toward the living room.
From earlier, he remembered that Cha-hyeon was using the rooms deeper in, past the living room. Of the two rooms there, one had to have the shower gown. He hadn’t meant to snoop around—he’d even turned down the offer to tour Cha-hyeon’s side of the apartment—but here he was, about to go poking around anyway…
“……”
Se-min’s steps came to a stop in front of a tightly shut door. And just like that, the storm of thoughts in his head went dead silent.
Even without particularly sharp hearing, he could make out the sound of water trickling from the showerhead, clear and steady.
The splash of water against skin, the hiss of warm water pouring out, and the distinct presence of someone moving around inside—it was all too vivid.
Those filthy fantasies he’d tried so hard to forget came roaring back, twice as loud.
He had no idea his brain had rotted this badly.
Se-min nearly jumped in place. Thankfully, his feet stayed planted on the floor, but the blush that had finally faded came rushing back, hotter than before.
Ji Se-min, have you lost your damn mind? You lose your memory and now your shame too?
Kicking himself, Se-min forced his legs to move again.
Maybe it was the urgency in his steps, but the sound of his slippers scraping the floor seemed unnaturally loud. He did his best not to glance at the glowing blue screen flickering at the edge of his vision. His cheeks were burning.
“H-Hah… Hah…”
His half-run slowed only once he crossed over into Cha-hyeon’s space. Se-min wasn’t even that out of breath, but he found himself panting, his chest tight with tension. Swallowing hard, he rubbed his face with dry palms, then finally looked up.
Current Favorability: 24%
His eyes squeezed shut. A silent scream echoed in his chest as he tried to shake off the self-loathing, the shame, and the vivid fantasies swirling in his head.
He didn’t know how long he stood there freaking out. Eventually, when his emotions burned themselves out, he was too mentally exhausted to even feel embarrassed. All he wanted now was to complete the mission—deliver the damn gown.
Sniffling, Se-min checked the doors in front of him. Three total. Probably a shared dressing room and Cha-hyeon’s bedroom among them. Too tired to think, he opened the nearest one first.
“…Ah.”
The lights weren’t even on, but he immediately knew this was Cha-hyeon’s room. The scent of his cologne rushed out and filled Se-min’s nose.
This was someone else’s private space. Cha-hyeon’s room. The thought of stepping inside to search for something sent a shiver of tension through him. That embarrassed flush returned to his already weary face.
Se-min chewed on his lip as he found the switch on the wall. Click. Light flooded the room.
It was still daytime, but the blackout curtains had left the room in near-total darkness. Now fully lit, the room’s clean, minimal design stood out. Unlike the cozier living room, Cha-hyeon’s space was all cool tones and bare essentials—no frills, no clutter.
Feeling oddly nervous, Se-min scanned the room. The shower gown should be somewhere in here. As he glanced around, his eyes landed on a wristwatch resting on the side table.
He didn’t know much about watches, but this one looked familiar. Even without a close inspection, it was clearly expensive. As he stared at it, recognition dawned—and he gasped, stepping back a half-pace.
This was the watch. The one I gave him when I proposed—before I lost my memory.
He vaguely remembered it from when Cha-hyeon had shown it to him like it was a piece of evidence. And this? This was exactly where someone would leave a watch right before hopping in the shower.
“Ugh…!”
That strange, sensitive feeling he’d felt earlier, momentarily drowned out by lustful thoughts, came rushing back stronger. But it didn’t stop there. Now, all the emotions had tangled up, spinning out into something new.
His past self had proposed. That version of him had obviously seen Cha-hyeon naked… right?
Attaching that one assumption to the fantasies he’d been trying so hard to resist made Se-min want to scream. The unease in his chest felt like it was about to shake him apart. Aaaagh! A silent scream ripped through him again.
Current-day Se-min wasn’t exactly the romantic type. His life had always been calm, drama-free. But now, his heart was pounding in a way it never had before—this was a brand new kind of stimulation.
Logically, he knew he was being ridiculous. All of this had started because of a simple request. But here he was, corrupting it with pervy thoughts. And now he was staring at a wristwatch, spiraling even deeper.
Consumed with shame and misery, he forced himself to focus on the task—find the damn shower gown.
Luckily, it was right where it should be, hanging just outside the en-suite bathroom. Se-min snatched it up quickly. It was soft, slightly heavy, and saturated with the scent of Cha-hyeon’s cologne and body wash.
Practically fleeing, Se-min rushed out of the room. His face felt like it was going to explode. Slippers slapping loudly across the floor, he raced across the living room—completely unaware of how loud he was being—and finally stopped near the bathroom he’d passed earlier.
“……”
His lips stuck out in a moody little pout, making his cheeks puff out as he slowly approached the door. The sound of the water had stopped. Instead, there was only the occasional slosh of someone shifting their weight in water—probably soaking in the tub now.
Just as he was about to picture the scene in more detail, Se-min shut his eyes tightly, then reopened them. His hand trembled slightly as he raised it to knock.
“…It’s me. I brought it….”
“Oh, you did?”
The reply came with a smile in the voice. Se-min’s cheeks puffed up even more.
“Thanks. Just leave it out front, that’s fine.”
Cha-hyeon’s voice, low and damp, echoed out from behind the door. Drip… drip… The sound of water droplets seemed unnaturally loud.
Se-min mumbled something—maybe yeah, maybe okay, he wasn’t sure—and hurried away from the door. The mission was complete. He was walking farther and farther from the bathroom, but somehow, he could still hear those damned water droplets in his ears.
He stumbled back into his room and slammed the door shut loud enough to shake the walls. Only then did the phantom sounds fade.
“……”
Leaning against the door, Se-min stared blankly at nothing. All he’d done was deliver a gown. And yet, it felt like he’d just survived a boss-level raid. Nothing he’d read on the wiki compared to this kind of combat.
How long he stood there, he didn’t know. But all of a sudden, like a power switch flipping, Se-min sprang into motion and darted toward his bed.
He grabbed his phone off the mattress.
Without hesitation, he opened his browser. His fingers moved like lightning.
Seoul studio apartment monthly rent
