After washing up, Jae-ha came out to find that Hae-hyun was nowhere in sight. Had he already gone to bed? Still toweling off his damp hair, Jae-ha walked into the bedroom with a puzzled look. He flicked on the light, only to spot a lump on the bed wrapped tightly in blankets.
“…Ju Hae-hyun?”
But it was far too small to be him. With his size, there was no way he’d be completely hidden under such a little blanket. As Jae-ha hesitated, the lump stirred. A dog’s snout poked out.
“What are you doing like that?”
After seeing him as a human all this time, it almost felt stranger now to see him in dog form. Jae-ha asked dryly, but the dog only shot him a sharp, sulky glare, refusing to move. In the end, Jae-ha approached first.
The moment he sat on the bed, the dog shoved his head forward, sniffing all over Jae-ha’s chest and shoulders like he was inspecting him. A low growl rumbled from his throat. Clearly, Jae-ha hadn’t passed the test.
With an irritated thump-thump of his tail, the dog turned away and curled up against the wall of the bed, the perfect picture of someone sulking.
Seriously—why are you the one mad here? Even through the haze of alcohol still lingering in his head, Jae-ha couldn’t figure it out. Too tired to care, he crawled under the covers, pulling the crumpled blanket over himself.
Compared to sharing the bed with a mountain of a man, it was certainly roomier with a basin-sized dog. Still, it wasn’t exactly comfortable. Every time their bodies brushed in the narrow bed, the dog smacked Jae-ha’s thigh with his tail.
“Enough already.”
Click. Jae-ha clicked his tongue in warning. At the edge in his voice, the tail slowed, then curled meekly back. Soon, the warmth pressed quietly against his side.
He switched off the lights with the remote and yawned, drifting quickly into sleep.
When he woke, he was alone.
The house was silent—looked like Hae-hyun had already left. Maybe he had plans? Shrugging it off, Jae-ha lazed in bed, scrolling on his phone until he groaned and clutched his head. It must’ve been that fruit makgeolli from the second round. This is why rice wine’s a problem… Clicking his tongue, he downed a glass of water and crawled back into bed. There was still plenty of time before class—might as well nap off the hangover.
By the time he came to, most of the day had already slipped by. He had no idea how he’d even managed to sit through lectures. Next to Ji-hyang, who looked ready to burn holes into the blackboard with her eyes, Jae-ha had half-dozed and fidgeted until the professor finally left.
On the way out, not just Ji-hyang but even a few juniors tried to rope him into dinner. His stomach was still unsettled, so he declined. Better to head home, rest a bit, and have whatever Hae-hyun made later.
When he opened the front door, sure enough, Hae-hyun’s shoes were there. Looked like he’d already come back from class while Jae-ha was at school. Normally, he’d be in the kitchen by now, but… strangely, the house was quiet. As if he were asleep? Puzzled, Jae-ha stepped into the living room—and froze.
In the darkened room, a dog sat perfectly still, facing the veranda with his back to the rest of the house.
“……”
His fluffy back looked frozen, like a statue. With no idea what that meant, Jae-ha didn’t even know how to respond. When he stood there awkwardly, the bushy tail flicked sharply, as if patience had worn thin.
“What’s wrong with you?”
This time, he spoke—but the dog ignored him without hesitation. Seriously, what the hell?
Curious as he was, it didn’t seem like Hae-hyun had any intention of explaining. Even after Jae-ha came home, he stared stubbornly at the veranda until, without warning, he huffed, got up, and strutted off to the bedroom—like it was his own.
Honestly, Jae-ha had no idea what this was about. Since he hadn’t done anything wrong, he wanted to brush it off. Clearly, the guy had some kind of complaint, but if he wouldn’t say it out loud, what was there to even discuss?
“……”
With a long sigh, Jae-ha ruffled his hair. He’s just a kid—let it slide.
When he entered the room, the dog was already sprawled on the bed. His head was stubbornly turned toward the wall, but his ears twitched at the sound of the door.
“You’re not eating?”
At Jae-ha’s words, his body sagged like he’d deflated.
Anyone could tell from that drooping back that he was sulking. He shoved his face into the sheets as if declaring he wouldn’t listen anymore. Still, skipping dinner altogether… As a Korean, Jae-ha couldn’t help but worry, but the dog refused to budge.
And the odd behavior didn’t stop there. After Jae-ha gave up trying to talk and left the room, the door cracked open and the bundle of fur slipped out to follow. His paw pads made soft pat-pat sounds on the wooden floor.
What the—? The moment Jae-ha turned around, the dog froze, spun away, and pretended he’d been there all along. Of course, no one would believe that.
“…Why?”
Still no answer. It wasn’t like he could smack a dog. As Jae-ha resumed walking, he heard the sound of paws trailing behind him again.
It felt like a protest—demanding he notice the sulking. Fine, he could understand that much. The problem was, he had no idea why.
