#Dating Novice (2)
“At the Physical Education department, they say good-looking guys serve shirtless. Compared to that, this is totally proper.”
Right, not a single word wrong there.
Tae-rim couldn’t think of a retort and cleared his throat with a “Khm.”
“Plus, he’s constantly contacting me about Ha-min oppa, always coming to our department building to pick up Ha-min oppa, and just recently on Tae-in oppa’s birthday, the two of them stuck together and then suddenly disappeared.”
These were things that perceptive people would inevitably notice. Knowing this, Tae-rim didn’t particularly care. Even if someone noticed, he didn’t want to restrict his actions because of it. He had no intention whatsoever of hiding his relationship with Ha-min; the only reason he was showing any restraint was because he knew Ha-min felt uncomfortable about it.
“Of course, I’m pretty open-minded, so I noticed, but…”
“Just pretend you don’t know.”
“Obviously. How would Ha-min oppa handle it if rumors spread?”
“Thank you.”
“But I find it a bit strange.”
Suddenly curious, Eun-soo glanced at Tae-rim and hesitantly opened her mouth again.
“Senior… didn’t you like women?”
As if he had somewhat expected this sudden question, Tae-rim nodded slowly without any particular reaction.
“Given all the rumors, I don’t think people would believe you’re dating a man anyway.”
“That was when I was immature.”
It wasn’t even six months ago?
Eun-soo swallowed the words lingering in her mouth and laughed awkwardly, “Haha—.” Looking at Tae-rim’s unperturbed face as if nothing had happened, Eun-soo realized he had a more shameless side than she’d thought.
The reason Eun-soo had brought up the topic of relationships with Ha-min first, warning him not to be taken advantage of, was because anyone could see that Ha-min and Tae-rim were complete opposites. Ha-min, who sometimes seemed not just innocent but almost simple-minded, and Senior Lee Tae-rim, who appeared skilled at everything in the world. It was obvious to anyone who would be wrapped around whose finger. Eun-soo didn’t particularly dislike Tae-rim, but she felt affection for Ha-min. Not romantic affection, but the bond and emotion between humans. So she couldn’t help but worry a little, even if it was meddling.
“…Hyung?”
Just then, Ha-min, who had been stirring, noticed the presence beside him as he blinked his heavy eyes. Tae-rim smiled softly and caressed Ha-min’s face, who was still in a half-asleep state. Feeling that the touch seemed somehow sticky, Eun-soo momentarily averted her gaze. For some reason, it felt like she was seeing something she shouldn’t.
“You’re awake?”
“Ah… I got drunk…”
“Why did you drink so much—”
Eun-soo scratched her arm, feeling a bit of cringe at the affectionate voice with a nasal tone.
“…When did I fall asleep…?”
“Let’s go home. Get some proper sleep there.”
“Okay…”
Ha-min, still not fully recovered from the alcohol, mumbled without knowing what he was saying and slowly closed his eyes again. Tae-rim let Ha-min rest his face on his neck and held his waist tightly to support his body.
“Don’t tell me you two live together?”
Eun-soo, who had gotten up to help support Ha-min, asked quietly. When she inquired about the fact inferred from their conversation, Tae-rim’s lips curved up smoothly.
“Yes. I’ll invite you over sometime.”
“Wow… already living together?”
“Keep that a secret too. Ha-min is quite shy.”
“Ah…”
“I trust you, Eun-soo, so please?”
At the request that held multiple meanings, Eun-soo let out an uncomfortable laugh, “Haha…” and reluctantly nodded. She had no intention of spreading it around in the first place, but she was at a loss for words at his brazen claim of trust.
Since when were we on such trusting terms… really.
Eun-soo let out a cynical laugh, but seeing how attentively Tae-rim was taking care of Ha-min, she clicked her tongue, thinking it probably wasn’t something she needed to worry too much about. Then she waved goodbye to Ha-min, who was being carried unconsciously on Tae-rim’s back. Whatever happens, she hoped they would have a beautiful love. Although she didn’t know much about Lee Tae-rim… seeing Ha-min’s excitement whenever they talked about relationships, she couldn’t help but cheer them on, no matter who his partner was.
Probably not just her, but anyone would think the same.
After saying goodbye, Eun-soo moved on to take care of the remaining drunk people. The chaotic night seemed likely to get even longer.
**
Ha-min suddenly opened his eyes and sat up abruptly, looking as if he’d forgotten he was asleep. Where am I? He remembered drinking beer excitedly with Eun-soo at the bar, but after that… his memory was blank. Realizing something was off, he looked around and found himself in a familiar room. It was familiar but not his own room—it was his hyung’s room.
“You’re awake already?”
He had been sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard with the shelf lamp dimly lit, reading a book with his glasses on. When he confirmed Ha-min was awake, he immediately put the book down on the shelf and laid the confused Ha-min back down.
“It’s still dawn, go back to sleep.”
“When did I get here…?”
“You were out of it from drinking, so I brought you home.”
Ha-min let out a deep sigh with a look of realization.
“I’m sorry… I was such a burden.”
Ha-min made a sad face and tried to sit up as he apologized, but Tae-rim instead covered him with the blanket up to his chin, preventing him from moving.
“Why do you have so many things to be sorry about?”
Tae-rim answered leisurely with a carefree smile. Forced to lie down properly, Ha-min blinked, staring up at Tae-rim who was looking down at him.
“I think I got drunk all of a sudden because I was in a good mood…”
Ha-min mumbled as if making an excuse. But it wasn’t a lie. Spending time with friends he hadn’t seen in a while made the alcohol go down smoothly. Especially the private conversation about relationships with Eun-soo had been incredibly enjoyable.
“Was it that fun?”
Tae-rim was leaning against the bed’s headboard, playing with Ha-min’s bangs and looking down at him teasingly. Ha-min looked up at Tae-rim, fidgeting a little before pulling the blanket up to his chin. His face suggested he had something he wanted to say but was hesitating. Tae-rim didn’t rush him, just persistently kept his gaze on Ha-min.
After a few minutes, Ha-min hesitantly opened his mouth.
“Actually, I… didn’t have many friends.”
His voice was mixed with an awkward laugh, as if embarrassed.
It wasn’t something he needed to bring up, but lately Ha-min wanted to tell him everything. All his stories that he’d always been so eager to hide.
“Even with Tae-in, we only reconnected recently…”
As Ha-min struggled to speak, Tae-rim quietly listened, simply stroking Ha-min’s bangs. Feeling the warmth from his affectionate touch, Ha-min continued.
“So when I started university, I wanted to make a lot of friends…”
“Mmm.”
“I really dreamed of just hanging out and chatting normally…”
“Really?”
“It sounds a bit silly.”
“No. It’s interesting.”
“Huh?”
“Hearing about you.”
Tae-rim spoke languidly, lowering himself from his position against the headboard and lying down face-to-face with Ha-min. With the distance suddenly reduced, Ha-min blinked, appearing a bit tense. Being a relationship novice was always difficult in these moments. The sudden reduction in physical distance always caught him off guard.
“Didn’t you want to try dating too?”
Tae-rim rested his head on his elbow on the pillow. With his other hand, he stroked Ha-min’s face. Since they started dating, he never stopped these small touches when they were together. Ha-min should have gotten used to it by now, but it was still difficult.
With a slightly flushed face, Ha-min quietly replied.
“Y-yes, I wanted to try…”
“What did you want to do when dating?”
I’ve never thought about that… Ha-min remained silent with a contemplative expression. Rather than thinking about what he wanted to do… he always seemed to be figuring out how to do things. Like the advice Eun-soo had given at the drinking party. Pull… and push?
While Ha-min was distracted and slow to answer, Tae-rim quietly waited through the brief silence before pinching Ha-min’s cheek. It was a small demand for attention. Ha-min blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Um… travel?”
“Where to?”
“Just… anywhere would be nice.”
“And?”
“Uh…”
Ha-min furrowed his brow, once again lost in thought. Seeing Ha-min struggle to find an answer, Tae-rim casually threw out:
“Watching my partner masturbate.”
“What?”
Startled by the suddenly elevated conversation, Ha-min’s eyes widened.
“Or… doing it outdoors with my partner.”
There was a hint of mischief in his creepy smile. Ha-min blushed and turned his gaze away. He just couldn’t get used to Tae-rim’s explicit comments.
“W-what… I’ve never thought about that.”
Ha-min avoided the topic and quickly turned his body to the opposite side. It was to escape the rapidly rising temperature. If he gave in to Tae-rim’s pace now, they would surely be doing that all night again. He had already suffered like this for months.
For nearly a month after he returned from America, they would pounce on each other whenever their eyes met. Even Ha-min, who was usually passive in such matters, responded quite actively then. If it had been during school, he would have skipped classes many times. He actually was late for his part-time job several times, and occasionally missed classes at the academy he attended during the break. One day, he even cried from fear that his hole would never close again after doing it day and night for days.
Worried that his daily life would fall apart, he was the one who suggested it first. They could do it as much as they wanted on weekends, but they should restrain themselves on weekdays. If this situation continued after the semester started, he felt he wouldn’t be able to go to school.
The usually relaxed Tae-rim always acted like a different person during sex. He was urgent and impatient, and there wasn’t a trace of reason in his flashing gaze.
“Ha-min.”
“……”
“Tomorrow is the weekend.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