Thinking back, it probably started after he came home drunk last night… but which part set him off? Coming home late? Not calling? Smelling like alcohol? Even as he ate his takeout dinner, he couldn’t figure it out. Are dogs normally this sensitive to scent? He wouldn’t know—he’d never raised one. Maybe he should buy a book.
The two lunchboxes he’d ordered—one for himself and one for Hae-hyun—remained unopened on the table. Meanwhile, the dog lay by the dining table the entire time, thumping his tail against the floor.
Even after Jae-ha ate, washed up, and lay in bed scrolling through his phone, the dog shadowed him relentlessly. Whenever Jae-ha turned to look, thinking he wanted something, Hae-hyun would quickly turn away, pretending to lick his paw or sniff the furniture instead of staring. When that failed to get attention, he even started whining softly. Did he really think he was just a dog now…?
Seriously, say something. What, he thought throwing tantrums in fur form was enough? Honestly… maybe it was kind of effective. If it had been human Ju Hae-hyun pulling this, Jae-ha might’ve already thrown him out. He glanced at the large dog lying beside him. His head was turned so firmly away that only his furry back was visible.
A while ago, he’d been such a whirlwind, and now he was silent. Had he given up? When Jae-ha peeked closer, he realized he was asleep. Judging from his limp body, he’d been out for a while.
He’d driven Jae-ha crazy only to fall fast asleep like nothing had happened. Unbelievable… Jae-ha debated giving him a swat but instead put his phone down and turned off the lights. Muttering to himself about how he couldn’t understand why someone who slept so soundly here claimed he couldn’t sleep on the couch.
The next morning, Jae-ha woke to find himself alone again.
He’d gone to bed early the night before, worn out from dealing with the dog, and he had an early morning class—first period, no less—so he was up earlier than usual. As far as he remembered, Hae-hyun didn’t have morning lectures. Usually, it was always Jae-ha who got up first.
Where’d he go? Sitting blankly on the bed, Jae-ha tilted his head, but the one person who could answer was already gone.
[Me]
You left early today?
[Ju Hae-hyun]
Yes
[Ju Hae-hyun]
Aren’t you going to class?
[Me]
I am
[Ju Hae-hyun]
Then go
…He sounded perfectly normal. Looked like nothing serious had happened. Still staring at the short exchange, Jae-ha realized it was time to leave for school and dragged himself up.
As he entered the hallway leading to his lecture, he spotted a tall, broad-shouldered figure leaning against the wall. Hard to miss.
“Ju Hae-hyun?”
Though Jae-ha hadn’t called loudly, Hae-hyun looked up from fiddling with his phone. Their eyes met instantly.
“…What are you doing here?”
Maybe he caught the reluctant note in Jae-ha’s tone, because Hae-hyun’s brow furrowed.
“Am I not allowed to be here?”
What was with this rebellious streak since yesterday? When Jae-ha only narrowed his eyes instead of answering, Hae-hyun’s face faltered just a little.
“Let’s have lunch together.”
“…Lunch?”
“You’re gonna eat after class anyway, right?”
“Well, yeah, but…”
He didn’t say the obvious why with you, but it looked like Hae-hyun heard it loud and clear. He stepped closer, his eyes sulky and unyielding as they fixed on Jae-ha.
“What, you don’t want to? Is there some special reason you can’t eat with me?”
The barrage of questions came rapid-fire, leaving no room for a reply. Before Jae-ha could even open his mouth, Hae-hyun fired off more like a machine gun.
“You already promised to eat with someone else? Who? Are you drinking too?”
Not exactly, but his next class was with Ji-hyang, and they usually had lunch together afterward. With a reluctant frown, Jae-ha answered.
“I was gonna eat with Ji-hyang.”
“Ji-hyang? You mean Yoo Ji-hyang?”
“Sunbae.”
He corrected her title, but for some reason that only made Hae-hyun’s brow twitch again.
“Why? Didn’t you say you two weren’t dating?”
“So what, are we supposed to be dating to eat together?”
“Why would you… why would you say it like that?”
Suddenly, Hae-hyun covered his mouth, mumbling. His eyes blinked rapidly, almost like he was embarrassed.
What’s with him now? As Jae-ha frowned at the oddness, he noticed the professor approaching from the far end of the hall.
“Hey, just go. I’ve got class.”
“You better not ditch me.”
“Just go.”
“I’ll skip lunch and wait.”
Only after tossing out that absurd threat did Hae-hyun finally let him go. Was that supposed to be intimidation? Flabbergasted, Jae-ha slipped into the classroom. When he glanced back a few steps later, he saw the tall figure in the distance, arms crossed.
What the hell was he playing at? Were kids these days all like this? Feeling oddly drained already, Jae-ha turned away and spotted Ji-hyang. As always, she was in her usual spot, even having saved his seat.
“Hey.”
Noticing him set his bag down beside her, Ji-hyang waved. As always, an Americano was practically part of her outfit. Before Jae-ha could even greet her back, she leaned in, curiosity bright in her face.
“Seo Jae-ha, are you and Ju Hae-hyun… close?”
